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]

[ Miles snorts a bit at that, flushing ever so slightly. Right, Gregor ... That's going to be interesting to explain. He's got a lot to explain to Bel here ... One step at a time. ]

If that were the case, I'd be having dates every day. No, Gregor works here.

[ He turns a bit, gesturing at the counter. As he does, the light catches a very distinct set of earrings in Miles' ears. With a very distinct set of meanings attached to them. ]

[shipmaster]

[Bel, themself, wasn't wearing any. One simply doesn't in a combat prone life. It was almost a surprise to FIND a pair gracing Naismith's ears, but once their eyes were caught...

They reached out, fingertip warm on Miles' earlobe, expression almost comically incredulous. They couldn't decide which stone staggered them the furthest...

Committed? ...... Bisexual?]

Since when?!

[dendarii]

[ Oh, right. He'd almost forgotten he was wearing those. He HAD forgotten that Bel would be able to read them instantly. Miles flushes quite deeply for a moment, speechless for a change. ]

It's - er - it's a long story, and a recent one. It all happened since I came here ten months ago.

[shipmaster]

It certainly must be. [Miles hadn't jerked back. He should have moved like he was burned... Bel Thorne would love to meet the dick that changed Miles' stodgy Barrayaran mind.

Not looking, they notice, is NOT on those stones.]

So, is that an open, committed relationship?

[They ask, standing next to Gregor.]

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor, standing next to him, coughs, distinctly uncomfortable and aiming to cut off any conclusive answer. He has one singular earring dangled as a pendant around his neck, unobtrusive against all his black but now suddenly alarmingly noticeable. ]

I had no idea you held such a personal interest. [ He sounds mild more than anything else, and if Miles reaches out telepathically he'll find an undercurrent of reluctant amusement. Gregor tries to wrestle down his instinctive uneasiness, since he still sees himself as more of a burden than a catch, but he knows that's about himself and not about his trust in Miles. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, is flustered but deeply awkward over the link. The slightest flutter of curiosity but nothing near real interest. He does draw back a bit now, slowly, to step a bit closer to Gregor. ]

Bel, allow me to introduce my boyfriend. Emperor Gregor Vorbarra.

[shipmaster]

[When they turn to look at Gregor, stare at the dangling earring-made-pendant, actually, it's angled further from Miles than it specifically needed to be. It was so incongruent with the rest of Gregor's undecorated garb, in the wrong place for where a Betan would normally look, that it's little wonder it somehow got missed, written off. But there it was: a perfect match.

As Bel needed at least a scrap of privacy, deserved one in their oh so humble opinion, for the little heartbreaks. After ten years holding that particular torch, a few more fingers slid off. But as long as Miles really didn't take them seriously, they didn't really have to put it down, either.

Seriously though, it wasn't just the most Barrayaran thing they'd ever heard of - breaking a lifetime of monosexuality for one's emperor, but also the most Milesian thing. He had to find the most impossible, forbidding and complicated relationship possible to get into. What an impossible little man.

Worst of all, whatever window of exploration happened to get him there, Bel had missed it. Just their luck, honestly.

It's barely an instant before that clear ache vanishes as Bel slips into a particularly nasty smile instead, taking a little step into Gregor's space.]

Well, that's convenient. Mind if I borrow him for an evening, darling? Or want a third? I'm agreeable.

[vorbarra]

[ Fortunately, Gregor really doesn't know Bel well enough to predict how they would react, and he's consequently prepared for anything. He'd slipped into social-duties-mode at some point in the last several seconds, and for all he can't tell how much water is under the bridge between Miles and his subordinate, he can read Miles's feelings on the matter clear enough over the link as to be confident in his position.

That's really all he needs to field this like he fields every other jibe meant to get under his skin. This is a new version, but it's the same old dance. And, too, he doesn't want Miles to wonder about his reaction or how he'll take it; he feels perversely protective of their relationship, at this first real confrontation to it, rather than the pithy comments of his mother and Captain Illyan. If anything, they'd just set him up to be out of patience for others critiquing their private lives, where they have no say. ]

We have a third, actually, [ he says smoothly, and pulls on every lecture he's ever had from Cordelia to add, ] The consenting process for adding to our arrangement is fairly complicated. Certainly something I would recommend taking longer with, and in a more private space, than we have available here.

[ Said with the absolute blandest demeanor he can pull off, which is bland indeed. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, sputters. This looks suspiciously like a team up. And not the hot kind. ]

It's not - the both of you, really --

[shipmaster]

[Sorry Miles, the chances of the hot kind are pretty well nil.

On the other hand, Bel ... blinks, the not so subtle malice draining off their face at Gregor's precisely Betan shutdown. That was not the reaction they were expecting from the Barra of Barrayar.


... Huh.

And one they were inclined to respect. They step back, head tilted in curiosity.]

Good lord, are they finally teaching proper social comps on Barrayar? [There's a note of grudging respect there.]

[vorbarra]

[ Good, he's glad that worked; Gregor subtly relaxes, relieved. He hadn't thought anyone Miles was so close to would really be problematic, but one never knows... In dry tones, ] Hardly. At least not the way Betans think of it. My governess was a Betan survey captain.

[ Named Naismith, but details.

Gregor quirks a glance at Miles, who is still sputtering, and can't help that his amusement deepens. ] Breathe, Miles. One day I'll have to teach you how to field leading questions.

