etcelsior | WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

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WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

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?

Today it's not just imPorts that are making a scene. Given the relatively high approval rating imPorts still pull in here, maybe it shouldn't shock locals and imPorted arrivals alike that new native metahumans are using the city to debute their new spandex and catch phrases while they try and take their own bite out of crime. You know what they say about those darn kids these days though, too much time watching TV instead of say, oh, learning about martial arts or surveillance techniques. Or that the world doesn't actually pause when they start their dramatic entrances like it does on the small screen. There are five teenagers today, each one dressed in elaborate costumes modeled after different birds of paradise (click one of these if you really need examples). And you better believe each one has a dramatic entrance speech concerning truth, Justice, and the American Way, a dramatic pose, and a polysyllabic name to go through before they all strike a team pose and shout 'Birds Of Prey, Uncaged!'

During this time the lone criminal they had swooped down to stop has long since stared running away. Early in the morning, they did this whole production to stop a litterer. Mid-afternoon, a jay walker. Finally, in the evening, they actually try stopping a mugging. Of course the thief and the stolen goods are busy getting away during their intros, a fact the robbed citizen keeps shouting at them through the whole two minute long affair.

It's up to you, dear imPort, to catch these escaping misdemeanors or thief and bring them to actual justice (or, if you're really kind, hand them over to the birds), to stop and tell these kids to get off your darn lawn, to give them hero-ing tips or a real villain to fight against, or to just keep walking and pretend this whole mess never happened. The choice is yours.

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!

These questions are better asked inside, however, as a tornado warning has been released for the county. No, they haven't had one here since the 90s, but you can never be too careful! With the torrential downpour currently hammering the city, some enterprising business people have taken to offering storm themed sales of food, drinks, and appliances. Is there any better way to send the rainy day than on nickle shot night at the local bar, where you cannot only get dangerously intoxicated but also ride the newest in fun and games, the Freudian Mechanical Bull? Come one come all and see how long you can stay clinging on as the bull bucks you physically and emotionally, spitting out catchy psychological phrases like 'do you think this will make your father love you?' or 'riding me for five minutes will never fix what you've done.' The bull will detect which sentences seem to get the best effect and keep barring down on that path. Sensitive about your mother? Better believe the whole bar is about to hear a lot about it.

Or if you're not up for that much fun, you can aid worried citizens in securing their homes and businesses against the possible storms. Help them board up holes in roofs, cast wards on their windows, or just point them towards the nearest insurance agent. Surely you wouldn't take advantage of them and sell them devices they don't need or learn where they keep their valuables and how to reach them at a time like this would you?...would you?

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?

Today is the semi-annual (that no one can quite seem to remember ever happening before) balloon festival. From dawn until well past midnight imPorts and natives alive can pay a small fee to ride in a beautifully colorful hot air balloon solo or in pairs. There is also wonder fried food and face-painting for the whole family. If this seems all a little too innocent and family friendly, don't worry. This being the Falls, there's always a chance for the morally flexible (or horribly naive) to make a little extra money. Some balloons are offering special, 100% totally free in no way catch-possessing deluxe rides to certain 'winners.' Strangely, it appears to 'win' all one has to do is agree to ride the hot air balloon over to another city, drop off one of the 'sand bags' attached to the side at a designated place, pick up a few new 'sand bags' and fly back! Those that can pilot their own balloon rather than needing a guide will be paid extra- they mean, win an extra special prize.

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. Natives may gather around new arrivals and ask both personal and broad questions about life as an imPort, what they are looking forward to, what their favorite article of underwear is. A few night clubs offer free entrance - just this once!

But you'll have to excuse the mess. See, a little while ago the city was a real zoo. Animals running everywhere, smashing store windows, eating aquariums, you know how these things can go. In fact, there are still a few stay old world monkeys jumping around, and maybe a baby gator or two in the sewer or prairie dogs in the parks. A small reward is still being offered for their rounding up.

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Well Heropa is no Hawaii, and this was hardly a vacation. It'll certainly be a new experience! They may as well attempt to enjoy it.

"That can be true from time to time..." he admitted, though he hoped it wasn't ALWAYS true. Sometimes a nasty crime boy needed to keep his head low and blend in, after all! "I would hope you could recognize me either way." They were pretty good friends by this point, weren't they? And Yusuke didn't have a lot of those.

"I hope to always recognize you."

Yusuke had an easier time making friends here than he had back home. He hadn't been here long enough to call anyone as close as his fellow Phantom Thieves, but people here were more accepting than they were back home. Not only tolerant of, but curious about his various eccentricities. He thought that the shared trauma of being kidnapped from their homes might be the basis for some level of kinship. Or that the Porter favored victims of extraordinary circumstances that could identify with each other easier than the average Kosei student.

