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.

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[There's only two ways to figure that out, after all. Ask, or stay around long enough to learn yourself.

His head bobs, following along with the repetition and keeping up that soft smile. He's here, for now, and he will be for a while, at least until Wight shoos him away.]

Hey-now.((You're an all star.)) I've heard that tone far too many times. It's important not to blame yourself for things you have no control over.

[Silly humans, always throwing more weight onto their own shoulders. Fran's frequent exposure to Charles has honed his senses when it comes to self-defeating talk. He guides them to a shady patch of grass, tucked away into a small clearing by the trees. Safe from the winter winds, but still gaining the warmth of the sun.] Come, sit down with me, and talk, I'm happy to listen~

( There's warm sunlight, but it's impossible to feel against his clothes and skin. That's also where this person -- who may be a monster, but who is seemingly a kind monster -- is undoubtedly wrong. )

I didn't have control over the beach...o-over being here. Before...I did. That was my fault.

( There's a harsh nag that enters his head. He's recreated Jenn's voice on instinct, whispering into his ear with intensity. We can't trust strangers. Don't tell them unnecessary information. He has been talking a lot, even though this stranger is egging him on. )

Who are you? Wh-What kind of...what are you?

[Ah, another troubled soul. The kelpies lips soften into a light frown, his head tilting even as he sat to consider the words. Hmm, he's met tortured souls before.

But- Before he can think of an adequate response, questions are leveled in his direction. Softly glowing amber eyes blink up at the boy, one corner of his lips curling up. Always with the difficult questions.]

My name is Fran, or at least that's part of it. Though I should ask the same of you.

Otherwise... I was what you might have once called a nymph! If your world had such a thing. Though I admit, I look a bit different now. [There's a pause, his spare hand reaches up to tuck a stray strand of thick, almost seaweed-like snowy hair out of the way.] Now I suppose I'm also a kelpie, some sort of horse-like creature that lurks around the lakes. An odd combination, isn't it?

( Yes, it is quite the combination. Wight has certainly heard of fairy tale creatures, but that's all they've always remained. This being is so much different than him in appearance...that makes him not what to think of what will happen to him when he's undead-slash-something else. Even more unsightly.

No more thinking about that right now. )

I'm...Wight. ( He considers offering his real name for a split second. Except that person and who he is now...it's as if he really does have two separate identities. ) Sorry. I didn't mean to talk so much.

( Despite his instinctual clamming up in the form of his imagined sister, reflecting back...it did make him feel even a little lighter to say something. It's also difficult when you hate the sound of what your own voice has become, but that's about par for the course. ) It's nice to talk, though. I haven't had a-anyone to talk with in a long time except my ( Another beat. He'll never be fully used to being able to spill secrets. ) travel companions.

[Beautiful, is what he'll be! Every monster has become beautiful in some way, at least to this dorky kelpie here. They're living proof that it's not the appearance that matters.]

Nice to meet you, Wight~ [He'd shake the boy's hand if he wasn't still holding onto it...] Please, don't mind. I rather like to listen... And sometimes it's good to get things off your chest.

[Those sharp, slitted pupils narrow for a moment, catching the brief cover up. It's fine, he knows how secretive people can be, and he won't press for information he doesn't want to share.]

Could you tell me more, by any chance? I always love hearing stories of these strange lands arrivals have come from, often so different from mine~

( To Wight, the idea of being beautiful is utterly laughable. Maybe he's alright at first glance -- if you're into the malnourished type, anyway. Dig any deeper and it's a nightmare. )

I don't know what you might want to know... ( There's a lot. So much so that sometimes it feels like he's suffocating. Is it okay to talk openly here? No, he can't be sure yet. He can't be so trusting so quickly. ) Where I come from it's very...cold. There are the undead...they've been there as long as I've been alive...

( Wight's vision flits back down to the hand still holding his. It feels very reassuring, very good. Outside of his sister, he can't remember the last time someone touched him for so long...feels kinda weird, man. ) Is there a reason you're still...?

[Beauty isn't just in appearances, young padawight.]

Anything, really, what the people are like, what you learned, ate, did for fun~

[He humms out, considering the few undead he knew. They'd probably do fine in a cold area, it's true. Then he glances to their hands.] Ah- Honestly, you looked so sad I wanted to give you a hug... But this seemed more appropriate at the time.

