graveyardsmash | TEST DRIVE: NOVMEMEBER (get it because it's a meme)

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test drive

TEST DRIVE: NOVMEMEBER (get it because it's a meme)

TEST DRIVE

Welcome to Ryslig's test drive meme! If you're considering apping here, this is where you can try your characters out in the game's setting. A few things to note:

You can only app ONE character per round so choose wisely.
We now have a Quick Game Facts that simplifies the basic information about the game. Good if you want to see what the game is at a glance!
Ryslig's FAQ is located here, so please take a look if you have questions.
The reserve date is 11/27.
Test drive meme threads can be used for your roleplay sample!
Players with characters already in the game can earn up to a maximum of 6 coins by replying to potential character threads! You cannot use this to go over the bonus 20 coins per month total, but you can use it to reach that coin total. Same rules as normal bonuses apply.

Sample scenarios:

SCENARIO ONE: So you've just arrived, fresh out of the hospital, and already the natives are trying to get on your good side. Offers of food, shelter and other luxuries in return for hoping you don't eat them. They even have some helpful pamphlets to share with you. "How To Deal With Changes", "Alternatives to Human Flesh", "What to Expect When You're Expecting (to turn into a monster)" are all great pamphlets. There's even some detailing certain monsters, and the changes they go through. Some of these seem to have been passed down from one monster to the next.

Among these however, are some... not so helpful ones. "Bunnyipyips And You", "Axe Thief Axehounds," and "So you're becoming a Fur Bearing Trout" among others. Sometimes they have marks on them from previous people who had them saying they are lies, or pointing out good "jokes."

SCENARIO TWO: You've become hopelessly lost in Lager Woods. Paths don't seem to lead where you remember them leading, and you feel as if you're going around in circles. Childlike giggling can be heard from no direction in particular. Suddenly, you stumble upon another character, who seems to be just as lost as you! Perhaps you can find a way out together. Or maybe they want you for lunch...

SCENARIO THREE: The time has come and you've found yourself becoming a monster. Is the change instant, or gradual? Are you familiar enough with monsters to know what's happening, or is it a complete shock? NOTE: Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.

SCENARIO FOUR:The claws, the fangs, the pangs of hunger - horrible as they all are, it's manageable given enough time and perseverance. Local monster hunters, though, not so much.

Maybe it started with a few wayward glances on the outskirts of town, critical stares and disapproving whispers, or just the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Whatever it was, deserved or entirely unprovoked, you're being hunted: a handful of aggressive, well-armed humans doggedly chase your trail throughout city streets and out into the open, and if you're not careful (if you don't find help soon) you might wind up as the next trophy kill claim on one of those hunter's walls.

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[All the time Bucky'd spent as a bear had stuck with him, apparently. He might have been a demon now, but the desire to stay close to nature was still there. The trees were too close for him to fly much, but that was okay because he still wasn't very good in the air anyway. He'd progressed in leaps and bounds since he'd started out, and hadn't crashed into a single chimney since, but sometimes it was just easier to stay on the ground.

Even if, every now and then, his hooves became a little tangled in the undergrowth along the forest floor. It would probably be easier to burn everything away, but he didn't want to set the whole forest ablaze, so he carefully untangled himself, swearing under his breath in Russian. He pushed past some more bushes, rounded a tree-and froze.

Changes or not (and for a brief moment, he almost mistook Steve for Fitz, except Fitz was a snake now), Bucky recognized Steve. He sucked in a breath, forked tongue sweeping over his lips. He hadn't seen Steve since after the mountain, after Steve had-

But this was different. This wasn't right.]

Steve?

[After everything he had gone through in the past year, hearing Bucky's voice in the woods still came as a surprise. He had been searching for the former soldier when he was able to, and he had just made plans before finding himself uprooted from his world again and dropped here. Left to figure out the kinds of changes he was going through alone. Changes that he wasn't prepared to rationalise.

