test drive meme 1.

[awashmods]

Her Pa committed suicide By biting off his head. Her mother saw her uncle's ghost And died of fright, she said. So her unpleasant habits Seem most curious to me, Because she seems to come from such A happy family.

Prompt 1: he forest looms as ever, colorless but not at all dead. The leaves are full, fluttering in the silence, but there's no scent to them, no color. The effect is eerily hard to navigate, almost like an optical illusion, leaves, branches and trunk blending together with the small path -- which already disappears and reappears at a whim. But even so... If you brave the path, it seems as though there is something leading you onwards. A trail of... something, crumbs, maybe, the same shade of colorless as everything else, almost impossible to see. Following those might be a bad idea -- your chances of getting lost, tangled in random underbrush, or wandering aimlessly for hours are pretty high... to say nothing of what you might encounter if you stray too far (hint: even the small, fuzzy things have nasty bites). Still, it's there, and if you follow them... eventually you will come to a small house. It's decrepit, falling apart and in shambles... do you really want to go inside? Perhaps armed with one of the many convenient tree branches that have probably smacked you thus far? Prompt 2: hould you enter the house, you'll be greeted with a creepy, creepy doorman. Aw, how cute! And in that doll's hand, there's...a message. On a slip of paper, it reads, simply and plainly: The more you take, the more you leave behind. Curious! (And yeah, you can destroy the doll. It's just a normal doll. You may even come across said doll already crushed by an intrepid explorer.) Of course, it's a riddle, and the answer's a warning -- the longer you walk around and about the house, the less you'll remember about yourself, until you forget why you were there and why you should leave, and who you are at all, doomed to wander forever. Or someone saves you, that's fine too. Prompt 3: roblem: There are no fresh eggs in the Town. Solution: Catch a feral chicken, and keep it for eggs. That seems simple enough, right? You're totally up for the task... right? But why do all of the animals look so strange in the forest? Mutated, with teeth, or wings that don't belong, or claws. That's... a chicken, right? Catching it will allow you to get some eggs, but that beak looks pretty nasty -- it might be harder than it looks. But you're intrepid and clever, right? Why not demonstrate your Chicken Wrangling Skills that won you the championship so many years ago? Or try to serenade the savage beast? Or wuss out and form a coalition with which you draw lots to see who has to do battle with the chicken? There's safety in numbers! But the prize will surely be worth a bit of blood loss and fowl-related trauma. Do it for the eggs. Prompt 4: here's a new quest on the forum today, and it looks awfully easy! It's listed simply as: Quest XXII. Talk to someone you've never met about their childhood. Quest will be completed when you have reached an acceptable level of knowledge. On the other hand, that's a little vague, isn't it... ? How will you even know when you've completed a quest like that? Still, it looks easy! Maybe go give it a try. You could respond to the forum post to try to find people, or just go on outside, go harass someone about their past. If you're lucky, you'll drag it out of them with very little hassle and it won't take you a good chunk of the day. If you're unlucky, that's what highly persistent stalking is for! But don't forget, you'll likely have to return the favor. And your new friend might not be the only one listening. 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 first 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! Important dates to remember are March 1st, 9 PM EST, when Reserves will open, and March 7th, 9 PM EST when Applications will open. Keep an eye out for it! 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. Thank you for your interest in Awash!

Comments

[windeity]

[That is a lot of people and he doesn't entirely know how to reply. Granted, Meenah makes sense given how Vriska looks and he wonders if the two are actually connected.]

Okay I have a lot of questions about that, but I think there are other important things, too. What is the last thing you remember before this place suddenly happened?

[Strangely, he's still holding her despite the fact she's done sobbing. He doesn't exactly trust it to be over yet.]

[amant]

I just knew it. We are one in comradery! [Hark, a fellow that flourishes his words enough that he pronounces it like it may as well be gratuitous French. And while this is weird he does love a story.] Please, do go on. Starting with your name, my fine-feathered friend. Here, I shall go first. I'm France.

1/2

[prismal]

Literal
But I think I believed both. Hmm...

