TDM: JANUARY/FEBRUARY

[ryslighelpers]

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 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

You've stumbled your way out of the graveyard, and you're promptly besieged by the overwhelming sights and sounds of the city. Cars honk at you to get out of the street, and strangers try not to look in your direction for too long. They see your dirty clothes and scraped faces, and pretend to busy themselves with something else. Rarely, a look of pity is cast your way.

But some people try to reach out. Enterprising citizens and those that hope to curry favor with the newcomers pass out new clothes and bundles of food, asking if you have a place to stay the night, wondering about the details of the world you came from. Some are even handing out pamphlets which vary in how helpful they are--"What To Expect When You're Expecting (To Turn Into A Monster)", "Wolpertinger: Fact or Fiction?", "100% ACCURATE MONSTER QUIZ ASSESSMENT: GUARANTEED TO PREDICT YOUR MONSTER!", and "Ryslig Law In A Nutshell".

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? 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.

Comments

[hecatombed]

[Hythlodaeus stops mid-step as he's told, turning his head slightly to see what gave his companion pause. His eyebrows dart up a little when he hears the jingling of the keys, lips slowly twirling into a smirk.]

Right you are. It would not do to approach the bars of our gaol without the means to undo them. Loath would I be to double back and have to contend with our new friend, freshly roused from his slumber. Luckily, one of us has the mind of a looting rascal.

[He brings his hand to his mouth to stifle a chuckle, the latter statement clearly meant in jest. And so he turned to walk alongside Faramir, holding the lantern out at arm's length to cast a wide area of light around them. The fog hindered the visibility somewhat, reflecting the light off of its thick plumes. For a few moments, the only sounds were the insects in the tall grass and the shuffling of their footsteps in the dirt.]

By the by... did you happen to see the names carved upon the surrounding graves from whence you rose?

[fractalcourage]

[The Elezen- or...perhaps he's not so much one anymore here, not that he's realized it yet- tilts his head a bit at the usage of the honorific. It's not something he's heard in that exact way before, but it smacks as familiar all the same, somehow...]

It's quite alright. A pleasure to meet you then, Nana.

[His brows knit together when he notices the way she's searching herself, and it makes him wonder just what sort of world she hails from. He at least isn't unarmed, but he'd already discovered earlier that his grimoire is in effect useless at the moment. He can't summon his carbuncle, much less use any sort of spells.

As long as they don't run into trouble though, it'll be fine. It's fine.

Alphinaud starts to walk past her down the path along the front of the graves with recently overturned earth, making note of the few that haven't opened up yet. There aren't all that many of them left, here...]

I've been wracking my brain, trying to fathom how this sort of thing could have happened. Being buried alive...surely that's not something one would simply forget. But the last thing I remember...

[Well. It wasn't that, he can assure you.]

[sandinmyhair]

[One good thing about these claws (besides being really useful for untying knots--no, don't ask why he's got so much recent experience with that) is that they're really good for grooming other people. He gently slips his fingers through her hair, easing apart a few tangles. A thoroughly rodentian thing to do.]

It would certainly blow your Abuela's mind.

[nearamir]

[This jest, lightly spoken as it is, should not give him pause; he knows himself to be no looter, and he has committed no crime for which he should be gaoled. And yet, it cuts deeper than it is intended; and again, he must tangle with the thought that he knows not how or why he came here, or what changes may have been wrought in him to see him awakened. He is silent, then, and does not join Hythlodaeus in his merriment; instead, there is a shadow in his expression as they walk, and his eyes are downcast.]

[At the question, he starts a little, looking up, and then sighs.]

Alas, I did. A cruel trick, to see about me those whose graves lie elsewhere, and those whose deaths were not yet written when I fell.

They were my comrades and my kin. My brother, my father, my men. Did you find likewise?

[nearamir]

The Lighthouse?

A fine name. [But he does not sound enthused, and he does not trust it. His trust will not be bought by monsters, least of all for a few pieces of gold. Not when he has heard already, from every quarter, how this place can warp the mind.]

[Other benefactors, in his own world, came promising light, as well. Not all of them have shone for long ere turning to shadow.]

[No, he will not trust this Lighthouse. He trusts in the goodness of men, where he can; but here he cannot, and these are not men.]

May I see the map?

[nonmagical]

[She lets him work - honestly her hair is kind of a mess. Mostly due to the bad day she's had today, which she hasn't really talked about. But her day's getting better, now that she's here and talking about home. She gives a little laugh at the mention of Abuela, trying to imagine the family's reaction.]

