etcelsior | 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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[At the address, the person in the armor stops, and behind the blank faceplate of the armor, stared. They set the brother of the two children down and grasp at the release, pulling off helmet and disruptor netting to gap at the Goddamn Emperor Of Goddamn Barrayar on a busy street on a weird shouldn't exist world. That has to be someone's nightmare. Not theirs, thank God.

(The children sound out disappointment that the person in the suit wasn't an alien "AW! Just a human!" and scramble off. On the other hand, the tech itself has a lot more casual adult interest.)

Gregor can probably watch the herm think quickly, calculating before settling on the name that Miles had given Bel on that frantic fast courier trip to Vervain.]

Greg. [HOW DO YOU EVEN SAY THIS? ... The worst way possible, and with good cheer:] You certainly get around.

Should I take that as I have an Admiral somewhere to report IN to?

[ It's been a while since he had a reaction like that and it is, dare he say it, satisfying. Odd to think he'd spent so long railing against his status and now that he's (mostly) out from under it, he's starting to appreciate it.

He quirks a self-aware little half-smile, accepting the teasing. ] You do. In this city, actually. And seeing as I had no choice in coming here, they had no choice but to let me out. [ Something Gregor hasn't stopped appreciating, honestly. ]

You don't sound put out.

[In fact, the guy certainly seemed a lot happier than the last time Bel had worked with him. Though, that was certainly explainable by the circumstances.

Bel tucks their helmet under their arm and cocks their head, looking over Gregor curiously. When does this sort of chance happen? Silly question.]

I could use a guide if you're heading back.

I'd think a Betan mercenary could understand the desire to see other things, [ he comments, which is neutral enough as not to be self-incriminating but pithy enough to keep the conversation going.

Gregor turns and gestures for the herm to join him. ] Certainly. He might be at the café; we should check there first. [ He knows exactly where he is, of course, but isn't ready to let on about the telepathy-- and for that matter isn't sure how Miles will decide to handle what to tell Bel about who he is.

He hopes he just tells them for simplicity's sake, since secrets like that aren't going to survive long, but he won't overstep his boundaries there either. ]

[That little detail brightened Bel's demeanor a few more notches.] Oh, that's right. Earth would have real coffee. Let's check there anyway.

[For their own side of things, Bel remains just as neutral. Would Miles keep themselves a secret from his own planet? It could explain a few things... Who knows how that insane mess they called a ruling class worked. They rather liked the errant nobility double life theory, as potentially unlikely as it was.]

How long have you been here? It seems wildly different from the Earth I'd dropped down on.

[ Right, Gregor had only had ship duty for a requisite year-- he hadn't had to endure the bulbs of instant coffee common to spaceships for very long. Certainly no one served the emperor instant otherwise. His only other experience with it was while he was a contract slave for that brief period, and that had been the happiest he'd been in months, so his memory was no doubt coloring that.

What will happen with Miles's mutually-secret identities will be worked out in time and exposure, so he might as well speculate about coffee. Gregor walks at a sedate pace. He's tall enough that his legs do most of the work without any speed applied. ]

Perhaps ten months now? Something like that. Your admiral arrived when I did, neither of us from anywhere near Earth. Is that where you were before this? [ Easing into the when-are-you-from question is probably wise. ]

[They let out a long, low whistle. Someone's nightmare indeed. They're really, really happy that's not their problem.] That's quite a stay.

Ah... as for Earth, I haven't been by the old cradle for four.. almost five years now. This one's a little less irradiated. Not for lack of trying, if the headlines are worth anything.

I haven't minded it, [ he says with a rather Gallic shrug. ] We'll all go back eventually, with no time passed. [ For better or worse. ]

It is very different here. Turns out a thousand years makes a considerable difference. [ Dryly, ] Even Barrayarans are considered futuristic.

[Bel Thorne, knowing damn will who this is, is bright with a sharp sort of irony. Their tone, at least, is more fond than... Completely derisive.]

Oh come on now. This place isn't that bad.

[ Since coming here, Gregor has learned how to strike a balance between his honest feelings on Barrayar (both criticism and devotion) and his necessary political face. Doing it with a Betan he barely knows is a new variant, but not altogether challenging. ]

We at least go off-planet; most people here barely conceive of that happening within their lifetime.

[The thought made them itch. Down the spine, all under the skin... Nothing off planet at all.]

I can't make sport of that. That's downright tragic.

Lies a place that few have seen.

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