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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no subject
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.
no subject
[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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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. ]
no subject
[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.
no subject
[ 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. ]
no subject
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.
no subject
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.
no subject
Ex-Team 7 Sasuke would have never been able to see himself with the eyes Sasuke is using to see Nico now.
His face doesn't really change even with the news, and it would take someone who knew a great deal of how to read him to see the softness of understanding at the edges of him. He thinks about their children. This isn't something their children know, and he hopes it's not something their children will ever know.
It would make her stronger, but Sarada shouldn't have to feel this kind of suffering to be a better person, he thinks, a person who can lead and protect people. The suffering he and Nico have felt. Appreciated, strangely, but unnecessary.]
It's painful. I know. [He wouldn't have wanted anyone to tell him it would get better. It never did.] Sometimes, it doesn't seem as if it will ever end. Sometimes, it doesn't.
Don't let what's hurting you make you believe you're alone. The worst thing you can do for your friends is keep them from being there for you when you need them most.
[Sounds almost like he's speaking from experience.]
no subject
Never feeling like he had a place to belong, that no one wanted him around. That they whispered horrible things behind his back. Believing that everyone feared him -- feared what he could do.
And there are parts that scare even him. How he turned a regular guy into first a ghost and then damned him to the Underworld just because Nico had gotten so angry. He hadn't even known he'd done it but had to be told. It frightens him to know that he'd lost control of his emotions to the point where someone died at his hands and he can't remember any of it. That in that moment he had also inflicted every horrible moment of his life on his allies in the process.
Nico doesn't know how anyone could experience that yet still accept him and not be afraid of him - it's just baffling. They could have let him become a shadow but they hadn't, instead they'd saved him.
The wars he's been through... those are something he can share with others along with some of his experiences. Nico hadn't been alone in that. Hadn't been the only teen to risk his life for the sake of a world who'd never know what they truly did to save them.
As Sasuke talks, Nico is listening quietly. It's something he's heard before from others but no one has said it as if they know what it actually feels like. In a way, not having someone just trying to placate him with nice words is a comfort. To know that sometimes it never stops hurting. ]
I did believe that for a long time. Pushed away everyone and felt like I didn't belong anywhere so I wasn't really anywhere. Then I found a half-sister I didn't know about and she needed me sometimes but Hazel's strong, she found others to fit in with and I felt... out of place in the group.
[ His gaze goes up towards the sky, as close to the sun as he dares to look. ]
Some people saw the worst sides of me and I thought they'd hate me or be digusted or even afraid but they didn't. They just accepted it all. But they had other things they needed to do, people to lead and places to be so it didn't seem as if I'd fit in still.
[ Nico's face softens into something that could almost be called fondness if one knows what to look for. ]
In the end it took a blond, stubborn idiot who wouldn't leave me alone to get me to stick around in one place. To give me somewhere I wanted to be.
no subject
In a way, he knows how that feels, too. To hang on by a thread for a little while, to still be misplaced.
For a long moment, he stares at Nico without hardly even blinking. His lips part slightly, but he doesn't say whatever it is he had planned to say at the time.
Seeing it on him is amazing, though it's a handful more accessible now than it ever had been before: the corners of his lips tug upward into a knowing, amused smile. If he wasn't down with the whole Gloomy aesthetic, if he smiled more just like this, he is quite a handsome man.
But that look is for... Naruto. Yes. He'll keep the tall, dark, and brooding. The Hokage is the one who shines for the rest of the village.]
Usuratonkachi...
[The way he says it, without knowing the language or the word, it sounds very much like a nickname.] Thin Hammer. He was always about as useless as one. Still is most of the time. [He can see the look the loser would give him if he heard him giving away this kind of first impression.
What trouble was he getting into now, that old fool?]
Some other time, I'll tell you about Naruto. The stubborn, yellow-haired idiot who reminded me where I wanted to be.
no subject
Both of their older siblings tried to do what was best in the end, both of them had been loved and lost and they had even gotten a second chance to talk to them. The similarities in their history would not be lost on Nico.
Sounds as if they have something in common even now the way the man talks about the idiot blond in his life and Nico idly wonders if this is what he'll be like if he manages to grow up. To be patient and caring even for a complete stranger, keep his cool and offer guidance to someone who reminds him of his hard years. To be able to smile a little easier and mean it. (And truthfully, pretty cool.)
Maybe that's exactly what Nico will be like as an adult but only if he doesn't keep pushing everyone away. If he lets people like Will be apart of his life or do something stupid such as use his abilities too much and end up dying young.
His head turns so the kid can look up at Sasuke with a hint of curiosity. ]
Is it harder when he's not around? [ It being everything from finding that place to be or pushing others away or not pulling risky stunts or finding where he can belong because this kid is only just starting out on that journey.
