TDM: SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER

[ryslighelpers]

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.

Comments

[seacub]

Haha.

You have it- but since you want to know the stories, I can tell you why at least. There's three women who are close to me, but we're not actually related.

I do call one of them 'hermana' though, which means sister.

[observitude]

I see!
That is a clever way to do it. Even if you broaden the definition of "sister", if you don't consider all three to have reached that level, it still counts as being a lie.
Of course, the specificity of "three" "sisters" is what caught me as curious.

I think that must be nice, having a sister that isn't a sister.

[seacub]

Yeah.

It was?

I guess next to the others it seems strangely 'normal', that's true.

It was. They're not here- well, one is, not hermana though.

[observitude]

Never having seen snow would be rather normal, really. There are any number of places that don't have the right conditions, even just on Earth.

[This person's giving out Spanish endearments, so Earth seems likely.]

The devil is in the details, they say~

[seacub]

Haha, that's true.

Most people seemed surprised. I guess there aren't many from warmer climates?

[observitude]

Even in media, snow is common, so it might seem like a given.
It can be hard for people to imagine anything beyond their own experiences.

For example, I envy your relationship with your sister, but I can't imagine anything like that for myself. Something about human nature and patterns, I imagine.

[seacub]

I don't know how much it helps but, I didn't know her very long before coming here- so who knows, you could end up close to someone who feels like family in that way too.

[observitude]

[Ah...]

My sister's name is Scarlett.
Scarlett was always my mother's favorite child.
I am an only child.

Two truths and a lie?

[seacub]

Oh. Ow.

This reads a little like a logic puzzle, honestly. The middle can't be false, because the first and last contradict the other- but that would be assuming step siblings don't count for the definition. If they did, then the top would have to be wrong.

Either way, 1 and 3 can't co-exist, but 2 and 3 can't either. So for now, assuming sibling and sister is a literal term, 3 is the lie.

[observitude]

Haha. Perhaps I couldn't help it. I do enjoy logic puzzles.

Incorrect~ I am my mother's only child, and as far as I know, my father's only child.
However, you are correct in assuming that I meant all relations by blood.

[seacub]

You're an only child, but still have a sister...but also mean blood relations...

Oh.

She's not alive is she?

[observitude]

I will offer you two choices to change the first statement to, in order to make all three true.
"My mother called me Scarlett" or "My sister's name would have been Scarlett."
Up to you.

Although if you were to go with the first option, I'd still go by "C" online, of course. Internet safety.

[seacub]

[The first statement was...about having a sister. Then....Wait. But then...?

????] Then...

You're transgender?

(Option 1 makes the most sense with the remaining list, since the others on it still involve your mother refering to an existing person.)

I wouldn't start using a name you no longer want. That would pretty needlessly be cruel.

[observitude]

Ah, not exactly... Things are complicated. Both with gender and the situation, for several reasons.
Still, I appreciate it. Not everyone minds being cruel. For the record, any pronouns would be fine.

[seacub]

I won't press then- though, I'll keep that in mind for the pronouns.

It's good to meet you, 'C'?

[observitude]

Even if I made things weird?
How polite~
And what about you? "Speaking In Tongues" is a rather lengthy moniker, but I wouldn't want to put you at too big a disadvantage, either.

[seacub]

I don't know if 'weird' is how I would put it.

Haha, that's fair though. Do you know what the username reference is? I can give you a nickname to use from there.

[observitude]

my mind only jumps to religion.

[seacub]

Definitely not.

It's an album name, but since that was where the thought went, we can go with 'S'.

[observitude]

[He'll keep his lowkey disappointment about not being able to call this mysterious new friend 'Babel' to himself.]

Ahh, I'm afraid my music knowledge is sparse and eclectic. A lot of things I found on my own were from Vocaloids, anime, or rhythm mobage...

Regardless, a pleasure to meet you, S. Are you one of our new arrivals, or already a monster?

[seacub]

It definitely isn't one of those three.

I guess the latter? But not really. Nothing has really changed yet.

[observitude]

So it must still be a mystery to you. Well, when things do start to change, it can be better to go through it with company. Are you making many friends yet?

< SPEAKING.IN.TONGUES. >

[seacub]

More than I expected.

People are pretty familiar here- close. I guess because of the circumstances.

[observitude]

True. As different as we all are, there are at least two things we all have in common.
Hard to say whether that's a gift or a curse.

[seacub]

Both?

It's a small enough number that creating a problem could have pretty dire consequences, so the social circle is pretty precariously balanced I think.