etcelsior | Lies a place that few have seen.

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Lies a place that few have seen.

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!

Also, as the Halloween craze is reaching a fevered pitched, more and more children are running around in costumes of their favorite imPorts! Do you recognize any of these masks? Perhaps one of these costumes mimics YOU!?

...

Isn't that kinda creepy?

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 still 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!

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Heropa
[ There's so much to say about this situation. For a moment there, Leo thinks he's high, but he hasn't touched a drop of candy in ages. After being dropped off by the government, he is currently carrying his file and his motorized roller-blades while he stares at the house he was told he could live in.

nah, fuck that.

He quickly spins around and goes exactly the opposite way because fuck all of this, fuck all of that, fuck everyone and everything. This is still too much for him to handle, and this is still too much for him to bother caring about. Right now, he wants something else: a smoke. After he pats his shorts and realizes he has no cigarettes with him, he will approach the first person (adult or child, he doesn't care) and call them ]

Yo! Got any smokes?

De Chima
[ The Black Lion of Shinjuku won't mean a thing in this place. Not that it meant much back home, but Leo likes to believe it did, if only because the gangs respected him. Sort of. But not being known isn't what bothers him. What truly bothers him is the fact that NO HUMAN is disgusted by him, that no human sneers when they see him, or call him disgusting or freak. They speak to him naturally, they want to have an actual conversation.

And that is freaky as hell.

And thus Leo responds the only way he ever learned: with a scoff and a taunt, a nasty smirk and disdain. He has no other way to respond, he wouldn't know how. This whole thing is actually pretty gross because Leo always wanted this and yet, he didn't - it's a conflicting feeling, wanting to be given "rights" and then, when you do have them, you don't trust them or believe them to be real. And even if they are real, you hate them because up until now, disgust was all he had.

He was in the middle of flipping off some guy who asked him if he had "a sweetheart" when he seems someone dressing up as... whatever the hell it was? Looks like a Dracula?]

What the fuck...? Why are people wearing idiot clothes?

Nonah
[ Leo came from a pretty big, yet rather small city. It's big because it's the last city in his world, the biggest one and the only one that still contains humans (and their aberrations, the Halves), but compared to this world, it's very small. It's only the size of Shinjuku after all (it IS Shinjuku).

So Nonah is HUGE to him.

There are so many people, so much noise, so many HUMANS. Which is surprising in itself, honestly; how did they not go extinct yet? They looked the same dumb idiots, they sounded like the same dumb idiots, hell, they acted sort of the same, if only with the exception of actually being excited for meeting a Half. Then again, they call Leo a "hero"; they probably don't get what a Half is. It's still a rather young world, though, and it's not dying just yet, so maybe that's why.

Give it a couple of years and they'll see it how it'll bite them in the ass.

But even if Leo is bitter and salty and cynical about humans and their dumb lives, he isn't going to refuse free food. Except he should have because he is going to regret it; people are offering Leo stuff, so he will take it but nearly EVERYTHING tastes like pumpkin spice. Even when he actually stole alcohol to wash away the flavor, the vodka had some in it.

So watch him spit it all out ]

Fuck!, what's wrong with you assholes!?!? Gimme somethin' decent!

( de chima )
[ your first glimpse of luke is probably through a small crowd of excited locals. he's not a tall man, but the all-black ensemble and the weird sort of gravity he seems to have is notable.. as is the pained expression he's making. it's been a very long day or two, and he really just wanted to get some information, go back to his assigned living space, and sleep for about a week straight. as it is, he's currently trying to fend off excited questions about his abilities and his lightsaber, pausing to let people take selfies, and making polite attempts to excuse himself. ]

( maurtia falls )
[ it's impossible not to sense the strangely-clad figure's self-righteous anger, so luke knows immediately when the situation goes south. --nearly before the first short plume of flame begins to take form, he's reaching for the force as he sprints toward the pair.

he skids between them and flings up a hand, and the flames hit an invisible wall, spreading out along it, contained in a space perhaps a foot all around the stranger. luke snatches him into the air, then--to the chorus of several startled, unhappy yelps--and keeps him there, dangling fifteen feet above the street as he squirms and curses.

when he's certain that the situation's contained for the moment, luke straightens, glancing toward the intended victim. his expression is apologetic as he offers a small, polite nod. ]

.. I apologize for butting in like that. I just.. thought it was maybe better safe than sorry in this situation.

