Test Drive Meme 3.

[awashmods]

Mary, Mary, quite contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells, And cockle shells, And pretty maids all in a row.

Prompt 1: t's probably been at least a little while since you managed to climb out of the well, so hopefully you've dried off by now and are enjoying poking around the Town. But who cares about all of that? More importantly, the Town has a new feature this time, for reasons entirely unknown to everyone. The flowers...seem to be talking. They have no faces, but they will definitely turn to talk to you, and if they have had their color restored, they will very brightly and contentedly compliment you, or your clothing, or wish you well. If they haven't? Prepare yourself for all sorts of horrible, horrible insults, because that's all that's coming your way. Prompt 2: ow are you settling in? Is the Town treating you well? It's not as bad as it used to be; some of the houses have color, some of the food has color and taste as well. It's been polished up a bit since everyone first got here. Granted, when you wake up that morning to find yourself in full fancy wear of many different types (all colorless, and gender has nothing to do with which you might end up in), you'll find that the Town might not be as well put together as it seems. You can't get out of the formal wear. It just won't come off, no matter what you do. Which wouldn't be so bad, but... it seems like these clothes will snag on just about everything in the Town, which is far from smooth. Try not to trip over those loose cobblestones, or your dress snagging on a nail sticking out from a door frame. This is really not the place for this sort of clothing. Prompt 3: e loves me, he loves me not... that's a pretty familiar game, right? For some reason, the urge to pick one of those flowers and casually pluck the petals from it while playing that game is going to grow stronger and stronger the more flowers you see. Eventually? You're just going to have to cave to it. (Certainly it doesn't help that the flowers scream a bit when you pull their petals; they still can talk right now, after all!) She loves you, she loves you not...and by the time you've picked the last petal, you've forgotten who you were even thinking of originally -- instead, the very next person you see is going to be the victim of a very impassioned declaration of love. Don't worry, you'll come back to yourself...after you declare your undying love for everyone to hear. Prompt 4: ut no matter how many people tell you not to go into the forest, however, it's still rather enticing, isn't it? It's sitting right there, waiting for you to explore it, waiting for you to just step a little bit out of the Town... And soon, you're surrounded by the dark boughs of the trees, the twisty, turny paths of the woods, where it feels like you're wandering in circles for hours upon hours -- And then, after ages of tree branches yanking at your hair and roots tripping you up, you find a clearing. And in that clearing? There's a field of flowers. They're colorless -- strangely eerie because of it, but still distinctly recognizable to the flower familiar as Asphodel. And touching any single one of those flowers will suddenly give you vivid memories of one of your precious friends -- so long as they're dead. Anyone around you is going to experience that flash of memory too, so be careful! Extra: Got something in mind? Want to play with the setting more? The sky's the limit, so feel free and make up your own prompts to play with! Welcome to Awash's third Test Drive Meme! Please check out the FAQ and rules as you test your characters out. The setting is yours to play with, so be creative and have a good time with it! An important date to remember is September 1st, 9 PM EST, when Applications will open. There will be no reserves for this app round or any future app rounds, so it will be first come, first served applications. As a side note, TDM threads are not canon, so please feel free to assume established CR for the sake of the TDM if it will make threading or showing off your character's voice easier. If you have any questions about the TDM, feel free to ask us here. If there are any other questions, you can catch us via PM, the FAQ or the contact page. You are of course welcome to use prompts from the previous two test drives. Thank you for your interest in Awash!

Comments

1

[lavabend]

They may not be attacking us physically, but some of the things they're saying? Really wound. Right in the heart.

[ He's had nice flowers showering him with praise and he's also had not-so-nice flowers calling him useless or dimwitted. Ow. The ones that just make fun of his eyebrows aren't so bad, at least. ]

These ones make no sense though. Why would anyone try and kill their own friend?

[ditherer]

[... this human certainly talks a lot.]

Even if I told you, I doubt you would have heard of the term.

[from the way this guy is talking, gandharva's fairly certain they aren't from the same universe.]

[blossomblade]

[ She goes ever smoothly, her grace translating even to this, and her hand turns to curl lightly around Ignis's hand in thanks, in warmth. The question gets a smile from her. ]

They prompted a vision. A moment I have not seen except in my most restless nights' dreams.

[ninjanature]

[Even if he's not aware of the abilities of the many different people here, he's at least currently aware he can't feel anyone inside. No one had been inside before either. So while he should've gone first "protectively," he's comforted in the fact he knows the cafe will likely be empty.

Plus, he's fast enough he could get in and fight if he had to do it.]

No crime. Isn't it a good thing? No crime means no one will be hurt.

[For a moment, he stands in front of the closed door and glances around. It doesn't seem as if anyone has come back since he was here previously. Then his eye follows her as she moves through the place, and he ventures in a little more.]

Are you going to work here with whoever owns it?