None of that could hope to compare to a friendly face that he knew, that he trusted, that he had faced inevitable death with. His face was decorated with a strong, satisfied smile, usually reserved for when he put the last stroke of paint on a finished canvas.

"Just around the corner."

Really, Akira felt similarly relieved to find Yusuke. He had only been here for a short time and hadn't really met anyone, but it would have been terribly lonely to go into a new world without any of his friends. Briefly, his thoughts flitted through all of their faces, wondering what they were doing, where they were.

Surely, they were fine, he decided as he saw that satisfied grin on Yusuke's face. "I have no doubt that I'll be able to catch your eye", he joked a little, turning the corner as it's pointed out.

"Ah! There?" he asked, looking to a small diner that looked rather flashy! The walls were red and chrome, and he could see black and white checkered tiles inside. That with the neon lights... It almost looked like something from Shinjuku.

Yusuke tried (and failed) not to think about his friends back home too much. Their fight was over, after all, they had nothing left to fear but the stresses of every day life. He was confident that they would all be fine without him. Akira was a different story, but everyone had managed alright before. Even Futaba.

They were pushed from his mind when they stepped foot in the diner. Whatever was cooking made his stomach rumble, he had made such a habit of ignoring his hunger that he didn't realize how strong it was until there was food right in front of his face. The artist smiles politely at the waitress as they are seated, before turning his attention back to Akira.

"Please tell me you've been assigned here, to Heropa."

"I have", he answered Yusuke as they were seated, Akira calmly smoothing out his clothes as he sat down. "I take it you have as well?" That would explain him knowing the place. And of course he wouldn't sound as if he were pleading with the gods of fate to be kind to him otherwise, right?

"I hear there are other cities that they house imPorts in, but this one is the biggest." He's also heard it was a fairly good neighborhood, but he was still unsure. America was very different from Japan, and maybe teens shouldn't be wandering the streets at night here.

He nods.

"There are three more. All of them are friendly enough. Maurtia Falls is, supposedly, quite corrupt, but my first visit was pleasant, city-wide dancing enchantments aside."

Wait a second. "City-wide... dancing enchantments???" Akira was not entirely sure he liked how that sounded. It was like a status ailment, he guessed, but with dancing? And city-wide.

Other than that, a city that is supposedly corrupt sounded like a good project for the Phantom Thieves... if only more of them were here.

"It was like being charmed in Mementos," he explains, not nearly as concerned about it as Akira. "Except instead of attacking my companions, I felt an inexplicable need to sing and dance with them. I now have a ballroom dance partner, should I ever need one."

But really, that's not important. Yusuke's tone turns more serious, his eyes darting around to ensure their privacy instead of looking through the menu.

"There is another Persona user here. And he says there used to be more."

Well, that's not quite as terrible as it could have been, but then, he hadn't experienced it, and he'd remain a little bit concerned about the prospect.

Akira lifted his menu as if he were looking through it as Yusuke's tone shifts. "Another one...? Hmm." After Akechi, he wasn't 100% on trusting them immediately. "Tell me more."

He wishes he had exercised the same caution. There were still details left unexplained, but as of now, he believed that Adachi was being truthful with him. He had no reason to think otherwise, besides the fact that he barely knew him.

"Tohru Adachi is his name. He told me that he has been here for two years, and that it was two thousand and twelve when he was brought here from a small town called Inaba. There was another team of Persona users there, before us. And a few years before that, there was another, in Iwatodai."

Yusuke pauses, gently rubbing the side of his head with a finger. He doesn't enjoy thinking about this, there's nothing he can do about it from here, and it's easy enough to ignore when it was just himself and some grown detective who liked to play the fool.

"What if our victory was another lie?" He asks, quietly. "What if all we accomplished was dumping our problems on the next group?"

Hindsight is 20/20, they say. Akira couldn't really blame Yusuke though, it would be easy to cling to something familiar in a world like this. Dragged away from friends and anything familiar, he was just doing what anyone would.

"Tohru Adachi..." He silently chewed on the name, committing it to memory, though it was less important for him to be addressed right this moment than it was for him to address Yusuke's question.

"What we did was right", he said confidently. "We didn't have the choice not to act if we wanted to survive, and we helped countless people." Yourself included, Yusuke. But he wouldn't say that, that was unkind and unfair. He understood his hesitance, after all. "Our victory was a won battle, even if the war isn't over. And if it isn't... we'll rise again. Because the world will not be changed overnight, even after such a dramatic night. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing, and so Akira would do something. Any time it was necessary.

"I know that. I have no doubt that what we did was right," Yusuke said firmly. "Only that it was enough. We cannot continue to rise against evil in our own world if we are trapped here."

