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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!
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[Which means they probably haven't even gone on a date yet. He lets out a sigh-- just as well, right? It might-- be better.
Even if Billy can't help but miss Teddy just a little bit more for a moment, his Teddy.]
I haven't yet either, but-- I'm sure we'll be able to handle it anyway. Just keep an eye out for anything big and probably hideous, right?
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[He isn't sure he should really call attention to it, but it is true. And he'd sort of like to know where he stands with Billy...]
Big and hideous and trying to eat me, yes. Did you ever get better at flying?
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[He gives a wry smile at that, turning to look at Teddy.]
Really? I'll have you know that I never once dropped you, Teddy Altman. I just came near a few times before I got the hang of it.
[And occasionally, he might have just gone down with him, but... details.]
Flying, I got a handle on.
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[All four of them. Not a big number, but- more than he's had with anyone else. And so far, pretty much all they've done is confirm he's in love with his new boyfriend, and happy.
He smiles back, still shy, the way he still is around Billy all the time, but with a very small, half-hidden teasing note to his voice.]
No, but I remember my feet dragging across the ground a couple of times. Good thing I can grow wings, that's all I'm saying. But more to the point- if something does try to eat us, you can get away.
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[He snorts at that, giving Teddy a look. Still a dork, at least.]
You get better at flying too, so really, I haven't had to carry you in a while.
[But more seriously--]
I'm your guard, Teddy. Pretty sure I'm not supposed to leave you, so... we fight them. I've picked up some other new tricks anyway, so don't worry. It's not all just a lightning show.
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[He gives Billy a look again, a quick glance from the corner of his eyes. Things can't be that disastrous in the future if they're still on the same team, right?
He's just as serious about Billy not staying down here if things go bad, though.]
You can fight them from in the air just as well as you can down here. Show me the new tricks from up there, okay?
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[Well, sort of. They're probably getting a bit too old to call themselves that still...
He gives Teddy a look.]
It'll be fine, T. Believe me, I know how to handle myself in a fight... Neither of us will be hurt.
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[He shrugs, not even noticing the weight of the backpack. He likes Eli, even when he's volatile, but he can be a little wearing occasionally.
But apparently he isn't winning the argument about Billy's safety, as much as it's the one argument he'd like to win.]
You know you don't have to watch out for me that much. I heal.
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[He likes Eli too, but-- you kind of have to like the good with the bad, he guesses.
He shakes his head, giving a wry smile.]
Teddy, we haven't even run into anything yet... relax.
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[Maybe stop him before he gets into another blazing argument with Nate about it.
He gives Billy another look, quieter, a little more shy.]
...Sorry. This is still pretty new, to me. And usually we've got Nate telling us to take it seriously...
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[Eli had a lot on his plate, when they first started anyway... but it's not his place to talk about that, he thinks.]
There's nothing to apologize for. Let's just keep going.
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[He guesses it's probably smarter to walk in silence for a little bit anyway, considering they're on a mission and all. He can't resist sneaking the occasional look at Billy, though, still a little surprised at the difference after two years.]
Did I finally talk you into getting a piercing?
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You were definitely encouraging about it, yeah. I'm still not sure piercings suit me as much as they do you though...
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[He isn't sure if that counts as flirting, or whether he should or not, but... well, the Billy back home is still his boyfriend, and he'd say the same to him. And if Billy doesn't like it, Teddy is sure he'll know pretty soon. If there's one thing he knows already, it's that Billy has very few objections to making his feelings known.
Besides, Billy started it. He mirrors the gesture, reaching up to his own ear, running a finger over the edges of his earrings.]
Besides, I think most people think I overdid mine.
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[He teases lightly and maybe he shouldn't, but-- Teddy seems to be flirting a bit and it's never felt... weird to touch him, to be close. He reaches out, brushes his fingers playfully over his ear.]
I've always liked them. They suit you...
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[Billy is the most attractive person he's met, as far as Teddy's concerned, and it's always a surprise to him that people have apparently managed to make Billy think otherwise.
He's a little surprised by the touch, but he doesn't mind it. Older or not, it's still Billy, and he's always been comfortable with Billy touching him, even if he isn't with almost everyone else. He ducks his head down, to make it easier for Billy to reach; he's still taller than his boyfriend, at least.]
At least that hasn't changed, then. Do you still like the rest of me, or are my earrings special?
[He tries to make it a light question, but he's not sure he succeeds. Billy's always been too important to lie to...]
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[It's not that he thinks he's unattractive, really, but-- he's pretty sure Teddy seems to be a bit more enamored with him than most. Not that he's complaining or anything.
He's always liked knowing Teddy likes him most, selfish or not.
The question has him pausing for a moment, looking over at Teddy thoughtfully. He thinks Teddy is trying to joke, but-- there's enough uncertainty behind it that Billy thinks there's more weight to it than Teddy wants to let on.]
Don't be a dork, T. You'll always be the most important to me, earrings or not. [He nudges at Teddy lightly, trying to keep the mood light.]
I mean, don't get me wrong. I'd prefer if you kept the earrings, but it's not a dealbreaker.
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[He likes the cape, and the costume, but only on Billy. He's pretty sure it wouldn't be the same on anyone else. He doesn't think anyone else could ever take Billy's place, either. He'll always be important to Teddy- at least, he hopes so.
But the answer at least seems mostly positive, and he relaxes a little. He reaches cautiously for Billy's hand, a move he's still getting used to with his own Billy, but one he finds pretty comforting whenever he's uncertain.]
But you like me because I'm a dork. I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons you date me...
[He smiles at Billy a little more confidently.]
And you know the earrings are pretty important to me, too.
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[He smiles when Teddy reaches for his hand, letting him have it-- even if it's probably not the best idea. Honestly, they just met here and they're sort of on an assignment.
But it's still Teddy and it's been a while since he's had this sort of contact with-- well, any version. He won't let himself be too distracted though.]
I like you for a lot of reasons, T, but being a dork is a huge one.
[He nudges at him lightly.]
I know. So-- all the weirdness aside, how are you handling this? Are you really okay here?
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Don't pretend you can't be just as much of a dork. I've seen your bedroom.
[With the door open, obviously, and pretty much all they'd done was talk and watch TV, but he does have an idea of how much of a nerd Billy really is.
He hesitates, but there's no point worrying Billy, so he gives him a reassuring smile.]
I'm okay. I can adapt easily enough, same as always.
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[Even if he is a giant nerd, Teddy seems to like it a lot anyway. His expression softens a bit and he nudges at Teddy.]
You don't have to pretend or downplay it, you know. I was kind of freaking out when I first arrived. I tried to wish myself back home so many times, but-- it looks like we'll be stuck for a while, I guess. It's not usually... too bad. There are a lot of interesting people here.
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I'll be fine, I promise. I just need a little time to get used to it.
[He spends a lot of time alone anyway, considering his mom's job and hobbies. It's not that much different here, although he'd like a little more privacy occasionally.
Caring or not, though, it's not a conversation he wants to have right now, and he happily picks up on something else to talk about.]
You got better at the magic thing, then? And you laughed at my mom's books...
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[He shrugs his shoulders, giving a short smile.]
I did, yeah, and your mom's books helped... a lot, actually. But they were still pretty goofy, you have to admit.
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[He'd helped. He can't help smiling a little, happy to have made a positive difference even in a small way.]
I told you you'd be amazing.
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[He shakes his head, giving Teddy's hand a quick affectionate squeeze.]
I'm not amazing, T, trust me. Hulkling is way cooler... and still totally my favorite hero.
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