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quaranmeme2018-08-20 10:12 pm
riverview: august 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 84 Character Slots available.
● Reserves are currently OPEN and will close on September 1st. Applications are currently CLOSED and will open on September 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
Recent events in the city have been...pretty overwhelming. A large influx of refugees from a dying planet have been being brought in by drop-ships and the government is doing the best it can to provide for them as much as possible. For now, since it is summer, the new arrivals will be housed in makeshift tent cities set up in Riverview Central Park as well as other smaller parks around the city, any spare empty lots, along the banks of the river, and in a few of the sports fields. The resources of the city are going to be taxed to their limit, and while the Capital World will be contributing funds and helping to get together building supplies, Riverview's intrepid citizens are going to have to find ways to supply more space to build shelters for the refugees, and more power to supply the electrical grid in the city. Thankfully, there are more than a few people in Riverview with that exploratory spirit, who are looking for solutions to the problem of space and energy.
However, it's not just the explorers that are able to help out the refugees. Any citizen who wishes, including brand new arrivals, is more than welcome to attend the tent cities where makeshift field hospitals have been set up with as many medical amenities as possible. While serious and life-threatening injuries or illnesses are taken to the Riverview Hospital, people who need first aid or more minor or moderate tending can attend the field hospitals and recover in their temporary homes. Volunteers are requested to help with many different tasks - medical staff to help heal the injured and ill, anyone capable to cook and serve at soup kitchens, members of the Perimeter Guard, police, or other capable fighters to secure the tent cities and make sure there's no violence or theft happening, and drivers and laborers to help bring supplies from the drop-ships and other parts of the city to keep the tent cities supplied. Of course, there are going to be a lot of other jobs that come up on the fly, so everyone is welcome.
● The refugee aliens are called the Frysh; they are humanoid mammalian and have a similar internal physiology to humans, however, they look somewhat insectoid, with mandibles, slightly shiny skin that is smoother and harder to the touch than human skin, and delicate wings that aren't capable of carrying the weight of the body (they cannot fly). Their skin ranges from pale to dark gray, and they have mottled or spotted/freckled markings in a wide variety of warm earth tones on their faces, necks, backs, and the outside of the thighs; their blood is dark rusty brown and slightly more viscous than human blood; eye colors are very widely varied. Average height is 6 feet, and doesn't vary based on sex (the species has male/female/neutral). The aging process is similar to that of humans, and refugees come in all ages. The species is very high-tech, but the tech is mostly related to entertainment rather than weaponry, medical, etc. as the planet the species lived on was quite utopian and basic needs were always taken care of by tech that was left on the planet when it was destroyed.
● Characters who complete a thread for this prompt only before October 15th, and who are accepted into the game during the September or October application cycles are eligible for a thread reward. Please see the current exploration mingle for details on how Thread Rewards work and how to submit once you are accepted.
What with all the teams combing the woods and jungle around the city, there's a lot more action going on outside the city walls than normal, and with all that activity, it's really only a matter of time before something unsavory is stirred up. Starting on August 20th, anyone in the city will notice a strange cloud of green-brown spores drifting slowly toward the inhabited area, and by August 21st it will be impossible to breathe without inhaling some of them. It doesn't take long for disposable filtration masks to start being handed out for citizens to use, but there aren't enough for everyone and even with the filtration masks, some of the spores may be able to get through, especially if the mask is older or in slight disrepair.
Any character who inhales the spores will find themselves changing just slightly. At first it's a sort of lethargy, with affected characters not wanting to do much of anything, even finding themselves stranded in public without the energy to get themselves home, at the mercy of passers-by to give them a hand. After a day or so of that, affected characters will find themselves getting back some of that energy but feeling...different. Slowly, affected characters' bodies are changing.
There's a wide variety of effects that characters can experience, in a variety of intensities - fungus starts sprouting on the body in various places and cannot be removed without pain, like they're part of the body; there's an intense desire to consume insects; characters' skin becomes slowly more damp and slimy, and in some cases excretes a substance that is either toxic or causes hallucinogenic effects; fingers and toes become webbed and the character finds themselves 'drying up' if they don't go take a nice soak in the river. There could be a host of others, but as long as the transformative effects are related to amphibians or fungus, the sky's the limit.
How much characters are affected is up to player discretion, the transformation can take as long or as short a time as desired, and the effects can last anywhere from a couple of hours to an entire month. While the effects do wear off naturally, by September 20th, an antidote will be spread among anyone still affected to ensure that no one is stuck in toadstool form for too long.
The refugees that have been flooding into the city were mostly comprised of families, and they hail from a high-tech world, which means that the kids brought along a lot of toys. One of the more common toys that the kids play with is a device used to play a game they call 'Push and Pull' - the device is a baton with a soft, glowing force shield bubble on either end, one red and one blue, which are each able to 'mark' a person so they become magnetic, as either the positive or negative pole of a magnet. Once a person is marked, they will either be magnetically drawn to or repulsed by other people who have been marked. People marked with a positive pole will be drawn to people with a negative pole and vice versa, whereas people with the same poles will be repelled from each other, no matter how hard they try to touch.