The voice was familiar and undeniably Bucky's, but it belonged to a man who apparently had gone through even more considerable changes of his own since they last met. The sudden appearance of his old friend was not a comfort, though. He was startled by this demonic version of Bucky and the unexpected meeting of anyone in the forest. The change in his normal instincts had his nerves on edge and he was left standing there with a racing heart and wide eyes. It was just lucky he had not been startled enough to force a shift into a horse. That would have been far more confusion for Steve than the situation already caused.]

Bucky? [He studied the other man for a moment, weighing the situation out and quickly deciding on a plan of action. He still had no desire to fight Bucky, and the bizarre circumstances of their current situation aside, he had been searching for the man from the moment he got out of the hospital. He couldn't waste the opportunity.

He gave his old friend a small smile but held his ground where he was. Bucky remembered his name this time, but that did not mean the former soldier had all of his memories back]

Looks like there were some delayed side effects after all.

[Bucky was used to having that effect on people. Whether he looked like a monster or a normal person, people seemed nervous around him at times. Even when he'd been trapped in a web, monsters had been wary. But Steve, shouldn't Steve know better? Bucky wouldn't hurt him, and he'd already seen him like this before.

On the other hand, Steve had neither the feathers of a harpy or the look of a vampire. When and how did he change again?]

You're back. I- [Did that mean Grant would be back, too? He could live without Rumlow, but Grant had been important.] Are you okay? [A pause.] Side effects?

Edited (I can remember to finish before I post, whoops) 2015-11-19 00:58 (UTC)

To the serum. Remember, when you asked me if I would end up with a red skull? [He cracked a small smile, settling a little more at ease only because even in Bucky's confusing response there was familiarity. Far more than the last few times they had run into each other.]

I'm all right. Confused, and [He paused and glanced down, tilting an arm up with a frown.] a little green. Bucky what happened to you? I haven't seen you since [He stopped there, frowning a little. Since Bucky had saved his life after trying to kill him.] Project Insight. Did Hydra do this to you?

No. [And he narrowly avoided apologizing for not remembering. His memories of that long ago were hazy at best. He remembered Peggy and the Howling Commandos, he knew Steve had rescued him from Hydra that one time, but beyond that...most of it was missing.]

You were here before. Twice. [But he guessed it wasn't too surprising, considering Steve hadn't remembered the second time, either. At least he could tell Steve this wasn't because of Hydra. They'd been there, two of them, but one of them had been good to him and otherwise he would just...neglect to mention the crossbow incident.]

It was a mountain. There was a hole. [And he'd been stupid.]

I'm not following, Buck. [But he was willing to be patient on this. It was good to see Bucky. Sam would have cuffed him for being such a fool just standing there and letting his guard down. Despite the help Sam willingly offered, he knew his partner in the search for the 'Winter Soldier' didn't fully believe Bucky could be saved or trusted, but he stood by Steve.]

Where are we now? [Just to make sure they were on the same page.]

[Bucky hadn't really expected him to, but he'd been hopeful.

He'd actually met Sam here, however briefly; they'd been civil. Bucky might even call him nice.]

Ryslig peninsula. How long have you been here?

I left the town somewhere between an hour and two hours ago. [No one there had made much sense and Steve had wanted to get a look at the place he had found himself in for himself. He did better when he could look for himself rather than just take someone else's word for it.

Lately, anyone else's word was not as trustworthy as it might once have been to him. He had been lied to a few too many times to trust the way he might have in his younger years.

The name sounded foreign and unfamiliar. He could not place it and he had no map to look it up. He did not even have his phone here to try and google it. The search engine had become a frequent tool in his life over the past few years.]

When did you come here? [Bucky had been surprised to see him. There was no point in asking the other man how Steve ended up there. It was unlikely he would know.] And who did this? [Steve asked, gesturing to Bucky's demonic attributes]

[That wasn't quite what he'd meant, unless Steve had only arrived here a few hours ago. Then that was exactly what he'd meant. Bucky, on the other hand, had to think for a moment on how long he'd been there.]

Six months. I think. [Sounded about right.] There are gods here, that turn people into monsters. The mountain did this to me. [And the runes, the ones that had appeared all over his body after the mountain had been destroyed.] I think it was trying to help.

