awoosh | test drive meme 1.

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test drive meme 1.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I hope we can find them again.

[ He can't know Minato's discomfort, but the faint squelching of wet socks in shoes gets kind of annoying very quickly, so Ryoji holds his out to Minato if he wants. They should be about the same size, maybe, and while Ryoji had the foresight of keeping them dry before throwing himself into the water, he likes the way ground feels wet and cool beneath his feet, the way the grass tickles his toes, and even the rocks poking his soles a little painfully is something new and exciting in its own way. ]

You should take these. [ He can use the excuse to free up his hands, running his fingers lightly along tree bark as they pass by the trees. ]

[Ryoji.... That's pretty generous. Minato stares at them for a long moment, wavers between declining, and realizes Ryoji's probably not going to put them on even if he does decline.

So.

He takes them with a nod, pausing to tug off wet shoes and socks, swapping them out. It should feel uncanny, the way Ryoji's everything always fits perfectly, but considering their Situation...

It's probably just to be expected.

So he stands, wet socks shoved into a wet shoe (they'll never dry that way, Minato), and brushes himself off with his free hand.]

Thanks...I appreciate it. [ANYWAY.] Let's keep going.

[And after a moment--]

It really does seem like you're enjoying it out here, Ryoji.

[ It works out! Both of them benefit this way, and Ryoji waits patiently until Minato's ready to go, before joining him again and never quite walking in front while his eyes turn from the trees to the ground to the sky. ]

I am. Maybe because I'm with you?

[ He laughs at this, but also gestures out towards the forest as a whole. ]

Even though the world looks different without color, I like it. Everything is soft and muted... It reminds me of winter, after a snowfall.

[ Aside from the two of them, nothing else stands out, blending into each other with varying shades of grey, so it's all that much more important to pay attention to things.

Like the tree Ryoji runs into with a surprised startle and yelp, not having seen it for his wandering attention. ]

[Yeah.

That's all well and good and poetic, very Ryoji, very much what Minato's come to expect from him. It's just them out here, trying to find other people, completely lost and adrift in a place that isn't totally terrible--

But still.]

Ryoji--

[...Too late. Minato doesn't even bother to give voice to the remaining words of his sentence ("There's a tree.") because it's... blindingly obvious now. Instead, he'll step over to his side, sympathetically wincing inwardly.]

...Are you okay?

—I'm okay.

[ He puts a hand to his nose, and pulls it back clean. After the initial surprise, pain disappears quickly and he can laugh at himself over what just happened.

Between him slamming into trees and Minato slipping into streams... It'll be fine! Ryoji drifts closer to Minato's side, close enough that his knuckles almost brush the back of Minato's hand. Almost. ]

Right! We have people to look out for! We can't get distracted by the beauty of this world!

[ "We" ]

[This is why you don't let city boys out to roam wild in the woods. It just doesn't end well for anyone.

But at least they're in good humor about it! Minato nods, seems entirely unbothered by Ryoji's close proximity (pretty normal, really) and responds with an easy:]

That's right. We do.

[He'll give Ryoji "we"--really, he feels better to not be alone right now, so he's grateful Ryoji found him, something Ryoji seems singularly good at.]

Though I don't think getting a little distracted by it while we go is so bad. [Ryoji seemed like he was enjoying himself a lot... Minato can't really begrudge him that at all.]

[ A wide grin is all that answers Minato at that, one that beams at him first before turning back to the sky, squinting a little at the sharp contrast of harsh sunlight through dense tree tops. ]

...What do you think about this place?

[ It'd be nice if Minato could enjoy being here just as much as Ryoji does, without the concern or apprehension he thinks most people would have when finding themselves lost in the strange and new. Minato was never much like most people, though. But still, his thoughts must be different from Ryoji's, who doesn't have people he feels responsible for, or a home to go to- for Ryoji, this place might as well be a respite from the world and he treats it as such, with no hurries to leave or find out everything he can about the place, taking his own slow, slow time with everything and just enjoy... being. ]

[That's a good question, and with most such questions like that, Minato has to think about it. In truth, this is not where he thought he would end up after everything; the fact that he's even breathing is shock enough (or is it breathing again?), though in his typical way, he's been rolling with it as best he can.

But with that in mind, isn't the only answer plain?

He's here. He's alive. That makes this place--]

It's... kind of amazing, honestly.

[Really, it's kind of dreary, and the lack of color not long after he really started to appreciate how beautiful the world can be is kind of sad. But...there are other people here. That's a really good start.]

