entranceworks | + TEST DRIVE MEME +

Entry tags:

meme

+ TEST DRIVE MEME +

♦ Test Drive Meme ♦

♥ This meme is a chance for new players and/or new characters to try out their voices in Wonderland's setting, and mingle with

entranceway's current player base.

♥ Get started with one of the prompts below, or reply to other people's top-level comments. Both prose and comment spam format is allowed and welcome.

♥ Creating top-level comments is reserved for new characters who are not currently in Wonderland, as well as for new Mirrors that haven't been played yet.

♥ Please note that any threads written for this meme are not part of

entranceway's game canon. They do not count towards current players' AC requirements, and cannot be used as samples for any new applications.

♥ Have a look at our Navigation to find any information about Wonderland you might need, or head to the Input & Inquiries page for further questions. If you've made up your mind about joining, go ahead and put in your Application, or a Reserve.

P r o m p t s

I. Second Time's The Charm
This... this looks awfully familiar, and... familiar in an awful way. Look around all you like, it won't change, it won't go away. You are in Wonderland. No, worse: You're back in Wonderland. Just when everything was nice and comfortable at home, or-- or wasn't it? Maybe you're happy to be here again. Hey, no judgement, free room and board is nothing to scoff at! Blessing or curse, that's really up to you; all you know for sure is that, apparently, you're here to stay.

II. What will you children do next?
It's time for another wonderful event in Wonderland! For its duration characters will suddenly find themselves ten years older or younger. This can be physically, mentally, or both, i.e., if your character is 20 years old right now, they may become 10 physically but still have the mind and memories of their 20-year-old self, or they may revert to the mentality of their 10-year-old self and lose all the memories they have of being older. Characters over 200 years old may even age by a century, as a decade isn't that long for them.

III. Through The Looking-Glass
What an extraordinary day! All of Wonderland's mirrors-- just the things, not the capital Mirrors, not the ones like you --are suddenly shattered! Shards on the floor as far as the eye can see, and empty frames that are just begging to be stepped through! Oh, but you should really stay on your side unless the Queen of Hearts orders it otherwise. Or should you? Who's to say she wouldn't want you to investigate? Go ahead, go on, explore the real side for a change! Or... stay put right where you are, and see who comes to visit. It's really up to you.

IV. Wildcard
Play out your character's arrival. Celebrate their anniversary. Choose a different event to experience. Do anything and everything you like!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

iv

[ Wonderland is a lot like the old books say: colorful and wild and crazy as shit. At first, she thought it was some freaky dream, something brought on by exhaustion and dehydration and whatever else. Her waking life was shitty, so why shouldn't her dreams be the same? ... But, it felt too real, was too solid to be anything but reality. She's read a lot of books, ones where "normal" people get sucked into insane situations; now she'd become one of them.

A girl of fourteen lurks near the outskirts of the woods, expression not only wary, but hardened. She isn't afraid--doesn't appear to be, anyway--and is in fact wielding a bow, one currently slung over her back. One available for her use at any given moment. One she intends to use. ]

Hey, assholes! [ She calls into the empty air, pacing, unwilling yet to approach the mansion where she knows her captors must be waiting. ] If you want me, come and get me!

[ Ellie is pretty sure she can outrun them, lose them in the trees. At the very least, she can take advantage of them with knife or bow after hiding and catching them unawares.

Ellie in Wonderland. It even sounded stupid.]

[ As unsafe as it probably is, Charlie's out wandering and still trying to get a handle on things. She hadn't realized Wonderland could be this cruel, but she should have figured given some of the more twisted stories. It's not until she's nearly to the forest that she realizes where she is and thinks about turning back--only to be stopped by some voice. She looks up from watching her feet, eyes searching for whoever is out there. ]

Is someone after you? [ She doesn't shout, and really, there's no need to do that considering how close they actually are. And if someone is after the other person, yelling isn't going to help them get away.

Charlie bites her lip. ] Are you okay? [ She stops where she is just in case. ]

[ The second she hears a voice, she ducks behind a tree. Peeks out furtively, assessing the situation. Woman, mid 20s, maybe late 20s, no visible weapons. Ellie quiets her breathing, ears perked, waiting.

Hell if she's gonna make nice with these people after they dragged her away. I can't be here, not now.

So she waits. Grips the handle of her knife, just in case. ]

[ She doesn't get an answer, but she does catch the movement of her peeking out to look around. Charlie tries to make eye contact, not sure how well that's going to help, and she can tell she's scared. Or afraid something is going to happen. If she's new-- ]

Hey. [ Charlie only takes one step and then waits. ] My name's Charlie. I'm not gonna hurt you. [ She doesn't know how much the girl's going to believe her, but she tries to say it as calmly and sincerely as possible. ]

Yeah, I've heard that one before.

