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!

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Ryan Farrow | OC

[averagemedium]

((if anyone wants to have assumed cr, feel free to hit me up in pms or at probabiliteej! also as a note for characters who aren't human or are magical/supernatural in some way, he can normally detect that even if they look normal-- this is totally opt-in, so just let me know if you're down with that!))

1.

[Talking flowers are definitely not something he's run across before, but they're also not the weirdest thing? So you might come across this guy, ignoring anything else that he might have to do in favor of crouching down to have a chat with a couple of the colorful ones; there's no hesitation involved here, he's just immediately going for it.]

Your petals are pretty nice too, y'know-- but hey, what exactly are you? I mean, flowers, obviously, but do you always do this, or...?

[They don't seem to be giving him a satisfactory answer, so he'll be here for a few minutes, continuing to try to get info out of flowers. If anyone else comes by, he'll glance up-]

Hey! Um, excuse me, d'you know if these are naturally occurring?

(alternately-)

[If whoever's nearby is someone he can pick up on with his sense, he's definitely more interested in them than in the flowers. He perks up pretty much immediately, his expression bright.]

Oh-- nevermind these guys, actually. Can I ask you a couple of questions?

2.

[Okay, the clothes are cool (he definitely spends a minute just admiring them), but they're absolutely not practical for Ryan's purposes. After getting caught on a couple things already, he's exercising a lot more caution, trying not to bump into anyone; his posture's a little more hunched, his steps slower, but unfortunately he's all too focused on trying to avoid things around him and fails to notice something on the ground.

What happens next is a pretty blatant display of a total lack of athletic skill. He trips, goes over a low fence-- and his clothes snag on it, leaving him struggling to get back to his feet and unable to quite make it there.]

Shit shit shit-- c'mon, let go, whatareyouevenstuckon...

[--frantic fumbling with the outfit is doing exactly nothing for him, though. One fold of fabric is particularly badly snagged; he's probably going to need a hand with that, preferably before he dies of embarrassment.]

4.

[Of course he's gone to the woods, regardless of any warnings. He's long since gotten used to the idea that places people are warned away from are, generally, good places for him to be-- they're not the woods he lives nearby at home, though, distinctly unfamiliar, and he definitely spends a decent amount of time lost in here. By the time he reaches the field, he's out of breath, with a few twigs stuck here and there from trudging through foliage; Ryan pauses there to look over the flowers, leaning against a tree while he catches his breath (and removes a couple leaves from his hair).]

...they're pretty even without their color, aren't they? I almost think they look better like this.

[Because yeah, they're a flower mister I-see-dead-people is pretty familiar with. It seems fitting enough for them to be colorless.

For the sake of length here we're doing memories in threads, so for the time being? He's quietly observing for a moment more before heading closer to the field.]

1 the alternate version, but I made it worse

[swordfucker]

[Guren doesn't like anything that's going on with these flowers. They're a pain, they're causing people to get lovesick, and he's already had a handful of awkward scenarios that he doesn't want to deal with. That's why, when Ryan turns to him with so much interest, he misunderstands it completely.]

No.

[A flat answer, and he's glaring down at these colorless flowers like he's really considering just stomping them into the ground... but that would probably make someone he cares about (a few someones, really) pretty sad, and he sighs, instead.

It's like he's momentarily forgotten about Ryan, but he hasn't he's just ignoring him for the hot minute he thinks he has a love confession on the tip of his tongue, I'm so sorry.]

[averagemedium]

-no?

[That stops him short. He pauses, blinking up at him-- and frowning for a moment, looking a little distracted. It's odd; he could swear he felt more than one person...]

I mean- if this is a bad time, maybe we could talk later, or-?

[He definitely sounds more hesitant there, though.]

[swordfucker]

[Guren looks over his shoulder at Ryan again, shoving his hands into his pockets as he does. Ah... well, that look doesn't look nearly as eager. Those probably aren't lovestruck eyes?

...]

I was just checking out the flowers. [Checking them out.......] What do you want?

[He at least has the decency to half turn back to him for a Real Conversation, now that he realizes he... misunderstood...]

[averagemedium]

[Hey, you never know what lovestruck looks like on people-

But no, it's definitely not that, though the smile does come back to his face when he's acknowledged again. That's apparently all it takes, he's pretty easy to please.]

I, ah, just wanted to ask about you, if you don't mind?

[And a moment later, after realizing that ah, yes, it's probably polite to introduce himself first, he belatedly offers out a hand.]

Oh, right- I'm Ryan. Just got here a bit ago, actually.

[swordfucker]

...You just got here, and you want to ask about me? Not the town?

