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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
The small child moves further into the cabin towards the kitchen where Lola continues to move about. The smells are so good, and the scent of garlic was so much stronger. Was she making pasta and bread?]
Because you may not have heard me knocking? Or you hate kids? [It was a possibility, considering how many fairy tales there were of step-moms or evil witches hating children.]
I'm 8 years old. [She said simply, continuing to watch Lola get everything prepped. The mention of hot cocoa makes her perk up.] Do you have whip cream too? [Oh and if she had a beignet, one of Sabine's, she would be in heaven.
There's a bowl with food, okay. Does Lola make it a habit to feed random people? Best not to look a gift horse in the mouth.]
Thank you. [She'll sit down at the table, the girl has some manners.]
So...how long have you been here?
no subject
I mean, I'm not a fan of kids, but leaving one out there in that storm is a bit much.
*She'll pull out the garlic bread... which just adds to the garlic scent in the air. Lola nods to herself at her work. She double checks the heat for the cocoa before she loads up her own bowl of soup and the plate she put the garlic bread on to one arm, and the serving plates, her spoon, and a bread knife on the other. Exactly the sort of move a waitress can do. And heads over to the table.*
No to whipped cream, I brought marshmallows instead. I wasn't really expecting company. I wasn't going to be that person who eats without feeding their guest, unplanned or not. The storm isn't your fault. And...
*Lola has to think about that last question. She'll think while slicing the garlic bread up.*
I decided to take a mini vacation in this cabin for a few days. But if you mean on this moon... nine months? Ten months? How do months even work on a moon? Anyway, been in the Quarantine about ten months. Yeah. If you need any salt or pepper, or any other spices, there's a spice rack behind you.
no subject
[Lucy was being a realist. Not everything was a fairy tale, and she knows that there could've been a possibility where she would've been left out. Unfortunate, but it was a possibility. Thankfully, it didn't come true.
She watches Lola move about the kitchen, expertly handling the plates and such. It's pretty nifty to see someone balancing plates and utensils on them. The garlic bread looks amazing and she's thankful her stomach doesn't start to rumble.]
You're very kind and everything looks delicious. I have an aunt, well my mom's roommate but I think of her as my aunt, she is an amazing cook. Her name's Sabine.
[She listens, waiting for Lola to sit down before taking a spoonful of soup and finding it already warming her up. This was really nice--minus the snowstorm part.]
Almost a year, wow. [Okay so trying to get back home...it may not be an option. But...did she want to go back home? After learning everything that happened...maybe it wasn't the best idea.] I didn't think it was possible to live on the moon, but it's pretty neat. Surprised there's no hovering cars or anything like you'd see on those cartoon shows.
no subject
Are you from one of those worlds where everything is bad and people don't know how to be kind?
*She's run into that a lot, it hasn't lost that edge of heartbreaking it causes for Lola. Every single time.*
Thank you, I've done a lot more cooking since I got here. But dad and one of his cooks taught me when I was about eleven.
*Lola takes a little of her soup as she listens to the kid.*
Yeah... been here a while. And hovering cars would be dangerous. It's probably a lot better that all the cars stay on the ground. And, I think the moon has to be special to live on. But it's pretty cool. So I'm guessing you're alone on this moon, like me?
*Lola knew it was possible to have friends and family appear here. But it has never been her luck. The idea of another kid being on their own was its own sort of sad. Still, this kid is only Lola's concern until the storm passes.*
no subject
Sort of? I mean, I'm from Hyperion Heights in Seattle. You kind of read about how parents didn't want their kids or things like that--and it's mentioned in fairy tales too.
[She takes a bite of her garlic bread, chewing it and loving the flavor of it. There's a bright smile on her face afterwards.]
It's really good. I'm still learning. My Aunt Sabine, she lets me help her in the kitchen sometimes. Same with my mom. My Step-Grandma though...she has a chef, or she let's Ivy take care of it and that's usually take out.
[She wonders how cars staying on the ground would be good, but she doesn't dwell too much on it. Lucy's enjoying her soup and makes sure when she switches to the cocoa to blow on the surface of it a little.]
I guess? I haven't seen my mom or Henry, my Dad, around...or anyone else. [She looks down a little, missing her mom and Henry, but, it's also painful at the same time.]
...Think they might show up?
no subject
*Okay, that's mostly about the eight year old knowing about parents not wanting their kids. Not really that the US and Canada are that separated on the topic of child abandonment. And Lola certainly didn't want kids, so she can get that too.*
Best to learn from family. Makes the activity more special. So your mom and your aunt seem to have the right idea there.
*Lola sniffs the air, her hair turning a bit brighter at the signs the cocoa is ready and heading over to the kitchen to get mugs, marshmallows, and stirring spoons out.*
Well, my housemate has been here as long as me, and his sister and dad just showed up. So they might. It's all a matter of feeling sorta lost. Lost enough to end up here. Mine was over a boy. And some other stuff.