We can stop, if you'd like, otherwise I enjoy the contact. It's very... grounding. [There's that soft smile once again, gosh, is there anything he isn't positive about? (yes)]

( The positivity is rather welcoming, even if the person it's coming from is a short double-monster. The people who he travels with are a bit of yin and yang -- one very settled in realism, the other a tried and true optimist. The former usually wins out over the latter, and the energy is usually serious. It's not a laughing matter that he's stuck in, after all. )

A hug...? ( That actually shocks him. Why would anyone want to...? The thought is very jarring, even. The only person to hug him for almost two years has been his sister. There is an itch in his brain that is very starved for that physical contact, but simultaneously...it may be best to keep up that streak. ) I...you can do what you want, I guess.

( There, it's not his responsibility. If he hugs him, fine. If he doesn't, also fine. It's somehow easier to think about a new topic of conversation. ) When I was younger, my sister would share her fish with me. It was her favorite, so it meant a lot...that's the first thing I could think of, sorry.

( Also the easiest memory of taste to recall. He hasn't outright told this person -- Fran -- that he's a malfunctioning undead person, but it feels like letting too much out if he says he hasn't eaten in years. ) There are a lot of different people. I haven't interacted with a lot in a long time. And fun...

( Recalling his previous recreational pastimes is just a little too much, still. )

[Pffft, way to shove the decisions onto the nymph~ He just smiles and nods, he may just take the stranger up on that sometime. Later, of course.] If you say so~

Oh? That's a very specific choice, but I like it! I'm not much of a meat eater, myself... but whatever works.[He doesn't really get the whole family bond thing, but that's fine, that's a conversation that can come up later. Unfortunately, most of Wight's surprises are a bit more... uh, common-place for the monsters of Ryslig. Except for the eating part, perhaps. Everyone 'eats', here, even the undead.] Mmh, I see. Being a traveller isn't all that easy, when it comes to socializing, is it?

[Ah, he's hit another sensitive point, it seems. His smile settles onto something more comforting, it seems he's taking him up on that offer sooner rather than later, releasing the hand and wrapping it around the frail boy's waist, tugging him over to either lean against Fran, or rest his head on his shoulder if he wanted. This is what he thinks is comforting, at least.]

You don't have to answer if you don't want to... Here, I'm sure you have lots of questions, still. Are there any I can answer, for you?

( The fact that he isn't hugged is both a load off and also disappointing. Everything is already a lot right now. Extreme physical contact may overload him.

There's also this conversation that's so...normal. All he's talked about for the last couple of years is traveling, military stuff, a few mundane things that come up between those that are familiar. Now he knows that Fran doesn't really eat meat and that's surprisingly interest--

Oh. Nevermind. He may not classify this as a hug, but it's definitely very physical. There's a lot of leaning going on, even if it may be a little awkward considering the nine inch height difference. )

I--!! ( Wight's voice cracks and sputters enough since he...has no real mouth anymore, but the surprise makes it even more obvious through his muffling mask. ) How long, long have you been here? Since you're s-so used to everything?

[Consider them lucky it wasn't BEFORE Fran's changes. He's grown a whole 6 inches since arriving as he shifted into a kelpie! That'd probably tip things over the edge.

As it was, he had just sortof used the leaning angle to guide the tall boy over to his sides and shoulder, supporting his weight rather easily (thanks monster strength).]

I've been here since... Hmm, for the last 8 months? Strangely, it doesn't feel that long, now that it's passed. Every month, someone like you - [well, not undead, but an arrival] - comes along; a few, even, and this process starts all over again. I suppose you could say we're here to welcome you, as folks stuck in the same situation.

( That's okay...he weighs next to nothing anymore, anyway. )

Eight months...I can't imagine being here for that long. ( It's probably easier when you're a noncommittal, nymph-creature. Wight doesn't have nearly as many the attachments that he used to, but the one major one -- his sister -- makes his mind ache the way his body can't anymore.

Eventually he breaks the lean, standing straight again. He may not be able to feel anything anymore, but his brain still acknowledges that it was certainly a nice gesture that makes him feel more calm than he was before. How long that feeling of calm will last...who knows. ) Um, thank you. For being as nice as you've been...e-especially when you didn't have to be.

( Wight is a patient person. He's grown accustomed to hardships and internalizing the burdens of them. There's a lot that he can't be that open about, even knowing the freedom this kind of world can potentially bring. ) I think I can make it here...but I don't -- it will be hard.

[His head gives a little nod, that soft smile remaining on his lips. It is a little easier, admittedly. Not that he didn't lose anything, but... it was more a part of himself, than anything else.

