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quaranmeme2017-12-18 08:58 pm
riverview: december 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!
● There are currently 13 Character Slots available.
● Reserves are Open. Applications will be open from January 1st until January 7th.
● 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 for 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
Going into the last week of December, the city experiences an abrupt and unexpected dump of snow - several feet of it, in fact. Usually, it wouldn't be a big deal, since most people and most exploration teams could just hole up and ride out the storm and snowdrifts. And that's what most of the city is doing.
Unfortunately, this is the week that some of the Perimeter Guard Cadets have decided to go on their Winter Expedition - a sort of camping trip slash exploration expedition into the Abandoned City just outside the walls of the Inner City. While the goal wasn't to get too far away from the walls, with the snow starting up in force, the groups of Cadets have gotten turned around in the inclement weather and are stuck outside the walls, unable to return to the safety of the Inner City.
A general call has gone out to anyone willing to brave the snow and storm to rescue groups of Cadets between the ages of 12 and 17 who are trapped outside the walls in their camps.
During the last half of December, residents might start noticing the appearance of cute, trilling little birds with soulful eyes (very mild spoilers for the most recent Star Wars movie in the link) throughout the Quarantine. Perched on tree branches or the corners of awnings and eaves, they will keep multiplying in number until December 20th, when a positive swarm of them will come through the portal.
Welcome to the Quarantine, Porgs!
These little lovable birds (spoiler-free image) will be settling in to roost just about anywhere you can think of. Outside your window, inside your kitchen on top of your fridge, under your bed, or anywhere else. Whether residents consider them a nuisance or a potential new pet, they're bound to cause a stir. The Porgs will be out and about in the city until the end of December, when most of them will find their way back through the portal to whichever world they came from, though a little colony of them will remain in the City from now on. Porgs will be added along with domestic foxes and Pokémon as creatures that can be found or caught in the city as pets without the use of AP!
Some residents may remember that back in September, a love-drunk and confusion-spell-addled newlywed mage from Gramarye Magic Research let loose some pretty little fairy lights that trapped people in the city in little invisible bubbles until they kissed (and any kind of kiss would do). Well, the same slightly-less-newlywed but no less romantically-inclined mage happens to really, really enjoy the winter season, and thinks it's totally romantic. That particular sentiment is pretty common in the Quarantine - while Hygge is the celebration of familial love, the residents of the Quarantine all agree that that family often includes partners and lovers. Besides that, the folklore of mistletoe as being representative of love and friendship is something that the Quarantine has in common with the universes many residents inhabit.
So, as the last week and a half of December rolls around, residents around the Quarantine will see the result of the resident romantic trying to share a bit of Hygge love - small, glowing sprigs of mistletoe will be floating around the Quarantine, ready to trap people up and make them share a bit of affection. But how does it work?
Two or more characters walking under one of these glowing, floating sprigs will get stuck for one hour, trapped inside an invisible enclosure with an approximate three foot radius. The only options are to either wait out the hour, or to kiss! Characters will know they're meant to kiss, because part of the magic spell is the sudden and intense knowledge that they should kiss in order to break free. There is no compulsion to kiss, just the knowledge that that's how to get free. This time, instead of any kind of kiss working, there will be different types of kisses that will work to release the trapped residents depending on the color of mistleglow:
GREEN: FOREHEAD ● BLUE: HAND ● VIOLET: BUTTERFLY
Trapped residents will not know what kind of kiss will work for each color and may have to experiment before finding the right one.
Remember those Hygge Cabins that the City set up all along the banks of the river? Little cabins with enough space for a small kitchen, a table to eat at, and a lounge area in front of a fireplace, meant to be shared in celebration of familial love and found family during Hygge? Well, the sudden onslaught of snow that trapped the Cadets outside the city are also serving to isolate people who are in and around the cabins.
With the river nearby, the heightened humidity in the area of the beaches where the cabins are set up, the snowfall is even heavier than it is throughout the rest of the city. Anyone who's down by the water will find themselves quickly driven out of the open and into one of these cabins, whether it's inhabited or not! Whether these weather refugees are sharing a cabin by choice, after having a lovely dinner together, or unwillingly, in the form of an intruder on someone else's holiday or by being driven into the same cabin with a stranger, they're going to be snowed in for a while!