The problem was, Steve was not sure how long he had been in the town before he left. Only that the changes he had not believed were going to happen had happened a little more expediently than described to him in the pamphlets he didn't even partially consider to be real. This was more along the lines of recent movies from Hollywood than life. Not that their lives had been normal before Ryslig, but they had been close to 'normal' for Steve recently. He had a rhythm, a plan and a team. This place had none of those things.]

A mountain? [Steve really was trying not to speak with such a tone of disbelief in his voice, but it was there. Because nothing about that made sense even with everything else that had happened.]

Are you sure this isn't just the work of some alien technology or an experiment? [People had called Thor a god when he first encountered the Asgardian, but that had not been the case then, either. Powerful, yes. And from another realm, as insane as that all sounded. But not truly a god. There was only one of those.]

I have seen the things both of those can do, and this would not be too big of a stretch as long as people like Loki and Tony Stark exist.

Yes, a mountain. [How many times did he have to say it. He climbed a mountain, went in a hole as a bear, and popped out as a demon. ...Yeah, that might be a little farfetched if someone hadn't been there themselves to see it happen.]

I don't know. No one's seen the gods, but they've made themselves known. They can make people do things.

[He knew a Loki, but it wasn't the same one, thankfully. Stark, on the other hand-] Tony's here. [But Natasha had said he was killed, and Bucky didn't know if he was back yet.]

That also sounds like Loki's work. [Or Wanda, but she was on their team now. There was a slight bitter tone to his voice when he said Loki's name, despite the fact that Thor's adopted brother was allegedly dead. It seemed like death did not always stick for the bad or the good.

He held off assumptions for now at the news that Tony was also there.]

How long? [Did it really matter? Tony was either going to be helpful in figuring out what was going on or more trouble but either way he needed to talk to the other man eventually.]

We'll discuss that later. Bucky. [Steve put a hand on Bucky's good arm, just below the shoulder. Both to reassure himself the man was there and to test how he would react.] I have a lot of questions. About all of this. But this might not be the best place to have this conversation.

I have been wandering this forest for at least an hour. I have no idea where I am. If you know this place better, we should get out of here.

Does it? [He didn't know enough about Loki one way or another to be able to judge how accurate that was. Hell, all he knew about Thor was that he was an Avenger.]

A few months. [Not nearly as long as Bucky had been here, but still a considerable amount of time.

Earlier on, at a more skittish stage of his recovery, Bucky might have pulled away, or flinched, or tensed up. But he held still and let Steve touch him. Steve wouldn't hurt him; Bucky was certain about that. Even if Steve didn't remember being here before.]

The forest won't hurt you. [It just sounded creepy.] But I have a place. We can go there. You used to live with me. [And now it was too empty, all alone with Sazha.]

[And those last words were enough to bring a slight small smile to Steve. That was the first thing Bucky had said that made sense since they had run into each other again. It reminded him of their old, simpler lives. When they were just two friends, practically brothers, in Brooklyn. And Bucky talked Steve out of his stubborn need to do things on his own. He missed those times, but there was no going back.]

That is the first thing to make sense for as long as I have been here. Lead the way. I'll follow you.

[Did it? Bucky ducked his head, smiling faintly, his tail flicking behind him, a little like a cat's. Being careful of his surroundings, he started to head back towards Bavan, glancing over his shoulder to make sure Steve was still there.]

If the trees weren't so thick, I could fly us. [But he didn't know how well he'd balance with extra weight, either. Flying just himself was hard enough as it was without crashing into anything. It was a work in progress.]

For now I think keeping my feet on the ground might be for the best. [Steve had to keep himself grounded somehow, and if the only way to do that was in the literal sense, then that was what he would settle for. At the moment his track record with flying was still about 20/80, but even with the improved percentage, it seemed a good time to keep his feet on the ground.]

The walk might help me get a better lay of the land. How long have you been like this? [Transformed. It was taking Steve some getting used to to look at. It seemed far too drastic a change, somehow. To the point that he was not sure he would have recognized Bucky without hearing his voice. Even his eyes were different to Steve.]