I'mmm... not sure if she'd be able to handle something like that. I can only imagine the look on her face...

Thief King Bakura | Yu-Gi-Oh!

[99problems]

[ One ]

[ Shit. Shit shit shitshitshitshit. Bakura's never felt dirt this moist before, not so far from a river. The air is cold, too, and the plants - Yeah, something weird's going on. Especially since he's lost access to his spirit ka, Diabound.

And when he considers the last thing he remembers.....

Part of him wants to skulk about and gain information. The part that doesn't afraid of anything, however, walks right up to the first person he sees and declares: ]

You're looking less jackal-faced than rumored.

[ What? He's dead. It's obviously time for THE GRAND BULLSHIT JUDGMENT. Unless.....Everything the great Two Lands claim about the afterlife is false?

Gods, he hopes so. That would be hilarious. ]

[ Two ]

H-heheheheheheh....

[ This pile of free giveaway coats, huddled in an alley, is chuckling. Bakura's been given one of these weird papyrus sheets with a What Monster Are You? Quiz, and has been doing his darndest to parse it. He's had no formal schooling and can identify curse inscriptions on tombs enough to know how to disrupt them, but that hardly prepares him for words like "nephilim" or "cannibal". ]

Bastards everywhere never change.....knowledge is only granted to those already learned....

Oi!

[ He addresses someone passing by. Brandishes the quiz. ]

I got the best one, right? Read it.

[ Three ]

[ Bakura supposes it's just as well these people worship their "Fog". There certainly seems to be enough of it around.

Well, that suits him just fine. As the revelers twirl around the bonfire, he sidles up to a second fire, over which roasted meat has been propped on skewers. Brushes past as many people as he can on his way over, slips something from their pocket into his, every time. Grabs a skewer.

Has done all of this knowing he was being watched, so he cocks his head at his audience and inquires: ]

Well?

[ Some people might assess the situation, realize that while many of the denizens of this world have been transformed into monsters, they find themselves without a trace of their accustomed magical abilities, and had thus best not throw their weight around.

Some people might.

Bakura?

Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. ]

[ Four ]

Hhhhraaggghhhh....

[ Well, this is inconvenient. Bakura's changes struck him while he had been slinking from one lair to another, and thus he's been left stranded and writhing, trying to clear his head as the pain diminishes. He's a....a....

....the fuck is he, anyway? (It'll be a different monster each thread.) ]

[creamsouda]

Souda really is trying to do his best not to look like some total geek watching a robot find itself alive, analyzing every one of Freddy's movements and comparing them to what he knows of robots, building the case for what he already wants to believe. He is not doing a good job of not looking like that. Luckily, his overeager interest falls to the background of Freddy's focus, considering it seems the bear is busy, you know, Experiencing.

And then Freddy presents Souda with a question he can answer confidently.

"Oh! Yeah, like I said! This is a whole different world," he starts, "So, like, there's magic here, I guess. The fog here's some kind of god-like entity with magic, it, uh, she? Yeah, she has... magic."

Souda... kinda talks fast, and segues right into his next point.

"It turns things that weren't human into humans, though, I think it's usually humans showing up. There's this kid here that was a hedgehog, though."

[youngtimer]

That earned her another genuine laugh, since he'd read the fiction in question, albeit a long time ago. "No relation, no. It's actually a name I took after I started living here. Beats what my father actually called me, and we'll leave it at that."

He paused. If she was concerned that she was losing touch with reality, and she already had some issues with that ... he was going to have to tread carefully. Thankfully, he'd talked Klaus out of some bad trips, and even more recently talked Ash Williams down from a full blown panic attack. Most of his friends had issues with reality and simulations after experiences in either their own lives, or with the Fourth God's dealings. So he knew how to handle this, at least from a starting point.

"It's not Jersey City - it's a peninsula, called Bavan." He slid the map over to her, turning it around so she could take a look. "We're here. Since you're a reader ... think of it this way. Someone's pulled you through the wardrobe, but instead of Narnia, you're here. Because that's ... basically the gist of it, honestly. The same concept. Someone needed help fixing this world, but the people already in it weren't good enough. So they reached out for us."

[missleadingquestions]

Whoa! You're right!

[Maya chimes in agreement, though it's not like Nana was talking to her. But Maya isn't one to miss out on commenting on someone's beauty! Besides, she's close by enough to be appreciated.