So don't give up hope, and even if they don't. There are other kids here, and this place is mostly safe. Minus the snowstorms. Or that one time the rain was acid. But that was super rare.
no subject
[What would be the right phrase to use then? Was Lola from a faraway land? Maybe one with knights and princesses? Or witches? Wait, she knew about America so that ruled out any enchanted realm.]
Yeah! My Aunt Sabine knows how to make these amazing beignets. She and my mom were going to start a food truck and sell them.
[Suddenly, Lucy stops eating as she watches Lola's hair change color.]
That's so cool. [Forget about ipods and such. Having hair that changes color is AMAZING.] Can you make it turn other colors? Like orange? Or yellow?
[Her excitement falls a little flat thinking of her mom and Henry...the others. Learning what she did from her Step-Grandmother...it wasn't pretty and it shook Lucy to her core. She wasn't suppose to ever give up, to never stop believing but...she had.]
I don't know if they'll come here. [They're sort of lost already, well more like cursed, but no one wanted to believe her except her Step-Grandma and that didn't go so well.]
no subject
*Being away from home has been real eye opening in a lot of ways, but her home is still, more or less, ordinary.*
Beignets huh, I don't think I've ever actually made those. Maybe I should give it a try. But it probably won't be the same. Anyway, I hope your mom and her friend have luck, food trucks are my favorite places to pick up a meal. At least, when it's a little warmer.
*Lola, instead of answering out loud, changes her hair to orange, then yellow. ...and then she remembers she does not rock blonde as well as she'd like and goes back to blue. While she pours two mugs and adds some tiny marshmallows to them and heads back to the table. The sudden change kinda makes Lola realize she messed up.*
Well, we can't know anything about what'll happen. But... I don't hope to see my friends anymore, but if they show up I'd be so happy. In the meantime-
*Lola holds up her mug to cheers with Lucy.*
I make new friends, it won't replace my old friends. But it makes me smile.
no subject
You could! I don't know my aunt's recipe, but if you need help baking, I can do it. And the food truck was coming along. I think Aunt Sabine had it painted already. It just needs a few more things.
[Okay...the hair changing color part leaves Lucy speechless. It's seemingly a simple thing, but to her it's magical. Which makes her wonder if Lola has magic--people in Canada could have magic, right? It's something to ask about later.
After having some cocoa and trying not to think about her family. You don't give up on family. But what if they gave up on you? Not on Lucy but in other ways and things.
She takes the mug from Lola, nodding her head a little.]
I think I'll focus on the new friends part... [There's a weak attempt at a smile before she takes a sip of the cocoa...and decides to focus on something else.]
So is your hair magical? Or are you the only Canadian that's magical?
no subject
*This place doesn't like reasonable and orderly. Then again, Lola doesn't either so that's probably why she's lasted so long. Still, she hopes she got the explanation right, so Lucy understands how things might get complicated.*
Well, finding the right ingredients is usually a chore. Not everything from Earth is as widely available as I'd like. So occasionally I have to improvise. But since you'd know how they should taste better than me, you can totally help.
*Lola can smile at Lucy's choice to focus on new friends. Waiting forever for people that might never feel as lost as this portal likes is a sorry way to live, Lola's going to just make herself at home until she leaves, or until someone comes to find her.*
It's actually not magic, sorry to say. It seems like magic but its a super advanced sorta technology this moon has. I got it for my seventeenth birthday right after I arrived. But don't let that fool you, I'm pretty magical otherwise.
*Lola stop using magical to mean amazing on a moon where actual magic exists. That's just asking for confusion.*
no subject
[Cause swords are cool, not going to lie.]
Yes! I'm good at finding things too, well, most of the time. Like my mom's keys. But, why isn't everything available? I mean, do they have things that are sort of similar?
[...oh so it's not magic, just technology, but Lola's magical? Well, Lucy leans in a little closer, almost inspecting just a bit.]
...Maybe..or maybe not. [The magical part that is. Lucy hasn't seen magic play out outside of her own world--the real one. The one she still remembers.] I mean...can you do real magic? Not just tricks, but actual magic like the Evil Queen?
no subject
*Ivar prefers knives, that's just a thing.*
Well, we're on a moon orbiting an alien planet, not all plants grow here, not all animals are kept and cultivated here. And there are a lot of alien plants and animals that exist. So sometimes I have to use the alien version of onions or strawberries. Usually it's just they're a different color or they're slightly different, like how apples and pears aren't the same.
*Give Lola a moment to figure out the kid's serious. Oh also Lola is eating, so that takes a few moments too. She watches the kid for a long moment.*
Oh, you mean real magic. No, that's not a thing I do. I don't think. I mean if I accidentally gained magic here I wouldn't know how to test it anyway. ...Why did you start with an Evil Queen? Why not ask about fairies or wizards?
no subject
[Tell her all about the Viking, please!] What about bows and arrows? Or any other weapons?