( nonah )
[ luke's finally rested up enough to explore a little of what this world offers-- and a festival is a good option to get to know the culture and some of the locals. he's spent the day wandering between the booths, chatting with people and trying some of the wares.

when he notices someone next to him with some of the vodka, though, he has to pause to warn them: ] You really don't want that. [ look at this expression full of regret. ] I made the mistake already. It's like the swill some Corellians drink.

( wildcard )
[ what it says on the tin! encounter him anywhere, or lmk what you're interested in and i'll write up another prompt. ]

03
[ This is definitely the weirdest quest she's been on, and she's been on quite a few. For one thing, the Mist is supposed to trick mortals into thinking her electrified spear is something stupid and harmless—a pool cue or a baseball bat or whatever—but she hears several people comment on it as she passes by. It's a good thing she's not decked out in full battle armor or she's pretty sure the cops would be trailing her by now.

Well, whatever. It's not like she can't handle herself even if the Mist is screwing up. She's the daughter of the war god, after all, and she's pretty sure there's not a monster that exists that isn't scared of her.

Unfortunately, the elementary school-aged kids in town didn't get the memo, and Clarisse finds herself surrounded by a very enthusiastic group of them, her scowl deepening with every question they ask: "Hey, can I get your autograph?" "Will you take a picture with me?" "Can I hold your spear?"

The last question proves to be too much for her, and she barks out a shocked and incredulous laugh. ]

Wh—no, you can't hold it!

05
[ Okay, so being stopped on the street is weird, but being treated like a superhero is actually pretty nice. And it's not impossible for mortals to have heard of her. After all, that loser Percy Jackson hangs out with enough of them. Maybe one of them talked Clarisse up. It's about time people started paying the drakon slayer the respect she so clearly deserves.

She enters a bustling local coffeeshop and scowls at the long line. This is going to take forever, and she doesn't have that kind of time. She stomps the butt of her spear on the floor three times, making the customers turn to stare, before announcing loudly: ]

Out of my way, mortals! I, Clarisse, daughter of Ares, want a pumpkin spice latte, and I don't wait in line.

( Eventually, we all are faced with a situation that we just don't know how to handle. Oh, we might say that looking for your first apartment or starting a new class seems overwhelming and hard to get a handle on, but ultimately? There's always someone to ask for advice - or offer unwanted advice, as the case may be. There's your friends, your family, your shrink or bank manager or the lady at Starbucks who always spells your name right. At the end of the day, people all jump through certain hurdles, even if the hurdles are different shapes or heights or sizes.

And then there comes the day when the hurdle isn't something you've ever even thought of preparing for, and this hurdle is on fire, at the edge of a cliff. It's not even a hurdle, like you thought. It turns out that you signed up for a trapeze instead, and the trapeze has no safety net.

[ the camera cuts to a young woman holding a spear, and Meredith Grey looks Very Tired. ]

At least you can always count on some things, even when you're trying to figure out how the Hell you're meant to be a trapeze artist. Oh, big city weirdos. Never change. Never give up the flaming trapeze. )

Yep. That's a future neurosurgeon, right there.

( Meredith's voice is quiet, but maybe not quiet enough given the very unsubtle okay, weirdo look that she just gave this world's female version of Alex Karev. )

I never knew having a parent with a god-complex allowed you to skip lines. I'd have started cashing in on that perk right away.

[Unfortunately for Clarrise, the person who had gotten into line last had absolutely zero intention of moving out of the way for a clearly egotistical teenager. Anastasya was flipping through her communicator feed when the bellowing occurred behind her, and she half-turned, raising an eyebrow in curiosity until she actually saw the girl. Okay. She knew the type.]

