graveyardsmash | Test drive meme: November

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Test drive meme: November

TEST DRIVE MEME: NOVEMBER

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 is making all the cuts and scrapes on your skin 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 on the more informative end of the scale. 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 readers saying they're lies, or pointing out good "jokes."

Then there are 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(Oh good that's not working for him either huh?? She watches his own spell fail, and that halts her in her tracks for a moment, because they aren't fighters. Lucretia has no idea what she's supposed to do in a fight without magic, this has never happened before. Taako's expression blossoms into panic and now she's feeling it too, clawing at her insides. The human is taking aim at Taako again as if in slow motion.

Lucretia makes the decision then and there and just. Holy shit, she just grabs their arm and pulls, and their shot goes wide, arcing up towards the sky as they startled and pull the trigger reflexively. Her heart is thudding really loudly now, but she still balls up a fist like Magnus had once shown her (decades ago now, a warm, half-forgotten memory) and slams it into the side of their jaw.

It's not a particularly hard hit, but at least it's enough to startle. Pain blossoms across her knuckles, but Lucretia still manages to then grab their arm once more and make them drop the gun, smacking them desperately on the wrist until they let go. She's not gonna try ducking down to scoop it up, not when she's just freed both of this person's hands up for hits.)

Get it!

[He isn't typically the type to throw himself in harm's way for anyone, but Lucretia is part of the six other people who Matter in his life, so if they're in this they're in this together. He drops his wand back into his boot as he darts to the side, trying to use some of that dexterity to literally dodge a bullet. Thankfully, as the shot rings out in his ears the metal itself misses him, and it gives him a moment to reassess the situation.

The situation is, they are both still in danger. Meaning he runs forward, dropping to the ground and sliding over to the firearm, grabbing it and trying to roll away. Of course, this guy isn't going to give up, and he kicks wildly to dig his heel into Taako's spine. He curses as he grabs the gun and another shot rings off from his torso, thankfully skidding off over the ocean. It's still hot, but he rolls over on it anyway, ignoring the fire as he pulls himself to a stop in a kneel.]

Move--!

[He'll shoot off to his other side, the one Lucretia isn't on, hopefully into his hip as a warning. He doesn't really know how to use guns, but this is a hell of a time to miss. Maybe he can just stop here and make this easier-- as if Taako's original plan wasn't to flame broil this guy. But he's got him now, and if he does anything more than hit the deck after this he won't stop until the clip is empty.]

(Lucretia, who had received a swift but viscous elbow to the gut in response to ridding their assailant of his gun, isn't much help for the next couple of seconds. The sound of another shot going off startles her into action again; she loops her arm around his neck from behind and pulls him back off balance, all the while having no idea what she's doing–

Taako is pointing the gun up and Lucretia feels a sharp stab of panic hit her. She jerks him to the side a bit anyway, even though Taako's shot goes purposefully wide.)

Don't kill him, (she pants. Thankfully, the guy has gone quite still in her grip, his hands lifted up weakly in front of his chest, palms out.) We just got here, we don't even know what's going on.

(Why is she treating this like a cycle, like they have some kind of diplomacy to uphold until they figure out the situation? Probably because she has nothing else to fall back on right now. It's probably a good thing the man's attention is focused entirely on Taako and the gun, because he could definitely break her grip easily if he chose to.)

[His chest is rising and falling with breath as he keeps himself crouched, shot lined up as his eyes flick between this guy and her. There's something... off about her. Something wrong. But he can't perfectly place that right now, not when they're in danger, and especially not when Lucretia suddenly has qualms about murder. Like, okay, most of the IPRE has more than him, but this guy was shooting at them. If he has to burn this cycle by immediately going off the grid that's just where we're at this time.

He doesn't move, though, and retrains the gun at this guy's chest.]

Okay. Here's how we're gonna do this. My girl here is gonna let you go when I say. And when she does, you're gonna turn around and leave. This is mine now, and I will not shoot you, as I have shown in goodwill that I already could have by now, as long as you don't try some bullshit to either of us. If you do, I think you know how this thing works plenty well, and you know what kinda damage I can do. Blink twice if you get that.

[He does, and Taako waits for that confirmation before looking to Lucretia, raising and lowering his eyebrows.]

Go on. I think he gets his shit.

