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quaranmeme2018-06-20 06:40 pm
riverview: june 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 47 Character Slots available.
● Reserves are currently OPEN. Applications are currently CLOSED and will open on August 1st 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 ● exploration progress report ● ask a question ● calendar ● navigation
After the unveiling of the newly cleaned-up amusement park, it's been going strong, open to the public and seeing heavy traffic flow from residents of the City. After all, it's been a while since a new attraction opened in Riverview. Slowly but surely, the people in charge of the park have been keeping it open later and later into the evening, testing the strength of the wall and trying to see how many monsters the bright lights and cheerful music and chattering crowds draw.
And it's all seemed to be just perfect - until the middle of June. It started with a few little critters, mostly the size of toy poodles and vaguely crablike, they skittered around the bottom of the laser fences, testing the strength of it. And then more of them started coming. By the 20th, there are probably hundreds of little toy poodle sized crab critters prodding at the fence, making a racket and making the guests nervous. Not a huge deal, not at first.
But apparently toy poodle sized crabs are really delicious, because predators have started coming over to the fence to feed on them. Between the horde of crab-critters and the marauding predators, there's starting to be a dangerous buildup of pressure against the fences.
The Perimeter Guard is putting out a call for anyone willing to help disperse the horde, and the owners of the amusement park are throwing in vouchers for free passes to the park (and all the fun rides!) for anyone who takes up the call. Care to join?
The amusement park isn't only the place where pint-sized monster pests are showing up - they're everywhere. Inside the city, they're a little smaller but far more insidious, and almost impossible to get rid of on a large scale. After a bit of consideration, the Government, in cooperation with the Perimeter Guard, has decided to set up a little competition to help with a bit of pest control. A scavenger hunt!
From the 20th of June until the 20th of July, the Government will be offering a reward to anyone who can prove they have 'taken care of' 5 or more each of the four pests causing mayhem in the city - a mildly-poisonous leathery-winged reptile that feeds on eyeballs, a mutated rat-like creature that likes to nest in the hair of sleeping people and animals and has a high-pitched scream that can cause disorientation, a beautifully sparkly delicate moth-like creature that causes intense mood swings through pheromones and hormones, and a creature that looks exactly like the standard domesticated foxes many residents keep as pets but who spit fire when angry.
The reward for bringing in proof of taking out 5 of each of these pests will be around 250 Units, or a gift or gift certificate of equivalent value.
Perimeter Guard Captain Anali Apple has released a statement regarding this challenge: 'And to all the animal lovers out there, if you've got a problem with killing these guys, then by all means go gather them up before they get killed. We'll reward people who catch and release, long as they're not in the city.'
Welcome to Riverview Quarantine! What's your talent?
Everyone who arrives in the Quarantine gets a short interview to try to place them in an appropriate job, but this month it's a little different. With Carnivale and its focus on creative performances right around the corner, the Orientation teams are asking an extra question - do you want to join a talent show? Characters new and old are invited to attend and perform in the Riverview's Got Talent show on a large stage in the city center, performing any kind of talent they might have, from singing to dancing to art to martial arts to magic or anything else you can imagine! After the performances, there will be free refreshments and a meet and greet so performers can get some feedback on their performance (please be kind!).
Since new characters or players may feel a bit shy jumping in on this one, there will be a mod-posted subthread for existing players to post up a quick description of a performance their character might put on for new arrivals to respond to. Any existing players should keep their top-levels to this prompt and this sub-thread, and only new characters should be responding to them - if you want to play out talent show performances and interactions with two characters already in the game, please post it on the logs community.
Residents new and old might notice advertisements going up around the city for a brand new restaurant - the Blind Date Café. A pioneering concept by a born romantic in the city, the Café is a concept business where it's Dragosta (the celebration of romantic love) all year around! Singles, or people who are into polyamory, can come to the Café and tell the host/ess what their romantic preferences are (gay, straight, bisexual, asexual, etc.) and be seated at complete random with someone else at the Café who has compatible preferences. Once the random pairing is seated, they can order from a pretty standard restaurant menu at one of the lovely flower-and-candle adorned tables with a complimentary glass of wine each (for the first 100 customers!) and share a nice romantic meal.
