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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!
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If he had, he thinks that he would have stayed -- though, perhaps there had been love there but only there was already a love much stronger in his heart.
He looked over at Ragnar. ]
You're asking very many questions when you could be putting your mouth to other uses.
[ Still, he answers even though the question pains him somewhat and the answers seem to swirl in his head contradicting one another. ]
It is not so simple. I could ask Him for forgiveness and I could renew my vow. [ And yet, he's not sure that he wants that. Perhaps, in choosing to go back to Ragnar this time he could shed his vows as a monk. He could be a simple man and believe in his God and spend his life trying to make peace with believing that Thor and Odin and Frey and others might also be real. ]
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He sat up slowly, heart beating so loudly in his ears that he didn't really hear Athelstan's answer. Not listening didn't mean he kept his eyes off of Athelstan's lips as the monk spoke. At this point, he was sitting on the edge of the bed as well, but facing the opposite direction of Athelstan.
He leaned closer, putting his hand down on the bed to balance himself. Of course, where he chose to put his hand down was on the mattress in between Athelstan's thighs. A completely innocent choice. Obviously. Staring intently into Athelstan's eyes, he tilted his head and leaned in, brushing his lips over Athelstan's lightly.]
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Athelstan's eyes close when their lips touch again, almost sighing into the kiss. There's still the instinct that comes with years of being committed to his vows to pull away to shun this pleasure. But he had come this far, had he not? Would God truly deny him this happiness?
He reached up, his hand moving to touch the other's neck around to the back of it, gripping firm. Ragnar's skin is warm and not at all soft like Judith's had been. Nothing about Ragnar was anything like her. Again, it would be different but it would be more too.
There's a hunger in his kiss, still a bit of shyness, awkwardness that comes with inexperience but he presses forward with it. He grips the other's neck, fingertips curling into his skin, urging Ragnar to help him, to guide him in this. ]
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He'd brushed his lips over Athelstan's, a kiss, but barely. The first step set up so Athelstan could take the next. Once he did, he was immediately rewarded. Ragnar parted his lips to deepen the kiss, making a soft, quiet noise of approval, a hum that made his lips tingle even more.
His own eyes were closed as he tried to patiently let Athelstan build the kiss in intensity. Tilting his head further, he flicked his tongue along Athelstan's lips lightly, testing the waters. With an equally light touch, he turned his hand slightly, slowly running his thumb along the inseam of Athelstan's pants and moved to card his free hand into his hair with another soft hum.]
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Even when he had been in Wessex, Ragnar had been a constant companion to him, even if only in his imagination.
And now, they're crossing the line that for so long Athelstan had drawn between them. It felt so arbitrary now. And perhaps, when not in the heat of the moment, his crisis of faith would return to the forefront but he could think of nothing but the way Ragnar kissed him. A sound, something near a moan leaves him when the other's tongue teases against his lips, which parted in response.
The sensations are consuming, the light and slow press of Ragnar's thumb, sending tingling pleasure, a coil of heated arousal to his length. With his one hand on Ragnar's neck he isn't sure exactly where to put his other hand and he rests it on the other's thigh. ]
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The hold on Athelstan's hair tightens as well, tugging him closer, turning the kiss bruising, something heated and desperate.
He has to breathe though, but he isn't willing to stop, so he once again pulls on Athelstan's hair, breaking the kiss as he tipped his head back like he had under the mistletoe. Panting heavily, he moved to Athelstan's neck, a mix of kissing, sucking, licking, and the drag of teeth.]
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He gasps for breath when the other's lips move to his neck, though his lips still felt the aftermath of the kiss. Fingers tightened on Ragnar's thigh when the other started to attack his neck. The shocks of pleasure when Ragnar found patches of skin with his teeth and tongue that seemed directly connected to his cock. ]
Ragnar [ The name is breathy and an exhalation rather than the start of a thought. His hand slid from Ragnar's neck over his shoulder and feeling the strength of his arm as he touches him in a sort of exploration. ]
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Not pulling away from Athelstan won out until he also wanted more. He wanted to move lower, trace along Athelstan's collarbone and see what other reactions he could elicit in the monk.
With a lot of reluctance, he pulled back slightly, tilting his head to press a quick reassuring kiss to the corner of Athelstan's mouth as he let his hair go.] Your tunic. [He pointed out quietly before he turned and got to off the bed onto his feet. The knit sweater was easily shrugged off, the cuirass was more of a pain. He tried to make quick work of the leather ties that ran up the side of it, but there was no quickly removing the article of clothing.]