[prismal]

Oh, right!
Did you have weird quirks as a kid?

[nascere]

[ Eurgh. He does not envy the evil chicken's new temporary home.

Then again, you gotta do what you gotta do, right? Noctis' love might extend to just about all fluffy, feathery animals, but that only goes to the ones who don't look like they want to murder him in his sleep and eat him for breakfast, and the dude seems to be pretty handy with that sack, which inspires some measure of confidence, at least. ]

Cool.

[ He notes, before looking back at the thing. ] So, what's the plan? I chase her into it?

[ At least, he hopes that's a her; he's really in the mood for omelette. ]

3

[prismal]

( They can be intelligent together, because Min has spent the last few minutes peeking out of a bush at the rather... intimidating chickens that sit in the forest. )

Um.

( They're very... that. )

Maybe we could lure them? ( With what, Min? Bark and your camera flash? )

Squalo Superbia // KHR!

[sharktrash]

-- 1.

[ Anyone wandering upon Squalo might get unsettled at first. From further away, he almost seems to melt into the monochromatic background - all clad in black, hair white as fresh snow, but unlike the rest of the scenery, he's unmistakeably moving, making his way through the forest. ]

[ If you dare get closer, or look long enough, though, the illusion will dissipate; the black's too rich, no doubt with some other hues mixed in as leather tends to be, and if you get to see his face, it's definitely not colorless either, if maybe somewhat pale. ]

[ He's irritated, though it hasn't grown into a full-blown temper tantrum yet. This is like wandering through some kind of colorblind dream, and it's harder to navigate - but not too hard, as he's spent enough time using night vision devices that too never had much in the way of different colors. ]

[ A house is a promise of something - maybe people, maybe clues, maybe anything else useful, so of course he heads that way. ]


-- 3.

[ Once inside, however, he just might change his mind. He's not an avid media consumer but he's aware of some mainstream and classics, and he always considered most superstitions totally stupid - as it turns out, coming face to face with a creepy doll in an abandoned tiny house in the woods can put your determination to rely on logic on a serious test. He stares at the thing flatly. ]

Yeah, fuck this.

[ He'll just get a look around real quick and get the hell out of dodge. Should be fine, right? Or maybe he should just turn around... ]


-- 3.

[ So he can't kill curses or witchcraft or spirits (though he suspects Rain Flames might have some effect on the lattest), hunting monsters on another hand? He's totally into it. It actually seems to improve his mood when he realizes that the seemingly boring, mundane task of getting eggs (which he'd still accepted because somebody had to be the fucking adult, right) had just become dangerous. Ish. ]

[ Chickens, even monster chickens, aren't much of a worthy opponent (he thinks), so he's willing to even the odds a bit by leaving his sword off, instead crackling his knuckles as he walks towards the nearest hellish creature that looks like it might lay eggs. ]

Voi, flea-ridden featherbag. We can do this the easy way or the hard way.

[ The chicken, unimpressed, gives him the stinkeye and then continues pecking at the grass. ]

[ HE'S LUNGING AT IT. ]


-- 4.

[ WILDCARD! Anything else you want! ]

[dazzlings]

Cute, heh.

I can't stand this place. Living without colour is just... unnatural.

And hm, weird quirks... Probably not, unless eating ice as my favourite snack counts! Besides, all kids are a little weird from the perspective of adults, aren't they?

[windeity]

[Good.]

Sweet. [There isn't a reply at first.] What?

[parodeity]

Glad you're here, dude. [ doesn't know if john should be here, doesn't know where the fuck here is, really, but.

he squeezes tighter for a second, just an acknowledgement. ]

And I'm sorry.

[zerotohiro]

[Sorry Hiro is obnoxious and driven and focused because there are too many things here he doesn't actually understand but something like this allows him some footing.]

Of course not. [But at least he sounds vaguely apologetic even if his eyes are on the costume and the bells and whistles attached to it rather than Iida himself.] It's just that the only suits I have reference for are the ones I made myself. So...it's kind of cool to see other people's and see how they can be improved.

