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

[youngtimer]

Lost was a word he hadn't expected to hear, and he swore under his breath. Was it that time already? Or maybe he was jumping a gun and she was just lost in the graveyard. The place was big enough, after all.

"I'm getting too damn busy around here. It's okay, we'll get you out to the ..."

He rounded a row of stones and saw the decidedly human girl near an empty grave, and managed to only swear in his mind this time. "Lighthouse," he finished, holding out a hand to help her up. "We'll get you to the Lighthouse."

Nice as he sounded, his appearance didn't exactly match, and he braced for the inevitable response so many of the newcomers tended to have.

[something_true]

Oh right, she was still kneeling on the ground. That wasn't not very ladylike... ahem.

She accepted his hand, gracefully rising to her feet with an appreciative smile. "Thank you." In the darkness it had been difficult to see the figure clearly, but as she stood, it was obvious that she was taller than him. He was just a boy! But appearances could be deceiving. Although... were those antennae? And wings? She frowned and took a step back, looking him over.

She shook her head, confused. "I... don't understand. Are you wearing a costume? Is there a festival of some sort?

[youngtimer]

"Nope," he said with a shake of his head, as though she'd only asked him if he dyed his hair. "I've had all this for about a year and a half, now. Living in this place changes people. I used to look like you: human. It happens slowly. I got the antennae and the ears first ... we should be having this conversation somewhere a little nicer."

He still had a few uses of his power left... she was already shaken, and would only become moreso once they started talking. Screw it, he thought. Still holding her hand, he Blinked them both from the graveyard into the Lighthouse Church, a high-ceilinged building filled with stained glass, warm light, and graffiti. The benches were cushioned and comfortable, a good place for her to sink into if she decided she needed to sit or lie down.

"Welcome to the Lighthouse. Coffee? Water? Iced tea?"

[something_true]

Her frown deepened. He... turned... into that? But before she could question it, she blinked and they were in another place. Some kind of church, by the looks of it. Gasping, she yanked her hand free of his and stumbled backwards. The backs of her legs hit a bench and she fell into it.

She stared up a him with wide eyes full of fear and confusion. "What? How... Where did you take me? What is this place?"

[youngtimer]

"Blinking, my family called it. It's my power. It was my power before I got here, I mean." He moves to the little side table that probably used to hold relics before the church was repurposed: now it held carafes for coffee and hot water. He filled a paper cup with hot water and popped a bag of a calming tea blend in as he spoke. "When everyone arrives here - whether they wake up in the graveyard like you did, or some other way - they're all changed into an ordinary human with no abilities or anything they might have had before. It took me time, but I was able to earn my power back a couple of months ago."

He held the cup out to her and took a seat at the opposite end of the bench, to give her space.

"This place is called The Lighthouse: it's run by people like me who've lived here a while and want to help teach newcomers how to live here. It's safe, I promise."

[something_true]

Her eyes tracked his movements, curious about his motives. He seemed calm and kind enough, but she wasn't stupid. Although... her suspicions were set aside at the mention of powers.

"You had powers, too?!" She blurted out without thinking. Her eyes widened for a moment, one hand covering her mouth. Mirabel was definitely a bad influence on her. Taking a breath, she composed herself. Her hand dropped into her lap where she sat as poised as any member of royalty. "I had a gift before I came here. I found it was gone when I woke up. Are there many others who have... had... gifts here?" She took the cup with a nod of thanks. "A while... how long have you been here?"

[youngtimer]

"Plenty, yeah," he nodded, stretching out his legs as he tried to think of a few. "There was a guy who could move things with his mind ... more than one person like that, actually. Some people who could do magic spells that would freeze things or set them on fire ... And some people actually used to be animals. I know a kid who was a hedgehog, a girl and her dad used to be ducks ... It's pretty wild. I knew there were infinite possibilities in the universe, sure - mathematically it was proven. But seeing proof of it is very different."

He sips at his coffee, doing the math when she asks him about his tenure, so to speak. "Let's see, it'll be two years this September, and we're in March. A year and a half, pretty much on the nose. Time flies when you're adapting to living as a fairy, what can I say?"

