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]

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[ This guy looks like hell. Carson has to guess, based on the other injuries he's seen and the personalities of those he's treated for them, that Peter is one of the ones who either wouldn't stop taunting his captors or wouldn't stop fighting them, which after a certain point amounts to the same thing.

He corners Peter during the aftermath, when many of the victims are helping each other either leave or helping them over to the impromptu medical setup in the center of the chamber. ]

You need medical attention, my lad.

[ When it's all said and done, and his Zune is back in his hands, Peter just settles down in a corner, somewhere, earbuds firmly in place while "The Rubberband Man" plays. He's exhausted and jittery, tenderized like a cheap steak, and there are more than a few smears of dried blood on his face and hands – though in Peter's defense, not all of that blood is his.

... that makes it better, right?

He's just— taking a breather, waiting for his second wind before he shuffles himself out of here. He'll definitely get out of here under his own power. He just needs to, you know, rest up a bit.

When the other guy approaches, Peter is at least polite enough to pull out one of the buds. Then, he offers a quick, tight-lipped smile. ]

I think I'm good, actually.

[ Uh huh. Totally getting out of here under his own power.

Carson sighs. Lord save him from masculine men. He gestures to his kit, hoping somehow that this one won't take too much convincing. ]

I'm sure you do. That doesn't mean you are.

[ Peter’s gaze flicks down to the kit, and while he doesn’t grimace, exactly, his expression does tighten a little, eyes narrowing and jaw clenching.

He doesn’t like doctors. Hates hospitals even more. Usually he only submits himself to them because someone else carries him there while he’s unconscious or bleeding out. Something about the atmosphere –, the stench of medicine and cleaning products, the quiet murmur of conversation and the beeping and humming of machinery, the uncomfortable chairs and thin beds – sets him entirely on edge.

He drags his gaze away from the kit, back to the dude. He tries to keep his voice light. ]

... Any chance I can convince you to leave me alone? Look the other way, or something?

[ It's hard to miss the sympathy in Carson's expression. He didn't miss that glare at his kit. Dislike of doctors seems to be going around today. ]

Wouldn't be doing my job if I did that, son. [ Carson he's literally your age please stop.

Still, he says son in that Scots accent without an ounce of condescension. ] I'll make it quick and leave you be.

[ "Son."

Peter looks largely unimpressed by that, but at least it doesn't feel like the doc is patronizing him. Maybe it's just an instinctive thing, like how Peter calls everyone dude?

In a different moment, Peter might have put up more of a fight. (Actually, no. In a different moment, Peter would've just gotten up and walked away, probably with a pithy or at least passably polite remark.) As it stands, he doesn't have the energy or the inclination to argue more. He's drained and wired at once, and there's a tremor in his hands he hasn't been able to shake since his second night here. He lets out a low breath, tugging the other earbud out and carefully tucking the Zune into his back pocket. ]

... Just so we're clear, I'm 100% holding you to all of that.

[ which is as close to surrender as Peter is liable to get. ]

[ It is most definitely an instinctive thing. Son, lad, lass, my dear. No one is safe from Carson's endearments.]

What's that little device?

[ He sets his kit down and kneels, opening it up to retrieve a pen light and set out disinfectant and gauze pads. ]

Looks a bit like a, what have you, an iPod. Never got one myself, not before--well. [ He frowns thoughtfully, shining the light into one of Peter's eyes and then the other, checking how quickly they dilate and contract for signs of concussion or other head injuries. ] Been a bit far from home for the past few years. Another galaxy from home.

[ There, he's being honest without telling Peter everything, because he doubts Elizabeth or John would be pleased with him rambling about Atlantis to a stranger. ]

[ Instinctively, Peter flinches back with the bright light – not that he has far to go, considering he's currently propping up a way, but the instinct is still there. ]

Dude. Come on.

[ where was his warning!!??

One of his eyes is swollen after a particularly brutal punch, the other just a little blackened, and he definitely took a blow to the head at some point.

—he took a lot of blows to a lot of places at a lot of points, in fairness to Peter. He's pretty sure he's going to be walking out of this place with a lot of bruised ribs and at least one or two broken ones. ]

Me too, actually. [ Gritted out, as he tries to blink the stars from his eyes. Peter, at least, isn't coy about his space adventures. ] It's a Zune. From Earth. Apparently they went outta style.

[ He has been told this fact repeatedly. He still does not care. ]

[ Carson holds up his hands apologetically. ] Sorry, sorry.

[ He tucks the penlight away, holding his finger up. ] Follow it with your eyes only, if you please.

[ He moves his finger slowly from one side of Peter's vision to the other. ] Any nausea, dizziness, ringing in the ears?

[ Carson lets his hand drop and smiles. ] Ah, Earth. I do miss her sometimes, but the Pegasus Galaxy is a lovely place.

[ A blink. ] But for the life-draining creatures that hunt humans as food. I suppose nowhere is perfect.

