Test drive meme: November

[ryslighelpers]

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.

Comments

[dedoublement]

[ Malik isn't about to complain at the chance to get out of the cold, so he follows Kaiba-chimera into the building. ]

So, every couple months, people show up here from other realities and times, and over time become monsters that feed on the residents who either want us dead or are smart enough to listen to us to save their own hides, does that about sum up our current situation?

[noasark]

[They enter what appears to be the rented space of a cafe. Noa quickly seats himself upon a cheap folding chair, inviting the other to do the same. He balks, however slightly, at how Malik puts things.]

While correct in the matter of the first part, I would not put it so starkly from there. We are a very small population compared to their own. The very fact that so many are able to accept us as part of society at all is impressive- we appeared from nowhere, and to say all victims of our sort are deserving...well. It would be naive.

It is not a matter of them listening. It is a matter of them allowing lions to walk among them, trusting that they will not be devoured next. There is little else they can do, after all... [he points out slowly.] ...Given that to kill us only guarantees We return within the month.

[dedoublement]

[ Malik listens intently as he settles into his own chair, holding his blanket tight around his shoulders as he debates the argument presented.

However, it still says only one thing to him. ]

It doesn't matter how few of us we are, you just made my case for me. Massive creatures compared to wild animals, feeding on humans, immortal, for the most part. It doesn't matter if there were two or twenty of them, that alone would be enough to devour an entire island of primitive people who don't have nukes to deal with the problem effectively.

No matter how nice they seem, there has to be resentment and fear there. They only treat us well in hopes they won't be eaten themselves. It's likely not out of kindness or acceptance, but out of their own senses of self-preservation that have them being even remotely kind to the ones who could and likely have turned on them at any given moment. Like how lower mortals give favor and kindness to their Gods in order to pacify them and hope for favor among them. Same concept. Give the ones above you whatever they want so you're not next.

[ The old man with the gun and the volunteers, they're all Malik's seen of other people around the island, and while he hasn't been around them enough to judge each individual's reasonings, he knows the human brain better than anyone. Knows the darkness in people's hearts, the fears and hate most are too cowardly to say aloud. He doesn't buy this goodwill crap for a second. ]

[noasark]

[Noa doesn't like what he's hearing.

He doesn't like what he's hearing at all.] Incorrect.

And before you insist upon the 'realities' of human nature, keep in mind, who has been here for years beyond yourself, [He adds, the echoed voice he bears bringing a chill.] There are numerous here, who are kind without the edge of 'appeasement'. Those who understand that indeed, they could live their last day and become someone's meal, yet have no regrets regarding their contributions to our lives here. They view us as people, and treat us as such.

[He leans in, narrowing his eyes.] But more than that, do not be so bold as to raise yourself to the level of even a 'godling'- we were brought here by a god who absolutely speaks, and it would be wise not to waste that lording over the people around us.

Such acts end...Hollow.

[dedoublement]

[ Great. A Kaiba with as much faith in people as Yugi. Just what he needed today. ]

What you're implying is everyone in this world is kind, caring, trusting good people who believe in the best of everyone and do things out of the kindness of their hearts that reach out to these poor creatures that came across them and are willing to give all of them the benefit of the doubt-I hate to burst your bubble, but unless this whole place is lobotomized, that's not how things work.

[ It's naive, sickeningly so, to think such a large amount of people would be so selfless and kind for no reason other than for the sake of it. That's just not how the world works. ]

I don't care how long you've been here, can you read their thoughts at every given moment? Can you look deep into their hearts, see their darkest desires and deepest fears, see and hear everything they don't say aloud because it's not the 'proper' thing to say. Do you really know them well enough to swear they are what they appear to be?

[ Whatever creature he becomes, he silently hopes it's one with abilities similar to those he had with the Rod, if only for exposing the people around here for what they truly are.

But he waves a hand from under his blanket at the poorly veiled threat, dismissing the concerns. ]

I've had my time in the spotlight ruling as Master, and I'm not too eager to return anytime soon, so don't worry about that.

[noasark]

[He almost starts with 'are you an idiot.'] ...In what reality is 'not all' going to mean the opposite of what you're saying? There's such a thing called a middle ground, [he scoffs.] My point isn't to lump all of your faith into the idea that you won't be dealing with an irritating piece of shoe scum- the point is that it's better to treat them as human beings instead of flaunting your power over them like some sort of show pony, [he insists, looking absolutely revolted by the idea.]

I certainly can't read their thoughts- nor can you, [Noa continues.] And I can absolutely say that I've seen the darkness that people are capable of, long before coming here, [he hisses.

Yet...he does visibly relax, as much as he's rolling his eyes.] You don't especially sound like you are, speaking like that...it's one thing to act as though anyone could be holding a dagger behind their back, it's another to imply that you should be treated as 'godly'...I've had quite enough of doing that, myself... [He mutters, pulling a face so vile it reveals the fact that his mouth doesn't end at the corners of his apparent lips. More than likely, it's an ear to ear limit.]

[dedoublement]

I spent years reading and controlling the minds of people, good or bad, whatever they considered themselves and saw them for what they truly were. So excuse me if I refuse to take anything anyone says at face value. They're all the same, all selfish, looking out for their own interests while pretending to give a shit about others.

