graveyardsmash | JANUARY/FEBRUARY TEST DRIVE

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test drive

JANUARY/FEBRUARY TEST DRIVE

TDM: JANUARY/FEBRUARY

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

"The world"... [ Rey repeats with emphasis as if that's a ridiculous idea. As if the idea of there being only one world is preposterous. ] I'm from Jakku. Desert planet? Western Reaches? Pretty famous battle happened there, about thirty-five years ago?

[ Rey walks slowly, making sure to stay by the shorter girl's side. She isn't sure how well she can navigate unfamiliar streets, being blind as she is. ]

I'm Rey, by the way.

[ Perhaps to her. Toph sees nothing wrong with it. In fact, she sees nothing in general. The reason for her slowness becomes quite obvious quickly. When her feet catch on a curb, or some other terribly inconvenient form of modern paving, she's able to stop and readjust instead of falling over like someone taking full strides. Though it's left her feet cold and filthy. She seems to be holding up alright in the cold.

Or at least is pretending to. ]

What do you mean, desert planet? Just a desert region? There have been wars going on for centuries, that doesn't really narrow it down. Are you... sure you're alright?

[ It's the only logical assumption, Rey must be confused. ]

I'm Toph, by the way. Nice to meet you.

No? A planet, like I said. Another world? [ She gestures toward the sky, for all the good that will do when 1) it's daytime, and 2) she's talking to a blind person. ] Orbiting a different star?

[ When she looks back down, she finally notices that Toph is barefoot. ]

...Should we stop and get you some shoes first?

[ Yeah, she's not buying it. The gesture goes completely unnoticed, surprise. ]

I don't know what you mean, but you're here now. There's only one World!... Unless you mean the spirit world?

[ Maybe?... That also doesn't quite fit. The question's met with indignation, even a huff. ]

I'll be fine!
Let's just keep going.

[ She doesn't have any money, and her feet are the only thing letting her
'see', even barely, where she's walking. Or at least feel. Even if they're a bit numb. She can deal with it. ]

No, the spirit world is something different. Have you really never heard of anyone traveling off-world before?

[ This is very strange, to Rey. ]

Alright, if you say so.

[ She keeps walking, though she doesn't know exactly where she's going. ]

Should we head out of town, do you think? Or try to find a market? Maybe there will be some farmers there.

No- How would you even do that? Like, visiting the moon or something?

[ This is very strange to Toph, as well. ]

Out of town's probably best. There should be plenty of farms on the fringe of town that we could check out... Doubt the farmers at a market will have much for us to do.

The moon, and farther. And you do it in a ship.

[ Does she seriously have to explain the basic principles of spaceflight? ]

That's a good point. Merchants at markets are only interested in selling their wares, and I have no money.

[ Out of town it is. Rey starts heading in what she hopes is the right direction. ]

Ooookay... Whatever you say.

[ She says in a 'I'm totally believing you' voice. At this point it's easier to just accept that she's crazy. Ships can't even leave the water, how would they get up there? ]

Yup... I didn't exactly bring my money out when I was kidnapped to this place! So, looks like we're starting from zero.

[ It shouldn't be too hard, right? Just walk away from the city, and don't hit the ocean. ]

[ You know what? Let's just leave the ship argument there, for now. Rey doesn't feel like hammering the point home any further.

She laughs. ] No, it was a rather inconvenient kidnapping.

[ The path she chose does seem to be leading away from the city center, so hopefully soon they'll be outside the city limits and into some farmland. ]

[For what it's worth, Toph sticks relatively close. It's easier to walk beside Rey, listening for any changes in her pace to see if there's something she should be wary of. Random steps, curbs, etc. The modern world is not as blind-friendly as she'd like. ]

So... what were you doing before you ended up here, then?

[ She asks a bit more softly. Something to take their minds off the current situation. ]

[ Yeah, about that... ]

I was... [ Rey takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. ] I was running away from my problems. Problems I had a hand in causing.

[ She didn't like ending up here, but maybe it was better for her to be here than to be running away to Ahch To. Maybe the Force had guided her here somehow. ]

[ Ah- Well, it's not quite the answer she was expecting. This is like the opposite of casual conversation. ]

Well... They might have trouble finding you here, at least.