Whether your character is posting up a silly word game, 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.
Friendr base code is by photosynthesis.
The code in the textbox is for the default color scheme, but the Friendr app has a wide variety of themes, so feel free to customize with colors and patterns as you see fit, but do not remove the credit line out of respect for the creator of the code.
Use the wildcard prompt to choose your own adventure and do whatever else you like in the setting!
no subject
Lead the way.
no subject
'Bout a thirty minute light jog with favorable weather and no snow,
and that's as the crow flies. How good are you movin' in snow? [Without delaying for his answer, she moved through the snow with strong strides. The mutant may be from the South, but she's spent more than enough time in snow soaked landscape to be able to navigate it. Her strength certainly helped cut a path through the drifts.]
no subject
I'll keep up. Go.
[On the one hand, he had the easier position at the moment. She was leading the way, which meant she was breaking through the snow. On the other hand, he was likely quite a bit heavier than her even without the pack of emergency supplies he was carrying for when they found the cadets, which could mean he'd end up falling through deeper snow that had supported her weight easily.
They made decent progress for about the first twenty minutes, their path leading through a forested area, which kept the snow drifts to a minimum, but it had opened up into a large, clear field. The height of the snow increased dramatically to just above knee height and suddenly their speed ground to a crawl.]
Can you still hear them? [He was breathing heavily, sweat turning into steam in the frigid air.]
no subject
They encountered the large open area just as she found herself consulting the sun's position in the sky to gauge sundown, and she stumbled slightly at the almost abrupt change in pace due to the added resistance. It caused her to stop and apply her attentions forward, surveying the large open area. What she'd give to have flight at her disposal right now.
His question pulled her attention back, and she nodded after a moment of listening, realizing that she needed to take long, deep breaths to even manage the proper focus for the task.] Ah hear 'em. They ain't movin' neither.
[Her gaze shifted to Ragnar and she felt her head spinning slightly, but stubborn as ever, she steadied herself with a sigh. She too was sweating, the whipping breeze against her damp skin giving her a deep chill now that they were stationary. Maybe they should take a rest? She gestured to the large clearing.] What do you think?
no subject
We are close? [He squinted slightly at the biting wind. He peered past her and did a quick assessment of the clearing. A lot of snow. And then at the sun, which was mostly just trying to figure out where the brightest part in the cloudy grey sky was. They had a couple hours of sunlight left at the most.]
Take turns breaking the snow? [He offered, pushing past her.] The trees are not so far. And we should make it before nightfall, yes?
no subject
His plan earned an agreeable nod as she stepped in behind him, taking the opportunity to 'rest' while he broke a path through the snowdrifts.] Ah reckon so. We're gonna need to find shelter. [Hopefully, the cadets had already done as much, but Rogue was accustomed to preparing for the worst and hoping for the best.
His plan to alternate who led the rest of the march saved her significant energy, and to her relief, they were able to locate the missing cadets, relatively safe and sound. They'd had the sense to find shelter in a cave during the worst of the storm, so dehydration and hunger were the only woes as far she could see. They would be just fine.
Rogue used what felt like the last of her energies to gather a stack of firewood for the night before parking herself heavily next to the fire, back against a conveniently placed rock. Looked like the cave had been used for shelter previously. For several long moments, she stared into the fire, letting her focus meander elsewhere.] You ever been so damn tired you could sleep standin' up? 'Cept your mind won't stop whirlin' and you're left somewhere in between?
no subject
Why would we turn back? We have not found the cadets yet... [If anything, he was confident he had the skills and the supplies to spend the night in relative comfort. He saw absolutely no reason to go back. He gave her a slight nod when she mentioned shelter as he started the slow trek across the clearing.] We will worry about that when it is closer to sundown. If the cadets are alive and not moving, like you say, it is likely they have shelter.