Jamison Fawkes 💣 Overwatch

[ooh_shiny]

☢ it talks! oh god it talks!

[ Trekking the forest isn't that different from trekking a wasteland in theory, aside from increased multitude of objects to get his peg leg stuck into. It's the lack of color that's the most unsettling. All the places Junkrat's been to, from the wide outback to pipe networks under metropolitan cities, had been brimming with color. This is... well, this is sad, actually. He's even feeling less inclined to giggle than usual -- well, until he stumbles upon the house, of course. ]

[ Whether you've been tagging along or are just now wandering into the seemingly empty house, you are getting -- ]

[ A FACEFUL OF CREEPY DOLL, that's nodding and flapping its broken mouthpiece as if it's talking. In a really annoying voice actually. ]

Well helllloooooo there! A most marvelous day, traveler, I welcome you to my humble home! What was that? [ A high-pitched scream imitation. ] Oh no, none of that, this is all a misunderstanding, see?

[ Well. It's not actually talking, there's just a prime example of irradiated dirt people puppeting it and grinning at you from behind the doll. ]


☢ THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS OVERKILL

[ Whoever had tasked Junkrat with getting eggs (and not breaking them) is clearly out of their mind, but all the same he's proudly getting to work. Both because he's Appreciated!!! and because he wouldn't mind some eggs right now. ]

[ Of course, his idea is to rig the clearing that the monstrous chickens frequent. He actually gathers enough junk from around town to construct a whole bunch of traps, varying in size, and litters them across the area. Then he ducks behind a bush and waits. ]

[ Oh, there come the cracked out giggles. ]


☢ wildcard!

[bufudyne]

No.

But that is precisely the reason why I desire for others to have experienced it.

[Yeah his wasn't suave or sexy either, pretty solidly in that bitter range up until--earlier this year, but hey.

Things are better now!]

[bufudyne]

You have finely honed instincts, then. I see.

[He nods understandingly and graciously offers:] I likely will not be having much for breakfast in three days anyhow. Ideas are flowing strongly first thing in the morning, meals can wait.

[Yusuke...]

[bufudyne]

[Yusuke just keeps looking because this guy right here don't give a heck if he stares forever. Yeah. That kind of person.]

Get you down? Hm.

[He glances around...]

Do you have any ideas how I might? [Besides climbing up there. I mean. He could give it a try. But then it might be two people stuck in a tree.]

[bufudyne]

[A SCRUTINISING GLANCE OVER. ALL BLUE... All blue......]

...Yes. I've been walking and looking for that as well. It's really terrible, isn't it?

[Like, really. Aesthetically. It's horrible!]

Katsura Kotarou // Gintama

[bombdemon]

-- 2.

[ The place is unsettling, but not the weirdest thing Katsura has seen - which is not to say that it wasn't creepy as seven hells, he's just seen a lot of weird shit in his life. ]

[ He strolls through the forest, offhandedly regretting wearing sandals as leaves and pieces of small branches keep getting stuck under his socks, until he finds the house -- and stops. That is the very definition of a cursed with house, honestly. The bleakness of the surroundings only accent how scary it looks like this, all alone in the middle of the woods... ]

[ Katsura takes a deep breath and inches toward a window, straining his neck to try and get a glance inside -- and his eyes land on the doll's face right as something goes creak in the house. ]

[ HE SCREAMS. ]


-- 4.

[ Well, this looks easy... and they're on a mission here, right? That's enough of a reason to take up the mantle of BRAVE INTERNET WARRIOR and try to get some reconnaissance done. ]

Greetings!

Would you like to reminiscence about the olden days, when the wold was full of color and children still played outside? It's a great way to get to know each other.

I'll start us off.

I have many fond memories of those times. Me and my friends would play in the fields, and only spend a little time with the Megadrive.

[ w...hat ]

It was also during those times that I became Prime Minister.

[ he's talking make-believe, right? ]

More importantly, I could finally rent out Summer Summer Sonata.

[ is he still talking about his childhood? DID HE ACTUALLY SAY A SINGLE THING ABOUT HIMSELF?! ]


-- WILDCARD.

