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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?

In the wake of the recent blackout, neighborhoods are coming together to repair damage done by miscreants and share resources. In one of the commercial areas, retailers are taking advantage of the mild weather to hold a sidewalk sale. New arrivals and long-settled imPorts alike will receive a small discount at most stores, and while a few locals give them envious looks, many are just interested in what they might buy. You could set a trend, hero!

02. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter than Heropa, there are still large numbers of citizens to be 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 remains high here, 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, favorite foods, and more!

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has had its ups and downs since imPorts started reappearing. Several imPort heroes have put focused efforts into cleaning up the streets of this somewhat infamous city, while others have swooped in to help the criminal industry thrive. More so here than the streets of any other imPort city, the battle between good and evil looks more like a war of escalation than a heroic tale. That might make the less than warm welcome imPorts are given in the city a little more understandable. The emergence of locals with superpowers is hardly helping. While some of these individuals have turned to crime, many locals seem more inclined to defend their native powered drug dealer than help the non-native hero bring them to justice. Who are you to tell them how to live?

There's still snow on the ground in Maurtia Falls, and some locals have decided to hold an impromptu snowman-sculpting contest. But...wait. That one looks familiar! Some of the snow people are definitely meant to be imPorts, but they aren't exactly flattering likenesses.

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. To be American is to be part of a melting pot, and that there’s more money to be made by the thriving local industries hardly hurts.

Go wander and get your shopping in, folks. Any imPort willing to be interviewed about how their New Year Resolution is going is instantly surrounded by a small gaggle of people.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You never know, given some imPorts.

[Hey Lirael, does she look familiar? This Sabriel is younger than the one Lirael knows- younger than Lirael even- and dressed in clothes that blend in to this world, although the sword and bells rather ruin the effect. Sabriel tilts her head, spotting the Charter mark, and feeling the magic in the other woman's hand. Carefully, Sabriel extends her own gloved hand in greeting.]

I didn't expect to meet someone else from the Old Kingdom. My name is Sabriel, the- current Abhorsen.

[ Whatever answer Lirael was preparing dies in her lips when she realizes who is she talking to. Way too young, but it's impossible not to recognize the person she admires the most, even if she's younger than herself. Coughing to collect herself, Lirael stands up; her own set of bells and Remembrancer tools lie inside her backpack on the bench, where her own sword sticks out of. ]

I'm- my name is Lirael.

[ The golden hand is glaringly mechanical, but it moves with the deftness of one made of flesh. Still, the handshake is brief. Lirael can't focus on proper social practices right now. ]

I am the current Abhorsen in training.

[It's an amazing work of Charter magic- like nothing Sabriel's seen before. Still, if Lirael is an Abhorsen's heir... She's most likely from a different time.]

Either Ab- father forgot to tell me we had other family, or we're from different times. This place- or rather, what brought us here- often plays such tricks. Tell me, how long has it been since the start of the interregnum? [It seems the best reference point. She could be from before then, or perhaps from some point after Sabriel's own- in which case, she'll know whether she'll succeed or fail in at least one possible future.]

It's good to meet another member of the family though.

Edited 2017-02-01 03:41 (UTC)

[ Ahahaha dad you card.

The thought of lying to Sabriel crosses her mind, once, then she dismisses it forever. She can't lie to her sister. Not now, not ever. That's just out of the question. ]

Ah...this is a bit awkward to say, but as for the interregnum, the important thing about it is that it has ended. You ended it, from my perspective of time. And you will from yours I suppose. Hopefully my saying of this doesn't affect our world negatively.

[ No, she won't lie, but she won't burden Sabriel with information beyond of what she needs to know. It would be like taking away any semblance of freedom she has here. ]

Also...we're half sisters from father's side. I never actually met him though, as I believe his relationship with my mother was grounded on necessity. For you see, I am a daughter of the Clayr, even though I obviously take from father in terms of looks.

[ Cue awkward fidgeting. ]

I'm supposed to be several years younger than you, too.

