etcelsior | WAKE UP IN THE MORNING FEELING LIKE

TEST DRIVE MEME

Considering apping into MASK OR MENACE? Want to dip your toes into the setting and get a feel of whether your character will fit into it? Or maybe you're just cruising and want to play around? Then you've come to the right place!

Pick any of the following scenarios below or feel free to make up your own, but don't be afraid to throw yourself at someone else's thread, either!

And remember there's only one rule in Test Drive Meme Club: have fun!

01. The city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place, where locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to welcome you to their fair city. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation, while others might not say anything -- but if you have something nasty to say, better not say anything at all, right? But on closer inspection of these Silent Stanleys and Stellas, you might notice that some people actually back away from any imPort who quite obviously looks like they aren't "from around the neighborhood". Once in a while, you may hear a voice raised:

"Did you see how visible their elections have become? They're just trying to grab power! Have you seen the homes they live in?

Of course, for every claim, there's a rebuttal; you may well hear a competing voice arguing, "They deserve to have a say in things too! You know it's different for them!"

ImPorts are a divisive issues, even in pretty Heropa.

02. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter, there are just as many citizens awed at your very presence. Look at you! Organic wonder! Science and technology are the lifeblood of this city, so you're likely to come across a good many locals taking your picture with the newest of devices. The imPort craze is at an all-time high, and considering the ambition of many of De Chima's residents, you may find yourself cornered by overzealous imPort fans, media wannabes and opportunists alike, shoving cameras in your face.

Their questions are less politically charged than they are mundane, however; get ready for an interview about your taste in romantic partners, personal underwear choices, favourite foods, and more!

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania, is having a rainy day. The streets seem to be running with water, the sky can't seem to stop crying. You might want to check out some consumerism-inclined shelter, be that a smoky and dart-eyed bar full of grumbling locals, or a grimy and industrial coffee shop (full of grumbling locals). Watch your step, newly minted imPort, because if you let on that you're fresh meat then you're bound to find a few people who decide that the only proper welcome for an imPort is a nice set of knuckles to the face.

One or two more cowardly locals may hesitate before giving you such a greeting, however, with a muttered, "Wonder if the new guy in office is gonna do more than the last one."

Ouch. Look at the political savvy on this guy!

04. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities; loud, busy and there's some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. You may find yourself in the midst of a few closed-off streets for some occasion or another - whether it be a food cart festival, no-car day, or something else! - and surrounded by the hum of people, the waft of food being served on the street, and plenty of attention

Look there -- someone's demoing a VR roller coaster! Won't you give it a shot?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[The question caught him off guard and he had to remember how they'd treated her on her last visit. At the negotiations, even. Wasn't exactly the way the should have.

But he didn't hesitate to nod.]

'Course. You been ours since the quarry.

[ She can't help smiling just a little, looking down for a moment and taking a deep breath. That had been the question in her mind since leaving Woodbury; she'd make it back to her people somehow, but would they still be hers? Would she still be theirs? Just hearing Daryl say that right now makes it easier to breathe.

Lifting her eyes, the smile shifts into something of a smirk, though it's gentle and more fond than anything else. ]

I never thought I'd hear you say that, calling them - us - family.

[Daryl ducked his head again, shrugging his shoulder as he picked at some fly away dirt and seeds that even the cleanest of outdoor tables usually got covered by. The way she said it made it sound like it was a bigger deal than it was. ~~It was a huge deal.~~ Looking just about as embarrassed as he felt, he shrugged again fought to keep his eyes on her, failing miserably.

Some things really didn't change.]

[ Oh, Daryl. It's so...him, his reaction so expected that it's comforting in its familiarity. The only important thing is that he knows he has family, he's embraced it. He's come such a long way from the man she first met in Atlanta, who would have resisted all of that. He did, for a time. She's thought a lot about how that world they live in has turned people into the monsters they run from.

But it's changed some of them for the better, too. She'd reach out and touch him in some way, but it's been a while since they've seen each other. She may be family, but there's still some things she has to earn back, she thinks. ]

What else should I know about this place?

[ She'll grant him the subject change, at least. ]

You still got that folder they handed you? The one saying what kind of powers you got when you showed up?

[He squinted at her, getting his eyes back on her long enough to double check that she didn't have any strange limbs growing out of her that he missed in his surprise at seeing her in the first place.]

[ She nods, and doesn't miss the look in his eyes. A little smirk forms on her face. ]

I looked at it, I still don't believe it. They gave me the power to tell if someone's lying or not. And...apparently I can go a long time without food or water. Which would have helped a lot more before I ever got here.

Useful. Mine and Rick's are like that.

[They were useful, too.]

Carl's can be. Ain't too sure about Rosita's or Enid's... They're ours. But from after... uh, when you're from.

[He was going to avoid saying 'when you died' as long as he could.]

[ New people. That's good. At one point, she wouldn't have felt that way, but things shift and people can't survive alone. He's keeping something from her, though, she thinks. She wouldn't know if he's outright lying since she hasn't actually asked him about her fate, but something feels...off. She'll give them both space to breathe for a moment before she asks, though. ]

So what did you get?

And our people - that's it, no one else is here?

Stuff that would have been good back home. Things to protect folk and find them when they're lost.

[Not a lie, but not getting too deep into it, either. Not being able to find certain people was still a sore point and probably would always be one.]

Nah. Not yet. Might be more, might not. No way of knowing.

[ She thinks of Sophia, of course, and she doesn't have to ask - and she won't - if he's thinking the same. ]

So - they bring people here and give them superpowers that would have been incredibly useful where they came from. Nice. Perfect.

[ Both of them getting powers that really would have been helpful back home and not here. Some twisted, terrible joke they can't escape. It almost would have been better to get stuck with a weird or mundane power than to have something she knows she could have used effectively anywhere else. ]

At least we're here, I guess. We're safe. How much do you trust this place, though? The people here.

If they ain't ours, I don't.

[He said it plainly and without any hesitation. Of course, 'ours' also included people he and the others had 'adopted' since coming to this world. But as far as he was concerned that went without saying.]

Most all of this is bullshit.

[ The predictability of his answer draws a little smile from her. It's not in response to their situation, the fact that they're trapped somewhere against their will, it's more that Daryl is just...Daryl. She never thought she'd see him again, then she did, and things were so different. They're still different here, but in a good way. ]

We should stick close together, then. All our people.

Trying to. The house and land for all of us is the first step. We're looking. Getting together what money we can. Until then, we keep in touch. Check in with each other.

[And he'd be doing that with her, now, too.]

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