[nascere]

[ He doesn't remember their names. Noctis stops short, wide-eyed as he realizes that he cannot quite recall them. He knows their faces, his brothers-in-arms, he knows they've been with them all along, but every time he tries to recall, their names slip from his mind like silver smoke, their names swallowed like quicksand.

Impossible. How could he forget? How does he still remember Ignis -- is it because he's been rooted deeper in his memories, that he had been there longer? He remembers his father, too, in vivid detail; he remembers the first day they'd met, when Noctis first set eyes on him, when Ignis had fallen out of a tree and gotten himself hurt when all he wanted to do was follow, to make sure Noctis was safe. He remembers his father's great disappointment and anger, in that moment -- Ignis, barely two years older than him, hurt for his sake.

And here he is now, following after him in a place they know nothing about. The daggers in his chamberlain's hands gleam coldly in the low light, and Noctis is acutely aware of the fact that Ignis is on a hair-trigger, deadly dangerous and ready to defend if needed.

But here's the question: how do they defend against something they cannot see, something that seems to steal away their memories? He doesn't know what will slip away from both of them even now, and he steps close to him, grim and determined. ]

Wait.

[ He fishes a marker from his pocket, catching a hold of his wrist. ] Palm up.

[purpose]

[ By the time she senses him — like an encroaching storm, thickening the air with static electricity, forcing the fine hairs on her arms to stand at attention — it's too late.

Rey hasn't dared to touch the small, curious trail with more than a nudge of her boot; following it with her eyes has been sufficient, even as the forest has grown denser and denser, a scant inch of a gap peeking through the overhead canopy. Ben would likely look right at home, like she'd plucked him from her memory on Takodana and placed him here in this bland, colorless world, but she doesn't glance over her shoulder to confirm what she already knows.

After all, she's become frighteningly, foolishly familiar with that rumbling voice. ]

I was here first, [ she mutters, trudging on ahead, partially defensive and wholly expectant that he'll turn on his heel and leave her to her own devices. Go away would be too petulant. ]

[troubadamsel]

[Very few can look as fancy as her. But at least she does show remorse for picking at a wound.]

Mmm... I'm... sorry for bringing up something so depressing... But I did have my reasons. You see, I was also quite lonely during my childhood. Many didn't wish to associate with me, due to my family, and my... ah... 'attitude'.

[Yes, she's fully aware she's a snob.]

... But there was a light in the darkness. One girl reached her hand out, and has always been at my side ever since.

[warfares]

Don't be petulant, [ there's something chiding in his voice, like he's disappointed in her for not handling his encroaching with more grace.

He moves to follow her immediately, slotting himself behind her. The path is really too small for them to walk side by side. ]

How long have you been here?

[purpose]

[ The muscle in her jaw jumps as it clamps down, struggling against the temptation to be increasingly petulant. If nothing else, it's spiteful, refusing to prove him right. ]

Long enough.

[ — Never mind about 'refusing to prove him right'. Her gait gains some speed, almost imperceptible, but it becomes clear she's moving to avoid his hovering shadow behind her as she veers somewhat to the side. Better, but not by much. ]

As long as you've been here, I imagine.

[ A begrudging concession, in many ways. ]

[athenite]

We can make one as long as we have dry wood, Seaweed Brain. Don't worry; one of us remembers how from camp. [ #shade ] It shouldn't be that hard to cook. Just skinning it and roasting it - I can show you how, if nothing else.

[troubadamsel]

[Um, excuse you, if she's focusing on something then it's always the right thing!!!]

Since when does magic exist? By the gods, I really don't have the time or equipment to explain all the logic behind that... anyway, destruction of personal property is always important!

[warfares]

Not long at all, then. [ Not that he has any real frame of reference.

He'd woken, groggy and disorientated, at the bottom of what he'd later realized was an abandoned well — climbing his way out of that had been a fun experience.

Rey picks up her pace, slowly at first, as if hoping he'll not notice. He allows her the illusion for now but keeps her in his line of sight. ]

Did you wake in the well?