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quaranmeme2018-04-20 06:40 pm
riverview: april 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 25 Character Slots available.
● Applications are currently open and will close on May 7th at 10:00 pm EST.
● 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
For the past month, the flooding in Riverview has been out of control, and the attacks of strange mutated creatures from the swollen river haven't been helping much. While the water level has stabilized over the past couple of weeks, the river is still way, way out of bounds and keeping a large number of people in relief shelters or put up with volunteer families, causing significant damage to riverside properties, homes, and businesses. While residents have done everything they can to try to correct the situation, from machines and tech to magic and appealing to the River Spirits during the yearly Flower Festival River Spirit Procession, nothing has made any real meaningful difference.
On the 20th, almost a month to the day after the river started swelling out of control, anyone looking at the rushing surface of the water will start to see a strange glow just underneath it, and as the day progresses, glowing white tentacles start to rise from the surface of the water. As the tentacles rise from the surface, members of the Perimeter Guard will be setting up a protective barrier around the area to keep civilians back until they figure out what's up with whatever's in the river.
In the meantime, the presence of the glowing thing is driving the last of the nasty giant mutated crocodiles, carnivorous toads, and other monsters out of the river in droves. While the Perimeter Guard is still holding the line, volunteers are being called for to take out the monsters as they exit the river, menacing the rest of the city. Whether your character is a member of the Guard in training, helping keep the civilians safe from the possible new threat in the river, or a volunteer helping take out the fleeing monsters, their help will be more than welcome.
After a few days of study, Gramarye Magic Research's strongest mages have banded together and found a way to communicate with the glowing presence in the deep, using a wide variety of nature-based magicks from different realms. And what have they learned?
The presence is not just one creature, it is many, and they are awakening from a long, long sleep. Possibly almost as long as there have been people on the moon - it's hard to tell, when the creatures 'speak' so slowly. What the mages have managed to get from them is that it is their awakening and movement that's causing the flooding in the river, a combination of blocking up the river's exit through the fences with their bulk and an overflow of elemental water magic that is causing the river to swell with more water than it can hold. The creatures, who call themselves the 'Guardians of the Deep,' are eventually ruled to be completely benign, and their only request is to be helped on their migration to the sea - a trip that they usually take once a year when they are not in hibernation. The problem is that, since their last migration, the river has become a much more dangerous place, plagued by monsters and clogged with rubble from the Abandoned City.
Any resident with nature magic of any kind and who can communicate with the creatures, who is a fighter or member of the Perimeter Guard, or who has abilities that can help to clear the river of any debris or blockages, is invited to aid in the attempt to escort the Guardians of the deep down the river. Once they reach the delta and waterfalls, their path will be clear and they will be free to explore the ocean until they return to the city in late fall.
ETA: In response to a player question, the Guardians look like very large glowy amoebas.
The Guardians of the Deep are slow-speaking and they are also slow-moving. For a period of at least two weeks, they will be making their way from the center of the city down the river with the current, and as they travel, they'll be having a rather...interesting effect on anyone who is sensitive to their influence. This sensitivity is something a character may be aware of through a strong connection with or love of nature or animals, it may be a spiritual or magical sensitivity, it may be an emotional one, or it might simply be something a character is not aware of until they are affected. However, no matter what a character is or where they come from, they may be susceptible to the aura of the Guardians.
And what does that aura do?
Starting on April 20th and intermittently continuing throughout the next month, any characters with a sensitivity (feel free to make one up that affects your character, or have them be immune as per your choice) will lose an important sense. While sight is the most commonly lost sense, others may lose hearing, taste, touch, smell, or other senses unique to their physiology (whether biological, mechanical, or otherwise). The only relief from this loss is for the character to make direct contact with another character - any other character, in any way, as long as there is no clothing, material, or other matter blocking contact. As soon as contact is broken, the loss will return.
The effect can last for as long or short a time as each player wishes, and affect whatever sense is desired. Reprieve from the effect comes with skin-to-skin (or equivalent) contact with another character, and is not limited to just one other character - it doesn't matter who else is being touched, as long as it's someone.
During this year, there's been an influx of people from a dying reality consisting mostly of living plant people, and they've really taken the Flower Festival as a great opportunity to introduce one of their most honored traditions to the people of their new adopted world. The tradition involves sharing various types of flowers with strangers, with each type of flower having a different meaning and effect on both the giver and receiver - the bond of the exchange can spark emotion as well as physical responses that function in a unique way that affects almost everyone that participates, whether animal, plant, or even android.
Some of the flowers have been used up, but a few types still remain. Any characters exchanging the flowers with other characters, whether friends or strangers, will experience emotional/psychological effects, physical effects, or both once the exchange is complete. Effects can last for as short or long a time as the players involved want, and are as follows:
● Baby Blue Eyes - Trust/Healing the Inner Child
Emotional Effect: Either an inexplicable trust in the person the flower was exchanged with, or a generalized paranoia.
Physical Effect: De-aging. Characters can become a younger version of themselves, physically, mentally, or both. Whether or not their normal selves are of age, de-aged characters may not participate in adult prompts unless they're de-aged to something above 18.
● Rose - Friendship/Beauty
Emotional Effect: Openness and a desire to make new friends, or excessive competitiveness.
Physical Effect: A temporary glamor that makes both participants in the exchange appear as the most beautiful possible version of themselves, and improves their charisma.
● Valerian: - Relaxation/Heart-Opening
Emotional Effect: A near-complete erasure of anxiety and stress, or a dramatic inexplicable increase in it.
Physical Effect: Forced honesty. Both affected characters become incapable of lying. Whether they're compelled to blurt the truth or if they can keep their mouths shut or talk around the truth is up to player discretion.
[Flower meanings used in this prompt come from this site.]
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
Hang on a sec - he's your boyfriend? When did that happen? How?
[This is way more interesting than rehashing old arguments about quitting the capes-and-catsuits biz.]
no subject
Early December. So--about five months ago? I don't think you really want to hear the how of how it started, so I'll leave that out.
( over business papers, with loki's helm over his forehead, a stupid staredown game that went way too far too fast. )
no subject
Uhh, no, I'm pretty sure I do wanna hear about it, actually. [One hand flips around in a quick wave, urging Billy to keep talking.] Spill. I want details.
[There's a question Tommy isn't asking aloud - what happened to Teddy?]
no subject
I got here in November. This me. I guess there was another me here before I was? I can't remember any of it. Before I got here, Teddy. . left. He thought I made him, or I made him love me. Not--not intentionally, but that my being a reality warper had some effect on how he felt. That his emotions were just fabricated, a piece of a spell I weaved without realizing it.
( that's the answer tommy's looking for, isn't it. )
Right before I got here, I used my magic to give Loki a boost--aged him up a bit. That's when I was pulled through to here. But he's several years ahead of me, he--uh. Apologized for the mess me made my life, was actually honest about it. I thought the whole thing with Mother was my fault, that I dragged her out here, that it was my power that caused everything and it still kind of was but it wasn't actually, I guess. ( tommy doesn't even know about all of this shit. ) Anyway, he was really clingy when I got here. Like, weird levels of clingy.
I guess part of it was how he got along with the me who was here before and I got used to it and we started dating and that's seriously all you need to know.
no subject
Well, that’s dumb. If you could control how people felt about you, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t ever feel as irritated about you as I do.
[He cracks another grin, reaching for humor to lighten the mood. It’s not difficult to see how Teddy might think that, though; for as much as Tommy trash talks Billy’s abilities (lovingly, of course), he recognizes how powerful Billy is. That’s why the Avengers wanted to monitor him, after all - to make sure he wouldn’t pull the same sort of nonsense Wanda did, even unintentionally.
There’s a lot that Tommy’s missing from this story - “Mother” doesn’t sound like Billy’s talking about Wanda, and Tommy still has no idea how he got from the warehouse to the party, or what happened in between. Billy falling for someone clingy sounds legit, though - ew, the idea makes Tommy shiver a little, but whatever, Billy can have terrible taste if he wants, Tommy isn’t his twin’s keeper - so that answer satisfies his curiosity for the moment.]
You’re gonna need to catch me up on some stuff, but not on an empty stomach. [Tommy turns, waves his arm to encourage Billy to get moving again.] Food. Let’s go, little brother.
no subject
but he's glad all of that shut tommy up, at least. doesn't leave him free from explaining all that nonsense that happened, but it gets tommy off his back long enough to get food into the both of them. )
Right, food. ( his hand's reaching out, grabbing onto tommy's arm and murmuring soft under his breath as blue magic encompasses the both of them, teleporting off to the breakfast bar inside of trixie. much faster than walking, he's sure tommy will appreciate it. )
You can eat whatever you want. It's uh--on Loki.
no subject
Really. [Tommy nods in approval.] Well, I like your boyfriend so far. When do I get to meet him?
[Tommy doesn’t hold back on ordering once they’re seated - pancakes and sausage, french toast and chicken fried steak, scrambled eggs and hash browns, bacon and toast, a pot of coffee. Growing speedsters gotta eat!! And he’s done enough listening to Billy, so instead of prompting him to explain what he’s been up to, Tommy just launches into his own story, between shoveling bites into his mouth.]
So after I moved out, I got a job, obviously - place was cool with hiring mutants, needed some tech gizmos put together real fast, so that was perfect for me. ‘Swhere I met David. Someone wearing Eli’s old getup caused some trouble, so me ‘n’ David staked out the warehouse, figuring this guy would show - and he did, of course he did.
[Tommy pauses to chew, swallow, rolls his eyes. Sure, it made their job easy, but there’s no challenge in easy.]
Next thing I know, David’s kissing me, I’m at a party, you’re all there, I’m dancing with Kate, you’re hugging me, and we’re going out to breakfast. Only instead of breakfast, I ended up here.
[Where. You know, breakfast also is, obviously, but different breakfast. Just Billy. And this Loki guy. But hey! Breakfast.]
So what’d I miss? Who’s “Mother”? That’s not what you’re calling Wanda now, is it?
no subject
It started a while ago. I--caught Teddy running off in the night to play hero, and got mad at him over it. We fought, but--he was right, so. ( the fight wasn't what was important, anyway. ) I wanted to do something to make him happy, so I reached through the multiverse and found what I thought was his mother, right before she died. After pulling her out and into our universe, I uh. ( brace yourself, tommy. billy's giving himself pause, too. ) We realized she wasn't his mother, but an interdimensional parasite who wanted to devour my power, I guess. She took control of all the adults around her, brought dead parents back, it was a huge mess. We spent a while with Noh-Varr, Kate, America, and Loki running around trying to avoid getting caught by her while Loki tried to teach me how to control what power I had left to send her back to where she came from.
The non-patriot nabbed you, and Eli tracked us down to tell us about it. So we all went chasing after you through the multiverse, trying to get you back from him. Teddy--left, he needed time to himself. Then he got caught by Mother, I used a spell to try and get Loki back his full power so he could save Teddy, and then I ended up here.
( that takes out most the shit he thinks would piss off tommy, still gives a pretty clear description of what happened, and removes all the sad bits he really doesn't want to talk about. so. good enough, right? )
no subject
You know, [he points his fork at Billy for emphasis,] if Teddy wanted to do hero stuff, he should’ve just called me. I’m the one who didn’t want to quit in the first place, if you’ll recall.
[Not that Tommy’s still sore about that or anything! Another forkful of pancakes drenched in syrup goes into Tommy’s mouth, and his face scrunches up in contemplation.]
Noh-Varr’s the guy with the abs, right? [He’s pretty sure he remembers that much from the after-party introductions.] Didn’t we fight him that one time?
[Well. The others fought him; Tommy was off playing with Molly.]
no subject
(or is it)
doesn't matter. he lifts his coffee to his lips, takes another sip out of the quickly depleting mug. )
We did fight him, he was being mind-controlled, he didn't mean to hurt us--wasn't his fault. ( and billy definitely doesn't want to think about all the other stuff that happened during that time, thanks. no need to bring up old painful wounds. ) He's a good guy. Weird, definitely has done a lot of weird things, declared war on Earth once, tried to make it into the capital of the Kree empire. . succeeded in a lot of different dimensions. But he's good.
no subject
Kid sounds like a real fighter - prob’ly a good guy to have tagging along while you’re out hopping through dimensions in search of yours truly.
[And if Billy and the others accepted Noh-Varr as one of their own, that’s good enough for Tommy. He’s made his own fair share of mistakes in the past, and being part of the Young Avengers gave him a chance at redemption, a chance to turn his life around and use his talents for good instead of just spending his time seeking revenge or getting mixed up in a bad mutant crowd. Everyone deserves a chance like that.
This business with Teddy is ... way outside of Tommy’s wheelhouse of experience, because ew, feelings. It’s clearly still having a residual effect on Billy, though. Tommy picks up an unopened packet of sugar and flips it through his fingers for a few seconds while deciding on what to say about it. He’s ... not good at feelings-talk, and while he’d expressed some doubts about Teddy at the start, Tommy thought him a pretty OK guy by the time he left the Kaplans’ place.]
Keeping secrets like that’s ... dumb. [#nailedit] Sounds like it was a good idea for you ‘n’ Teddy to take a break from each other.
[And that’s enough of straying into Feelsville for Tommy. He rips open the packet of sugar and dumps the contents into his mug, following the sugar with a refill of coffee.]
So you’ve been here for five months - what’s fun to do around here? [He gives Billy a quick sideways glance.] Have you been doing anything fun? You do know what fun is, right?
no subject
and honestly, he doesn't expect jack shit from tommy in response to his mess with teddy. it's--complicated, painful, involves feelings and tommy doesn't. do that. the acknowledgement of it at all is plenty, shows billy that tommy is making an effort. that even if he's not used to it, doesn't like being part of feelings jams, he's trying his best. it's all billy could ask for.
it's easy to shift gears, small smile on his lips as he raises the coffee mug in hand to empty the rest of it before pushing it across the counter and getting up onto his feet. )
The basement here's a club. Upstairs is Loki's weird VIP lounge. There're a few other clubs around, ( because that's what tommy's into, isn't it. partying hard. look there are a lot of places to party, whatever. ) there're a lot of stores, malls, a movie theater, museum, swimming pools. . outside the fence, we've got weird combinations of critters and an abandoned city to explore through.
no subject
Yeah? This place seems all right - you're gonna have to tell me how we got here, though, you're not gonna be magicking me everywhere all the time. [God, Tommy hopes that's not the case - being teleported feels weird as shit, and if Billy were moving them around constantly, that would mean he'd be around constantly, and Tommy's gonna need some time away from his twin at some point.] That all sounds pretty normal, 'cept for the critters and the abandoned city. [Like ... "too good to be true" normal.] Any weird recurring alien invasions or secret government conspiracy groups I should know about?
no subject
but he does move a hand out to tommy's shoulder, wrapping an arm around him as billy moves to lead him. elsewhere. )
Yeah. Sometimes it feels a little.. too peaceful. No alien invasions. No government conspiracies. Sometimes weird stuff comes in from outside the fence, but it's nothing impossible to handle.
no subject
There's a flicker of an instinct to pull away, shrug out from under Billy's arm, but Tommy brushes it aside. He's never been a touchy-feely type, never got a lot of that from his own parents, but for Billy? It feels acceptable. Like something Tommy might actually like instead of just tolerate. For a little while, anyway. Tommy turns to Billy with a wide grin.]
Well, yeah, especially now that I'm here. I can handle anything! Gimme your weirdest, no sweat.