[ Malik's seen far too much to believe anything but that, and no amount of friendship and faith speeches will ever change that about him. But he huffs, settling in more in his chair as he pulls the blanket tighter around himself. ]

We're not here to debate the human psyche, are we? I'm not delusional, not anymore, but I was making an observation regarding human nature as it dates back thousands of years. A human sees something more powerful than them as a god, regardless of whether or not it is or whether or not it thinks it is. They will always fear anything that they know can destroy them, and they will try and pacify it in whatever way they can to continue living peacefully. No matter how kind the actions may seem, in the end, they're doing it for themselves more than anything.

[noasark]

Hn! And I 'was' the internet, among most other things connected to surveillance feeds world-wide. [He got a lot more of people's thoughts. Far more. More than he ever needed to know.]

There are certainly many, many selfish sorts...but there are also those who are honestly kind- the point, [He notes,] Is that you won't be able to tell.

[He narrows his eyes though.] ...Interesting though, I might just know who you are now...

And be that as it may, [He remarks dryly,] There are also humans who see lions as 'cuddly friendly pussy cats' and happen to know what not to do to piss one off. Ergo, we have those who see the 'powerful' and see not a God, but simply 'something with power that they might get along with'.

[He shrugs.] Do you see yourself in that category then? Someone who fears what they know will destroy them? [He asks, perhaps a little amused.]

[dedoublement]

[ Noa isn't wrong, as much as Malik wishes he were. There will always be those odd-ball types, the ones who would put others ahead of themselves in any situation, no matter how dangerous or stupid it may be.

He doesn't need to tell him he's right, because the disgruntled look as he remembers how much trouble Jou and Yugi gave him is telling enough. But the expression passes swiftly, replaced by a sardonic sort of smile. ]

Malik Ishtar, founder and former leader of the Ghouls. I wouldn't have done the things I did if I didn't know what it felt like to fear those above you. I was just one of the ones who took that fear and turned it into something far worse.

[ A darkness deep inside himself, a fracture of his soul, forever tainted black by his own design. Even now, he's now sure just how detached from that part of himself he really is. ]

Hate. Anger. Instead of allowing myself to be destroyed, I wanted to destroy everything that caused that fear in the first place. I'll be the first to admit I messed up because I was a kid, and I was afraid, so I warped everything around me to fit what I wanted it to be and burned down the rest.

[ Malik's never claimed to be a good person, or even a healthy or mentally stable one. He's a mess on a good day and he knows it, all it does is make him feel more justified in judging the rest of the world, because he's no better than they are. ]

[noasark]

[Noa has had time to...adjust, one could say. A lot of time.

It helps that he had the capacity to feel bad about his actions in the first place, honestly. His only reaction to Malik's introduction seems to be slight interest however- the twitch of his ear, and a slight inclination of his head.] Aaaahhh....I see.

I, I will admit, did not have...fear, behind my actions, [He hums, staring to the table despite holding his head upward.] ...Superiority... ...When I died at the age of ten, my father sought to preserve all he could- I was thus 'uploaded' to a computer system. To be a machine meant to lose what made me human- emotions became the semblance of emotion, so on, so forth...

...I had the need to regain 'life' and prove myself worthy to my father, and that need not only drove him away but drove me to nearly end all life on that planet.... [...He says it so. Casually. Ah. Well.] ...not that he deserved to be a pedestal in the first place... [Mutter mutter, grumble grumble?]

Well, regardless, [The cat huffs, shaking himself.] We're both here- find something that grounds you, and you'll do fine. What I wanted to show you was options in temporary housing- though a few places extend to permanent as needed.

The point is that it's bed and board- and food for that matter- until you can find something for yourself here. Which would you prefer? City life, or countryside? There are 'options', [he notes, smirking.]

[dedoublement]

[ Malik listens intently because while he had grasped bits and pieces of Noa's story just from what he'd known of reports from around the time he died, it was nothing like this.

The semblance of emotion, huh? In his mind, Malik can see a dial. Set at perfect zero, there are stability and normality, what a child is supposed to be. You turn the emotions down, and you get cold calculations of what should be expected and failing to understand when things aren't following the logical path. But, if you twist it the opposite way, burn it in flames instead of freezing it in steel, you get a burst of emotion, too many to handle, a fracture, cracking and breaking until there are only bits and pieces of raging emotions left over fighting over each other for dominance.

His emotion... What happened to it? Malik shifts a little uncomfortably in his chair, as if it's only now occurring to him, thanks to that comparison, that he couldn't remember why his sister had her points in believing in the best of human nature. She had taught him that, hadn't she? So why is it now, in this place, he couldn't give a damn about anyone beyond the bare minimum he has to have for himself? ]

It's a boy's natural instinct to want the approval of his father, no matter how he treats him.

[ He sometimes wishes he didn't know that from experience, but he does, more than anything.

But on the matter of finding a place to stay, he doesn't even need to think about his answer. ]

A city, preferably one on the level of Domino, if there are any around here. Tall buildings and long open roads-Are there motorcycles here?

[ Despite the freezing chill, the blood and sand he just knows he's going to be unable to get out for days to come, Malik perks up like a little kid the moment he realizes there may be a very slim possibility this place wouldn't be entirely awful. If there was enough open space, and he could get his hands on a bike, then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. And if he becomes some giant monster or whatever, who cares? He'll figure a way around it, he knows he can. ]