exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

[riverviewmod]

who: everyone in Riverview!
what: exploration mingle: rescue mission!
when: June 15 - August 15
where: The River Structure
warnings: violence and/or torture; please put any necessary warnings in the subject lines

captivity

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 ● The Guardians of the Deep ● What Lies Beneath ● Plotting & Questions

After some serious flooding at the banks of the river, the cause was discovered to be the Guardians of the Deep, creatures protecting a circular labyrinthine structure underneath the river. Residents of the city explored and mapped the structure, and dealt with a good portion of the traps and other dangers, until they found a little piece of history in the Central Chamber of the structure, revealing that it was inhabited by the first people to live on the moon.

While this news has been exciting scholars and historians in the city, something a little more pressing has been bothering the average citizen - an ever-increasing number of missing persons. People have simply been disappearing all over the city, and only now are residents starting to realize why...

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. Characters may participate in as many phases as they wish.

● 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.

● Entry Reward: The reward for completion of this month's exploration objective will be...well, the safe return of everyone who was kidnapped. And some sweet hurt/comfort.

● IMPORTANT NOTE: Having observed how the pacing of exploration mingles has been going and how they are tagged, I have noticed that posting one exploration mingle each month has been a little hectic, both plotwise and for me as a mod (writing three mingles a month has been tough!). I have decided to space them out a bit further, and post an exploration mingle once every two months, starting with this one - the next exploration mingle will be posted in August!

phase i: the abducted

People don't simply go missing, they don't disappear into thin air, they have to be somewhere. And while those who are missing people keep frantically searching, those who have been kidnapped are the only ones besides the kidnappers who do know where they are.

Abducted by a group who have taken up residence in the structure under the city after last month's exploration died down, the missing are trapped in the Central Chamber, in fear of the kidnappers. Their abductors are a group of people that is starting to slowly take on cultist tendencies, believing that the remaining spirits of the First People still live in the structure, that it is a temple, and that those First People need offerings of host bodies to inhabit so they can return and bring their wisdom and magic back to the moon. Things are getting a little hairy - there's no agreement among the kidnappers as to how 'intact' the host bodies have to be and whether or not the sacrifice is in the form of alive or dead captives. Even worse, some of the kidnappers are only with the group to enjoy having power over others and using it to hurt them.

Captives are held in the Central Chamber of the structure, with next to no amenities. Blankets, food, water, and other necessities are in short supply, and they are kept huddled together, constantly guarded and either restrained, wearing or in the presence of a power suppressor to keep them subdued. But the captives haven't lost hope - they are working on getting a message out, finding a way to contact the outside world so their loved ones can rescue them...

This prompt is to play out interactions among the captives before they are rescued, and may include violence or other character suffering. It is also to enact plotted plans for the abductees to find connections with the outside world to summon help.

phase ii: distraction and infiltration

Once would-be rescuers become aware of where the captives are being held, they start making plans to rescue them - whether someone they love has been taken, they're just a good person, or they just want to feel like a big damn hero, there are lots of people willing to take the plunge and jump into the rescue. But the cult group has been in control of the structure for a while now, they definitely have the home team advantage. They know the lay of the land and where the traps are, and have used some of them to their own advantage.

It's not going to be as easy as storming the castle.

There are two parts to this phase of the rescue: a distraction and an infiltration. Distractions are planned to draw as many of the kidnappers away from the hostages being held in the Central Chamber as possible, while those who are stealthily infiltrating will try to find another entrance into the chamber so they can surprise and surround the remaining kidnappers.

This prompt is to play out any plans for distraction and infiltration. If you have plotted something out on the plotting post, feel free to post up a header for specific groups for threading rather than an individual character top-level.

phase iii: the brawl and after

Distractions only last so long, unfortunately, and so eventually the whole thing is going to break down into a big fight. Rescuers versus kidnappers, on the kidnappers' home turf, and surrounded by traps left over from the First People, while pieces of stationary tech throw out auras and waves of power suppression. It's going to be a doozy of a fight, so prepare for an epic throwdown!

And once the dust settles, there's going to be a lot of injuries to tend to, a lot of people traumatized and hurt and frightened. A lot of hungry, suffering people will need to be transported out, given medical care, and brought supplies.

This prompt is to play out the final fight between the kidnapping cult and the rescuers, as well as anything in the aftermath of the fight.

