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quaranmeme2018-09-20 10:12 pm
riverview: september 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 58 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
Residents of the city may or may not remember a particular patch of fertile ground that was scouted over a year ago, and the highly-intelligent and territorial alien hogs that were protecting it because the soil's fertility stems from it being a alien hog graveyard. After that revelation, the city had abandoned the project for the foreseeable future, as digging up an intelligent species' graveyard is more than a little beyond the pale.
That would've been all well and good, had the alien hogs stayed in their territory. However, after being disrupted by two teams over the course of a few months, the hogs (who have an excellent memory for this kind of thing) have started to get a little restless. It's not enough to be left alone - they want revenge. And with the summer winding down into harvest season, they've figured out how to get that revenge. As September winds down and October starts to dawn, the powerful and intimidating hogs have started on stage one of enacting that revenge - they've been making concentrated runs at the fences closest to their territory, hitting it in the same spot over and over again, herd mentality at its strongest, trying to make a dent. And they're succeeding.
The big problem here is that, on the inside of that fence, is the bulk of the Quarantine's agriculture sector. Fields full of livestock and crops that are meant to make up the majority of the winter's food supply are in danger of being wiped out if that fence falls, and if that happens, it's going to be a cold, hungry winter, no matter how many supplies the Capital World manages to send up to the moon.
Residents are being called into service for various containment missions - construction teams to reinforce the fences from the inside, tech teams to develop defensive force shields or repellent soundwaves to drive off the hogs, and teams including flora and fauna experts to try to find out what's causing the hogs to be driven into such a singular frenzy and fix it - there are a wide variety of team types being suited up, and anyone who wants to take a solo or duo trip out into the Quarantine's agriculture district who might have some insight into how to fix or at least better the situation is welcome to come. On top of that, all these teams are going to need some protection, so bruisers and fighters are needed in droves.
Sometimes, people are just no match for nature. Around September 25th, the hogs finally break through the wall. At first it's just the laser fences and force shields crackling out of service, and then the stone of the wall itself starts to crumble. By the evening of September 25th, the hogs have made it into the fields and are wreaking havoc, stomping and rampaging through the crops, crushing and destroying as much produce as possible, and terrifying and killing livestock wherever they're able to. The numbers of them are immense, much more than was anticipated by people who previously studied the hogs, and it doesn't take long before there's a massive breach in the wall and hogs are pouring in, along with other creatures from outside the wall, to destroy and eat as much as possible.
This is a melee, and there are desperate pleas from the Government and the farmers whose livelihood is being decimated by the breach to come and help protect the crops. Whether you're tech-savvy or a mage, or just a really good fighter, your help is desperately needed to stem the tide of monsters through the fence, to try to patch it up, and to either drive off or destroy the creatures who are threatening the crops. If this goes on, there's going to be some serious trouble this winter...
Around the 10th month of every year on the moon, due to a complex series of chemical, electromagnetic, and magical forces that no one has ever exactly distinguished or completely understands, the boundaries between the worlds of the living and the dead are weakened almost to the point of nonexistence. This year, unanticipated and probably due to the upheaval in the city over the past year, this breakdown is happening earlier than usual. During this time, residents of the moon are able to see and interact with the dead - ghosts, manifesting in ways that run the gamut from being a strange sense of being watched or being visible or audible all the way to more corporeal spirits that can affect the world around them. The barriers are weaker in some parts of the city than they are in others, with some areas experiencing little to no ghost activity, while others are so populated with these ghosts that residents can barely go a few feet without running into one. The ghosts are generally the unsettled dead, people who died violently, or who were lost, seeking a place to call home, and their behavior is as varied as it was while they were alive. Some ghosts are angry and vengeful, some are simply lonely and lost.
While some people tend to interact with the ghosts only a little and as necessary, others avoid them as completely as possible, and yet others actively seek out souls who are suffering and try to ease that so they can stop coming back year after year. There are other people who have found that ghosts from their home worlds have come through with them, following them through the portal when they arrived, even if they did not die on the moon...
Whether facing death or making peace with those who have died, this is a time to reflect.
A Few OOC Guidelines:
● Characters may see or interact with ghosts from the Quarantine's past. These people will be as varied as the NPCs, from a multitude of different worlds, and characters are welcome to either engage or avoid, as players wish.
● Most Quarantine-based ghosts will have died in either the Great War with the neighboring reality or in the Pandemic that wiped out the population of the Abandoned City years ago.
● Characters may also see or interact with ghosts from their own or other characters' canons, providing the character in question is dead in canon and is not currently being played in the game.
● Canon-based ghosts should not be simply transplanted into the game as they were in canon - they are ghosts, and therefore 'not quite right,' and should not be used as an excuse to NPC a canonmate for a month. These ghosts are there to be used as plot devices to open up new avenues of CR, to create angst, to help a character make peace with their past, or other similar reasons.
● Ghosts should not be complete corporeal physical presences indistinguishable from living people, but barring this, how strongly the ghosts manifest and how much they can interact with the world around them is up to player discretion. Ghosts shouldn't be present the whole month straight, but can disappear and reappear at random times.
Not everyone in the city is focused on the troubles in the agriculture sector. In fact, some people in the city are trying desperately to distract people from it, to keep morale up as much as possible. Some of those people are the ones who run the Amusement Park, where the end of the Dragosta celebration of romantic love and the start of the Feast of the Dying season with all its horror themes, have smashed together into an enjoyable date night event. Characters who don't want to think about the trouble befalling the city, or who just want a break from it for the evening, are encouraged to attend Doom Dates, a horror-themed night at the amusement park. Featuring free entry to all of the rides with the price of admission, discounts on fairground treats meant to be shared, and plenty of fun and spooky prizes to win for that special person (or persons), it's definitely an enjoyable night out to forget your troubles.
