Ryslig Helpers (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ryslighelpers) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
graveyardsmash2021-09-10 09:23 am
ryslighelpers) wrote in graveyardsmash2021-09-10 09:23 am
Entry tags:
TDM: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER
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 in a dark ditch, the sky cloudy overhead. Dirt cakes into your cuts and scrapes. The air is clammy and damp, and it smells like rain.
You’re in a grave. And when you sit up to inspect the tombstone marking your spot, it has your name on it. Maybe the graves next to you have the names of familiar friends, family, acquaintances. Not all of them are open like yours are. RIP.
There’s a light dancing in the distance, and you hear the jingle-jangle of heavy keys, or worse still, the gravekeeper’s massive pitchfork or shovel. If you're lucky, you can sneak out beyond his notice, and get out alone. If not - you might find yourself on the wrong end of a shovel’s swing, or worse yet, tripping headfirst in front of a pair of monstrous eyes.
SCENARIO TWO
So you've just arrived, and you’re surrounded by an incredibly odd group of natives. Some of them wear elaborate headdresses that resemble a deer, or a horse with seaweed instead of a mane, or a ferocious cat. All of them are covered in tattoos and piercings, and their clothing mirrors their ‘beast’ of choice, from snakeskin boots for the snake-people to cowhide and leathers for the minotaurs, manticore-kin, or kelpie-kin. These people introduce themselves as members of the scouting team for the Tågevalgten, and they’re here to help you settle in! They load you onto a rickety old bus and take you into Town.
The Town is called Rota, according to the rusted road-sign. And the central lodge is all decked out and ready to go for a reception, Children of the Fog welcome. There are food and drink aplenty, mostly meat-heavy, and if you ask them where the meat came from… Well! Maybe you shouldn’t ask.
The Tågevalgten gladly share helpful pamphlets for you. “Embrace Your Fog-Given Gifts,” they proclaim. Most of them are fashioned to sound like self-help with a religious bent favoring a divine entity called the Fog God: “Monster Types And YOU: What Fits Your Personality? Take Our 99% Accurate Quiz Inside!”, “Shed Your Human Skin And Thrive,” “Be Uniquely You And Uniquely Free,” “What to Expect When You're Expecting (to turn into a monster).” There's even some thick books carefully cataloguing certain monsters and the changes they might go through. Some of these seem to have been passed down from one monster to the next.
After awhile, it’s clear that the Tågevalgten are a bit too friendly and enthralled with buttering you up. In fact, it’s clear that they don’t want you to leave their fold, happy to keep you strapped together with a kumbaya around the campfire. They might not let you go until you take a bite of their Soylent Green or accept a group hunting trip with other newbies, and so on and so on. There’s always some excuse.
Maybe someone else can help you out of these uncomfortable pickles and get you away from here.
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? Does it fit you, or does it feel incongruous with your nature? Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.
one...!
Pivoting to an adjacent but nevertheless different train of thought for no particular reason at all, the sudden change in the landscape served as a reminder that anybody could show up in Ryslig, at any time, with no warning. And, well, it's his job to gather intel for the Boss, isn't it? Sure, things have changed just enough that the Boss wouldn't necessarily lose much by hunting down the new people himself, but he's also lacking the vast resources and power he had access to as the leader of Passione, so it... kind of balances out? All this to say: that is why Doppio is here at the graveyard. He's heard that this is where the new guys are popping up this time, and he's here to check things out.
Sadly, that is about all he's heard about the situation, so he doesn't know anything about any gravekeeper. He doesn't even see anybody when he first arrives, and it's enough to get him wondering if everybody's left already--
But that, naturally, is when his sensitive deer ears pick up a horrible, grating noise.]
Wh-Who's there?!
[Would stealth be the better approach when faced with... whatever it was that made that sound? Probably. But Doppio is not known for having a cool head in most circumstances.]
oh deer (i'm sorry)
Abbacchio detests being alone. He's nearly always worked with others, found that it was more beneficial to have an extra set of eyes or ears around because you never know what you're going to run into. So, here he is. Alone, utterly powerless, and completely confused as to why, or where, or how he is. Telling himself to stay calm and rational only does so much.
That noise comes a second time, and Abbacchio can't tell if it's louder or not, barely hears it over the sound of his own breathing – but there was another thing this time. A voice? He can't even make out if it came from the same direction, and he's debating whether to bolt in a completely different direction. He's not above running away if it's necessary, but he'd be giving away his position if he breaks out into a run now.
He doesn't have time for this. If there's a threat out there he needs to get literally anywhere else, somewhere with a better view, higher ground maybe. Somewhere defensible. Reorienting himself, he decides to take the chance, straightens up and takes off. Hazards a look over his shoulder just to check that there isn't anything following.
In his haste his feet catch on loose dirt and uneven plant growth, and he's tipping forward before he can properly adjust his momentum. What he expects is hard dirt to meet his hands, he's already bracing for it. Instead, he collides into something softer. Feels like he's grabbed onto a shoulder actually... His head snaps up at that thought, and sure enough he's staring right at a pair of wide eyes. He's scrabbling away from them instantly, fighting against the burn in both his lungs and on his face. ]
Um, sorry… I was just–
[ His words trail off as he gets a better look at this person, he doesn't recognise them but there is a familiarity about them that begins to make him feel uneasy. ]
eyyyy
When he takes a look at the man who bumped into him, though...
Well, relief is the emotion that comes to him first. Whatever just made that noise, it probably wasn't this guy (unless he dropped his belt or something), and given that he looks even more panicked than Doppio, chances are he's precisely the kind of person he came here to find in the first place: a new arrival, fresh from the... grave, apparently.
