riverview: test drive meme

[riverviewmod]

riverview test drive meme

Welcome 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 April 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.
● Since this particular TDM is plot-heavy, current players are welcome to do their own top-levels to interact with the plot. However, since it is still a TDM intended to help potential new players get involved, there will be a special additional +25 Activity Point bonus for any thread submitted by a current player that involves a potential new character rather than focusing on existing CR, for this TDM post.

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. Thanks to player-created plots, this month's Test Drive is set to effect the game setting for the next few months, so please enjoy!

information resources
premise ● arrival ● setting ● ask a question ● calendar ● navigation

plot overview

After just over a week of increasingly serious blackouts and brownouts around the city, the team in charge of the structural integrity and defense of the wall has found the source of the problem, and posted a network entry explaining that the issue is caused by a large quantity of lizard-like monsters that have compromised the underground infrastructure of the city, and requesting volunteers to help do a full-scale manual extermination of monsters and assess the damage and do urgent repairs.

prompt i: a call to arms

The most urgent request presented is for people to help clear out the monsters in the underground tunnels - and there are a lot of them! With estimated monster numbers in the area of 500-1000, ranging from adult to juvenile, there's a lot of work to be done to clear out the underground infrastructure of the city. The Perimeter Guard will have a steady stream of transport trucks going to escort any fight-capable residents who want to volunteer out to the tunnels. They will also provide weapons of various varieties as well as short training sessions on how to use them safely in a confined space for anyone who doesn't have their own.

Whether you fight with a weapon, your fists, magic, or poison darts, your help is more than welcome down in the tunnels. The only real request is to keep seismic or explosive abilities or attacks on the mild side, and to be careful not to poison the city's water supply! Other than that, go wild.

prompt ii: into the depths

Clearing out monsters is all well and good, but they have definitely done some damage to the city's infrastructure. So it isn't just the brawn that needs to step up to help the city, it's the brains. There's a call for anyone with any kind of special ability that would help with emergency repairs. Whether it's engineers, chemists, anyone with first aid, runners to distribute supplies, or any other special ability that would help out in the underground tunnels and fix some of the damage that's been done, anyone is welcome to help. And if you think it's just scientists who are needed, think again - magic is a well-known if not-well-understood facet of life in Riverview Quarantine, and some of this stuff works on a more arcane level than a mundane one.

And, of course, all of these brainiacs are going to need a little backup, so any bruisers to act as escort and protection are also welcome.

prompt iii: trapped in a...

Not everyone has the skills or desire to head out into the jungle and fight for the city, and that's perfectly fine. Inside the Quarantine walls, life is carrying on as normally as it can. That is, aside from the ongoing blackouts.

Wherever you might be in the city, you run a pretty decent risk of getting trapped somewhere for a short period of time. Whether it's trapped in an elevator, a tram car, a store, the housing you share with someone you barely know, or anywhere else in the city, it could happen to you. This could be the start of a beautiful friendship or a meet-cute to tell your grandkids about...at least, that is, if you get along with the person you're stuck with...

prompt iv: friendr/network

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 new, free app is popping up on people's 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.

Code to post your character's bio is in the textbox below, or you can just do a text version of the information in the app. An example of how it looks can be found here.

<center><blockquote style="width: 220px; margin: 0; padding: 0px; background-image: url('http://i42.tinypic.com/2uf53s4.jpg'); font-size: 12px; font-family: verdana; border-radius: 20px; text-align: center;"><div style="padding: 10px 0 0 0; text-align: center;font-size: 25px; font-weight: 900; font-style: italic; color: #528887; text-shadow: -2px 2px 2px rgba(150, 150, 150, 1);">F<span style="font-size: 16px;">RIENDR</span></div> <center><img src="ICON URL HERE" style="border-radius: 50%; width: 70px; height: 70px; box-shadow:-3px 3px 2px 0px rgba(82, 136, 135, .75);"></center> <center><div style="width: 210px; background-color: #528887; color: #fff; padding: 5px; font-size: 14px;">Name of Character</div></center> <center><div style="width: 210px; background-color: #528887; color: #fff; padding: 5px; font-size: 11px; text-align: left;"><b><small>AGE:</small></b> ## <b><small>INTERESTED IN:</small></b> Male/Female/Any <b><small>SEEKING:</small></b> Type(s) of Relationship(s) <b><small>ABOUT ME:</small></b> Blurb goes here, can be as long or short as you wish.</div></center><br> </blockquote></center>
Many thanks to mistojen for coding this especially for Riverview!

prompt v: wildcard

Choose your own adventure and do something else in the setting!

navigation

Comments

[bloodycrown]

I have an okay understanding of quantum mechanics. Any possible outcome is real somewhere or something like that.

iii.

