riverviewlogs | 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

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.]

[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.]]

[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.

[Even in the heat of battle, those winces don't go unnoticed by Billy, being perceptive as he is. He can't help but find it a bit strange since death is so common place where he's from, albeit from the lack of body bags and shorter lifespans. Even children weren't too timid to look upon dead bodies so long as they weren't cut up too bad.]

You're really serious about it, huh?

[He whips his revolver out, but doesn't pull the trigger yet, only taking aim at one of the cultists--more specifically, the cultist's legs.]

About what? Not making people super dead?

[He doesn't exactly sound judgmental about it — like, he knows that heroes sometimes have to kill in order to protect, and he can't really be that naive at this point when he's donning a costume himself. But he also knows it's not something he wants to do — there are scumbags out there, yes, but people like Toomes have families they leave behind, people who are deeply scarred by the loss.

Not only did he not want blood on his hands, he wanted to at least prevent anyone else anymore pain.

So he works his ass off in the moment, narrowly evading attacks meant to definitely kill him, so he can web 'em up and not cause anymore injury than absolutely necessary.]

I'm not — [huff] — a judge, jury, or executioner — [phew] — I just take 'em to one!

[... The cultist Billy aimed at is now stuck to a wall, unable to move.]

[He can't help but let out a small huff at having his mark stolen, but at the same time he's impressed by Spider-Man's speed.]

Courts don't always come through.

[Especially for someone like him in his time period.

But even though he says that, when Billy takes aim at another cultist and is quick to pull the trigger, he hits the perpetrator in the kneecap. The cultist immediately falls to their side, howling in pain, and cupping their injured knee. Billy doesn't go in for the kill, though, choosing instead to fan the hammer at other incoming cultists. The bullets all find their way into the cultists' legs or feet, depending on where he was aiming. With the barrel smoking, he digs into his pockets for more ammo.]

It's not usually my style, but since you're so set on it, I've spared these men at least. The hospital in the Quarantine works miracles, so they'll live.

[It's not painless like Spider-Man's webs, but those cultists definitely won't be moving anytime soon.]

[Boy, those leg shots look really painful. He feels only slightly bad — because, you know, these guys are all scummy anyways, but it's not like he openly campaigns for kneecappings. People who do this kind of stuff to innocent lives don't really deserve much in the way of sympathy. He makes sure to get their hands webbed to the floor so they can't shoot at anyone, even on the ground bleeding.

When he lands back down on the ground, he looks to Billy.]

... Thanks a lot. I mean, that's really awesome of you.

And I guess this room is clear for now; you okay to keep moving?

[Not expecting the thank you, Billy lifts his eyes from his reloaded revolver to look up at Spider-Man, surprised. But then he simply shrugs and puts his gun back in its holster on his belt.]

You're welcome.

[Billy's not the type of guy who smiles a lot--not because he's always in a bad mood, rather it's just not his personality. However, it's clear from his tone of voice that he doesn't find Peter's gratitude annoying or petty.

He nods.]

Yeah. I haven't been hit, so I'm set. And you?

[The more he listens to Spider-Man talk, the more he wonders how old he is. Billy thought he sounded rather young. Then again, he was pretty young himself when he first took up a blade and turned it on another human being.]

You don't have to answer this since I get you're wearing the mask for a reason, but how old are you?

Edited 2018-08-05 10:32 (UTC)

[He glances back, quite for a moment before he holds up a finger.]

Confidential. But totally not as young as people think I sound.

[He is absolutely as young as people think he is, but he's not gonna mention that, okay. As he moves toward the next corridor, he leaps up to stick to the roof. You're just gonna have to accept this weirdness, Billy, it's a long story.]

I'll cover the front for ya, if you want. I'm pretty good at catching people off guard.

exploration mingle: CAPTIVITY

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