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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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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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It was obvious that Ragnar didn't believe him, assuming Athelstan was now backpedaling and trying to pretend like he didn't think Ragnar was secretly terrible. In truth, Athelstan doubting himself hadn't even crossed his mind. Not only did he rarely, if ever, feel those same kinds of insecurities, but he also thought the world of Athelstan. The truth behind Athelstan's words was undeniable.
He couldn't help the scoffed laugh that escaped in disbelief as he fought the stupid smile that was threatening to appear.] You are an idiot, priest. You are... the most interesting and most intelligent and most traveled person I know. [A soft smile crept across his lips and he actually had to look away from Athelstan to stop the smile from growing.] And you are an idiot.
You have never been just a humble monk to me.
[His expression changed again to one few people ever got to see. A genuine, silent pleading. He only met Athelstan's gaze for the briefest of moments before looking away.] I do not know how to tell you that any other way. I do not know how to make you believe me.
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He studies him after that, until the moment the other looks away from him. ]
You have always been strange but I trust you.
[ His hand slides up to his shoulder and then drops the tunic back to the floor where it belonged for now. That hand is then brought up to Ragnar's chin, drawing him back to face him. ]
Do you still want me now? [ There's a playful smile on his lips then, clearly he is not asking the question in so much a literal sense. ]
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Yes. [The single syllable is exhaled with conviction, his hands moving to Athelstan's hips, for what felt like the umpteenth time he led them towards the bed.]
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Athelstan moves back toward the bed with Ragnar's lead and he doesn't wait for him to take them down to it this time but settles back onto the bed of his own accord, pulling Ragnar down. ]
I want you. I've wanted you.
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When he reached his neck, he eased off of Athelstan to lay on his side, facing the monk, and waited for him to roll onto his side as well.
The confession made him pause for the briefest of moments before winding an arm around his waist to pull him closer.] Why did you never say? [He shook his head slightly, again fighting a soft smile.] Never mind. It does not matter now.
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He doesn't resist when Ragnar pulls him closer, resting his hand on the other's side and he smiles slightly at the other asking the question and then just as quickly withdrawing. ]
I want to answer.
[ At least partially, so, there were some reasons better kept to himself, like Aslaug. Perhaps if it had been Lagertha for all those other years he might have come to this sooner but there had been no warmth between himself and Aslaug, it made the marriage feel like an obstacle. ]
To say it, I would not have been able to take it back. And I didn't think I could have even a part of you. [ The reasons for that were numerous. ] In most times, it would have made things more difficult for you, especially if despite wanting you I was not ready to have you.
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A puzzled expression flickered very briefly across his face, brow furrowing and then relaxing again in an instant.]
I think, like most things priest, you have thought so much about this that you have made things far more complicated than they are. [His voice is quiet, a fond smile tugging at his lips.] I know I will have many sons. I have my children, I hope I provide for them, so what would it matter who else I chose to -[he stopped himself just short of saying 'have sex with'. He knew it was much more than that, but in the simplest terms that was what it was. Sex, love, loyalty.]- Who else I chose to enjoy my time with. [He smirked a little.]
Even if you were not ready, even if you were never ready. I cannot imagine I would not have wanted to know. Sometimes it just nice to know that... you are not alone in what you are feeling. [He almost sounded annoyed as he finished speaking, but then broke into a sheepish smile, rolling his eyes and chuckling softly at himself, shaking his head.] I hate talking about this.
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And here he is, breaking them again and with Ragnar -- he knew there is no real going back to those vows after this. It pained him and a great deal of conflict would always be there under the surface perhaps. Would God ever forgive him? Did he need forgiveness for this? It's love, isn't it? If he believed his God was a God of love, how could he have disapproved? What a complicated web is weaved inside of Athelstan's mind. ]
Did you really think that you were ever alone? [ Athelstan murmurs but he doesn't wait for the answer, talking about this perhaps they'd just stumble into Ragnar's anger again or Athelstan might point out that after Lagertha had left Aslaug would not have been nearly as understanding had he ever dropped the pretenses that kept them apart.
He presses his lips to Ragnar's again, his hand on his jaw as he presses their bodies closer once more. It takes quite a deal of courage and there's the fear of feeling foolish as hand drops down to the other's hip, pulling him over him as he rolls onto his back again, legs wrapping around Ragnar's waist. ]
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He was just as content, however, to close his eyes and get lost in the kiss. He's opening them again sooner than he'd anticipated to, giving Athelstan a questioning look as the monk guides him back on top of him. Smirking into the kiss, he deepens it for a moment before easing back and pressing a few lighter kisses to his lips and jaw.
