TEST DRIVE MEME

[ryslighelpers]

TEST DRIVE MEME: JANUARY

Welcome to the Ryslig Test Drive Meme! Below are a few prompts to get you started, but you may make up any prompt you desire! Please take a look at the navigation page for rules, setting information, and links to reserves and apps. Have fun!

SCENARIO ONE

You wake up on the beach thoroughly drenched with your mouth full of sand. The salt water causes various cuts and scrapes on your skin to sting and the sand isn't helping. The air is slightly humid, ruining any feeling of refreshment you might have gotten from your dip in the ocean. There are lights in the distance but the unfriendly scent of gunpowder fills the air. If you're lucky, you're alone. If not, you might find yourself staring up into a pair of monstrous eyes or down the barrel of a local's shotgun.

SCENARIO TWO

So you've just arrived, and already SOME 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." Then there's the people who aren't happy to see you at all. Glares and silent, judging stares if you're lucky. Torches and pitchforks attempting to drive you out of the town if you're not. You may need a friend to help you.

SCENARIO THREE

"Seek us out," the voice whispers in your head, and before you have time to question it you've found yourself in someplace entirely alien. Maybe it's the Fog God's ghostly town of Dyster, where exultant followers dance around bonfires and sing their praises to the skies above. Maybe it's the Fourth God's arcade, with small robots wheeling about amidst the lights and colors of old pinball machines. Only one thing is certain: you are not alone, in this sacred place.

SCENARIO FOUR

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.

Comments

[nandemonai]

[that, it most certainly is not. Maki winces at the sound, twisting her head back to look in the direction it is coming from]

R-right... We should probably get out of here. [and find people who don't have guns. especially if there are monsters lurking about!]

[arpeggriko]

[Yeah, the fact that there are people shooting on this beach has Riko on edge. And for a moment, she isn't really sure what to...do.

But then she happens to look over, noticing those lights in the distance again while Maki is looking down the beach.]

...there are lights that way. That must be the town. It would be safer there than out here.

[Right...]

[nandemonai]

[ah? Maki turns her head back, looking at where Riko has indicated... squinting, craning her neck. okay, she sees the lights now, too]

Yeah, definitely. Let's hurry. [Maki is about to take off when she considers something. she's in good shape, and could probably move faster than Riko. what if she leaves this girl behind in her dust?

it's kind of lame, but she reaches for Riko's hand] We'll stick together this way. [hopefully that is enough to justify her actions. Maki's also incredibly nervous, but she's doing her best to hide it]

[arpeggriko]

[Oh.

She. Wasn't expecting that? If anything she thought that Maki would just start off toward the lights as soon as she pointed them out. Once again, Riko is stunned into silence, her mouth open without anything actually coming out.

Again, she has to remind herself to speak, as well as breathe.]

U-um...okay.

[Riko only hesitates because she's that taken off guard, but once she sees Maki reaching for her hand, she lets her take it without complaint.

...god, if she ever makes it out of here and can tell Chika about this, she'll either call her a liar or kill her. Maybe both.]

[nandemonai]

[it might be a little silly, holding a stranger's hand. but Maki doesn't want anything bad to happen to either of them, and doing this simply makes her feel more at ease.

she looks around until she finds some steps leading away from the beach. in no time, they are walking down the street toward the lights. Maki's not running, but she's not walking very slow either.

she can't believe this is happening, that she's been transported to some place other than her home. wasn't she just walking home from school? something like that. so how'd she end up here, wet and on the beach? with a fan?]

This has to be a dream.

[atjourneysend]

But it hasn't even BEEN two years since -

[What, she can just disappear the way she arrived and forget this ever happened? Go back to waiting without remembering she saw him again, that he may be still stuck here?

Raynie groans in frusration and runs both hands through her hair, adjusting the ponytail just to give herself something to do.]

You know what, fine. None of it makes sense anyway.

[It's been a very long day. She can lean back for a moment and just be glad he's here.]

1

[bindweed]

[She had been shaking out her wet jacket a little. This was going to be a pain to dry clean later. Ochimizu had other problems but the petty things at least distracted her from bigger issues. Such as where she was and what happened to those girls. When Riko bumps into her, she drops part of the jacket to place a hand on her shoulder. Not for comfort but--]

You should look before you start moving around in a place like this.

[Her voice is gruff yet there's no true venom to them, yet.]

[shinebrightlike]

... For now, I think it might be best if we stick to heading for a bit of shelter.

[ She feels... all wrong saying it. If Yoshiko and Hanamaru -- if any of the others -- are here then by all means they should be finding each other and sticking together. Dia knows that. But what's forefront in her mind is the fact that she and Ruby are here seemingly alone and exposed with no protection whatsoever. The idea of leaving any of their friends behind makes Dia feel a little ill but... Ruby is her priority. It's not something she would be able to openly admit but she knows in her heart that she cares far more about guaranteeing Ruby's safety if not her immediate comfort than she does anything else right now. Including guaranteeing her own. ]

Those lights are very bright, aren't they? I'm sure if they're here, Hanamaru-san and Yoshiko-san will see them and have the same idea that we did. It'd be much better if we all met where it's warm and dry and safe than if we were wandering around on the beach in the dark and just missing each other.

