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riverviewooc2017-04-20 11:42 am
riverview: april test drive meme
riverview test drive memeWelcome 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
premise ● arrival ● setting ● ask a question ● calendar ● navigation
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....
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.
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.
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.
Many thanks to
mistojen for coding this especially for Riverview!Choose your own adventure and do something else in the setting!
ignia scientia | ffxv
[Your partner on this little excursion was tall, smart, and more than capable of wrangling a few behemoths in his day. You can trust an accented man with glasses, can't you? In fact, he's so certain of his capabilities that he's taken a bottle of the pheromones with you to lay your traps with more enticing bait. It's been working, so far. The stuff is strong, and just a few drops incites rustling in the distance.]
We'll be done in no time. I'm glad to have you along with me, I wasn't entirely sure where we were-- [He smiles rather proudly, rising back to his feet with the cap in one hand and the bottle in the other. Only, there was a root over his foot when he attempted another step. The bottle really should have had a cap.
There was enough pheromones spilled over the front of your chest for ten behemoths. It reeks, and Ignis recoils, but that isn't the reason he's lost all color in his face.
The rustling is getting closer.] ... You need to take off your shirt, now.
ii. but man am i bad at math
I think I've had quite enough of this hydra of a species. You cut off the head one, ten more appear.
[But through a break in the underbrush, light shined down so heavenly upon rocks over a small pool of water. After being out here for a few hours at least, it's nearly an oasis for cleaning hands and getting all that lizard gunk off your weapons. Or body parts. Ignis has stabbed a few that had close calls for your head, after all.
He sighs with relief, offering a worn smile.] But it seems our efforts aren't going unrewarded. You first?
[The thing is, lizard creatures are most certainly reptiles. And when it doesn't rain, these little water pools are crucial to reptiles' living comfortably. And unbeknownst to Ignis, there were probably more than any they'd encountered before in the bushes, the trees, and god knows where else. Living comfortably. Watching. Waiting. Listening to this conversation and laughing to themselves, even. What idiots, these reptilian beasts think.
They're going to be screwed at some point, one way or another. It was only a matter of time.]
iii. wildcard
You're telling me a city with incredible technological advancements can't make a good black coffee?
[You've caught him at an bad mood, unfortunately. Ignis is tapping his foot impatiently, drumming his fingers over his arm, his lips pursed and eyes narrowed at the window of a convenient store across the street. One he's been to, and one he now holds with high disdain.]
All the coffee brands to offer, all of them perhaps a shade of pale grey. Not black. How is a man expected to stay awake?
iv. social media
ii. because you already see his shirt off enough as it is
[ Gladiolus backs up so quickly that his heavy boots send water scattering, and as he swings his massive greatsword, it's wide blade sluices through the water just before he lets it fly straight into the bushes. There's a wet crunch as it strikes something and a strangled scream of some creature. ]
Hah! Bulls-eye! [ A distant crystalline sound is heard as he pumps his fist in front of him and summons the greatsword into his hand again. ]
excuse me there's never enough of gladio's chest
[Try as he may, Ignis still smiles even as he sighs. He can't truly complain, it's a miracle they have time to enjoy themselves again. Instead he'll take the time to remove his spectacles, crouching at the water to cup his hands and wash his face.
Just go ahead and take care of the next lizard making its attempt at ambush behind his back, Gladio. He trusts you enough with this.] It hasn't been long enough to call it old times, Gladio. Or have you forgotten my scoldings so easily?
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Heh. You forget that I've been here longer than you have.
[ That and Ignis looks very different from how he appears now. This is something he's officially Over by now. Without missing a beat, Gladio reaches out to pull on Ignis' shoulder toward him, side-stepping to allow himself enough room to throw his whole weight into a downward cut that cracks rock on impact - and beheads the lizard in the process. ]
Nngaaah!
no subject
That is, until he turns to witness the beheading, and a single spec of lizard blood soars onto one of his lenses. He stares for a good, long moment, before heaving a sigh.]
And you haven't changed a bit. Wash up, I'll get the next few.
no subject
Alright, watch my back a sec -
[ Bearing a disgusted grimace, the Shield lets his blade vanish and drops down to a knee to cup water up from the nearby pool. It's not extremely sanitary, but it'll do in a pinch. He scrubs several handfuls of water onto his face until it washes clear and returns with water dripping from his beard.
All the while, however, the foliage rustles with life and two more snarling creatures emerge. Gladio doesn't seem too concerned, he trusts Ignis can handle it. ]
no subject
It's been a sec.
no subject
[ Gladio shakes his head, scattering excess water and swipes at his mouth with the back of his hand. Grins widely. ]
All good?
[ Or do you need to wipe off those glasses, or... anything else seeing as he basically just dog shook water all over the place. RUDE. ]
no subject
He can't even see him clearly, his lenses are too smudged.]
Fantastic, really.
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i; and i laughed for like a solid moment negl
right? They can just pour more somewhere or something and it'll be fine, probably-
Wait. What.
