[ en ] tranceway . m . o . d . s. (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
vitaelamorte) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
entranceworks2015-11-20 08:07 pm
vitaelamorte) wrote in entranceworks2015-11-20 08:07 pm
+ ENTRANCEWAY TEST DRIVE MEME +
Your mind is a car, a car in the vastness of the universe, slowly going down the road which connects thought upon thought and you glance at your hands as they grasp the steering wheel, wondering if you are fit to master the curves of creativity, to weather the rocky roads of prose, to order a cool glass of beer at the roadhouse of inspiration no wait a second you can't order a beer you're driving you're test driving your mind car drunk what have you done WHAT HAVE YOU DONE THIS IS THE MIND POLICE SLOW DOWN AND PULL OVER IMMEDIATELY YOU ARE UNDER ARREST I SAID SLOW DOWN THIS IS--
♥ ENTRANCEWAY ♥
TEST DRIVE MEME
► Try out your new characters and new Mirrors here! Have a go at the setting, thread with its current players, and see if Wonderland is a good fit for you and/or your character. Post a top level comment, tag into other people's starters, enjoy yourself!
► Thread your character's arrival, set a scene with them as long-established inhabitant, or let one of your past events inspire you. Any starter is fine, and both prose and comment spam are welcome!
► Please only note that any threads on the test drive meme are not game canon, and cannot be used as part of the activity check OR as samples for any future applications. Thank you for understanding!
► Intrigued? Check out our...NAVIGATION | INPUT & INQUIRIES | TAKEN CHARACTERS | RESERVES | APPLICATIONS
AND THAT IS ALL, drive safely, and have fun with your threads!
Forest
But no, there's not a hint of recognition when the other man addresses him. It's something of a relief, so he's maybe a bit too cheerful as he shakes his head and replies-]
I haven't figured that one out yet. But you're not going to be able to get much further while riding. It gets thicker the further in you go.
[He'd found that out firsthand, being forced to push through thick brush the deeper he went. He'd almost gotten stuck at one point and after hacking his way free he figured he'd look to see if the vegetation thinned out elsewhere so maybe he could get through without having to find a way to shrink or turn into a mouse.
He also kept waiting for a tree to attack him. It hadn't happened yet but he'd learned back in the Brecilian Forest that those things could be sneaky. It was safer to be on guard, that was for sure.]
this is horrifically late, i'm so sorry, the holiday ate me
Having experience with traveling on foot in conditions much worse than these, Jon doesn't appear too perturbed or discouraged by this change of events. He bends down to tighten the straps on his boots before he gives the stranger a sidelong glance. ]
If we have the same goal, we may as well travel the rest of the way together. [ However long that is, but Jon can acknowledge that it's safer to travel with someone else. He doesn't know a thing about this man, and it's possible that he'd be just as likely to stab him in the back as he would be to help him. (Somewhere alone the line, Jon started thinking this way.) Still, he's confident that he could hold his own if it does turn into some altercation, and it's far more likely that the two of them are in the same boat. Brought here against their will with no explanation and simply aiming to learn their surroundings.
Besides, the stranger appears dressed for the occasion. Jon looks him over and then asks: ] What's your name?
no subject
[No one has attacked him while he's been here so Alistair himself isn't really expecting trouble from the other man. But even if he's wrong about that he's equally confident in his ability to defend himself if it comes down to a fight. Unless they run into some other trouble - like possessed trees - in which case having someone to fight alongside is better than facing it alone.
And having company while exploring will be a welcome change. He's mostly used to travelling as part of a group and with the complete lack of wildlife in the woods the silence gets a bit unsettling when he's on his own. Having someone to talk to will be a good distraction.]
I'm Alistair. A Grey Warden. [The other man looks like he could be from Thedas, if so he should know the orders reputation. Maybe it will put him at ease.] And you?
no subject
Granted, he could find himself proved completely wrong on that point, but there's only one way to confirm that for certain. Better to learn about what's out there than remain ignorant. ]
Jon Snow. A Black Brother. [ Unfortunately, Jon has never heard of the title Grey Warden. It could be something that exists in his world, but if so it's in some far-off land with customs that had never been taught to him.
He starts off through the brush, picking his way around the denser portions with nimble feet. He glances to Alistair as they go. ] Which I suspect means as little to you as the title Grey Warden means to me.
no subject
[The term Black Brother is not one he's familiar with as expected. They could well be from some other country - he's never left Ferelden before so how would he know? Or it could be some other part of this places strangeness. Maker knows, he's seen enough of that lately. Whatever the answer, he's not too surprised Jon hasn't heard of the Wardens before either, no matter how well known they are throughout Thedas. It's actually welcome in some ways, to think there are places that have never seen darkspawn or needed Wardens to fight them.
