Say Something, Anything

[maskormods]

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? It's been a peaceful month, but memories are long in the Cold War. Some people usher their children away from anyone clearly not 'from around here,' while other natives may be brave enough to directly approach obvious imPorts and ask their thoughts on the war with Russia and what the imPort ambassadors are planning to do about it.

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 you may find yourself cornered by overzealous imPort fans, media wannabes and opportunists alike, shoving cameras in your face.

Their questions are likely to be fairly 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 heat wave. Every bit of shade you can spot seems to be occupied by locals or even wildlife seeking to get out of the sun. You might want to check out some consumerism-inclined shelter from the heat that even the night doesn't seem to relieve, be that a smoky and dart-eyed bar full of grumbling locals, or a grimy and industrial coffee shop (full of grumbling locals). ImPorts aren't being welcomes with a punch to the face today, but you might find your water closer to boiling than refreshingly cool or your beer with a surprise ingredient if you walk into the wrong establishment.

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?

Comments

[devoutish]

The people that are long since dead, the places that have long since been demolished and rebuilt. It might not be totally unfamiliar, right, but places do change very much.

[the_caped_crusader]

[He takes a thoughtful pause.]

You know, I used to visit the hospital where my father worked, as a child. Not often, of course. He was always very busy, and of course he didn't have the time to babysit me. I didn't give it much thought back then, only that I had wanted to be closer to him, and I took any opportunity I had to do that.

It's called Sacred Heart. After he died, I didn't go back there for a long time. But when I did find myself back there years later, I remembered when my father would take me there as a boy. I won't say I know what your home or the people in it mean to you, but I still see memories like that everywhere I look in Gotham. Even after the earthquakes, after it was rebuilt.

I think that people leave something behind after they die. Cities grow around memories. They pass on something from themselves and it lives on through the city, and is carried by its people.

I guess that's something I have to believe is true. I've spent most of my life trying to do just that.

[devoutish]

[Very poetic. And not something Alfie really disagrees with, but he still clucks his tongue.]

For myself, I'll still take London of 1922. Of course, they wouldn't let me visit London of 2016 if I tried.

[Since he's unregistered and all.]

[the_caped_crusader]

1922. You are a long way from home.

[He raises an eyebrow, and casually casts his eyes down to his forearm. The tattoo isn't visible now, but he knows it's there all the same...]

Not a fan of our hosts, I take it?

[devoutish]

Are you?

[Just casually answering a question with a question.]

[the_caped_crusader]

Of course. Although, I'm a businessman. We're well-known for our duplicity.

[He smiles roguishly. Bruce Wayne barely trusts his closest allies, let alone a faceless, jingoistic authority. Still, he doesn't enjoy the idea of being watched, and it's easier to play along than to proclaim his dissent outwardly.]

[devoutish]

I'm a businessman myself. Which is why I'd rather be at home, running my business, than sitting here in the future. Yeah?

So no, I cannot say I'm fond of our hosts.

[the_caped_crusader]

I'm not exactly looking into long-term investment properties, but this isn't a sprint, it's a marathon. And I certainly won't be able to run it if I'm cut off at the ankles because I didn't buy the sales pitch they gave me.

[devoutish]

All right. Tell me more about this marathon you're running, then.

[the_caped_crusader]

I just got here.

[Bruce discards his now cold coffee to the side. He hasn't broken character, so-to-speak, but he is notably less nonchalant.]

And I certainly don't have a plan yet. But I have enough sense to know when to keep my head down, and when to stick my neck out.

[devoutish]

There's a lot of unregistered people here, mate. I'm not gonna stick out.

[the_caped_crusader]

I'm glad to hear you say that. I also hope that it's true.

[devoutish]

Worried about me, are you?

[the_caped_crusader]

[He smiles sarcastically.]

I worry about everybody.

[devoutish]

Then I suppose I should ask what sort of worrying you're doing, yeah?

[Is he worried about what might happen to Alfie, or about what Alfie might do?]

[the_caped_crusader]

Ah.

[He tips his head towards the sky, looking up for a moment before returning his attention.]

You're wondering if maybe I can fly? Lift cars or shoot lightning from my fingertips. Don't worry. [The side of his lip curls ever so slightly.] I can't do anything like that.

[devoutish]

What are you talking about, mate? I'm not asking about your powers at all.

[the_caped_crusader]

No? My mistake.

It's a question to consider, where I'm from.

[He finally stands up, and tosses his cold coffee in the trash bin beside him.]

Either way, you've got nothing to worry about from me, if that's what you're asking. Like I said-- just a businessman.

[devoutish]

That wasn't what I was asking either.

But-- pleasure to meet you, Bruce Wayne, just a businessman.

[the_caped_crusader]

You too, Alfie.

[He smiles large, and then pretends to remember a question he forgot to ask. It's certainly something he'll remember in the future, for better or worse.]

You know, I forgot to ask. What kind of business are you in?

[devoutish]

Bread-baking, rum-making, bookkeeping, protection and security. Little of everything, yeah?

What about you?

[the_caped_crusader]

[Boy, they traveled down the rabbit hole quickly with that answer, didn't they. It was the sort of answer he heard from plenty of crooks back in Gotham-- the kind of people he saw working, directly and indirectly, for Carmine Falcone. That's a shame. He didn't know the circumstances of his life that brought him to where he was, and Bruce imagined to himself that he could help him away from those things into something better, but he got the distinct feeling that Alfie wasn't the kind of person who wanted help. From anybody.]

A little bit of everything. [He muses humorously.] A good businessman always is. Some things never change no matter what century it is.

I guess you could say the same thing for me. [He points up to a large "W" at the top of a skyscraper nearby, smiling and squinting as he shields his eyes from the sun.] We used to be multinational, though I suppose now I have to change it to multidimensional, right?

Anyway... we handle everything from food to medical supplies. If you need it, chances are we help make it.

[devoutish]

Mm.

[He listens intently, clearly interested.]

You just got here, and you don't have a plan, but you have buildings with your initials on them already?

[the_caped_crusader]

Well, I believe in the idea that a good businessman surrounds himself with intelligent people.

[He says, shrugging.]

That's the only explanation I have for that, at least.

[devoutish]

Yeah. That we do. But you didn't answer my question.