riverviewlogs | exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

Entry tags:

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Phase II
[There are certain abilities Wanda really hadn't wanted others to know about, but people have been taken (and are being hurt, possibly worse; she can feel that much) so all bets are off. If she has to get nasty to get to where the others are being held...so be it.

She's suited up and leaving a trail of entranced cultists behind her. It's easier and faster to just pull on one particular mental string and push them into a fugue state than fight them, and as badly as Wanda might want some kind of revenge she's learned her lesson since Sokovia. All that matters right now is getting the captives out safely.

But she won't turn a blind eye to other rescuers in need; she might dart behind a distracted cultist and knock them out or use her powers to slam them into the wall before they can hurt someone. You're welcome; nothing weird to see here.]

Phase III - A
[Of course, when it does turn into an all-out fight Wanda doesn't shy away from knocking some cultists around or ripping up chunks of fallen stone and hurling it at them. She's furious, eyes glowing red, and she's past caring just how much she hurts them.]

Behind you--!

[But Wanda's already decided the other person isn't reacting fast enough, so she closes her hand into a fist and gestures downwards sharply. The cultists hand holding their weapon follows with a sickening crunch that could only be bones breaking and they let out a howl of pain.

In the grand scheme of what she could have done to them, they're getting off easy.]

Phase III - B
[As formidable an opponent as Wanda might be with her powers, she's pretty much helpless without them. One of the suppressor devices pulses...and then suddenly all the scarlet energy winks out of existence. Wanda's eyes widen in fright and the cultist she's been fighting staggers to his feet with a malicious grin. 'You'll pay for that,' he snarls, lunging for her. Wanda swears and tries to dodge out of the way, but they've clearly got the upper hand on her. Help?]

Phase III - C
[Okay, she's not a doctor, but she brought some (woefully inadequate) supplies and she can float people out of here if she has to.]

Are you all right?

Wildcard
[Want something else? Go for it.]

( depowered, billy is as about as much use as wanda is. much like she is, he's very much team mage, casting spells from a distance to help out his team. to keep them up on his feet. physically, he's not much: a lanky teenager who goes to the gym, sure, but isn't. you know, a half-kree half-skrull hybrid built for taking damage.

but that doesn't stop him from lunging straight for the cultist when he goes for wanda, arms wrapping around his midsection and knocking them both down to the ground. billy's bloodied and bruised, lip split open and the left side of his face turning various shades of purple and green but he raises a bruised fist regardless, lips twisted into a snarl. )

I hate asshole bully cultists. And worse? I hate ones that go after my family!!

( he's had a really bad no good week, please excuse him while he wails on this guy for a little while, until knuckles break open and bleed, until the struggles under him stop. )

[He's just in time. In the chaos Wanda's not sure if she tripped or was pushed but her head slams into the wall behind her, leaving her dazed for a long moment. She wouldn't have been able to safely wield her power even without the suppressors.

But her other senses are fine and she definitely heard Billy call her his family, even if she doesn't fully understand what he's getting at yet.

Wanda stumbles to his side and rests a light hand his shoulder, guilt twisting in her chest. He shouldn't have had to save her, she should have found him sooner, and now he's hurting himself even more on her behalf. She absolutely would have killed this man to save Billy's knuckles if she still had the ability.

Her voice is low and urgent:] Come on, we have to get somewhere safe.

[She has a pack with some basic first aid supplies, but without her powers it would be all too easy for someone to sneak up on them.]

( after days of sitting huddled in a ball and trying not to lose his shit while watching teddy take beating after beating because he's stupid doesn't know when to stop and won't listen--it's nice to shove his fist into something. billy isn't a physical fighter, no, but it doesn't make it any less satisfying.

but the hand on his shoulder still has him flinching, tilting his head back to look to her with lips pressed together (wincing, that hurts) and brows furrowed. )

Yeah. Yeah, alright. ( one hand presses to the shoulder of the guy under him, uses his own weight to push up to his feet and reaches out to steady himself against wanda's shoulder. )

You okay?

[Oh, the idea of just stomping this guy's face in has definitely occurred to her, but she can feel Steves frowning at her and knows she needs to be on better behavior for Billy. Besides, getting him to safety has to be her only priority.]

Thanks to you, [she says with a tight smile, reaching out to steady to him.] This is not how I imagined this going.

[She's supposed to be saving him, not the other way around. She really isn't doing well compared to her other self, is she?]

Can you walk a little farther? I have some supplies but we're too close to the suppressor.

Legs aren't broken yet, I'll be okay.

( she's steadying him, shaking limbs aren't going to knock him over with a sturdy body to lean against. even if the fight with the beaten and bloodied cultist left his knees a bit more scraped up. )

We're not--done yet. Can't stop yet, there's more people stuck down there.

( and when suppressors aren't around he's strong enough to handle this. billy can't heal himself, but he sure as hell can wreak havok with his own magic. ) 's long as we have a safe spot to stay out of range I'll be good.

[Wanda shoots him a Look and wraps an arm around Billy's waist to steady him. They better not get broken or someone's going to pay.]

You can't help them if you can barely stand up.

[Still, Wanda knows all too well that he can't just go, because in his position neither could she. Still, that doesn't mean she has to stand back and let revenge drive him into the ground.

She's been down that path before. It never ends well.]

At least let me look at the worst cuts? I know you want to help, but you're hurt too.

( given the amount of power they have between--everyone, billy's sure any broken bones wouldn't last for long. he can't heal himself, but he can help heal others which is. a skill they really do need need now. whatever. he's still on his feet now, that's what matters.

wanda's leading him off and that's fine, too. regardless of what universe she's from, he trusts her. )

Okay.

( no point in arguing against her, either. billy nods his head instead, slumps a bit more of his weight down. )

I can heal.

Wanda Maximoff | MCU

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