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etcelsior2016-10-25 02:36 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2016-10-25 02:36 pm
Entry tags:
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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[Don't worry, bud, he can see you looking at him funny. And then his expression sobers again and he moves a little closer, settling into a chair nearby.]
... What's the last thing that happened for you back home?
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At the question, Axel briefly averts his eyes, smile fading. Even he can't fake happiness when he's talking about what he's been through.]
Roxas... vanished. I was tracking him down after he left the organization - I didn't want to, but friendship isn't worth losing yourself over when you barely even have that much, y'know? And then he just disappeared. Poof. Like he was abducted or something.
[Little does he know... Yet, anyway.]
My turn to ask a question. What's up with the wings?
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You'll find him, [he says softly. He can't be honest. Not right now. It's easier if... he does that later. But in the meantime, he can answer the rest of his questions.]
It -- that's kind of a weird story, and I'd have to explain a lot, but... in short, I went home for a little while. When I came back, I had them.
[There's a pause. How does he explain about Dream Eaters without explaining the entirety of the true Organization, and all that? But Axel deserves to know, too.]
It's... a long story. I'll tell you, but it might have to wait for another day. A lot has happened from my perspective since Roxas left the Organization.
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[He sighs. Time travel. It's even more complicated for interpersonal relations than not having a heart.]
I'm not interested in hearing my future told. Knowing in advance would... kind of suck. Unlike some, free will actually matters to me.
[It's all he's got left at this point. At least as far as he knows.]
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[He flaps the wings lightly, looking half thoughtful and half disgruntled. This gave him an extremely minor identity crisis when he first came back -- he isn't sure anymore whether he was human before and simply became a Dream Eater, or if he always was and only awakened to it recently. He's assuming the latter, but it's still weird.]
Maybe it's so I fit in.
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[If a dream catcher catches bad dreams, then clearly a Dream Eater eats them. It's only logical.]
And you've gotta fit in... with animals. Double huh. Well, that wild mane aught to help, too.
[Seriously, boy, you need a haircut. And when it's AXEL pointing that out...]
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[And then comes the 'wild mane' comment and he laughs outright, pushing the aforementioned mane behind his shoulder. Well, at least he cut his bangs back so he can see. Past Riku didn't have that going for him. (Though with a blindfold he didn't really need it anyway...)]
Indeed. Though this was a thing before the wings. I've tried the short hair, it doesn't work.
[Back before he'd gone home and taken his exam, Sora had told him "you cut your hair and Kairi laughed", and Riku had resolved, after not cutting it since he arrived, to continue to let it be long. But then he went home again, and upon his return, the memory of the short hair fresh in his mind, he'd stared at the long hair in the mirror and wondered what the hell he'd been thinking. No wonder she laughed...]
You met anyone else from home yet? There's a handful of us.
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[He's still smiling, but only because the expression is as easy to fake as all others. Depending on who's around, he might not be very welcome. Like if Larxene or Zexion is here, and remembers all that he did... Or heaven forbid, Marluxia.]
Who else is around?
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[Riku can see it. He can see how Axel's smile doesn't falter, and Riku knows that if it were he who was the new arrival, he'd fall quiet at that. Perhaps that's just him. But he nods, sobering even if Axel doesn't, and holds one hand up, fingers loosely curled.]
There's -- Namine, Sora and I, Xion, and my Replica. [He doesn't bother saying "Kagami" -- he knows Axel will question it, and it's just easier to get to that later. Riku recites the names, extending his fingers as if counting as he does so.] So -- a handful of us. There were some people who were here who were here for -- mustn't have even been a month before they disappeared again. But I don't know if you'd have known them either way. Anyway -- a handful. Roxas was here, a long time ago.
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[He mutters under his breath, as if trying to place the name, before smacking his head with the heel of his right hand.]
Oh! Right! Xion! Duh.
[He's got some vague memories of her, but it's hard to connect the name to them. Now that he has, now that he's trying to remember, it's a little easier. However, that's not the only thing Riku said.]
Your replica? You mean the one from CO? Now there's a blast from the past!