Paired up with someone you don't get along with? That's just fine. You can totally take your meal to go. Paired up with someone you really like, and you both decide to go on a second date? Both meals are on the house!
And what about people who just aren't into romance? Well, thankfully one of the preferences you can pick is 'platonic,' in which case you'll be sat with someone who might just be your new best friend...or your future worst enemy! Who knows?
New arrivals to the city (as played on the TDM) will receive a voucher to the Blind Date Café with their welcome to the city, entitling them to a free meal.
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
[ Maia clearly means it, too. He had spent far too many years as the subject of intimidation and abuse, and if anything, he over-corrects in the opposite direction, thinks himself a tyrant and a monster for the slightest shortnesses of temper. It was hard enough, not accidentally scaring the palace servants and members of his household, merely by interacting with them. It was only ever with nobles, of the kind who hated him and would always hate and disrespect him, that Maia sometimes needed to become a bit of a bully. ]
It is true, that is the way of the world, but...
[ Maia meets Geralt's eyes, and smiles, a very small smile. ]
...perhaps you do not allow yourself enough credit. We do not think we could ever be so forgiving. Not at any age.
[ He certainly doesn't think he will ever forgive Setheris, or his father, no matter how many years he lives. He does not want to forgive them, or even understand them. Maia won't let his grudges poison his behavior, as far as possible, but he cannot bring himself to care about their circumstances or good intentions. And it seems dangerous to him, even setting aside personal wrongs, to regard with such lax tolerance that category of person who convinced themselves that the evils they did were necessary.
All of which is rather hard to put into words, and it takes Maia a while to do it; he is quiet a few moments, before saying: ]
And yet evil is still evil, and... allowing it to go on unchecked, merely because people can convince themselves they are justified, leaves the strong free to exploit the weak, to sow violence and cruelty, and then act as if it means nothing. And that is how the world... rots.
[ Shulivar had been a murderer, had probably been mad, but - he had had a point. Maia might disagree with his methods, but there was no denying his beliefs, about entrenched power, and decadence.
But it sounds as if the old ways are not unquestioned, in Geralt's world. A little of the tension in Maia's shoulders relaxes when Geralt says that he and the others agreed not to put another generation of boys through what they had gone through. ]
We- did not wish to speak ill of your ways, but... we believe that was a wise decision. Traditions... can become poison. They are born, and live, and wither, and should be allowed to die when it is their time.
no subject
Not for the first time, he was reminded of Regis, with his careful manners and perfect enunciation and kind eyes. It hooked him by the heart, and for a moment, even as Maia's words faded, he said nothing to fill the space of the silence which had become... no longer awkward, but companionable. ]
Do you write?
[ A rhetorical question, he went on immediately, smiling, setting his elbows on the table. His arms folded, bridging together. ]
I hope you write. You... have a lot of good to say. And I don't think I'll be the first, or last person to be impressed. You're...
[ Geralt paused, attention going briefly inward, trying to hunt down in his own mind the words he wanted to say. 'Observant' seemed too small a word; 'careful and considered' without enough depth. ]
Wise, I think. I suspect you see more than most people.
no subject
But then Geralt asks his question, smiles, says he is impressed, and Maia's ability to hide his feelings flies out the window. His skin is too dark to show much of a blush, but his face goes hot nonetheless, and his surprised small laugh gives him away. He shakes his head, hands coming up to touch his hair, as if checking it has not fallen out of place - but the gesture is clearly one of flustered pleasure. ]
You flatter us, Mer Geralt. We are no poet. Truthfully- one of the nicknames whispered about us at court behind our back is Edrehasivar Half-Tongue, for we often... do not know what to say. It is easier, to speak to someone who does not rush us, and who listens. So... we thank you. Truly.
[ The waiter, seizing the brief lull in their conversation, approaches the table, and Maia and Geralt place their orders. When he is gone, Maia fiddles with the silverware and, still a little flustered from the compliment, says: ]
But we wish there were aught we could do, to aid you. To give you the peace you cannot find.
