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

arsene lupin / code: realize

[heartsteals]

i

[ he'd managed to follow the elusive path this far, but he has to say he was hoping for something a little more welcoming at the end. Like a princess in a castle or a pot of gold or something. Nope, just a forboding house that has "do not enter" metaphorically written all over it. ]

The trail of crumbs should have tipped me off, [ mumbles Lupin as he stares up at the dilapidated old manor, pinching the brim of his hat idly. Common sense dictates that there's going to be a witch in there planning to eat him. And that, if he had a sister, he should have brought her with him. But he doesn't, and he didn't, which leaves him here on his lonesome.

He's not going in without a plan. And he's definitely not going by himself. Anyone else who comes by the house will see a man in somewhat ostentatious clothing sitting on the grass against its outer wall, standing out quite a bit against the monochrome backdrop. He's friendly, too, because the moment someone else shows up, he waves at them, offering a grin. ]

Good day to you! Doing some exploring?

[ he's making you go in first, for sure ]

iv

[ so, computers. Let's not worry about how long it took Lupin to figure out how to turn it on and how posting worked; that's all in the past! We're in the present, and the present involves some kind of team-building exercise, apparently. Nothing here makes sense, so Lupin doesn't even bother questioning why they need to ask about each others' pasts. The faster they get it over with, the better. ]

It seems time we become friends here! Well, have a go at it; I'm listening.

- Lupin

[ he volunteers nothing... yet. maybe ask about it. ]

iv;

[jokered]

Lupin?

[nah. it can't be, right? it can't be.]

Interesting handle to pick.

[yeah. yeah. because picking a nickname here makes a lot of sense when they have hex codes? it doesn't, but akira's not really expecting to encounter a real, live version of something so intrinsically a part of who he is these days.]

[heartsteals]

Interesting? I'll take that as a compliment.

[ he's a man of some renown back home, so he's not entirely surprised that someone would recognize the name... even if he'd assumed nothing here had anything to do with "home." Maybe he should have been more careful. But, frankly, keeping up a secret identity after being spirited away to another world seemed like extra trouble for nothing. ]

[jokered]

[they're in for a fun learning experience with this one. akira's still keeping his identity under wraps for now, but mostly because he's pretty sure he can't summon here anyway.

and he really has no reason for phantom thievery at the moment.]

It's a name I didn't think I'd see here. It's not a bad thing, though.

i.

[messianic]

[Wow, he's so flashy... still, seeing some actual color after stumbling his way through a drab, horrible forest is welcome as far as Minato's concerned. He waves back and...pulls a twig from his hair as a second thought.

The woods were not kind to scrawny city boy Minato Arisato.]

Yeah... I guess so. I thought a lot of people walked into the woods but...

[Shrug...??]

You're the only one I've found since.

[heartsteals]

Well, people usually have a hard time finding me. You must have been the cleverest in the bunch.

[ says Lupin as Minato pulls twigs out of his head. Sure. He gets to his feet, dusting off his breeches a little bit before walking over towards his new companion and offering him a hand. ]

Arsène Lupin. And you are?

[messianic]

[He doesn't feel particularly clever right now, he mostly feels beaten up by a forest.

But Minato can at least handle a handshake, taking Akira's hand in his own.]

Minato. Ah... [Probably Western order with a name like that and a handshake, so--] Minato Arisato.

[Nailed it. He's curious though.]

Is there a reason why people have a hard time finding you...?

I

[thetaintedsorrow]

Huh?

[Chuuya jumps in surprise when he suddenly hears a voice calling out to him. He’s totally not unsettled by this forest in the slightest, no sir. He was just surprised is all. You don’t really expect to see another person this deep in the woods, let alone someone this well dressed. It almost looks like the guy stepped out of a different time period.

Chuuya slowly approaches, cautious as ever but also curious.]

Kind of. What are you doing?

