Oh how the gentle wind beckons through the leaves!

[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? This month has been a rocky one, and locals are beginning to eye imPorts with renewed scrutiny; if people like them can get superpowers, are imPorts really that special, after all? 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 populated by a whole lot of people who are having awfully bad days. With the emergence of locals with superpowers, many seem to have latched onto their new supercharged identities with an incredible amount of gusto. As your character walks down the street, they may find themselves accosted by a large man in his mid-20s, dressed in an ill-fitting spandex suit of orange and yellow. As he thrusts his finger into an imPort's face, the spandex rides up, turning into more of a crop-top, which he duly tugs back down before shouting, "You're not the special ones anymore, imPorts! Feel the wrath of Heartburn!"

Stupid name aside, he does seem to have superpowers as he breathes a large plume of fire. His aim isn't great, though; it could hit the imPort in question, or be sent in the direction of a nearby local, or even a particularly flammable building.

What will you do, Hero?

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. This fine day, pumpkin spice seems to be in style, to the point at which you happen to be crashing an open pumpkin spice festival. From drinks to sweet treats to some other things that really, really shouldn't be pumpkin spice flavoured (pumpkin spice flavoured vodka, anyone? It tastes like regret!), everyone seems to be in the mood for the upcoming season.

Taste test a few samples and take in the hustle and bustle of the city, everyone! And hey, if just gorging yourself isn't enough, why not try your hand at the pumpkin carving contest going on? The competition is fierce!

Comments

[traditionally]

[ He catches that look, recognizes what it means, and quickly looks back to the pumpkin. It's still strange, sharing these flirtatious little comments. Not because Magnus is a man or a warlock, but simply because it just isn't something Alec has done before. He looks the way he does because he's spent so long training, honing his body to be the weapon it needs to be. That someone appreciates the effort for more aesthetic reasons is nice, certainly. He just hasn't quite figured out how to deal with the swoopy, twisty way it makes his stomach feel.

At least he doesn't blush like an idiot.

He's in the middle of digging the top out of the pumpkin when Magnus oh so casually names himself the cause of the legend. Alec's head snaps up in his surprise, his eyes wide and eyebrows high on his forehead. Magnus dispels it for a joke and then Alec flushes, embarrassed that he was taken in so easily. ]

I should have known. All the books. [ He flicks a glance Magnus' way. ] No one has that many books if they don't enjoy stories.

[ Taking the top off the pumpkin, he peers inside and it is as disgusting looking as Magnus suggests it's going to be. Quite the opposite of fun, really. Alec's nose wrinkles. ]

If it's so much fun, why don't you put your hand in there? [ He points to the slimy, stringy innards of the pumpkin with the point of the knife. ] By all means, be my guest.

[immortally]

[ Oh, but it is fun. Or, it will be even more fun shortly. He grins—both in part about the observation about the books ( what can he say, he likes having certain first editions!! ) and the look on Alec's face as he looks inside their awaiting pumpkin. It is disgusting, but Magnus has felt worse.

At least this was never inside a body—human or otherwise. Small mercies.

So, he waves his hands to shoo Alec out of the way. Because he's totally got this. This isn't his first pumpkin carving rodeo. Certainly the nicest, though. But, he'll keep that thought to himself. ]

Yes, yes, all right. Don't want to bruise your delicate Shadowhunter sensibilities.

[ He doesn't even bother removing any of his rings before he just plunges a hand inside with one of the scoops and starts scraping along the side to the bottom. It's slimy and disgusting and the smell isn't pleasant at all ( honestly, after the first time it put him off eating pumpkin pie for decades ). But, he's still ( mostly ) happy to do it.

Just as he's happy to scoop a few strings with seeds still attached and wipe them over Alec's arm. #fighthim ]

[traditionally]

[ Alec would argue that there's nothing delicate about him. Not out of some notion of pride, but simply because he doesn't consider himself to be such. He's a weapon and weapons aren't fragile things.

He still jerks his arm away at the cool, slimy touch of the pumpkin bits, too late to prevent them from being smeared over his skin. Because it's sticky and gross and he doesn't want to be smelling it the rest of the day. It's easy for Magnus to shove his hands in there—he can magic the slop away. ]

That's disgusting.

[ Wiping the knife clean of pumpkin guts on the edge of the table, Alec uses it to scrape the seeds and stringy innards off his arm. He doesn't think about the action or consider the possibility of getting hurt, just slides the blade down as swift and sure as a razor, then flicks his wrist and flings it off the metal.