[ The best part about being the emperor was having the ability to help. To shield Celehar from his sister's whims. To forgive Dazhis and give him a second chance. To send coal to the Danivada when they could not afford it. But what Geralt described would be beyond his aid, even if they were back in Ethuveraz. He could not undo the past. ]
Though we cannot approve of- of what was done to you, to obtain them, in sooth your abilities sound incredible. Can you really... see the spirits of the dead?
no subject
[ He snorted, derisively. ]
Better half a tongue than half a brain. If people are going to waste time drudging up insults, at least they could try to come up with something more...
[ He waved a hand, shrugging. ]
Clever? And that's coming from an actual backwater peasant. But, you should take heart, at least a little. It's the mark of a good leader, usually, that you hear the insults people make to you, and think on it. Ignoring them utterly, or worse, seeking reprisal, are usually the hallmarks of a tyrant.
[ Their orders given, he reaches for the wine again, and drinks with the casual laxness of someone who often sought solace in alcohol. Now it's his turn to go faintly awkward, and his fingers fidget, turning the wine glass by minutely nudging its base. ]
Ahhh... yes. When they wish it, at least. But it's... usually wildly less interesting than most people think it would ever be. There are from time to time restless spirits of the dead so twisted by pain or anger that they just become monsters; or fascinating haunts like... like royalty, or important figures.
But most of the time, it's ghosts having the most utterly human domestic disputes you could imagine, which to them are so important they can feel no rest. A wife who doesn't want to be buried with her husband because he was shamefully addicted to card-playing. Or a man who wants to beg for one more day of whoring and drinking and gambling, promising he'll only possess me for a day and a night and no more. Ghost of a sommelier who was so distressed over the wine served at his funeral that he wouldn't stop rattling the windows and doors of his living family 'till they did something to apologize. But of course, most of these spirits can't communicate their issues: all they can do is rattle or break things, cause flashes or cold spots in the air.
no subject
He is, after all, the son of a spiteful and vicious man, and was raised by one, as well. There are times when he is all too aware of what Setheris would do in his place. But though he cannot stop himself from realizing just how many mean and ruthless actions he could take, against those who hinder and belittle him, he can stop himself from following through. ]
Our secretary has said they should call us Edrehasivar the Obstinate instead, and in sooth, we think he cuts closer to the truth.
[ Hard to miss, the way Maia's smile widens again, a little lopsided now, and how his voice changes when he speaks about his secretary; it is a bit warmer, a bit fonder. Half-Tongue was a name whispered behind his back amongst people who hated him. Obstinate was said to his face, only in private where no one else could hear them, by someone who..... did not hate him.
It has only been a few days, but Maia misses him horribly. ]
We suppose we shouldn't be surprised. It is among our duties to hold audiences, and to listen to petitioners from commoners and courtiers alike. Underneath all the- rhetoric and wheedling, so often they were matters of such utter ridiculousness.
[ He doesn't blame Geralt, for not allowing ghosts to possess him for such frivolous last wishes, or for mocking the dead, when their concerns are so trivial. Maia even laughs, himself, about the sommelier. ]
Truly, there is some comfort in that. To know that the dead are- are every bit as infuriatingly, wonderfully absurd as the living.
[ Their food arrives, and Maia says a quick thank you to the woman carrying it, who smiles, briefly, perfunctorily. Perhaps another would have found it rude, but Maia finds it delightful. He is still reveling in it - being treated just like anybody else. Just another customer, amidst and endless stream. ]
There are those, in my world, who can communicate with the dead. Not with restless spirits, precisely. It is... different. They are called Witnesses for the Dead. If they are allowed to- see and touch the bodies, and if someone whose blood calls to the spirits - relatives, or loved ones - are present, they can... commune. Receive impressions of the dead's final moments.
[ Not exactly the most appealing topic, while eating, but Maia is too hungry to be put off by it - and he is starting to expect that Geralt, who has seen and lived through so much, has a strong stomach. ]
no subject
I can imagine that skill's pretty useful, in settling disputes. Or helping to ease the living left behind.
