snowblindmemes | Test Drive

Entry tags:

test drive

Test Drive


TEST DRIVE MEME
If you'd like to apply to Snowblind and would like to test the waters first or get a sample set up for your application, this meme is for you! We've even provided some prompts for you to use if you want (but feel free to make up your own). Here's how it works. ✭ Reply to this entry with a character you're considering apping into the game. You can include the name of your character and the fandom in your subject line. ✭ Comment around to others on the meme, whether you're in the game already or not. ✭ Now you have a sample ready for your application! ✭ So go reserve and apply when reservations and applications are open. ✭ Seriously, do it. Network Prompts ONE: TIME TO CHECK WEBMD You've found the pharmacy, which is really convenient, since you're not feeling that great. Actually, you're feeling terrible. Maybe you have a fever, maybe you're coughing up blood, maybe you're vomiting... Whatever it is, you should probably try to get some medicine for it. Well, if you can figure out what it is. Maybe someone on the network can help you out? Alternately, you know exactly what you have--but for whatever reason, the medicine here isn't something you can easily understand. You have to choose between a couple of options, and you don't know the difference. Hopefully someone on the network can tell you which will heal you and which will probably kill you. TWO: NOT SO HELPFUL AVATARS Every tablet has the option for a customizable avatar that will talk to you and keep your tablet in order. Maybe you set it up, maybe you never checked it. Either way, it keeps popping up unrequested and being sort of... Odd. Flickering, talking in strange, mechanical voices, offering advice that's unhelpful at best and actively harmful at worst... Maybe it's even telling the entire network some things you've been doing you'd rather everyone didn't know. Time to call tech support. Unfortunately, the best option is other people on the network. Good luck. Action Prompts THREE: SCHOOL DAYS You've ended up in the elementary school. Maybe you're grabbing more food, maybe you're exploring. Either way, this place is creepy; the atmosphere is the sort that gets the hair on the back of your neck rising (potentially metaphorically, if you don't have hair or a neck). It's not long before strange things start happening. The sound of running and screaming children, doors slamming in far off or nearby hallways, pianos playing... What's going on? It's hard to tell what's really happening from what isn't happening. Maybe someone who's also exploring has some idea. FOUR: SUPPLY SCRAMBLE You've just walked into a house, and look, there's fresh fruit sitting right out on the counter! How long has it been since you've had some of that? It'll definitely help provide some much-needed vitamins and maybe it will ward off scurvy and the like. There's even more than one piece! ...And there's more than one person here, too. So, what are you going to do? Are you willing to share, or are you prepared to stab someone over a pear? Time to find out just how badly you want that food.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[House glances sideways at Al. The darkness finally catches his attention, and he slows down a little.]

Gotta ask: You usually throw yourself into danger for complete strangers, kid?

[Not that he's going to complain, but it's good to know if he's just feeling generous today or if the guardian complex is already set in at 15.]

[It set in way before fifteen, Al is a hopeless case when it comes to protecting others. Of course it also helps that his body is made of metal, which makes him pretty damn durable in a fight.

He chuckles, trying to force himself to sound more relaxed than he is.]

Hey, I promised that I'd get you to the vet's office, didn't I? I can't do that if you die on me.

That's comforting. Really.

[This has adrenaline pumping, though.]

What are these creatures you were talking about?

I wish I knew.

[What was that about comforting?]

They're incorporeal for the most part... at least until they want to touch you, and then they kill fast. I've run across a few of them already and the only sure way to get away is to run until you reach a shelter that you can barricade.

[A door slams shut loudly up at the far end of the corridor, and something seems to whisk past them both just out of sight.]

[House goes still. Okay. This is where the morons in the movie keep walking forward, braving the unknown. His tone is casual as he takes step backwards. Potential drugs with potential monster attack aren't as enticing as more certain drugs a little farther away.]

Hmm... Let's avoid having to run. Thinking I should get to know the town better. Let's hit the vet.

I think we should do both.

[There might not be creatures yet, but running would still be the better option now. Besides, it might be necessary to run in order to reach shelter before nightfall.]

Can you run?

[He hooks his cane over one elbow and reaches into his pocket, pulling out a pill bottle. House pops the top, shakes out two and dry swallows them. He's not nearly high enough for this, and it's going to hurt like hell.]

Yeah. [And back in the pocket the pills go. This vet had better have Vicodin.] I'm going to need to hold onto you, though, or I'm going ass over teakettle once we hit the snow.

[That isn't a sight to inspire confidence, a man who needs to pop pills in order to prepare to run... probably isn't going to make it far on his own when it will take at least a couple of hours of solid running to reach the nearest house.]

Are you sure about this?

[He doesn't want to hurt his pride, but...]

I can carry you and run, I might even be faster that way.

[The look House shoots up at Al is nearly venomous. He doesn't mind playing up the cripple act when it suits him. Being pointedly reminded of his own frailties is another matter, entirely.]