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
[Asterion - Environment Art: Ariadne's Forest by Nicolas Mendoza]

Comments

Spider-Man | MCU | OTA

[madeupnames]

phase ii: distraction and infiltration

[After nearly getting kidnapped earlier on and having to deal with being super sick after the collar was removed (thanks, cult), Peter had originally told those at the hospital that he was going to take it easy and not do anything stupid, get a bed and rest. But then he thought about the rescue mission and, um. Well. He paid a fellow teenager the rest of his weekly allowance to lay in his bed and pretend to be him sleeping. Sorry?

Anyway, whatever, he's not feeling 100% but he's good enough to do his job as a hero and member of the Perimeter Guard. He's here for whatever distraction needs are necessary, sure, but he's also got some pretty special edges in terms of avoiding most traps. Sticky hands and feet means he can crawl along the ceilings and carry anyone who needs carrying over the traps laid out. And more than that, he can get deep inside the holding areas, ready to lash out and battle when the go-ahead is given.

So if you're kidnapped and being dragged through a hallway, and you look up to see a Spider-Man crawling into the area over the guard's head? Do him a favor and don't blurt out that there's a guy on the ceiling? Thanks. Just be ready when he finds the perfect oppurtunity to jump down and pummel the bastard.]

phase iii: the brawl and after

[But hey, when all hell breaks loose, he's also good for that. Others rushing into the fight may find many cultists who are completely webbed to the wall and unable to grab for anything to use against them. This is Spider-Man's forte — capture, keeping things as undeadly as possible, making sure the battle leaves less room for casualities. He can be seen as a flash of red and blue and snark, and even if he's a bit wobbly on his feet he is not one to be deterred from his mission.

With great powers comes great responsibility. You know the drill.

"If it isn't the slippery little spider-boy." And hey, Peter knows this guy, who has decided to corner him in one of the larger rooms. This is the leader of the group that had tried to kidnap him, definitely, and Spider-Man turns with a flippant crackle of his neck, left and right.

"It's Spider-Man, actually. And you're not gonna get away with this." He points a finger, the whites of his eyes glaring. The bald cultist's hands crackle with electric energy that looks like it'd be considerably painful to interact with. Peter leaps into the fray and finds himself spending an easy breezy afternoon narrowly avoiding large globes of blinding light (oh yeah, that's magic stuff). He swings in a wide circle and ends up throwing a rather large altar thingy at the guy, pinning him to a wall with it before getting tazed out of the sky and crashlanding.

Oh, cool, there's more of them.

"No biggie, I could do this all day, yep."

He feels a tang of blood where he bit his lip and thinks, yeah, this is about right.

Eventually he will track down any kidnapped people he can, offering them a ride on his back up and out of the narrow passage of light that's shining up above; an opened up spot in the roof, courtesy of everyone rushing in for the rescue. It's easier to carry people out than to drag them all the way back through all the tunnels, right? Right.

Please everyone, be okay.

He practically swings into some of the holding areas, completely breathless, bless. And though he is trying to be funny, there's definitely a crack in his voice at the state of the people he finds.]

Hey, what's up, everyone.

Don't worry — I gotcha. Everything's gonna be okay.

[Some of the kidnapped he finds are limp and not remotely reactive, and it makes his young heart beat a lot more wildly when he's not sure if the person under his hands is gonna make it out of this.]

phase iii.2: the brawl and after

[Peter would like to think that he had been pretty prepared for some gruesome and awful things, but really, he knew he was in over his head the moment he'd left the hospital to come help. He'd stopped a man from stealing a plane full of expensive stuff, and he'd helped try to capture ex-Avengers in a pretty tame fight between friends, and between all that he'd certainly stopped muggings and murder-attempts and all sorts of fun things in his near-a-year on-goings as Spider-Man.

But this, this was a whole new level. People who were tormented, left without food or any way to really sleep comfortably, being used like objects for some stupid religious thing. It was easy to stick to hero-mode when he was fighting, but now that efforts are just getting people out of there and giving them medical aid, he finds himself roaming a little listlessly. This is way beyond anything he's done so far...

Eventually he ends up wandering around in his full uniform, a mute little girl named Lanie completely wrapped around the front of him like an octopus (and he owes Big Pete for taking care of her, he owes him so much for it, because Pete had been stressing about this kid for a week straight-). He just, you know. He checks in on everyone, asks if there's anything else they need, and manages to work around the girl who is clinging to his front to offer blankets and water bottles and whatever anyone may need. It's a bit of a funny sight until you remember the kid's terrified and just wants her heroes to protect her.

