riverviewooc | riverview: test drive meme

Entry tags:

meme: test drive

riverview: test drive meme

riverview test drive meme

Welcome to Riverview's first 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 March 1st.
● All threads on the test drive meme can count as game canon once the game is up and running.
● TDM threads do not count for Activity Check, but they do count for Activity Bonus Points.

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 ● navigation

prompt i: batten down the hatches

If the sky has seemed a little more yellow-green than usual for the past couple of days, there's a reason for that. Meteorologists have been warning of a particularly nasty storm blowing in from the direction of the Delta in the Southwestern part of the Abandoned City.

The Quarantine is about to be hit by a nasty typhoon, and there's a lot to be done. Whether you're helping sandbag the banks of the river, which is bound to be swollen by the storm and flooding, weatherproofing your building, or just huddling indoors for warmth and helping reassure your friends, family, or partner that everything will be okay, it's time to take action!

prompt ii: monster madness

There's been a lot of talk around the Quarantine about the various predators and monsters outside the fence, and how they've been getting steadily more active, crowding the fences, trying to leap over them, seemingly driven by some kind of mania. There have even been increasing instances of predators that normally mind their own business attacking the fences wholesale, slamming into it over and over as if they're trying to find a weakness.

The good news? The fences have been holding. So far.

The bad news? They won't be holding for much longer.

The Perimeter Guard is in a bad way, and it's all hands on deck. They've also sent out a few of the Perimeter Guard Cadets to post up flyers around the city asking for temporary help in fighting off the beasts. So pick up whatever weapon you're best with, hop onto a truck transport, and head on over to the fences to help drive off the monsters and keep the Quarantine safe.

prompt iii: hold your lover close

With a storm rolling in that's going to keep everyone indoors, that might cause power outages, and is just frankly pretty scary, a lot of the clubs, restaurants, and hotels are doing special events to keep everyone's brains occupied and flooded with endorphins.

There are flyers around the city advertising various couples activities: speed dating, dance classes, overnight pool parties, and all-expenses-paid lovers' nights in.

The catch? The great deals only count if you're a twosome. So if you don't have someone to love, hit up speed dating in the indoor courtyard of Riverview's largest mall, or grab the first person you see and take the opportunity.

prompt iv: solution

After a day or two of storm activity, things are definitely not getting better: the rain is torrential, the monsters are attacking with increased energy and decreased rest times, and the distractions are starting to wear thin. Power outages happen off and on, a very rare situation in Riverview Quarantine.

The government has put out an all-points-bulletin imploring anyone with an exploratory spirit to help.

From what government science techs can tell, the storm isn't natural - after all, even the meteorologists were saying that the pressure systems seemed extremely strange. They've managed to narrow the cause to an area in the delta where the storm seems to be originating from, and are broadcasting the general location so anyone with the guts can head out into the storm and try to find the source of it.

Any characters who decide to penetrate the jungle in search of the source will find a device in the shape of a pyramid, with glowing blue edges about a day's walk into the Abandoned City. The pyramid is a malfunctioning weather control device that is causing wild pressure fluctuations and causing the storm as well as making the animals in the jungle aggressive and erratic. Characters can destroy or deactivate the device to end the storm.

This mission can be threaded out however you would like, in groups however large you would like, and more than one team can accomplish the goal.

prompt v: wildcard/network

Whether you're looking for help with a mission or just want to get to know your fellow new arrivals, your character can make a post to the network.

Or you can choose your own adventure and do something else in the setting!

navigation

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[What is it about this man that makes her think there is so much more happening beneath the surface when he speaks? Oh, she knows well enough that there is more to a person than how they move and what they say, there's always intelligence in the eyes that speaks of something deeper. But then, some people are deep water wells, and others are the Mariana Trench. James is proving to be more the latter, though how much of that she is gleaning from instinct and how much she's picked up through her abilities is difficult to pin down.

Whichever it is, she finds herself too curious to part ways soon. He's one of the more interesting people she's met in this city.]

A ship might be overkill, but a raft would be quite fine as a starting point. I shouldn't bite off more than I can chew.

[His mouth twists up at one corner.]

Wise course of action for a budding pirate queen.

[And then, as if he's letting her in on a little secret--]

If I were you, my first order would be to find a reliable first mate rather than worry about a ship, however.

[It was what he did, after all. He met Gates, and the rest was history. There is a circle of Hell replete with betrayers, and Flint expects he'll burn there if such a thing exists. But until the end, Gates was a good man.]