A note of mock severity enters his voice then. Just as the frown of disapproval he gives Magnus isn't entirely sincere. ]

Keep that up and you'll be wearing it in your hair.

[ It's an utterly empty threat. Food fights, even those fought with unprepared fruits, aren't something he actively engages in. But he's trying his clumsy hand at light and playful. ]

[immortally]

[ Physically, no, there's nothing delicate about Alec. He's trained and honed himself into being The Perfect Shadowhunter™ to keep the Lightwood name steeped in dignity and honor after his parents so disgraced it. While he can understand the desire behind their motivations, he also thinks it's a bunch of nonsense that was needlessly placed on Alec's shoulders. Coupled with the ~ways of the Shadowhunters~ it's a bunch of malarky. There's little shame in having a bit of a delicate something or another. Everyone has something. ( Though he likes to pretend they don't exist or he doesn't have them in the normal way others do, Magnus' feelings—especially when it comes to Alec—are a bit delicate around the edges. )

He laughs, the sound genuine and amused, as he scoops out more of the innards and leaves them in a disgusting heap on the table. Yes, he could magic this all away in an instant, but he doesn't. ( Not mainly because he doesn't really know the constraints of his magic here, just yet; secondly, because the pumpkin really isn't all that big and he can scoop it out quick enough.

There's a flick of his eyes to Alec, there and back to the job at hand, and the amusement still very clear on his face. ]

Looking to start a war, are you?

[ Because messing with his hair... them's fightin' words. ]

[traditionally]

[ At least Magnus is having fun with this pumpkin carving. Or if he isn't, his laughter is sufficiently fooling Alec into believing that he is. Maybe they should be trying to find a way home or preparing for a battle against some nefarious force—because there's always a battle against something—but for the moment he's content to do this stupid activity and not bring up home or what duty might suggest they ought to be doing.

It isn't going to hurt anyone to have a little fun. Presumably. Or in Alec's case, enjoy the company while Magnus has fun.

One eyebrow rises in a faint, teasing challenge. ]

Is that all it takes to start a war? Touching your hair?

[ Reaching out with a noticeably clean hand, Alec flicks his fingertips against the top of the highest bit of Magnus' hair. The look he gives him says what his voice does not: Your move. ]

[immortally]

[ It's not really this that's fun. Just that they're doing it together. It might not be the best activity to do, but they're still together. He would hope that Alec feels the same.

Maybe there's more he can do about getting them home, he doesn't know. It isn't as if he didn't try before he ventured out and before he even knew Alec was here, too. It requires more work, more research, more delving into things. He can't spend all of his time with his nose to the grindstone! That's a surefire way to miss things, small things, that could help them out in the end.

Magnus pauses in his gut-scooping, looking up at Alec from his slight lean, his eyes flashing just a little. That look is read, he recognizes it for what it is and that excites him in a way. Mostly in the sort of way that Alec is comfortable enough with him to tease and play and not be so rigid. It makes him want to know just how far he can nudge him away from those straight-laced Shadowhunter ways. Once more he smiles, though this one is a little sharper, a little more pleased. ]

Well, [ he starts, the word drawn out slightly; the rest is spoken low, perhaps a touch heated though it passes only between them; ] touching, no. I can't say I mind a little touching, gripping, pulling. That's all very fine. [ He gives a small laugh through his nose. ] At least, in certain situations.

[ Clearing his throat, he lifts his hand with the scoop full of pumpkin innards; his lips curls slightly. ]

This, however, would be all it takes.

[traditionally]

[ It's only by virtue of being with Magnus that Alec's here at all. The festival is strange and nonsensical. This pumpkin carving activity seems pointless. And he's noticed enough mundanes looking at him in the time he's been here that his skin is starting to crawl. But this is where Magnus is, so he's resolved to ignore everything else to the best of his ability.

Alec may not be the world's most consummate lover, but even he understands the insinuations Magnus is making. It makes him feel... well, a way he probably shouldn't be feeling in the middle of a crowd of gawking mundanes.  It also serves to help him forget, at least for a moment, the task at hand. And that, in turn, makes him forget himself.

Fingers curling slightly in Magnus' hair, Alec gives a pointed tug, not nearly hard enough to be uncomfortable but certainly enough to imply that he could, and leans closer. It's inappropriate in public and he knows it, but he's not really thinking about decorum. His voice is low, the tone firm, bordering on an order. ]

Don't throw that at me.