[Did someone tell him about the force already? Anyway, he's realizing quickly that this guy is perfectly polite, and now he's feeling a little bad. Not that he'll admit that, but he can at least get close to apologizing—]

These flowers have been causing a lot of strange reactions in people, so let's take a walk. [Away. From here. He's starting already.]

Guren Ichinose, by the way. Or did you know that already?

2.

[messianic]

[Obviously, the thing that a display of terrible lack of athleticism requires is...some similar athleticism. Minato has been kind of trying to avoid people, especially people he knows, as soon as the Clothing Happens, because he's one of those unlucky few who ends up in a dress when he really didn't want to wear a dress at any particular point (the worst part, probably, is that it suits him well enough--that, and it's floofy enough to be impossible to move in).

But it's fine.

Someone he knows is in trouble, which means he needs to move these skirts on over to help out--

Or that's the intention, anyway, but instead he ends up tripping over the hem of his dress, and then instead he's tripping right into Ryan. Sorry, Ryan. It might be enough force to unsnag him, at least? Maybe. But then they're both heading for the ground.]

[averagemedium]

Careful-!

[But it's too little, way too late. He's a little too hindered by his own little predicament to try to actually catch Minato or anything... so yeah, welcome to the ground, losers. The end result is that while they're now free of any snags on anything else, they are also now sprawled out in a mess of fancy fabric, and as Ryan tries to stand--]

-oof.

[-he falls right back over, having somehow gotten a foot caught in all that floof while trying to get up.]

This is it. This is how we die.

[messianic]

Sorry... sorry.

[Minato keeps muttering those apologies as he tries to push himself up, over and over again and yet--

And yet.

He keeps tripping over his own frills, or Ryan's tassels, or who know what else.

So eventually, he just flops as well, huffing out a breath. And in the flattest of deadpan.]

I didn't know frills were so deadly... but you might be right. I'm drowning.

[averagemedium]

D'you think these clothes count as an attempt on our lives...?

[His nose wrinkles at that; for the moment, he too has given up, remaining right where he last fell (thank god it wasn't on Minato.)]

Because I feel like we could make a pretty good argument for malicious intent, on this one.

[messianic]

In this place...? Yeah, could be.

[Anything can be an attempt on their lives in Awash... he wishes it wasn't true, but also. It's true.]

I'm sure there weren't this many loose nails and cobblestones and things last time I went for a walk.

4

[athorn]

[Getting warned off of entering a forest is for chumps. Rosetta, who is definitely not human, shan't be stopped by the likes of mortal fears. She's already at the clearing when Ryan makes his comment, and she makes herself known by sliding into view from seemingly out of nowhere.]

Really? Personally, a splash of color would make them appear healthier . . .

[averagemedium]

Probably, but-- where I'm from, these are associated with the underworld and the dead, y'know? So if any kind was going to be colorless... I guess this is one of the best types for it.

[It gives the clearing an eerie air, sure, but he happens to have an appreciation for that sort of thing.

Her presence definitely draws his attention from the flowers, though, and his head tilts slightly as he looks her over; she's another type that he's not familiar with, something he can't really place.]

[athorn]

[Her smile locked in place, Rosetta's gaze trails to the ground. She knew what the flowers symbolized, but there's not much she can say about death. It's a concept that's still, in a way, beyond her grasp.]

Yes . . . I suppose you have a point.

[She cranes her neck in the direction of the flowers. So sad, yet so beautiful.

And she hasn't got eyes in the back of her head, but she can definitely tell that he's looking at her. Boys will be boys, she thinks. Or is it something else?]

By underworld, do you perhaps mean the Crimson Horizon?

[averagemedium]

The- what? I don't think I've ever heard that name, no...

[But he practically lights up with curiosity, the flowers momentarily forgotten at the promise of something he doesn't know about.]

I've only ever really dealt with ghosts, not an underworld... nobody really knows where they go when they pass on properly. What's this-- what'd you call it, Crimson Horizon? What's it like?

[athorn]

[Oh, dear. She's got him latched onto the wrong thing.]

Ah, it's fine if you haven't heard of it. The truth is, I don't know much about it myself. That's why I asked.

[Rosetta shrugs her shoulders, her attention still fixed on the flowers. They linger in her mind even as she turns around to give Ryan the once-over.]

But ghosts, you say! What sort of work have you done with them?

1-alt (also hello!! I was so excited to see ryan again aaa)

[cutlery]

[ Sebastian is decidedly not a fan of these flowers, since at this point, he's encountered more of those without color than with. The latter are fine, good, even, but despite (or maybe because of) being an old, powerful demon, he's quite sensitive to criticism. He has such an inflated view of himself that he tends to be quite soured by anything but. As such, he's very slightly on a mission to get rid of any of the colorless patches that he finds. It's extremely petty and over the top, but that's just Sebastian for you.

