Welcome to Ryslig's test drive meme! If you're considering apping here, this is where you can try your characters out in the game's setting. A few things to note:
Lots of people have asked good questions on the FAQ, so do take a look.
You can only app ONE character per round so choose wisely.
Test drive meme threads can be used for your roleplay sample!
NEW! Players with characters already in the game can earn up to a maximum of 3 coins by replying to potential character threads! You will need to have your normal 20 comment AC in the game. You cannot use this to go over the bonus 10 coins per month total, but you can use it if you are missing some threads to reach that coin total. Same rules as normal bonuses apply.
Sample scenarios:
SCENARIO ONE: So you've just arrived, fresh out of the hospital, and already the natives are trying to get on your good side. Offers of food, shelter and other luxuries in return for hoping you don't eat them. They even have some helpful pamphlets to share with you. "How To Deal With Changes", "Alternatives to Human Flesh", "What to Expect When You're Expecting (to turn into a monster)" are all great pamphlets. There's even some detailing certain monsters, and the changes they go through.
Among these however, are some... not so helpful ones. "Bunnyipyips And You", "Axe Thief Axehounds," and "So you're becoming a Fur Bearing Trout" among others.
SCENARIO TWO: You've become hopelessly lost in Lager Woods. Paths don't seem to lead where you remember them leading, and you feel as if you're going around in circles. Childlike giggling can be heard from no direction in particular. Suddenly, you stumble upon another character, who seems to be just as lost as you! Perhaps you can find a way out together.
SCENARIO THREE: You've heard about the fog, but you've never seen it before. Now, the mist surrounds you. Barely able to see before you, you need to get home - and fast. It's far too dangerous in this situation.
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? NOTE: Feel free to pick any monster type for this prompt, but note that you may not get the same one in game.
[There's a low, faint rumble from his chest that sounds far more like something that'd come from a crocodile or large cat than a mechanical thing. Hallowed Father above, another one. It was at least a little mitigated into just annoyance that he was dealing with a kid.]
Right. I'll be sure to tell Rosa and the rest of the Mage Corps that if I ever get back to my world.
[Mostly. Even if it was a grumbled aside that was far too audible thanks to his shape altering his voice.]
[He's being remarkably patient with the inspection; while the scales and plates do have a distinctly metallic shade and texture, he's breathing, the smaller scales are shifting across what definitely looks like muscle, there aren't any joints or seams, there's no signs of padding, and while he is giving off a little more heat than should be normal, it's pretty pervasive; he is visually tracking Conan, head turning to follow.]
It might not be something you've encountered on your world, but all of us are very far from home.
[Bahamut help him how was he supposed to deal with children.]
How do you know that? Has anyone managed to leave this peninsula yet to check?
[Sure, he didn't know of anywhere on Earth that was shaped like this, but who could tell what was outside the 'impassable' sea and the 'impassable' mountains if nobody had ever been there? And if someone had spent the time to set up a deception this elaborate, making the impossible seem possible would be a logical step to take.]
And I have seen magic before! But it's all smoke and mirrors, and nothing's real. I told you, I'm good at figuring out tricks.
[He's frowning a little at Kain now, obviously trying to figure out what the 'trick' behind him is as well.]
[A nictating membrane closes over his eyes, turning them from "blue and slit-pupiled" to "pale blue and featureless", although standing that close there's still a ghostly outline of the pupil through it, and a few whisps of smoke out his jaws.]
No, but I know that this isn't Earth. There's only one moon, we mapped the entire overworld by airship and dragon and there's no landmass like this, my nation was the most advanced human nation and didn't have a lot of things taken for granted in most of the peninsula, and I've spoken to others from different worlds with similar issues.
[Thank you Squeenix for that wonderful bit of headfuck/confusion there.]
And I have lived with a great deal more than 'smoke and mirrors', even before I came here.