Even without knowing anything about Jon's order, he has to comment-] Black Brothers, Grey Wardens - why does no one ever name their order something colourful? It's a bit grim isn't it? Guess that's the point but I don't see why we can't have a little bit of colour in the name. It's not like our uniforms are all grey so it's a bit misleading... Yours at least matches.
[Speaking of attracting attention and being cautious... well, if there is anything dangerous in the woods they'll find out soon enough.]
no subject
But then Alistair starts going on about the titles of their respective groups. He does make a point about how dreary they are, but that's definitely the point with the Night's Watch. Most of its members are essentially exiles, banished to the edge of the world as a kinder sentence than execution. Jon's situation is a little different. He considers his role one to be proud of, even if he's well aware of his status as an outcast.
It's the best option that a bastard could have hoped for.
He glances down at his clothing as he walks, all black to match his name as Alistair had remarked upon. ] I suppose it's to make us sound more fearsome. [ And then he glances over to his temporary companion. ] What is it that the Grey Wardens do?
no subject
[The Wardens were generally a more sober group themselves in truth. Joining the Wardens was a death sentence and a solemn duty, not something to be taken lightly. But while he takes that duty seriously, Alistair's never been one for solemnity. Even knowing he's condemned to an early death he's grateful to have been recruited by the Wardens. It's far better than the alternative that had been chosen for him, a life in service to the Maker as a Templar, kept under control through lyrium addiction. Even the duties of the Wardens aren't so bad in comparison to that fate.]
We fight the darkspawn and stop the Blights from destroying the world.
[Most of which won't mean anything if Jon hasn't heard of Grey Wardens so he quickly elaborates.] Darkspawn are creatures that seek to destroy all other life and corrupt whatever they touch. When they invade it's called Blight. Wardens are the only ones who can stop them. If we didn't they would have destroyed the surface world centuries ago.
[Glancing over at Jon with a smile he asks-] What about you? What does a Black Brother do?
no subject
Neither of those terms mean anything to him, but the subsequent explanation is far more enlightening. Jon finds the similarities between them growing by the moment.
When the question is turned around on him, Jon's back straightens, a sense of pride entering his body language. ]
Our role is also one of protection. We are the watchers on the Wall... an actual Wall, seven hundred feet tall, made of solid ice. Beyond it lays dangers, creatures called White Walkers who come with the cold.
[ Despite the very real threat that the White Walkers and their wights represent, most of the people in the southern lands give them no consideration, believing them to be myth alone. All those distress calls sent by raven, and only Stannis had responded. Jon owes him for that, if nothing else. ]
no subject
He notes the changes in Jon as he speaks of these Black Brothers. It's the same sense of pride he feels towards the Wardens and their purpose. A feeling that makes sense as the other man explains what his order do.]
A giant wall of ice? Really? [His eyes brighten with awe and boyish excitement at the idea.] That's incredible!
[The parallels between their orders are clear even to him and it's more than enough to dispel any hints of wariness he might have had and shift Jon from 'temporary companion' to 'potential new friend'. The other man has dedicated his life to protecting people from a danger that, presumably like the darkspawn, few others dare face. It can't have been any easy choice to make and he has to respect that.]
How did you come to join?
[Jon doesn't seem much older than him and being a Black Brother couldn't be any safer than being a Warden. Even with the threat of these White Walkers it seems there must have been some other reason for the man to choose to give his life to such a cause. There had been a Blight in Ferelden and yet there still hadn't been many people lining up to become Wardens.]
no subject
It's not as if Jon had anything to do with the Wall's creation, but he can still hold pride for his role in guarding it. He's fought off a number of attacks against it now, and succeeded each time.
Alistair's question is an understandable one, as he's already put together the fact that joining the Night's Watch isn't a choice made lightly. This does dig into something more personal, however. Jon's status as a bastard is no secret where he comes from; his very name gives him away. Maybe a small part of him had hoped that he could have existed in this Wonderland without that hanging over him, but that had been the wishful thinking of a boy, and he's supposed to be a man now.
He looks to Alistair as he walks, drawing in a heavy breath as he braces himself. ]
I was born into a noble family, one of the great Houses of my world... but as a bastard. I grew up knowing I had no place among my half-siblings. Joining the Night's Watch seemed the only way that I could create my own sort of honor, and make a name for myself.