Of course, Maya doesn't need to look in the reflection, as it's much easier for her to appreciate those wings from behind Nana.]

Wow, the way they catch the light is amazing!

[hecatombed]

Indeed.

[His face falls a little, brow furrowed in thought. His situation was much the same. Names of his beloved friends, none of which were fated to voyage with him on his return to the star. It was as puzzling as it was concerning, but surely if they truly were laid to rest there, their souls had either long departed, or they would have risen again with him. It was that conclusion that gave Hythlodaeus comfort - if they were indeed here, they would be by his side.]

Souls dear to me who should not have also made their aetherial departure in my wake. Curious.

[He walks on for a beat in silence again.]

I did not mean to startle you with my inquiry. Pray, forgive me, you must have much on your mind.

[urmysuperstar]

Magic, a god...yeah, alright. It's as good an explanation as any, in all honesty, because what else is going to explain the impossible other than...the impossible?

Plus he comes from a world where hauntings are, like, super regular, so he's not going to sit here and whine about having the wool pulled off of his wet and squishy eyes about magic. If he wasn't freaked out so much right now, Freddy would be excited about the concept of a fantasy adventure.

Except...

Freddy stops touching his face to politely gesture in Souda's direction.

"You are still not human," he observes with friendly curiosity. "Why did they let you keep your shell? --Although..."

He tilts his head to the side and commands his ears to do a thoughtful wiggle. They don't.

"It does not appear that you have any seams or joints. Did the magic simply turn you organic?"

That's right: Freddy has been assuming Souda is also an animatronic this entire time.

[ TWO ]

[ohmyscream]

[ Did he just "OI" at her? Annie has barely gotten over the most recent dumb shit. The strange man basically calling her over has both her interest and her irritation. She scuttles over, finding her tail is high above her as if she would like to throw down.

Would she?

Maybe. He reminds her of someone. A quick look makes her think that her favorite Harpy has a new double running around. Ruggedly handsome and ready to get stabbed? Sure, but no one is perfect except her.

She pretends to give the paper a serious look. ]

No. You did it all wrong. You answered too randomly.

[creamsouda]

Souda's jaw drops, giving him that perfect possum V-shape for a moment, as he processes what Freddy is implying about him. But— it makes sense, that a bear bot would see him as something similar, too, right? It's just, sometimes despite everything, Souda forgets that he... looks like this. It's surprising, even now, when other people don't perceive him as the physical person he remembers being.

Man!!

He knew he looked like some kind of theme park mascot!! How much more proof can one get than a mascot robot thinking you're one of them!!!

"Y-yeah, about that," Souda groans a little, scratching his neck. Man... breaking this news to a robot feels kind of mean. He's already having trouble getting used to being a gargoyle— he can't imagine having to change to something organic and then to something different so soon after that.

"I was a human, when I got here. I mean, I was a human my whole life before I got here!" Just to clarify. "So the fog, uh, didn't have to do that first step. It just skipped to turning me into a monster, instead."

[urmysuperstar]

"More magic," he asserts. Yep, checks out. "I see!"

Okay. Yeah. This makes sense. He could get behind this! The word "monster" doesn't hit any red flags for Freddy, because that's just a fantasy thing, right? Even friendly goblins and orcs would be called "monsters".

He swallows down the last of his panic and clears his throat. "Oh. I'm terribly sorry, my friend. I seem to have forgotten to introduce myself," he says, as he extends a freshly exposed fleshy hand. "My name is Freddy Fazbear. Just 'Freddy' is fine."

A warm smile comes naturally to him, despite not technically having moved in such a way before.

[creamsouda]

Ah, Souda loves it when people take his explanations simply. He doesn't understand it much more than that surface level, anyway—

But, the carefree as ever dragon is eager to shake Freddy's hand and make a new (previously robotic) friend. What more is there to look forward to in a place like this? Souda matches Freddy's smile with a much toothier one.

"Freddy, huh? Nice to meetcha," he responds with that shake, "I'm Kazuichi Souda, now-local mechanic. You-- can call me Souda, though."

He's a little used to people having a bit of trouble with the first name, and he's used to being called by his last name anyway.

"You— You really were a robot, before, right?"

[urmysuperstar]

It's fascinating just how much tactile feedback Freddy gets now. He's able to know that this was a firm handshake instead of just hoping for the best. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Souda! It is a shame that it was not on better terms."