[There was a part of his mind that was starting to run over old prayers just to try to keep the patience with that one, somewhat overriding the urge to prod at the kid that he was talking to a dragon; besides the nictating membrane, all the metal scales were growing out of his skin much like any other animal, and when he spoke, there was visible teeth, tongue, and gums.]
[Conan had to make a decision. The eyes were very convincing, but it was the flex of muscle under scales and the seamless play of tendons at Kain's joints that had his thoughts tipping the scale of hoax in the other direction. Conan half-reached out with a hand, staring up at Kain with a determined expression.]
May I touch you? I want to make sure you're real. There's lots of tricks that could fake your appearance.
[None of the other 'monsters' he'd encountered had been as far transformed as Kain, or had been amenable to letting him get this close (especially as a child, many of them had acted scared of hurting him). He'd rather get this whole farce over with now rather than let it extend any longer.
And if it wasn't a farce, then he'd rather get the paradigm shift over in one fell swoop, thank you.]
[Oh thank the gods. All of them. Including Elias. ...Maybe not the Fog God or the Archfiends though.]
I don't harm children.
[He doesn't quite manage to cover a tinge of the idea being insulting; the posturing he'd done to get Cecil to act aside, he's had enough edges of I Am A Dragoon Of Baron Damnit tied up in the gargoyle ego that it's hard not to have it creep in sometimes.]
[He's holding still, and pretty much just waiting; gods knew he'd climbed all over Skieran enough as a kid.]
It's okay, you don't look like that kind of person!
[Says the cheerful little sceptic.
At first it's just a tentative fingertip brush, then a firmer touch, surprised at the warmth of the scale under his hand. He scrapes his thumb testingly against the colour, then crouches to check the backs of Kain's ankles for hydraulics or gears, inconsistencies in how he's distributing his weight. Conan focuses on the information rather than the conclusions; he'd like to have everything mapped out before he goes into shock. Not that that was likely, shrinking to this size was enough of a surprise in of itself.]
Do you have wings? Can you show me?
[A little more focused and less chirpy than before, but he'd noticed the folded protrusions earlier and wanted to check. That nictitating membrane, too - if this was real, where were his mannerisms coming from? Could he map them to any animal he knew of, like lizards, or maybe birds?]
[There's something that, even on the dragon face, is somewhere in between skeptical and despairing at the first comment. He grew up around dragons and he'd be cautious of an unfamiliar dragon, but then, he's also been doing as much as he can with a body like that to be no more threatening than "HOLY SHIT IT'S A DRAGON GET IN THE CAR" was on its own. The nictating membrane flickers back, at least, a short beat where his pupils re-adjust to the dim light.]
[The wings are also a little obvious - they don't fold close to him even gone full-dragon; he spreads them out, with a bit of rattling where the plates and sharper scales on the back end up hitting lower branches; the wingspan's enough to be awkward in the clearing, one wing curled over where a tree is in the way of spreading it out fully.]
[Expression of shock and awe: go. he wasn't above being amazed by things like this, especially when he was trying to wrap his mind around the idea that this was real, that this- was a dragon, a person-]
You were a human before, right?
[His mind was racing - no real way for Kain to prove he'd been human before, of course, but this meant the tales were true and he'd better get ahold of those irritating pamphlets again to double check information, and perhaps see if he could find someone who hadn't transformed fully to check their rate of change, whether they were changing...
He sank down on the ground, still staring up at Kain, lost in thought. And maybe a little bit of shock.]
[The dragon nods, folding his wings back, and shifts to sit up on his haunches; it's not like there's any reason to be in a hurry, and he doubts anyone casing the woods for an easy meal is going to go for someone right next to a very obvious large ball of armor, spikes, and claws.]
And on my world before, although my order worked closely with dragons. [Working to make themselves part dragon in spirit was a much longer and more complicated part of the story.] Most of those who weren't human on their worlds are turned human when they wash up - at least, if they were something with greater power, it seems. I think reducing us all to a similar base level makes it easier for the Fog God to force the changes. [He's seen a few new arrivals that definitely hadn't been human, but they were all fairly close; he'd lay odds that a dwarf brought here would probably stay a dwarf. Also Conan you're damn lucky he's not used to thinking hard about how you talk to children.]