[ They were both stuck here, might as well learn something. ]

I've dealt with a lot of problems... what were they?

[ That's both a good thing and a bad thing. Rey was feeling enough guilt over having run away from Kef Bir. The fact she couldn't return was making her feel even worse. ]

I... [ Oh, Force, how to explain? ]

For my whole life, I've never really known who my family was. Where I came from. I just found out that my... [ She hesitates to say the word. ] grandfather... was an evil, wretched man, who used to rule the galaxy with an iron fist. He killed my parents, but not before they had hidden me on Jakku.

I had been trying to stop him from returning and bringing the galaxy into darkness again, but now... I don't know what to do.

[ Woah, talk about heavy. ]

That sounds like a lot to deal with... [ She normally tries not to volunteer too much about herself, but the idea of someone getting her in this strange new place is too enticing. ] I sortof- Ran away from my family, they didn't see me for who I was and tried to keep me hidden behind their walls.

I was fighting with my friends to stop an invasion of our own... and then I was here.

[ There was a time Rey would have been jealous of anyone who had a family to run away from. But now...? No, she can definitely relate to wanting to escape your family ties. ]

An invasion? Of the Earth Kingdom?

[ She still doesn't know where that is, but she's latching onto the change in subject. She doesn't want to talk or think about being a Palpatine ever again. ]

Of all the other nations, but mostly the Earth Kingdom.

[ It was so strange explaining this to someone, like it was possible to not realize the 100-year war was ongoing. ]

There are four where I'm from, one for each of the elements. The Air Nomads, Water Tribe, Fire Nation, and the Earth Kingdom. They used to live peacefully together... but ~~everything changed when the-~~ the Fire Nation started a war.

Edited 2020-02-17 03:50 (UTC)

[ Rey frowns. None of those places sound familiar to her, but she can certainly related with a faction starting a war to invade the rest of their neighbors. It just sounds like Toph's war is on a smaller scale than the one Rey is fighting. ]

I'm sorry. Does anyone know why the Fire Nation started invading, or are they just... like that?

[ Hey, to someone who doesn't know what galaxies are, the fate of the world seems about as big as it can get!

Still, it's a familiar story for most. Thankfully, Toph's formally educated enough to put it into familiar words, though her tone softens as she does. ]

It's a lot to explain... They always had a strong military and economy. The avatar was gone, and a comet was coming that made them even stronger.

Basically, they saw a chance and took it.

They took advantage of the weaknesses they saw in others.

[ It's just like the First Order, just like the Empire before them. It's sad to think that this sort of thing is universal, that it happens again and again all over, but Rey knows enough not to be surprised. Just disappointed.

They walk in silence for a bit, before Rey looks around and announces, ] I think we're almost to the edge of town.

Something like that. I think it was just greed, clouding their ambitions.

[ The war initially started to 'spread the fire nation's success' to the other nations... By force. Just another excuse.

Toph's more than content to walk along quietly, seemingly busy thinking before she hears Rey speak. ]

Oh- Good. Are there any farm houses in the distance? They might even have some spare clothes.

[ AFter walking around for so long in her soaked light clothes, the chill was getting worse. ]

[ Rather than continue to talk about wars and greed, Rey casts her eyes on the horizon, seeing what's out there. ]

I think I see one, over the next hill. It's a large wooden house surrounded by fields. Looks like it could be a farm.

Looks just like one to me!

[ Hah- Hah- ]

But yeah, that sounds like it. Have you seriously never seen a farm before?
Where do they get food where you're from?

[ D'oh. ]

...Right.

[ Rey keeps walking, following the road out of town towards the farm house. ]

No, I've never seen a farm. I grew up in a desert. We got food by trading junk for pre-portioned meals you just added water to.

[ Toph refrains from remarking that she's never seen a farm either. But only barely. ]

Just water?... Sounds pretty weird. We didn't have anything like that where I'm from.

[ She's at least... heard farms. Or been near them. That's better off than Rey is. ]

Yes, you add water and stir and it forms into a sort of muffin, with greens.

[ It certainly wasn't the tastiest food available, Rey knows that now. She's been eating much better with the Resistance. ]

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