[something_true]

She lifted the cup to her lips, gently blowing on the hot liquid as he spoke. She'd have preferred a tinto, but this would do. Hearing that there were others with gifts was both comforting and humbling. For her entire life, magic was something that was special for her family... of course the world was larger than the Encanto, so it would make sense for others to have their own gifts.

Her hand froze and she turned to gape at him. "Did... did you just say there's someone here who used to be a duck?" She didn't know what a hedgehog was, but she assumed that it was some sort of animal.

That question was forgotten when he finished his math. She set the cup down hard on the bench next to her, wincing only slightly as some of the hot liquid sloshed over onto her hand. Standing, she shook her head. "No! No, I can't believe that. A year and a half?! My family... I can't... They'll be so worried!"

[youngtimer]

"I said almost the same thing when I showed up," he said wearily. Time was, he could still be optimistic to people, tell them that there would eventually be a way home. Sure, there would be, but unless any of the people working on the portals got their heads out of their asses and let him help with adding a temporal shift equation, it would all just be the same as it had been when Marco had tried out his invention last spring. Pointless.

"People are working on a way to fix it, get people home, but they've been working on it a long time. It's really slow going with what little we have available to us, and usually whenever someone tries, one of the gods doesn't like it, so they add their own little backfire to it all. Either that, or someone or something else interferes. Generally, long story short, we have pretty awful luck in the getting home department, but sometimes people we know show up. Otherwise, most of us do the best we can and help each other out." He sighs, looking up at the way the light filters in through the stained glass, at the ancient purple banners from when it wasn't called the Lighthouse, but the Haze.

"I wish I had something better to tell you. ... Actually, wait. I met a lot of the new arrivals from the last few months. Who's your family? If any of them are here, I might know. And if I don't, I know a quick way to find out."

[something_true]

Every word out of his mouth made her heart sink lower and lower. Was this was Abuela felt? Sorrow that she might never see her home again? The loss of those she loved? That made the ache even worse. Isabela sank back onto the bench, her head falling forward into her hands. Her long hair slipped forward, an obsidian waterfall to hide her face. She could feel hot tears welling in her eyes. This couldn't be happening. She was closer to her family than ever before! To be wrenched away from them like that? It was impossibly cruel.

She barely registered his question. Without raising her head, she muttered, "The Family Madrigal."

[youngtimer]

It wasn't the worst reaction he'd seen to the news by far, but it was about on par. Horatio sat quietly, respectfully letting her have her moment and feel her feelings. Silently, he slid off the bench and moved to the rack of brochures, starting to put together a packet for her. It was useful, helpful, and saved her from feeling like she was being stared at or making him wait while she got through her shock.

When she spoke, he nearly dropped the handful of brochures he'd already gathered. "You're kidding. Madrigal - yes! They just got here last month, I met two of them. A teenage girl and her uncle. She had glasses, he had really big frizzy hair and kind of a big nose."

[something_true]

She was too well conditioned to be a proper lady to have some big dramatic reaction. She could only imagine how well Luisa, Camilo, or Mirabel could have taken that news. No... she was the eldest of her generation of Madrigal children. She had to act like it. Taking a deep breath, she sat up and brushed her hair back from her face. It only took a moment for her to compose herself back into the picture of...

Wait.

She couldn't stop herself. She rushed forward and grabbed Horatio's arm. "Mirabel and Bruno? That's my sister! And my Uncle! They're here?!"

[youngtimer]

He chuckled, not minding being grabbed at all. It was nice to be able to give someone good news for once. "Yeah, they are. Unfortunately I don't know where they live, since they were out on the street at the time, but ... there's an easy enough way to find out."

[something_true]

She laughed and twirled in a circle, elated that some of her family was there.

Then she froze mid-spin. Mirabel and Bruno were here... But... Frowning, she looked at Horatio again. "How long have they been here? I just saw them before I arrived. That's not possible."

[youngtimer]

"Time does weird things here." He shrugged. "We haven't been able to figure out exactly how it works. But they've been here .... a month. Just about. So they probably think they just saw you before they got here, too."

[something_true]

"Time..." She blinked, shaking her head. Bits of dirt and grime fell from her usually perfect locks. "That's impossible. Time is time! I know it's possible to see the future, but to slow it down or whatever? That's insane!"