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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4
He doesn't even seem all that surprised to know that these particular flowers show images. Images of the dead. Part of him wants to touch them - to see his sister and mother again. For all of his abilities over the deceased, they are two people Nico can't see anymore. ]
Some people could go mad here. Trying to see the people they've lost. [ As tempting as it is, Nico pulls his coat tight around him as if warding off an invisible chill. ] We should probably try to burn it.
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The dead are dead. Returning only complicates the lives of the living. [His right arm shifts beneath the cloaked jacket. Most people unsheathe a sword across from the opposite side, but this one is drawn from the same side of the wielding arm. Sasuke does it effortlessly, but the movement flourishes the cloak open and parts it away.
The sleeve on the left is limp and free. He's missing an arm.
It doesn't even look as if he's budged. All that happens is the tops of a long row of flowers separate from the stems and fall to the ground. After a moment or two, new flowers emerge again from the severed stalks.] Burning may not work like you think it will.
I can try.
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The guys who run the afterlife wouldn't be happy if the dead got away and roamed the world with the living. [ Spoken as if it's a fact and not some idle idea a kid could come up with. Nico has seen it happen, his father hadn't been happy when souls escaped the Underworld or even when Death couldn't collect it in the first place because he'd been captured.
Just like Sasuke draws his sword, the movement draws Nico's gaze - noting how fluid the movement is, how practiced he seemed with the weapon. Missing arm or not. He doesn't seem worried that the blade will be turned on him either.
Merely watches as the man slices the flowers and more emerge, fully grown. It makes him frown for more than one reason. Mostly because it reminds Nico of how he's seen plants sprout up when his stepmother and her mother are around. Which is natural considering who they are. ] I should've known normal blades wouldn't work on it.
[ Yep, he absolutely did call Sasuke's blade normal. Nico pulls his own sword and even the blade is entirely black. ] Let's see if this works.
[ A swipe of his sword and the flowers crumble like dust down to the root. ] That works. For now.
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But it feels forbidden. Kinjutsu.
Watching the flowers decay into ash is only icing on the cake. The sword is not a trifling toy, though regarding Nico, Sasuke doesn't think the boy is quite the dunce Naruto or others similar would be.
Lifting his arm, he slides his own sword back into the sheathe until it clicks.] Your weapon and its technique is rather dangerous for someone as young as you. [He doesn't sound condescending surprisingly. It's more of a way to see if Nico will give him more information without him having to activate either of his eyes.
Besides, when Sasuke was that age, he was all about living even more dangerously.]
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However, his sword has special properties and doesn't require him to expend any energy at all.
The way Nico wields it suggests training - years worth of training and he's careful with it even when using it against something such as flowers.
Nico glances up at Sasuke briefly before looking down at his blade. ] It was a gift from my father when I was about eleven. A special iron from his private forges.
[ Other than that, he offers up no other explanation on how it works or what kind of metal it might be. A kid who's cautious about the information he offers up to complete strangers.
Should Sasuke try to figure it out on his own, there is definitely something unique about both the sword and its wielder. The blade both repels and draws in energy at the same time, what it collects is not the same that exists inside the kid. ]
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Sasuke would have done as much after such a sting, he thinks.
For the time being, the explanation is enough to satisfy. He doesn't bother digging. There's better ways of getting information. People show more than others think; paying attention is all that's needed.]
Just remember to draw it only when you intend to use it.
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He already had his crazed, out of control fit when his big sister died.
From what Nico has seen of this world it isn't unusual for people of all ages to wield weapons and the Mist isn't bothering to hide his from mortals. What that means, he isn't too sure but at least this guy gives him a "be careful" line rather than trying to take it away. ]
That isn't something you need to remind me about. [ Most of the time he draws his sword on monsters, opponents where it's 'kill or be killed'. ]
Should we try burning it or should I just cut it down?
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[A kind of soft, amused smile is lost on the stoicism of his face. Perhaps it shines a little in the single, dark eye. Nico is very different from Boruto. More like... Sarada, he thinks.
