riverview: test drive meme

[riverviewmod]

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

Comments

he can take it

[starspangled]

I know.

[it comes a little automatically, mostly because he's not looking for a fight either. but for most of their lives, bucky really hadn't needed him. it's just that if that time comes, steve wants to be there to help.

he nods, his stance relaxing a little. he'll let bucky lead the way.]

[divulsion]

Nueva España.

[She repeats after him, rolling the name around on her tongue as he pulls them into another dance.]

Do the colonists stand by their decision to resettle their lives in the Caribbean and southern Americas, or regret it in light of the piracy they're forced to deal with?

[divulsion]

[Wanda lifts an eyebrow.]

I'm capable of beating up my own creeps but the offer is appreciated.

[What she's more focused on is him. It's far easier and more comfortable to think about his situation than her own.]

You, however, might try leading with the fact that you're a superhero who can harness science and one of Mother Nature's armies to protect others.

[diagenesis]

Mm. Only the rich came to the New World expecting it would be easy. Piracy is an inevitable part of life for settlers. And for the most part, those that raise no arms against the pirates are left unharmed by them.

[He does not delude himself by thinking it steeped in nobility. He razed the Carolinas personally, torch in hand. Innocents died beneath his boot. That it was retaliation made no difference. He lives with it.

But the truth is, civilians are more likely to be sympathetic to a lawless, Godless man than to the governors that squeeze the lifeblood from their purses and call it taxation. Fat merchants, wealthy landowners suffer more for piracy than a peasant. If that were to ever change such that every farmer became keen on taking up arms against them, piracy would come to a swifter end than most know and understand. Men will risk their lives for money, but they will not stand as steadfast as someone fighting for their life. Common folk are rarely more than one workday away from starvation.]

[automobile_enthusiast]

[Can a car purr? This one is-- or that's the impression given off by the changing timbre of the rumble of its engine, anyway. What can he say, he likes being complimented. A cyb doesn't drive around with a gleaming paint scheme like this because he doesn't want to be looked at.

When the little human bends down to peer into his wing mirror, the glass actually adjusts, swivelling to give her the best view of herself-- and allowing Knock Out a view, too.]

Well, well, don't you have good taste. And quite the interesting paintjob, hm? Is that hair color after-market?

[His voice is deep and very present, with none of the muffling that one might expect were the voice speaking from inside the vehicle.]

oh my god excellent

[automobile_enthusiast]

[It takes Knock Out a minute to even triangulate the source of that outburst, and given the giant mantis-like creature that bears in at him once his attention is diverted, he doesn't have the time he'd like to gawk properly at the sight of a-- tiny human? Maybe?

There are stranger things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of etcetera etcetera.

He has to pivot to grapple with the monster, yelling aloud when it manages to score deep swipe through the red paint of his chest, the glass over one headlight shattering out. He lops off the offending limb with his buzzsaw, the blade screaming in protest against the monster's carapace, but at least it buys him some space as the wounded beast retreats.

Now he can gawk properly.]

You first, micronaut. I didn't know anything that small could be sapient!

[Knock Out. He's trying to help you-- well, presumably.]

[divulsion]

So among the colonists and pirates, at least, there's something of an understanding between them.

[Perhaps not a rule book they both adhere to, but unspoken agreements. Because if what he says is correct, most pirates were all men driven to the lifestyle by the wealthy. They'd have no reason to unduly harm the very people who labor for the rich.]

Between all of the laboring and piracy, can I ask where it was you learned to dance?

[divulsion]

I've no doubt you will be.

[Simply by virtue of fighting hard, or effortlessly, whatever his style turns out to be. She doubts anyone who couldn't hold their own would be on this transport.]

But yes, I understand what you mean. Reaching for the light is good but it isn't necessarily the path for everyone. Sometimes it's simply enough to reach for self-betterment, whatever that turns out to be.

[batbullets]

[Jason chuckles softly.] Don't take it the wrong way, Sylvie. No harm intended. [Though rude was...a soft word for what Jason could sometimes be. He could be downright cold sometimes.]

What was wrong with your magic before?

[batbullets]

Sounds as though you have some experience in the area, Wanda. [He was fairly certain that a good number of people here did, to be honest. The multiverse tended to work in weird, mysterious ways, after all.]

How's your search for self-betterment going, if I can be presumptuous enough to ask?

[divulsion]

[Returning the smile, she shrugs. He's not wrong, each of them is a force to be reckoned with and impressive in action. No doubt others will want to fight alongside them.]

It would not surprise me if they did.

[After a moment she reaches her arms up over her head, stretches them above as she stretches her legs out.]

Any idea what you want to eat for dinner when we get back?

[divulsion]

[Wanda shrugs, leaning back in her seat as the truck bounces them in their seats.]

As well as can be expected. [Which isn't an answer persay but it's something.] It's not without its bumps in the road.

[There, see? She's made a joke. Perhaps she's not as incapable of being charming as she might seem at first.]

[zethir]

[Is it terrible that she's regarding him as a challenge now? Probably. She looks at him steadily, not even batting an eye.]

If that's what you want to do. Like I said, I'm not stopping you.

[She's not going to beg him to stay if he really wants to leave.]

I'm Bryn, by the way.

[Just so he knows.]