Then it sounds like Clarisse, Daughter of Ares, is not going to get what she wants.

[She had a slightly amused smile on her face, and her tone was clearly a bit mocking really. But considering she was short, thin, dressed in a long black skirt and green blouse, and looked maybe seventeen, and unarmed, she wasn't exactly all that imposing.]

[But she clearly wasn't getting out of the way either.]

[ Clarisse isn't the most observant person in the world, and she probably wouldn't have paid any attention to Meredith's comments—she's already heard plenty of people muttering about her today—if it weren't for the fact that her pronouncement was followed by a sort of stunned silence on the part of almost all of the patrons and employees of the cafe. The quiet allows her to zero in on the one person who elects not to keep their mouth shut, and suddenly, thoughts of lattes are replaced by thoughts of other things. Punching, for one. Yelling, for another. ]

What did you say? [ she asks as she comes stomping over. ] If you have something to say to me, you better be willing to say it to my face!

[ Clarisse rolls her eyes. This girl has no idea who she's dealing with, clearly. ]

Watch me.

[ With that, she cuts in front of Anastasya and starts pushing her way down the line, shoving unsuspecting patrons out of the way. One unfortunate man doesn't move quickly enough and gets the collar of his shirt snared on the tip of Clarisse's spear. Clarisse glances over, frowns, and then uses the spear to shake the guy loose. ]

> OPTION A (HEROPA)

[ There are definitely people crossing the street to avoid this guy, but it's not necessarily because he's an import. Maybe it's because he looks a little intimidating -- big guy with a white streak in his hair and a fuck-off-I've-had-a-long-day expression even before noon.

Right now he's a new arrival just wandering around the city, getting his bearings. Walking without any particular destination in mind. But every once in a while he'll wander upon some landmark that gives him pause. A government building, police headquarters, a bank. And instead of walking right by, maybe he'll pass it around the block a few times. He might even go inside, although he never seems to have any actual business in any of these places. He's not drawing any attention to himself but if you're really the observant type you might notice him, and honestly he looks like he's casing the joint. Maybe he's a criminal, or maybe he's just lost after all? You could try confronting him, or offering directions. Or maybe just tailing him for a bit, even. ]

> OPTION B (MAURTIA FALLS)

[ -- So anyway, that happened. Now two minutes have passed and the situation is as follows: Heartburn (not the dumbest name Jason's ever heard; he's from Gotham, home of Condiment King) is now unconscious, mostly on account of having had his head smashed very very hard against some bricks. He will probably not be okay, to be honest, even if he probably will technically live. Jason doesn't really care that much. It wouldn't be an issue at all, normally -- the street was mostly empty when the confrontation happened, and the people who were around were all distracted by the apartment building going up in flames, so nobody actually saw him directly in the act of bashing this dude's head in. He could just disappear and nobody would be the wiser. He's good at disappearing. Great at it, in fact.

And that's what he was going to do. But then he hears screaming. Third floor of the smoking building, he's pretty sure. Maybe just panic at seeing the fire, he thinks, but it gives him pause. The screaming doesn't stop, just gets more frantic, and yeah, somebody is trapped up there. He hears the word "help" in there somewhere, and more relevantly he doesn't hear sirens.

So change of plans. He doesn't spare the asshole on the ground another glance, just starts rapidly climbing the fire escape to bust into the apartment next door. He looks annoyed as shit to be doing this, honestly. ]

> OPTION C (WHEREVER)

[ Choose your own adventure, the comment. If you want to plan something out OOCly you can contact me here or hit me up on plurk @ NECROFANTASIA. Or honestly you can just comment with whatever and I'll run with it, I'm flexible. ]

Edited 2016-10-25 22:52 (UTC)

[ Honestly, her main concern was going to be the man left face down to slowly bleed from the head. If he's dead, then that made him a free meal for Jack. Unfortunately, as she let a vine wrap around his ankle to drag him back into the darkness of the Underground, he had stirs and let out a pathetic little noise. Still alive. Tough break.

