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

[smaaaaaash]

[It's definitely permanent. Only the best for his fans, even the thirsty ones! Though he stops, visibly startled, when Iroha puts up a hand.]

Ritual? What ritual?

[He draws back. Yes, it would seem Iroha's clothes are saved, although now he looks puzzled.]

[smaaaaaash]

Right, let's go!

[He pauses and quickly adds--] Oh, but keep the explosions to a minimum. Emergencies only, okay?

[uselessgoddess]

[She just falls to her knees, a look of familiar despair rather than horror.]

A-Again? There's not even a Demon King to defeat this time?

[smaaaaaash]

A family, huh...

[He thinks of Izuku and the other kids, and somehow, it helps set his mind at ease. It might not be perfect, but it's making the best of a bad situation, isn't it?]

Then maybe I don't need to worry.

[smaaaaaash]

I see.

[Even if he knew the man briefly, it looks like a difficult memory. But what can he say? The only way he knows to give reassurance is as a hero, someone who makes others laugh and feel safe. He can't fix past tragedies, only look toward the future.]

What happened to him, for him to simply disappear?

[onichan]

[That's alright. A change in facial expression is good for All Might anyway; didn't his mother tell him if he isn't careful his face will get stuck like that? Unless... it is already too late??]

Providing your name written by your own hand to be cherished by your devotee. A shrine offering to the gods in reverse, one might say.

[Iroha is firmly planted in the camp of thought which dictates no one does anything without receiving some benefit to themselves. All Might must benefit from keeping his fans loyal. Number One Hero, hm. Many of Iroha's clients shared secrets with their favourite courtesan because no one else could be trusted to see behind their mask. Of course he recognized All Might wore one too.]

[smaaaaaash]

[It's already far too late for this one, his face got stuck like this a long time ago.]

Hm... So are you trying to say you want to exchange autographs?

[He rubs his chin for a second, debating, then straightens up and laughs.] HA HA HA HA! That's fine! I've never received anything like that from a fan before!

[tenthousandmiles]

He was eaten by a Kuchinawa--a being that devours and replaces guardians of the mountain.

[It was Mujika's choice, to sacrifice himself for the good of the mountain, and in the end he'd been right; once the Kuchinawa took his place, the mountain stabilized. Ginko cannot blame him for his choice, so he does the only thing he can -- remember.]

When a guardian is replaced by a Kuchinawa, their very existence is erased from the world. Every trace of their life, even the memories of others are lost. The only reason I remember is because I was on the mountain when it happened.

[onichan]

[If he sleeps with that grin on it's gonna be creepy.]

May I?

[Holding his hand out for the pen. Going first is a power move, obvi. Since he's kicking himself now that the ruination of his shirt is inevitable. There is no way to escape without appearing rude.]

[smaaaaaash]

Yes!

[He's intrigued, so he hands him the pen, then stands in his best superhero pose with his hands on his hips. He might have to get a new suit after this and save this one for the fans if the signings become a fad, but...]

[onichan]

[Nice. Iroha's gaze moves upwards as if he needs to choose the perfect spot, and he smiles faintly when he casually takes in the sight of more of him, thinking now that his hair was more like insect antenna than bunny ears? What does it look like when he's relaxed...

Enjoying the moment, even if he doesn't care about All Might's fanbase it amuses him to claim this first, Iroha t a k e s h i s t i me writing his name on the white stretch of costume dead-center on All Might's chest. A sakura-flower flourish draws it out - his name's too short to get a good, suggestive pressure on without adding a little something.]

[smaaaaaash]

That's a heavy burden to bear. But even if no one remembers, if the people he protected are kept safe, his legacy lives on. That's what I believe, anyway.

[Would he feel the same way if All Might were erased overnight? Well... Perhaps not. Perhaps he's a hypocrite in that sense. Still.]

Are guardians chosen, or do they choose that life for themselves?

[smaaaaaash]

[The problem with having a beefy barrel chest: it's impossible to see clearly just what Iroha is writing (or drawing), so he just watches patiently until it seems like he's done.]

You should work on speeding up your autograph technique. Who knows when you'll have lines of fans waiting for your signature?

[Is he being intentionally or unintentionally dense? Who knows.]

[tenthousandmiles]

Mm, he was right in the end. The Kuchinawa brought stability to the mountain, securing the future of all things living within it--including the villagers.

