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quaranmeme2018-01-20 07:58 pm
riverview: january 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 2 Character Slots available.
● Reserves will open on February 15th. Applications will next be open between March 1st to March 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
Starting around the 20th, residents of the city will start hearing some pretty disturbing rumors circulating - the rumors originate with some members of the Perimeter Guard who are returning from patrols, pale and a little panicked. They're reporting that a herd of terrifying beetle-like behemoth monsters lumbering toward the city - one female leader clocking in at 60 feet long and about 20 smaller male companions, each around 30 feet long. Unlike the Behemoth who showed up earlier in the year, these ones are nasty, sporting horns and big enough to knock over trees and displace even the bigger monsters in the usual crowd, and they've already breached through the wall of the Abandoned City and are heading toward the city itself. A herd like this could cause some serious damage, maybe even enough to compromise the wall of the Inhabited City. Thankfully, the Perimeter Guard has a nice big ace up their sleeves in the form of a small fleet of mechs, but the problem is that the mech are still in beta-testing, prone to breaking down, and there aren't enough to go around. This means that there's going to have to be some serious support on the ground.
The attack on the behemoth beetles is two-fold. The first order of business is to send out anyone with big powers or big guns to wear them down, beating on them the old-fashioned way, with brute force. The second is to circle around behind and, while the monsters are distracted, try to herd them away from the city using bright flares, fireworks left over from the Festival of Light, and even more big guns. Volunteers to do the shooting and supplying the brave souls going out into the jungle are welcome!
What do you use to fight a giant monster? A giant mech. And thankfully the Perimeter Guard has been working on something just like that - a new fleet of 20 three-story-tall mech suits meant to be manned by two people. With the behemoth herd approaching, the Guard is calling for anyone with piloting experience, or even people willing to take a quick course in it, to help man the fleet and head out into the fray, stomping through the brush and fighting the behemoths either in the Abandoned City or the jungle outside it. The goal is to take them out, take them down, or at least help the ground teams herd them away from the city and discourage them from returning.
Mechs are piloted by two people working together - while it's not exactly drift compatibility, the two characters need to act together, with one directing where the mech goes and keeping an eye on the terrain, and the other one manning the guns and keeping an eye on the mech's defenses and energy and ammunition levels. This takes a lot of concentration and cooperation, and this day is bound to forge a lot of new friendships....and probably a few mortal enemies. On top of the difficulty of working with someone who may be a total stranger, don't forget the mechs are in beta-testing and are only being used as a last resort, which means they have a bad tendency to break down in unexpected ways.
Each mech is fitted with two large canon-style guns that can be semi-automatic or automatic with a limited amount of ammunition, one plasma sword, and a force shield that can take four serious hits before it is depleted. They have a finite amount of energy storage and are able to be in continuous use for 3 hours maximum before shutting down. Out of the fleet of 20 mechs, the mod only expects about 5 to still be functional at the end of the battle, so feel free to have characters destroy them in threads. If any player (once accepted to the game) is interested in having their character take over the mechs as a project going forward, feel free to PM the mod account and we can talk it out!
Once the city is safe enough that it isn't in poor taste to advertise fun outings, residents will start seeing ads for a new attraction in the city - the Crystal Caves. Presented as an excellent date spot, the caves are beautiful natural formations only recently discovered just a short walk outside the city. With the path cleared and patrolled by hired security to ensure that the trip there is safe, happy couples (or singles, but why go alone when you can bring a special friend or two?) can walk through the caves.
Inside, characters will enjoy a short walk along a twisty cave path where the walls appear to be made of semi-opaque crystal that shimmers with different colors, looking almost a little like the Northern Lights. After this path, the caves open into a series of beautiful caverns that seem to be made of pure crystal, with jagged crystalline formations in wide varieties of colors, some of which look almost like they've been slowly melting for decades, molten and shimmering. Visitors can find booths offering rock candy crystals on sticks and other treats, souvenirs, and for those without as much exploratory spirit or patience, guided tours that point out some of the more beautiful formations. There are also a few smaller caverns that have been converted into overnight camps where groups can stay the night and enjoy a catered group breakfast in the morning!
If there's one trait that entrepreneurs in Riverview Quarantine all seem to have in common, it's jumping the gun and opening attractions or releasing new products before taking the time to conduct enough tests. The Crystal Caves are no different, unfortunately, though in this case the effects are a little less distressing. Residents who traveled to the caves will find themselves tossing and turning at night anywhere from a few days later to a week later, depending on their mental fortitude, and slipping into incredibly strange dreams. Varying from wild flights of exhilarating fancy to personalized nightmares depending on the personality of the dreamer, the dreams are incredibly vivid and realistic, with everything feeling, smelling, sounding, tasting, and looking completely real.