[Budding pirate queen indeed. She can't quite keep the mirth from her face, eventually smiling wide. Carefully she sidesteps closer, surveying the room in front of them as if already looking.]

A reliable first mate sounds as if they'd be hard to find. It would have to be someone trustworthy but knowledgeable enough to make up for my lack of experience.

[Wanda casts him a sidelong look.]

Does such a person exist?

[He laughs. It's a gruff sound, dark and earthy. Genuine, despite himself. God help him.]

First rule of thumb, never try to recruit someone whose origins are a mystery to you. You've no way of knowing what their motivations may be.

Dark eyebrows lift with interest. He hasn't been away from home but three weeks and still with seemingly a human or technological crisis on the daily, he's managed to shift his focus to human reactions and instincts rather than animalistic ones. But she's right, and the fact that it didn't actually occur to him is an unpleasant surprise. "...that's a really good point," he concedes and finally moves to follow her.

Derek clears his throat a little when she mentions wolves but, again, she's not necessarily wrong.

"You think they're a distraction," he replies and it isn't a question. He has a very strong feeling that that's what she's trying to say...and it's not a bad suspicion to have. Derek catches up with her and scents the air again, a subtle lift of his chin coupled with a deep intake of air through his nose. Still nothing that stands out as familiar.

"Do you think we should go back to the group and suggest the lot of us split up?"

[ It's shocking how the past, especially the war, wanted to fade from people's memories. The world had seemingly made a conscious decision to forget, or move on, to try to turn up the volume on the music, the colors on the clothes, to drown out that past. ]

Are you...[Wait, she knows better than this. Only she was foolish enough to go off on her own without backup, and then only because the SSR had insisted she couldn't do it by herself. ] You oughtn't go alone.

[She straightens her jacket before raising her voice.] Anyone else up for a reccie?

[Wanda never thought she'd get a laugh out of him but she's pleased that she has. She likes the sound of it, and the way it makes him smile even if just for a moment.

Wisely, she doesn't immediately counter that she actually does have a way of knowing anyone's motivations. Most people are understandably uncomfortable with the idea that their private thoughts are not reliably safe.]

Then my options are recruiting from the small group of people I know here, or relying on a rigorous interview process which would no doubt be worthless against anyone skilled enough to be a threat.

Once she's comfortable on her feet, Caitlin nods and smiles again. "I'm sure," she promises. It's nice, she thinks, that he's so concerned when he's the leader and she's only one person. He could've been off by now and just looking over his shoulder to make sure she's still with him. Some men probably would've done exactly that.

Caitlin wipes her face again, feeling still more mud slipping under her fingers and she sighs. This is a losing battle. She'll just have to be messy. That's fine; there are worse things, after all. So her hands move away from her face again. She'll worry about how she looks later.

With a little smile, Caitlin gives a quiet agreement and starts walking, one hand out toward him in case she slips in the mud; maybe he could help her balance. "So where are you from? What do you do back home with those reflexes? Are you military or…?"

"Totally one of the good ones," she reassures him with a laugh. He does look the part, he's right about that. She'd mostly meant figuratively with the romantic aspect of what he'd said, though.

Perhaps the hidden danger in this charade is just how easy it is to get lost in. He's handsome, incredibly smart, and successful, but moreover, he's just…good and, quite frankly, after Jay, Caitlin could use something good in her love life. That's not what this is, of course; a love life. It's two professional acquaintances who haven't probably got any local currency on them wanting to sneak into free dance lessons because why not? How hard can a little kiss be? How detrimental to a budding friendship could it possibly be? She'd do this with Cisco, so why not Ray? It's not a big deal.

Giving an almost imperceptible nod when she sees the way he's looking at her, like he's searching for one last confirmation that this is fine, Caitlin mentally prepares herself to immediately roll this off her shoulders so they can laugh it off once they get inside. She tries not to dissociate the sensation of the hand pulling her closer with the fact that it's Ray doing it, because to do so would be to forget that this is nothing more than an act. She's knows herself too well.

What Caitlin expects to proceed the subtle nod she gives...is not what Caitlin gets. A tiny, barely audible and very succinct hum of surprise escapes against his lips and the hand on the back of his neck curls a little tighter, fingers moving into the hair at the nape of his neck. If he's going to sell it like this then she can match. And when they break, she's glad she's not the only one who finds herself lingering a few seconds too long, lips kiss-swollen and parted in a silent "whoa…" as her eyes finally flutter open again just in time for Ray to pull back and straighten up before escorting her in.

Caitlin opens her mouth to speak when they're safely inside, but she closes it again when she realizes she's not really sure what to say.

