Lies a place that few have seen.

[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!

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!

Comments

[dendarii]

[ Sorry about your life, Bel. Betan Miles would have slept with them in a heartbeat.

Miles shakes his head quite firmly at that. ]

No, no. We were together before that point.

[darkimitation]

You know what? I'm done talking to you. Have fun falling from the roof and your limbs breaking on the way down.

[And so he makes a dark firaga ball appear in his free hand to aim it at Axel. He'll fire as many as he needs to in order to make the idiot fall.]

[darkimitation]

[Instead of saying another word, he throws the dark firaga ball at her before making a portal of darkness behind him to slip away then back out again behind her on the other side of the street.]

I've learned a few things since you last saw me! That's only the beginning!

[shipmaster]

Well, that had to make things complicated.

[dendarii]

As I recall - [ He glances over at Gregor, ] - my alternate self did well enough. Left me messes in other ways, but not so much on that front.

He's the one responsible for these.

[ He says, gesturing at his earrings. ]

[small_reservations]

Whoa! Hey, easy there, sport!

[He manages to deflect the first few balls, and redirect (if not extinguish, thanks dark magic) a few more with his fire manipulation abilities, but takes one to the shoulder pretty early on, and it just gets worse from there. The barrage is enough to push him back to the edge.]

You really want me dead, huh? Well, fine!

[And with that, he... jumps off the roof. However, first, while he's talking to Kagami to distract him, he opens a dark corridor just below the edge.]

[shipmaster]

Good for him. Honestly, I don't know why the whole Nexus hasn't adopted them. They make things so much less complicated. [Almost a perfect echo of Cordelia, right down to the small huff at the end.]

[dendarii]

[ Miles can't help but grin at the similarity. ]

I admit the practicality of it. But I don't always want my heart on my sleeve, so to speak.

[jacksonian]

[ A hesitation, then an unhappy shrug. He admits: ]

Maybe not.

[shipmaster]

[They make a derisive noise, but whatever opinion was there was left unvoiced. A little too personal.]

Still. I do want the actual story sometime. [Their eyes slide between Gregor and Miles, making clear WHICH story they were talking about.] Consider it bragging.

[shipmaster]

Well, that's distressing.

[jacksonian]

[ A shrug. ]

Some people are working on changing it.

[dendarii]

[ Miles flushes a bit at that. ]

It's all Gregor's story, really. He figured it out first. Wooed me before I really realized what was going on.

[vorbarra]

[ In a murmur, ] Is that the version we're going with?

[shipmaster]

That could get messy...

Or both of us out of hot water.

[shipmaster]

Really?

[The murmur was a bit too low for Bel to catch, but that was certainly an enticing tidbit all on its own. Something in their body language shifts, softening. They lean more on one hip.

To Gregor, they ask,]

Will you let me treat you out for a night? You and whomever your third is. I would dearly love to get to meet you properly.

[vorbarra]

[ Optimally speaking, Gregor would prefer to befriend Bel rather than let any sort of senseless friction fester between them, so he agrees readily. ]

Her name is Kitty, and she'd probably move to Beta if she could, so I expect she'd love to come. Are we disinviting Miles so we can gossip about him? [ There's a teasing lilt now. ]

[dendarii]

[ Uh oh. This just got dangerous. ]

Um - I'm not sure if I like this.

[shipmaster]

[Bel just grins at that, talking right over Miles' head. Very dangerous.]

Exactly my motive. We wont have to edit any of the stories.

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor is amused but not unsympathetic to Miles's worrying. ]

I should add that he wasn't kidding about the telepathy. He'll be able to hear all of it through me if he likes.

[ Which is really a veiled offer to Miles as much as it is a warning to Bel. ]

[jacksonian]

Yeah. [ He shifts slightly. ] It, uh...It actually has the potential to make things...really different.

[shipmaster]

[They don't answer that. Just thinking.. what would they change if there was a way to go back, someone who existed before right now and could just... move things.




Nothing. They decided, finally. Not even that whole goddamn mess.

Well. Maybe parts of it.]

You have a lot more to gain from that than I do. [There wasn't judgement there, for a wonder, just a rather speculative tone.]

[jacksonian]

[ His chin twitches to the side, an awkward uncertain gesture - but not a denial. ]

Everyone could gain something.

[dendarii]

[ Miles' mental hackles go down at that. Knowing he's not truly shut out will convince him to stay out of things much better than forbidding him outright.

It's not going to stop him from complaining, though. ]

It's hardly the same. But fine, have your little gossip party.

[shipmaster]

[They're quiet at that, looking between them. It's clearly something they're okay with but... Bel has lived in close quarters all their life. From Beta Colony to ships, there's not much in space. That last piece of privacy is sacred.

Not their problem.]

Well, whatever works for you two.