The strangest part of the dreams, though, is that anyone who'd looked at the same particular crystal as another person and seen their reflections in it will experience the dream with that person as an equal participant, able to share the same dream-granted abilities and experiences, able to work together as a team or hinder progress. Whether that person was a partner, a friend, an enemy, or even just a stranger observing the same formation at the same time, if their reflections appeared on a crystal together, they will find themselves sharing each other's dreams off and on for about a week. Some dreamers might even find that just thinking about a particular person they know as they fall asleep can pull that person into their dream, even if they weren't in the caves together.
This effect can be shared between just two people or larger groups, and the dreams themselves can belong to any character affected or be a combination of all of their dreams. The dreams themselves tend toward the positive more than the negative and the fanciful more than the realistic, but where they fall on that spectrum depends largely on character temperament and personality. Characters affected simply have to have looked at the same crystal in the caves, even if it was on a different day or at a different time, or for characters who would not have gone to the caves, be thought of by a person who has while they fall asleep.
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
Probably was years ago, come to think of it. He really isn't getting any younger. But hey, he still looks great, so. Fuck that.
He snorts, looking down the counter and away from the guy. ] You must be great at parties.
[ He's not particularly hurt or offended by the biting remark. Actually, as the bartender slides them their glasses, he further adds. ] And the drunker I get, the stupider the questions.
[ It's a challenge, he can tell. Which really is a terrible move with Jim, particularly when he's feeling like drinking the whole bar. In a beat, he's raising his own glass, taking a good, long gulp from it, licking his lips clean once he lowers it again. ]
no subject
Or so Leonard thought, before the blonde downs a drink that would've made his partner (ex-partner), a man who has been known to wash his mouth with gasoline, choke.
He's looking for trouble, drinking that much, that fast, when he's already leaning on the counter like a crutch.]
You got a name, or should I keep calling you stupid? Blondie's already taken.
no subject
He's looking for trouble, sure. He's looking for anything that can knock him out senseless, so at least he can actually sleep. He doesn't care if that'll mean a throbbing headache and a knotted stomach in the morning. ]
Jim. [ He smiles emptily, tipping his glass towards the guy and nearly spilling over. ] You? Got a name, or should I stick to 'stranger'?
no subject
[Leonard smirks around his glass.
Jim's looking a little rough around the edges. A golden boy who's seen better days. Leonard likes that. Pain builds character. Leonard has no interest in people who haven't had their teeth kicked in by life at least once.
Right when drink's glass nearly tips over into his lap, Leonard's gloved finger catches the edge, steering it back to level.]
Careful there, Jimbo. No one likes a party foul.
no subject
He looks a bit sheepish as he nudges the edge of his glass, tipping his head down. ] My bad. Sorry. [ To avoid any unpleasant accidents, he sets his glass down on the counter. After having another decent sip from it, of course. ]
You know, if you don't tell me your name, I'm gonna have to make one up for you. [ It's quite possibly the oldest line he can remember using. It had gotten a smile out of Uhura, albeit an exasperated one, but he did get her name. So. ]
no subject
[There's a glint to Leonard's eyes, sharp and bright like a razor. He's content to let the statement hang heavy in the air as he finishes the rest of his drink. It's up to Jim to decide if he's joking.
He unpins Jim with his gaze long enough to wave over the bald and tattooed bartender with a twirl of his gloved fingers.]
Hey Popeye, I'll have a Stone Cold Larceny. Two of them. His tab.
no subject
He downs the rest of his glass instead, suddenly taken by an uncontrollable urge to giggle when the stranger calls the bartender over. ] Popeye. That's funny 'cause the tattoos— [ He giggles again, snorts, then sighs. ] Man, that's really old.
[ He doesn't even protest to the fact he just put it on his tab. It's cool, he doesn't really care anyway. ] Wait— your name's not Popeye, is it?
no subject
[Jim's probably a decade younger than him, but he doesn't have to act like a drunk frat-boy.
Leonard rolls his eyes, snatching up the second drink as soon as it comes. He's going to need it. The Stone Cold Larceny is a lot sweeter. Larceny bourbon, apple juice, and ginger-ale. Picked almost exclusively because of the name.]
Do I look like a Popeye to you?
no subject
[ He peers into the new drink, studying it carefully. He probably shouldn't be knocking back these cocktails without making sure they have no trace of berries, but that was Bones's thing. He was the one constantly worrying and checking everything he ate, just in case.
... and that's probably a sign it's time for him to knock back a good gulp of that drink, so he does. ]
No. Your name's probably something manlier, like... [ He shrugs. ] Michael. Or Steve.
no subject
[Another reference that might go over Jim's head, being a future brat.
Leonard's just starting to feel a light buzz, and that's as far as he'll go. He never drinks enough to be compromised. Even now, with the edges of the room a little softer, he still knows every exit, who's armed, and doesn't sit with his back to anyone who smells like a threat.
He dances a coin over the back of his knuckles and flips it to the bartender. Not so much a tip as a chance to show off to his drunken captive audience.]
I'd ask why you're here, but I already know.
