TDM: MARCH/APRIL

[ryslighelpers]

TDM: MARCH/APRIL

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

[sciencesquid]

[He can hear the apprehension in Emmet's voice and he sympathizes. Really, he does. If Rosie were buried in a place like this, he's not certain he could bear that thought. She deserves to be at peace back home. So...]

I wouldn't put too much stock in those graves. They couldn't even properly verify whether we were dead, so they must not be very good at their jobs.

[i_am_emmet]

Yup, you're right. They stink at their jobs.

[Otto had a point, and besides, Emmet could go upturn the grave later. Emmet hurried up his pace a little to be side by side with the other man. He forced himself to relax some, trying to get his head in the game. Maybe the people who are scared of them took his Pokemon. Another thing he should check out.]

Anything else I should know?

[sciencesquid]

[Theeere it is. Otto can't avoid this much longer; Emmet's going to find out one way or the other. It's simply not the sort of thing that's easy to explain. His pace slows a bit and once again, he's peering over his shoulder to make sure they aren't being followed. So far, so good.]

... Yes. Ah... There's a reason most locals fear us newcomers.

[i_am_emmet]

[A small list of reasons ran through Emmet's mind. Such as fear of the unknown and simply disliking outsiders. He knew historically people sometimes just didn't like newcomers to an area.]

Because new things scare them? They don't like the God?

[He offered out simply. Listing off some reasons as they came to mind.]

[sciencesquid]

[Fair enough reasons, but unfortunately neither is quite the winning answer. Otto slows his stride to a halt and turns round to face Emmet, just to make it clear he's dead serious when he utters his next words.]

It's because the God did something to us. Within a month, we'll begin to transform into... Well, into monsters.

[i_am_emmet]

[Emmet stopped walking when Otto said that. He looked over Otto's features for a hint of a joke. For a crack in the man's voice to tell Emmet that he was being played with. He was silent as he did this, and he didn't hide what he was doing either.]

Eh heh heh heh, what?

[Maybe he misheard him, maybe he misunderstood what Otto was saying?]

[sciencesquid]

[Unfortunately, there's not a single trace of a joke for Emmet to find. If anything, Otto looks uncomfortable, with a light sprinkle of guilt. He doesn't enjoy being the one to have to share this bad news, but he knows he must.]

It sounds ridiculous, I know. It's just...

[He reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a pamphlet. He's been carrying it around for a day now, so it's a bit crumpled, but... Here, Emmet, have a copy of What To Expect When You're Expecting (To Turn Into A Monster).]

It is what it is.

[i_am_emmet]

[Emmet reads it once. Then twice. He scans over it for keyphrases and wording. A Monster? Eating people or their essences?

Emmet is going to need a moment.

He flips the pamphlet over, to look for something to give away some hint of a joke. But it was a mass-produced thing that has suffered a day in a pocket. He handed the pamphlet back to Otto.]

[sciencesquid]

[He waits patiently for the information to sink in, though even as he does so, he keeps an eye on the people walking past. They're standing still in a fishy neighborhood, after all. Once the pamphlet is handed back to him, he doesn't put it away just yet. Instead, it crumples a bit in his hand.]

... Sorry. If it helps any, there's more than enough people in this same situation. They've been in this situation for years already and have learned how to make do.