[kuyamu]

[ ordinarily, Hanzo would be more sensible than to take an elevator when the power is going out at frequent and irregular intervals. but he hadn't been able to find the energy to drag himself up the stairs — his entire body seems to be suffering from the weight of Genji on his mind. it's too much for him to even process, something impossibly huge and nebulous, the fact that Genji is here and speaking to him and hadn't simply taken his head as he rightfully should have. (they had even been alone, down there in the tunnels. no one would have known.)

his head has been spinning ever since the encounter, like the grief had overflowed from his heart and filled his lungs in the absence of anywhere else to go, and even his legs ache from his prosthetics. so: not the stairs. so, the elevator, not thinking at all about the blackouts.

until the power goes out while he's in the elevator, and the other passenger speaks up. Hanzo blinks, coming back into awareness (he hadn't even realised he'd gone distant) and then groaning as the situation sinks in. ]

In retrospect, [ his voice is quiet, clearly exhausted ] it was foolish to use an elevator now. Perhaps this is deserved.

[ he says that, but he pretty clearly isn't feeling that zen about it. ]

[bloodycrown]

Depends. Sometimes it's accidental, sometimes voluntary, sometimes not. I only take adult volunteers but we do get a few accidental turnings during tourist season.

[ He's being truthful. It's also been a while since the last time he had to recruit. ]

Impact on abilities depends on the source of the abilities. For instance, witches draw their power from life and nature and vampires are cut off from that, so witches lose their connection to magic if they're turned.

[bloodycrown]

And here I thought you wanted to make sure I wasn't still dealing with the inexperienced, blood-lusty stage.

[dust_of_life]

So old guys don't have blood-lust?

[bloodycrown]

I haven't turned anyone in years. I do feed but no one is hurt long-term from it, we got a system set up.

[bloodycrown]

Thanks to ancient magic someone who dies with vampire blood in their system, comes back. Once they feed on human blood the change becomes permanent. Downside is they crave blood afterwards.

Werewolves are cursed. The curse is inherited from parents to children and triggered only of they kill someone, so it's punishment.

I'm not familiar with Nemedians, but it sounds like they're equivalent.

[inthemoonlight]

Really? People have not been afraid?

[ Never mind that she isn't acting very afraid right now either... ]

[inthemoonlight]

A prince? Goodness, how should she act? The only prince within her scope of understanding is the Prince Regent, and he would never be traveling alone. Then again, if the Prince Regent suddenly turned up, he wouldn't have his courtiers with him, would he? Hmm, quite the conundrum he'd be in. He'd have to hire people.

Well, Cecelia will do her best to be polite. She has no idea where Akielos is, but he must be used to a certain standard of society. She comes from a place with strict societal rules, and it's been difficult to loosen some of them here.

"Yes, indeed. This is certainly not the right venue to meet a prince. Goodness me. Is your home far different from here?"

[kuyamu]

I see.

[ an utterly inadequate response, but what else is he supposed to say? I am glad. not only is that banal, but Hanzo has no right to feel relief for any aspect of Genji's life. how can he say that he is glad for anything when he's the one that did this? whatever fortune Genji can find in his current state, it cannot abate Hanzo's guilt.

he turns to look properly at Genji instead of taking glances from the corner of his eye, and he studies him in silence while they walk together, trying to find any pieces of a brother that he would recognise. in his manner, his movements — Hanzo thinks about those neon green lights all over the cyborg body, thinks Genji would have liked that, and then abruptly turns his head away. his breathing shudders unsteadily as he exhales. his hands are shaking.

it would be better not to speak at all, even though there is so much to say and so many questions that he desperately wants answers to. but he suddenly finds he needs something to fill the space. ]

You told me to join Overwatch. Was it them that — [ he gestures with the hand holding an arrow to encompass Genji's body ] did this?

[ he hadn't exactly kept up with the news of Overwatch, after fleeing. everyone around him in the clan had always viewed Overwatch with disdain, their showmanship and the naivete of heroes, so the distaste had stayed with him in his exile. they might have boasted gladly about the technological innovation of a cyborg addition to their ranks, and Hanzo would have no idea. ]

[exter]

Well I'm flattered.

[ She could try and wreck the thing apart, if she wanted. But She doesn't want to expose herself, not to mention that sort of thing always gets out of hand. ]

What do we do now? I'm Mia, by the way.

[exter]

Figures, right?

Cyborg? That's a new one.

iii

[advanced]

[He doesn't often use elevators, preferring the freedom of stairs or even the unconventional route of scaling the side of a building. But he's trying to keep a low profile, which is why he thought just one elevator ride wouldn't hurt.