My guess? Baaaaad breakup. Bad, bad, bad. Am I right?
no subject
[ Even if kind of an asshole, but hey. Worse things to be.
Jim nurses his own drink with a little less care and concern. The Quarantine's always been a peaceful place ever since he got here, and even if it weren't, he's not exactly in a state of mind to really notice or care if he got himself into a tight spot right now.
He glances up from his glass, promptly looking away again. ]
Something like it, but not really.
[ He downs the rest of the drink, just to numb his senses a little more. Numb his heart too, in a way. ]
People are just sent back, sometimes. Without warning. [ Sometimes they don't get the chance to say goodbye. ]
no subject
[He even chuckles. See, Jim. He doesn't hate you. You're just fun to tease. Like a glass sitting at the edge of a counter, just begging to be knocked over.
His eyes never leave Jim's face, observing his every expression. Marking every tell. They're not playing poker, but they could be. And Leonard would win. Jim couldn't conceal his hand if he tried.]
Funny how that happens. My mom went out to buy a Women's Weekly Magazine one morning and never came back. I wonder what universe she wound up in.
no subject
Not that he could anyway, but still. ]
Mm. Maybe time travel. Who knows. [ The bartender comes over, and Jim agrees to another refill of neat scotch. ]
no subject
[Leonard gets a refill of something cool and clear. Vodka on the rocks.
It isn't fun if Jim doesn't bite back, though.
He sighs a long-suffering sigh, turning on his stool with a fold of his legs to stare Jim down.]
You're not ugly. You've got cash. You'll live and love again, or whatever it is you're into. Get over it.
no subject
If it were that easy to get over it, I'd have done it already.
[ Easier said than done. Jim's not crazy, and much like everyone else, if he could choose to just stop being miserable, then he would. But it's not that simple. ]
Sorry. I'm ruining your night. [ He downs his whole glass in one go, which is probably a terrible decision, but tonight's been full of terrible decisions, so.
He pays for all the drinks, then slides down from his stool, wobbling on his feet a little more than he thinks he is. When he does try to take a step, he just ends up stumbling on his own feet, unceremoniously falling against the stranger. ]
no subject
[Leonard's ready to dismiss Jim. There's nothing he hates more than a whiner.
Then he falls into him. His gut instinct is to shove him off and onto the floor, let him pick his own drunk ass up, but the warmth of him makes Leonard freeze.
Lisa, gone. Mick, gone. Sara, gone. Raymond, gone. Everyone, gone.
He's alone again. For good, this time. There's not bringing him back without dooming everyone else. No turning back the clock. No going home from this place. He's got nowhere to go to.
It hits him like a sack of bricks, and maybe, in that moment, he has a little more sympathy for Jim. Because he's right. Because if it were that easy to get over it, and move on, Leonard would have done it already.
He grips Jim by the back of his jacket, so he doesn't slide off Leonard's thighs and onto the floor.]
Had to cop a feel before you go?
no subject
He's lightheaded, dizzy, though not necessarily sick. That's something, at least. Means he won't just randomly throw up and make an even worse mess right now.
He lifts his head up, the words somewhat distant but still filtering through— and he huffs a weak chuckle, breath smelling of alcohol close to the stranger's jaw. ]
Please. Don't flatter yourself.
[ Or— well, do. Because the guy is very attractive, and Jim would make a move in a hot second if he weren't the mess he is right now.
Besides, Jim also seems to be a little... okay, totally incapable of standing on his own two feet. He does the actual smart thing, the only smart thing he can do right now and tries to climb back onto his stool. He should probably ask someone to come pick him up, but the only person that comes to mind is John, and he's hogged enough of his time as it is. ]
Maybe... I drank those a little too fast. [ Look, at least he admits it. ]
no subject
[Leonard lets go of Jim when Jim lets go of him and climbs back onto his own stool, shaking it off.]
That's what you get for trying to show off.
[Jim's worse off than he thought. The guy has one hell of a poker face, considering his blood probably has enough alcohol in it to be flammable, and his legs don't work.
Leonard produces Jim's wallet from his sleeve with a delicate flick of his wrist, and flips it open, giving the bill-fold a cursory glance before looking at his ID.]
Jim Kirk? Damn, your parents were mean.
no subject
[ Fine, maybe he was showing off a little, or maybe he was just a little too proud. But in all honesty, he was hoping for something strong enough to knock him off his feet, and it looks like he found it. Twice.
With his eyes closed and his head resting on one of his hands, his eyebrows knit together when the guy says his last name. He looks at him and it takes him a while— a long while of watching and figuring out what is it that he's holding in his hands. ]
What's that supposed to mean? [ His parents weren't mean, mind. Just absent. At least he could forgive his father on the account that he was dead, but there's no way in hell the guy could know anything about his parents from whatever's in his wallet.
Speaking of— he reaches out and paws at the stranger, trying to get his wallet back. ] Gimme that. It's mine.