Test Drive Meme

[ryslighelpers]

TEST DRIVE MEME: SEPTEMBER

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 of the natives are trying to get on your good side with 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? Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.

Comments

Maxine "Max" Caulfield | Life is Strange

[tastyplasma]

[One]

[As Max pushes herself up into a sitting position, coughing and spitting out the feeling of sandy grit in her mouth, a weary part of her mind wonders if she'll ever be able to shake this feeling. It's not raining at all, so that's a good thing, but that feeling of being soaked to the skin, of the cold seeping into her very bones, was one she wanted to forget. She never really minded the chill before - growing up in the pacific northwest kind of makes you immune to that - but after the storm, after her powers, after what she had to do... the cold and the damp just. Did not mesh well with her anymore.]

Ugh, shit...

[She gets herself upright, legs crossed as she stares out at the ocean. It's unsettling, but there's no lighthouse looming in the distance, no chaotic storm just a few dozen miles offshore... so this is a one-up from her usual nightmares, yeah?]

Can't catch a break, can you Max? Figures... [She sighs, running a hand through her damp, salt-and-sand-crusted hair, and reluctantly pushes herself to her feet.] So what is it this time? Nightmare, or vision of a new crappy power trying to ruin my life?

[Three; Dyster]

[Max was never much of a religious girl. She wouldn't really call herself an atheist, but the whole "organized religion" thing never really caught her eye. Kate was always that kind of girl, and as much as she liked Kate, she couldn't really see herself getting into religion and worship like her friend does.

But... here she was in Dyster. When she first arrived, she wouldn't exactly say she hated the Fog God right off the bat. She'd been miserable in the now-safe Arcadia Bay, so what's a little more misery on top of that? But then she'd run into more new arrivals, saw all the new faces... and saw that Chloe was here too. Chloe was alive, safe (well as safe as you could be here), and... well. Max supposed she owed it to this weird god or one of her followers to speak up.

But Max is Max, and she hates speaking up, so she'll just... kind of stand awkwardly around in the middle of town, looking for someone who might know what they're doing. And she definitely sticks out; not quite human, but not in her full monster changes just yet. Nothing too extreme, but the curling horns on her head and the spread of sapphire-blue scales on her neck and some parts of her face are enough to set her apart.]

Okay... this is totally the place, right...?

[Four-ish]

[So Max had pretty much settled into her changes. There were still some aspects of her new gargoyle nature that she hasn't discovered or hasn't obtained yet, but the wings, the scales, the horns and the tail... they've all more or less grown in, so she has no reason to fear the incoming fog this time around. In fact, she's... kind of enjoying it? It's a little messed up, considering what other people are going through right now, but it isn't often that she can get away with going outside during normal hours.

And man, the fog... as creepy as it can be, it makes for some killer photo opportunities. So in the midst of the fog, of the humans hurrying on their way or boarding up their shops, or other monsters dealing with their changes, there's just... this gargoyle with a camera in her claws, snapping photos every so often. She's pretty into it too, taking her time lining up shots as the tip of her tail twitches back and forth. She's in her element now, and it's the perfect way to distract herself from what would normally be a pretty shitty day.]

One!

[ilovepuppies]

None of the above!

[Some kind of bird...girl...?? is perched on top of a rock not far from Max, staring at her with unblinking yellow eyes.]

[tastyplasma]

[Max certainly seems startled, whirling around and looking for the source of the voice. She looks up and...

.... and....

... uh.]

... Yeah, okay. Definitely a nightmare. Can't say I've had this one before, though...

[ilovepuppies]

No, really! You're in a totally new dimension! Haven't you ever dimension-hopped before? Because if you haven't, I totally recommend it.

[tastyplasma]

[... Well, she could come out and reveal her big secret but. She's still not sure what the heck is going on here, so she'll just. Kind of hold off correcting this girl (??????) for now.]

If you call binge-watching a bunch of different shows while you pull an all-nighter "dimension" hopping, sure. But if you're serious? I'm pretty sure you can only do that stuff in comic books and action movies.

[ilovepuppies]

Ohhh, you're from one of those worlds that doesn't have magic, huh?

[She almost sounds sympathetic. Those poor, magic-less humans!]