He can't bring himself to move when he finally does sit down on the ground, hair matted with sweat under the mask, body exhausted and demanding he go back to bed and sleep off his sickness. But he couldn't just leave. And Lanie's got her head buried in his shoulder, and he's been carrying her for an hour now and can't bring himself to stop carrying her, because what if something happens the moment he puts her down? So he just sits there patiently and holds her with breathes in and out his relief.]

iii.2

[jolting]

[It's impossible to miss that red, white and blue outfit. Victor's actually seen it around a little, mostly as a blur as the web-slinger goes around being friendly and in the neighborhood. After Storybrooke, he took sights like that in stride. Still, he watches as this costumed figure goes around checking on people.

So when the costumed person finally sits down, Victor goes to check in on the person and the little girl clinging to them. He gives his best pediatrician smile]

Hello. I'm Doctor Whale.

[Look, he's fine using his real name, but the people here have gone through some shit. The last thing he wants is to freak them out more. So if they don't already know who he really is, he's using the cursed name]

Have either of you been checked out by a medic yet?

[madeupnames]

[Ah. Spider-Man's knocked out of his daze by the approaching figure, his hands instinctively curling more around the seven or eight year old kid in his lap. The face is familiar, but the last name isn't... which kind of worries him a little, because why would he lie about that kinda' thing? Or maybe there's some official record where he's Whale? Or maybe he's not even Dr. Frankenstein.

Either way, he's at least still giving the appearance of being a doctor, and everyone else seems to be cool being treated by him. So he relents a little, relaxing.]

Oh, um. I'm fine; I heal quick, and it's only some bruises and stuff.

But she's got a few scrapes and cuts. If we can get them cleaned?

[Lanie seems unsure about unclasping herself from around Peter's neck, though.]

[jolting]

[He's both Whale and Frankenstein, but now's not the time or place for him to explain this. He takes out a water bottle and offers it to Spider-Man]

That very well may be, but you still need to rest like everyone else.

[To the little girl, he gives another little smile]

Hi, there. What's your name?

[madeupnames]

Ah — she's Lanie. She doesn't talk.

[Peter's quick to offer the information, has he'd been doing since he met her, really. The pink-freckled child looks nervously up at the doctor, as if unsure if maybe he was one of the Good Ones. Peter can understand the feeling, because he's sure anyone held by these people are wary as hell about unfamiliar faces now.

He does take the water bottle, though. It's rude not to.]

Her mom and brothers live near the park; she hangs out there sometimes with them.

[jolting]

Oh, I see. Well, Lanie, I'll make sure you get back to your family soon. I just need to make sure that you aren't hurt first. Your friend will be right here with you the whole time.

[He turns to address Spider-Man] What do I call you, anyway?

[madeupnames]

Oh, I'm Spider-Man.

[Sometimes he feels a little silly, giving people his hero name to call him in casual conversation; this is one of those times. But he's nothing if not devoted to keeping his real identity under wraps for as long as he can.]

And yeah, don't worry Lanie. [His voice grows considerably kind and quiet, as he turns his attention to the small child.] I'll be here the whole time, so you don't gotta be scared. Okay? I promise.

[She looks uncertain at first, but when she extends her pinky to him, he curls his own around hers and bobs it in confirmation. Pinky swear.]

iii.2

[childofaxios]

[ That's where Chyler finds him. She's wearing full tactical gear and carrying her P-90, spattered with blood and other organic matter, kind of smelly to be honest, but still ready to go Rambo the moment the situation requires it. She's keyed up, waiting for the adrenaline crash she knows has to be coming, but if she can push it off a little longer she's going to do just that.

One way to do it is to take up a guard position over the Spider-Kid and his attachment. ]

You look terrible.

[ Which is saying something when he's still in his red pajamas. ]

[madeupnames]

[Lanie takes one look at her and shrinks immediately into Spider-Man's collar bone, curling deeper into Peter Quill's big red jacket. Spider-Man curls his hands more protectively around the kid until he notes who it is — which, um. It doesn't help paint a great picture, even recognizing her.

He knows killing happened in there. It's a lot for him to think about.

But to walk around with the evidence all over you is... scary.

He tries to be casual, anyway.]

You don't look super put-together yourself.