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His heart is still racing when Ragnar pulls away. He drops his hands away from him and it's quickly clear why he had so he couldn't complain about the loss of contact.
Athelstan watches Ragnar, though he makes quick work of his own tunic, setting it aside and his eyes resting on Ragnar then. He waited a moment as the other works on the leather ties before he stands and moves to assist him. His face might be flushing ever so slightly as he does so without asking. ]
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Athelstan. [It was his turn to breathlessly say the other man's name. He bit his lip and then seemed to remember he was supposed to be taking his shirt off. Right. He pulled the last few ties loose and started to tug on his sleeves to loosen them before raising his arms up so Athelstan could help him work the shirt off.
The scar that wrapped around his shoulder looked the same as ever, an old injury even when he'd first met Athelstan. The injuries he'd gotten from Earl Haraldson's raid on his farm and their subsequent fight, however, looked like they had very recently scarred over, the mark from the arrow that had narrowly missed hitting his heart and the large cut that went from just below his ribs diagonally up and across his chest.]
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He's silent as he helps him with the shirt until they can discard it on the floor with his tunic.
Athelstan's eyes are drawn to the scars, the ones he so easily recognizes where they're from. ]
It was so long ago... [ Athelstan murmurs and his fingers tracing the scars that are more angry, new. The last he had seen them they had been older. It is a troubling thought in a way. ]
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They are not even a year old. [He still hadn't seen Athelstan's stigmata, scars he will undoubtedly be curious about.
He stepped a little closer, running his knuckles along the line of Athelstan's hip, up from where it emerged from the waist of his pants.] You look stronger. [He smirked a bit, but it was true. When he'd first met Athelstan, the monk hadn't only been small, but he'd never fought and had only done light labor. Athelstan was actually looking almost Viking now.]
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I am stronger. You trained me. [ Athelstan smiled, he had learned to fight and he had fought at Ragnar's side. He had paid a heavy price for it but he didn't regret it in the least. ]
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Closing the distance between them, he pressed his lips to Athelstan's for an unhurried, indulgent kiss.] Back to the bed? [He'd barely broken the kiss to ask, murmuring the words against Athelstan's mouth.]
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It is not that he has not come to that thought himself. He thinks of telling Ragnar about Paris, knowing without a doubt that Ragnar would want to conquer it and Athelstan... he wanted to see that. He wanted to be a part of it and that is nothing but a Viking's desire. Would God smite him for it?
There's no time to truly contemplate the conflict, the fear of scorning God and Christ. He's kissed and sighs at another taste of Ragnar. He doesn't answer outloud, his hands moving to Ragnar's sides and while there is plenty he wouldn't have confidence in, this he can do. He presses his lips more firmly to Ragnar's again and backs up toward the bed, pulling Ragnar with him, although it would surely not take much effort. ]
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He let Athelstan set the pace as they moved backward towards the bed, humming softly in encouraging approval as Athelstan deepened the kiss. It was only a moment before they'd bumped into the foot of the bed, but Ragnar wasn't yet willing to pull away from Athelstan. Instead, he pressed closer, an excited chill running up his spine when their skin met, chests flush together. He couldn't help but slide his hand around, fingers splayed to trace over the contours of lean muscle down Athelstan's back.]
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But it was Ragnar and he could trust Ragnar like he could trust no other.
His hands stroked along his sides, fingers trembling ever so slightly as one hand moves around, over his stomach, upward to feel the muscled and scarred torso. He kissed him hungrily and at least that was starting to come more naturally and without thought. The taste of Ragnar on his tongue enough to lead him further, to press for more, to open himself to Ragnar's hunger as well. ]
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Continuing to kiss him heatedly, he walked them around from the foot of the bed to the side and then leaned forward to half drop Athelstan down onto the mattress. He couldn't help but rock his hips forward, grinding suggestively against Athelstan, a groan muffled into the kiss as he did.]
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This, perhaps, isn't about need in that way.
Athelstan did break the kiss when the other ground against him, the heat and pleasure rising. He's breathing heavily, his pupils probably blown a bit. His body responds so naturally to Ragnar's, pressing up into his hips. ]
You're incorrigible.
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He locked eyes with Athelstan, his own eyes somehow both dark with desire and still bright and striking. He rolled his hips forward again, wanting to see Athelstan's reaction, the way his lips parted, the noises he would make, the flush of his skin, his heavy breaths and speeding heart. He wanted all of it. This was his.
He could feel Athelstan, even through their pants and he had no doubt that his own arousal was equally as obvious.]