Well, now you're in a world that's FULL of magic!... It's not very good, magic, though. It's actually kinda evil and it sucks here. So calling it a nightmare isn't too far off!

four-ish

[awereness]

[At some point, a swirling cloud of darker, denser fog — heavier than mist but quite like smoke, either — will drift into the crosshairs of Max's camera during one of those careful, deliberate shots. It takes a moment or two, but then all those little particles manage to condense into the shape of a person!....while still in mid-air, dropping them to the ground to land a perfect 360 no-scope face-plant.

A beat.]

...huh! So that's how it works. [In one fluid, graceful motion, she sits up and runs a hand through untidy black hair, then over her face to wipe the dirt or specks of gravel away, breathing deep out of pure habit. And either this woman can smell Max from a mile away or noticed her earlier or can simply hear the muted pulse of her heartbeat, like a jewel buried in mud, because there's not a trace of surprise on her face or in her posture when she looks over, blue eyes so bright and vibrant that they're practically neon, and tips a salute.] Yo!

[You've just been photobombed by a vampire. Is dabbing next? Or fidget spinners??]

[tastyplasma]

[The sudden materialization is enough to startle Max, enough that she takes a few steps back and the scales at the back of her neck hackle up like a startled bird - but once she realizes she's not in danger she relaxes, even snorting as the woman pats herself down. As she does that, Max plucks the newly-printed photo from the end of her camera, shakes it a few time to get it to start developing... then snorts again.]

Wow. Smooth move, dude.

[She holds out the photo; though the details still haven't completely developed, it seems that she hit the shutter at just the right time. The photo managed to capture the exact moment the woman began falling, startled expression and all.]

Want a souvenir from that trip?

[awereness]

Souvenir?

[Lys stands up, unfolding long limbs — and shit but if she isn't way too tall, easily topping six feet. Too lanky to be considered "big", at least, more like a scarecrow than a tank. She has to look down at Max to maintain eye contact, accepting the offered polaroid with too-trusting ease.]

...hey, that's me! [The photo is studied for a long moment, then flipped over, then back again. Then once more, all over again, clearly hoping to divine the secret to the thing's existence. Like clockwork gears slipping smoothly into place, a low-key fascination settles over her pale features.] How'd you do that? With that weird clicky box thing?

[She's dressed like a reject from a Renaissance Fair, which might go some way toward explaining that tidbit of ignorance; black leather, heavy winter boots, a dark blue tunic neatly buckled but far from new, ragged at the edges from hard use.]

[tastyplasma]

... You don't know what a photo is?

[SHE IS INSULTED. THIS IS HER ART. But no, really. She's used to the locals not really getting it, because the technology and culture level is like... beyond retro... but all the monsters are from other worlds, yeah? Shouldn't they at least get it?

Guess not. So she's gotta explain cameras to someone now, oh boy... okay she can totally simplify this. Totally.]

Pretty much, yeah. It's sort of complicated inside, but I guess the easiest way to explain it, uh.... [She turns the camera around, to point at the viewfinder.] You line this up with what you want to photograph, and the light flashes the image onto the paper that comes out of it.

[That's... simple enough, right...?]

[awereness]

The light flashes the image onto the paper....

[She furrows her brows, still fascinated but clearly groping for the thread of that explanation. Glancing from the picture, to the camera, to Max herself, and back again. Then, all at once, she smiles and nods: a nice, bright expression, like sunlight peeking out between clouds. Not because Lys understands, exactly, but because she's willing to trust that answer and carry on. Same as she (probably) would if the reason given had been magic, or nanomachines, or tiny worker ants armed with tiny paintbrushes.]

....neat! Wow, that's a lot faster than using paint and a canvas. [Imagine how many selfies you could take with this dinglehopper.] I guess you're like an artist, huh?

[tastyplasma]

[The scales around Max's neck ruffle up a bit, but she sort of idly reaches up to smooth them down. It's always weird when people point that out... even though she, you know, applied to a special art school to become an artist and all. There's a big difference between wanting to be one and hearing someone else call you that.]

Yeah... kind of. I want to be, but I'm no big name yet.

[Gosh, but this girl seems to be pretty happy just with that explanation. Maybe she'd like it if she saw how it worked herself...?]