His hand releases, drifting back to his side and staying open, in case the boy wanted to take his hand once more.]

You're welcome to it, any time~ We've all been there, your first day here. It gets easier at first, but it is hard, for sure.

[There's a soft hum, a memory striking his head.]

Try to find Hestia's Place, in Bavan, if you don't mind cities. She runs a hostel that's free for young arrivals, and you can get your bearings without worrying about not having shelter over your head.

( Hestia's Place, huh? That literally sounds like a place taken right from his own home world. Maybe there's something meaningful to that. )

Alright. Thank you...I haven't lived in one place for a long time, but, but I don't mind cities for a short stay. ( It may end up a long stay...if there's no need to run here, is there a point to keeping up the now non-existent chase? ) But...I'm sure that only lasts for so long.

I guess it'd be smart to ask: how do you find work here? Is there money? Do you...barter? Or bounty? ( It's not like he's in the market for food, or even clothes, but those aren't the only important necessities in society. Mostly he just wonders if his particular skill set will be of use here, especially since he washed up on shore sans rifle. )

[It very well might be, the old owner is long gone, however. His smile grows.]

The girl who runs it, Korra, is quite compassionate. She'll let you stay for free until you find some stable work, then charge a small amount.

[At the second question, he simply blinks. Hmm. That was a tough one. You're asking a non-human with very little experience in this area.]

Uh- I mean... there's money, yes. I just sortof, found my work, and even that barely feels like it. I guess you just ask around. Other monsters like to hire each other, since it's slightly less risky~

[That's... helpful, right?]

( Dang...it's hard to get a lay of the land and how this all works with something that vague. There's a hiring system, some kind of "risk." Doesn't sound so far off from back home, but there monsters are a majority here, even if some may be more like Fran than nightmarish -- he did imply some others are more unsightly. )

What do you do for work, then? I want to know what type of work there is to do around here... ( Maybe this will be easier if he uses his own world as a sort of example. ) Where I come from, there are civilian jobs, like inn keeping and running bars. The military too...but also underground work, like item and weapon trading. Couriers, um...hunters? Bounty hunters.

I guess what I'm trying to ask is whether or not I'd have to be something more norm, normal like be a farmer or, uhm, something a little seedier. ( Basically: how slice-of-life does he have to be to earn some coin around here. ) There was a lot of freelancing and scavenging back home. I don't know how different it might be in this place.

[Oh wight... Wight, of all the things to bring up. He was with you right up until the hunting part, at which point his brows furrow, lips curling in disgust. To him, at least, that has a very different meaning.]

Better to stay away from that kind of work... This land has a few more surprises in store that make it difficult, but I wouldn't recommend it either way...

[Alright, shhh, take a breath. His voice shifts to something a little calmer.]

I work as part of an expedition team. Mostly exploring, mapping, and checking out new locations, as well as re-checking old ones to see if anything has changed.

There are a few... mmm, odd jobs around. But a lot is very 'civilian', as you called it. Bartenders, doctors, shopkeepers and all that sort of stuff. You could probably set up your own thing fairly easily...

[Those slitted eyes had narrowed a bit, focusing on the arrival for a moment to judge his reaction.]

( Don't worry -- he's been hunted for years now, he'd much rather stay away from that kind of profession. )

No, no -- trust me I'd...like to avoid doing that at all possible. ( Wight leaves out the part where he's killed both monsters and men out of necessity before, but killing for sport or money when it could be obtained elsewhere...let's save that for when things are way more "eat or be eaten." He has morals, after all. ) I've never been a proper civilian before, but I think it's preferable to a lot of other alternatives. Some of my closer acquaintances are civilians and they're...very helpful.

It's hard to know what to expect from a place that's so different. And if I have to concede to being here...I have to understand how people survive. ( For as bad off as he is mentally, and for as guilty as he feels all the time, Wight still is very much not okay with giving up and dying. )

[The once-nymph has an understandably poor view of anyone who captures or kills for cash. Small population, high price, it's not a great mix, really. Still, he nods, settling back down fairly quickly after that.]

Trust me, I can understand that fairly well... Thankfully, there are plenty of generous monsters around who have done quite well, and just want to support the new arrivals.

[On that note... actually.]

Of course, you're always welcome to stop by my place. A VERY large treehouse in the middle of the peninsula, a couple hours walk south of Bavan... You- Uh, you have a map right?

[Let him juuuust... mark on the map where it is, yes, good. Now there's no excuse.]