[ He would tell you more Peter--he's a gossip, for one thing--but Elizabeth would give him one of her patented Disapproving Looks and he gets those rarely enough for them to be extra effective. ] What brought you out to the stars?

[ He's also a romantic he can't help it. ]

[ He does as he's directed, if a little grudgingly. His answer is equally reluctant (if only because a small, irrational part of him keeps shouting that any answer might land him in a hospital, and all Peter wants, right now, is to go home). ]

A little dizzy. I guess. [ Though that might be from the lack of sleep and food than the staff-to-the-head he took earlier. Who knows! ]

Was mostly wandering around the Andromeda Galaxy. I, um.

[ An obvious hesitation, and he runs his hand along a crease in his pants. ]

I hitched a ride when I was young.

Hmm. My guess is you've a mild concussion, though I can't be sure without scanning you. I suppose asking you to go to the hospital willingly would be right out?

[ Carson isn't dumb. Hitched a ride as a kid very likely means either Peter was taken or he agreed to go without thinking about the long-term consequences. Carson himself was too nervous a child to take any aliens up on an offer of a ride, but he can think of more than a few people who would jump at the chance.

Either way, it can't have ended too happily. ]

I've only been a traveler for oh, two years? The best part of three? Though I don't do much wandering, seeing as I spend most of my time in the infirmary. Only get out when sickness springs up here and there, or the need for researchers. What do you do?

[ He walks on his knees to Peter's side, looking sideways at him. ] May I poke you in the ribs?

[ Look that's basically what he's gonna do. ]

Yeah. [ And the answer to the question is immediate, with the slightest thread of humor – if only because the guy seems to have gotten his number pretty quickly. ] Pass on the hospital.

I was, um. I guess we were helping people, is the easiest way to put it? Answering distress calls and catching bounties. Dealing with problems that other folks couldn't.

[ We were good guys, he wants to say, except the past few days have been an absolutely awful showing for him. Not his most impressive display.

He watches the other guy warily as he gets in closer, coming up along his side. Another hesitation, and Peter tenses, jaw clenching and eyes narrowing a little as he seems to size up whether or not he wants to continue submitting to this examination.

... But at length, he lets out a slow breath between his lips, making an effort to sit up a little straighter. ]

Only if you don't poke too hard.

[ Because when Peter reluctantly pulls up the hem of his shirt, his torso is mottled with dark bruises. ]

[ Carson waits. He's got patience in spades, particularly in a situation like this, where everyone is on edge at best and in hysterics at worst. He's lucky enough that Peter isn't putting up more of a fight. He's not gonna wreck it by being hasty.

Those bruises though. Yikes. Very gently, Carson moves along Peter's ribs, probing at each one to see if it's broken. It'll hurt like hell if he hits one that's cracked, but at least he can't feel any signs of internal bleeding. ]

Almost done. You should meet Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Weir. Helping people is their bread and butter, and maybe their whisky. You said we?

[ He's curious what kind of people inhabit the Andromeda Galaxy. The Ancients couldn't have seeded life everywhere. ]

[ Gentle as the guy is, Peter still clenches teeth, has to take slow, harsh breaths as the dude works his way through. ]

I’ve got a team.

[ And the words are gritted out. It’s a decent enough distraction, talking about his family. ]

Gamora, Drax, Groot, Rocket, and Mantis. Only some of ‘em are here. The rest are—

[ But then the good doctor presses against a rib that apparently hates being touched, and Peter cages in a pained noise, flinching away from him. ]

Shit. [ Gasped out, as he instinctively presses his own hand against the side, guarding it. ] Ow.

[ Carson makes a soft sound of sympathy, sitting back on his heels. ] That feels broken, cracked at the very least. Can't be certain without an x-ray or body scan, but if you'd prefer to avoid the hospital I can keep it to guesswork.

[ A HINT, but not one he's going to force. He doesn't know Peter, and he's still feeling out how hard he can push before all discussion shuts down. He pulls out his stethoscope, breathing on the bell to warm it up. ] On the good side of things, there's no tension in your abdomen, which means no internal bleeding. And that means we're likely safe to let it heal on its own. I'd like to listen to you breathing just to be sure all's as well as it can be in there.

[ He rests the stethoscope above Peter's guarding hand, glancing up at him. ] Where are the rest?

[ Peter briefly casts him a look that says, "Tell me something I don't know."

But the dude is trying to be helpful, and even if Peter has a thing about doctors and hospitals, he makes an active effort to rein in the attitude.

He takes a deep breath, though the inhale hitches when his broken and bruised ribs protest the movement. He knows better, though, being no stranger to fucked up ribs, and continues through, taking the full breath before exhaling. ]

Home, probably. Andromeda Galaxy, like I mentioned. I doubt they even realize the rest of us are gone.

[ Which isn't a commentary on Rocket and Drax's inattention, but on the weird quirk of however the hell the Portal works. ]

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exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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