[His hunch proved correct. Shelter from the wind, but a pitiful fire and no supplies. Luckily, they'd brought supplies and Ragnar had a large fire going within the hour, pointing out what he was doing to any cadets with enough energy to listen. Blankets were handed out and Ragnar went about making sure that none of the cadets were sitting around in any wet clothing, placing wet boots and a few wet jackets by the fire in the hope that they would be dry by morning.
Finally, he settled down against the wall beside Rogue, munching absently on some jerky.
He chuckled softly at the question.] Yes. Many times.
What keeps you awake now? I will keep watch. [He offers her a small, but reassuring smile, assuming it was anxiety keeping her from nodding off.]
no subject
His response pulled her attention back to him, eyes flicking down to the jerky, uncertain of whether she wanted any. The mutant knew she should eat, but didn't have much of an appetite, likely due to the exhaustion. Absently, she pressed a hand to her stomach, where the scythe had pierced her straight through, eyes becoming distant again.] Thinkin' 'bout home. [About the fact that she likely died and this was some weird afterlife or in between place.] Ah just arrived. Don't know what to make of everythin' yet.
no subject
He glanced back in her direction, the topic wasn't an easy one.]
I am no veteran to this place. But it has been... almost a month now. I have learned some things. If you have questions, I would do my best to answer them. [His eyes once again flickered briefly down to the hand she had pressed to her belly and then back up to meet her gaze again, trying hard not to look at her with knowing and pity.]
no subject
Do you know anyone here who died before gettin' here? [She's still not certain whether or not she died and was brought to this place, but knew that had she not been brought here, she certainly would have died. Here she had been given a chance for Logan's powers to heal her enough to drag her back from death's door.]
no subject
Yes. My daughter. [He swallowed thickly, eyes still on the fire.] She died of fever. [He turned back to Rogue, offering her a bittersweet smile.] She is here now.
I have heard of one other as well.
Do you hope to see someone here? [His initial assumption wasn't that she had died. Both Gyda and Cisco's friend were completely certain they had died. They knew without question.]
no subject
She inhaled sharply with the question that followed and immediately thought of Charles, eyes becoming watery. Images of him dead on the autopsy table strong and vivid in her mind. There were other mutants that came to mind, friends and family she'd lost over the years. But then there's Wanda, and guilt and anger churned through her. Then finally she thought of herself, taking a deep breath.] Ah don't know honestly. Ah was on death's door when ah came here. Thought maybe ah had died. Hadn't thought past that.
no subject
[That was the most difficult part. She was not dying some glorious death. She was not old enough to have earned a spot Valhalla, which meant he would likely never be reunited with her. It hurt more than anything else.
He frowned, forcing his thoughts elsewhere and poked a stick into the base of the fire.]
'Death's door'? You were close to death? [He finished prodding the fire and once again settled back against the wall, giving her a puzzled look.] From what I've been told. Those who died before they arrived here were beckoned through a door they had never seen before by people they did not know. Then they awoke in a... [he searched for the word, but couldn't remember 'hospital']... infirmary. The people here made them better somehow.
no subject
[Her voice was soft, full of empathy as she genuinely felt for the man, offering him a sad and understanding smile. She imagined meeting Charles here after his death. Even the idea of the possibility made her heart ache and guilt rise up into her chest. She let the Red Skull butcher and disgrace not only a friend, but a father figure to more than just herself.
Focus Rogue. This wasn't about her.] Take advantage of time while you got it.
[A wry laugh escaped her at his questions, low and rough.] Short answer's 'yes.' Long answer's 'more times times than ah can count.' [Her face grew serious at his explanation, shaking her head with a sigh as she reached her hands out to the fire, shivering at both the cold and her thoughts as she tried to warm her extremities.] Ah'm thinkin' if ah hadn't come here, then ah'd be dead. Timin' really is everythin'.
[A pause.] You got anymore of that meat?
no subject
He looked over at her, brow slightly furrowed.] You think you are dead? Or you think they have saved you? [It wasn't quite clear which way she was leaning. He hadn't heard of anyone being saved from death and brought here, but he knew he hadn't come anywhere close to meeting everyone.]
Yes. It is- [He peered around the cave and spotted the supplies, they'd been left out so the cadets could help themselves to all the food and water they needed. He pointed over to it as she was actually sitting closer.] There.