TDM: JUNE/JULY

[ryslighelpers]

TDM: JUNE/JULY

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 awaken in a small room, shelves full of cleaning supplies lining the walls. A bucket stands in the corner with a mop balanced carefully inside. How you came to be in this broom closet of sorts, you have no idea. You sure feel sore and hungry, though. Disoriented, you stagger to your feet and reach for the door handle. It responds perfectly to your touch and a second later, you take your steps into freedom.

If you didn’t know better, you’d think you’d walked into 1980s America: neon clothing and chunky plastic jewelry flash eye-searingly in one display window, an advertisement for “The Invention that Broke the Sound Barrier: The All-New Walkman Portable Cassette Player!” fills another. Shops all around peddle fashion from the 1950s to the 1980s, along with electronics and toys. In the food court, with its cheap plastic seating, one will find fries, sodas and even festival-type goods like homemade pastries. Hotdog weenies roll smoothly on a grill. That food sure looks good right now, doesn't it? Unfortunately, the shopkeepers expect you to pay in a strange currency called “solars”. Will you pull an Aladdin and steal a loaf of bread, or will you attempt to appeal to the proprietors' pity?

Take care not to draw attention to yourself, though! Mannequins wearing a variety of 80s fashion patrol the hallways with twitchy, stiff movements. To those from more tech-savvy worlds, they may appear to be androids. Every so often, a very tinny, flat voice can be heard emitting from them–"SAFETY FIRST!" As you hurry away, their heads swivel around completely to continue tracking you, despite their lack of eyes.

And if you opted to steal? A good dozen of them will turn on you in an instant, hunting you down across the mall with far more speed than anyone would've expected them to employ. Maybe you can hide in that ballpit. Or the fountain. Or up the escalators, go go go!

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> Which is the better pet, a fur-bearing trout or a Kulen parasite? Or a timeloop groundhog? Ooh or maybe one of those fish with the big saw blades? C'mon, we've got so many cool animals here! Discuss!

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

[oleaeuropaea]

1. Petty Crimes

[On some distant planet, the sight of one lanky, baby-faced schmuck running from a crowd that's way too big would probably not be out of place. By the way he beckons a loud "Sorry" even as he twirls like a ballerina to avoid the outstretched hands of an android, he certainly seems to have practice with this sort of thing. Sure, he does struggle on the up escalator, sprinting in place rather cartoonishly before he figures out what's going on and adjusts his stride, but for the most part dodging an angry crowd seems to be what he does best.

Maybe he's even having fun with it.

Eventually, though, he seems to grow out of breath. It's only then that he manages to swiftly dip around one corner, then into a rack of clothing within another shop. He stays there until the crowd passes by, then finally stretches out, acting as if he hadn't just dodged a group of law-abiding robots.

Yes, he does have a hotdog sticking out of his mouth. And if he spots you looking at him, he'll grin around it and fish another from a pocket.]

I'll pay them back double once I get my bearings, don't worry!

2. The Monster You Made Me

a
[In contrast to the mall — which he doesn't blame anyone for, honest! — the streets feel warm and welcoming in a way Vash isn't used to. It's hard to miss the vibrant red of his jacket, but he does his best to look inconspicuous all the same by pulling up its massive hood. Nevertheless, people clock him for what he is almost instantly — a stranger.

He tenses the moment he's approached, muscles coiling as he prepares to run once again. When they instead offer items instead, he's left looking... dumbfounded. He closes the fingers of his cybernetic limb — still functional, somehow, despite the damage it had taken on the Sand Streamer — around the proffered items, whether they be simple clothes, or technology, and smiles almost sadly.

If noticed, he'll give a wave and stretch that smile into something far more vibrant.]

Oh, don't mind me. [And then he'll hold out whatever's been offered to him.] But you look like you could use this more than me.

b
[There is one exception to this. Vash does keep the pamphlet, and even tucks himself aside to read it. He makes it only a few sentences in before his skin blanches. His eyes dart to the sky, while the pamphlet itself crumples within the fingers of his hand.

How else could he read this but a warning, after all. A message. The hairs on the back of his neck prickle, and he finds himself searching for — something. His eyes dart this way and that, looking for the glint of a knife or two. Or perhaps Millions of them, if we want to be more overt about it.

Anyone that attempts to put him at ease will quickly be urged away.]

Don't worry about me. Go. It's not safe.


3. Communication Error

[It takes some fiddling, to understand the laptop. It's so outdated in terms of Vash's own experience that he actually struggles. Before long, though, his name pops up on the network.]

needle noggin: are any of those birds?
needle noggin: honestly i'm starting to think i'm a little lost ⊙﹏⊙∥

4. Wildcard

[Hit me with something random, or send me a message on ashstriferous]

2

[polarvoid]

[The streets of Bavan are always very busy when newcomers arrive and- typically- Basil tries not to be on them when it happens. It's a little overwhelming, even moreso than the usual crowds, but this time...Basil has made himself come. Why? Well...because Sunny is here, that's why. And if Sunny came, then anyone else could. Kel, Hero...Aubrey.

