unrewarded (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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bakerstreet2012-12-17 03:16 am
unrewarded) wrote in bakerstreet2012-12-17 03:16 am
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THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE MEME
THE ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE MEME
inspired by the Left 4 Dead games, The Walking Dead, and various other zombie-related media.
It's a scenario that needs little introduction: the dead have risen to feast upon the living.
In the beginning there were evacuations, emergency broadcasts, reassurances from the government and the media.
It was hoped that things would return to normal sooner rather than later. But eventually, all that's left are the shambling hordes.
So take up that baseball bat, or your father's shotgun. Cling tight to your memories of the better times, or your faith, or whatever keeps you going.
The odds aren't stacked in your favor....but maybe you'll survive.
WHAT.
a productive survivor is a happy survivor.
1) Scavenge/Search: The end of civilization as we know it also means the end of all things convenient, up to and including hot water, electricity and McDonald's. Whether it's ammo or edibles, you're looking for any salvageable supplies. This option is also for if you're trying to find a familiar face somewhere among all the destruction and danger.
2) Fight: Not for your right to party, but for survival. Whether against a lone zombie, an entire horde or a fellow human being, there's nothing else to do but try and come out of the encounter alive.
3) Barricade: There's nowhere to run, but you can at least hide out and hunker down for awhile. Hopefully being cooped up won't drive you stir-crazy.
4) Escape: There comes a time when the only thing to do is run. Is there a horde on your tail? A final evacuation helicopter waiting just ahead? Whatever the reason, better hope you don't stumble.
5) Scout: Charging ahead blindly is an easy way to get killed. A little reconnaissance can prove to be the wisest decision.
6) Relax: Seems like an out of place choice, doesn't it? But sometimes, peace is just as important as safety. You've managed to secure a little while to breathe, to forget the horror you've just gone through.
WHERE.
location, location, location.
1) City/Neighborhood: These places used to be bustling with life. Now they're silent, littered with wreckage and likely crawling with foes.
2) Farmstead/Mill/Lighthouse: Isolated, secluded buildings out in the sticks.
3) Sewers/Subway/Rooftops: If you're heading through these areas, you're likely just trying to get to someplace better. Here's hoping nothing gets the jump on you.
4) Hospital/Army Base/Evacuation Center: These places once offered hope and protection. There might still be firepower and supplies stocked somewhere within.
5) Woods/Swamp/Coast/General Outdoors: Nature hasn't gotten any kinder, but it might just provide needed cover or a place to gather food the old-fashioned way.
WHEN.
at what stage of the world's end do you find yourself?
1) Initial Outbreak: This awful reality is new and frightening. There's chaos and panic everywhere you turn.
2) Two Weeks Later: The horror isn't quite so fresh, or maybe you're just starting to get a little numb to it.
3) Two Months Later: Some of the dust has settled on what remains of society. How have you been holding up?
4) ???: Specific time of your choosing.
WHO.
humanity's numbers have thinned dramatically, but you aren't alone.
1) Family: In this world, kin may be all you have left, or those who are as good as.
2) Friends: Better to be in the company of those you know and trust than those you don't, right?
3) Lovers: This isn't exactly the time or place for a honeymoon, but you're lucky enough to have found your spouse/romantic partner/fuckbuddy/whatever.
4) Strangers: You don't know this person and they don't know you. In any other situation, your paths might never have crossed. But here the two of you are anyway, like it or not.
5) Enemies: Perhaps you were at each other's throats long before this world went to hell. Maybe you just ended up that way over time, or due to the stressful circumstances at work.
6) Guardian: It could be that you don't even like this other person, but you feel responsible for them anyway.
EXTRA.
feel free to add these at your own discretion.
A) Power Loss: Immortality? Gone. Magic? Nixed. You're just an ordinary person now, for better or worse.
B) Infection: You've been bitten, or scratched, or maybe you're grappling with a sickness that has the same eventual end. You can resist the symptoms for awhile, but the only "cure" to be found is a bullet to the head.
C) Injury: Unlike the option above, you aren't hurt because of a zombie. How badly have you been knocked around?
AS ALWAYS, if there isn't a prompt that suits your needs, you're free to make up your own scene.
no subject
Where was Jake's tiger when you needed it? Eagle was too small and frail...
Hork Bajir! She begins reaching for the DNA, preparing to assume the lithe, muscular form, when-
... oh. He had no idea what an Andalite was. Chill, Rachel.]
"Long story."
[She swings her legs over the side of the loft and hops down-
Huh. It wasn't perspective. He really is kinda short. But hey, he meant business, and an ally was an ally.]
