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

[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.

[dendarii]

[ Miles opens his mouth to protest that - and stops. ]

Five years ago? You mean Taura's rescue?

[shipmaster]

Yes. [They slide a look back to Gregor and what had been a choice between a temporal shift and mutiny.]

I had said that I wouldn't give you away.

[dendarii]

Which I appreciate but -

[ That's not what he's focused on right this second. ]

We rescued Taura much more recently than that. We're on Earth starting on repairs after Dagoola.

[shipmaster]

You're saying I'm from the future.

[It was said weakly, looking between the two of them for any sign of this being a joke made at their expense.

Their heart skipped a beat. Oh, it would explain something, as much as any craziness did... Miles' warm welcome. They feel a bit queasy.]

Are there ... rules for this? [Because Bel was raised on the same holodramas...]

[dendarii]

[ No joke. In fact, Miles is looking grimmer by the second. What does Bel know to make them look so pale? Is there a sword over Miles' neck he doesn't know about? Or Taura's? Bel's? Worry trickles over towards Gregor's side of the link while his mind makes up possibilities. ]

Well, no one's been stabbed or stunned this time. I count that as a success.

But you look like you've seen a ghost.

[shipmaster]

[That gets a side eye. They murmur,]

What kind of enemies have you been drawing here, Miles?

[And.... They leave it there, not quite a failure of courage, but a need to gather again.]

[dendarii]

[ That bodes ill. Miles straightens a bit himself, mentally taking a moment to soothe his own ruffled nerves. No need to borrow trouble just yet. Besides, he has another topic to cover. ]

Not enemies. Just my parents. Twenty years younger and unable to recognize me.

[shipmaster]

[It was unusually generous of Miles, not to just chew on an unanswered question like a terrier. Their shoulders squared a little, determination galvanized. A part remains withdrawn, composing.


... Not that the information makes that easy. It strikes them that they don't exactly KNOW how old Miles is.]

... Had they even decanted you yet?

[dendarii]

[ He'll loop back to that. No doubt of that. ]

Just barely. I was days old to them. So when they saw someone going around as "Admiral Naismith," well .. they reacted rather protectively.

[shipmaster]

I imagine... They would have been hot out of the war... [Like most Betans, the relevant conflict wasn't the Pretendership.
]

That was a more brutal time.

[dendarii]

[ Miles, meanwhile, assumes the Pretendership himself. What other war would there be? ]

Hence the stabbing and the stunning. Though, in Da's case, it was me accidentally stabbing him.

[shipmaster]

[They open their mouth. And close it.]

Permission to speak utterly frankly.

[dendarii]

[ He waves a hand. ]

Granted.

[shipmaster]

What the hell, sir?!

[dendarii]

Well - it - I thought he was Lucifer trying to kill me, so of course I stabbed him.

[shipmaster]

Lucifer. The morning star. Fallen angel. Lucifer.

[Bel wasn't a GOOD theist, but there was ENOUGH of it there.]

I had seen the war propaganda too but that seems an especially... Loaded statement.

[dendarii]

I mean an entirely literal devil in this case, but yes. That Lucifer. We had a very bad feud with him, though I'm glad to say he's left. Just keep your distance if he shows up again.

[ A beat. ]

You should probably steer clear of Persephone as well.

[shipmaster]

I... [Another god? Bel didn't recognize that one. Or perhaps just a particularly nasty enemy... Whichever, Bel fell back to the Dendarii Gold Standard... When in doubt, shut up and follow orders.]

Yes, sir.

[dendarii]

[ Miles is certainly relaxing back into giving them, though he's going to need to brief Bel in more detail, probably ... preferably over wine. ]

Anyway. You didn't actually answer my question.