I'll be fine, Tin Can.

[For a little bit. A very little bit. It's not just the pain. He can't actually run like he used to. House can manage a shambling, 'three-legged' jog for a time with his cane, though.]

Turn around and start jogging. I'll keep up.

[He doesn't push it now, he understands having pride and he'll let House run for as long as possible. But if it looks like he's flagging, or if those things catch up and he's in danger, Al will pick him up without a second thought. Better to be angry than dead.]

Right!

[He twists, but he lets his companion set the pace. Whatever it is, it's obviously not hard for him to keep up with his ridiculously enormous stride length.]

And it's Alphonse, not Tin Can, Alphonse Elric.

[If they're going to be fleeing for their lives together, might as well get acquainted.]

What about you, what's your name?

[The pace is more than a jog, but much less than a run, and House is grimacing almost as soon as they set off. If he can just make it out of this building, he might let his pride go enough to have Al carry him.]

House. [The name is gritted out between clenched teeth.] Dr. Gregory House.

[As they abscond, the shadows seem to take that as their cue to start expanding. Somewhere in the building - the music room, no doubt - a piano starts to bang out an appropriately sinister tune.]

This really is a goddamn horror movie.

[Which keeps him clipping along.]

Edited 2015-08-25 22:40 (UTC)

[Al falls back half a step so that he can try and place himself between House and where he expects the major danger to come from, though internally he's willing the pace to pick up pretty rapidly.]

Doctor, huh?

[Does that mean House thinks he's a moron himself, or just doctors that aren't him?]

Then I definitely need to make sure you get out of here okay, this place always needs more morons... I mean doctors.

[He's hoping jokes will keep House from panicking in the face of shadow monster terror.]

[Al is nice, but the Vicodin is helping to calm his nerves more than anything.]

Hah.

[But House can appreciate a joke. Unfortunately, what he can't do is pick up the pace. This is his 'flat out' now, which is more than a little galling for a man who spent his youth running along lacrosse fields and around the track.]

Keep working, kid. You could probably get a stand-up routine in Vegas. Seven-foot armor just adds to the freak-show attraction.

[This is him being relatively nice. Can you tell? House does try to push himself, but this is ridiculous, it's like every cliche out there. He can see signs pointing to the exit, but it feels like they're going in circles, and what was once the patter of distant feet now sounds like scuttling behind them.

House swears under his breath. Screw pride. Dying in a haunted elementary school would make him a moron.]

Pick me up, Elric.

[He really doesn't need to be told twice. He's half bent down to gather House up more than once already, only resisting because of not wanting to hurt the other man's pride, but now all bets are off.

Sometimes being a seven foot tall behemoth has its advantages.

He bends and scoops House into his arms bridal style before increasing his pace significantly. Long legs stretch out and cover the ground much faster than before, just managing to stay ahead of the increasing shadows.]

I've got you!

[Being comforted by a fifteen year old has to help the whole pride issue. He bursts out of the main door and into the snow, his earmuffs blowing off with a sudden gust of wind.]

Can you keep watch for anything coming from behind? They might not leave the school, but just in case...

[Okay, bridal style? Really? Add insult to injury. Although, a fireman's lift might be something to make him complain even louder. House throws an arm up across Al's chest and up to his shoulders so that he can keep an eye out behind them.

He clutches his cane tight with his free hand.]

If anyone asks, you were the one coming onto me.

[What better time for banter than when he's watching shadows somehow come to life and chase them. Again, his mind goes to hallucination. There has to be a reasonable explanation for this. Hallucination? Animatronics? Holograms? Whatever it is, those things look pretty damn real. Especially as one comes whipping out of the doorway to follow them. House tries to see if it's leaving tracks. That would be some sort of tip-off.]

You've got something tall, dark, and ugly following. What the hell is this place?

[As far as Al is concerned bridal style is the best choice. House is hurting, maybe even injured, and all other lifts would just exacerbate any problems instead of allowing Al to keep him as cradled and comfortable as possible.

Return quips die almost at once when he gets that highly unwelcome piece of news. If they're being pursued properly then this will be a tiring and frantic few hours. Al tries to resist the urge to speed up, he'll need his reserves to last out and burning all his energy in a panicked sprint won't help either of them.]

Norfinbury.

[That's about the only answer he has, sadly.]

These things weren't here when I first arrived, I wish I knew what changed. Just... keep tucked in, that way they won't be able to touch you.

[Al bends a little bit, almost as if he's curling his body down to act as a living (ha) shield for House.]

We're going to be running for a while, I think the nearest house is at least two or three hours away.

This place is worse than the Pine Barrens.

[Which is impressive. It's even got more realistic monsters to go with it. Perfect. House feels ridiculous - and cold - being ferried by a 15-year-old in a suit of armor, but this does beat the hell out of trying to outrun that thing.