[childofaxios]

[ It's the little girl's reaction that finally, after everything, after shooting a captive man down without thinking twice, that really gets to Chyler. It's the little girl's reaction that gives her some kind of answer to the question of why it matters that she shot that man. Why it matters how she thinks about killing.

She can't put a name to the feeling yet, but for just a second, there's a primal kind of self-revulsion, a sharp twist of something shameful. That little girl looks at her like she's a monster, and maybe she is.

Chyler tugs her focus away from the girl, back to Spider-Man's masked face, looking at him blankly for a moment. ]

What? Oh-- oh. Yes. I suppose not.

[madeupnames]

[Peter can see that complicated smattering of emotions, if only for a moment, and he figures there's more to the whole picture. He has to admit, he's intimidated by the blood and signs of death — and there's this thought that she'd be someone he'd protect a life from. A criminal life, maybe. But it's not like he doesn't understand that everything was on the table in the underground...

He swallows hard, his own expression blissfully blank as well, thanks to the mask.]

You should get yourself checked out. Are you hurt?

Ah — Lanie, it's okay. She's... on our side. Ain't that right, miss?

[childofaxios]

A few scratches. Bruises. Nothing serious. [ She looks down at herself, suddenly very aware of her appearance where before it was just the detritus of battle. She tries to think of what it was like the first time she saw someone covered in gore. She tries to remember and can't. The results of bombings, gunfire in the streets, gutters that from time to time ran red--it was childhood. It was part of the world she knew.

Chyler looks back at the girl, smiling a little, though the expression is as much worried as friendly. ]

I am. I'm here to help everyone. Both of you, too.

[madeupnames]

That's good. The less injuries on our side the better.

[To be honest, Peter hasn't really seen... anything like that. The closest has been — well. His uncle, when he was... anyway. He hasn't seen a lot of blood up until today, and it's honestly a lot for him to process. And it doesn't help that she's part of that processing package deal, huh?

But he tries to be relaxed and not make this worse, even though Lanie is still burying her face in his collar.]

Ha, sorry. She's... She's really shy.

Phase II

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola, once things started going nuts. The attempt to get word out. The fact that the cultists were even more on guard... she ran. You can't be surprised, Lola's not a fighter, she was too anxious to really use her powers, so she ran. And a Cultist followed.*

*Out here, in this tunnel, she was alone. Which in retrospect was a terrible plan. She looked around for a weapon, a hiding spot, anything she could use. Some rocks, no real hiding place, someone in spider-pajamas on the ceiling.*

*Anyone that isn't a cultist is a friend right now. Lola turned and faced the cultist. She was too small to run, to weak to fight.*

Stand right there or you won't like what happens!

*A defiant and empty gesture... but it did get the cultist's attention.*

[madeupnames]

[Oh yeah, he remembers Lola. That hair is hard to miss.

After a beat, the smug cultist considers whether or not she's an actual threat, which works just fine for Spider-Man. He is right above him when he finally speaks up:]

I dunno, I think you'll hate not moving, too!

[But the guy has no time to actually react, because Peter's webbing him by the noggin and throwing him up into the ceiling. It looks like it hurts quite a bit, and hey, he's out cold when he falls back to the floor. He gives a little extra security to the situation by webbing the guy's arms and legs to the floor before he lands next to Lola.]

Hey there! Good job with the quick thinking there. You okay?

[threatenwithcuteness]

*Lola's hair is a grimy snowy white, which is the worst because she's too tired to maintain its color while, you know, kidnapped by crazy people. She did jump a little at what happened to the cultist, even if the bastard deserved it.*

*Immediately followed by her sagging as pretty much fear and anxiety was all that she had going for her.*

I got rescued by a weird spider robot person after being kidnapped by a stupid cult, do I look okay!?

[madeupnames]

[His odd eyes widen comically at the blurted reply, and he leans back with his hands on his chest.]

Oh, nonono, I'm not a robot! No terminator stuff.

[He holds out his gloved hand, so she can use it as a stress ball turned human test if she's wary.]

You can check if you want. It's a squishy human under here.

[threatenwithcuteness]

Terma-what now?

*Telescopic eye widening doesn't actually help suggest you're not a robot. Still, he said it, and Lola's got no reason to doubt him. Doubting things is silly in this world. She eyes his hand pretty tempted to test, but at the same time if she relaxes too much she'll just faint after all of the past week.*

I'll take your word for it, human in a spider robot suit isn't the craziest thing here. Plus I don't really care if you're human or not, not right now anyway.