This blond woman is just dead-eying Ignis at first. He's serious, isn't he? Ah, gods, fine. With a sigh, she drops the backpack. Though because she's her, she can't help but add, ]
Y'know, if you wanted to see me with my shirt off, there were probably way less dangerous methods. But, hey, points for originality. [ A wink on her end before she starts actually stripping her shirt as she was told.
Shame is for losers. ]
i'd say i'm sorry but lbr this was the goal all along
[She's truly lucky he's too anxious of certain death to actually discuss how bad this entire situation is at length. Instead, he's opted to fling the now empty bottle of their destruction off in the opposite direction. What next? Well, he's going to start stripping himself too, obviously.
Relax, it's so he can trade her shirt for his leather jacket.] That creature, or whatever is following it, is going to want you more than anything a behemoth can ever hope for it the world. Hopefully... it will be distracted enough by your fashion that we can put enough distance between you and it. If not, well...
[Getting smothered to death can't be that bad.]
no subject
Ya'll need to learn to buy me dinner first, [ she can't help but quip. Still, she's thankful for the jacket since she'd rather not go streaking through the forest (mostly due to her scars than any sort of modesty). She's nowhere near drunk enough for that tomfoolery. Though a drink after this doesn't sound so bad right about now. If she lives through it.
Let's not think about that. ]
Hopefully, you're right and I don't have to worry about my cause of death being behemoth lust. [ Talk about embarrassing. ] Now let's get a move on.
no subject
[Because that's much more comforting. Ignis takes her by the arm out of habit when he sets off for the road less traveled, using his other to brush aside the more unkempt branches out of their way. There's probably some guilt here, it being his mistake in the first place. He's not likely to detach any time soon.
For better or for worse, since he's not wasting any time.]
I don't know about buying you dinner, but I'll personally whip up a five course meal if that settles this.
no subject
It also helps her focused. No worries about her being able to keep up. He'll find she's surprisingly speedy and agile, moving her way through the underbrush with him. Perhaps maybe too much so for the average person? She thinks she ought to dial it back a little but then there's a distinctly loud behemoth noise behind them and she thinks she'd rather live instead of worrying about keeping up her human facade. ]
A man who's witty and can cook? What a find! You're on though, dude, if we make it outta' this.
i.
He's hacked into enough of the cameras around the Riverview Quarantine's perimeter walls to see what kind of horrid things lurk about, and whatever the hell is going to come at them because -- what was that, was that a jar of piss that just spilled out onto his incredibly odd shirt? He's going to make you pay for it later, Ignis.]
...You're such an idiot.
[For the love of--]
I hope you can toss this far enough away. Because whatever's coming...
[He points to the bushes as he pulls the gaudy shirt up and over his head, revealing an oddly scarred up and pierced body underneath.]
Tossing my clothes at it isn't going to get us very far. [run.]
no subject
I assure you, I'm very aware of the likelihood of you getting crushed by the behemoth is. Don't tempt me to leave you to make friends.
[Give him your ugly shirt, child. Once it's in his hand, he proceeds to soak in what little the bottle still contained and winded up to toss it high into a far tree. That'll show it!!
The trees just beyond it are rustling as whatever that thing is is barreling through it.]
Now we run.
no subject
He makes a 'tch' sound, a small metallic click against his teeth as his shirt sails over their heads and into a tree. Take that, Nature--now the tree is going to make a new friend instead of them. ...Maybe. Hopefully, if it didn't go for the moving pair of bodies instead.
Arms move to wrap around his now-bare, tweed body, and he doesn't need to be told twice to run.]
Should I even ask why you were carrying that crap around in the first place?
Or should I start to suspect you doused me on purpose.
no subject
[Ignis still manages to roll his eyes, even while making an escape from uncertain death by behemoth lust. He summons a lance to his hands to swipe through the underbrush, perhaps leaving an opening for a trail, but making up for it by sparing Noiz from hitting every branch in their way.
It's the least he can do, with how unpleasant this path is.]
It was to shorten the mission's length significantly enough that I could return home for dinner, if you must know. Watch your head.
iii
[Coffee people... He's amazed.] Or you can drink three times as much coffee.
no subject
There is a difference between settling for any old roast and enjoying a finely crafted cup of coffee. Would you subject yourself to three times of... whatever you might enjoy after having better? It'd ruin your appetite, and standards.
no subject
[He doesn't subject himself to coffee at all, you see.] Have you tried it?
no subject
[sorry eichi,] Though I've subjected sick children to drinking it.
no subject
So you prefer something with such a startling taste that it could wake the dead? That sort of dark? There's one coffee shop that serves coffee that smells quite burnt, so perhaps that would work for you. ♪
no subject
If you show me this shop, perhaps I'll give your tea a go. Is that fair?
no subject
[How fun, a deal. He gestures for Ignis to walk with him, leading him down the street at a comfortable pace.] It's not too far from here, and I don't really drink coffee myself, but hopefully it will be a step closer to your liking. And I can suggest a tea for someone like yourself, as well.
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