[ What would Vesemir have said, after his death? The thought makes the movement of Geralt's hand slow. He pushes the food around his plate with the tines of his fork. ]
Have you ever seen it done?
no subject
[ Maia, despite his attempt to not to speak poorly of them, is clearly not one of those people. Spirituality may be out of fashion at court, but that has changed nothing about the depth of Maia's own belief. ]
But they do, and Witnessing can provide solace, and truth, where before there was only grief and uncertainty.
[ The answer to Geralt's question is a little more complicated than just yes or no. Maia had had to be present, for Mer Celehar to Witness, but he had not been able to look for more than a moment at the broken corpse of his father. He had not seen the ritual itself, but stood there with his back turned, feeling sick with misery. Still... Maia cannot imagine a way to say any part of that, without spoiling his appetite. So he lies a little by simplifying, saying: ]
We have. For... our father and brothers.
[ He busies himself with the food, then, and it is only too clear from the shortness of his answer to the droop of his ears that he doesn't care to speak about it much more. Fortunately, another topic presents itself to his mind, and he asks eagerly: ]
Mer Geralt, if you do not mind us asking - did your world have goblins, and elves? You did not stare, when you first saw us, so we wondered...?
now that i'm not falling asleep...
Witnessing. It sounded like a euphemism. He wondered, quietly, what the folk who possessed these powers felt about their gift. Wondered how often they felt like voyeurs into the lives and feelings of others.
He ate another bite, this one slower; and even the pleasantly rich, cloudy softness of pierogi couldn't warm the cold that felt seeped into his core. ]
My condolences, about... about your family. I'm glad there was something like closure, waiting for you.
[ But he blinked up, surprised by the question. ]
Of course it does,
[ He said it slowly, as if to ask, there are worlds that don't? and then set his fork down, leaning back a little. ]
My daughter— adopted, because of—
[ He gestured at himself, mouth twisting— ]
Her grandmother was elven. And like her, most sorceresses are known to have... to likely have a touch of elven bloodline. I've known plenty of elves, and goblins. A few are even... very good friends. Dwarves, halflings, trolls, werewolves, vampires. Stranger things, sometimes. There's a lot of tension between different kinds of people, where I'm from. Race-wars, witch-hunts. But...
Nobody can choose the body they have, where they come from. Feels stupid to judge anyone by metrics like that. Reductive.
no subject
But he cannot imagine finding all the words he would need, to clarify, and truly, it is not such a great wrong, to allow Geralt to think he mourns his father and brothers differently than he really does. ]
You have a daughter?
[ Maia isn't entirely sure he understands why adopting would have been a necessity for Geralt, but of course he does not ask for a fuller explanation. Probably it had to do with the process by which he was made into a Witcher, and Maia does not wish his own ignorance to dredge up painful thoughts. ]
What is her name?
[ Geralt had made his life sound so isolated, so lonely, and Maia is glad to hear that he is not entirely isolated. He has a family, then. A family he had chosen, but what did that matter? If Maia is honest with himself, the people who are closest to him, closest to being his family, were not his relatives. ]
We must admit, we feel ourselves ignorant, for we have never heard of werewolves, or vampires, or halflings, and as far as we are aware dwarves and trolls only exist in wonder tales.
[ Even before Geralt mentions that there are tensions between the different peoples, Maia already guessed that might be the case. He'd only been an emperor for less than a year, but he has learned a lot in that time. ]
No, they cannot. We agree with you entirely. Discounting people on their race, or rank, or- or gender strikes us as the utmost foolishness. There... has been hostility in the past, between Barizhan and the Elflands. Our father's marriage to our mother was- was meant to lessen that.
[ Maia's tone of voice seems to suggest that it had not been a success. ]
But in truth, so far as we have been able to see, such dislike exists far more amongst the nobles and the politicians than among the people themselves. No one at court would dare to associate with goblins, or even those with some goblin blood, and yet amongst our subjects, the two peoples work together, and marry, and get along without strife.