It starts about a month after arrival.
[Which gave the kid's group maybe a week, two at the most, and was one of Kain's amazing moments of grace, comforting presence, and delicacy in potentially traumatic subjects.]
[He'd heard of the Fog God in dribs and drabs before, along with tales of the other two gods, who seemed to be a lot more prevalent. It was definitely good to have things confirmed... including the fact that the changes would be starting quite soon for him. If this was all even real-- no, he had to accept it as true for now, or his deductions would be skewed. It didn't mean he couldn't look for inconsistencies, just that his prevailing theory had to take the improbable monsters into account.
He gives a grim little nod at Kain's last sentence, mouth compressed into a line.]
Do you know how to tell what you change into? Did you know you were going to be-
[Maybe someone normal would've found the reaction weird. Unfortunately for Kain's odds of realizing that he's not talking to an actual small child, between dealing with Rydia and being Baronian nobility raised to the idea of "this is how you survive"; he's already horrified one person panicking about there being kids here with "Just teach them how to handle things so they can take care of themselves when we can't protect them".]
[He shakes his head.] I can't say I'm surprised - due to some of how my order works, it was probably the path of least resistance, but there was no warning until it started. [At some point he does need to note the "not always full dragon" part, but it's not something where there's a rush.] For most it starts with smaller changes - enough that you could likely find someone from an earlier group that would recognize it before it's completed.
[So it wasn't illogical; there was some pattern and reason to be drawn from this chaotic-seeming place. You know my methods; use them, he reminded himself, quoting Holmes. Fact and deduction, and only then to work upon his hypothesis - not to be waylaid by emotion or what seemed to be.]
I'll have to make notes [half muttered, to himself. then he remembers his company and looks up, the childish act starting up again] So what kind of creatures are there? I heard some people talking about werewolves in town, which seems kind of scary!
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graveyardsmash2015-03-01 12:14 am
no subject
Right. I'll be sure to tell Rosa and the rest of the Mage Corps that if I ever get back to my world.
[Mostly. Even if it was a grumbled aside that was far too audible thanks to his shape altering his voice.]
[He's being remarkably patient with the inspection; while the scales and plates do have a distinctly metallic shade and texture, he's breathing, the smaller scales are shifting across what definitely looks like muscle, there aren't any joints or seams, there's no signs of padding, and while he is giving off a little more heat than should be normal, it's pretty pervasive; he is visually tracking Conan, head turning to follow.]
It might not be something you've encountered on your world, but all of us are very far from home.
[Bahamut help him how was he supposed to deal with children.]
no subject
[Sure, he didn't know of anywhere on Earth that was shaped like this, but who could tell what was outside the 'impassable' sea and the 'impassable' mountains if nobody had ever been there? And if someone had spent the time to set up a deception this elaborate, making the impossible seem possible would be a logical step to take.]
And I have seen magic before! But it's all smoke and mirrors, and nothing's real. I told you, I'm good at figuring out tricks.
[He's frowning a little at Kain now, obviously trying to figure out what the 'trick' behind him is as well.]
no subject
No, but I know that this isn't Earth. There's only one moon, we mapped the entire overworld by airship and dragon and there's no landmass like this, my nation was the most advanced human nation and didn't have a lot of things taken for granted in most of the peninsula, and I've spoken to others from different worlds with similar issues.
[Thank you Squeenix for that wonderful bit of headfuck/confusion there.]
And I have lived with a great deal more than 'smoke and mirrors', even before I came here.
[There was a part of his mind that was starting to run over old prayers just to try to keep the patience with that one, somewhat overriding the urge to prod at the kid that he was talking to a dragon; besides the nictating membrane, all the metal scales were growing out of his skin much like any other animal, and when he spoke, there was visible teeth, tongue, and gums.]
no subject
[Conan had to make a decision. The eyes were very convincing, but it was the flex of muscle under scales and the seamless play of tendons at Kain's joints that had his thoughts tipping the scale of hoax in the other direction. Conan half-reached out with a hand, staring up at Kain with a determined expression.]