[dendarii]

[ Miles is going to hyperventilate a little bit here, okay. He at least is having a properly Barrayaran reaction to all of this. ]

Don't underestimate Gregor. I assure you that that is a mistake.

[ He says, having underestimated his boyfriend quite thoroughly just now. God, Gregor. Kitty is enough. For all Miles had talked about a dalliance with Spock... he's a little too monogamous to really be comfortable himself. ]

[shipmaster]

[They look widely from Gregor to Miles and just. Cracks. Up.]

Admiral Naismith, were you just out-Betan'ed by the Emperor of Barrayar?

I shouldn't... [Hang on, they can get it toge- nope. This is fucking hilarious.] underestimate him at all.

[vorbarra]

[ Gregor looks at Miles with intense exasperation, although it's laced with fondness. With the benefit of the link, he knows what Miles is really thinking, and misinterpreting. ]

Out-bluffed by the Emperor of Barrayar, perhaps. [ More gently, directly at Miles, ] Please, you can't think I'm about to hop into bed with someone I just met. We're needling each other.

[dendarii]

[ He still huffs one more time before settling into something like calm. ]

Shut up. You're both terrible.

[ He attempts to smooth himself into something approaching dignified. ]

Anyway. There are some things I ought to straighten out. I'll buy you coffee, Captain.

[shipmaster]

I wouldn't turn that down for the world. [Bel watches both of them intently, eyes bright.]

Will you join us? [this, to Gregor.] I would absolutely love to hear about your governess.

[vorbarra]

[ He'd rather have ruffled-cat, sulky Miles than him flustered and nervous about his love life any day. Gregor sends him a reassuring brush of affection over the link and turns to get them all coffee, smoothly stepping behind the counter without a hint of self-consciousness. He tries to convey a wordless sense of it's fine, I've got this, I do this all the time to help him settle. ]

Of course. It's a funny story, actually. [ To Miles: And it will be a neat segue into your 'straightening out'. ] My lord regent, Aral Vorkosigan, married a Betan. Reportedly, no one thought her taking over my education could possibly have some sort of lasting subversive effect on me.

[ Gregor reports this with all the light airiness of someone who's had more than enough practice at purposeful socializing, intentionally redirecting the conversation and smoothing things over, inviting Bel into the joke at Barrayar's expense. It's a calculated joke even so, a part of Barrayar he's willing to concede and cast negatively. He's careful because he doesn't want to come off as some sort of paradoxical anti-patriotic Emperor, but this extent should be fine.

Betans seem to take ridicule of one's own government as a civic duty. Possibly they won't even realize how scandalous this sort of talk is in truth. ]

[dendarii]

[ It is soothing, even if ruffled cat Miles doesn't want to admit it. Slowly but surely, the mental hackles go down. And physically Miles relaxes at his seat. As always, Gregor is masterful at directing Miles where he ought to go.

Even so ... it's a bit nervewracking finally coming out with this. (But what's the point of hiding? Both identities are completely out in the open now. And Miles has resolved to give up being Naismith... That leaves only Lord Vorkosigan. ]

That Betan is my mother, by the way. Cordelia Naismith.

[ He watches Bel's reactions with no small amount of curiosity. ]

[shipmaster]

[There's the slightest of flickers of Bel's eyes back to Miles when Gregor mentions Vorkosigan. There is, though, clearly to both of them, the utter lack of reaction to the telling. Beyond that, even a little mild confusion at the staging of this piece of information. What they latched onto as worthier of comment is just as telling as Bel's lack of reaction to the reveal of Gregor as the Emperor.]

Her? As your governess? [Bel's delight was palatable.] Do you know, I was still on Beta when she made her dramatic return? And exit.

The scandal ate the press for a whopping week. They must not have watched a damn reel if they thought SHE wasn't going to be a hellraiser in proxy.

[vorbarra]

They also knew she was responsible for beheading the man that hurt her son, [ Gregor adds. ] But to Barrayarans that's just good motherhood.

[ He shrugs sanguinely and returns to preparing the coffee, but he definitely hasn't missed Bel's non-reaction, or rather, reaction to the wrong things. It's just not the right moment for that yet. ]

[dendarii]

[ Neither has Miles. He glances between the two of them - opens his mouth to say something about it - and hesitates, sensing Gregor's own reaction over the link. Not yet? Well all right then, but he's getting antsy not blurting things out right away. ]

Barrayar makes a habit of underestimating certain segments of its population. Women especially. Good for us, in this case.

[shipmaster]

[They snort at that.] That's the only case. Even so, her position certainly wasn't anything they bothered to leave on off-world databases.

Though frankly, I didn't even make the connection with the Survey commander that made the President sing soprano and his mother until months after I started research. She's almost invisible.

[vorbarra]

[ Oh, well, there we go then.

Gregor distributes coffee mugs. ] She does not, in fact, enjoy generating news, [ he says agreeably. ] Are you from further in the future than Miles, or do you have some compelling reason for learning the truth and keeping it to yourself? [ Since Miles obviously thought they weren't aware of it. ]

[dendarii]

[ Miles definitely thought they weren't aware of it. Well - since it's out already, he's going to blurt: ]

And how long have you known?

[shipmaster]

[Their confusion is absolutely genuine. They hesitate while lifting the coffee.]

I .. well I didn't tell you directly, but I thought it was clear enough. Five years ago? That first run to Jackson's Whole.

Though I'm hardly Inner Circle, officially. Still left out of the good stuff. Tung and I worked it out almost immediately.