[Yeah, with Bucky's track record with flying, it probably really was best to keep on the ground. Safer for humans, monsters, and flora this way.] As a demon or all together?

[Because one was considerably longer than the other.]

Five months, all together. Demon for only a month.

Demon. [Steve repeats the word to himself as he follows along almost right beside Bucky. It had occurred to him on some level, the similarities between Bucky's new found 'attributes' and demons. But he had not even considered the word due to the ridiculous nature of it all.]

How many others have been affected by this? [He wanted to say experiment or illness, because even with everything he still had a hard time using the word magic in a serious way. He already had been forced to accept that aliens were real and that people could be given certain powers and abilities through science. But magic was still an outlier.]

Yes. I know a few others, too. [But none of them had been around since he changed. He'd had no one to offer him any advice; he was learning everything on his own. Not that he would've actually asked for help, but.]

Everyone. Everyone who's brought here changes eventually. Usually after a month. [Like he had. That first night had been frightening, when he'd been spitting out his teeth and didn't know why.]

[That sounded more and more like experimentation to Steve. Especially with that broad and consistent a spread. He frowns, focusing on his steps for a while and trying to cover the occasional twitches and flinches that overtake him when a branch snaps too loud or a howl sounds in the woods. It was more unsettling that he was so jumpy than any of the things spooking him really were but he did not know how to stop it from happening.]

And they all turn into [There's a pause as he jumps again, glancing over his shoulder to the trees behind them before pushing onward.] Demons? [Was that what he was becoming as well? Or had the serum changed his reaction somehow? He already knew he was not as strong as he used to be. And his nerves constntly being on edge was helping nothing.]

[Bucky frowned, scrunching his nose up for a second.] No? [This would be a lot more strange of a place-and a little boring-if everyone was the same thing.]

You're a kelpie, I think. [Or something else green, but he was pretty sure it was kelpie.] I'm supposed to be a bear. You were a harpy before. Then a vampire. Natasha's a shade. Phil's a bear.

[Kelpie, Shade, Harpy. The words seem like they should mean something to Steve but they just leave him frowning as they walk. He at least recognizes the names of two of his friends in the explanation. So it seemed the others were there, maybe they had helped Bucky to find some of his memories.]

I have to be honest, I'm not following you completely, Buck. But I'm sure we can find a way to reverse all of this, or learn how to use it. [Bruce could not be cured, and the serum had been a permanent change for Steve, as well. If this was also permanent he would find some way to learn to live with it, but for now he was still operating on the hope that Loki or some other individual was behind the changes and could be stopped. He worked better with a target to focus on.

He tried to lighten the mood a little by glancing over at Bucky.]

You don't look like any bear I know of. The wings are an interesting addition, though. [It made him think of Sam. His partner in the search for Bucky would probably have been less than thrilled that Bucky could fight him in the air now.]

[Learn how to use it. That was what he had been doing. And he'd just been starting to settle in as a werebear before he was forced into this. Now he had to learn all over again. And he still missed being a bear.]

I liked being a bear better. It was warm. And familiar. [But at least he'd gotten used to walking on these hooves by now, more or less.] I like the fire better than the wings. [But only because he'd gotten the hang of the fire faster.]

[It was hard for Steve to process Bucky's responses in a logical manner. The idea of the other man being a bear, or even the demon he could see beside him now, it just didn't click in his mind yet. He shook his head and looked around at the forest, trying to keep his bearings and remember what directions they were taking.]

It's hard to believe any of this is real. If I couldn't see you with my own eyes I would not believe it. [He still wasn't sure he entirely did believe it. Bucky's new attributes, his own physical changes, both were equally strange to process in his mind.]

I do believe you. I'm just still trying to make sense of everything. How much farther do we need to travel? These woods are too open.

I know. [And he understood. He'd spent a long time trying to deny it himself, even with everything he'd seen. Now he was starting to roll with the punches; you had to, in a place like this.]

Too open? [He'd never seen that kind of problem with them before.] The edge is coming up. Then Bavan's past that. [Out across a field.]

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TEST DRIVE: NOVMEMEBER (get it because it's a meme)

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