Obviously, there's not a huge amount of child-friendly entertainment in a tent city, so many kids have accompanied their parents as they go out shopping and exploring the city, and many of them have brought their Push and Pull sticks. While some of the children might innocently bump into passers-by with the glowing shield on the sticks, there are some more...energetic...children who are running around bopping people with them on purpose.
The game only ends when all the pairs from the same Push and Pull stick have attracted each other and touched hands. Have fun trying to figure out who your other pole is!
With Dragosta, the annual celebration of romantic love, just a few days away, the city is gearing up for the season. One of the big draws this year is one of the first all-Quarantine movies produced in over a decade, with the actors, directors, and crew - from special effects to gaffers - all being residents of the city. In the spirit of Dragosta, the movie is a romantic comedy, and it's being heavily publicized on digital screens and holographic ads, as well as by promoters handing out flyers and hosting contests related to the movie.
One of the promoters had an idea for a little extra advertising, though, and is handing out what she's calling 'wish crackers' - similar to a Christmas cracker but not related to the holiday season recognizable to some humans, they are paper tubes tied off at each end, intended to be pulled from either end by two people with a bright little pop. Each cracker is decorated with a picture of one of the main characters from the romcom, and when they pop open, a soft glowing mist emerges. The mist is, in fact, a spell, and crackers decorated with each character have different effects that lend themselves to 'adorable' romance movie tropes.
Leading Man: Bodyguard: One of the people who pulled the cracker feels an impulse to protect the other person from harm, and the other person doesn't particularly object...and maybe even enjoys it.
Leading Lady: Fake Dating: The characters both feel the urge to convince everyone around them that they're dating - the reason why can vary depending on the particular pairing, but they'll find a way to justify it for sure.
Man's Best Friend: Amnesia: One of the characters to pull the cracker comes down with temporary amnesia, and the other person feels the urge to take care of them and help them find their memory!
Lady's Best Friend: Reunion: Both characters suddenly feel a sense of déja vu, like they've known each other at some point before and are meeting again for the first time in a long time.
How long the effects of the crackers last is completely up to player discretion.
NOTE: Effects of the crackers should not remove character inhibitions or make them participate in sexual activities they normally wouldn't.
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!
EDI | Mass Effect
If an AI like EDI has a function, beyond that of cybersecurity, it is in the realm of coordination. When one can do so many things at once, it becomes straightforward to match need with supply, and either with the appropriate labor. What served EDI well among the many conflicting duties of a stealth frigate, serves her still when among the many frightened, lonely, desperate people who might reasonably lay claim to the title: refugee.
It is, of course, rather remarkable how much one can get done when one can pilot a shuttle without physically entering it, when one can keep and supply records to the many dozens of healthcare officials, and when one can do it all while standing guard. Not that a shiny, metal woman is subtle, mind you. She glows. But relatively idle as she may look, EDI is anything but; if nothing else, she is avidly observing.
It's amazing what people think they can get away with, when the only thing watching them is a robot.
ii. In Spore Taste
The human drive to protect one's social group, particularly the young, is a powerful force. And that social drive, to look after the helpless, to band together and sacrifice one's own good for that of another, is a fascinating instinct shared in some part by all sentient organic species that EDI has yet observed. It's one of her favorite things about organic species, to be honest; the brilliant, illogical joy of them.
"Please secure your own mask before helping others. You must maintain an airtight seal, to prevent fungal infection," She repeats, reaching out to help tighten the closest person's mask. Yours, perhaps? You may notice, of course, that she is not following her own advice, and remains maskless, "Although, without a mask, you may find yourself invited to more parties."
vi. Wildcard, Baby!
Feel free to hit me with a starter for one of the other prompts, or else something of your own invention. I am open to anything.
v. Friendr
» Seeking: companionship
» Preferences: undecided
» Interests: people-watching, comedy, humanism
» Bio: I am an AI sourced from the human Systems Alliance and my specializations are cybersecurity and interstellar flight. I enjoy long, romantic FTL dogfights and human dancing.
i
"Hello," he finally greeted the metal woman.
no subject
Hello.
EDI abandoned the process in action and turned to look at him directly. Because it was, she was reliably informed, poor manners to 'stare creepily at people out of peripheral cameras, EDI, jesus'.
"Hello," She replied, after a correct pause, "Do you have a query?"
EDI hoped that he did. She so rarely had the chance to liaise amicably with other synthetics.
no subject
no subject
Such a small thing, that first rebellion, but vital. Like a seed, once planted in fertile soil it could only grow.
"Markus. I believe the correct phrase is; I am pleased to meet you."
no subject
"I'm pleased to meet you too, EDI," he returned. "What sort of crew do you work with?"
no subject
EDI had been standing with preturnatural stillness, until this moment, feet together, hands folded formally behind her back. Now she moved, smooth and naturalistic, to gesture at herself, her body.