You wanna give it a shot? [Ha. Good one, Max.] I can show you how to do it, it won't be a big deal at all.

[awereness]

[Lys notices those body cues, the way those scales seem to fluff up like feathers, but she doesn't stare overlong. Even manages not to open her big fat mouth to ask a question or six about them. Because doing so might be considered rude, at this point, and as much as she could handle being snapped at, angry people had a habit of killing a conversation real quick.]

An artist-in-training, then! I mean, isn't it just like any other skill?

[And yet that's not a question that seems to require an answer: it's just more small talk, quiet and calm and easygoing, somehow so natural despite the abnormal circumstances.]

Mm, I'd like that! I've never even seen one of these....what are they called?

One

[hellablue]

[It's the sound of Max's voice that causes Chloe to stir. Her entire body feels like it was hit by a truck. She coughs, trying to spit out the sand in her mouth, which is uncomfortably dry.

Chloe pulls herself into a sitting position, coughing a little more as she wipes her eyes and looks around.]

Someone's getting introspective again.

[When you've seen and dealt with the amount of shit Chloe's dealt with, this doesn't phase her as much as it should-

Or rather, she's gotten good at pretending it doesn't.

In reality, she's experiencing some really uncomfortable deja vu. How it felt standing there, facing that storm. It's almost like she got swept up in it and this is the aftermath. But she's alive, so that counts for something... right?

Chloe pulls herself up too, but she can only bring herself to glimpse towards the ocean- the last time she looked out at one, there'd been that giant tornado. She's having uncomfortable flashes to the past.

At least Max is with her. It's the only consolation she has right now dealing with whatever new bullshit there is to deal with in a world that throws it at you on the daily.]

Stupid question, but am I the only one with hella deja vu right now?

[tastyplasma]

[Oh, that's. Okay, that's a familiar voice. A familiar voice that's making Max feel pretty damn conflicted right now; on one hand, thank god Chloe's okay, far away from that monster storm and any of the jackasses who have tried (and succeeded) killing her in Arcadia Bay. On the other hand... shit, will she be okay here, or are some other bullshit turn of events going to try and take her away again?

Max... Max doesn't want to think about that right now.]

I'm pretty used to deja vu right now. This... this isn't it. [Things are... better here, on this beach. At least for the moment.] This is like something out of the Wizard of Oz. Like... did that storm just suck us up and dump us here?

[hellablue]

[Chloe isn't allowing herself to think.

She's gotten real good at just living in the moment, going on adrenaline, doing whatever it takes to not dwell on shit. Taking each moment as it comes. It's much easier than it is to let herself feel anything.

So right now, she's just gonna... do her thing and try and figure out what's going on.]

Probably.

[Chloe sighs heavily, and looks around them.]

I dunno about you, but I'm hella parched. Let's go try and find some water.

[Sorry Max, that's all you're getting from her for the moment before she sets off in whatever direction her instincts tells her to go.

Which- there are no instincts, she's just picking a direction at random.]

[tastyplasma]

Yeah, the lingering taste of salt and sand is pretty shitty, so-- hey!

[Aaaand she's gone. GOD CHLOE YOU GOING OFF LIKE THIS IS ONE REASON YOU GET KILLED ALL THE TIME. Thankfully Max is quick to catch up, and she grabs Chloe's wrist and gives it a light tug.]

You know, the lights coming from some nearby town are in the other direction. Maybe we should try there first?

[She tries her best to sound at least a little scolding, but... nah, she's just kind of amused that Chloe could've missed that.]

[hellablue]

[Chloe freezes, giving a vaguely frustrated sigh. Maybe Max is right, but you know what? When you're trying real hard to just go with it and follow your instinct, it's way too easy to just blindly go.

She's gotta get better at that.]

Right ye are, captain.

[Her tone is sarcastic, but by the time she finishes she's having to fight a smile forming- luckily Max is behind her, so she can't really see it. Either way, Chloe turns around and starts heading in the direction of the town.

Can you tell she really doesn't want to stop and talk right now?]

[tastyplasma]

[It's cool Chloe, Max is kind of the master about Not Talking About Shit, remember? She can totally not talk about shit if Chloe doesn't want to. So instead she'll just kind of... focus on moving her grip, so she's holding Chloe's hand instead of her wrist. T-This is okay, right?]