*She's still too tired to really do much of help, but she's still trying to think of the right answer.*

I don't know how to fight, and I'm barely cute enough to be distracting right now. But... if I stay on the ground you can do that thing again to more guys that show up?

*Escaping would be the right idea, but at the same time there were too many people inside still she cared about. And Lola's not one to abandon her friends. Even if she should.*

[madeupnames]

[He looks a bit more gravely at her, concern in his voice.]

Are you sure about that? It's a dangerous place to let you sit in.

I could get you out of here in a heartbeat...

[He gets what she's going for, but the idea of using her as bait worries him. If anything were to even go wrong — that'd be on him, no matter what she or the others would say.]

iii.1

[billyrocks]

[There's the sound of gunfire and a few of the cultists who begin to circle in on Spider-Man after he's been tased suddenly jerk and fall forward. Sure enough, the backs of their clothes have a well-placed bullet hole or two in them, but one man actually has a knife sticking straight out of his back, blade buried all the way to the hilt.

Billy, sans his hat, steps forward once it's safe enough to do so, barrel of his revolver letting off a bit of smoke, and judging by all the sheathed knives hanging from his belt, the one buried in the cultist's back was probably his too.]

I don't understand why you're dressed like that, but I can see you're on our side.

[Though to Spider-Man, Billy's cowboy get-up may look like another costume, but that wasn't important. Billy had seen this man dressed in red and blue helping the ones who were captured, so that made Spider-Man okay in his book.]

That was a hell of a fall. You alright? [He offers a hand to help him up.]

[madeupnames]

[Dammit, while he's out temporarily, people are killed; he doesn't exactly blame the guy for using that kind of force in a situation where the other side is aiming to kill, but he immediately marks it as a failure on Spider-Man's part. If he can't stop death from both sides, what good is he? He shakes off the thought, though, taking the offered hand with a strong grip.]

Who me? Barely felt it!

[Yeah, sure, the fall could've killed a normal person, but whatever. The suited up hero seems to be telling the truth, considering he's not seemingly in pain or limping on broken legs. In fact, he's already back to firing off a few more webs, sticking some cultists to the wall.]

That's a pretty good gimmick you got going on, yourself! Very urban cowboy in the aesthetic!

So sorry! Was in another country and wifi turned out to be harder to find than expected.

[billyrocks]

[If it hadn't been for the good, strong grip he got as he helped pull Spider-Man back to his feet, Billy would have thought he was trying to downplay his injuries. But hell, it really does look as though the fall didn't do much harm to him with the way he's moving.]

It's not a costume, it's the way I actually dress.

[Since his first arrival to the Quarantine several months ago, many other people also thought it was a costume and complimented him in a positive way (most of the time). He's used to it by now, so he doesn't sound offended.]

I come from a time known as the "Wild West" to most folks here.

[He also can't help but eye the way Spider-Man attacks the cultists, just immobilizing them with no other use of force. His gaze isn't condescending, rather it is curious.]

Are you just going to leave them like that?

[He jerks his head in the direction of the trapped cultists.]

[madeupnames]

Sure! They could use the time-out until they're carted off, don't you think?

[He double-takes, though, his odd eyes widening comically.]

Whoa, wait — dude, you're a real cowboy? That's wild! And so cool?!

[Also there are more guys coming in here, so they'll have quite a lot of multi-tasking to do.]

[billyrocks]

[What does "dude" mean??? Also, this guy seems to talk a lot during fights.]

It would be more useful to interrogate them, if we could get them to talk.

[Unlike Spider-Man, Billy attacks to kill. With frightening speed and accuracy, he slips two knives from their sheathes and sends them flying at two different cultists. One is hit in the heart, the other in the liver. They both utter a pained sound and jerk awkwardly, as though making a move to pull out the offending knives but falling short, before collapsing in a heap.]

I'm not exactly equipped for taking people back alive, though.

[He only speaks the truth about himself. The West wasn't exactly a place for such mercy either.]]

[madeupnames]

[He winces at every kill, honestly, and is determined to get to them before Billy can, if he can help it; he isn't a fan, and it makes his skin crawl a little. He moves quickly to start taking down the others, landing on a wall and sticking sideways on it to look up at the cowboy.]

Yeah? I can handle the taking back alive part, then...!

The authorities here are probably better at interrogating than I am.