[onichan]

[Oh no he's cute. Iroha drinks in that stunning appearance after being released, excited by threat and possibility that strength represents in an instinctive way he finds difficult to resist. But it is of the utmost importance that he not succumb to his inhuman half's urgings.]

Has your affection for me been fully satisfied by words alone?

[If he can't fight, he'll f...lirt.]

[passio]

[ dextera doesn’t feel like he has a choice, honestly. when shinya asks him like that it’s more of a command, and he’s lucky that shinya is guren’s friend and not his enemy. probably. ]

D-E-X-T-E-R-A. Dextera.

[ he doesn’t know if shinya has already met with guren—or if guren would even mention him to shinya independently. ]

[ninjanature]

[Oh, yikes. Just... ignore that flower, Bolin. And, uh, the one saying, You really were a fool, weren't you? The whole time, and Funny how you want redemption but wouldn't give forgiveness to the person you hated most.

Hm.]

Sometimes, friends don't agree with each other.

[superwaifu]

[What he said upon entering was endearing, and unexpected. Truthfully, Hatoko didn't want to encounter anything bad. She was only playing a game when pretended to want to find something exciting. It sounded as if he felt the same way; fighting for justice was fun, self-satisfying...but wasn't it better for everyone to have nothing to stand against in the first place?

Thankfully, he didn't really follow up and she was able to keep her thoughts to herself while looking at the contents of cupboards and opening drawers. She wasn't a fast thinker, and was still occupied by what Sasuke had first said when he spoke again. This time, a pretend-answer to keep up her image wasn't necessary.]

I haven't thought about a job yet.

[She had barely begun to look around the strange new world. Finally finding some teabags and a kettle, she hesitates a little but continues:]

Have you been here a long time?

[lavabend]

[ He's going to assume this very concerning thing Sasuke said is just him making a joke. That's why Bolin doesn't pay it much mind. ] Y'know, I've had my fair share of arguments - mostly with my brother over whose turn it is to do dishes - but I don't think it's ever made me want to kill him.

[ So. Can't really relate.

The flowers are also saying some really concerning things when they weren't before. Forgiveness? Redemption? Yikes. It all sounds like messy, heavy stuff he really doesn't want to get into. Still, with his need to voice out everything that's on his mind, he kind of leans in a little and whispers to Sasuke. ] Psst. Do you think they're talking about that guy?

[ The random guy somewhere at the side, who might possibly have some baggage to sort through. ]

[smaaaaaash]

[Despite being the master of playing dumb, All Might knows full well when he's being flirted with, but he just pats Iroha jovially on the shoulder.]

Of course, of course! Warm words and a hug are more than enough.

[Please keep this conversation PG, buddy.]

[ninjanature]

[It took a long time to get to the point of being able to say something like he did. Naruto might have done a double-take at him for it, knowing his history, knowing him.

At one time, he had wanted to become the villain they were pretending to expect. A bad guy to unite everyone good.]

No. A few days. I came out of the well with others.

[He doesn't intend to pressure her, but he has a seat at one of the closer little tables almost like he's a customer. The Suspicious(tm) cloak now has to part away to let him sit, gathering and spilling over to one side. Shockingly, there's not a lot of sketchy things concealed. His clothes seem somewhat modern, but he does have a sword... and, oddly, the left sleeve of his shirt hangs down straight and limp by his side.]

[onichan]

[So much for that. What a waste! There is no fun to be had pursuing someone who has no interest in an entertaining game regardless of any real desire. Disappointed but accepting, Iroha backs off, putting one hand around his own waist in a relaxed position.]

Care to explain what inspired you to confess...?

[Anyone would remember meeting this person previously, and Iroha doesn't. Nor does he appear to be the type to pull a prank. So, what is going on?]

[ninjanature]

[The visible dark eye drops with Bolin's lean, and he doesn't move forward or away for the whisper.

Seems like all of this baggage has the nametag Sasuke Uchiha on it.] It's me. [It's so blunt it's almost on the verge of oversharing, but he's trying to admit at least to himself these sin are his.]

It was about more than just the dishes.

[He can joke! Kind of... Was it a joke? His face looks so serious.]

[superwaifu]

[Only a few days? He seemed so at ease, comfortable with the environment. Hatoko assumed that was the maturity of an adult, while she was still unsure and fumbling with the world around her and assumed that would be the case for a while.

She made the tea with ease but the pair of cups were mismatched. Oh well. As much as she loved a pretty aesthetic she wasn't obsessive about perfection. Hatoko's mind is on the most mundane thing (snacks! can't have tea without 'em) when she notices the, well, unique features she hadn't seen before.

It takes her a few seconds of blatantly staring to recover. She has no idea what to say. Hatoko manages to put the cups down and pour their full without spilling anything, but its in an uncomfortable silence.]

You had a weapon this whole time!