And several hours will give him time to contemplate what it actually is. What Al is. Because one advantage of being this close? He's getting a good look inside where his eyes and face should be in that armor. Animatronic? Very possibly. House is going to put that down for his best guess on the kid for now. Something remotely controlled, which is smart, though... from what he's heard about the power situation, that shouldn't be possible.]

What kinds of clues were you looking for in that school?

[It's sometime later when he asks, having shifted himself to as comfortable a position as is feasible.]

[Al doesn't mind the silence. He lets his strides fall into a steady rhythm, the crunching of snow beneath his feet providing the only staccato bursts of noise. He risks a quick glance backwards every ten minutes or so, only slowing down when it seems that they've managed to get a good lead. He doesn't go as far as a walk, but this jog is easier to maintain than a run.

He's startled out of his reverie by House's voice. He had almost forgotten there was anyone with him, and the lights of his eyes flare briefly in embarrassment. He should have been paying more attention...]

I'm not sure, I guess I don't know what the clues are until I find them.

[Perhaps that's not helpful, but it's all he has right now.]

My brother and I are used to finding the clues hidden in cryptic information, it's just finding something first that's the issue.

[He's been here a month and the sum total of their clues are some blood, some frozen corpses, and a lot of flawed mathematical equations.]

I knew the school was dangerous, Lea told me about the monsters and I know Tim has been hurt there, but I didn't want to risk passing potential evidence by.

Evidence for what, though? Are you guys looking for a way out? For info on this 'admin'? Where those things came from?

[He has to at least have a question in mind. House likes puzzles, but he likes puzzles that have some kind of boundary he can grasp at.]

All of those things.

[Al isn't the type to limit himself, not when there are so many questions to be answered.]

The main goal is to find a way home for everyone, obviously, but there are other important things that need answers too. Like who lived here before? How are they bringing people here? Why? It's no good to find a way home if we just leave it so other people can be trapped like this in the future.

[Why yes, he does have a protector complex about six miles wide.]

Seems perfectly good to me as long as it isn't us. [He's watching the flare of light in those eye sockets closely. Protector streak or not, this guy has to be getting something out of this. So what is it?]

So, why do you care about people you'll probably never meet?

Why wouldn't I?

[He knows that's not answer enough, so he hesitates a moment before trying to explain.]

After experiencing this place myself, I don't think I could forgive myself if I just went home and left others to be trapped here. If I didn't try then I would be as good as helping to make them suffer, and I'll never do that.

[He doesn't realise House is watching his eyes so closely, but there's a lot to see for the close inspector. They flare and dim with varying intensity, brighter when he's determined or passionate. Not to mention that up this close, the metallic and slightly hollow ring to his voice would probably be more noticeable.]

Could you just walk away from people and leave them to suffer? Even if they're strangers?

[He said he was a doctor, right? Surely he understands that.]

[He's a doctor, not a bleeding heart.]

Depends.

Are they suffering from something terminal? Why bother? They're going to die, anyway.

Do I have the supplies to spare to help them? Maybe I'd help. Is there anything interesting about them? Probably. Do they look like they might be useful? Always a fan of fair trade. You don't get something for nothing, kid.

And people don't throw themselves on the sword for anybody and anything without a reason.

So where did you screw up? Who did you not help that one time? Because doing all of this isn't going to fix that.

[Ow.

That hits way too close to the truth and Al can't help the small involuntary flinch that accompanies 'who did you not help'. Because isn't that part of why he tries so hard to help everyone? Isn't that why he promised not to let anyone else get hurt while he could prevent it?

Nina... Martel... Mom.

The lights of his eyes almost dim into non-existence, though his voice remains calm and firm.]

Why do you have to have a reason to want to help people? We're all trapped here together, we should be looking out for each other without wondering where the reward is for each of us personally.

[And his estimation of House goes down quite a lot. A doctor, in his mind, should want to help everyone - like Winry's parents had done, like Dr. Marcoh was trying to do now.]

Besides, who knows when those people you help might help you one day in return? Not because it's a debt to be repaid, but just because... because it's right.

[It's likely not finished dropping. House has a captive audience. One who is, in his eyes, being an idealistic moron.]

Everybody's got an internal ledger sheet. Just because you try to keep your balance in the black doesn't mean everyone does. Karma is crap. If someone's helping you, it's because they're getting something out of it. Even if it's just something to feed their ego and savior complex.

[A particularly significant glance up at Al.]

Free life lesson for the day. And if you 'believe' anything different, you're going to get taken advantage of. Case in point, you're not going to put me down. You should. You don't know me. I could be lying about being a doctor. I could be a serial killer. I could be a spy for the admin, playing up the cane to gain your sympathy. Did you think about any of that before you helped me, or did you just see the poor old doctor with the cane to save?

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

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject