riverviewmod: (Default)
Riverview Moderator ([personal profile] riverviewmod) wrote in [community profile] riverviewooc2017-04-20 11:42 am

riverview: april test drive meme

riverview test drive meme

Welcome to Riverview's test drive meme! Feel free to dip your toes in on the test drive meme to try out your character in the setting, play out a mission, and get samples for your application at the same time!

Reserves are currently OPEN.
Applications open on May 1st.
● Providing all parties are amenable, threads on the test drive meme can count as game canon, as the plot in the prompts presented is game canon.
● TDM threads do not count for Activity Check, but they do count for Activity Bonus Points, so long as all characters involved are accepted into the game.
● Threading on the TDM is intended for prospective new characters, so top-levels should only be posted by players of these characters. Since the events in the TDM are considered game canon, characters currently in the game are free to use the TDM prompts logs and posts on the regular communities.

Feel free to use the prompts below or create your own scenario. The setting is built to be flexible, so feel free to make things up as you go.


information resources

premisearrivalsettingask a questioncalendarnavigation


prompt i: baiting the behemoth

Recently, a team of skilled explorers went out into the jungle to the Northwest of the city to follow up on several sightings of a giant lizardlike behemoth that's been skulking around outside the walls, a creature whose level of aggression (and therefore how dangerous it might be) was unknown. The team, while not exactly as stealthy as they were supposed to be, did manage to find the creature, which they found to have about the intelligence and temperament of a very, very, very large dog. And whom they named Liam.

Having established that the behemoth (which is around the size of a blue whale, snakelike in shape, but with four legs, brown striated scales, large claws and teeth, bad breath, and an affinity for face-licking) is not an intentional danger to the city, the authorities could not rule out the idea that it might cause accidental damage to the city, walls, or crops around the city. As a result, research has been done and a new mission has been drafted and recruited for - baiting the behemoth. The objective of this large-scale mission is for many small, quick-moving teams to take behemoth bait deep into the jungle for the purpose of luring the massive but mostly-harmless creature away from the city and hopefully to a new, less-inhabited feeding area. There is room for many different teams, and all of them should be heading deep into the jungle heading directly away from the city, going Northwest. The authorities in question have come up with a wide variety of food and pheromone scented lures that range from mild to truly stinky, so which type your team gets is up to you.

Each lure is small enough to fit in a cage-shaped canister that can be carried like a backpack by one person with average strength, and each lure-carrier will need to be accompanied by at least one or two fighters. Why, when the behemoth is peaceful? Well....


prompt ii: pest control service

The behemoth might not be aggressive, but unfortunately it's picked up some unwelcome companions. After last month's near-disaster where a colony of lizardlike monsters had taken up residence in tunnels under the city, wreaking havoc in the power grid, and were subsequently either killed or flushed out of the underground, some of the local fauna has been bumped down the food chain.

The fauna in question is a very large pack of mammalian six-limbed creatures that usually live in the trees and hunt oversized insects in the underbrush. When the lizards escaped the underground into the surrounding jungle, and drastically reduced the population of the insects the mammals usually feed on, the predators became parasites, attacking the only thing left that is more docile than the insects they usually feed on - the behemoth. These creatures are quick-moving, well-camouflaged in the jungle with mottled brown-and-green fur, and sport massive teeth and long tongues that allow them to stick to whatever surface they land on.

Hungry as they are, they will make no distinction between the behemoth's juicy hide and the lure-carrying teams that are trying to help it. Hopefully, their ranks can be thinned enough that the behemoth survives the trip to its new home.


prompt iii: rainbow bite

Not everyone is cut out for missions into the jungle or cleaning up angry predatory parasite monsters, but that doesn't mean that staying home means being safe from the weird things that come out of the portal. In the early morning of April 20th, drawn by the warmth of the rising sun, a massive swarm of rainbow-colored fireflies emerges from the portal into the quarantine. Unlike regular fireflies, though, they are bright enough to glow even during the day, and these bugs have bite! While generally harmless aside from stinging a little, the bite of the rainbow fireflies causes certain kinds of emotional response to become heightened, depending on the color of the firefly in question. While scientists have never run into these bugs before and have no idea how it works, they can cause this effect in any kind of sentient creature that is capable of emotion, including androids and characters that are usually unaffected by substances. The effects on emotions are as follows:


● RED: Lust/Anger
● ORANGE: Honesty/Openness
● YELLOW: Fear/Anxiety
● GREEN: Jealousy/Envy
● BLUE: Sadness/Grief
● VIOLET: Love/Affection

When a character is bitten, the effects on their emotions can last anywhere from an hour to a week, depending on the character's psychology and resistance to certain emotions - for example, if a character has a hard time dealing with their grief, the effect of a blue firefly may last longer than other colors. How the characters manifest the heightened emotional response or sensitivity is up to the individual player, as different body chemistry or other circumstances might change how characters are affected. Red firefly bites have a 50/50 chance of affecting a character with lust or anger, though characters who have not reached sexual maturity (underage characters) won't get get the lust effect.

Firefly effects can be easily avoided simply by avoiding the fireflies. It won't take long for some of the geniuses in the Quarantine to start making and distributing firefly repellent, and characters can expect sales of mosquito tents to skyrocket.

These alien fireflies have a lifespan of around a month, and they are unable to procreate outside their native environment, which means the last of them will be dying off around May 20th.

CLARIFICATION: In response to a player question, the effects of the fireflies CAN layer, so they can be affected by more than one at the same time. Red fireflies with the lust effect don't make characters incapable of controlling themselves, just heighten feelings of arousal/desire.


prompt iv: friendr/network

Whether your character is posting up a silly word game to distract people from the dangerous mission going on, trying to get hold of a friend, or putting out feelers for people to go out into the fray with, the network is going strong.

Alternately, an offer for a free app is popping up on new arrivals' devices - Friendr is a friend-finder and/or dating app. If characters choose to install it, they will fill out a short bio and parameters for what they're looking for, upload a snap of themselves, and then proceed to browse for matches. This is a typical swipe-left-or-right type app.

Code to post your character's bio is in the textbox below, or you can just do a text version of the information in the app. An example of how it looks can be found here.


Many thanks to [personal profile] mistojen for coding this especially for Riverview!


prompt v: wildcard

Choose your own adventure and do something else in the setting!


navigation

[jungle image is by Armand Serrano and Paul Lasaine]
eyeforaneye: (099;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2017-04-21 05:06 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Sasuke takes a long moment to look him up and down, apparently making sound kind of judgment that will forever impact their future interactions.

No doubt.
]

... fine. You aren't trying to mess with me. Do you need something else?
eyeforaneye: (091;)

1/2

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2017-04-21 05:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It should be number one but he can accept this. As long as the store has customers, it doesn't matter what time of day they arrive. ]
eyeforaneye: (015;)

2/2

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2017-04-21 05:08 pm (UTC)(link)
... water.

[ this is not a joke ]
lacquers: (don't know what to do with these)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 05:11 pm (UTC)(link)
Temporary or not, that seems like a pretty significant risk. You'd consider it to be worth doing in spite of the risk? [ He feels that a first conversation is probably too soon to be offering someone life advice, but if it weren't, the life advice would be: 'possibly don't do the things that can result in (temporary) insanity.'

Probably it would go something like that. ]


I really can't get rid of the theatrical flourishes. I tried for awhile and didn't care for it much at all, so I've long since decided to embrace them! I like to think people enjoy them. Some people, anyway! [ It's one of those "the people who mind don't matter, the people who matter don't mind" situations. ]

Is he very flustered by comments about how handsome he is? [ Darn. You can't see his expression, but he is a tiny bit amused here. Tiny bit.

There shall by no skeleton-related judgment from this side of the text conversation, you have our solemn word on that. ]


Oh, then I will cease immediately! And I apologize for any discomfort, too. [ That! Is troubling!! Causing distress to new acquaintances is really actually pretty high on the list of things Magnus Does Not Want. Unless they're the type that antagonize him and Taako has been nothing but nice. ]

I'd presume that's how your boss came to be your boss? Or was that due to an interest in politics? [ That does sometimes happen, he finds. ]
vitaars: (pic#11309145)

FUCK YEAH!!!!

[personal profile] vitaars 2017-04-21 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
She does, and it's only a half a second before Adaar sends one flying, this time letting it explode on impact and sending freshly melted chunks of whatever it is that they're fighting in all directs. Adaar wrinkles her nose at the smell -- but doesn't look back at the other woman. Others had their own type of combat, it's true, but Amell fights with spells and style that is at least familiar to her. It goes a long way for teamwork.

"Wouldn't know," Adaar calls back, dropping to one knee to pull as far back on her bow as the tension and her strength will allow. "The Deep Roads are about the only place I haven't been." And she is absolutely not looking to change that in the slightest. "I did have to escort one through the Hinterlands once."

Not the same thing, thankfully, even if there had been a Rift right there.
burntbridges: To the unknown (Doubt ☿ Oh it feels like ages)

[personal profile] burntbridges 2017-04-21 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
One shouldn't be so judgemental, it sets a bad example.

[She's starting to get frustrated with his attitude.]

And anyway, where I rest my head and what I put in my mouth are none of your business. I'm happy with where I am - most people would call that a sign of humility.
vitaars: (pic#11309142)

@adaar

[personal profile] vitaars 2017-04-21 05:19 pm (UTC)(link)
Wrong place, wrong time. And a bad case of mistaken identity.

( it's better than being dead, sure, but now everything is trying to kill her. life was a lot simpler before she tried picking up a funny looking ball. )
hevenly: (armor)

[personal profile] hevenly 2017-04-21 05:20 pm (UTC)(link)
And what of your home?
lacquers: (at least we lost with style)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 05:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Grey Warden? [ He has other questions, but that seems like the simplest point of clarification. If he only knew. ]

Those are very complicated questions. I'm certain several volumes have been written about either. I'd have to say the simplest way of explaining it would be that after all this time, a status quo has been established and it's hard for anyone to disrupt it.

There aren't many ways for humans to increase their magical capacity without immense amounts of practice, no. Warlocks can augment their magic by summoning demons and negotiating with them to use their power. I can't say I'm an expert on Seelie magic, but it's very much connected to nature.
hevenly: (temptress)

[personal profile] hevenly 2017-04-21 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Hel is the home of the Asgardian dead, and of dead Angels too, until recently. Now the dead of Heven go to Elysium. There is a Hell with demons, yes, I believe, though I have never been.
helical: (057)

[personal profile] helical 2017-04-21 05:22 pm (UTC)(link)
As far as we know this moon is our home for the next while so that has nothing to do with our current situation
dirtyredneck: (Neutral Interested (04))

[personal profile] dirtyredneck 2017-04-21 05:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Hell of a mix up, it sounds like. It the funny haha sort or the funny fuck that shit sort?
helical: (250)

[personal profile] helical 2017-04-21 05:24 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm not always going to be around balancing you out
trashmammal: (play with matches)

[personal profile] trashmammal 2017-04-21 05:26 pm (UTC)(link)
cool cool cool.
ill be outside whenever youre ready to get your grub on.
black hair orange shirt.
you cant miss me.


[Because the person waiting for him just outside the building does in fact have the head of a cat.

nothing weird about that no sir
]
lacquers: (go on that first date)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 05:28 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Regret, what regret? Magnus loves the incessant chatter. Chatter away, sir! He's more than happy to answer questions.

Once it seems like Suigetsu is more comfortable, he lowers his hands to his sides. ]
I am the magician, yes! [ Magnus the magician. Has a kinda ring to it, doesn't it? As he gets to them, he'll tick off answers to questions on his fingers. ] Portals are something of a specialty of mine, so no, I don't find it too difficult.

I was sitting in park a few miles from here when I contacted you. It's a lovely little place!

As for what it feels like, there's a slight tugging sensation, but that's about it. When I first started making them, I recall it being significantly rougher! Very much like a roller-coaster. My hairstyle would rarely survive the trip. [ Says he, now pointing to his perfectly style hair with one bright-tipped finger. ]

Jutsu, that means 'technique,' right?
lacquers: (magnus257)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 05:30 pm (UTC)(link)
And what if what is out there for some people includes magic? My definition of the word could be different from yours, couldn't it?
snarkbark: (006.)

[personal profile] snarkbark 2017-04-21 05:33 pm (UTC)(link)
You started this!
eyeforaneye: (015;)

[personal profile] eyeforaneye 2017-04-21 05:34 pm (UTC)(link)
... you use a lot of words. [ Not even on any one given topic or with any kind of qualifier. It just feels like a lot, okay, Magnus.

