exploration mingle: CITY EXPANSION

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: city expansion
when: April 15 - May 15
where: Around the power relay station and abandoned amusement park.
warnings: likely violence; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

riverview: monthly exploration mission

One of the major and most highly-valued cultural concepts in Riverview is that of exploration, expansion. Especially now that, with the recent influx of new arrivals, as the portal kicks into high gear for reasons not entirely known, the Inhabited City, already comfortably full, is rapidly becoming overpopulated. With all the refugees from other worlds pouring in from day to day, the city's safe space and resources are being taxed to their breaking point.

Right now, exploration and expansion is key, and each month, the government has decided to focus on a particular objective, in order to unite citizens in expanding, securing, and supplying the city for everyone's benefit.

the story so far

Exploration & Expansion Progress Report ● Electric Rails ● Amusement Perk ● SUBMIT YOUR SOLUTION

After city resident Ava Orlova accidentally brought an old power relay back online while testing her powers by running energy through an abandoned SkyTram line, a whole new opportunity for expansion presented itself, and the city's residents were more than willing to take that opportunity as far as they could. Together, teams of volunteers from the Quarantine took part in a widespread operation to secure the area surrounding the newly awakened power relay and the tram line that leads to the area in an attempt to make it more accessible and safe to work on.

After the line and area were decently secure, Ava Orlova once again headed into the area with a team to clear out any remaining monsters and restart the generator attached to the relay. Work on this project was carried on by Tony Stark (MCU) and a team, who used arc reactors to effectively and reliably repower the area. While it hasn't been officially opened to the public or entirely secured, several residents have made efforts to develop the abandoned amusement park, including starting up one of the generators to run the Ferris Wheel. Jim Kirk has done surveys to find which structures can and cannot be reclaimed. Another team will be spearheading clean up and securing of the hot springs that are also in the area.

This month's mission is to completely secure the area and start moving the inner wall of the Inhabited City out to encompass the newly-powered area, including the amusement park.

how it works

● Phases: Each prompt is a different phase of the operation. Characters may partake in whichever part of the operation they choose, whether it is a large and prominent part, or a more of a backseat or support role.

● Completion: When next month's exploration mingle goes up, the mission featured on this exploration mingle will be considered complete, and game canon, providing the entry has 200+ comments on it.

● Submissions: If your character and/or your character's team has threaded something out to completion, or if you have added and solved a complication to the mission via player plot either on this log or elsewhere in the game, please use the "submit your solution" link above to submit that information so it can be added to the Progress Report.

● Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration mingle is that the amusement park will be open in June, with an amusement park prompt in the Prijata log.

phase i: electric rails

The main method of access to the new area of the city is via the electric rails of the SkyTram, which are currently powered by the generator and arc reactors placed in the area. A previous city-wide operation has provided some security to this line of access by placing temporary laser fences on either side of the rail, but the solution is just that - temporary. This phase is for characters to either help with moving the stronger inner wall to encompass the new area or who want to serve as protection for characters moving the wall.

While the inner wall is very solid and secure, unlike the outer wall it was created to be portable through use of construction equipment and drivers, and there are additional segments of wall in storage that can be added to make it longer. The drawback is that, while the wall is being moved, it is not providing security for the city. This means that, besides people who are willing to contribute their labor and expertise with the moving of the wall, people willing to defend the gap in the wall and the people moving the fence are more than welcome. The more the merrier!

phase ii: amusement perk: cleaning house

Once the inner wall has been moved to encompass the area including the generators, power relay station, and the amusement park and hot springs, it will be time to start reclaiming the area. This means a lot of hard work cleaning and clearing out foliage from the area, as well as fighters to rid the area of monsters in whatever way is necessary. This step will allow for the amusement park to be assessed at a more in-depth level for functionality, and brought back into working order.

phase iii: amusement perk: get this party started

The final phase of the operation is for tech and science teams to get the park and relay station operational and includes both characters able to provide technical or engineering abilities as well as construction crews to get the rides, games, and food stands operational. It also requires characters with electric or energy abilities and electrical engineers or other experts to completely stabilize the power grid and get all of the generators back online to power the area.

It will also require fighters and surveyors to scout the line and make any last minute notations of problem areas in the fence, and escort tech teams out to correct them before the area is safe to open to the public.

phase iv: wildcard

Have an idea for a mission-adjacent plot, or want to make up an unexpected plot twist or problem and solve it with your character? Just write up a starter, and don't forget to give yourself props by submitting it for the Progress Report.

navigation
[Cloud Forest, Singapore by Elaye Sildogan; bonus inspiration artwork: Zombie War in Amusement Park by Jane Lee]

Comments

Tony Stark (MCU) | OTA

[buildsomething]

phase i

[The armor might be Tony's pride and joy, but it isn't exactly construction equipment. He does some heavy lifting where he can, but mostly he's trading off helping out with a bit more delicate maneuvering and taking a step back to keep guard. The armor's sensors are on full alert and Tony himself is as aware as he can be.