( There's a inkling in Wight's mind that he'd like to not be so stuck on the receiving end of any generosity -- in his life, charity can sometimes mean "owing someone later, and you might not like what you owe them." That niggling whisper of his sister telling him not to trust people is present still, making him unsure of this suggestion.

...But so far, this person is trustworthy. If there are more people like him, and like the people who he could trust on his own journey back home, then things may not be that bad. )

Thank you. I will...definitely. You're a really kind person, Fran. ( And sometimes kindness is very hard to come by. The little dot on the map is something he treasures already. ) I...if I can repay you in some way, I will.

[His smile grew into a beam from the compliment, one hand reaching up to rub at his cheek. Well gosh, look at him, being all nice and stuff. That's a nice change. A lot of arrivals were too busy freaking out for that kinda thing.

There wasn't a huge amount of risk when it came to trusting Fran, at least. Had he wanted to do anything nefarious with the boy... like feed off of him, well, he would have done that already. The two were alone in some side grove, after all. ]

I'll tell ya what~ [The corner of his lips curl a little, eyes returning to the pale boy beside him.] Once you're a bit more settled, you can bring me some tea from the city, and we can sit down and have some together. Then I'll call us even~

[Yup, that was it, easy enough, right? Fran's desired payment, as it often ended up, was company. He travelled and ran, much like Wight, but without anyone coming with him, no sister or friends. It left a sizeable social hole in his needs.]

( One day Wight will be horrified at the idea that he let his guard down so easily...back in his world, you had people and you had the undead. Here? There's so many different types of dangers. Learning what to be wary of for each individual type...boy, that will take some time.

This seems like an easy task to accomplish...unless it's one of those challenges that appears simple and suddenly turns into a truly epic quest of danger. Although, Wight supposes it's more likely a small errand that's a friendly gesture more than making anything square. ) Alright. That's do-doable. I'd like that.

( As far as Wight knows, he can't drink tea --well, he probably could but it's not the wisest idea. Regardless, he's sure that won't be too big an issue. Fran is someone who he could get used to spending time with...

He looks at Fran, closely. Fran is very obviously not completely human. But...he also wasn't human before he came here, either. ) I hope it's not a lot to ask, but...what all about you changed after you got here?

( He's not totally sure what a nymph looks like in reality. Or if by the time he makes good on his promise, how unrecognizable he might be himself. )

[The good news is, most monster's powers don't work, or don't work as well, on other monsters! So there's at least some safety in that, after the change. Either way, in this case, It's just Fran trying to dismiss whatever sense of repayment the boy might feel he needs to carry.]

Then it's settled, I'm looking forward to it~

[God it's hard to resist the urge to pose for him as he's scanned over, simply smiling and maybe winking. Look he's always teasing.]

Ohoh, no, that's perfectly fine! Honestly, I got off fairly light, even for my monster type... My skin has changed into this pale white with a tint of blue, and my hair has gotten thicker, like water plants~ My nails are also thicker, and darker... Oh, and I've grown! I'm like, a half foot taller now![His grin widens.]

There's some other stuff, but not really appearance based. I can breathe underwater now too, and turn into a horse! Among other things... There are certainly some advantages to the changes... as undesirable as they are.

( Well, being dead, Wight doesn't much care about his appearance -- kind of hard to when he can't do a whole lot about it. Still, it feels kind of like a relief that he may get away with something not so...extreme.

Also dang this guy was short before. There's something about the word "nymph" that brings to mind someone smaller, he supposes. As a side note, being able to turn into a horse is certainly strange, even though it's pretty useful? Wight hasn't ever seen a horse in real life, either, but he knows what they are. )

I mean, you don't look bad...not that it's something you might wa-want, like you said. Just it could be worse, you know. ( Like he doesn't have unsightly patchy fur or spider legs coming out of who-knows-where. That's the kind of transformation that Wight...wouldn't be looking forward to, not that he knows what's coming. ) Although, I guess being taller might be a decent change out of that whole package.

( Being like five feet tall...nah, son. )

[What a twist, for a boy so pretty. The kelpie's grin grows, leaning in a bit to raise an eyebrow.]

You don't look so bad yourself, either. Not that I can see the other half of your face... but everything else at least~ [Sometimes, just a bit of casual flirting is all that's needed to lighten the mood. His head gives a few bobs.]

Heh, it has its.. ups and downs. But it's nice not having to tilt my head way back just to look at people!

Test drive meme: November

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