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

[signifies]

[ Clark raises both eyebrows, and he turns so his side faces Flint. He might not feel shame, but that's not an invitation to look at his body openly. ]

They're still around. Queen Elizabeth II is very popular. Probably because the royal family don't have much of a say in state affairs anymore.

[livingsymbol]

Jason's response makes Steve smile. The answer is honest and strikes a familiar chord in him, that deep desire to prove himself when everyone else thought he wasn't good enough. He's drawn to those words. They already prove enough to him.

"You will," Steve says. There's a promise in his answer. He's got Jason's back, because Jason is now his teammate. For this mission at least.

At the fence, Steve scans the wood beyond the border while Jason checks for tracks. He frowns at the mention of science, because that explanation makes plenty of sense. Experiments could be the source for unusual animals in a place called Quarantine. And he's never been comfortable with the idea of experiments. Not when the one that made him turned out so much destruction.

"You think they're trying to get through the defenses for a reason." It's not a question, and Steve thinks Jason just might be right. "They're certainly putting in a lot of effort if they're just scared animals. And they know how to weaken the perimeter."

Intelligent attacks. Not the random encounters with stray wildlife that Steve had been expecting at first. Even monsters wouldn't necessarily be this particular.

"Did you find any signs of what's been attacking?"

[diagenesis]

[He adjusts his shirtcuffs as he comes back to the little cookstove, shifting beneath the unfamiliar shirt fabric until it settles in a way he's familiar with. Fucking polyester.]

I'm sorry, I feel as if I'm on the verge of talking your ear off. You're more than welcome to ask questions of me as well.

[signifies]

I don't mind.

[ This is probably one of the longest conversations he's had in a while. ]

If I think of something, I'll ask you.

[diagenesis]

Of course.

[He begins the process of putting away everything he'd used for dinner, washing the bowls in a small bucket of dully warm water he'll throw out in the rain later.]

If you're amenable, I feel it would be prudent if we slept in shifts to keep an eye on the situation outside. If one of those dams breaks, it'll be a danger to the housing complexes beyond.

[signifies]

[ Nodding. ]

I'll take the first shift.

[ He'll have to figure out how to fake sleep for a bit. ]

[diagenesis]

[He nods in acknowledgement and shifts himself out of the way. He has a bedroll he unravels with a flick of his wrist and he stretches across it without preamble with one well-worn hand draped over his eyes. He'll never sleep so soundly on land as he does in the berth of a gently swaying ship - nor does he really expect to sleep, as it were - but he has no particular paranoias about doing so in this man's presence. No more than usual, anyway.

The storm rages on. He counts time in his head. Tomorrow is another day.]

[courtintrigue]

Another burst of fire from Morrigan's palm drives the creature farther back, making its pained thrashing less of an immediate danger.

She raises her voice to be heard over the commotion around them. "Were you harmed?"

She has never been as talented with healing spells as she is at creating potions or using more destructive forms of magic, but she feels certain that any minor healing makes her a valuable asset here and now. Fortunately, she sees no immediate sign of injury when she spares the time to look at other woman, and she holds out one hand to quickly help her up.

[inthemoonlight]

Cecelia gives the woman's hand a curious look before sitting up and extending her hand towards her with clear caution.

"You hand will not burn me?" she asks, having no idea how this whole thing works. Seeing fire spring from her palm as if it was something natural has Cecelia's head swimming. How does she do that?

[courtintrigue]

Despite the circumstances, her lips twitch in obvious amusement. "Not unless I wish to burn you."

Where magic is concerned, this place has little in common with Thedas. There are those here, she knows, from worlds even less magical, as difficult as that is to imagine; she assumes that must be the case here. Her hand stays out, palm up, and she briefly wiggles her fingers.

"It seems we are allies at the moment. For now I am the least of your worries."

[divulsion]

[Wanda grins, lifting her chin as she slowly eases away from his side.]

I'll be sure to let you know if I need a second pair of hands.

[Because she can handle her guests, and has no doubt he won't wait to be called upon if it seems necessary.]

In the meantime, enjoy the feast, James.

[inlaid]

[Bryn doesn't bother to hide the flash of sympathy that crosses her face. This isn't an easy situation, and even having had the training necessary to survive even in the most dire of circumstances, even knowing how to land on her feet when in unfamiliar territory doesn't make it easier.]

I'm sorry to hear it. But for what it's worth, at least now you've met another person who doesn't have anyone here from your world.

[Some people can bond over being from the same place. They can bond over no one being from the same world as them.]

same character, different account for the game

[inlaid]

[Wanda considers Adam carefully, as well as some of their options. He's not wrong that there will probably be younger people at the pool party, but the fact that it's geared toward couples or at least pairs may up the age bracket some.

Still, he doesn't sound like he'd be comfortable with it either way.]

Then it sounds like the cinema is the place to go. May as well ease in, get a feel for how they run these kinds of events anyway, right?

[inlaid]

[Bryn notes the cool grip of his hand, but as much as she knows that stress leeches blood away from the extremities, she doesn't take it as a sign of nervousness before the battle. Not in the least.]

Well, it sounds like you're the person to keep by my side. Think you can keep me alive when I inevitably do something thrilling and stupid?