[ Ellie does step out, but her bow is draw. Not quite taut, not about to fire into the woman's body, but... prepared. The girl eyes the other with practiced mistrust, keeping a safe distance between them. ]

The fuck did you do to me? How'd I even get here?

[ Charlie immediately goes stiff, hands up a little and eyes somewhat wide. She'd meant what she said, but it was still hard talking to somebody with a weapon pointed at her. There's a sigh, still watching but doing nothing to really provoke her. ]

I didn't do anything. Got here the same as you did. [ Even if it's been several months now. ] The people who run this place, um, Wonderland? They do it to whoever they want. [ She swallows and tries again. ] Is somebody after you?

When isn't somebody after me?

[ But she doesn't get the hunter vibe from this woman; she looks a little too afraid, a little too... vulnerable, somehow. Ellie hesitates, then lowers the bow, but doesn't shoulder it. Not yet. ]

Wonderland? You're shitting me. Like the book?

[ Jesus... ]

C'mon, I'm not messing around. What the hell's going on?

Like the book, yeah. [ Or the movie. Or whatever version this place is supposed to be based on. Charlie hasn't really decided for herself yet, but first, she's going to try to convince this girl she's not in any danger--at least, not with her. There's a quiet sigh when she lowers the bow. ] I'm not messin' with you. They drag us here whether we like it or not, and we're here until...

[ She just gives her a slight shrug. ]

It's been about four months for me so far. Maybe five. [ Honestly, she's sort of lost count. It could even be more than five months. ] Some of it sucks, but it ain't that bad.

[ Joel is a little more patient than Ellie. He doesn't go from moderately annoyed to just plain crazy in seconds flat. He's smart and he tries to think things through. Unless his emotions are compromised. These days it seems that anything dangerous looking Ellie's way does that to him. Ready to snap and kill anyone with his bare hands that would even dare to look at this girl wrong. You fuck with her means you fuck with Joel. Who don't go down easy.

She's loud. Got a mouth on her that can run for days. He knows first hand just how much talking she can actually do. It'd been a long time since Joel was around someone that told you about every single one of their goddamn feelings. Teenage girls weren't even easy to understand when his daughter was alive. They're even worse now. They got weapons.

It's easy to get the drop on her. Come up behind and slap a hand over her mouth. He pulls her backwards into the treeline and his arms. Grumbling the entire time. Once they're out of sight he lets her go. ] Maybe you wanna start wavin' a goddamn flag for everyone to see? [ Dad face intensifies. ] You tryin' to get yourself killed?

Edited (spelling) 2015-04-28 19:50 (UTC)

[ Ellie does not take well to being grabbing from behind and dragged backward. She struggles like an animal, flailing all her limbs and aiming them at every vital point she can think of. When she's about to whip out her knife and stab the guy in the leg, he releases her and she scrambles to her feet, panting. ]

Joel? Fuck, I almost-- Don't do that!

[ She returns the weapon to its place, staring hard at the other. ]

I'm trying to figure out what the Hell's going on, how I even got here. [ She eyes him, scarred brows pulled together in question. ] Guess you don't have any idea either, huh?

You were gonna what? Stab me with that toothpick you call a knife?

[ He's seen her wield that thing and he knows she's dangerous if you ain't ready for it. He knows Ellie though. He knows what she falls back on when she's afraid. He knows what she relies on when she feels like she's in a hopeless situation. Unfortunately that's her teenage bravado. Headstrong and just plain stupid sometimes. ]

Not a one, but you don't see me yellin' at the world tellin' 'em to bring it on. [ Because he doesn't wanna get jumped. They don't know what they're up against yet. ] We should move though. I saw a house up ahead and I'd rather take what we can from there and maybe hole up there.

Hey, I've saved your ass with this thing a few times. It's not a toothpick.

[ She scrunches up her face distastefully, pacing back and forth with her hands on her hips. ]

So, we were both kidnapped by we don't know who and now we're in we don't know where.

[ Ellie admits a groan, stopping in her tracks. ]

"House?" Did you even see that place? It's more like that hotel. The place is huge. And it's probably their base, so we should just get out of here while they're not shooting at us, right?

[ Why stake out the mansion if they didn't have to? ]

[ As much as Joel would love to chalk that up to dumb luck or even beginners luck he knows he can't. She did good. She'd saved his tail a time or two and he won't forget that. Everything they've been through? They're family now. She's that last little shred of his humanity he's got left and he plans on clinging to it for all it's worth. He ain't giving her up that easy.

Joel just smiles as she paces. Hands on her hips. He looks like an amused father at this point. Watching his child emulate everything he's ever done. Right down to the logic and reasoning she's trying to do. ]

Yeah. It's a bit big. [ Joel shakes his head. ] We don't even know what the hell's going on. Place could just be abandoned. We ain't gonna know unless we go ahead and look. Sides I ain't sleepin' on rocks with you tonight.