He tries not to think about anyone else.

So the little Gargoyle has made the trip over, padding nervously from sidewalk to sidewalk, occasionally dipping into a corner store when the crowds become too much. He's been here long enough to know that despite how welcoming most monsters (and humans) can be, at least here, there is a portion of the population who isn't quite so nice. Normally they won't try to attack an unchanged monster unprompted, but they will treat them differently, ignoring them at best, and outright shunning them at worst. Basil, at least, toes a weird line between these two facts, because most humans find him too small and endearing to be afraid of. A select few are paranoid of everyone and everything, and know Basil for what he is.

A monster, whether he wants to be one or not.

He happens to overhear Vash as he whispers something hushed to a concerned passerby, his ears perking. It's not safe, he says with a sort of conviction that most newcomers don't have. Like yes, obviously it isn't safe in a world full of actual real monsters, but...there's something about his tone that speaks to a different matter entirely.

After a moment of nervous deliberation, thinking about approaching but then talking himself out of it, the issue is forced when someone surges past him and accidentally knocks him forward (not hard to do, he's so small), causing Basil to stumble right into Vash's side. He's quick to pull back, looking appropriately embarrassed and apologetic as he holds his hands in front of him, resisting the urge to just slap them over his face entirely.]

Ah! I'm sorry...are you okay?

[He asks after having bumped into him so lightly he may as well have been tickled by a feather.]

[oleaeuropaea]

[On edge as Vash is, even the slightest bump has him quickly turning. The tails of his jacket whip at empty air, and he looks up, expecting the pale blue of his brother's gaze to stare back at him. It's only once he finds the brick wall of a building staring back to him that he thinks to look... down.

Oh.]

Oh! [Vash's hand lifts, scratching at the back of his head. He flashes a smile that's so warm and laidback that you'd be forgiven if you thought he'd never been on edge at all. This is, somehow, in spite of the fact that the person speaking to him is very obviously not human.

This isn't the first monster he's seen. Vash might have put on the guise of being aloof and inattentive, but he was keenly aware of his surroundings. He'd seen the less than human creatures lurking around corners, hiding in peripheries as if to avoid the human populace. At first, he'd written them off as failed experiments that had broken free of JuLai.

But no. The scientists there might have been as clever as they were sadistic, but going strictly based off of the plumage of the young... man? in front of him, he was quickly piecing together the fact that wherever he was, it was far from the planet he'd spent the last century calling home.

He doesn't dwell on that for now. Instead, he focuses in on the young man.]

No need to apologize! It's my fault for bumbling around, honestly! I didn't knock you in the head or anything, right?

[polarvoid]

[Basil shakes his head no a little, and for what it's worth, Vash could have deliberately punched Basil and he still would have been fine probably. Though his scales offer him no damage protection, he is still a monster. Resilient against his best efforts, perhaps.]

I'm okay...I...I wasn't looking where I was going.

[He pauses for a moment, taking the time to get a good look at Vash. He's obviously human, a newcomer in every way...yet Basil can't help the way his gaze lingers on his arm. He realizes he's staring a second too late and quickly looks away, his scales puffing out.]

U-um! I know it's...scary here, but the other monsters aren't going to hurt you.

[oleaeuropaea]

Happens to the best of us!

[That smile doesn't falter. It's broad to an almost blinding degree, but once Vash flicks his eyes open, that illusion falls apart. There's a distance in his gaze, belying the silent calculations he does as he tries to establish some sort of conclusion from what little information he can draw from his surroundings.

Those efforts are dampened by the additional information that Basil offers. He cocks his head to the side, catlike in his curiosity and completed with a rapid blink.]

Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I didn't think that'd be a problem at all! [He says it in a way that almost makes him sound trusting. And in a way, Vash really did hope that was the case. But the fact remained that he was both sturdy and resourceful. He'd been through and survived far worse than whatever this place had to offer, that much he knew for certain.

The question remained, though...]

Where are we, anyway? This doesn't look like any of the cities I've ever been to.

3 | <MADMAX>

[zoomingupthathill]

how does any of those sound like a bird

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

... what is a flying fish if not a bird? (❁´◡`❁)

<MADMAX>

[zoomingupthathill]

a fish
duh

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

as far as you know!
evolution really is baffling! a few years from now, give or take a handful of millenia, and that flying fish might actually be a bird!

shoot, maybe birds are just the new crabs!

3. <malinovka>

[grivences]

Two of those are fish and one is a rodent.

Also, I need to know how you made that little face.

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

sometimes a parasite can be a bird.

ummm i pressed one of the weird looking buttons with a bunch of squares and then the "." and that brought up a little menu.

(～￣▽￣)～

look at that one go.

<malinovka>

[grivences]

Can they? Really?

Oh, I see it now...

(￢_￢)?