The cloak hangs fully around his shoulders and front even when he turns to look out over the field of peculiar flowers. He can't say whether or not they would cause any harm. But Nico wasn't wrong. Someone could get lost forever here, longing for those who have passed on.] Burning is easier.
[His hand comes out of the edge of the cloak. In the air in front of him, the fingers make a series of very quick, strange signs. It's only half of the full ones, but he's had years of living without a second arm to re-learn jutsu.
He's so fast he vanishes with a streak of after-image, the fingers curling carefully by his lips and his nose inhaling. He reappears along the field where Nico hasn't destroyed. Fire spills out from his mouth and explodes in a wave over the flowers, expanding rapidly, starving, greedy.
It consumes everything in its wake several meters on each side, and the river of fire ends while the rest continues to jump from flower to flower and crawl across the ground.]
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In truth, the weapon does mean something to him even if Nico likes to pretend otherwise. Some demigods never get a single earthly gift from their godly parent and as angry as his father can make him at times, he does want his approval and attention sometimes. Nico just doesn't need him around all of the time.
While Sasuke debates the next course of action, he keeps his sword handy. Neither of them know if burning will actually work, merely that they can't leave without doing something. ] Burning it is.
[ Technically Nico can cause fire but he does wish Leo were here to do it instead. When he does it, it usually involves splitting open the earth and that might not be a good idea. Not to mention that he doesn't have much control over the fire and ice aspects of his powers.
Either the stranger has a way of creating fire or they'll have to start one the old-fashioned way, Nico stands by waiting to see what Sasuke does. The hand signs are unusual and then suddenly he's gone.
Nico can't help the way he tenses up - both when Sasuke disappears or when the river of fire erupts. In fact, he actually takes a step back and away with his eyes wide. It's not... it can't be... The sight of the streaming flames drives his mind back in time to when he'd been in Tartarus, drinking from the River Phlegethon and the horrors he faced there. An experience he still has nightmares about even months later.
Another step away from the flames before he suddenly freezes as if deciding to stand his ground. His hand tightens around the hilt of his sword until his knuckles turn white. ]
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The fire starts stretching a long tendril of itself, swirling, back to him. At his fingers and lips, it converges into chakra. From a distance, it looks as if he's simply sucking all of the flame right back into the throat from where it came. With one, long breath, he pulls the fire from the charred remains and extinguishes it.
He returns to Nico before he falls much further toward the ground, a zip from one place to the other. Nothing is out of the ordinary until Nico quickly steps back when he appears--but it hadn't been from him. He's seen the look on Nico's face plenty of times. Too many.
Twisting, he faces and steps in front of Nico, blocking the boy's vision to the wasteland and attempting to break concentration. The movement tosses his hair out of the way. The single black eye has changed into something strangely red and jagged; the other eye is worse: purple from corner to corner broken up by lines of black.]
It's over. You don't have to worry about it or the flowers anymore.
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The memories of his time in Tartarus still linger even now, haunting him in his sleep and causing many sleepless nights. Sometimes the trauma affected him when he was awake like he was now. Especially in the face of an incident that reminds him of his experience so much.
Lost in the horror that lingers in his mind, Nico doesn't quite register that Sasuke's returned to this side of the now-burned field. Not until the other turns toward him with abrupt movements and that has the teen tensing - sword raising a few inches as if preparing to defend himself. Barely remembering to breathe.
While he doesn't attack, it takes him a minute to realize that the creature standing in front of him isn't a Titan or a Giant or one of the thousands of dangerous monsters that "live" in Tartarus but a human being. Granted a human with an unusual skill. It's the voice that snaps him out of his waking nightmare and his eyes clearing back into focus, sword arm dropping to hang limply at his side even though Nico keeps hold of his weapon.
His whole body shudders as if shaking the ordeal from his bones, his voice is quiet and weary. ] Hopefully it doesn't grow back the instant we turn our backs.