Yeah, but-- [ Ellie groans, exasperated, but knows better than to argue. "What you say goes." That wasn't exactly true, but she did trust his judgment; it'd (mostly) kept them from harm thus far. ]

... Alright. Lead the way. [ She gestures vaguely toward the place, defeated.

Once they start moving she keeps on guard, ears perked for any little sound. ]

So... You don't seem fazed at all to be in a totally different place. Get kidnapped a lot in your, uh... career?

[ Joel looks back at her and gives her a look before he can catch himself. One that pretty much confirms that what he says goes in these situations. He may not always know what the hell is happening, but he sure as hell knows how to run and run far.

He's quiet as he starts to lead them out of the woods and towards the mansion. His eyes take in the exterior looking for signs of wear, but it seems it's been kept up with. Strange. Most people don't really care that much. He's concerned now. ]

More like I done a few kidnappings if I'm bein' honest.

[ He can't be honest about what happened before, but he won't lie about these things anymore. If she wants to know he'll tell her. ]

Mostly I'm just as lost as you. I'm just better at controllin' myself.

... Right. [ She remembers their first real encounter with the hunters, that Joel had known immediately that the man wasn't hurt. She remembers the bodies they'd come across, looted, murdered. ] Anyway...

[ Ellie thumbs at the hilt of her knife, squinting ahead at the building. ]

Shut up! I was freaked out, okay? And... with pretty good reason. [ Beat. ] Whoa...

[ Ahead loomed the gardens, bright and vibrant and clearly attended to. The girl let her mouth fall open in surprise, moving cautiously toward the hedges and flowers. ]

D'you think someone, like... actually lives here? Like, lives here lives here?

[ He's not proud of some of the stuff he's done to stay alive and fed, but this world ain't perfect no more. Never was really. Survivors did what they had to though. Pushed their bodies to the limit. Did things they never would have done otherwise. ]

Thought you was gonna just start wearin' a target on your back with how loud you were.

[ Making them a huge target.

Joel's just as stunned by the garden as she is. He's seen fine gardens before. Old enough to remember everything before the world went to shit. Never like this though. ]

Suppose so. All that landscapin' usually means folks're inside. Stay close alright?

Yeah, well, I could handle it. Only thing I guess I have to worry about is old geezers sneaking up on me.

[ She sticks her tongue out at him, defiant. ... But, she's quickly distracted by the gardens, ones fraught with birds and bugs. A tiny, white butterfly lands on a nearby bench and she crouches, awed. ]

Whoa. This place is... different than what I expected.

[ To say the least. She sticks out a finger to the bug, but it flies away in a flutter of wings. Ellie gets to her feet again, glancing toward the mansion. ]

Maybe they're not so bad, if they care enough to take care of some plants.

[Ellie isn't the only one wandering through the trees armed to the teeth, and her voice piercing the air causes Janine to freeze in place, shotgun lowered to about waist-height-- not quite ready to fire, but close enough that it can be should things take a wrong turn.

Things often seemed to take a wrong turn these days.

She doesn't reveal herself immediately, at least not visibly, but her voice is calm and even, accent crisp and sounding just a little weary as she weighs in. She doesn't know this girl from Adam, but shouting at their captors is bound to get them nowhere fast.]

Perhaps you should keep your voice down. Assuming they don't already know exactly where we are, it's likely in our best interest not to alert them.

[She lowers her gun so that it's hanging at her side, safety on as she appears from behind a tree, having been waiting with her back pressed up against the trunk when she'd heard footsteps running in her direction.]

Even if they do know, we'd do well to keep our heads. Are you injured?

Sorry that I freaked out after waking up in the middle of freaking nowhere. Jeez.

[ Ellie eyes the other woman, suspicious, but no longer... well, manic. She has her knife close enough in case the stranger tries anything, but she doesn't get the hunter vibe from this one. Even if she does have a gun. ]

Nah. You?

[ Might as well return the sentiment, for whatever it was worth. ]

It's understandable, I only suggest exercising caution.

[There's no telling who or what those responsible might be, or how they intend to engage should they choose to at all, but Janine is rigidly on guard. There's too much about this place that she can't quite process; her only hope of keeping her head on straight is to compartmentalize and refuse to let herself panic, to stay calm and dismiss what appears to be impossible for the time being.

At one time, she would have said a zombie apocalypse was impossible, but she'd been proven wrong. That had certainly opened the door to a possible belief in a great many other things.]

I'm fine.

[She doesn't move any closer, but looks past the girl and towards the mansion, frowning.]

Nothing about this place seems even remotely practical. [A pause.] Janine De Luca. May I ask your name?

Trust me, I'm all about caution.

[ Just... she hadn't been, in that moment. Ellie takes a deep breath, still watching the woman like a hawk, but... calming, just a touch. ]

Ellie. [ First names will do just fine, she thinks. ] Guess you just got dragged here, too?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

+ TEST DRIVE MEME +

ellie ➛ the last of us

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject