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quaranmeme2018-03-20 11:06 pm
riverview: march 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 19 Character Slots available.
● Reserves will open on April 15 at 10:00 pm EST. Applications will be open from May 1-7.
● 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
Things have been pretty calm around the Quarantine for a month or two, since the behemoth herd was shut down - aside from a bit of emotional trauma brought on by the holograms that swarmed the city last month, everything's been pretty smooth sailing through Sampremi season. And of course, as anyone who's been in the Quarantine for more than a few months knows, nothing is ever that easy.
With spring rolling in and winter rolling out, there's been a lot of rain on the moon. Usually, that's not a really big problem, since the Quarantine historically doesn't have a lot of problems with flooding. This year, though, the water is rising exponentially, much faster than it has in almost the entire known history of the city. It starts to get noticeable around the 20th, with the water levels rising over a foot, and it keeps going faster and faster as the days move on. By the first of the month, the water has risen to flood out the two city blocks on either side of the river, forcing hundreds of people from their homes. The problem is even worse near the point that the river exits the city walls and starts winding its way into the Abandoned City, with the flood washing away many of the ramshackle buildings in the area and shorting out the laser fences in the area, leaving the city vulnerable to attack by water.
This month's mission? Form teams of explorers to head either up or down the river, braving the dangers from flooding and whatever monsters might be attracted to all the noise and panic, to try to find the source of the highly unusual flooding.
MOD NOTE: I will be playing around with the cause and fallout of the flooding throughout this and the next TDM. Feel free to have characters explore and find various options for what might be causing it, and if you have a good idea in a thread, send a link via PM to the mod account, and I'll see how many ideas I can weave into the solution!
Remember that bit in the last prompt about the monsters attracted by the noise and panic in the city, and also about the fences being compromised around where the river exits the city? Well, that turns out to be a really big problem throughout the end of March and until the flooding is resolved. Some new 'residents' will start showing up, crawling out of the river with scaly grins - giant crocodiles and carnivorous toads, and nasty giant bugs, oh my! Almost any amphibious, reptilian, bug, or water monster you can think of will be clambering up the banks of the river, scooting through the mud, and hunting anyone who ventures too close to their overflowing homes.
The city will be making a general call out to any fight-capable people who are willing to form temporary reserve units of the Perimeter Guard to help patrol the edges of the rising water and keep the monsters at bay. Join up with these, fight them on your own, or just keep away from the water. The choice is up to you.
It's not just fighters that can help with the disaster - there's also a citywide call out for volunteers to help out with disaster relief for the hundreds of people who have been displaced from their riverside homes. Whether you're commanding magic or science or just a hand to help out, your help will be more than welcome.
Volunteers can help gather and distribute clothing, non-perishable food, and other supplies to displaced residents; they can help cook for the large soup kitchens and buffet breakfasts; they can help knock together and furnish temporary shelter for victims. There is also a call for any residents who may have extra space in their homes to house victims of the disaster, so whether your character is displaced or offering a helping hand, there's plenty to do around the Quarantine.
While the disaster isn't exactly conducive to celebration, most of the merchants participating in the Sampremi street market (some nsfw content at the link) are doing a philanthropic spin on their usual booths. Most of the booths are offering free food and household items or clothing to residents who have been displaced by the flooding, offering free games, and accepting donations to help support the victims. They've also cleared out space in the market for victims and volunteers to rest and recuperate.
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
Hiccup, for once, is rendered speechless, staring with wide eyes as he tries to process everything she's saying. His brain is working overtime to come to terms with too much, too much at once, and he can't- He can't think, he can't breathe.
It all leaves him in a rush. Your dad didn't make it. Those words drown out everything else, and his expression crumples, because she wouldn't lie about this, about any of it, but especially not this, and... He sways on his feet, and Toothless, alarmed, putting himself at Hiccup's back, and Astrid's grip on his hand are the only things that keep him standing. Her face blurs through a film of tears.] M-my dad is- He's...? [He can't even bring himself to say the words.] N-no, no he can't- How?
no subject
She does what she can to keep him steady, but he needs to sit down. He needs to have time to...to process this. To work through it, as best he can. She glances toward Toothless, and then around the room, looking for somewhere the two of them can sit. ]
Come on, I'll answer all your questions, but not standing here. So let's just...let's sit down, okay?
no subject
How do you cope, knowing that when you left your home, everything was fine and normal, and suddenly you've lost the man who raised you, loved you, was proud of you?