So much for that.

He's immediately tense when the elevator grinds to a halt, expecting a trap. This would be a perfect place for an ambush, take off the top hatch and drop in to attack. So he moves to flank the strange woman in here, barely paying attention to what she's saying.]

Shut up.

[It's a low, hoarse sort of order, but he needs to listen for assailants scaling the shaft.]

call to arms

[advanced]

[He doesn't usually go on these organised missions, he prefers to keep himself separate, but then he spotted a flash of familiar lipstick, bright red against the muted hues everyone else seems dressed in.

Bucky doesn't ride in the trucks with the others, he just stalks on behind until they get into position, content to watch and wait. It's only when the monsters attack that he moves, sweeping in to viciously take down one that had been coming up behind her.

Her thanks throw him, and she just gets a confused frown in return.]

No talking, keep fighting.

ii

[advanced]

[You know who's not a good person to end up face to face with? Someone you've murdered... will murder in their future, that's not a good person to end up face to face with, let alone on a monster hunting mission with.

Bucky's done his best to keep his face covered, though, so he can't be recognised. Not the mask of the Soldier, never that again, just a bandanna tied around his face as if to ward off the smells of the tunnels.

He takes the torch in one gloved hand without complaint, finally speaking for the first time in the mission.]

Can you fix it?

III. i'm so late

[leadintheyoung]

[ Stuck isn't something Líadan likes to be whether it's in a thorn bush, up a tree, or inside of a building. If she has to be stuck somewhere, she'd rather be stuck with people, though, and it's a big relief when what amounts to a very puzzling walking piece of glow in the dark armor speaks and confirms he is, in fact, people. Helpful people, even. Helpful, fascinating people. ]

Sorry, I can now. That's a lovely color. Reminds me of spring, but... how?

[ What? Why? When? Who? Who is definitely in there somewhere and her expression betrays the curiosity she isn't at all trying to hide. Curiosity that sees her glancing up and around them, too. Another, er... failure? Outage? What terminology do people apply to these things again? ]

[exter]

Antagonism for the sake of conflict doesn't benefit anyone.

That said, try to give your kind a good name, because surely there's people waiting for an excuse to make an ass of themselves.

[exter]

Or any words. Usually it's just awe and distrust.

[ She'll have to tell Mae someday that she's already talking to one of such, kinda. But not today. Not for a while. ]

You really don't want to step in? Or we can go to the roof, breathe some air.

[girlexmachina]

She thinks about this for a moment. "If something is buried in the ground and no one can see it, it's still there whether or not you know it's there, though. It doesn't stop existing just because no one knows it's there. If you discover something that no one else knows, that doesn't mean it wasn't true before you learned it."

iii

[givemeoblivion]

What a boring way to die...

[This is said wistfully, Callisto's eyes focused upward at the ceiling. She knows nothing about elevators, of course, except that they're the lazy man's way of getting from one floor to another. It's only fitting that the one time she decides to give one a try it breaks down on her.

Her eyes roll down, turning their gaze over to her fellow passenger.]

Will anyone come for you, I wonder? From the look of you, probably not.

[There's some sort of hatch on the roof. Perhaps she can climb up and out, then sever whatever's holding this up. It would be a fun way to get to the bottom floor.]

[morganknight]

Morgan waved a hand idly. "And how do you know someone hasn't dug it up, as soon as you look away? Even if you set someone to watch the spot constantly and reported back to you, how could you be absolutely certain they were telling the truth? Even if you watched the spot yourself, slept right on top of it so no one could disturb it, how could you know -- absolutely, positively know -- that someone hadn't very quietly tunneled up beneath it and removed it without disturbing the surface?"

[morganknight]

Multiple worlds outcome, but it's weirder than that... but yeah, sort of like that!

[morganknight]

Morgan Knight. [He leans forward and offers her a hand, as well as another smile.] And unless you have other ideas, I'm up for more talking. It passes the time. Have you been here long?

[exter]

You're the one using it, so I guess that's as good as it's going to get.

[ Note to self, don't touch the shady umbrella wand. ]

So everyone does magic in your world?

[flowlikewater]

[ He wants to reach out and put a hand on his shoulders, something, but refrains. The man was hardly tactile before, he can't imagine he's any better when he's so obviously skittish like a cat with every inch of fur on end.

So he stays silent and waits for his brother to speak. He will not force any conversation out of him. And when he speaks he turns his head back to him.

Genji nods again. ] They did. [ A slight pause. ] Well, provided the funds so that their lead doctor could do it is more precise.