[She nods and listens, getting a bit of a lesson about this place. Okay, what Lola's saying does make sense. It's a Moon, it can't grow the same types of plants as Earth. And the same applies to the animals...okay.]
That makes sense. Substitute things for other things.
[Lucy is waiting with anxious breath, waiting for any sign. Maybe a wand, maybe fairy wings to suddenly appear...but no. Her food is forgotten for the moment, looking a bit disappointed. And without missing a beat, she answers Lola's question:]
Because she's my grandmother--Regina. She's not evil anymore.
[She starts to have some spoonfuls of her soup.]
no subject
*Lola's never really watched Ivar do his thing. It's not really her nature. He did show up in her diner covered in blood more than once, that's been a thing. As for here and now, she can't really get lost in Lucy's disappointment Lola isn't some sort of magic fairy thing because she's just too confused over the other stuff.*
So your grandmother's former title was Evil Queen, and your step-grandmother has a personal chef. Is this a usual thing for Seattle?
*Lola's feeling like she's missed something. Which happens more than she'd care to admit.*
no subject
[Lola, you keep getting this little girl so excited. First a viking with swords and such, and now monsters. Are they really on a Moon and not in some space fairy tale realm?]
Ahh...no..
[Lucy looks down for a moment, trying to gauge if Lola would believe her or not. Considering how weird slash cool this place is...might as well give it a shot.]
You've heard of fairy tales...right? Like Snow White and the Evil Queen? Rapunzel? Lady Tremaine from Cinderella?
What if I told you...they're not stories, they're real?
no subject
*Sound life advice, Lola. Tell the kid not to touch the dangerous thing. That'll totally work. The rest of it Lola listens to, casually sipping her cocoa as she digests the information. Like, it was weird, sure. But not the unbelievable weird exactly.*
Um... I'd say you're probably from a different Earth than the one I'm from. Someone would have probably sued Disney if all of that was real. Wait... does that mean your Earth doesn't have Disney movies?
*Lola's priorities are astounding.*
no subject
[Yes, tell the kid not to go to the dangerous thing and she may or may not avoid it. It's hard to tell at this point.]
Disney? Like...Disneyland?
[It sounds familiar, but it's at least giving Lola a hint that Disney does exist in her world.]
Well, in my world, there are other realms and fairy tales are real. So...when I say my Grandma is the Evil Queen...I mean it.
no subject
*People Lola is friends with, but aren't things Lola is any good at.*
Yeah, they made movies about all those stories. Kinda old, but super important. So... Evil Queen means... the one who was after Snow White right? So, wait she had a kid? I don't remember that.
no subject
[Lola, you're going to get this kid more hyped up on the magic aspect than the sugar in her cocoa.]
Depending on who writes the story, the information changes...but no, the Evil Queen didn't have a kid--in the literal sense. But, she did cast a curse on Prince Charming and Snow White and they had a kid, she was known as the Savior. And the Savior was taken to a world without magic, saving her from the curse. Well, the Savior had a kid, and that kid was Henry, and the Evil Queen adopted Henry not knowing he was the Savior's son.
So...my family's history is pretty complicated. And the Evil Queen isn't evil anymore.
no subject
*Lola makes a note to switch the kid to decaf... and then remembers this isn't coffee, it's hot cocoa. Drat.*
So you're Snow White's great granddaughter, and also the Evil Queen's granddaughter. Because even fairy tales end up with weird multiparent households?
And even if her title is Evil Queen she isn't evil. She probably should think about rebranding.
no subject
[Oh my gosh, that is so cool! Can anyone go to magic school? Was magic really a requirement?]
Yeah! Though, Snow White and Prince Charming live elsewhere, and Henry, my Dad, and my Mom and I live elsewhere. And Regina too. There's also other family ties, but like I said it's complicated.
[There's a small laugh.]
Actually, the title works more in her favor these days. It carries around a certain...distinction?
no subject
*Not crushing all hope, but some hope.*
Well, you're still in the US, most people don't live with their parents and their grandparents and their great grandparents. It'd be weird if you lived with all of them in Seattle.
*Something ticked away in the back of Lola's mind. She was a good listener, but not the best at figuring things out. There was something in there she hasn't put her finger on.*
Wait, don't you live with your mom, or your step-grand- oh! Your mom is Cinderella isn't she!?
no subject
[She'll figure it out. Even if she could just WALK on the campus, that would be amazing!]
So...the thing about who I'm..was living with. It was with my Mom, and my Aunt Sabine. It's...complicated, but the best way to put it is, everyone's cursed and they don't really remember who they are.
[Lucy is doing her best to explain everything and not get someone too confused over thins.]
Yes! My mom is Cinderella! I nearly found a piece of her glass slipper too, once..