[ In a single moment, Jon has made the conversation much heavier. Then again, Alistair had asked. Looking forward again, Jon counters the question. ] And what of you, and your Grey Wardens?
no subject
You- [He shakes his head and laughs quietly.] Huh. Well, that's funny.
[He should maybe explain what exactly is so funny before Jon thinks he's laughing at him though. The subject clearly isn't an easy one for him to talk about - a feeling Alistair knows all too well. It makes it easy to answer when the question is turned back on him, without feeling the need to omit certain facts he ordinarily wouldn't share with someone he's just met.]
I was recruited into the Wardens from the abbey where I was sent as a boy. I grew up in the household of one of the nobles in my home too. As a bastard. [He grins at Jon, hoping the man will find as much amusement in the coincidence as he does.] His wife believed the rumours I was his and wanted me gone so off I was packed. I was lucky to become a Warden, the life they had planned for me at the Chantry - the abbey - wasn't something I wanted. Or would have been any good at.
[And in his own way he'd wanted to make a name for himself too. Rather than being seen just as someone's unwanted bastard - or, worse, the bastard prince to those who knew his parentage - the Wardens had seen him as just Alistair, just another Warden. It had been the first time he'd been given any choice in his life and the first time anyone had cared what he wanted. Even the price of joining the Wardens had been worth that. They'd been his family and even now, months after the fact, their loss still hurts.]
no subject
That's proved when Alistair goes on to explain his own background. It's disconcerting how similar their stories are, almost to the point that Jon wonders if Alistair's making this all up simply to find a common ground with him, but he comes across as completely sincere.
Remembering how Catelyn Stark had felt about him, Jon's heart goes out to Alistair. They've found themselves in very similar positions, and it's not often that Jon finds someone who he can relate to so closely.
Having also paused in their walk, Jon shakes his head to himself in disbelief. ] Now I have to wonder if this Wonderland is interested in abducting bastards or if this is simply a startling coincidence. [ He hasn't met enough other people here to know if this is a trend, but he's actually relieved that he opened up to Alistair about his parentage. ]
no subject
[Even with the suggestion he take the kingship as the last of the Theirin royal bloodline, his home country has much bigger problems to deal with than getting back one person. And from everything he's seen of Wonderland it's not going to be as simple as that.]
But you're the only other bastard I've met here so I think we're just lucky. Or unlucky maybe.
[Unlucky in birth that is. Meeting Jon hasn't been a bad thing at all. It's a welcome change to meet someone who understands what it can be like growing up as they did.]
no subject
Unlucky, from what I can tell so far.
[ Maybe this Wonderland seems a kinder place than Castle Black, but Jon's already antsy, feeling that he's been away from his duties for too long.
He sets forth again, but after only a few paces he gets the distinct sense that he's been here before. A quick look around reveals to him a tree that's bent in a specific way, its trunk crooked like the bent back of an old man. ]
... We're going around in circles.
[ He should be ashamed of himself. He thought he'd been paying attention, and he's navigated woods far more treacherous than these. ]
no subject
[No, he hadn't been paying much attention to where they were going and his sense of direction wasn't always the best when he was surrounded by seemingly identical trees but he was sure he hadn't been steering them around in circles. Mostly sure.]
I'd ask if you have the map but being as there isn't one...
[And he doubts they'd both manage to so completely lose track of where they were going that they'd loop back. On his own Alistair imagines he might but with two of them it seems unlikely even if they were distracted.]
...It could be magic. I was in a forest back home once where if it didn't want you to go somewhere it just turned you right around. You ended up back where you started. Really annoying.
no subject
Something else is afoot, and Alistair jumps to that conclusion just as quickly. Jon's heard similar stories of the Haunted Forest. Many of the Brothers had written it off as the panicked stories of nervous rangers, but he'd always wondered. While he's never experienced this strange effect himself, he doesn't find the idea to be particularly preposterous. ]
You may be right. Which means that if we continue trying to explore further, we'll only end up more lost.
[ With a frustrated sigh, Jon has to admit that they're better off returning back to the mansion for now. They can gather more information from those who have been here longer, to see if there's any trick to navigating this forest.
But there's one more loose end that needs to be tied off. ]
I need to see if I can find my horse, if nothing else.
[ He'd found the animal in the stables here, which means he has no real attachment to it, but Jon isn't willing to just leave it either. ]