(Is it so sudden! Murder isn't always the best solution, not when you could, like, use your words. Something that Lucretia has apparently boxed Taako into doing, because he immediately launches into a big fuck off speech. She's so proud of him. She loosens her grip around their attacker's neck by careful degrees just in case, but the fight has well and truly gone out of him. Maybe he's realised that the whole thing is absolutely ridiculous, that he's trying to take on a sixty-year old woman and an elf who probably weighs around a hundred and thirty pounds soaking wet.

Either way, once Lucretia's arm is down by her side, he scoots.

In the interim Lucretia relaxes, her shoulders dropping; she pinches the bridge of her nose.)

Okay. That was a little too buck wild for my tastes; what happened? Why did he go for you like that?

(read: what did you do)

[Threatening people with deadly force tends to like, work, though. Exactly in the way it just fuckin' did. This guy finally bolts off, and Taako doesn't move until he's just about out of eyeline to drop his shoulders and pull himself to his feet, stretching out his leg from where he was balanced on it. He's talking while he's moving, before he turns to see her.]

Okay, so I know this is gonna be hard to believe because it's me, but actually, fucking nothing. I woke up with a mouth fulla sand and a head fulla empty to this dipshit trying to be a firing squad--

[And then he actually gets to look at her, tilting his head and squinting like he didn't see before. It's too dark to make out real details, even with darkvision, but something's for sure- she doesn't look the same. And it's easy to tell that much having spent a hundred goddamn years looking at the same face.]

Uhh, fuck asking me what happened, what happened to you? Reset not catch up or something? You have like, wrinkles. What the fuck.

(Yeah exactly, threatening with deadly force is still absolutely using your words, so it's all good. Much better than shooting a guy at point blank in the chest anyway, way less messy. Oh, Taako has noticed that she is... different.

Lucretia had come to that conclusion over the course of their brief scuffle: that either Taako is playing nice considering the desperate situation, or that something is Up. The ease with which he is talking to her now has confirmed it to be the latter, especially knowing he finds the sight of her like this strange. Lucretia has no idea how she's supposed to even begin to get into this.)

Oh, (she says, and she sounds a little bit weary,) right, that.

(Like, does life ever just... stop being so much for her ever? She looks him dead in the eye.) I got a really bad sleep last night.

[He kind of keeps squinting at her, not smiling, giving her a flat look that very clearly says I know when I'm being fucking had. Despite himself, the edge of his mouth quirks upwards, not a grin but still a sly bemused sort of look as he tries to take in more of her.

She looks older. Does that mean it... works? Their stupid little relic plan, the Hunger leaving, they just... win? He can't bank on that.]

Y'know, out of everyone on the ship, I kind of imagined you'd know I was the person who wasn't stupid enough to lose to something like that right? That feels like a move you'd pull on Merle. Or Dav after his 27th cup of coffee.

[Come on, lay out those deets, gosh. He crosses his arms, letting the gun barrel point to the ground, because he's not threatening her with that. He's just simply not moving until he's satisfied.]

(She knew that wouldn't work, she was just pulling a goof, but it's possible this situation is a little too dire for such things? Lucretia didn't even notice he had the barrel of the gun pointed upward until he lowers it, which sparks a jolt of dread in her stomach. It's too reminiscent of the umbrastaff, the horrible trembling in his voice, the furious, confused tears in his eyes.

Lucretia exhales shakily, and grips her hands into fists.)

It seems I have underestimated you, (she says sarcastically, and sighs.) I– look, it's... an extremely long story, and I'm really– uh, could we at least get off of this beach before something else terrible happens? I mean, in light of being literally shot at five minutes ago, how does 'why are you old' take priority in this situation?

[Ugh okay maybe he can deal with that later. But the look he's giving should clearly communicate he's not happy about it.]

Fine, fine, I guess. But y'know, if this place just makes you super old, I'd rather die right now, like. Have you seen me? Gotta keep this.

[He gestures at his face in a twirl of his wrist, grinning with the knowledge that he doesn't need to elaborate.]

C'mon. There's lights up there and I'm pretty sure this should help us blend in to the wackos-with-guns society or whatever's on that hill.

[A pause, wherein he would consider shutting up if it was someone he didn't trust, but it's Lucretia, so.]

You don't know why he called me a monster when I first woke up, do ya? Barring the idea that he's just super racist?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Test drive meme: November

/gives lucretia a fucking gun

INSTRUCTIONS WRONG, YOU GAVE IT TO TAAKO

you mean i cant just give taako a gun???

I MEAN YOU JUST DID I GUESS

CATS OUTTA THE BAG

think of the damage he could do now

alex im scared

you did this!!!!

I KNOW

YOU DID NOT STOP ME