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

[jacksonian]

[ Bluntly: ]

Yeah.

[shipmaster]

[God. Is that possible? WHY IS IT POSSIBLE?]

When you say immortal, are we talking unkillable too? Because I have some objections.

[jacksonian]

[ He looks down, shrugging a bit. ]

A Baron of a House Major is basically unkillable as it is now.

[shipmaster]

Other Barons disagree and dammit, so do I. Find something else, I don't want a world where they're the only cockroaches surviving the nuclears.

[jacksonian]

[ His lips draw back from his teeth in a sudden burst of hatred. ]

Really? Because I wouldn't mind a world where you could find a hole to bury them in and they wouldn't ever be able to die down there.

[ There are parts of Mark, after all, that have really absorbed those lessons on being Barrayaran. ]

[shipmaster]

Oh. [The smile that rippled across the herm's face was in no way pleasant.] Oh. That's truly nasty.

[jacksonian]

Nothing they haven't earned.

[ Mark is ignoring his food for the moment, focused on a different sort of nourishment. ]

They don't even consider that immortality leaves them vulnerable in other ways. And there's no Dealing your way out of that.

[shipmaster]

But immune to a lot of the usual. I mean, if you were only eying one Baron, that's something.

[They turn back to their salad.] Artful even. But anyone rich enough to buy it? Nah. Not thought out.

[jacksonian]

[ He clenches his jaw, anger creeping back. ]

Capturing and killing aren't that different. On missions.

[shipmaster]

[Bel ... looks drolly over the table at Mark.]

Really. How many missions have you done?

[jacksonian]

[ Mark flushes. ]

I...I've had training, obviously.

[shipmaster]

Obviously. [The dry answer was ruined slightly as the herm glances back down to their arm. Some interesting colors are blooming there.]

Anyway. [They wave a slender hand.] I take it then, that you're not going to do that bait and switch on Earth, then?

[jacksonian]

Uh -

[ He swallows down his lump of steak half-chewed. It travels painfully down his gullet. And he buys time with an ingenious ploy: ]

Huh?

[shipmaster]

What do you mean, huh? That whole mess you started with us in the first place.

[jacksonian]

[ On Earth...Back home. Referring back to their own world. Not here. He doesn't have to explain how he already...did that bait-and-switch here... ]

It, uh...I don't want to.

[shipmaster]

[But might have to... is the unspoken rest of that. Bel's look shifted, sour but not unsympathetic.]

Good luck with that, then.

[jacksonian]

Uh -

[ He fidgets. That was an okay response, but he feels like...he didn't quite explain himself. So he tries: ]

Uh...When we go home, we...tend to lose our memories. So I might not remember everything here.

[shipmaster]

So.. none of this is going to matter?

[jacksonian]

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

Maybe not.

[shipmaster]

Well, that's distressing.

[jacksonian]

[ A shrug. ]

Some people are working on changing it.

[shipmaster]

That could get messy...

Or both of us out of hot water.

[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.