She's about to accept all the drama as simply irrelevant to her when Skunkhead Skinnyjeans starts to scale the building. That's when something far, far more important catches her attention:

Dat ass. ]

Edited 2016-10-25 23:20 (UTC)

[Bruce had been visiting to check in on some of the smaller Wayne Enterprises subsidiaries after his break-in last month to do some cleanup of staff and to familiarize himself with his additional resources. But he was also curious-- after two months here he'd started to see an odd pattern in arrival dates of imPorts, and given that this was about the same time of the month for his own arrival, he thought it would be prudent to investigate to confirm his hypothesis. What he didn't expect was to run into the same meta from last month, and even more importantly, he didn't expect to see a man move up the fire escape with a flash of white in his hair before disappearing into the smoke billowing out of the window.

A moment later the gust of air from outside meets the flames once contained within the building and causes a small explosion that blows glass from the window out around them and collapses the window around Jason's escape. While spectators watch with fearful expressions, Bruce kicks in the door and moves his way crouched low through the smoke and up the stairs.]

Edited 2016-10-25 23:27 (UTC)

[ Okay, honestly he is real busy scaling a burning building here, but Persephone stands out, and more importantly he definitely saw that spooky vine action. He also sees her face, and using his well-honed bat-deduction skills is able to determine that she is definitely staring at his ass.

So, just before he jumps in the window, he leans back over the fire escape to flip her off. Cheerfully: ]

Real nice, asshole!

[ AND INTO THE BURNING BUILDING HE GOES, BYE FELICIA ]

[ Burning buildings, man. As Jason starts climbing the fire escape, a kestrel suddenly perches on top of it, peering down at him with sharp eyes. Clearly an intelligent bird even before he opens his mouth. ]

There's a way in over here, if you're quick.

[ Well, that's not great. Jason had kind of been planning on using that window, to be honest. Fortunately he's in the next room when the explosion actually happens, securing the screamer in question, who turned out to be some kid. Jason doesn't flinch when he hears the explosion, although distantly he is aware that some part of him -- the part that can't help but notice that sound is the last thing he heard before he died -- is freaking out. Fortunately that part isn't in charge right now. The part that is in charge is mostly frustrated with the change of plans.

Out the door and down the hall, then. That should be fine. He just has to do it now, before the flames get big enough that opening the door will trigger another explosion. That would be bad, but there's no time to worry about it. So he picks up the kid and just goes, out towards the front door, shields him with his body as best he can, because when he opens the door it's definitely going to burn the shit out of him. Fortunately the jacket is fire-resistant, but the jeans are just regular jeans, so that's going to suck. He mutters a quiet "hold on" to the kid before opening the door -- and sure enough, flames are hot on his heels as he rushes out into the hall. ]

[Yes Jason, a real nice asshole indeed.

She could follow him up, sure. But no one else is screaming their head off, and she has an absolutely critical need to prevent anyone from thinking she might be heroic. Besides, he didn't seem worried.

So she'll just wait here, certainly not to make sure everything's OK. But just to lay a subtle trail of vines from the street to the quiet alley she retreats to smoke in. ]

[ This facial expression says: I acknowledge that you are a talking bird, and I would rather you weren't. ]

Are you fucking serious right now?

[ Deal with it, Robin. ]

Now is not the time for jokes You heard them screaming for help too, didn't you?

[ The bird paces back and forth on the fire escape, looking back into the burning building. ]

[ Wow, Persephone.

It doesn't take him very long, honestly. He's done this about a million times, after all. After a few minutes he's out and ready to get the hell out of dodge before people start asking him awkward questions, like "hey, did you see who brained that asshole, suspicious-looking hoodlum?"

As for why he follows the vines into the alley instead of fucking off in some other direction -- well. Maybe he's wondering if that girl saw him knock the asshole out. Or maybe he's just curious. Either way, he turns in and approaches her, casually brushing some soot off his jacket. ]

Got one I can bum?