[heartsteals]

[ he actually did just step out of a different time period, and he has no idea what a laptop or a forum is. He does know a creepy house when he sees one, though. Smiling, he clambers back up to his feet, brushing some debris off of his slacks. ]

Waiting for some company, monsieur. I thought this trail would take me someplace a bit less ominous, but here we are.

[thetaintedsorrow]

[Chuuya raises an eyebrow. Waiting for someone, huh? That sounds awfully suspicious.]

You mean you haven’t tried going inside yet?

[This guy...Chuuya is rather pleased at being called monsieur, so he’ll let the weirdness slide. For now.]

You want to go in together? I mean. Might as well, right?

i

[underlined]

[Keisuke had just sort of... wandered into the woods. At first he had been following a path, finding it the easiest point of entry, but after that point he'd lost all bearings relatively quickly and just resorted to going wherever his gut told him might lead to something, anything at all. Truth be told, he's a little mesmerized. He's never seen this many trees (so many healthy ones, anyway), and while some might find them dull and drab like the town they'd all passed through, they're vibrant in his eyes. There were only a few carefully-tended areas of foliage in the CFC, but for the most part the Third Division had drained all the life out of the world. The path to Toshima had been little more than rubble and debris, irrevocably scarred by war.

Which is why the quaintness of the town and the peace of the forest are strange to him, though not in a particularly bad way. As usual, Keisuke is nervous, because that's just his default state, but the paranoia isn't nearly as bad as it was back in Toshima, where Igura's rules painted a mortal target on his back at all times.

It's actually dumb luck that he finds the abandoned house. Perhaps he had stumbled across the breadcrumb trail and instinct had led from there, but he ends up walking up to the place completely oblivious of it. He had entered the clearing from a different part of the forest, so at first he is ignorant as well of Lupin's presence. That is, until he starts following the walls of the house, turning a corner and nearly stumbling across the man sitting against the wall.]

Aah!!

[Is this how he's going to meet everyone in this place...

He takes a step and a half back, hands ineffectually raised, but the man remains seated, greeting him cordially. Keisuke looks mistrustful for a moment before relaxing his posture, right hand moving to rub nervously across his left arm.]

Y - Yeah... guess so.

[He looks to the very brightly-garbed stranger with a look of bald-faced suspicion.] Were you... waiting for someone?

[heartsteals]

[ well, consider that a victory for dumb luck. Lupin doesn't know any better, at least - with the way that forest seemed to shift underfoot, there's no way someone could just accidentally end up at this place, right? Right??

Right. Keisuke's surprise gets a half-amused, half-apologetic laugh out of him, and he waves a hand dismissively as he gets to his feet. ]

Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was waiting for someone to show up, but now you're here, so I should be all done with that.

[underlined]

[Dumb luck is the only luck Keisuke will either incur or provide.

Keisuke puts both hands in front of himself, waving them as if he was physically brushing away the apologies.] No, please, you don't need to... it's fine. [His embarrassment is plain, burning under his skin. He is, as he ever is, completely transparent, almost entirely unable to hide what he naturally keeps pinned on his sleeve.

His attention resolves, setting the young man in a quizzical gaze, brow creased somewhat.] Oh. [Well, he's here now, but the open-endedness of the reason is enough to give him some pause. He's maintaining a neutral distance.]

Um, what for?

[It could be said he's trying to keep his nerves out of the question, but since it's Keisuke, he quite simply fails at that.]

i

[scooptimistic]

Definitely!

[ Maya's already grinning easily back, because she is also not unfriendly, unlike the inevitable lone wolves she's already encountered here. This is so much nicer, honestly. ]

What about you, catching your breath? I've got to say, it feels like this forest goes on forever if you're not careful!