[batbullets]

[Maybe it's not an answer as such, but it's one that Jason understands well enough. Sometimes saying just a little can convey much more than going into depth can. The less said, the more sometimes is revealed. Her little joke does elicit a warm chuckle from him, though.]

Haven't yet been on a road that isn't at least a little bumpy. Smooth sailing, by the way? Also kind of a lie.

[zethir]

[Okay, she's judging. She's trying not to but she's definitely judging the way that they did things back in his world. Not openly, not to his face of course, but internally it's there.]

It sounds like you have a lot of catching up to do, and since we're not on your Earth you're off-duty enough that you ought to feel free to do so.

[Resting her forearms on the table in front of them, she flashes him a quick smile.]

Have you thought about going to any of the other events they have here in town?

[divulsion]

[That earns him a low chuckle, a brief nod of her head.]

Absolutely a lie. How is your attempt to reach toward something not as consuming going?

[He asked her, after all, so she'll do the same.]

[batbullets]

[At this question, the smile fades a little bit. He's not offended or anything - not in the least. But...dark thoughts.]

Some days are better than others. Some days, I've almost made peace with the past. I've moved on. Other days...other days I still want to let that darkness embrace me and lash out at the people who didn't avenge me when...when bad things happened to me.

[He shrugs a little bit at that. He and Bruce have sort of made their amends recently. Bruce has admitted to being fine with Jason's choice to be more of an outlaw than a hero. But at the same time... He sighs. He's known Bruce for so long, and there are still days where Jason feels as though he doesn't fully understand him.]

Mostly, I try to ignore that. Doesn't always work.

:D :D :D

[toolatetochangethename]

You know what they say about small packages.

[WAIT! He didn't mean that, you know, his package was small. Just him. Right now. You know.

Right. It's time to get back to punching things for a bit.

You'd think with the monsters looking so insectlike, that Scott would have a chance with them, but yeah, who are we kidding? Scott's luck never runs that way.

Still, that was some heck of a suit this guy's got. Because that's gotta be it, right? Just like a super advanced suit like Tony (cough cough overrated) Stark wears.

There's a lull, so it's time to get, you know, normal sized. ]

Hey, wow, that's...I like what you did with the whole face, and everything there.

[Much better than Stark's permascowl.]

[toolatetochangethename]

Oh, yeah, right. Guess I should have remembered that.

[He's new to the whole chivalry thing in the first place. ]

Yeah, I can get really...small. Definite chick magnet stuff right there. [Like his self-esteem right now? ]

Honestly, I only came for the free food. [Not entirely a lie! Free eats? Definitely an ex-con's best friend.]

[diagenesis]

[His hands are too rough that he could describe himself believably as any manner of high-class man. It's a miracle he has no blood or dirt beneath his nails even now.]

London.

[Miranda. He'd had no cause for it as a social nicety or lubricant. But she and Thomas both loved it, and he learned because he loved them. He always thought of it as frivolous, though it helped improve his adroitness in combat a considerable amount.]

[i_had_faith]

Excuse me?

[Did he just call her an 'idiot'!? She draws herself up, bringing as much of her affronted, British haughtiness to bear as she can muster. ]

And I suppose you think it's fine to go risking yourself alone, then?

oh my GOD, EXCELLENT

[automobile_enthusiast]

Do I? [Anything said about small packages where he came from was probably derogatory, what with the institutionalized minicon-slavery and everything.

The next surge of monsters demands nearly all of his attention, their frenzied aggression redoubled now that there are two opponents for them to throw themselves at. Knock Out wields his saws with a grim precision, occasionally switching out one or the other for a wicked drill almost as long as his arm. The results of his combat are definitely, ah, messier than the punching, but only about as equivalently effective-- the monsters keep at them both.

By the time he and his mysterious savior get a break, his plating is so hot he's steaming in the rain. Weapons transforming back into his hands, he produces a cloth nearly the size of a bath towel and uses it to wipe ichor off of his face-- which means he misses the whole, you know, getting normal sized thing.]

Hah, thank you. Nacre this white is not easy to find around here--

[He finally turns, and startles back visibly.] Scrap! Where did-- weren't you a lot smaller a minute ago?!

[divulsion]

Then it's good we're heading out to the wild to fight monsters. It sounds as if we both could use the distraction.

[She won't dig deeper, won't ask him what happened to him or who the people were who didn't avenge him. It sounds awful, too personal to pry into when they've only just met. Instead, she decides to back track to something less delicate.]

What are your weapons of choice in the field?

[toolatetochangethename]

Yeah, forget it, it's probably stupid.

[Side effect of spending too much time with Hank Pym: you realize that the majority of the things that come out of your mouth fall into the 'painfully lame' category.

Wait, is that new guy toweling himself off? For some reason, that's weirder than the whole buzz saw hands thing. ]

Science, man. [Not HIS science, though. Still, yeah, it's okay to be impressed. It IS pretty cool. ]

[divulsion]

[Wanda blinks at him, perplexed. He's always been a talkative man but she can't recall ever hearing him ramble quite like this. Fixing him with a concerned look, she takes a half step closer to keep their conversation private.]

Scott, is everything alright?

[He seems insistent on talking himself down and deflecting and she's not entirely certain why.]