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They won't. If they do, I'll come back and get rid of them again.
[It's implied with "I'll" that Nico won't be joining. There's no pity, but Sasuke won't force Nico to endure something uncomfortable for a second time, not intentionally. He doesn't touch, or hug, or offer any words which may seem unnecessarily hollow.
But he does give Nico the space and silence to get re-oriented, to calm down. Carefully, he glances over his shoulder and the collar of the cloak to look at the field.
It's still charred, and none of the flowers have returned yet.]
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He sheathes his sword and then tucks his hands deep into the pockets of his jacket though there seems to be a part of him that says even without his blade at hand, he's not defenseless. That he's confident that if something comes, he could destroy it without a weapon. To the Uchiha's unique eyes, it may seem as if there's an energy - something like chakra - hovering close to the teen like a shield or even an aura. That energy is definitely dangerous if the way the grass beneath his feet literally withers and dies in a matter of seconds.
Nico's expression is shuttered, guarded after the way he suffered a flashback. His way of saying that it's fine if he doesn't return here comes in how he doesn't complain about being left behind. Though now that he's seen Sasuke's fire ability in action, the teen can prepare for it next time. ]
If you're unlucky, the next time you come out here the whole field will have moved somewhere else.
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[His head turns back. The right eye has returned to a stable, normal black, and the left has been concealed again by the long fringe. There doesn't seem to be any worry on his face about whether or not the flowers plan to dance around the town.
The only difference is, he won't touch them the next time around. Reliving a bittersweet memory is only slightly less terrible than broadcasting it for other people to also see.]
Let's get out of the forest and back into the town. [The aura is noted without any kind of acknowledgement. It's very different from Naruto and Boruto. It reminds him a lot of himself.] How fast can you move?
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[ Dry sarcasm, he has it. Nico watches as the eye changes from red to black but doesn't comment on that at all, just as he says nothing about the odd fire-wielding abilities the man has.
Part of him wants to ask if Sasuke is a demigod but he knows the chances are unlikely. With what he knows about this world the man is probably from another place entirely. Even though being a demigod is a secret where he's from, Nico can't see much point in hiding it with this man - not after what he just witnessed. ]
I can get us both back to town in about a minute. We can bypass all of the hostile trees. [ As draining as it is to shadow-travel with someone else, he isn't particularly interested in doing it by himself. It's also a roundabout way of revealing one of his abilities in return for having seen one of Sasuke's - should the man be interested. ]
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For a moment, he studies Nico's face for seemingly nothing in particular. If he wasn't such a ninja, he would say, "Me, too." But he's going to let Nico do the Thing, allowing him to see it in action, without giving away he has a form of dimensional travel.
Thanks, rinnegan, for as much of a pain in the ass as you were to get.
Finally, satisfied, he nods his head.] Alright. I'm ready. [A fair trade.]
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He waits while the man decides whether to take Nico up on his offer to transport them both back to town as if weighing the pros and cons of this teen's unknown ability. For a second, Nico thinks Sasuke will turn it down or maybe even ask him questions about it but in the end, he agrees.
Which is somewhat foolish, in his opinion. For all Sasuke knows this could be extremely dangerous. Either way Nico moves to stand in the shadow of one of the trees and holds out an elbow - not even bothering to pull his hand out of his pocket. ]
Grab hold.
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Carefully, he follows Nico into the shadow of the tree and reaches out to hook a hand through the dip of the offered elbow, his grip neither loose nor too tight. The cloak shifts when his arm emerges, and the fringe falls out of the way to reveal the strange, purple eye again.
If anything goes terribly amiss, he can at least freeze Nico in place.
But for now, he trusts the boy. He's been with enough ne'er-do-wells to know they don't make casual dark humor jokes. (He's been one of them, too? Hm.) Their jokes are others' suffering and deaths. Usually.]
Go.
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It's odd that a near-stranger is essentially trusting him with their life no matter what sort of skills they might have. Even Coach Hedge and Reyna had at least known him a bit beforehand he took them halfway across the world.