He slows in his gait as he notices the colorful patch of flowers that Ryan is crouched at, and he does smile slightly in amused interest at the conversation he seems to be holding with them. He can tell it's inquisitive, so he's happy to pass along and leave him to his work, but the attention suddenly turns to him.

Sebastian is surprised that Ryan's attention turns to him, but he does stop. Now his own curiosity is piqued by the man's interest. ]

I... suppose so? What can I help you with, sir?

i am equally excited!!

[averagemedium]

Ah-- nothing too important! It's just, I'm not quite used to everyone around here yet, everything is still a little different, and-

[A brief hum, there, as he stops himself short and remembers to actually look around this time rather than just blurting things out in what is basically a public space.

Looks like it's clear enough, so:]

Weird question, but you're not human, right? I can't really place your presence, though, and I'd hate to say the wrong thing, so...

[...as if just bringing this up out of the blue isn't already potentially saying the wrong thing, but that doesn't exactly seem to occur to him here.]

[cutlery]

[ With how Ryan starts, Sebastian prepares himself for the sorts of questions that are perhaps a bit more obvious, though unfortunately, they're not ones he'll be able to answer. Anything to do with this place has him somewhat at a loss, since he's only just arrived himself, and he's ready to answer in kind. An annoying answer, he finds, since he prides himself on his perfection, but easily remedied in time.

He nods, and his gaze briefly turns sympathetic as he expects to deliver that news, but he's quickly stopped once Ryan gets to his actual question.

Outwardly, his surprise is polite, but perplexed. The question itself seems surprising, but it's not particularly telling to what the answer may be. However, inwardly, Sebastian is much more sharply suspicious. It's exceptionally rare that anyone can identify him so immediately. It tends to imply that they're also something else themselves, and from looking at this man... He's not at all sure if that's the case. Unfortunately, his own sense for such things was quite dull.

His response is carefully crafted in its tone of gentle surprise. ]

I beg your pardon? What ever do you mean?

[averagemedium]

[He matches that surprise, at first, head tilted slightly-- that sense has never really been off, before, and he's not sure what he'd do if it turns out to have stopped being accurate now.]

Hm? I'm sure that's you, though...

[-but then it also occurs to him that not everyone might be fine with that sort of question, whether it's just that they aren't comfortable with what they are or something else. It isn't as though he can really judge for it, either; Ryan pauses there, considering, the confusion shifting to something a little more thoughtful.]

-I mean, you don't have to say if you don't want to, I'm not going to try to force you or anything! I just... have a sense for that kind of thing.

Or I should. I'm pretty sure it's working normally, but I could be wrong?

[cutlery]

[ His attention stays sharp behind his veil of polite confusion, since he's weighing every word and gesture. The man's interest seems... curious, if anything rather than combative. As he listens, he wonders if perhaps the sense that he's speaking of was quite general. Most don't have this kind of reaction to a demon, in his experience.

...If so, that could be to his advantage.

(and because it's more interesting to thread lbr) ]

A sense.

[ His tone is carefully neutral, and the polite surprise shifts to a more cautious, but cool expression. The inquisitive way that he's asking rather than being demanding leads Sebastian to this approach. If he doesn't want to force him, then the impression that he's something that needs to hide rather than chooses it is likely a better story to weave. ]

...And what of it? Why would that be of interest to you?

1 - alternate

[ditherer]

[... the abrupt change in attention is a little concerning, but gandharva still puts on a polite smile.]

Go ahead, sir.

[averagemedium]

You don't have to call me sir, or anything...

[Why is this a thing, why is this guy not the first to do it, he's absolutely not used to it. That throws him off for a second before he remembers why his attention was caught in the first place, and he perks back up a bit.]

Oh, but-- this is actually for research purposes, if you don't mind? Seems like there are a few kinds of people here that I never really ran into back home.

[ditherer]

[he tenses just a tad, because that wording is. hm. if he absolutely wanted to hide his status, he could, so he supposes he can't complain, but...]

It depends on what you mean by "kinds of people".

[averagemedium]

--you know, I never really settled on a good general term. Magical isn't always true, supernatural has certain connotations already, nonhuman is also pretty bad as umbrella terms go and anyway, some people are just different types of human...

[A pause, before he gets back on track here.]

So, uh, that sort of people, I guess? I'm a medium, myself, I'm used to working with all kinds, it's just- usually I don't get to meet anyone I can't already identify.