[It's the fate of all living things to eventually die. Most of them will not be remembered...even among humans, such memory lasted barely a generation or two before it was lost to time. It's natural, too, for humans to fear such an outcome; Mujika held the wisdom to see past that fear.

Or perhaps it was mostly guilt, that drove his actions. Ginko looks out into the field behind them, distant for a bare moment before he sets to answering that question--]

Guardians are typically chosen by nature, in order to watch over those places where life would, left unchecked, overwhelm and destroy itself. They're typically born with grass growing somewhere on their bodies. Mujika-san was different, though. He wasn't born a guardian, but rather become one out of necessity when the original guardian was killed.

[Saki had killed the guardian out of love, love for Mujika, and the old man had carried the guilt of it in his heart for years. Combined with the weight of watching over the mountain -- when Ginko thinks about it, it's incredible he didn't call for the Kuchinawa sooner.]

...Aa, I've been carrying on like this, and haven't even asked your name.

[onichan]

[Pffhaha. Sorry not sorry, All Might. Iroha smiles, he's sure that everything All Might does is as calculated as any image-prep he's done for himself.]

Oh, I have had my share of strangers clamoring for my attention.

[Admires his work. While the ink dries. Totally what he's doing. Alas, he eventually hands over the pen.]

Hurrying our time together would be no less than insulting.

[lavabend]

[ aigis pls don't

It takes him a second to understand what she's trying to say, but when it does hit him, he lets out a laugh. ] Yeah. Yeah. That's exactly how that phrase goes.

[ It isn't but he finds the effort really funny and cute. ]

Okay. With the two of us we'll have no problem finding them. [ 'School' shoes, though. ] I didn't know robots had to go to school. What's that like? Do you get to meet a lot of other robots?

[ Not that Bolin even knows what regular school is like, because he never had the money to go to one. ]

[smaaaaaash]

Well, it's an honour to have the autograph of such a big fan!

[Pats him on the shoulder again, this time remembering to hold back a little on his strength, then takes the pen. His own autograph is done in an instant, on the left side of Iroha's robe.]

There you have it. Thanks for your continued support!

[smaaaaaash]

[He shakes his head and smiles -- though the expression is tinged with sadness -- to show he doesn't mind. It's interesting, how much the role of a guardian and of the so-called Number One Hero seem to align.]

After seeing something like that, anyone would need to talk. [A beat, then:] Toshinori Yagi.

[lavabend]

That's a real mouthful but I like the sound of it! I played a hero once myself.

[ A propaganda hero to raise support in a war, to be precise, but he had fun. ]

But you're the real deal, huh? You've got to have lots of stories to tell.

[bittybat]

[The poking paw stirs him, and he rolls into a slow sit with a soft groan. He's so tired of the stupid magic of this place. As eloquent as he held himself previously, he sure looks pensive and shaken now.

Hm, maybe he really is just thirteen years old.] I know him. [Because if he's anything, it's stubborn, and he isn't going to so casually accept his father's one-time almost full death.]

He's here... [He runs his hand back through his hair to organize it, then he glances at the cat.] My father.

[youwillbeunequaled]

[Actually, don't put it past the town to deliver on something like that... What if a situation like Momotaro or Princess Kaguya is used?!
He will always worry. Just a little. (Comparing him with daifuku though? Why this? so cute)]

[His smile from freeing Nikkari turns to being thoughtfully questioning at that comment. Outside of the History Retrograde Army, he's never encountered a vengeful spirit to speak of.]

Face them with a smile? What do you mean?

[Tonbokiri moves to follow Nikkari as he speaks, but his coat being (magically) caught on the post of the weather vane brings him to an abrupt halt. And that abruptness bends the post, without freeing him.]

How-?! I'm sorry-

[withwisdom]

Not that I know... though it wouldn't surprise me.

[ demon kings sounds perfectly in line for this realm so far. zelda sighs and carefully squats down to get to aqua's level on the ground. ]

Though you are far from your realm, and your people in turn, know that you will be welcomed in our town with open arms. Though we cannot return home, we still find a way to live together.

[uselessgoddess]

Wait a second...

[There can be good sides.]

...is alcohol free?

[withwisdom]

Huh? Ah... yes it is. We don't have any sort of business exchange here - we share everything in good will.

[ there isn't really that much alcohol to go around though... she should probably tell her. ]

[uselessgoddess]

Then there's no problem!

[180 mood reversal as she's quite happy now.]

I'll just have to do my best after all!