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

Rhys | OC Witch

[sleight_of_fate]

One: Beach.

[Rhys is pretty sure when he wakes up that this is not going to be his fondest memory of waking up on a beach. It says a lot about his life that he has multiple memories to choose from, but this one is definitely not shaping up to be a winner.

Especially when he feels like he's been dragged through a wood chipper, and it's too quiet in his head. Way too quiet. He should feel the ocean, the air, the radiant magic of the place around him, and instead, there's absolutely nothing. It's like being in the middle of an utterly silent blizzard, like being struck deaf.]

Well shit.

[He spits out sand and salt, and brushes more out of his long black hair as he pulls himself to his feet. He doesn't need his empathic senses to decide he doesn't like this place, anyway, and he shakes off a shiver. Time to head for the lights, he guesses...but very, very carefully.]


Two: Arrival.

[If people really believe that Rhys is a monster, he's a very agreeable one in general. He accepts all the gifts graciously because he needs them, absorbs every piece of information he can, and smiles politely at people because he really has no intention of eating them. He's used to not being human, he's just...not used to others realizing it. And now he might not be what he was before because all his powers are gone and...

Nope. He's just going to have a seat right now. He's done. He will be sitting down with all these weird pamphlets, and the collected bag of stuff people have given him with those stilted, frozen smiles, and try not to freak out while he makes sense of exactly what the hell is going on and how he's going to deal with growing fur where there was no fur before.]

Human flesh. Of course there's no gift baskets with that, right? I mean. This one's not a joke? [He tugs uneasily at his heavily pierced ear as he gazes around. Not that anyone is necessarily listening, but he likes talking to himself: he's compelling company, okay?]

It's an infection, isn't it? Some kind of infection.

2

[catphishing]

[Ah. Well, that's not a comfortable question. He looks at him awkwardly for a long few moments, but even without his faerie aversion to lies he wouldn't be able to bring himself to lie about that one.]

It's not a joke. I don't know what causes it, but... it's real.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Well, that's a brilliant start. Rhys grimaces, realizing just how awkward he's made things, and glances up with a sheepish smile.]

Sorry. I think my brain is still waterlogged from the beach. Everything else, I can almost cope with, but that's...kind of the sticking point. I guess it's good I'm not vegan, but I don't think I would know where to even start with that, you know?

[When in doubt, make a joke. But he waves his handful of pamphlets, indicating just how swamped in terrifying information he is.]

[catphishing]

[He laughs awkwardly. It's really not funny. You'd have thought after more than a year in Ryslig he'd have some idea how to have this conversation, but when it comes down to it... he doesn't know where to start either.

It's still something he likes to gloss over if he can. It's a luxury his own monster type allows to an extent.]

It's not always flesh. It could be blood, or energy, or souls...

[Eating souls is pretty horrifying too, but least the other two food sources are potentially non-lethal.]

[sleight_of_fate]

[Nope, it's not funny and this is kind of a mess. Rhys is trying, though, and considering he's having this conversation with a Moth Monster, he's doing better than expected, mostly. He does give the stranger a better look, folding and unfolding his pamphlets absently, then sighs.]

That sounds a little better, but not much. There's stuff like this in my world, but snacking on humans isn't a requirement, just a preference, for the most part.

[No, he's really not making this better. He's going to just start again, okay.]

Have you been here long? I mean, you seem pretty used to all this. Obviously.

[catphishing]

A little over a year. They didn't have anything like this in the world I come from, but it's not like you have any choice in getting used to it here.

[Phrases like "snacking on humans" still make him feel very uncomfortable.]

[sleight_of_fate]

[Rhys's shoulders drop a bit. He's making the monster uncomfortable. He should have better manners. And somewhere in the back of his head that would actually be funny if he wasn't still scared shitless.]

My world has a lot of magic, but it's pretty scary. I was a mage. Am a mage? I don't know. My powers were gone when I woke up here. But everything that was spooky or not human just hid, blended in and minded its own business. It wasn't all out in the open like this. [He gestures to his little collection of offerings.]

[He gives a small cough, and a helpless look.] I'm Rhys, by the way.

[catphishing]

Yeah. You don't keep your own powers if you had those.

[He's known plenty of people who've run into that problem. He smiles tentatively.]

Oliver.

[sleight_of_fate]

Honestly, it's probably better. I was an empath back home, I don't think I'd like having to deal with that, here.

[You'll pardon him if he doesn't shake hands, but he does smile, anyway.]

So it's just business as usual here, except with monsters?

[catphishing]

I wouldn't exactly call it business as usual.

[Then again... it sounded like eating humans was pretty commonplace in his own world.]

I guess this place is a little easier to take in for you, huh?

[sleight_of_fate]

[Not commonplace, exactly. Rhys was kind of in the weird end of the swimming pool in his own world, so there was definitely a divide between his 9-5 job and the things that go Bump in the night.]

Aside from having no idea how I wound up going for a swim, it could have been a lot worse, yeah. I mean, it's still a lot, but it's not like freaking out would do any good, so I'm just trying to learn as much as I can. And then freak out on an educated basis.

[A small flicker of a smile, there.]

So everyone who changes, do they still get jobs, everything like that? Or do they just hang out and get worshipped? I get that there's a religion thing going on here, but...that's still a little vague to me.

[catphishing]

That's surprisingly level headed.

[And still leaves a lot to freak out about, even with all the known facts in play.

"Hang out and get worshipped" is an unusually optimistic conclusion though. He laughs a little, shaking his head.]

Oh, we don't get worshipped.