[immortally]

[ Maybe they should be paying more attention to what's going on around them. Because though he doesn't know it just yet, he'll soon realize there's a plethora of people out there looking for moments like these to snap a quick picture of and plaster it on this world's internet. The lesson will be learned at some point.

Not just yet though. Because their proximity is too close, because Alec is rising to the unspoken challenge, because Magnus can be just as weak as anyone else when it comes to someone else. Propriety tells him, however, to back off and cool off. But he's been denying himself for long enough. And, quite frankly, he thinks Alec has been denying himself long enough too. There's an acceptable amount of PDA. They just don't need to get carried away.

Now he could launch the pumpkin innards at Alec and break this spell. But, he kind of doesn't want to. He wants to see more of this side of Alec, wants to encourage it, not hinder it. So, he sets the scoop down on the table and straightens up; there's only a small additional tug at his hair—their difference in height is to thank for that. There's a small glimmer at his hands, cleaning them of any remaining pumpkin before he rests one hand against Alec's chest, palm flat over where his heart sits. ]

I wouldn't dream of it.

[ Magnus lifts his hand and briefly cups Alec's cheek before dropping it away. Then he shifts to the side, pressing himself there against Alec with his arm curled around his back.  ]

Now then. What should we put on it? [ And he's even being nice and not suggesting they carve the likeness of his mother's face as something truly horrifying. ] How about a cat?

[traditionally]

[ It's good that Magnus doesn't immediately shut him down. Although he wouldn't openly admit it, Alec doesn't know what he's doing. He knows that he's attracted to Magnus and enjoys his company, he knows that he wants more than that kiss they shared in front of everybody who's anybody at the Institute and doesn't want to cease spending time with him. But he doesn't really know how to go about any of that, either.

Having feelings for someone, being attracted to someone; in theory, he knows how it goes. In practice, he feels clumsy and awkward and entirely the opposite of seductive and sensual.

Even clueless, he wouldn't go too far in public. And this shows him that this bit of contact and flirtation isn't too much. So despite Magnus breaking their position, that he pursues more contact instead of less is encouraging. At least, it makes Alec feel a little better about what he's doing.

With Magnus, anyway. Not with the pumpkin. ]

You want me to carve a cat. [ He repeats it dryly, tone doubtful as he loops one arm around Magnus' waist. He's going to need that hand to mangle the pumpkin, but for the moment, he lets it where it is. ] I can draw runes, Magnus, not animals.

[ He gestures toward the pumpkin with the knife. ]

You sure you don't want to do it before I make a mess of it?

[immortally]

[ It's something they'll figure out together, what to do and how far to go. They're both capable and willing to communicate with each other, so, they'll find the right balance somewhere along the way.

Magnus smiles a little, his heart giving a small flutter as Alec keeps the contact and gives a little more. It's nice. Comforting in a way. He tips his head to rest against Alec's shoulder, deciding for the moment to be just a touch selfish and enjoy this for all that it is. And trust he'd rather do this than this mundane activity, but he's committed to seeing it through until the end.

A fancy pumpkin they shall have!!!

So, it's with the thought in mind that the sooner they do this they can do something else, he lifts his hand to press against the face of the pumpkin. There's a small flash of blue and when he pulls back there's an outline of a cat's body, back arched as if it's hissing.  ]

There, now. [ He tips his head back to look at Alec, the amusement sparkling in his eyes and pleasure curling his lips, ] I'm sure you'll do just fine.

[traditionally]

[ Now that's the kind of attitude Alec can get behind. Not because he isn't enjoying his time spent with Magnus, because he is enjoying it to a certain extent, but because there are dozens of other things they could be doing that would be vastly more enjoyable.

Magnus' magical aid in this pumpkin carving business is much appreciated. Alec watches the design appear on the side of the fruit, then glances at Magnus with a brief nod of thanks. He may have no artistic ability, but he can certainly trace. ]

Yes. I'm sure I will. [ Occasionally, Alec's height is an unexpected boon. Because the tilt of Magnus' head gives him an idea and before he can think about it and talk himself out of it, he leans over and very quickly drops a kiss on his mouth. ] Thank you.

[ Nonchalantly as ever, he focuses on the pumpkin and gets carving the cat. ]