Nico might not be here alone but Percy isn't Will and that's a whole different can of worms he's still trying to deal with. ]
no subject
It doesn't seem as if Sasuke is searching for an excuse to be dishonest. The look on his face says he knows exactly what to say, what answer to give, that he could give so many a thousand times over.
But does he want to admit it, even to someone like Nico?
The boy's face receives his gaze again when he finally looks back.] Yes. [Is the simple, truthful answer. He thinks Nico is smart enough to have known he would be lying if he said anything else.
Only real soulmates, whether friends or lovers, talk garbage about each other with such soft fondness.] It was harder when I was younger. There was a team of us--three. Me, him, and my wife.
But... [The dark cast slips back to his face. He probably wouldn't tell just anyone so casually... but he thinks Nico understands. He's almost certain Nico understands.] There was something I had to do, above all else. I would stop at nothing until I finished it. They got in my way, I thought. Held me back. So I left, and I hurt them when I could to keep them away.
Every time we were apart, it was hard.
no subject
Lying would be the worst thing the man could do at this point and would cause him to retreat, to feel as if he couldn't be honest in return. He doesn't need a life story here, holding back is not that big of a deal at this point in whatever this relationship currently is but not telling the truth is a sure-fire way of shattering what's been built.
The time here in this world without Will has been short but even that feels hard to him. Maybe if he finds people to connect with, makes friends he can talk with or who will sit and listen when a nightmare shakes him awake things won't be so bad. Maybe as he grows older it'll get easier, Nico will feel at ease no matter where he tries to be. He can't say - all he knows is that right now it's difficult.
Sasuke could have left it at a simple, single word answer and Nico would have accepted that. Instead he continues on, deciding to share more than just a truthful answer.
Yeah, he appreciates that. Possibly more than Sasuke realizes. Everything the man says is something he understands from having something to do and hurting people to keep them away.
What more can Nico say about this. Whether it gets easier or harder is determined by his actions, not by whatever words he could promise to the future. Already he's asked more of this stranger than he has of people who'd consider him a friend and it doesn't feel right to impose anymore.
So he nods twice - a silent sign of his gratitude for the help both physical and emotional. ]
I'm Nico di Angelo.
no subject
Sasuke ["Another time, Sasuke," and he must have been the younger boy then.] Uchiha.
[Not so much strangers anymore. Nico reminds him a lot of himself. Though he's still very too himself, he doesn't mind offering some support if Nico wants it. Whenever Nico wants it. Sasuke has mellowed out some, thankfully.]
Is there anyone here you know?
no subject
It does tell Nico that he'd been the kid in that scene before - making it seem like whoever that was with him had probably been lost a long time ago. ]
Nice to meet you even though we're some sort of prisoners.
[ They've been kidnapped, they can't leave willingly... prisoners seems an appropriate term to describe it. But really it's said with more of his dry sarcasm. If something comes up, he definitely remember Sasuke. ]
Just this guy I know. A friend, I guess. [ There's a complicated story about Nico and Percy. ] A good guy to have around when things get dangerous even if he has a habit of attracting a lot of trouble.
no subject
So if Nico can call Percy a begrudging, sort of friend, Percy must not be too bad of a guy.]
Good. [It isn't Will. But it's someone. It's good to have someone, not it's good that said someone invites trouble. He knows Nico gets what he means. He wants them both to be there for each other above all else.] Try to keep him out of trouble. Ask for help if you need it.
[The cloak parts, and his hand rises out of the confines, stretching carefully toward Nico with any quick, ill intent. If the boy lets him, he'll tap his first two fingers in the middle of Nico's forehead, not unlike the eldest Uchiha in the vision.]
Another time then, Nico.
no subject
Percy knows basically every part of his story and abilities even if there are things they haven't gone into detail about. If one person can understand the horrors of Tartarus - it's that guy. He could probably show up at Percy's place in the middle of the night and they could just... sit there and talk about it if he wanted.
That gets a snort out of Nico. ] Better people have tried but I'll do my best. I'm sure he's made a bunch of friends already too.
[ Meaning he can reach out to those friends if need be. When the other moves to touch him, he doesn't even flinch or move - just lets it happen. Which is a pretty big deal for Nico. There's no way he misses the same action from the scene earlier. ]
Yeah, another time.
no subject
With the rinnegan activated at a higher level, the space in front of Sasuke splits wide into a swirling, gaping vortex of darkness. Pressure snaps back his hair and the cloak, catching the unpinned and unused left sleeve to throw it wildly about.
The transportation is usually dimensional, but he's found already he can't cross any dimensions here. Concerning.
He'll find out later there is a strict repercussion of using certain wide-ranged abilities, too--but for now, nothing is amiss, and the town allows him access, allows him to step through and be consumed, allows him to come out at a different part of town in a few steps.
And then the shadowy portal simply collapses behind him, leaving nothing of it ever being there.]