awoosh | test drive meme 1.

Entry tags:

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

[That sounds like a fine and dandy plan, and Minato nods along with it. Off they gooooo--

Until.

Well.

The path just kind of closes up in front of them some three or four minutes later.

What........]

[what indeed, because—this is a problem.]

...That's new.

[well, he's starting to get a sense of why people haven't returned. this could be a problem.]

I guess we'll have to either backtrack or find a way through.

[Minato just moves forward to...push at the plants.

No dice.

It's very...]

This is very...wall-like.

[Bullshit!!]

I think we have to backtrack.

It was worth a shot.

[though he might be sneering a little at that wall. can't they just agidyne it to the ground?

(no, akira.)]

Let's try to do this without losing where we came from, too.

[it is also probably too late for that.]

[It's definitely too late for that. Minato nods in response to that offer and...

Pauses.

Hm.

Turning around reveals that...their previous path seems to be gone. There's another path now but...]

We didn't come from that direction, did we...?

Nope.

[he motions to the direction the path was in, which is now a mess of shrubbery and fallen leaves.]

It looks like we walked into a maze. Or a trap.

[Right... Minato doesn't tense up much at that; it's pretty much par for the course. Instead, he sighs softly, shoving his hands back into his pockets.]

... I guess we should just follow the new path for now then.

[well.

at least they're both taking this in stride, as weird as that may be.]

I don't think we have much of a choice. [unless they want to just stay in one spot and leave themselves here to die in the woods alone. no thanks.]

I think we figured out why nobody came back, at least.

They're probably all lost out here...

[That's not good. He starts to walk, peering around a lot more attentively now.]

We have to find them all.

[A beat.]

And...probably a way out too.

Finding them won't do us much good if we don't find a way out.

[which is absolutely not to say they should leave anyone behind. he can't do that—there's no way he could do that.]

We'll do both. [somehow. akira seems pretty resolved to that, expression hardening a little, like determination has properly settled in now that he's processed what they're up against here.]

[Well.

That's kind of nice, honestly. Akira's so fiercely determined, and Minato nods in response. He agrees, after all. They'll find everyone and help them get out of here--that's what they do.]

Agreed. [Still, Minato is just kind of...as flat as ever. ONWARDS. The forest is kind of claustrophobic when it keeps blocking their path like this, but Minato perseveres anyway, brow a little furrowed as they go.]

Doesn't it feel like we're being led somewhere...?

[minato can be flat and placid if that's what works for him. some people are just like that, right? akira doesn't think he's disinterested or bad for it—he's obviously still concerned for the other people.]

Yeah. These paths don't feel random.

[his gaze hardens a bit, observing their surroundings as they continue forward; akira kind of looks as if he's keeping an eye out for a direct threat of some sort.]

That's why I think it might be a trap.

[A trap for what purpose, though...? Minato wonders, but doesn't ask.

It's kind of pointless to, he assumes, when he's sure Akira doesn't know.]

... I don't think we have any other choice though.

[But to keep walking right into it.

Oops.]

We don't It's a risk we have to take, so we'll just have to keep our guard up.

[akira has no idea what the trap would be for. or why there'd be a maze—but you know, after dealing with a handful of palaces, he just doesn't question the motives and does what needs to be done.

a little bit of that natural leader in him peeks through to the surface with a directive like that—keep going, keep their guard up, try to find the people who went missing.]

[That's fine, honestly. Minato has no issues with following Akira's directions right now. Akira's very fierce, very direct, and Minato can respect that.

He nods, hands tucked neatly into his pockets, and keeps on heading down that path.

Which, really...it's only a matter of time before they find that creepy house.

Hm.]

Like a horror movie... [Oh.]

[it gets the job done and keeps them on track, and minato going along with it without questioning it too much makes it a bit easier.

so off they go, down that path until they reach that house. and yeah. it sure is creepy.]

It felt like one before, but now it really feels like that's the case.

[...]

The director can yell "cut" anytime now, really.

[... Yeah......]

I don't think that's going to happen.

[...Oh well. Minato's just going to walk right up to the house, peering at it intently, and...he pushes the door open.

It opens easily, with an ominous creak.

...Huh.

(Where are the self-preservation instincts...)]

It was wishful thinking.

[not that wishful thinking it going to carry them very far here. especially not when minato is just opening the door and ready to walk right in.

where are the self-preservation instincts.]

Hold on.

[don't just barrel inside, minato.]

[He's holding on, casually, as the door creaks open, glancing over his shoulder at Akira.

And then, just as casually:]

We were brought here for a reason, right? Even if it's a trap...we'll have to open the door eventually.

[Also: self-preservation, what is that?]

I'm not saying we shouldn't go in.

[akira's hardly that naive, but he motions toward the door, as if to suggest he should go first?

look, he has a plan.

he doesn't really have self-preservation either, when the stakes might be legitimately high, and not knowing that minato is actually is protag-senpai means he's just naturally inclined to try to take the lead. it's fine.]

[... Akira? That's nice and all, but Minato just shakes his head simply at that, eyebrows arching.

It's the first time all thread he's actually got an opinion, but here they are.

And, simply and calmly:]

I'll go first. I can take care of myself.

[this is a strange stalemate. he's honestly not used to someone refusing him—which isn't really a big deal, but it feels strange, anyway. minato has no reason to trust or believe that he's somehow more capable, considering they just met—and akira too, doesn't really know minato's capabilities.

but he's used to just taking the lead and making it work, so being so plainly refused is a little jarring.

okay, that's not going to work and he's not looking to rock the boat to hard, despite his naturally assertive nature. it comes with a sigh, before he relents (even if he's not the most pleased about it).]

At least give it a second after opening the door. We don't know what's on the other side.

[Sorry, Akira. Them's the breaks--Minato doesn't know if Akira's capable or not, but even if he is, it only makes sense for Minato to go first anyway. They don't know what's in there, and as far as Minato's concerned--

He has infinitely less to lose, after everything.

And so Minato nods, and shoves the door open without any further fanfare. He stays quiet, knees bent, hand hovering over his hip where his blazer covers...something?

... Nothing appears, though, so after a few more lingering moments, Minato draws in a slow breath and straightens, taking a few steps in.

Holy shit that doll--

... Does not even get more than a slow blink out of Minato.]

...Huh.

[all of these things that akira doesn't yet know—that he has no way at all of knowing, but even still...

it's just not his style to let someone else be in danger, so of course it's going to bother him a bit that minato just does the thing. even if it's really without much fanfare, and it's just a doll. a really, really creepy doll.]

Definitely a horror movie.

[he sighs a little, leaning against the frame of the door and peering around. he doesn't sense anything else, it's just creepy as fuck.]

I hope there aren't monsters waiting to jump out, then.

[Minato just steps closer, peering at the doll, before he finally reaches out for that scrap of paper.]

"The more you take, the more you leave behind"...?

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