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

uh huh.
a bird or a worm or a person-shaped pile of bugs.
nature is beautiful.

you did it!!
(≧∀≦)ゞ

3

[803b121]

a groundhog is a type of bird don't let anyone tell you otherwise they're lying (✿◡‿◡)

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

see you get it!
i knew someone would understand

now let me tell you about my theory on horsebirds.

<monoceros>

[803b121]

[ The ultimate joke is that she had to look up what a groundhog is before answering this. ]

oh please absolutely

<needlenoggin>

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash 🤝 Penny not knowing what an actual groundhog is.]

right, so. obviously horses were fantastic at moving things. especially when you think about draft horses. those guys could actually move things better when working with another horse, and even MORE better when it was a horse they worked with before. but they're kind of big and need to eat a lot.
meanwhile you have birds like chickens and other scavengers that will pretty much eat anything you throw at them. including their own eggs. or pieces of chicken. kind of messed up actutally.
anyway. my theory is that somewhere back in history someone decided they were going to crossbreed chickens and horses. efficient haulers and people movers that will pick at anything you throw at 'em, yeah? and that's how you ended up with the thomases we have today.

... um. you do have thomases, right?

2b

[burntcrunchybits]

["At ease" isn't what Vimes aims for, and he isn't the one trying to bring it about. But that furtive look is like catnip to a copper. Here, his watchman's mind is crying out, is someone who's either just committed a crime, is just about to, or thinks he knows who has. Regardless, that sounds like Vimes' business.]

[So there's a certain heaviness to the hand that drops onto Vash's shoulder. It's not holding him in place, not just yet, but that's very much the kind of hand that comes half a step before the cuffs. Vimes isn't a particularly tall man, but he still manages to loom, deepset eyes scowling from under a battered brass helmet.]

Want to tell your old pal Vimesy more about what's not safe, sunshine?

[oleaeuropaea]

[Vash knows a thing or two about police and authority. Mostly, he knows about being apprehended and dragged away for things he hasn't done. He stiffens only a second as that hand claps onto his shoulder, before relaxing and offering a broad smile. Despite the expression he wears, though, his eyes are no less calculating. He looks this way and that, before settling on Vimes. The warmth doesn't reach that gaze.

He won't react yet. He won't give the man cause — he never does.

Still there's something about the way the man talks that feels... almost comforting, in an odd way. There's something about the brusque tone coupled with the over-familiarity that makes the man feel almost like an old friend. Vash briefly finds himself glancing over Vimes' shoulder for the sight of a bundled up cross, before he reminds himself that Wolfwood hadn't followed him to this strange world.

Right. Focus.

Vash draws a breath in through his nose. He glances past Vimes once more, only this time he's searching instead of outright panicking. Each second he puts between himself and that initial, instinctive burst of fear, the more he can relax. Millions Knives, theatrical though he could be, wouldn't have wasted this much time.]

Sorry, sir. [He holds his hands up innocently.] Thought I saw something, that's all.

[burntcrunchybits]

[The kid's not doing himself any favours, Vimes thinks. Anyone who smiles that wide at a copper is hiding their teeth. As for that innocent look... nobody looks that innocent unless they're trying.]

[He fights the urge to look over his shoulder, to see what the younger man is looking at. Instead, he keeps his eyes on Vash's face, relying on reactions to warn him if there's something he should be worried about coming up behind him. Well, reactions and the reflections in the kid's eyes.]

Sounded like you thought you saw something that shook you up pretty bad.

Problem shared, problem halved?

[Tell me what you're up to, or it'll go bad for you. He's pretty good at the threats between the lines.]

[oleaeuropaea]

Aw, you know how it is. [Vash's smile doesn't falter. Once more, his gaze settles on Vimes. Now that he's assured himself that he's not at risk from Knives, he can focus on the threat in front of him. He's almost certain that the man means well but... so did a lot of people on No Man's Land. That didn't make their bullets hurt any less, though.] We all have our ghosts, yeah?

[He dips his shoulder low, trying to cast off the hand clapped over him. He takes a single step back, then drops both hands into his pockets. He lifts up, bringing out the lining with him, showing that he's got nothing worth hiding. Then he shifts, showing off the holster strapped to his thigh, still missing its gun.

These are practiced motions, it would seem. He's done this before.]

I'm not here to cause trouble. Honest.

3 <Glazed Donut>

[donutsfordinner]

I mean, anything could be a bird if its airborne, right?

[oleaeuropaea]

you are so right about that!
birds are very versatile like that.
i know there's a scientific definition and all that but...

anyway. hello, there! you'll have to forgive me for my rambling. i'm a little new around here!

[donutsfordinner]

Birds are big dreamers. Sometimes they're even fish according to other people's definition.

Oh, you're good. I'd rather talk about birds than everything else apparently going on here.

[oleaeuropaea]

i'm starting to get little snippets about all of that.
... much prefer the bird and fish talk myself, too.
better than hearing i'm going to turn into a monster or anything.
yikes!