So we're switching titles now? Not sure if I'm ready to handle that kind of responsibility...

[Which is kind of funny considering the safety of their entire town is her responsibility right now. But joking or not, Chloe was always the captain, and Max was her First Mate. It seems weird to talk about it any other way.]

three

[tibet]

[There are so many ways an investigation like this could go south. Although Cooper likes to think of himself as a glass half-full kind of guy who can divide his attention equally between the best and worst, there's not a lot of — oh, what's the word — good vibes to be found in a place like this. He has no intention of accepting whatever he's promised or tempted with — he squares that away before he even considers pressing forward, and if he's going to be stubborn and willful about anything here, it might as well be that and it might as well be right now.

Of course the Fog God doesn't have to know that. This isn't quite undercover work, but it may as well be. He feels like he's playing a part as he wanders through the town, soaking up the bizarre sights and chanting around him like he's walking through another one of his dreams. It's surreal and frightening, but at least it's grounded in some sort of reality, not like what he's seen in that red, red room with its dizzying black and white floor and billowing curtains.

Besides, at least this time he isn't completely alone.]

I think that depends on what you're looking for.

[He's still mostly human, but like Max, his body is starting to turn against itself in small yet noticeable ways. His eyes are forest-green instead of hazel now, and his ears are starting to lengthen as a leaf-like pattern of veins start to push themselves up to the surface of his skin. All in all, not unpleasant or horrifying, but still pretty alarming.]

[tastyplasma]

[Oh hey, those changes are familiar to Max. The leafy patterns on his ears were different, but they still reminded her of Chloe's nymph changes. The ears, the eyes... but Chloe was pushed farther along than he is now. Should Max warn him about the green skin thing?

Oh. But he's asking her a question. Okay, she can address that first.]

I'm just... looking for someone to talk to. Someone who knows this place. And the Fog God too, I guess.

[tibet]

[The girl's unfamiliar, but her changes aren't. He's seen horns like those on some of the creatures in Bavan, but they're usually accompanied by harsher changes, like wings and talons. He doesn't see anything like that on her at all, which means she must be new like he is. Still human enough to pass for one if she covers her changes up.]

Looks like we're in the same boat. We'll have to form a line if more of us show up.

[Maybe he's not the only one who decided to go fishing for answers. It's a nice enough thought to consider, that maybe there are others on his wavelength who just want to get to the bottom of this nuttiness, but... She is pretty young. So call him concerned, even if his easy tone says otherwise.]

[tastyplasma]

[It's weird... some part of her wants to cover as much as she could up - and she could, if she wanted to. Throw on a turtleneck sweater and she could hide most of her scales, maybe get a big hoodie with a hood big enough to throw over her horns... but she has to admit, they're kind of cool. For now, at least.

She's trying very hard not to think of what's going to happen down the line. She's refusing to acknowledge that just yet.]

Yeah? What are you in here for?

[The way she ended up here, she knows that this other guy could just be here by accident. She'd been meaning to start poking around this Fog God stuff, but to say that she meant to wind up in Dyster now would... kind of be a lie.]

[tibet]

[What are you in here for. She makes it sound like they're in prison. Appropriate, honestly.]

I was told to come. I heard a voice and I followed it. [It's better to be forthright than evasive, especially in such a unique situation where he might need all the help he can get.] Probably the Fog God's. I don't think I've gone crazy.

[Yet goes unspoken, but there's a very clear implication that the word is on the tip of his tongue as he regards her with a wry, somewhat self-deprecating little smile. Maybe he's not ready to bust out the jokes and can-do boy scout optimism just yet, but he can still make an effort to lighten up the mood and take that first step no matter how shaky it is. He is the adult here. Gotta set a good example.]

[tastyplasma]

I don't think you've gone crazy. Not unless we all have.

[Which... you know. Can't exactly be counted out. They're all turning into weird monsters, right? Maybe that's messing with their heads in ways they aren't really aware of.]

I think... uh, I've heard of this stuff, and I'm pretty sure this is wherever the Fog God people hang out. It was either a town, or an arcade...

[She's not sure why one of them would shack up in an arcade of all places. If you're a god, wouldn't you want something big to rule over as your base of operations?]