Akira didn't have to say it. Yusuke knew, without the Phantom Thieves he would still be alone, still be strung along like a puppet by a deranged would-be artist. His fellow students had ended up continuing the cycle of abuse or taking their own lives, he could have easily wound up in the same trap.

But the seed of rebellion had been planted in him, and a change of locale wasn't enough to stifle it.

"I want to continue our work here, but there is...conflicting information. I do not yet know which path to take."

Akira offered Yusuke a warm smile, not wanting this to seem so dire. "We'll just have to do what we can to get back", he said, putting it as if it were really that simple. This world was important too, but he could admit that he was a little more worried about his own. There were plenty of super people here.

"We should do as we always have and walk our own path, don't you think?" They'd do what they could here, but it seemed much more daunting. With superpowers in the mix, the fact that they were being held hostage by a foreign government, stuck in a world that wasn't their own... He could only imagine how much work would have to go into helping such a world.

"I don't think there is ever such thing as 'doing enough.' Especially in the case of social reform. We'll keep working on it here and back home whenever we get back, and we have to trust the others to continue on in our stead until then."

He gave a light laugh. "It'll all work out."

It was pretty dire. That wouldn't be any surprise to Yusuke, who had been here for a month and was still regularly disturbed by things he didn't know or hadn't considered. That Akira seemed to be taking this so well was a small comfort. He hoped that his fellow thief wasn't keeping cool just for his sake.

There was no way of knowing whether things would work out or not, but now that Yusuke had him, it was feeling a lot more likely.

"There are imPorts who have been here for years, and some who leave as quickly as they came. The consensus is that we are at the Porter's mercy," he continues. "It is locked in the government military base, and they claim they have no control over it. There are plenty of people who don't believe that."

If he was not keeping calm, he would probably never stop freaking out, so it was likely for his own sake as much as Yusuke's. Maybe he could show how worn down he was once he got to his new home, and he could collapse on his bed. What a long day.

"Well, I've never really been one to just believe what the government says", he said, sighing. Of course, that didn't mean he was thinking of breaking in to check things out. Not yet, anyway. Just him and Fox? That's a real big risk to take for probably no reward. They could what? Tap on the Porter? Try to listen for someone saying something about it?

"Let's not rush into anything. Just blend in the best you can, and keep your ears open."

Yusuke had done plenty of listening and blending, as much as it was possible for a guy like him to blend in, at least. But...

"I am afraid your advice comes too late," he says with a sigh, before hushing his voice even further, barely above a whisper. "There is a fledgling resistance movement, to call the government on their lies and stop any further injustice towards imPorts. I want to believe them. It sounds good on paper, but in practice...it's suspicious. There are no clear goals, everyone uses a code name, I have no idea where the money is coming from, and the leader sounds like Shido, only stronger. I've been keeping an eye on them. With Adachi-san."

Ah, that was a bit of a bigger problem. Akira leaned forward, his elbows on the table as he took a moment, closing his eyes and placing his hands over his mouth and nose as a disappointed parent might to keep themselves from yelling. He had no such thing in mind, but there was a little bit of disappointment. Dealing with someone like Masayoshi Shido wasn't going to be an easy task, especially a more powerful one who seemed to be leading some silent rebellion.

"I think the best you can do is try to use them to the best of your ability", he said after some time. "I don't know if I trust this 'Adachi' much yet, but I'll leave that to your discretion. Just... I hope you do not share much about us with him or anyone else." Who knows what could happen then?

"I am guessing you have joined them, to have this information?"

The silence was painful. Obviously, nothing Yusuke said was good news to dump on someone who hadn't even had a chance to get on his feet yet. When he made his agreement with Adachi, he didn't know when or if anyone else he knew would be coming here. His foolish assumption was that they wouldn't, that nobody else would have to get dragged into his half-baked, unplanned mess.

Akira's hesitation said it all.

"I have," he confirmed. "And I have spoken with him about our struggles. Not in great detail, only the basics. He is the only one here who could understand. At least, in part."

He averts his eyes, from Akira down to his fingers, drumming gently against the table.

"Maybe I am naive, but I trust him. He can be difficult to work with, but his intentions are good. Your opinion matters a great deal to me, though."

Yeah, this was... tough. Even for Akira, who usually weathered things well. This was kind of forcing him into a weird position.

"I haven't met him yet, so I can't cast judgement." That was the best he could offer for the time being. He didn't trust anyone without meeting them, and not generally right away after that, but he wasn't going to tell Yusuke to stay away without any reason. After all, he could be a good guy.

Either way, it paid to cultivate relationships. "Anyway, let's order some food, alright? We can't deal with everything right now, especially not on an empty stomach."

A fair response. He wouldn't ask Akira to join him, only to understand.

"You're right. I'm feeling like breakfast."

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WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

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