Still, he isn't keen on the idea of lingering here any longer so after Sasuke grabs hold he nods once. They seem to almost melt into the shadow into a cold, pitch black ether. Inside there's nothing to see except darkness though the energy Nico is expending to make this possible may be something Sasuke can pick up on. However there are odd sounds, undescribable noises all around them. An impossible chill creeps over them immediately and almost seems to burrow in their bones and other than the solidity of the other there's nothing around them to feel. Despite not taking a single step, there's the sensation of moving so fast that it might knock out a regular individual.
All of that only takes a minute before the shadows give way to a scene, light seems to burst into existence and they emerge from another dark shape cast from a building in town. Once free of their unusual transportation, Nico sags a bit in exhaustion but stays upright. Whatever energy he had before is depleted by more than half and it looks like a medium strong breeze might blow him over. ]
There we are, safe and sound... relatively speaking. [ By now he knows not even the town is completely secure. With his free hand, Nico reaches up to pull his coat tighter to him as though the cold still lingers beneath his skin. ]
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The rinnegan's power expands within him, and even in the darkness and deathly chill, he can make out the limits of the space and the radiating power outlining Nico's body, something like chakra.
It still feels forbidden. It feels like kinjutsu. It isn't a normal teleportation or traversal. It's something with a heavier mortality.
The moving stillness doesn't sicken him; it's very familiar, like shifting through his dimensional portals. The rinnegan stabilizes him, and the sharingan eats up the formation and its energy. Remembers it. Brands it into his mind, into the core of him.
On the other side, he squints against the light, breath fogging the air until the temperature readjusts. There's a dusting of a black-cold sort of ice on his shoulders, his hair, but he doesn't appear to be bothered even with the cold digging into his bones.
His hand doesn't leave; the grip gets a little tighter even by way of keeping Nico upright.]
Have you done this since you've been here? It requires too much [He doesn't know what anyone else would call it. "Energy"?] chakra. It wouldn't be wise to use it here very often. [Which is the dad in him talking.]
Thanks.
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There isn't really anything to see in the black, just endless darkness and the two of them in the center of it all. It seems to stretch on endlessly in every direction and they appear to be guided by Nico's control only. How he navigates it is a mystery.
Hint: he kind of doesn't navigate. Not with pinpoint accuracy anyway but with generalization - a thought, a feeling, a destination locked into his mind and he goes there. It helps having a map of the area in his mind.
In Sasuke's eyes it may even look as if the whole ordeal is not only draining away his chakra but also his very life - as though every second brings him closer to fading into the dark along forever. Though it isn't much, not for this short of a trip with only a single passenger. Nico's traveled a great deal longer with a much heavier burden than this before but the possibility is there. If he pushes himself too much, if he tries to jump multiple times in a row Nico could whittle away until he's nothing more than a shadow himself.
Once they're back in existence with other living creatures, he's silently grateful for the hand still gripping him. That Sasuke doesn't let go to leave him to fall flat on his face even though Nico has gotten much stronger in the past few years.
He chuckles in amusement. ] You sound like my dad... and my friends... and my doctor.
[ And basically everyone who cares about him. ]
First time but it's always like that. When I was starting out I accidentally shadow traveled across the world a few times and slept for a week after. Taking people or going long distances is more draining but I'll recover with rest. Can't do it more than twice in a row or with a large group though, not without help. [ Even if he doesn't use the word chakra, he knows what it is. Nico is aware of his limits having pushed himself to the brink once. ]
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[Surprisingly, Sasuke isn't actually chastising when he says this; it's difficult to hand-slap a teenage boy when he would--and did--do similar things when he was a teenage boy.
It's more amusement than anything.]
Don't do it again unless absolutely necessary. [Sasuke's hand still hasn't moved. Again, the fingers curl a little tighter around Nico's elbow.
The feeling that seeps out of the palm and into Nico's skin through the sleeve of the jacket is... strange. Maybe warm, but not warm. Energized, and whatever description would be needed for it.
