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riverview: december test drive meme

Welcome to Riverview's test drive meme! Feel free to dip your toes in on the test drive meme to try out your character in the setting, play out a mission, and get samples for your application at the same time!
● 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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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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Athelstan. [He smirked, though the expression was soft, patient.] That is the same expression you had when Lagertha and I asked you to join us.
[He crawled back onto the bed, ignoring Athelstan's newly exposed body and, instead, thread both hands into his hair and drew him closer for a light kiss before resting their foreheads together again. He took a few steady, even breaths, like that before slowly pressing his lips against Athelstan's, an unhurried, reassuring kiss.]
Let's lay down. [This time he made a conscious effort not to make it an order, like he was used to doing, instead leaving it as a choice. He pressed another light kiss to the corner of Athelstan's mouth and then to his shoulder before laying back on the bed, back propped up on the pile of pillows. With a soft smile, he held out a hand to Athelstan, beckoning him to join him, leaving where he wanted to lay and how much he wanted them to touch up to him.]
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But, Ragnar's gentle, with his hands in his hair, the light press of their foreheads. It relaxes Athelstan just a little. Ragnar clearly isn't rushing him but Athelstan feels that fear of disappointing him. It's not the first time he's felt it. There'd been so many times where he had looked for Ragnar's approval, perhaps not so many times in this sort of intimate position.
He could relax into his kiss, not as demanding at the previous one had been, though he still heard the echoing mine and yours.
He remained quiet when Ragnar withdrew from the kiss, his eyes following his every moment when he laid down. He wanted to tell him now, that he'd read his expression wrong but they'd both know he was lying. That maybe it's not exactly the same but there was enough cause for this to be justified. ]
With you... it's not the same as with her. [ He doesn't mean it in the most obvious of ways, even though, that too is true. He shifts back onto the bed, and he doesn't settle to far. His hand reaches to touch his cheek, feeling the other's beard against the skin of his scar that's more sensitive, that's a reminder of so many things. He moves close enough that their chests nearly touch. ]
But I want you more than I've wanted anyone. I don't know why I'm... [ Afraid? Nervous? He meets Ragnar's eyes again and is almost pleading for him to simply understand the words that are missing. ]
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I might be worried if that were not the case. [He just couldn't help himself.
He turned to press a kiss to Athelstan's wrist, raising a hand to run his fingers over the arm band there. His arm band. He met Athelstan's eyes, not needing to say anything. He knew. The two of them must have grown very close for him to have given the monk his arm band. It was, for them, as sacred as the cross Athelstan wore around his neck, representing their bond and their promise of loyalty to one another as his cross did to God.]
What? [Ragnar prompted quietly. It was obvious he already knew the answer, that much was clear in his expression. Before Athelstan could answer, he leaned closer and drew him into another deep, unhurried kiss.]
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His eyes follow Ragnar's movements, the kiss, the attention to the arm band. When he feels Ragnar's gaze he meets his eyes. There was so much that he didn't know yet but so much that he could figure out from one object. He could almost forget the trepidation he's feeling.
But he didn't have to give the answer Ragnar already knows. Athelstan sighs into the kiss, returning it and it's like breathing Ragnar in, being swept away in his scent, his touch, things so familiar with the added taste. There's fear in this, but it's not of Ragnar. Athelstan's still afraid of really losing himself, he's been constantly remade over these years but is there a point that is too far? Or is he finding himself more honestly here in this moment with Ragnar.
Athelstan's hand moves while they kiss, touching Ragnar's chest, his scars, trailing down over his torso before his fingers ghost over the hardness of his cock. He's nervous, maybe more than before but he wants to know Ragnar's body. ]
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He dragged his thumb slowly over the scruff on Athelstan's face, following his jawline, the tips of his fingers just barely disappearing into his dark curls. He couldn't help but wonder about the things that Athelstan had experienced that he'd yet to know and see. Ivar had told him he'd found some way to leave and come back and, not for the first time, he considered pressing his son to tell him more about it.
His breath hitched audibly as Athelstan's fingers trailed lower, though he managed to fight the instinct to buck his hips into the light touch. His heart was hammering away violently in his chest despite how calm and content he felt, such a sharp contrast that made him wonder if he was just eager, or also a little nervous. Would one little mistake have his monk slipping irreversibly through his fingers?]