But even Tony can only do so many things at once. He's just stepped back from a section of the wall they're trying to shift when his HUD throws up an alarm seconds before he sees movement heading for them fast.]

Get down!

[The command is barked at anyone around him, amplified by the armor's vocal filters as he spins around and puts his hands up, repulsors already warming up to try to catch whatever is coming.]

phase iii

[With everything significantly more cleared out, Tony's feeling a bit more comfortable with leaving the armor at home. He's still got one of the gauntlets with him, but that's just because he's paranoid. He keeps it hanging from his tool belt for the most part, he needs all the dexterity he can get for this bit.

He's focusing mainly on the generators, making sure they're in good working order before he follows the power lines to the next one down, checking in on them as he goes aw well. He may nod occasionally to anyone in the area who seems to be playing security, but Tony's tunnel-visioning at the moment, focused almost entirely on his work.

Which is probably why he's started talking to himself, the way he does in his workshop. One sorry-looking switch box gets an almost sympathetic looking grimace, and Tony pats it comfortingly as he hunkers down.]

Yeah, sorry buddy. We're going to be here for a while.

iv wildcard

[Hit me!]

phase iii

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco, like Tony, is paranoid. Despite the guards all around - plenty of them sporting weapons that Cisco had designed for them - he has a pulse rifle slung across his back as he works on helping Tony to get the generators back up. The process goes twice as fast with the two of them there, and this way, if any sort of arc reactor-related questions come up, Cisco doesn't have far to guy to find the guy himself.

But the two of them are mostly working apart from one another, covering more ground. Except when problems come up. And boy... this one's a real doozy. ]

Hey, Tony.

[ Cisco's just jogged up to the switch box that Tony's halfway through repairing. He's a little out of breath from hurrying here, braces his hands on his thighs for a moment before explaining: ]

I uh- I think I'm gonna need some help. You know that room with the transformers in it that I said I was gonna go just check on?

[ Cisco gives a kind of half-shrug. ]

Not to get all Indiana Jones on you, but there are just - there are way too many motherfucking snakes in that motherfucking room, and they're all up in the transformers themselves, I can't just blast 'em out or I'll end up wrecking the whole thing.

[ This is going to take either a level of precision that Cisco's rife skills and powers both lack, or it's going to take more than one pair of hands, and quite some time. ]

[buildsomething]

...snakes?

[Okay, that definitely gets Tony's attention. He turns enough to give Cisco and owlish blink, then glances bak at the box to make sure nothing's going to explode if he leaves it for a moment. It seems steady enough, so with a quiet huff Tony levers himself to his feet.]

Like, they're actually coiled around things? What the hell.

[Though fair enough, the transformers are probably warm even if they're not working properly. With a sigh, Tony gestures for Cisco to lead the way.]

So who knows a good snake charming song?

[franciscoramon]

Does that shit actually work? I've only seen it in cartoons.

[ Cisco knows a lot about a lot of things, but reptiles absolutely aren't on that list. At this point he's willing to try whatever. And the idea that he could just blast the right song and get them all to leave... it's an appealing one.

And because it's never a bad time for jokes: ]

I got 'Anaconda' on my phone, think that'll do the trick?

[ If only they were so lucky... ]

How come my powers don't let me control animals? That'd be so way better than this Miss Cleo bullshit I'm on.

[ They go down a short flight of stairs, and, preemptively wincing, Cisco hauls open a heavy metal door to a dimly-lit room. It smells like damp earth inside; they're going to need to do a lot of clean-up, once the place is critter-free, before they can even get to the engineer stuff. ]

Maybe we can... lure them into traps? With... meat?

[ Who the fuck even knows. ]

[buildsomething]

Apparently first step is to find someone who knows anything about snakes.

[Because it's not either of them. Tony steps gingerly into the room, eyes darting around as he tries to catch the first sign of slithering. He wouldn't consider himself a nervous person, but some things just hammer on the fight or flight section of the human brain more than is good for them.]

I think I remember something about snakes feeling vibrations, actually. Maybe that Anaconda thing has some merit.

[He thinks he might have seen that on the Simpsons, actually. But if it works, who cares?]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco, for his part, remains close to the doorway, pulling a flashlight from the toolbelt slung around his hips and flicking it on, pointing it towards the transformer coils, where, indeed, there is a flash of movement, the dark scaled bodies of the snakes stirring. ]

Can you-

[ Cisco pauses to run a hand over his face because he can't believe he's in this situation, and about to say what he's about to say. He is whispering, after what Tony said about vibrations ]

Maybe I can set my phone up and play a song, see if it draws them. And... and if that actually works, can you stun them with that, without killing them? And then I can... I guess I could put them in my toolkit and carry them outside?

[ He gestures to Tony's gauntlet when he says 'with that'. It's all fairly elaborate, but it seems kind of cruel, to lure the snakes away from the transformers and then just... shoot them. Kill them. They're snakes and horrible and slithery, sure, but they're part of the ecosystem. Cisco's never killed anything bigger than a spider before.