It really doesn't sound like a complaint. If anything, he sounds mildly amused. Freddy lets go of Souda's hand and finally pushes himself out of the casket he woke up in -- and thank goodness he'd already gotten his explanation from Souda about the whole becoming-human thing, because that would have been damning evidence otherwise.

"Yes, I am a robot," he answers. He plants big, goofy bear-feet on the ground and wobbles for a moment, finding that human feet made with shockingly sensitive and delicate balancing mechanisms and aren't just platforms to hold the rest of the body up. He steadies fairly quickly, but only into an awkward wide stance. He's not impossibly tall, but easily more than a head's height above most average people.

"Well...was a robot. More commonly, I would be called an animatronic. Automata would be fair game as well. Truthfully...I have no preference for what I am called."

i hope it's ok he knows she's full of it. he has a calling-bluffs....predilection.

[99problems]

[ Scorpion tail. Nice. Bakura is personally hoping that whatever monster he ends up being, it'll be something with powers that help him steal treasure - he's got a lifestyle to maintain - but he respects the tiny stinging assassins of the desert. He likes the way they fight back, despite their size. And win.

All of this is to say that Annie's monster type has him feeling a little less disgruntled at that response than he would have been otherwise. And when he suspects she isn't taking this seriously?

Cool. He won't either. This will be a fun game. ]

How clever of you, to know at a glance.

[wildscreen]

[Nana tries opening and closing the wings, her face lighting up.]

It really is. I'm surprised at just how pretty they are. I didn't think anything like that was possible.

[She turns around, that bright smile still on her face.]

Oh, wow. You're so cute! I love your hair.

[wildscreen]

[To say her world is complicated is an understatement. As it stands, she tries not to think too hard about it. While she would certainly rather have a sword on her, she also knows that if they can get out of the situation without a fight, that's far better.]

Same here.

[She nods.]

- mm. The last thing I remember wasn't pleasant - a fight with someone that's special to me - but it didn't end that badly. We worked things out in the end, and she never would have hurt anyone like that. Not Junna-chan.

[goodolfashionedvillain]

--!!

[Vicious barely has time to register the rapidly approaching footfalls before he's jerked out of range of the gravekeeper's wrath. The downward plunge of pitchfork misses him by inches, the tines piercing the ground hard enough to sink the entire head into the ground.

It takes him a few seconds to process that he's running now, his escape aided by this helpful stranger dragging him along by the arm. He's stumbling at first, but quickly falls in line with his young savior, making it easier for them to get the absolute hell out of there. Unconsciously, Vicious grips the other man's wrist like his life depends on it, because it very well might-- he's running and keeping up just fine for now, but every step is agony and he knows that if he doesn't keep up, they're probably goners.]

What is that thing--?!

[He regrets asking almost immediately, it's surprisingly difficult to run and breathe in this unfamiliar climate.]

Call her out! Fun for the whole family. :)

[ohmyscream]

[ Annie fluffs some of her hair back, looking a touch arrogant for a moment. The thief King will see right through it. Annie just doesn't know that. ]

Of course! I'm just that good.

[ She gives it another look and snickers. ]

Even split. Hope you don't mind feathers.

[ Gargoyle would be more likely. ]

[99problems]

[ Bakura snorts. ] Depends where they grow.

[ No, he doesn't care that he's speaking to a lady. The lady is putting on a show for his benefit. Plus her tail can kill a man. ]

You calling me predictable?

[ohmyscream]

With luck? Everywhere. A balding harpy is just embarrassing.

[ Wait.

Did he just make a dick joke? Annie pauses as she mulls it over, and her cheeks go a decided shade of pink/. ]

I wouldn't know about that.

[ Sorry Bakura but she isn't about to brag about what she has and hasn't seen. ]

Your answers are similar enough to a friend of mine, I can see where you're heading. It's not your fault. I'm just good.

[ She playfully winks. ] Besides, I'm pretty sure you're not going to be like me.

[99problems]

Then I guess you didn't mind when I helped myself to this.

[ Depending on how sensitive Annie would have been to pocket picking, he's either holding up the contents of her nearest pocket OR the wallet of a pedestrian standing on the street corner waiting for someone, flipped open so she can see the owner's ID. (Bakura has been here for a brief amount of time but he has both discovered the existence of paper money, the existence of wallets, AND that people put extremely realistic renderings of themselves inside. Self-important bastards.)

The man on the corner has no idea, staring out in the sea of cars. Taxi...? ]