I guess I'm just... happy to see what happens next.

[ Oh. They're a lot more alike than Ryoji had thought, but he's gladdened to hear those words from Minato. Both of them displaced and just taking things one step at a time... Whether what awaits them is good or bad or anything in between, it all makes up part of an experience, so how could anybody be anything but happy? ]

Good. [ he says simply, and leaves it at that, hands behind his back with one clasped lightly around his wrist. There's no need to fill the silence as they walk; if Minato takes his previous advice, he'd hear the rush of water hasten as it widens, the rustle of leaves quieter and quieter as the trees start to thin out, muffled dirt turned to the crunch of gravel and then solid stone as they find themselves on a path.

Man made, maybe. Or perhaps there used to be a quarry here, years ago before the river shifted and eroded everything flat and smooth, patches of rock dotting the clearing with only a loose sense of direction. ]

[It's definitely something very, very new, experiencing things like this. There's a lot he's still trying to process (Ryoji being beside him, for one), but there's a lot of wildlife he never really bothered to sit and enjoy either. Granted, he's never been out in the middle of the woods like this either, but...

The rush of water, the (slightly eerie) rustling of those colorless leaves, and--

...And gravel?]

Oh. [!] This is different.

[It does look a little man-made...there's a clearing here as if the trees were cleared away, and a few more steps in the gravel and Minato kicks what looks like an old mining tool with the toe of Ryoji's shoe.

Which--makes him think.]

Here--you should take your shoes back. You might step on something sharp here.

[Minato's shoes are probably dried out enough to tolerate now, and it'd be worse if Ryoji got hurt.]

[ "Don't worry, I'll be careful," is what he would say, but they both know it's a lie. With shoes, at least he'll be safe when he runs around with reckless abandon, staring at the mining tool with fascination- though not enough that he reaches down to touch it. ]

I'll take yours.

[ Even though they're wet and probably feel gross... it's more trouble for Minato to swap Ryoji's shoes out with his own and do this little shuffle exchange of footwear, than for Ryoji to simply take Minato— he insists, grabbing for them before Minato gets the chance to refuse. ]

[That would be one of the biggest lies, just after "I'm Ryoji and I'm a human being". This... is not ideal, but it's fine. It's not like Ryoji's letting him protest, anyway, even if Minato offers up a belated:]

Are you sure you're comfortable like that?

[RYOJI...]

[ Ryoji tugs the shoes onto his feet, although he decides against the socks and hands them back, wadded up and still wet because of course they wouldn't dry if they were simply stuffed into the shoes.

Squelch, squelch goes the shoes as he straightens and gives them a little test hop up and down. Wet and gross. ...It's an experience thing; he'll take it. ]

Now my feet are safe~ Let's see what they were digging up here. What do you think? [ a gasp before Minato can reply-- ] What if there are fossils...!

[Gross, wet socks. Minato brought this on himself, though, so he just vaguely tries to wring them out a bit, and then shoved them in his pocket. Surely they will dry there!!]

Probably--

[... not?

... Really, though, can he say for sure in a place like this? God. He can't. This is a mystery to him. So he amends:]

...Well, maybe. But would we be able to tell?

[Minato moves on over to one of the piles of rock, crouching to squint more closely. When everything is the same...lack of color... it's hard to even see if there are different minerals here at all.]

[ Ryoji moves around to the other side of the slab of rock, also crouching and hugging his knees to his chest as he stares down at the stone. It sure does look like a rock. Idly, he reaches out and runs his finger across the surface, picking up a thin layer of dust and leaving the rock underneath the exact same shade of grey, no difference. ]

Hmm~ I don't know! [ haha ] But I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.

[ Think of it as a request from him or something, with the reward being Ryoji's beaming face that makes all the effort worth it, right? Right. ]

[That...that sure is a Ryoji request. A request that, looking at the bright eagerness in his face, Minato knows he will never be refusing.

...]

Okay... but you'll have to give me some time, I think. I've never really messed with...

[...gesture.]

... this. There may not even be any fossils to begin with, but...we can try.

Of course. I'll be here to help too.

[ Once Minato tells him what to do, because lmao heck if he knows where to start.

But with no exams, no end of the world to prepare for, they have all the time in the world. Ryoji seems to think so, tracing little patters on the stone's surface with his finger— hearts, stars, happy faces that disappear when he moves his hand and the change in shadow makes everything look the same all over again. ]

Hmm~ I guess the first thing we should do is dig the rocks out of the ground? Then we can stare at them and decide.