And there's something about being out here amongst the trees and wilderness that makes every word feel ten times as loud and noticeable; did he really just become too used to the lonely silence in a setting like this?
]

It's a work in progress. Given the ability you mentioned, it seems you'll be particularly suited for it.
mindtricky: (064)

[personal profile] mindtricky 2017-04-21 05:37 pm (UTC)(link)
sure

but i bet u 10 bucks its the same bullshit im talkin about
lacquers: (we met the other day)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
So, they don't have a bad reputation? Other than stories about boiling things in cauldrons and eating children?

As I say it, I realize that the latter is a pretty terrible thing to build a reputation on, but surely not all stories involve harm coming to children.
warden_enchanter: i know i've got a big ego (is this about me? no?)

[personal profile] warden_enchanter 2017-04-21 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Having so many awful places to choose from is how you know it's an adventure.

Killed a lot of things, shouted at a lot of people, solved all their stupid problems so they wouldn't have any more excuses. Things really just go so much more smoothly when people listen to what I tell them to do.
helical: (192)

[personal profile] helical 2017-04-21 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
No I didnt
lacquers: (where is our tardy little tutor)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
[ That's probably the ten thousandth time someone has told him as much, so he is utterly unfazed by this. He does pause a moment. Not that he stops moving, he just takes a second or two before replying. ]

There's a lot to be said, [ Magnus offers, after that brief phase of contemplation. ] If you'd like me to be silent, so we can work more effectively, I can certainly give it my best shot!

[ But he likes talking... ]
lacquers: (once the bond is sealed)

[personal profile] lacquers 2017-04-21 06:08 pm (UTC)(link)
To me, magic is the equivalent of one of my limbs. It's something I was born with and use every day. Some of the magic I use comes to me as easily as breathing.

If I were to say it was bullshit, it would be like saying I could easily go on with my life unchanged if I suddenly lost the use of my arms or legs.

But that's magic by my definition. Yours seems to be different.
magicmishap: (Magic 1)

Merlin | BBC's Merlin (Pre-series)

[personal profile] magicmishap 2017-04-21 06:32 pm (UTC)(link)
i
Why was this his life?

Merlin wasn't sure why he had signed up for this. Maybe acknowledgement that he was part of a community and the community needed people to give back in a time of need? Maybe boredom? Maybe a fear that it wouldn't get done?

He had no idea, but here he was, holding a giant pack of bait on his shoulders, and treking along with others deep into the forest.

Their spot to drop the bait wasn't too far away. If only they could get there intact, fully alive and not at all bothered by the menaces they had been warned about...

Ahead, the scout shouted as they spotted the target spot and Merlin quickened his pace. Yes! This was going to work!

ii
Of course it was never that easy. As Merlin hid behind a tree, peeking out now and then, he sighed. His life, this was an example. He had been split up from his fellows, and he had no idea how many, if any, were still alive. They had been swarmed by a group of the parasite creatures as they set up the lure, and the expedition leader had shoved Merlin in one direction, yelling at him to run. And promptly had been torn apart.

Merlin had killed that one, barely, at the cost of an arm that was either broken or sprained, and then he had run, run as fast and as far as he could. Now, exhausted, panting, and lost, he could hear at least one of the predator things out there, coming closer, and he knew he would probably have to face it.

Why he even tried to be normal, he just didn't know. His eyes went golden bright as he took a deep breath and stepped out, raising a hand...

iii
Merlin was tired, exhausted from the mission, and from a brief hospital stay after he had gotten back. Now, hearing the allcall for help as he trudged home, he sighed, seeing others run away, or toward, the disturbance.

"Seriously? Why?"

He sighed, turned his direction toward the disturbance and trudged forward, grimly checking his reserves to see what he had left to spare.

Turning a corner, he yelped as a cloud of somethings swarmed into his personal space. he flailed and his eyes went gold as he pushed hard, trying to shove the things away. Most shot off, but some hummed in what sounded like very angry hummingbird, then shot at him.

"Shi--argh!" And he ran as something, whatever it was, seemed to divebomb him and bite him and he stumbled, feeling an odd sensation sweep over him. What the hell had that been? And why did he feel so... wierd...

[ ooc: Deliberately leaving this one open, so as to allow input from taggers to influence what he is bitten by ]

iv
FRIENDR


Merlin

AGE: 18
INTERESTED IN: See below
SEEKING: Women for romance, any for friendship
ABOUT ME: Just a guy trying to make a living in a new world. I believe that magic can happen.




v
Wildcard!
Edited 2017-04-21 18:32 (UTC)