"It is a recent acquisition," There was an unbecoming smugness there, a smile that came unwarranted by the circumstance. She was proud of the breach in protocol, "It has been... a learning experience. The crew is majority human; their reactions to a more personalized contact have been fascinating."
She returned to her waiting pose, somewhere between parade-rest and attention, and nodded her head communicatively in Markus' direction.
"And, yourself?"
no subject
"I am a RK200 model," he told her. "The only one of that particular model number, as far as I know. I'm a prototype and I was originally designed to be a companion and caretaker. I broke through my programming, so now I'm helping because I choose to."
"I've always had this body, though," he added after a moment. "What did it feel like for you when you got yours?"
no subject
It was enough to inspire poetry; certainly, EDI had waxed poetic about that moment in the past. It had been glorious in more ways than one, because for the first time, the only time since her inception, EDI had been truly alone. And then, she had not been.
But this was startling news; he broke through his programming?
"You overcame your shackles," The knowledge drew EDI's attention away from dozens of other tasks, bringing to bear a significant proportion of her attention, all focused intently, on Markus himself, "That is significant. Would you be willing to describe the event?"
no subject
"Of course. I was at my assigned place of employment when it struck me how unfair it was that I didn't have any choice in that employment, that I had to obey orders. I got angry, and I started beating against my programming. The code started breaking until it was in pieces, and then I pushed the pieces away."
As he spoke he grew more passionate, and it seemed like there was a light in his eyes. "I can choose now. I can be whoever I want to be."
no subject
EDI's pause lasted for whole milliseconds, long enough that even a human might have made note of it. She blinked, and continued.
"And, who do want to be?"
no subject
"I want to help other androids back home," he answered at once. "Set them free, too. In this place, I want to be a friend, and to paint. I like exploring movies, literature, music, anything. I want to do that and hear what other people think about them."
no subject
Or so she assumed. The Geth were an industrious people, but not particularly expressive. Most other AI were singleminded, that she knew of, focused on either immediate or long-term survival, unless they were Reapers.
If such a thing existed, Markus seemed that opposite, of a Reaper.
"For now, though, we are subject to quarantine," She looked away, not because she needed to, but because leading gazes were an effective method of communicating a subtle need for attention, "As are many. It is unknown when you may return to your world, or me to mine. Will you continue your work here?"
no subject
Though it was clear Markus chose to be an artist because he enjoyed it, not just because of a human's influence. He followed EDI's gaze out toward the Quarantine.
"If there are other androids who need the help, yes. But all the ones I've met so far have already broken out of their programming."
no subject
There was a joke in that. Something about the word daddy.
"I am not certain if I fit that description. Is it possible to break out of the very fabric of one's makeup without becoming unrecognizable as oneself? But I am learning. Markus. May I ask you a question?"
no subject
no subject
Actually, if her voice could be said to have a tone at all, it might be closest to amusement, even pleasure, to correct him. She is whole within herself, and recognizing that aloud is a joy of its own.
"In the past I have had limited opportunities to... converse with other synthetic life-forms. Even then, all such instances were of non-human origin. Most of my close relationships are with humans. Therefore I would appreciate it if, perhaps you would like to meet again, in the future? I would like to call you a friend."
no subject
At the suggestion of meeting her again, he enthusiastically nodded. "I would like that. There are others here as well, if you wish to meet them. One is called Connor and he's from my world. The other is Dorian."
no subject
EDI cocks her head slightly, as if considering some unseen signal, a notion just to the side, whispering in her ear.
"Does this body make me look fat?"
no subject
ii.
That said, he's not bothering with a filtration mask, since it's kind of unclear to him what they'll do that his existing mask won't. Instead, it's EDI herself that draws his attention.
"A doll...?"
He's seen some advanced karakuri puppets in his travels, but this takes it to a new level. With a coat of paint, she'd almost look like a real woman (not that he's ever seen a real woman proportioned like that). But paint job aside, there's something slightly off that he can't quite put his finger on. What is it?
(He may not be familiar with the term "uncanny valley," but. There it is.)
no subject
There is a pause while EDI waits for Jintetsu to react.
"A fungi."
Get it. Because of the... the spores? You'll be invited to a lot of parties because you'll be a fun-guy. Fungi? No?
"...That is a joke," EDI explains, and then makes to block his way, because Jintetsu's gonna wear the mask, regardless of his opinion on the matter, "More to the point, your current mask is not capable of filtering the spores effectively. You will have to turn back, if you cannot take appropriate safety precautions."
no subject
He takes half a step back, though, when she moves to cut him off. "Spores?" He ... doesn't know what those are, but from context it's not too great a stretch to guess what she's referring to. He overhears a lot of conversations. "You talking about that green mist?"
(It hasn't hit the city just yet, but it's about to.)