"Alright. Yeah, come on in. Not like I own the place, right?"
no subject
No, I suppose not. Though your hospitality is appreciated.
[He inclined his head forward in gratitude. Never let it be said that a dwarf was ungrateful.]
And if an Andalite has something to do with the recent troubles, I should like to know of it.
no subject
[She pauses, considering. Knowing could get him killed or taken, if the Yeerks found out. Then again, he might walk if she didn't tell him, or even decide he couldn't trust her and kill her himself. She'd given up the advantage of the loft, and she was pretty sure he'd be able to put her down before she morphed, if it came to that. He was packing weapons and wearing armor, and she had a leotard and tights. Not the best odds.
And this guy knew enough to get him in trouble just knowing the word.]
"They're aliens. I'm pretty sure they have nothing to do with the Romero film we're in."
no subject
Very well. I'll take you at your word.
no subject
[She frowns around at the mill.]
"If you were hoping for supplies, there's not a whole lot here we can use. I was hoping I'd find food at least, but it's pretty much empty, from what I saw last night. No food, no medical supplies. We might as well move on."
[If there was a 'we.' He might very well not want her around, he seemed sort of paranoid. And he would slow her down. He couldn't morph, couldn't fly.
But somehow, the thought of facing that lonely air again made her hesitate. He was the first person she'd talked to in days. Since Tobias hadn't come back, she'd had nothing to do with her thoughts except consider all the horrible things that could have happened to him. All the reasons he might not have returned.
Maybe it would be better if she stuck with him. Not many people would say no to a grizzly bear bodyguard, anyway.]
no subject
[He didn't bat an eyelash at the concept of 'we'. Thorin was a dwarf, and used to traveling alone, but with the everpresent threat of the dead it was far safer to have someone to keep watch. Any of his fellows, even the burglar, would've been a welcome addition. He'd settle for a human girl, though. What choice did he have? He couldn't just leave her on her own.
no subject
[Horses.
A horse.
She nearly laughs out loud.]
"Actually? I can get you a horse. That won't be a problem. Just let me grab something real quick."
no subject
[Intrigued, the dwarf waits for the girl to go fetch whatever it was she needed. If she had a horse and was willing to share, that would make things considerably easier.]
no subject
"You're gonna have to hold onto these. Oh, and I warn you, this next part is not pleasant to look at."
no subject
Very well.
no subject
True to her word, it's not pretty. Morphing is not smooth and natural, it's a freak show in fast-forward. The first thing that changes is her head, which sprouts out in a long snout. Then a tail sprouts out as well. Her hands shrivel away, and suddenly hooves sprout from them. The next thing to change is the size. The legs stretch and change shape. Hooves sprout. Her ears and eyes suddenly shoot out to their new positions, and then grow. The fur is the very last thing to happen, meaning that for a few moments, she's just a fully-sized horse with human skin and human hair.
Once the fur sprouts, though, Thorin finds himself looking at a perfectly ordinary horse.]
{How's this?}
no subject
This world was strange, a land where the dead walked and humans could become horses. But when she's finished, he returns his gaze to her.]
What manner of creature are you? [His voice was...somewhat heady with suspicion, because while she might be related to Beorn, she could just as easily be some manner of sorceress.]
no subject
[She tried not to sound too smug, but his expression was priceless. She did warn him.]
{There's a downside, and that's why you need to hold onto the watch. I can't stay like this for more than two hours, or I get stuck.}
no subject
And I can ride?
no subject
[Or could he? Suddenly she wishes Cassie was around. In addition to being her closest friend, Cassie was the one who actually knew something about animals. She loved horses. She'd learned to ride when she still had baby teeth. Rachel... didn't know horses at all.
Still. Hopefully Grumpy here did.]
no subject
[And up he hops, as if that explained everything.]
I suppose I'll leave you to steer? Along the river is likely the safest bet towards finding settlements, and food.
no subject
-Well, you're definitely not putting a bridle on me, that's for sure. Hang on.-
[And after giving him a moment to do so, she took off along the river at a fast clip, though not a full gallop- no need to tire herself out. Experience had shown that unlike physical injuries, being exhausted didn't go away when you morphed.]
no subject
[And so they rode, Thorin letting the horse-girl lead on, while he kept his eyes peeled for roaming packs of dead things. It wasn't hard to hang on, and while Rachel was a bit larger than the horses he was used to, he was still a skilled rider.
Still, he was curious. Curious enough to break out of his own customary and kingly silence.]
From where do you hail, Rachel?
no subject