It's not unlike having a small shot of caffeine.
The energy doesn't pour in all at once. There's a thumb over the mouth of the faucet, letting it slide in, rolling up the arm and dispersing. Chakra. Nico can tell it's the tip of the iceberg. There's more being capped off behind it, a lot of it. An immense amount of power which only grows darker and heavier the deeper it's felt.
The gift isn't actually a lot. Enough to help Nico get over the ordeal of jumping through such a tunnel of space. The boy is still going to be tired.] It'll get you by.
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[ Nico had been ready to sacrifice himself if it meant saving the entire world, mostly because well... his life didn't feel nearly as important as all that. For years it felt as if there was no where he belonged and no one who wanted him around.
The way he says it is so casual as if facing all of that is just an everyday ordinary situation which isn't all that far off. ]
I won't keel over just from that short jump. [ Though please notice that the teen has yet to try and shake the other's grip yet despite the fact that he doesn't like to be touched.
Energy washes over him slowly, warming him slightly but it's more than that. In fact, Nico has felt something similar to this before when Reyna shared her strength with him. When she bolstered him so they could make another jump or a long one across the ocean.
Even though it doesn't pour out like a tidal wave he can't deny that its there, that it's flowing from the man into him giving him a slight boost of energy. Can feel as if behind it is a whole lot more that he likely doesn't want to touch.
The whole experience causes him to frown - to wonder if perhaps there's a backlash like there had been with the Roman praetor because honestly... Nico doesn't want the horrible pain he's experienced to be shared with a guy he's just met - no matter how kind that guy may seem. (He suspects that the other not sharing more is because Sasuke is trying to teach him not to overexert himself in the future but enough to make sure he doesn't pass out in the street. Such an adult thing to do.)
Dark brown eyes flicker up to Sasuke's face with slightly veiled curiosity. ] This isn't a trade of some kind, is it? You aren't experiencing any weird thing from me for sharing your... chakra, right? [ The word "chakra" is spoken with unfamiliarity. ]
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Hm. Nico gives him both quite a bit of information and then nothing at all. A war, a hunter, a diety. It's enough familiarity to be kind of nostalgic.]
Maybe being here won't be such a detriment to you after all. But you still need to be sure you're using it knowing the consequences. Not just for the ones you want to protect. For you, too.
You can't keep your friends safe if you're being risky with your own life.
[The power behind the jump had been enough to say Nico has incredible potential without ever knowing what all else the boy can do. To be young and full of strength, even dark strength--it seems like very long ago for him.
The only difference perhaps is he had an unquenchable, turbulent ambition and a lot of anger. He hurt himself, often attempting to protect his friends.]
No.
There are quicker and more efficient ways for me to get things from you; however, they are invasive and frowned upon.
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Truthfully, there always seems to be something happening back home. Already he's survived two wars at the age of fifteen (granted they were very localized wars and didn't last very long) and not to mention the huge world war early in life - though he hadn't fought in that one. ]
Here or home - don't see much of a difference in the level of safety. I know the limits of using that ability and I know the consequences - both something I've experienced before.
[ His eyes close and the expression on his face is something like acceptance. ] People die, sacrifices are made and that's just how things have to be. That's just life.
[ Not a pleasant part of life and one he isn't always willing to accept but as a child of Hades, something he has to from time to time. It's true that Nico has a whole set of unusual skills, most of which tend to scare people away because who wants a kid around who can sense death or raise undead armies?
Once upon a time, he'd been angry and had a goal that he wanted to achieve against all odds. A goal Nico thought he'd stop at nothing to accomplish when all he was doing was hurting himself and the few he cared about.
With the answer he nods in satisfaction, mostly because the backlash of getting Nico's feelings - the pain he's suffered isn't something anyone else should have to carry. ]
Probably better if you don't, someone who specializes in inflicting pain and misery once said there was nothing more she could do to me - that I was perfect already.
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