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Ragnar's gaze holds his own and he couldn't look away even if he wanted to. The movement of hips against his own, the feeling of Ragnar aroused and pressing against him and it's overwhelming. He can't stop the pleasured sound that leaves him, full of desire and longing. He'd wanted this for so long and had denied them both and yet he had not broken his vows for Ragnar but for Judith.
Maybe it was better that way, that it not be Ragnar, he could never have come to regret Ragnar then the way that he could regret Judith. He didn't want to regret this. His hand comes to rest on the other's cheek, brushing his thumb out over Ragnar's lips. Athelstan is breathing heavy and his gaze intense. ]
If you have me will you still want me again? [ Perhaps, it's a silly question but had Ragnar's fascination over the years been stoked by the fact that he had never been able to fully indulge? ]
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[Although he had never condemned anyone else or stopped them, he himself had never had sex with anyone who hadn't been willing.
He pressed a kiss to the corner of Athelstan's mouth and then leaned into the monk's touch. His lips part as Athelstan's thumb brushing across them and, tilting his head slightly, he managed to just catch the pad of his thumb with his teeth, biting lightly.]
Do you even have to ask, priest? [He combed his fingers through Athelstan's dark curls again, deciding he definitely liked the way he'd let it grow out.]
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I know, Ragnar but I was your slave and you could have to no punishment. [ The fact that Ragnar hadn't meant more to Athelstan because he could have, he would have been well within his rights under his customs.
A small smile touched his lips at the light bight to his thumb, before lowering it over his chin, the roughness of his beard an enjoyable sensation. He liked Ragnar's hardness and roughness far more than he had liked Judith's soft body, the fragility of a proper Christian woman.
His eyes closed, focusing on the soft comfort of the other's fingers in his hair once more. He found he liked that gesture, there was warmth and affection in it that was difficult to ignore. ]
Many men lose interest in things once they conquer them, Ragnar.
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He nudged Athelstan's cheek with his nose so he'd turn his head to the side and then pressed a mix of kisses and bites down his neck, pausing to suck a bruise into the crook of his neck. It would be barely visible when he had his shirt back on, but it would be visible.
He froze, going tense for a moment when Athelstan once again questioned his motives and, frankly, his honor. He lifted his head to gaze down at Athelstan, expression serious, eyes narrowed, the blue an ice-cold anger.] Are you speaking of me? ... Or yourself? I am not the one who 'conquered' somebody once and then left to sail across the sea and return to a foreign land with my pagan friend.
[It was harsh, very harsh, and after he said it there was an immediate flicker of regret and guilt, though he'd never admit that he'd done anything wrong. There was something about being not only accused of being capable of casual rape but also instantly abandoning his friend after sleeping with them that made his blood boil.]
If you are so uncertain, so suspicious of me, we should not do this.
[With that, he pushed himself up and untangled himself from Athelstan, seething. Part of him didn't understand why he was so angry. It wasn't that just anyone thought he was the kind of person who would do those things it was that Athelstan thought he was the kind of person who would do those things. To him no less.
He turned and angrily punched the very solid wall of the cabin with a growl, pacing a bit before he went back over to pick up his tunic.]
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His breath stilled, being held while the other sucked at his neck. It sent shocks of pleasure through him, a bite of pain that had a sensual feel that he couldn't quite explain. Later, when he saw it, the mark would give him pause but also make him smile.
There is little time to think of it now, Ragnar's anger was a dangerous thing to say the least and Athelstan hadn't meant to rile it. He groped for words but the accusation regarding Judith stung him. But he couldn't let it set like that. ]
Ragnar, wait, please.
[ He sat up and he felt cold without the press of him close to him and wanting. The way he had punched the wall had made Athelstan tense and made him very well aware of the mistakes he had made. His doubts and worries that are far more about himself than Ragnar should have been kept inside. ]
I am not suspicious of you. [ Athelstan took a deep breath and then stood, moving to close the distance and he took the tunic away from Ragnar before he could move to put it on. His other hand rested over Ragnar's heart and perhaps there is a part of him that is afraid but the larger part of him trusts that Ragnar could never harm him. If he could it would have happened years and years ago. ]
I'm still nothing but a humble monk. Lagertha, she's a strong shieldmaiden and... [ There's a rueful smile, he almost had mentioned Aslaug and that she was a princess and most certainly not of humble origin but he held his tongue. ] I don't think I know even now what I have done to matter so much but I have been grateful all these years. Even when I was in Wessex, your friendship remained a source of strength.
Judith, she was bored, trapped and that is why she desired me... you are neither and I have done nothing to be worthy of this... [ He struggles for the word... ] the affection and loyalty of yours.
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