[Assuming Minato knows how to excavate fossils, especially colorless ones: A Problem.

But admittedly, it really isn't so bad. It's quiet, a little too quiet, and it's a bit too dreary without any color, but...

(There's something to be said for breath in their lungs, and the ability to make the choices to try silly things like this.)

So Minato's just going to start by scouting out the general quarry area, step by step. It's silly, maybe, but he gave his word and he'll give it his all once he's done that. Eventually, he pauses, scuffing the heel of Ryoji's shoe against the rock thoughtfully.]

This... looks like we could dig it out. [Maybe...? It doesn't extend too far into the dirt either way.]

[ Ryoji turns his eyes up at Minato once he finishes his rounds and returns, standing and looking down at the rock as if all his poking and prodding had been of any help at all. It hasn't, really. All he's determined is that it looks like a rock; whatever Death powers he has, it doesn't extend to sensing the remains of life potentially embedded inside.

Digging it out is an idea they can agree upon, though, and Ryoji's eyes light up at the prospect of swinging a pickax around like miners in the movies. ]

We'll be alright with just these? [ Shovels and axes and little brushes that lie scattered around, that Ryoji takes the liberty of bounding around and collecting. No hardhats or other safety equipment, though, so they'll have to rely on their shoes to keep them safe. ]

[They kind of have to be alright with just those, don't they? They don't have anything else.

(Minato briefly wonders, as he picks up a shovel, if this is what they should be doing with their time. But...they do have time, right? So it's fine.)]

Let's see what we can do with them. It's worth a try.

[... Uh.]

Be careful with those, okay...? [The...pickaxes and things. Don't hurt yourself.]

[ There is absolutely nothing more important at this very moment than uncovering dinosaurs and everything else can wait. At least until night falls and they have to scramble to find some sort of shelter, but hopefully by then, they'll remember their original mission to find other people? Or other people will find them, with all the clanging on the rocks that they'd be doing.

In either case!! ]

Alright! Let's do this!

[ What is being careful. Ryoji holds the pickax in hand, heaves it over his shoulder, and lets lets gravity bring it crashing down onto the ground where the tip of the tool sinks into surprisingly soft dirt, gets caught under the rock, and refuses to budge when Ryoji gives it an experimental tug.

Hm. ]

[... Oh my god.

Minato glances up from where he's tentatively digging the shovel into the softer dirt next to the slab of rock there. Ryoji approaches that attempt with such gusto and...is rebuffed so thoroughly, and Minato can't help it.

His lips twitch upwards, and there's something resembling a "pfff" under his breath.]

[ No more happy icons for you, mister. Ryoji full on pouts at this, but more over the situation than the being laughed at, which he more than deserves because pickaxes aren't really used for digging, anyways, so much as they are for breaking up rock. ]

Minatoooo... [ He lets a whine seep into his voice. ] Help me?

[Ah, the smile has gone away, for Ryoji that's serious business. Minato hums very softly to himself under his breath, nodding and retrieving his shovel, stepping over to take a look at the damage.

Huh...]

I don't think you'll be able to dig very deeply with a pickaxe, Ryoji. [But if he was trying to create a very deep hole, he did a great job.

So while Ryoji has a pretty tight grip on that handle, Minato just foregoes it entirely to dig his shovel into the dirt next to the pickaxe. If Ryoji can't pull it out, Minato's noodle arms are not going to be any more successful.

So they're not unearthing fossils, they're unearthing pickaxes, it's fine. And as soon as it's loose enough to probably tug out:]

Ah. Hooray. We dug something up. [Victory, right.]

[ Disappointing! But Ryoji laughs anyways. ]

...That we did! [ It's true. Technically. It might not be the rock that he was hoping for, but freeing the pickax is an accomplishment enough for Ryoji to nod proudly at the deed. It wouldn't do to leave the ax stuck in there, and this way, they've got another chance.

Clutching the tool to his chest with one hand, Ryoji kneels down next to the rock, tongue poking out in between his lips as he reaches out with his other hand to give it a little test wiggle to see if it's loosened any. It hasn't. But doing so makes him recall something he might have heard around school, or saw on tv or at the movies, or is actually just me in the middle of writing a completely unrelated Minato tag about licking rocks and gasped out loud when this came in a Google search. ]

Oh! I just remembered how to tell the difference between a rock and a fossil. [ He looks at Minato with sparkling eyes. EXPECTANT EYES. ] You lick it.

[ It sticks on your tongue because bone is porous and stone is not. ]

test drive meme 1.

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