But speaking of grave, actually, he's getting this uncanny feeling that... Yeah, being so close to this man is definitely sparking some kind of recognition. Which could potentially be very bad, if this is someone he's supposed to recognise from home.]
Uh... No problem! Just... be careful.
[Should he leave while he can? The last time Doppio spoke to someone he wasn't sure if he recognised, it went poorly, and then it turned out that was Pannacotta Fugo of all people - who, granted, wasn't the worst person he could have run into from that particular leg of Passione, but still -
Doppio hesitates, his eyes darting between the man's chest - it's closer to his eye level - and the path ahead of him, his hooves stuck in a half-step forward.]
... That wasn't you, right? With the... [One of his deer ears twitches, remembering the piercing sound.] Noise?
miscommunications abound
Getting a better look he can't help but notice he's around Narancia's height, and looks to be around the same age too. Okay, there's also the antlers and… Are those hooves? He doesn't want to think too hard about that. He's sure he's seen weirder things and he's still not entirely certain any of this is actually happening.
On the off chance it is happening though… He doesn't like the idea of this kid(?) just hanging around a cemetery at night. That can't be safe (there's people crawling out of graves, apparently.) If anything, he can probably convince the kid to scram and maybe have him lead Abbacchio away from this place. He knows he'd feel a hell of a lot more comfortable without some random kid also in potential danger. ]
That noise? No, that wasn't me. I take it that it wasn't you either, then? [ He watches as the kid's ear twitches, curious as to just how sensitive his hearing is. ] Anyway… this place doesn't seem safe, so you should probably get out of here. Don't suppose you could point me in the right direction?
[ Is this a bad idea? He can't shake the feeling that he's seen the kid before, but he really can't place where or when. He looks harmless enough though, probably wouldn't do too well in a fight with whoever is making that God awful noise. ]
no subject
[Which... probably goes without saying, but the more he speaks, the more time he buys for himself to dig through his memory.]
Um, the exit's over that way, but... Are you okay? Didn't you just wake up here? Or are you just... hanging around?
[Tall, dark and somewhat intimidating. That is a description that fits several people Doppio can think of, so the quick round-up doesn't help. The more he dwells on it, though, the more he gets the feeling this was somebody important, and there is a good chance that means bad news.]
no subject
[ He did just wake up here, but that's not information he's willing to offer up so freely. He's sure he probably looks like someone who just crawled out of the ground though. Granted, he also probably looks the part of someone who spends their free time loitering in graveyards, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time he's been accused of that.
He realises he's been too quiet far too long than is required for the question and lamely spits out a response: ] Just y'know. Visiting. [ God, fucking dammit. Visiting? In the middle of the night? Who in their right mind would believe such an idiotic lie? ] And I should be leaving.
[ Turning away from the kid, his eyebrows crease as he takes a step away. Something about that unnatural shade of his hair reminds him of the Boss' kid, and in turn of that botched job he'd done in Sardegna. It had been fine until those brats with the football kicked it up into a tree they couldn't reach and– He stops mid-step. One of them looked kind of like this kid, right?
A glance back over his shoulder. ] You uh, you're sure you're alright out here alone? [ He tries to hide the suspicion in his voice, but there's an itch in the centre of his chest and he wants to get a better look at the stranger again. Despite appearances, he has the uncanny feeling that this kid is dangerous. ]
no subject
The man steps away and Doppio honestly isn't sure if he should let him go or stay close - but that is a thought that barely has the time to settle in his mind. Memory is a funny thing, and as soon as the question presents itself, paired with the image of Leone Abbacchio, user of Moody Blues, moving just within range...
Well, that fucking does it.
And now, Doppio gets the feeling that, no matter what happens later, whenever Abbacchio has reunited with his crew and gotten the rundown of this place, it's in his own best interest to leave.]
Um, yes! I'll be just fine! I-I'm not even really alive, so it's kind of fun hanging out in this kind of place, actually!
[Oh what the fuck is he saying now and why is he even afraid, he could tear this guy apart, he is a fully changed monster--]
no subject
The words 'not even really alive' jolt him back to the present. Not alive? Like what, a zombie? (Are zombie deer a thing? What is this kid anyway, some sort of Satyr? He's seen plenty of shitty horror movies but nothing that was like this.) Unless he means not alive in the just being dead sense, and that this is some sort of afterlife-hell-purgatory situation.
He just needs to leave. He takes a step away, not turning his back yet; makes it look as casual as he can. ]
Right… Well, thanks for pointing me in the right direction.
[ He backs away a little slower, turning around this time; balling his hand into a fist out of sight in case this 'zombie deer' or whatever wants to start anything. Glancing back again would be too risky so he keeps his eyes forward and strains his ears for any kind of indication he's being followed. ]
no subject
[He could tear this guy apart. He is a fully changed monster.
But for one, Abbacchio would simply come back, and one way or another, the news would make their way to Giorno, and he'd only be giving him more reasons to believe he's in the right about... everything.
For two, Doppio has never liked fighting. Sure, he fights when he has to; he'll do anything for the Boss, no matter the circumstances, even in a world where there is no more Passione and even if there were the one at the head would be an usurper. But right now, Abbacchio is not a threat. Abbacchio cannot be a threat in the same way that he was when they last crossed paths.
So, when Abbacchio turns, Doppio lingers only for long enough to be sure this isn't a ruse to get his guard down before he rushes to get away in the opposite direction.
They'll meet again, he's sure. For now, however, his job is only to keep the Boss informed of developments like this.]