[heartsteals]

[ her hearty response makes him laugh good-naturedly as he stands up from where he was sitting. She's probably the only person he's run into that seems to be in a good mood. It's understandable, of course. He's not feeling particularly happy about this whole situation, himself. But negativity never really helped anyone. ]

You're not wrong. But no, I'm just waiting. I've got a bad feeling about this place, and I think my chances would be better with a partner, that's all.

iv while i kick down sibs door I'M BACK IN YOUR INBOX

[extrapolating]

I can start, but I believe we should take turns answering what the quest is asking. It might go faster that way, since it did not say just how we were supposed to complete it. If it goes twice as fast, that would probably work, wouldn't it?

- Elizabeth

[ She... definitely signed it that way because he did. It's not really like writing a letter, so ending it with a "sincerely" or something else seems too formal. ]

STUFFS YOUR TAGS IN MY MOUTH

[heartsteals]

[ see, they're on the same wavelength already!! ]

But of course, my lady. I'm not sure if there's any other way we might complete the task.

i

[bufudyne]

[Wow look at that ostentatious clothing. That distracts Yusuke from anything else, honestly, and he stops as he nears the house with a frown on his lips. He looks narrowly at Lupin, head tilting before he notices the red band on his hat and nods to himself.

That's fine, then. Sort of ties the outfit together.]

Yes. Looking for some signs of colour, at the very least.

[heartsteals]

[ thank goodness fashion advisor yusuke is here. Not that Lupin knows what he's doing; he assumes this kid is just sizing him up. Which is fair - he probably looks suspicious sitting in front of such a creepy house. ]

You found me, so I guess you can call that a tentative success. [ he gets to his feet, tipping his hat lightly. ] Arsène Lupin, at your service. I was hoping a friend might come by, myself.

i

[parodeity]

Oh hell no.

[ re: exploring. and the house. dave is like, eyeing it, but there's that creepy fucking doll manservant? ]

I have a firm policy of going nowhere near creepy dolls. It's based in "hell the fuck no".

[heartsteals]

So you already went in, then? That makes you more of an explorer than me.

[ creepy dolls... how predictable... maybe it's a big prank. ]

i

[soulsrob]

[Considering Winnie's wardrobe is heavily based in Victorian clothing, Lupin's clothes don't even get her to bat an eyelash, other than acknowledging to herself that he looks quite fancy.

Her parasol rests on her shoulder, open against the sunlight, like she's just any other lady out for a Sunday stroll in the woods. You know. As you do. Likewise, her tone is friendly and light, like this is a totally normal thing to be encountering.]

Good day! Is it that obvious? [Winnie grins back and glances around with wide eyes] Darling little place, isn't it? Very welcoming.

Re: i

[heartsteals]

[ naturally, he assumes she's being sarcastic, and chuckles a little at the comment. ]

Yes, yes. Very inviting if you're a rat or a bat.

[ or a witch?! those don't exist, though. Lupin gets to his feet, taking off his cap and offering her a polite little bow. ]

Arsène Lupin. And you are?

i. Otome boys solidarity

[ifionlyhadthecourage]

[ How the hell all these branches kept managing to whack him a good one in the face was beyond Caramia, but here he was, having to hold his arm up just to push through these dull, strange woods. Hopefully, it'd be worth his efforts in the end!

The sound of a voice was a promising start, even if it did surprise him. He pulled down his arm, giving a quick glance around. Lupin, of course, caught his eye at first, as any sort of color was bound to do in this dreary place, but the looming, intimidating house was definitely not overlooked. It sure felt like he was tossed into some horror silent film at this point. ]

Exploring? Feels more like investigating.

[ He gave just as friendly of a smile. ]

Seems I was beaten to it, though. Thank goodness for that, the silence around here is insanely deafening.

HELL yeah

[heartsteals]

Investigating, exploring... I'd say they're the same thing in this case.

[ no one knows what they're doing, everything is an investigation. Lupin is certainly happy to see another adult show up - especially one with a smile. He clambers to his feet, brushing the dust off of his jacket, and takes a few steps towards Caramia, offering a hand. ]

My name is Lupin. And you are?