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Ragnar... [ He says quietly, shifting to look at him before leaning to kiss him again. He shifts closer, a few more strokes before his hand dropped away and then rested on Ragnar's hip. ]
I don't know how to... [ The words are whispered against Ragnar's lips but he wants him despite the nerves, the hesitance. ]
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How did you know how to kiss the first time you did? [He mumbled against Athelstan's lips without pulling away as well. He moved both their hands down to Athelstan's straining cock and wrapped his hand around it, starting a slow, firm motion.]
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He scarcely took in the question. All the same he attempted to answer, although the other's movements, his hand guided with Ragnar's. He inhaled sharply as Ragnar's firm hand took hold of him, an unbidden sound -- a whimper, a moan? What it was scarcely matters. ]
I didn't know. [ But it hadn't meant as much as this did either but he doesn't know how to express that -- or if he should. ] But it wasn't with you.
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You just did what felt right, what felt good. [Fumbling and figuring each other out was all part of it, though Athelstan didn't seem to quite realize that.
He tilted his head to press another light kiss to Athelstan's jaw before dragging his teeth over the same spot. Ragnar was too distracted and wrapped up in the moment to stop and try to decipher what Athelstan was trying to say. Using his free hand, he wrapped an arm around Athelstan's waist to pull him closer, pressing their hips together, which afforded him a bit of friction as well. He fought a small shudder that traveled up his spine and buried his face into the crook of Athelstan's neck, breathing heavily against his skin.]
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He moans again as their hips press together, feeling Ragnar's desire. The breath on his neck, the scratch of Ragnar's beard is like another hand on him, adding to the pleasure he's feeling, the building need for release.
He rocks against him, and there's not really a shred of control in it. He's lost in this moment, in the pleasure and in Ragnar. ]
Ragnar... [ It's too late when he realizes it's happening, that he's going to come far too soon, to the attentions of their hips, Ragnar's hand roughened by farm work and his axe, far more erotic than Judith's soft hands had been. And Athelstan, never pleasuring himself really so this emotionally charged lust had been probably unavoidable to this. When he comes, there's a quiet, stifled moan, his face buried against the other's strong shoulder and almost immediately the embarrassment would follow. ]
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It isn't until Athelstan's body goes tense and he feels him come across their stomachs that he actually realizes. Athelstan's face is buried in his neck, so he completely misses the self-satisfied, lazy smile he bites back as he slows his movement, holding his cock a little firmer for the last few strokes and idly toying the pad of his thumb through lightly over the sensitive tip, through any cum left there.
He turned his head, pressing and then nuzzling his cheek into Athelstan's hair.]
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He doesn't lift his head from the other's shoulder, so he can't see his expression, though he can feel the gentle nuzzle. It's comforting but he still felt guilty somehow. ]
I didn't mean to... I'm sorry, Ragnar. [ There's embarrassment clear in his voice even if he hasn't lifted his head. He knows well enough about sex now to know that that had been far too fast for either of them to fully enjoy. ]
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Why are you apologizing? Silly priest. [Although he spoke the question softly, he dropped down into barely a whisper, nothing more than exhaled words, at the teasing.
He shifted, jostling Athelstan unapologetically as he grabbed the blanket they were laying on and flung it over the both of them while still on it, so the blanket was wrapped completely around them. It was easier than getting up. He also moved so he wasn't completely under Athelstan anymore, moving so that the monk could comfortably lay mostly beside him and maybe use his shoulder like a pillow if he wanted, apparently content with what they'd done.]
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Don't you want to... [ His words trailed off, a flustered sigh following them and his hand waves down toward Ragnar's groin. ]
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If you want. [He nudged his nose against his hair.] But I will be fine if you do not.
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His hand slips over Ragnar's stomach and then down lower, fingers wrapping around his cock and stroking him slowly. He wouldn't leave it alone, it'd be unfair he thinks. He's still thinking of the years he knew that he had made Ragnar wait, knowing he wanted him. ]
How can you be satisfied with so little?
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I am satisfied with you. Just you. Being with you. [But he certainly wasn't telling Athelstan to stop. He sounded a little breathless.]
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How is that enough?
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It is. [He half shrugged, hips starting to fall into a rhythm with Athelstan's stroke, small, slight movements to give him just that little bit more. He mumbled something else into Athelstan's hair, something mostly unintelligible that might have been something like 'you'll learn'.]
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In so many things, he had wanted Ragnar's approval. When he was learning to fight he would be striving to see that look Ragnar would have when he mastered something. It's more or less the same with this. ]
It feels good to touch you.
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