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

[small_reservations]

That's all kinds of messed up.

[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.

[resipiscent]

Nice, huh?

[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...?

[small_reservations]

[Yeah, he's got a great arm. Maybe he'll get into baseball, but it's probably against the rules to have an imPort playing in the Major Leagues.]

I dunno, tech is weird here. If they're learning from other universes...

[They could theoretically be infinitely advanced, in those labs they're never allowed back in. It doesn't really require saying.]

[resipiscent]

[You'd think so, but with the way imPorts can pretty well have any job, it might be more possible than would be initially apparent. Riku frowns at the idea, though, drumming his fingers on the arm of his chair.]

Well, the thing with that is -- even if they can send observational technology into other universes, how do they get it back? They can't send us back on purpose -- that much is clear, since, again, they'd get rid of troublemakers if they could -- so how would they be able to relay information?

[He shakes his head, tugging at a chunk of his hair.]

I try not to think on this sort of thing too hard. I don't know enough about how this stuff works, so speculation gets frustrating.

[small_reservations]

Maybe they're trying to get information and getting people is a side effect.

[That's his last conspiracy theory for now, though.]

You've got a point there. Sorry for being all doom-and-gloom, it's just. Frustrating.

[He's spent his entire Nobody existence not being told anything. It's definitely frustrating that even being locked into a new world and injected with nanites hasn't changed that.]

[resipiscent]

No, I get it. They keep us in the dark about enough, it's natural to get frustrated.

[At least there aren't Heartless to deal with here, though that would be easier on the brain.]

I think you'll find, at least, you'll have more time to yourself compared to back in our universe. No shady objectives to work toward, unless you count whatever the government gets up to.