Edited 2017-02-01 04:13 (UTC)

[Sabriel feels some tension deep inside of her ease, a worry she'd shoved deep down and tried to avoid thinking about suddenly vanishing. She exhales.]

From my own experience, when we're returned to our worlds, we don't remember this one- and we're returned at the exact moment we left.

[But Lirael's words give her pause.]

How many years, exactly? Father- his duties took up much of his time, but he loved me, and I cannot imagine him ignoring any of his children.

[ That actually helps her relax a bit, but Lirael remains convinced she best not divulge too much. It's just not safe to do so. ]

It's been for as long as I've been alive; nineteen years. I'm afraid Father and Arielle- my mother, they met once, at the very end. I suppose my mother was guided by the Sight and the Abhorsen felt inclined to oblige.

[ Yeah, talking about her conception like it's no biggie. ]

I believe he didn't have the chance nor the time to properly meet me.

...The union did prove...interesting. I'm actually a Remembrancer, the first in centuries. As the Clayr look into the future, I do the past.

I see. [And suddenly, impulsively, Sabriel steps forward and wraps her arms around Lirael in a tight hug before stepping back.]

I- haven't heard of Remembrancers before, but there is much father didn't tell me about the Old Kingdom.

[Sabriel pauses.]

It is good to see you though. Has anyone explained about the nature of this place, or our general situation here.

[Don't worry Lirael, big sister is going to explain everything.]

[ The hug catches her by surprise, but she manages to put a hand on Sabriel's back and give her a couple of pats before she pulls back. ]

Oh well, we see the past as the Clayr sees the future. It involves entering Death, though.

[ She blurts all that while looking at somewhere over Sabriel's head. Definitely a younger, more amicable Abhorsen. ]

I understand the basics, but beyond that... I'm rather lost.

Then you may have... difficulties here. The path into Death is barred- for me at least. It's possible that whatever brought us here altered my powers, or the nature of this world is simply different from the Old Kingdom. [Possibly. It's not like she had another Abhorsen around to compare notes with.]

There are dangers here beyond the Dead, and no less dangerous.

Oh, I did notice my connection to Death has somewhat...waned. I suppose I'll have to find a workaround, if it's needed.

[ She's not all that bothered by not being able to enter Death, really. That place will never not give her the creeps. ]

And that does not surprise me at all, I'm afraid. Hopefully you haven't had a hard time here?

I can show you what I've learned about how Death operates in this world. While Death itself is inaccessible here, spirits seem to linger in Life on occasion- unseen by most, an apparently not preying on the living, unless they're altered in some form. And it's possible to call them

[Sabriel is bothered, for all that Death is unnerving. But then, she's been walking into it since she was 12, far longer than Lirael.]

I've managed. There are things I don't entirely understand about this world's history, but I've been investigating, and have joined an organization called RISE. We're imPorts who work with the government to stop things the local authorities can't deal with.

I would like that, yes. [ The brief explanation only opens more questions than it gives her answers, but she knows it's best to give it some time for it all to sink in. ] At least that's one less worry for us while here.

[ If there's no immediate need to scourge the world of evil undead they might even manage to have something resembling a life here. ]

Are there many things the government can't deal with?

[Well, Sabriel's on... bad terms with those Dead imPorts that exist, but the bigger obstacle is that Sabriel tends to charge towards any problem that presents itself. Even at this age, she's obsessed with responsibility.]

Many things, yes. Ultimately, it's other imPorts, and those forces in this world that seek to either harm us or use us for our own ends that are the greatest threats. This country is in a state of conflict with another, called the Soviet Union, or Russia. Even though many imPorts have... minimal loyalty to America at best, the Soviets see us as weapons, and a threat that must be controlled.

As for other imPorts... a handful are Dead, but the nature of the Porter means it's not possible to force them to truly die. A few of them are something close to Free Magic spirits, and others simply want to use their powers to benefit themselves, regardless of the consequences.

TIME TO GET READYYYYYY

Maurtia Falls

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