[She flashes him a quick grin. She's skilled, she's competent, but Bryn is well aware of how the adrenaline gets to her sometimes and pushes her a little too quickly. Makes her more of a daredevil.]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[The Ice Tiger of Russia, huh? Bucky doesn't seem to recognize that it's a nickname for an athlete, but at least he doesn't laugh or make fun of it.] Is that a code name? [He's had a few of those himself, but it doesn't seem necessary to share them. The kid might wonder why Captain America speaks fluent Russian, and it's too long a story to get into.]

Closer to ninety these days, actually. [He retorts dryly, and it could be a joke. It's not, but it could be.] Sure. We'll see. Something's coming toward the fence.

[Sure enough, there's a low rumble, the sound of very, very large, quick footsteps, getting closer.]

[inthemoonlight]

Now that is a good point. Since this woman just saved Cecelia from a rather nasty bite, she's going to assume that no burning will occur and she places her hand in the palm of her rescuer's.

"Indeed. Thank you so much for that timely intervention. I am afraid that I am new to this weapon, but I was assured it was the simplest for me to use." Of course the men back home had shooting parties, but she certainly never attended one. And they didn't use such small guns anyway. They had rifles or some such thing; she's no expert.

[anotheroldsoldier]

Don't put your shield through it. [A pause as he looks over the casing. It does all seem to be a solid piece, and he's not finding any grooves. There has to be something, though. He lifts it to turn it over and check the underside as well. He amends his statement,] Don't put your shield through it yet.

Okay. Where are we gonna get a key?

[anotheroldsoldier]

[James would much rather just get this over with than beat around the bush or keep trying to avoid each other. There are more important things to worry about than another version of himself, especially one who seems to want to keep to himself. But, that makes him an unknown, and he's not a trusting man. He especially doesn't trust himself.]

I don't. [He says it bluntly, tone dry.] But we need to. Clearly we can't avoid each other forever.

[inlaid]

[Ah. He doesn't know what he's stumbled into at all, does he? Still, once there's that flash of recognition, it's good of him to offer to go, to give her a chance to meet someone else.]

Settle down, Adam Luke Sadethir. [She gives him an easy smile, making a vague gesture meant to mean that he ought to keep sitting exactly where he is rather than running for the hills.] Right now I'm talking to you, even if you're not here for a date, because I don't care whether I get one or not. I like meeting people, period.

[Even ones who give a middle name instead of a last name when asked.]

[bespredel]

[ It was clear that the name hadn't rung any bells for the other, and that suited Yuri just fine. James wasn't the only one who could answer questions, without really answering anything at all. ] Yeah, something like that.

[ Yuri just stares at him at the 'ninety' comment. Because seriously, what the hell. He hadn't expected the other to turn the comment back on him like he had. ]

Looking strapping, for ninety. [ He mutters it almost quiet enough to miss, before turning to the fence, gripping his spear, lowering his stance- just a little. He may not have used a spear before, but he knew a thing or two about balance and counterbalance, and the last thing he wanted was to go toppling over if something got close enough for him to have to actually stab.

It was strange; even in that moment, even as the clawed footsteps drew nearer, as a howling, screeching creature crashed over the fence, Yuri didn't feel scared. He felt disconnected, like an out of body experience- all of it still too surreal to really register. Time seemed to slow down. The wall was breached. It wasn't just one monster anymore, another followed, and then another. Yuri didn't really think- he only acted. Snarling like the tiger he had claimed to be, and launching forward. ]

[advanced]

They did.

[If Steve can't see why he couldn't possibly stay in communal housing, then the storm has knocked any sense right out of his head. He squeezes down and in as well, even though that presses them uncomfortably close together.]

I've seen where your room is, you don't sleep enough.

[advanced]

What seat?

[Is this some weird new slang that he's just not familiar with?]

I don't have a grudge against you, I fought you because you were in my way.

[advanced]

[Sadethir? What the hell kind of surname is that? He raises an eyebrow at her, but he doesn't get up to go.]

Okay.

[He's not really sure why he's agreeing to this just yet, eyes fixed on her as if waiting for further instruction. Because he is. He has literally no idea what to do in this sort of social setting now, though he has a very vague recollection of being the sort of man who would already be asking her to a dance hall once upon a time.]

[advanced]

Fine.

[His eyes narrow, if the other Bucky wants to do it this way, then he'll do it this way.]

I don't trust you. I know what you are, because it's what I am too, and we shouldn't be around people. I'm watching you. When you lose control, I'll kill you.

[Honestly, he's expecting the same in return, and that would almost be a relief. He'd rather be taken out if he became the Soldier again.]

[anotheroldsoldier]

[Despite the threat, James actually seems slightly more relaxed. If this Bucky is worrying about that, about losing control, that's good. That means he's past being someone's puppet, that he's aware of himself.]

I'm not asking you to trust me. [That would be way too much for either of them.] But you don't know what I am. Where I am. I've been back in the world for a while by now, they don't have a hold on me anymore. [Or, they only do in his nightmares.

He gives this other version a searching look and says evenly, without judgement,] I won't be the one to lose control.