Again, he propped himself up slightly, wanting to catch every second of Athelstan's reaction as he rolled his hips against the monk's, fascinated, as usual, with every little thing he did.]
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That was also a time long before he was ready to even consider more than their friendship, than the familial ties that had started to bind them.
There's a moment that Athelstan thinks that Ragnar might resist his move but they're still kissing and he takes that as Ragnar's satisfaction to the shift in position. He'd never worried so much if anything he did pleased Judith but then she was a different kind of infatuated with him and he was... not particularly infatuated with her. It hadn't mattered but this is everything. ]
Ragnar... [ A whispered sigh, half a complaint when the other broke the kiss, though he could hardly complain since he continued to press his kisses, his beard scratching against Athelstan's in a tantalizing sensation.
His eyes open more when the other lifts himself further away, his expression questioning but the question didn't make it out before he knew what exactly Ragnar was up to. He would have nearly laughed had he not moaned, his eyes shutting as his hips lifted instinctively back against his. ]
No one has ever looked at me the way you do. [ He whispers, meeting his gaze once more. ]
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He met Athelstan's gaze; the monk was so distracting.]
Then every one must be blind. [He murmured and leaned in, nudging Athelstan's nose with his playfully before kissing him.] Or... [He kissed his cheek and then paused to whisper, voice a deep, raspy possessive growl, in Athelstan's ear.] They could already see, you were mine. [Tilting his head slightly, he bit his earlobe and then ducked down to his neck, once again biting and leaving a nice, slowly forming bruise there.]
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Mine. It's different. It was different than when he was Ragnar's because he was a slave. This time... that word felt like something Athelstan has chosen to be, it's what they both want. His hand slid to the back of Ragnar's head as the other bit into the soft skin of his neck pain and pleasure mixing indecently in a surge that had him arging into the other's hips to try and sate the aching. ]
I am yours, truly. [ He whispers and he knows that there's really no going back from that moment. He might not have whispered the words 'I love you' that live inside his heart but they're inscribed all over his body and his voice and in his eyes whenever he looks at Ragnar. ]
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He kissed the bruise again, dragging his tongue over it as he resisted biting the same spot again. The monk now had two good sized bruises, one that would only be partially visible and the other that would be so obvious that even a blind man would see it.
Shifting, he claimed Athelstan's mouth in a heated kiss, muffling a quiet groan as his hips moved just enough against Athelstan's that it sent another jolt of pleasure up his spine. He needed more. He needed more now.
Without hesitation, he slipped a hand between them, trailing down to Athelstan's pants to work them open. Unlike with these new styles and zippers, he'd deftly worked them open in moments and started to slip his fingers under the fabric.]
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Athelstan's hand moves to grip at Ragnar's back as the other kisses him, returning it hungry and eager. He barely had time to think, after that, Ragnar's fingers roughened with years of weapon wielding and farm work, leave a burning trail on his skin.
His breath stuttered against the kiss when Ragnar worked the pants open, easily enough and then slipped under. He shifted slightly beneath him, his face flushing fully again even as they kissed. He was hard, undeniably so and for a moment there's a nervous panic rising in him. His fingertips digging in against his spine.
Instead of focusing on the panicked nerves, his free hand slips down, gripping Ragnar over his pants, a diversion perhaps while he tried to calm down the strange feeling from finally having the touch he's secretly lusted for. ]
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Athelstan's movements lacked finesse, but that was to be expected. He didn't mind in the least bit, the touch still earning him a soft groan as he rocked his hips forward against his hand. He was achingly hard though and his pants were making the situation border on painful.
With a soft grunt, he pulled his hand loose and gave Athelstan's thigh a pat, trying to untangle them enough that they'd be able to get out of the rest of their clothing.]
Get undressed. [He mumbled with a quick nip to Athelstan's lower lip.]
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He's still feeling the nerves, it takes concentration to keep himself from looking as jittery as he felt. Ragnar would have surely picked up on it immediately then. Perhaps, he shouldn't be afraid to tell Ragnar that he was nervous, that this was all overwhelming. It's not the guilt associated to perhaps God would hold this against him but something far more visceral that was drawing the anxiety up.
With Judith, nothing had mattered all that very much. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, he'd wanted to comfort her. With Ragnar? He wanted...wanted. He needed him and that is a sensation that's entirely new and yet so familiar to him.
The trepidation, the worries and nerves are all there as he pulls his pants off, leaving him naked and achingly aroused for Ragnar. His breathing is quick, as he looks over to the other man. This man he'd spent a lifetime loving and a life time denying. It almost felt like the world could end if he truly gave in. ]
Ragnar I... [ he starts but he doesn't know what to follow up with, his hands fisting into the blanket on the bed, though all he wants his to reach out and touch the other again. ]
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