[He's pointedly not touching the fact that Roxas isn't here anymore. That's almost painful - it takes some mental acrobatics to remember he can't really be heartbroken, that it's just a memory of being abandoned.
Again.]
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[It had been a strange experience, meeting her again, having all those memories suddenly crammed into his brain, as if he was trying to think of them all at the same time.
"CO". Riku nods, shifting in his seat for a moment. Was that really how they'd referred to it? How casual...]
Yeah. He's been here since ... the summer, I guess. Maybe six months or so.
[Which means it's the longest he's been literally anywhere. It's weird for Riku to try and wrap his mind around that.]
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[Axel may have pushed the replica into their final fight way back when, but it didn't take much of a push. Last he chcecked, Kagami hated Riku. It seems something has changed.
He's not sure he likes that.]
Has he finally gotten over himself?
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Not at all. He's determined to be more popular than me, you know.
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[He can at least smile, but... Unless Kagami told him, Riku doesn't know what Axel did, what he said, to the replica. This could get dangerous.]
He's hardly the most... stable guy I've ever met.
[Understatement of the century.]
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[Riku knows. He knows very, very well what happened that made his Replica come after him that day. He hadn't known then -- but then Kagami had been Ported out. He returned, and killed him for it, and Riku found out then. And then he had seen the memory of that discussion, in the alley in Maurtia Falls, and he knew with even more clarity.
Riku doesn't hate Axel, but he understands why Kagami does. But for him, that's neither here nor there -- he's not here to talk about that. That's between those two, and nothing to do with him.]
Either way, they're... everyone's adapting. I guess I'm the only one a hundred percent used to things around here, but... they'll get there. What do you think?
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[Most. Maybe not all. Axel takes another sip of his latte, enjoying its fading warmth.]
You've been here longest, though, huh? Only makes sense that you're most used to it.
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[Why is he telling him all this? Riku sighs, just the tiniest exhale, and then looks over at Axel.]
Sorry. None of that really matters, I suppose. What about you? You must have questions.
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[He pulls away from his drink, licking away the small amount of foam that accrued on his upper lip.]
Some. How old are you now, guess I should ask that much. What do you know about this world that you haven't told me yet, too? And finally... What do we actually do here? They said something about heroes, but I'm not a kid anymore. Don't exactly fit that profile, either.
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[Riku doesn't care about being called a hero. He's Registered, but only for the perks it gives. He figures that taking care of his own is the most important thing.]
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Allowances, huh? So if we leave their favor, what happens?
[He was considering just skipping the swearing-in ceremony, but if doing so would make his life harder... Might be worth registering, even if he doesn't want to be indebted to another mysterious organization.]
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[He lifts one hand in a shrug, then tilts his head just a little. Riku kind of has his own questions now.]
Speaking of the way this place works -- are your powers the same as normal?
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Axel frowns a little at the question.]
Yeah, seems like it, from what they showed me. They had a whole file about me. Some of the stuff in that was personal. Do they have that kind of info on everyone?
[The idea is disquieting to say the least. And Axel suspects that he saw only the tip of the iceberg of what they know about him.]
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[He rolls his eyes, shifting in his chair a little. His own file is shoved into the back of his desk drawer, farther than would be noticeable if you just pulled the drawer open to look for something.]
I can't imagine how they manage it. Especially since there can be information in there that you yourself don't know.
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[He drains his latte, looking grouchily at the empty cup before tossing it with exceptional accuracy into a nearby trash can.]
Maybe they're watching all the worlds people come from or something.
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[Riku watches the cup go, raising an eyebrow as it arcs smoothly into the bin. He supposes, with a weapon like Axel's that gets thrown half the time, you'd get pretty good at pitching.]
I -- don't know how it works. I mean... if anything, I think they don't have much control over where people come from, because they don't seem to be able to screen out people with malicious intents. We've had some... interesting disasters, to say the least, involving imPorts. That being said, that still doesn't answer the question of where the writeups come from, or who writes them. How can they have that many worlds monitored...?
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