Don't make it weird, Caitlin. Don't make it weird. It's not weird, this is totally fine. Nothing to see here, not a big deal, don't make it—

"Wow…" she blurts out and, immediately realizing that she is, in fact, about to make it weird, her eyes widen and she scrambles to backpedal. "I mean, wow, I can't believe that actually worked. Go us," she says, holding up a hand for a high five for a seconds before realizing that's so awkward. The hand drops to her side again and she steps to the side to put a little bit of space between them again as she clears her throat. "See? We can totally sell it to get into all these things; we're fine. What kind of dance do you think they'll be teaching?"

[Okay, fine, if you have to know, Scott was out in the jungle looking for...ants. They're allies, dammit, okay? At least, he hopes they will be, when he finds some.

Which is, well, not yet. And he spent enough time fighting the monsters already that he automatically is on the side of whoever the damn things are up against. So, stranger, Ant Man to the rescue! Because clearly what this scene needs is tiny guy in a suit zipping around punching the monsterslobber out of things.

Until he cuts through the crowd. ]

The hell are you?!?

Caitlin grins at that. "I happen to completely agree with you," she says. In her experience, all the raw, natural skill in the world is never enough to beat someone with the right kind of knowledge. Brawn is only so useful without brains to back it up.

"I guess we'll just have to make due with what we've got." Her flashlight is still sweeping the ground ahead of them as they walk and she looks back over at him with a little facial shrug that suggests she hopes he's right, but if she's being honest, she's not actually sure. "Here's hoping. I so didn't sign up for that today."

To his question, Caitlin's brow creases slightly. "Well...crazy is a pretty strong word for it, but yeah, it would be weird if it wasn't in plain view. It's a shelter, not a secret clubhouse…" Her voice trails off as she says so, though, because so far...she isn't seeing anything and that's not exactly reassuring. "It should be close-ish and pretty easily identifiable...every other storm cellar I've ever seen was, anyway…"

[He drains the dregs of his rakia, as she'd called it, and sets the glass down on the table with barely a whisper of sound.]

Not necessarily. Everyone knows how to follow. Precious few how to lead. Being a leader visibly, in ways that catch the eye will draw people into your orbit. You can adjudge them in your own time thereafter.

Of course it would be. I mean, hey, I'm just a, you know, convicted felon who hangs around with insects. What girl can resist that?

[Sane ones. He'd suggest that as the answer to that riddle. ]

But hey, you too, you know. Want me to beat up any creeps or something?

[Yeah, he's not only Evading^tm with extreme prejudice, but he's also trying out this Good Guy schtick.

It's a work in progress, okay?]

That much, I understand well.

[She's seen it all in Steve, of course. Hasn't he all drawn the Avengers in, each in their own way? Perhaps they started initially as a team of six, brought together by Fury, but by the time they made it to Sokovia Captain America was their leader. It wasn't hard for Wanda to see why, having worked against him and then with him for the past year.]

It seems to me that rather than look for a reliable first mate, I ought to begin leading in the direction I intend to go. If what you say is true, the people who want to follow that path will join me, or at least consider it.

[That merits an agreeable nod, and here is his first error of the evening that's on him, rather than her uncanny appearance:

It's-- strange, to be carrying no visible weapons. No plethora of ready-loaded pistols strapped across him, no cutlass. He has a dagger, of course, and he's a better hand than most if a fight goes to fists. But he never has needed armaments of any kind to advertise that he's a dangerous man no matter how queer it feels to be without them. His hand falls automatically to where the hilt of his sword would rest, and then he folds his arms as if that was what he'd intended all along.]

Would you permit me a question?

[It must be something notable for him to ask permission in advance, and while Wanda doesn't tense, she does go still as if in anticipation. She notes the movements of his arms, but perhaps doesn't recognize what it signifies. Reaching for a weapon that is usually there.]

You can ask what you like, but I won't promise you answers.

Nor would I expect you to.

[Silence holds as much answer as anything. The way someone moves. If they favour an old injury. Who their eyes flick to in a crisis. Words are not the only way to give something up.]

What is it exactly you do in your time that gives you a favourable impression of a career in piracy?

[For his part, Jason's already stepped back when her eyes go green. He sweeps over her form one more time, trying to see if maybe she's wearing a Green Lantern ring or something, but no dice. But then he realizes that, all of his joking aside, she actually was doing magic. He reaches out and takes the gun from her, examining it carefully.]

You thought it was going to...okay. [He frowns lightly.] Are they all going to be green lasers from now on? Am I - am I shooting magic?