[Ha...ha, yeah. God, she feels awful. Here she is waiting for her friends to swoop her back where she belongs, out of this place. And leave him behind, this nice man? One her friends could make whole? At least she sits down across from him without running away.]

3

[lavabend]

[ He's had fights less painful than this. Whoever this stranger is, he's huge, even by Bolin's standards, and freakishly strong. Bolin's usually the one crushing others in big, enthusiastic hugs. He's rarely at the other side of the gesture. So this is how it feels, and why Mako sometimes complains. ] OOF!

[ Okay, this hurts, but the thought is also nice. ] Y-Yeah you're kinda killing me ... [ A slight wheeze. ] But, pain aside, I guess I can't argue with random street love.

[ All Might will get a hug right back. ] Love you too, stranger.

[lavabend]

Oh. About you, huh ... [ Give him a few seconds to put the pieces together. He's not exactly the sharpest guy and usually needs time.

Okay. It hits him. ] You tried to kill your friend?!

[ Bolin's definitely concerned now. Who wouldn't be, standing beside someone who just admitted to attempted murder and seems so calm about it? He can't tell if he's joking right now, or if he was joking before, or if the whole thing was a joke, or if nothing was a joke at this point. ]

[nascere]

[ He sees it, too, the violence of the memories erupting -- a punch in the chest, a reminder of how much Luna and Ravus have lost. Noctis blinks, but doesn't let go of her, startled at the vision.

He remembers it in bits and pieces, details already smudged, but this, this is vivid and almost all too real. ]

What was that --

ii

[lavabend]

[ Of course he doesn't mind being approached by a pretty girl in a fanciful outfit! Though, the question confuses him a little. ]

No ...? [ Too bad Mako isn't here to handle fire-related matters. ] What for? Do you want to start a fire because you're feeling cold?

[ The solution to that is clearly soft blankets. ]

[ninjanature]

[Being thirty isn't anything at all like being sixteen, and he can vouch for that personally. She has plenty of time to get adjusted with herself, and maybe it's one of the reasons he's humoring her.

He learned what kind of person he could really be when he wasn't tangled up in revenge.]

You don't have to worry. I won't use it unless we're attacked... [He was going to leave it at that, but:] ...by criminals. [He's not sure if she knows to be worried about things worse than thieves. She seems so... normal?]

Thank you.

[ninjanature]

[Being an attempted murderer probably doesn't help the Dark aesthetic or the fact that the very end of--a staff? a sword?--is dangling by his knees from beneath the swallowing cloaked jacket.

At least his shoes are open-toed, right? Less threatening?] It's a long story.

He was always getting in my way and holding me back.

[There's no malice in his tone, and yet, his face still doesn't change, so Bolin won't be able to tell if this is supposed to be a light-hearted joke or not. The only clue to the result, whether good or bad, is he used past tense.]

Have you never disagreed with your friends about the world?

[lavabend]

[ Growing up in the street, and having been in a gang at some point, means he's not too unused to seeing people hold weapons. Heck, it's probably true that a few of the people he and Mako used to hang around with have killed at least one person in their lives. Still, killing is wrong to him, and being a Nickelodeon cartoon character, his thoughts on this are unlikely to change.

The usage of past tense really isn't putting him at ease. Optimistic guy that he is, though, he'll give Sasuke the benefit of the doubt. Maybe ... he had his reasons, and he's not evil after all. ] I'm not really the decision-making guy in my group. I kinda trust my friends to make the right call. They're smart.

[ He mostly follows rather than leads. ] And if I don't like what they're doing, I talk to them about it?

... Eventually. [ Asserting himself is tough too, but killing someone over a disagreement might be way, way too extreme. ]

[allweather]

[There's something about leaving this very sad man here alone with the memory flowers that seems... incredibly mean... Okay, he's doing this.]

In that case, let me keep you company. Since I won't be exploring this field any further, my schedule's just opened up. [See. Logical.] My name is Reim.

[ninjanature]

[The very corners of his lips twitch, but the smile doesn't reach anything except maybe the one eye. Dealing with the younger crowd is always a trip now, he thinks. Being thirty and older... things seemed so terribly simple when he was young, and he doesn't quite understand how they all fucked it up so badly.]

Sounds like Naruto. [His gaze lifts, away, above the flowers and distant.] He was the friend I tried to kill. A loud-mouth half-wit. [It's said with a strange amount of affection which doesn't match up with the initiate topic of conversation.] He was always getting into other people's business even when no one wanted anything to do with him.

You thought you were the greatest ninja, worthy of being Hokage, [one of the flowers pipes up.] But the only thing you had been was stupid.

I guess I was.

[allweather]

"Old timey."

[Gaze...... you say that to his face.....]

Well, I will give it my best shot.

[regrede]

I can raise the dead, so there’s no concern there.

[ would she? can she actually? who knows! she’s having a great time. ]

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