The best solution is probably just to draw the snakes away from the breakable equipment and to kill them, but, Cisco's going to need some convincing. ]

[buildsomething]

Yeah, I don't really have a stun setting, sorry.

[Not for reptiles, anyway. He gives the whole room, a long, dubious look before turning back towards Cisco.]

So here's the thing. If we take them out, there's nothing to stop them from just coming back in. We kill them, then we get to see whatever it is they've been eating this whole time. [And Tony's willing to bet that's not going to be much better.]

Are they actually blocking anything? If we get everything turned on, they'll probably move by themselves once it gets too hot.

[franciscoramon]

Shit.

[ There goes that idea. Cisco pushes his hair back from his face, letting out a short sigh of frustration. Cisco is opening his mouth to object to killing the snakes, when he realizes Tony's not advocating it, exactly - merely pointing out a consequence that might occur if they did. It's really looking like a lose-lose situation at this point. ]

The problem is, I can't get in there to make the necessary repairs without getting all up in their business. And we can't get it turned on until I fix it. And I can't fix it if I'm full of venom and also dead.

[ He groans then, annoyed at this newest hurdle. This process has just been one inconvenience after another, and it's starting to wear on Cisco. His patience is frayed. He mutters: ]

Never had to deal with this kinda shit in Central City...

[buildsomething]

[Tony can't help a huff of a laugh, even if he understands the frustration. It's never fun to have roadblocks when you just want to get work done. Especially when those blocks involve wild animals.]

Deep breaths. [He's still smiling a little as he claps him on the shoulder.] So okay. If we just need to get them out of here, how's this. You go find me a bag or something to stick the suckers in, and I'll call the rest of the armor and go give them a nice wake up call. They can try breaking their teeth on that for a while.

[The armor may not have enough fine control to do the repair work, but animal handling? Probably. If he's careful.]

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco looks for just a moment like he's about to argue, or at least express annoyance at the slightly condescending order to take a deep breath. But he catches himself before he says anything, gives a grudging nod. Tony's right, of course, and he's making this into a bigger fuss than it needs to be. And the plan itself isn't a bad one. Unless these are somehow magic snakes, there's no way they would be able to even make a scratch on Tony's Iron Man suit. ]

Alright, alright, I'll get a bag. Back in a second.

[ Shaking his head at the whole situation, Cisco heads back into the hall, muttering something that sounds suspiciously like Indy was right. He had stashed his stuff a few rooms away; along with all the other supplies he'd brought along to help with the power station, he'd brought his lunch, which he'd separated from the rest of the tools and equipment in a small nylon bag that could be pulled closed with strings. He empties it and returns, waving it listlessly in the air as he declares. ]

You got any enemies in this place? 'Cause we could leave 'em a special delivery when we're done here.

[ Cisco is just joking (mostly). He tosses the bag to Tony. ]

[buildsomething]

You never know when you might need a few snakes.

[Tony's been standing off to the side near the doorway, casually trying to keep away from anywhere snakes might be. Look, he's not going to lie, the things are creepy. And the idea that there might be tons of them is not one he's terribly happy with.

But he smiles at Cisco, accepting the bag as he waits for the armor to arrive.]

We're gonna have to figure out how to reptile-proof this place once we get everything turned on. They may not get back into the wiring, but still. Snakes.

[Accompanied by an overdramatic shudder.

It probably helps that there's a sound like a jet approaching, and a moment later the Iron Man flies in to land lightly at Tony's side. He pulls the gauntlet off his belt and slides it on as the armor opens and he steps into it.]

Right. Where do you want to start?

[franciscoramon]

[ Cisco gives a nod, watching as the armor arrives and Tony steps into it. He feels a touch of jealousy - it'd sure be nice to have something between him and the snakes, too - but reminds himself that if push comes to shove, he can always use his powers to blast them away from him.

At Tony's comment about reptile-proofing the room, Cisco half-laughs, shaking his head. ]

Amen to that.

[ If they are going to get this place running and keep it running, they're going to need to prevent nature from creeping in, and keep the transformer coils safe from the elements. Cisco rolls his shoulders and pushes up his sleeves, his expression set with determination. A few snakes, curious, or perhaps somehow sensing that they are about to be disturbed, slide free from the machinery and start making their way towards the two men. Now or never... ]

Fuck it. Okay. Let's do this.

[ And they do. It is an awkward, frustrating, and protracted process, but together, Tony and Cisco manage to lure out all of the snakes and get them contained. There are a few heart-pounding close calls, but they manage to get through it without injuring any of the snakes or, in Cisco's case, getting bit. Once they've triple checked that all the reptiles are out of the room, Cisco lets Tony deal with the critters while he begins the task of sealing off the room. By the end of the day he's exhausted, sore, filthy, and feels like he's aged a whole year, but he's certain that the room will remain scaly-friend free for at least a year or two, barring unforeseen circumstances. ]