[arpeggriko]

[At least Maki is taking some initiative, which is something they'd probably benefit from here. And even though Maki's moving at a brisk pace, Riko's keeping up with her well. That's what weeks and weeks of training yourself to become a school idol does for you.]

It sure feels like one.

[She wouldn't be hand-in-hand with Maki Nishikino if it wasn't.]

Do you see anyone else down this way?

[arpeggriko]

[Oh boy. Riko swallows even though her throat is uncomfortably dry, nodding curtly once.]

Yes, of course.

[She takes a moment to brush more sand off herself, her cheeks burning red with embarrassment from having run into someone like that.]

Um...are you okay?

[nandemonai]

Not right now. [maybe she hears footsteps, though? or maybe that is just sounds from the town. if only the fog weren't so thick, so she could see around her.

but the lights are getting brighter the closer they get, and sure enough, the outlines of buildings begin to take shape. Maki sighs in relief, slowing her steps. it looks like a big town, bigger than she expected]

[ganbarruby]

Mm...you're right, onee-chan.

[She hadn't even thought about that, but there's a reason Dia is the older sister and Ruby isn't. After a moment, she decides to move so she's holding Dia's hand instead of holding onto her so it will be easier for them to both walk. She doesn't want to be stuck out on the sand any longer than she has to, not with everything that's going on right now.]

We should get going.

[arpeggriko]

[Well, a town is a town no matter where they are. But there's something...particularly unnerving about this one. Maybe it's the fog, maybe its people shooting in the darkness, or maybe even the talk of monsters that...doesn't really make any sense at all.

Mm.]

Maki-san...where do you think we are? This has to be Japan, right?

[nandemonai]

[Maki is silent for a few moments, considering. she is still holding Riko's hand as they enter the town]

I... Don't think so. The styles of the buildings look more western. [well, from what she can see, anyway. Maki's about to say something else when some woman rushes over to them, commenting on how cold and wet they look, and hands them blankets.

well... that's... nice? and what is stuffed inside the blankets? looks like...]

A pamphlet?

[makehistoria]

[Again, the glow in Stocke's eyes stutters between bright white and soft gray - for a moment, it seams as though he's about to ask something. Maybe how long it has been?]

[But in the end he keeps quiet, just shifting along the wall to end up standing a bit closer to her.]

[bindweed]

[At least she's polite about it. She seizes her up with her jacket hanging over one arm.]

Aside from being here? Yes.

[Her clothes on the other hand... Well. The kid doesn't need to know that.]

2. someone has to do it.

[bindweed]

[Someone is just watching this whole debacle unfold. Apparently someone isn't taking well to the locals 'help'. ...Well. That was a thing, alright. She steps in between her and the now fleeing local.]

Most likely they don't.

[shinebrightlike]

[ This is all wrong. Dia doesn't want to be here with her poor sodden sister clinging onto her hand. She wants to be home with nothing to worry about except school tomorrow and the mountain of paperwork sat on her desk in the student council meeting room. But she doesn't even think about letting any of that out. She just gives Ruby's hand a squeeze and starts to trudge along the sand again, picking her steps with care. ]

Careful you don't trip. Once we get into town, we'll find somewhere we can get cleaned up and -- you're not hurt, are you?

[ Dia herself is covered in what feels like a million tiny papercuts. It bears asking. ]

[unehelichkind]

What do you mean?

[ A bird is a bird. Right? ]

Kelpy? [ Wait. ] Do you mean kelpie? Like in the Scottish water spirit?

[shinebrightlike]

[ Dia looks like a girl at the end of an already fraying rope. Her teeth are gritted and she's clutching those pamphlets in her hands so hard her knuckles are turning white. ]

Then what-- what is all this?!

[ She practically shoves the crumpled pamphlet into the older woman's face. Her hands are shaking so hard she looks close to dropping them. ]

What would be the point of producing something like this if it wasn't for a joke?!

[unehelichkind]

Uh...it doesn't sound good for the brain.

[arpeggriko]

Eh?

[Riko's still recovering from the sudden approach by that woman, holding onto her blanket like she isn't sure what to do with it. She reaches into her own and pulls out a similar pamphlet, though one with writing that's slightly different.]

..."So you're becoming a Fur Bearing Trout"...?

[arpeggriko]

That's good. Amd I'm very sorry, I should have been looking where I was going.

[Riko frowns a little, lifting a hand to brush her bangs out of her eyes. It's a miracle her hair pin is still intact, and didn't get lost when she pulled herself out of the water presumably.]

[ganbarruby]

I'm...

[She starts to say "no", but now that she thinks about it...she is a little banged up, isn't she? She'd been so scared that she hadn't even realized.]

A l-little. Maybe I scraped myself on some rocks...

[If she was in the ocean for some bizarre reason, it would make sense, wouldn't it?]

[nandemonai]

[Maki reads her own] "Monster Hunger and You." [??????

after wrapping the blanket around herself and over her head, she starts reading through the pamphlet more carefully, out loud]

"So you're new to Ryslig. Welcome, stranger from another world!" [Maki eyes Riko, then goes back to the pamphlet and continues on. there's information on the town, the people, and places of interest. then she gets to the next paragraph]

"This may come as a surprise to you, but your arrival is no accident. It was carefully planned and coordinated by the Fog God..."