May I touch you? I want to make sure you're real. There's lots of tricks that could fake your appearance.
[None of the other 'monsters' he'd encountered had been as far transformed as Kain, or had been amenable to letting him get this close (especially as a child, many of them had acted scared of hurting him). He'd rather get this whole farce over with now rather than let it extend any longer.
And if it wasn't a farce, then he'd rather get the paradigm shift over in one fell swoop, thank you.]
no subject
I don't harm children.
[He doesn't quite manage to cover a tinge of the idea being insulting; the posturing he'd done to get Cecil to act aside, he's had enough edges of I Am A Dragoon Of Baron Damnit tied up in the gargoyle ego that it's hard not to have it creep in sometimes.]
[He's holding still, and pretty much just waiting; gods knew he'd climbed all over Skieran enough as a kid.]
no subject
[Says the cheerful little sceptic.
At first it's just a tentative fingertip brush, then a firmer touch, surprised at the warmth of the scale under his hand. He scrapes his thumb testingly against the colour, then crouches to check the backs of Kain's ankles for hydraulics or gears, inconsistencies in how he's distributing his weight. Conan focuses on the information rather than the conclusions; he'd like to have everything mapped out before he goes into shock. Not that that was likely, shrinking to this size was enough of a surprise in of itself.]
Do you have wings? Can you show me?
[A little more focused and less chirpy than before, but he'd noticed the folded protrusions earlier and wanted to check. That nictitating membrane, too - if this was real, where were his mannerisms coming from? Could he map them to any animal he knew of, like lizards, or maybe birds?]
no subject
[The wings are also a little obvious - they don't fold close to him even gone full-dragon; he spreads them out, with a bit of rattling where the plates and sharper scales on the back end up hitting lower branches; the wingspan's enough to be awkward in the clearing, one wing curled over where a tree is in the way of spreading it out fully.]
no subject
You were a human before, right?
[His mind was racing - no real way for Kain to prove he'd been human before, of course, but this meant the tales were true and he'd better get ahold of those irritating pamphlets again to double check information, and perhaps see if he could find someone who hadn't transformed fully to check their rate of change, whether they were changing...
He sank down on the ground, still staring up at Kain, lost in thought. And maybe a little bit of shock.]
Wow.
no subject
And on my world before, although my order worked closely with dragons. [Working to make themselves part dragon in spirit was a much longer and more complicated part of the story.] Most of those who weren't human on their worlds are turned human when they wash up - at least, if they were something with greater power, it seems. I think reducing us all to a similar base level makes it easier for the Fog God to force the changes. [He's seen a few new arrivals that definitely hadn't been human, but they were all fairly close; he'd lay odds that a dwarf brought here would probably stay a dwarf. Also Conan you're damn lucky he's not used to thinking hard about how you talk to children.]
It starts about a month after arrival.
[Which gave the kid's group maybe a week, two at the most, and was one of Kain's amazing moments of grace, comforting presence, and delicacy in potentially traumatic subjects.]
no subject
He gives a grim little nod at Kain's last sentence, mouth compressed into a line.]
Do you know how to tell what you change into? Did you know you were going to be-
[He makes a vague gesture, guessing.]
A dragon?
no subject
[He shakes his head.] I can't say I'm surprised - due to some of how my order works, it was probably the path of least resistance, but there was no warning until it started. [At some point he does need to note the "not always full dragon" part, but it's not something where there's a rush.] For most it starts with smaller changes - enough that you could likely find someone from an earlier group that would recognize it before it's completed.
[Or someone that's already fully changed.]
no subject
I'll have to make notes [half muttered, to himself. then he remembers his company and looks up, the childish act starting up again] So what kind of creatures are there? I heard some people talking about werewolves in town, which seems kind of scary!