Yeah yeah yeah. Just so you know, my agreement here doesn't mean I approve of you being a talking bird. I am strongly in favor of no talking animals, I just want that on the record, alright?

[MOSTLY HE IS MUTTERING TO HIMSELF, while he hoists himself up on the fire escape and goes to bust the window open.]

[He'll likely run into Bruce, rounding his way around the corner, but with only a vague silhouette of his face visible through the smoke. He speaks loudly through the smoke, a phantom with an expensive suit and broad shoulders.]

Come on!

[On his way back through the hall, eyes stinging and lungs on fire, he can hear the distinct sound of cracking wood and drywall as the floor above them begins to crumble. Bruce grabs onto Jason's jacket and leaps, diving into the ground to narrowly avoid death for the millionth time in his life, where the air is clearer where the two of them are now face to face with each other. Hi, Jason.]

Edited (Mobile mistake as usual ) 2016-10-26 01:04 (UTC)

[ If this bird could roll his eyes, he totally would. Instead he flutters to a safe distance while Jason breaks the window open. ]

And if I were a person in disguise? Would that be better?

[ His keen little eyes are looking for evidence of more trapped people. ]

Sure.

[ She reaches into the pockets of her own expensively faux-cheap hoodie, and tosses him the pack. ]

Need a light?

De Chima

[ Being completely human is a nice first step to avoiding people's notice, but pulling your hooding up to cover half your face, and keeping your head down does a pretty good job of it too. Micchy's clothing might be bright, but it's not unusual enough to immediately flag him out as an imPort, and it's not like he's had a chance to be in the news yet. For the most part he goes by completely unnoticed by the general populous, not that he thinks any of them would know about him.

Right up until a little kid runs by wearing a Kamen Rider Ryugen costume, and Micchy tugs his hood back a little to increase his peripheral vision, and make sure he just saw that right. He hasn't even been here for long, when did someone have time to even put this costume together?

He pulls his hood back into place, and laughs nervously to cover up how startled he was by that. Turning to the closest person to him he decides to subtly fish for a little information about just how beloved the imPorts are or are not in the form of small talk. ]

Superhero costumes seem really popular here, don't they?

Maurita Falls

[ Micchy wasn't the hero to be attacked by Heartburn there, but he was walking down the street when Heartburn accosted an imPort, and got to witness the whole thing go on. Including Heartburn nearly missing setting several civilians ablaze. Without his armor on Micchy rushes across the street, muttering apologies to the car horns blaring at him as he brings traffic to a screeching halt. ]

Nonah

[ Someone just handed Micchy a jack-o'-lantern. Like a fully carved pumpkin with a creepy face, and he has no idea what to do with it. He's standing there turning the pumpkin around in his hands to get a look at the face, looking vaguely uncomfortable with the whole thing, and carefully turning it back around so it's not facing him anymore.

Why did someone just shove this into this hands? Someone please take this, he doesn't know what to do with it. ]

Uhm...?

Edited 2016-10-26 01:31 (UTC)

[He does not need a light. At any given time he has a number of lighters on his person, you know, in case he needs to set something or someone on fire.

But he shrugs. Pulling out a cigarette.]

Sure, if you got one.

Shitty disguise, you look like an asshole. Bye.

[Bye because he is going inside now, and assumes that you are staying outside, on account of being a fucking bird.]

Ha. I'll see you in a few minutes, then.

[ Jason would be right on this one, though it doesn't stop him from fluttering at the windows, looking for other survivors. He flutters to a window on the other side of the building to help get it open for someone else. And pokes his head in to see how Jason's doing. ]

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Page 1 of 46

Lies a place that few have seen.

Leo || Fire Candy

luke skywalker ( star wars )

Clarisse La Rue | PJO

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Jason Todd | DC Comics (Pre-52)

Maurtia Falls

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Mitsuzane "Micchy" Kureshima | Kamen Rider Gaim

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