It's not just the free rides that are a big draw, either. The park has gone all out and set up 5 different haunted houses throughout the grounds, running the gamut from a kids haunted house where the scares are mild and vaguely fluffy to a high-tech holographic haunted house that adjusts to suit the fears of the people entering it. There are also actors dressed as horror-themed characters ranging from zombies to creepy clowns to characters from well-known horror franchises wandering the park, scaring passers-by. Whether your character is taking someone out for a creepy date, going with a group of friends, attending alone to make some friends (or more-than-friends), or even working a night gig as a zombie, everyone is welcome.
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
[Cam digs around in his pocket for his wallet and pulls out a card.
Cameron L. Waltz. Public Representative.]
Like I said, it's not a bad place. I'm hoping to facilitate open communication between the government and public, so the needs of the people are better met.
no subject
Except Simon is good at reading people, and Cameron L. Waltz is reading sincere.
TLDR: This is disorienting, and Simon doesn't like it. ]
A lofty ambition. The government here is amenable to that sort of thing?
no subject
[Cam's proud of that. He stands a little straighter when he says it. He felt totally out of his depth upon his arrival, and being thrust immediately into a position of responsibility was a shock.
Now, he's glad for the opportunity. It's not the easiest job, but Cam has to keep busy, and he has to help people. He can't work an everyday job. His entire life, all he's wanted to do is make the world a better place. Whether it's Earth or a moon makes no difference to him.]
Consultant to the RPD. That sounds like an exciting job. What did you do before coming here?
no subject
[ This man is so hopelessly sincere. He reminds Simon of the kind of people that find themselves in the crosshairs of the disreputable, blackmailed or extorted or having their family targeted by people from his side of things.
God, he's going to have to look out for Cameron Waltz, isn't he? For as long as he's here, anyway. The more success this man has, the more dangerous a position he'll put himself in.
Simon comes back to himself with a deep breath and a smile, looking from the business card back to Cam and tucking the former away in his inner jacket pocket. ]
A little of this and that. Spent a fair bit of time assisting Interpol and the FBI with international enforcement.
no subject
[Cam's not lying. He's done, and still does, all those things. Just on a different level. He's in deeper than most. A lot deeper. So deep there's no going back.]
You know. This and that.
[He's looking at Simon with even more interest. Are they from the same universe? It's so hard to tell.]
no subject
Cameron Waltz says "this and that" and Simon very suddenly sees a threat where none existed before.
Maybe he doesn't need to protect him after all. ]
Mm. Similar circles, perhaps. I do most of my work from afar. Are you employed by the UN, then?
no subject
[Cam's happy to talk about his occupation in the past tense. What he avoids is the current. Who he works for now. He hasn't mentioned the MIA by name to anyone in Riverview, and he's happy to keep it that way. While he's fairly certain the only people from his world are the two he knows, it's better to be safe than sorry.
That, and discussing the MIA means discussing magic. A complicated subject.]
That might explain how we've never met, if we are from the same place. I work on the ground. I like to take a grassroots approach.
no subject
It's disconcerting.
But there are little things that make Simon want to pry--that temporary past tense, for example.
Simon will eat his nonexistent hat if this man isn't involved in some country's intelligence service. ]
You also have a clear talent for politics that I absolutely do not possess.
no subject
He folds his arms over his chest, cocking his head. His turn to get cagey. Cam isn't withholding any more information than Simon is. That much he's sure of.]
Less a talent than a learned skill, I assure you. One I've needed to brush up on to meet the needs of my current position.
What is it you consult on, exactly?
no subject
Crime and rascality.
[ Very suddenly, Cam's business card is back in Simon's hands, being walked between his fingers like a coin. ]
The primary concerns of law enforcement.
no subject
[Cam knows exactly what that makes Simon. The understanding is obvious in his eyes, cool and blue. The same as the eyes looking back at him.]
Well, they're not my primary concerns. So long as they don't interfere with the people.
If they do, well, that's an altogether different story. The citizens of this city look to me for support and guidance. In good faith, I can't abide by anyone who presents a threat to their well-being.
[It's not a threat Simon, so much as a very generous warning.]
no subject
Support and guidance. How lofty. [ There's no compliment in the words. ] Something for us all to aspire to. Don't worry, Mr. Waltz, I'm sure I'll be entirely beneath your notice.
no subject
Trust me, I would rather be an interpreter. I'd sleep better at night.
[He almost rolls his eyes. Simon can put him on a pedestal all he wants. It's Cam's job to protect the interests of the people, and he will.]
You're lucky. It's easier to consult than it is to act. Especially when you don't have any stake in the work.
[For all Cam knows Simon is assisting the police so he doesn't go to jail. He's met his type before. Has a few on his roster. They're useful, but untrustworthy.]
no subject
Might I remind you that you know nothing of who I am or what I did before this little adventuresome midlife detour. Nor can your assumptions predict what I might do while here.
no subject
[Cam smiles. Point made.]
We may look alike, but I think we can safely assume we're two very different men.
no subject
He slips the card back into his breast pocket. ]
You should probably tend to your groceries. I won't keep you.
no subject
I meant what I said, that you can come to me if you need help. You're still a member of the public.
no subject
And yet, I'm not a particularly public person. Have a good afternoon, Mr. Waltz.