[sleight_of_fate]

I guess it comes from usually being the sane one when everyone else is panicking. Freaking out doesn't accomplish much, most of the time.

[Rhys certainly isn't going to leave out the possibility of a truly epic freak-out later, though. Especially when he still has a lot to figure out and probably more surprises yet to come.

He tilts his head, considering his words with a grim smile as he indicates his bag.]

Okay, maybe not worshipped. Maybe 'fearfully bribed'?

[catphishing]

That doesn't matter. Freaking out isn't something most people do if they can help it.

[That much he has a point on, though the response humans have towards them depends a lot on the atmosphere. It's been far more aggressive before now.]

I guess you could say that. You should be careful though. A lot of them are scared of us, and some people think fighting back is the answer.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Of course, at least some of it is also just humor and/or bravado, not that Rhys will admit it. But he'll have plenty of time to figure it all out, unfortunately.]

That makes sense. Humans can be touchy, and torches and pitchforks are a great way to bring a town together. [He rubs the back of his hair.]

Is there anything good about this, or is it pretty much just "hey, get through it"?

[catphishing]

I know you're kidding, but there have been actual mobs before.

[As for whether there are good things... Oliver hesitates, seeming to think about it before he answers the question.]

There are some nice people here?

2

[andeatit]

There's a soup kitchen.

[While Light doesn't make a habit of listening to strangers, a human looking so out of sorts while looking at the pamphlets stands out amongst the crowd. He's always had an eye out for new arrivals, and this may be one of them.]

But it's not something you can casually collect. [His eyes go to the brochures in the man's hands.]

But no, it's more like a curse. Are you new here?

[sleight_of_fate]

That's...I'm not sure how comforting that actually is. [The idea of a soup kitchen gets an even weirder look from Rhys, and stops him in his tracks as he tries to put that into his mental image of all this. It takes him a second to get back on track, before he looks at Light again.]

Sorry. Very new. I woke up on the beach. [His scratches are only barely healing, though he's clean and dressed now, which is a big improvement. His thumb runs idly over a "So You Want To Build A Lair" pamphlet.]

Not everyone gets hit with it, either? Just the lucky ones.

[andeatit]

It's a concept best kept in mind for the future.

[What if lacks in comfort now, it will likely gain in appeal later.]

There's no need to apologize, we were all new here once. That's the difference between those of us who change and those who don't.

[Light is obviously someone who has changed. Four blue and black wings stretch out from behind him, shimmering in the sun. Two small antenna stand out from his forehand and while he has changed in other ways, gloves manage to hide it.]

The humans are either too new to have changed or they're natives. The rest of us come from somewhere else.

[sleight_of_fate]

No, that it actually really helpful, just not the mental image I had. [He gives a crooked smile.

Then has another good look at Light, though there's no terror or revulsion on his face, just curiosity and admiration. Those wings are fantastic, even if they hint at something more sinister. Rhys is apparently a hard man to shock in spite of his general flailing.]

I'm glad it seems I've got a little while to get used to the idea. [He gestures to the townspeople going about their daily routine at a safe distance from him.] I don't feel any different yet, but they sure seem to know what's up, so I'm guessing it won't be long, then.

[andeatit]

I wish I could say it's probably better than the image in your head, but lying may not be the best way to start a relationship.

[When Light had changed from man to monster, he was all too aware of the wings. Occasionally, he could use a hat to hide the changes on his head and gloves regularly hid the carapace, but the wings would always stand out.

The feeling had faded with time. Rhys would someday be the same after all.]

A month, actually. A lot of different variables seem to be in place, but that part is always the same. It gives you a little bit of time to find a place to live and hopefully some place to safely change.

[sleight_of_fate]

Well, I don't know about better or worse, maybe just more surreal? I feel safe saying that.

[He imagines the wings are a bitch to try sleeping with. But they're still amazing.

He drums absently on his leg as he processes all that.]

That seems pretty agreeable, all things considered. And there's no way to tell what you're going to be, it just happens? [He looks at the scratches on his hands, mostly healed now, as if he could tell what exactly made them.]

1

[alphaophiuchi]

[ it's not a habit of Draco's that he ever goes out to greet the newbies. But he was out there anyway, so he thought that perhaps he'd do so. See if anyone needed anything, if they just needed a hand up or something like that. Whatever.

[ his tail moves effortlessly against the sand, each tight zig-zagging motion leaving a trail behind him. He's getting better at moving this way, and he's getting better at tasting the air. There's someone just up ahead, and he hurries to fall into 'step' with them, slithering along casually. ]

Are you just walking then? Because there are some directions you might not want to go in.

[sleight_of_fate]

[Okay, Rhys is used to taking a lot of things in stride but that is a lot of snake.

Snake.

Did he hit his head in the water? Well. He's going to be polite anyway. Or try to.

]

Well, my chances in the water didn't look great. I figured at least getting dry and getting to cover were a good plan.

[He looks back in the direction of the tracks that the naga has left.

But I'm definitely open to suggestions. I have no idea where I am and I almost just drowned. I could use a break.

[alphaophiuchi]

[ so much snake. Sorry about that. Draco sort of wishes he weren't this long too, but so be it. At least he's fast. ]

That's true. You probably don't want the water so much.

But I'm not entirely sure you want to approach the humans around here either. They're not...terribly fond of us, you see.

As disconcerting as my appearance is, I assure you, I'm perfectly safe. [ he holds up his hands in a show of surrender, or at least to show that he's unarmed. Not that he needs to be armed with those claws. ]