He nods, distantly, slowly, like he's hearing and moving underwater. Draping one arm over Toothless' head for the stability, he lets himself be led to the second-hand sofa on the far side of the loft. Hiccup doesn't let go of Astrid's hand unless she pulls away, at this point, because it's maybe the only thing that's grounding him. The tears are there, blurring the edges of his vision, but they don't come yet as he sinks heavily down onto the cushion.] I don't understand. Everything was- was fine, when I left. Normal. I- Oh gods, was I- was I even there?
[Toothless warbles sadly, nosing against his side, looking from Hiccup to Astrid with mournful eyes.]
They said I'd- I would go back to the moment I left, but- Was I there?
no subject
[ Yeah, he had gone off against Stoick's orders, then found and spent time with his mother. But she knows that's not what he means.
Stormfly watches them from a short distance away, her head tilting as though listening to the exchange. She chirps quietly to Toothless. ]
After we found the trappers, things happened so fast. [ And that's the thing with tragedy, isn't it? Everything is normal until it isn't. ] There's nothing any of us could have done, Hiccup. Drago's...he was unlike anyone we've ever faced before. Worse, even. [ Gods, was he worse. Vicious and cruel in a way that left the Earth razed in his wake. ] We did everything we could with the time we had. You did everything you could.
no subject
Toothless, maybe sensing that the humans need each other right now, noses at Hiccup one more time, and then goes to join Stormfly, likely torn between his own feelings of joy and upset.]
I can't believe he's gone. [He finally murmurs, voice cracking slightly, wrecked with grief.] I know what he'd tell me. He'd- he'd say, 'we're vikings, it's an occupational hazard'. [Hiccup's voice finally breaks on the last word, and he tries to bite back a sob.] It's... It's so strange. I haven't lived any of this. The trappers, Drago-
What- what did you say about my mother?
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She falls quiet a moment before cupping his cheek, brushing away any tears with her thumb. ] But I'm here for you. Whatever you need, okay?
[ She had almost forgotten about Valka, and she's relieved that she'd mentioned her earlier. It means she has some good news to share. It won't make up for the bad, for Stoick, but hopefully, it'll help ease the wound a little. ]
Valka? I know how this might sound, but--She's alive. And back on Berk.
no subject
He tilts his head, leaning into her touch, her warm palm and the familiar callouses of her hands an immeasurable comfort. Astrid just got here, he needs to pull himself together at least a little bit.] Thank you, Astrid. [He says softly, breathing out, finally shifting to curl an arm around her shoulders and press a little closer. It's genuine gratitude, that she's here, that she doesn't hide unpleasant truths from him, that she's Astrid. He manages a small, slightly watery smile.] You being here, that's... that's all I need right now.
[This news about his mother is no less bizarre to his ears, hard to imagine, but- it's happier, at least. Maybe. He's always wanted to meet his mother, to know if he's more like her since he isn't much like Stoick.] How- How is she alive? It's been twenty years, I- ...What is she like?
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She hums thoughtfully. ]
She's--amazing. [ Astrid hasn't known Hiccup's mom long, but in the short time she has? Valka has earned her respect. ] She loves dragons as much as you do. I guess she tried to change Berk's view on dragons, too, but--[ She shrugs. ] It wasn't all that effective, as we know.
no subject
Grief for his father feels all at once sharp and distant; he hasn't processed it yet, it will take a while to get to that point, without living through it, and he's glad for different subjects, happier things. It feels unreal, for his mother to be alive. For his mother to be back on Berk. And what Astrid says is-]
Oh. [He breathes out, momentarily speechless, trying to find the words to describe how that news makes him feel.] She- Oh, wow. All this time, I- I took after her. She's- she's back on Berk? She's going to stay? That's- unbelievable.