[He obviously thinks about it. Just because he doesn't want to kill Steve, doesn't mean he wouldn't hit him, he knows Steve can take it. But he finds that he can't quite take that swing yet.]

I don't need you.

[It's unnecessarily harsh, Bucky knows it, but he's trying to drive Steve off. Voice uncompromising.]

But if you want to tag along, then I won't stop you.

[Mostly because he doesn't want to fight him, and maybe he can give Steve the slip in the confusion of the storm.]

Edited 2017-02-25 22:39 (UTC)

[She could easily counter at this point that he's hardly been forthcoming about what he does in his point in time, though he's said enough to make her feel comfortable making a guess. Still, the answer is one that she feels comfortable giving. It's only the phrasing that she takes care with, knowing it would be a lot for him to take in if she were to answer bluntly and in depth.]

Before I arrived here I was part of a team of people tasked with protecting the people of Earth against extraordinary threats, regardless of political borders.

[He can take it to mean that she's no longer part of the team since arriving here, taken away from Earth as she is, but the team has splintered, and Wanda knows that when she returns she'll be held against her will.

She flashes him a quick smile.]

I doubt any of them would support a career change.

[Clint might joke with her about it at least, knowing she'd never seriously make such a drastic shift.]

[ Still enthused by her successful spellcasting, she rocks on the heels of her boots and remains perkier than before like a painting with a new wash of color. ]

Magic, yeah. It's part of me, I guess it'll only stop working if I die ... [ Like her own magic did, sort of, when Loki blew up during Asgard's siege by Osborn. She dismisses any concerns with a wave of her hand, hitching up the unsteady smile again. ] I'm the Enchantress. Don't think too hard about your gun, okay? It's an upgrade, I know what I'm doing.

[ More than half of the time, anyway. ]

[Such a thing is unfathomable in his time. He takes his time to mull her words over, trying to discern some sense in the saying of them. Piracy operates beyond political borders, to be sure, but they are not 'tasked' with the antagonistic relationship they have with the nations of Britain, Spain and the Orient.

He rubs his fingers idly against his beard. A reflexive gesture, thoughtful without being gauche about it.]

I think the hardest thing to swallow of all you've said of the future is that a woman would be permitted to do this uncontested. What you describe sounds like a military company.

[Understanding a little of the time that he's from and the view of women many men had, Wanda can't take offense at his response. Especially considering that he doesn't seem to find the notion distasteful so much as...remarkable, perhaps? If he had scoffed at the notion of her talking about becoming a pirate based on her gender, she might not have told him at all, but their conversation gave her cause to trust she could be more or less honest with him without major repercussions.]

There are some among us who started as soldiers, and others who did not. All of us have a particular set of skills that makes us valuable to our operations. [She shrugs lightly.] And circumstances caused our paths to cross. I would not have been recruited if the situation had been different. One of the founding members is female, however, and many of our allies, intelligent and educated people from a variety of backgrounds and professions, are as as well. None of whom would have accepted discrimination based on their gender.

I'm glad we have you here. Jason can't remember the last time he's heard those words ever said to him. To Dick, sure. To Babs, of course. But to him? People always seemed to be weary. Not that he could blame them. He'd attacked half of them, after all, since he'd returned from the grave. More amends he would have to make one day, perhaps. If he ever got home.

Steve's grip, Jason notes, is strong, assured. Friendly, but confident. Amazing how much you could tell from a handshake.

"Thank you," he says, meaning it. "Hope I can at least prove my worth." Isn't that what he's always been trying to do, lately?

When they approach the fence, Jason kneels down, checking the bottom of it, looking for prints, so that they can get some sort of clue on what they might be up against. "I'm starting to wonder if the monsters might not necessarily be magical or mystical in nature," he says. "That was my assumption. But you know. Science. This could be something else entirely." He stands up and looks at Steve. "Just speculation, obviously. But the monsters must have a reason for attacking."

[There is a sharp, visceral moment of wondering at what Miranda could have become in a world like that. She did not have a pirate's heart, but would that she have accrued any power for herself in other avenues, she would have been fucking formidable. The speech she gave their Judas proved it, and he'd never seen that side of her before. The one that mirrored his own dark heart. She'd hidden it, as society dictated. He mistook her quiet for complacency too many times. If only he'd known.

He drops his hands, and rubs at the knuckles of his right hand like a man massaging an old wound.]

Sound progress. I'm glad to have heard it made.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 15 of 63

riverview: test drive meme

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

IV because reasons

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

I feel like I'm kicking a puppy right now

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject