graveyardsmash | TDM: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

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

(CW: Human remains)

When you awaken, you are hit with an immediate feeling of motion. A bobbing, if you will, or perhaps more of a rocking. You take a deep breath through your nose and take note of salt, along with the pungent scent of rotting wood. Creaking sounds echo all around you. Sitting up, you find yourself locking eyes with a skull.

An entire human skeleton is positioned across from you, resting limply against a pillar. Surveying the rest of your surroundings, you soon realize that you're below deck on an old, dilapidated ship. A ship that's on the move. The crew must have suffered a terrible fate, strewn as they all are across the floor. With their ripped poofy shirts, sheathed cutlasses and jaunty feathered hats, they seem to scream one word at you. "Pirates". ...Ooh, is that an abandoned bottle of rum? And a treasure chest? Surely they won't mind if you help yourself. They're dead, after all!

Once you've ascended the creaky steps, you find yourself on the deck of this vast, once proud vessel. A tattered Jolly Roger flaps overhead. Thick fog obscures most of the ocean surrounding you, but what's that straight ahead? Land ho! The ship's about to make port, and a crowd of curious onlookers has already gathered on the docks to stare up at this spooky new arrival. They appear apprehensive, perhaps even fearful, as if they haven't seen a ship come in for a long time. Will they hold you accountable for what happened to the skeleton crew? Will they praise you for 'ridding' them of pirates and allow you to keep the booty? There's no way to know just yet. Perhaps you'd best hide and find a way to disembark without being seen. Or perhaps there's someone else to be found here on this ship who suffered the same fate; someone who has a better idea of what to do.

SCENARIO TWO

You've stumbled your way into a city, and you're promptly besieged by the overwhelming sights and sounds. 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 lost expression and your clothes- so different from their own- 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. A hefty laptop may be handed to you, with words of a ‘network’ used for communication. Wonder what that’s about? Then there’s the very confusing pamphlet stuffed within: "What To Expect When You're Expecting (To Turn Into A Monster)”. They may direct you to an organisation known as the Lighthouse, their members most prominently found at the 38-8 apartments and the Lighthouse Church. Or perhaps, if you're injured, they'll refer you to the Crowe Clinic instead. Unfortunately, the directions you're given are so very complicated that you lose your way in the streets after two left turns, a right and a left at the soup kitchen.

Take care when asking for more help. 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

Now that you've found a moment of peace, you open up the mysterious device that's been handed to you. Perhaps you'll recognize it as some sort of laptop, albeit an old and clunky one. Or perhaps you'll be astounded by this curious feat of technology, which is unlike anything you've ever seen before. Regardless, the moment the lid is propped open to reveal the screen and the keyboard within, you gain your first glimpse of the network.

Perhaps you'll want to choose a username and write your very first message, posing the pressing question that's on your mind at this very moment. The lettered buttons click and clack awkwardly beneath your fingertips as you type.

However, you may instead want to respond to today's most popular message.

WELCOME TO RSDOS.
PRESS F1 TO COMPOSE POST.

*** TODAY’S TOP POST ***

018.07.154.55 <JUSTSOMEGUY> Let's play Two Truths, One Lie! It's real easy! You just post three statements about yourself, and the rest of us have to guess the lie. It'll be fun! And you get to be a liar liar without your pants catching fire for a bit.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think being that tall would be more annoying than cool. Most doorframes are just under 7 feet right?

Thanks...but I feel like I cheated?

You had a lot to say about the other points. It felt like they were things you knew a lot about, so they had to be true.

You see, you're thinking short. Think tall. Think about punching those doorframes into submission.

Okay, good deduction skills. I can dig it. Alternatively; I could have been lying by over explaining things. Kind of a problem people have when trying to sell a lie.

[Okay- he laughed. Boy is it nice to be able to talk on the internet without worrying about information leaks.]

But then you ruin the doorframe!

If you were lying with overexplaining, you'd be breaking the rules too- you had two points that were like that, and we're only supposed to have one lie.

No, no, you're Improving the door frame. Big diff.

As you can see, there are very little in the way of rules in the original post, so, I can do what I want! The internet is a place of lies and villainy.

Also cute kitty pictures, depends where you go.

We can't close the door if we do that!

You are right about cat pictures though...there's a reason you don't talk about personal things online too. [Or at least, he supposes, things anyone's going to trace back. It was a bit too risky before, but it's sort of refreshing to be able to talk like this here.

...Of course that part of his thoughts might be influenced by the abrupt loneliness that came from waking up here but hey.]

Doors are optional if you're living right. Have you not put beads in a doorway, a decorative sash, a curtain?

Honestly my bro Donnie scours the internet deleting anything incriminating any of my bros and I might say. So the freedom feels exhilarating. I am unstoppable force of turtle.

Not really.

They don't really keep things out like that.

[...Turtle isn't just a username???]

You're a turtle?

We need to find you some decorative door beads stat. This is not a drill tongue lad.

I was, now I'm stuck in human form. No less handsome of course, but, not the turtle I once was.

But the cold???

Huh.

That's cool I guess.

What kind of turtle?

Psh, you need to layer up! More sweaters!

I was a mutant red eared slider. A very excellent type of turtle.

Somehow I'm not as surprised as I should be that you said that, now that I know you're a turtle...

...

oh

[How does he break this gently...]

Did you know you're considered an 'invasive species'?

dId YoU kNoW yOu'RE ConSidEREd aN inVaSivE SpECiES

C'mon, man, rude. I don't go around telling humans they're destroying the planet!

[aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

I'm sorry! It was the first thing I thought of!

They're literally illegal to have where I lived...it isn't your fault obviously- it was other humans who released their pets into the wild like that...

It just...came out?

[HE'S NOT GOOD AT THE TALKING THING....]

I can't beliiieeve I'm giving this advice.

Look, pal, buddy, shortstack, guy with a tongue, mr. panic on the first push back, you gotta think about your audience before you say anything. Look, I love talking, can't really stop according to my bros, but unless I'm angling to irritate, I make sure I choose the right things for the right audience.

Words can be noise, or they can have meaning. It all depends on how you craft it for your audience.

[Emporio is in a strange place here. On the one hand, he sees what the Turtle is saying. On the other, 'first thing I thought of' in Emporio's world is the 'first thing he came up with that felt safe'.

He should probably have guessed that things that he talked about with the few friends he had would not, in fact, fly here.

(He's pretty sure if he told Foo she was made of an invasive species, she'd say 'Neat!' and laugh, for example.)

...Which he supposes goes back to what this guy's saying, but where does he even go from there. Mostly Emporio is just staring at his screen, feeling abruptly tired.

Eventually-]

Do you always know your audience then?

[Because if so then that's a cool talent coolest turtle, now explain how that works because if he's being honest with himself, talking to New People is a New Thing over all.]

I try to. Its about reading the room, gauging where people are at. Harder in text, but doable!

[Reading the room in person is one thing. But harder and text feels like an understatement!]

Got it.

...Did it take you long to be alright at it?

Took some time and practice yeah. Also intuition. You need to look at people and gauge where they're at.

[He can't help but feel like this is a whole other level from where he's at...]

We're still talking about online right?

TDM: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. > he'll take 'overthinking it' for 500,

<TheCoolestTurtle>

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >