WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

[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?

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.

Comments

[warcolors]

"Oh. Maybe they'll last a few days. If they don't wander too far into any other densely populated areas. A neighborhood watch in Gotham could take them out in under six minutes," she says, watching. "They're really perky. I've never seen teenagers that perky. They're not drugged, are they?"

[khajidont]

"Nah, they're, uh, acting like the superheroes do on TV. I'm pretty sure none of them met them in real life, otherwise they'd know that they can be a little less peppy than that," Jaime admits with a little laugh. Superheroes can be, he knows, downright cranky. God help these kids if they ever have a run-in with a Bat he knows is lurking around here somewhere.

The bit about Gotham, though - that stands out. It always does. He glances over at her and says, "If you're from Gotham, we're probably from the same world - or a similar one. No Gotham exists here. No Gotham exists most places, I've noticed."

[warcolors]

"Some people might say that's a good thing about most places," she says, and looks away from the spectacle of fledgling superheroes to get a better look at this kid from, apparently, her world. Or a world like her world.

Maybe it's ego, or maybe she's just really desperate for things to start making sense, but she can't quite bring herself to believe she was brought here randomly. This world's obsessed with superheroes to the point of punching holes in reality to collect a whole set. That she's here and that she's Batwoman are probably not wholly unrelated things.

So, then, is there something she should know about this kid? He'd have some sort of superpower, sure, given that every new arrival seemed to be saddled with one.

To her credit, the mental scrutiny she's eyeing Jaime with is pretty indistinguishable from the usual Gothamite's wariness in dealing with literally any other human being in their personal space.

[khajidont]

"It's got a bad rep," Jaime acknowledges, but really, it's more than just a bad rep. He remembers that student that had moved to El Paso from Gotham and how all of his stories had been absolutely gripping to his fellow classmates, none of them able to discern what of these nightmarish situations were truth and fiction. Gotham is just weird enough for run-ins with horrifying supervillains on a normal day to seem downright believable. Kid was the most popular guy in school for a while.

"But a lot of my friends come from there, so it'd be a shame if I never got to meet them. Are you not from Gotham?"

[warcolors]

"That's a good way to look at it. I am, actually. My family goes back a long way in Gotham," which again, might be a good or bad thing. "We lived overseas a lot, but it was always home. The place we always went back to."

[khajidont]

"I'm pretty sure the people who call Gotham home are always the people who are hardest on it," Jaime admits with a wry sort of smile. It was true for most Gothamites he's run into, except for Batman. He doesn't dare badmouth Gotham in front of Batman. He's not sure what his reaction would be, exactly, but whatever it is? He doesn't want to be there for it. You have to love a city to devote that much of your time to it.

Jaime turns to Kate with a small smile and sticks out his hand. "If we're from the same place, we'll probably be seeing more of each other soon. I'm Jaime."

[warcolors]

"We love it, so we want it to be better," she says with a slight shrug, and takes his hand in a firm-but-not-crushing shake.

"Kate Kane," Which would explain the comment about her family. And might jog some memories of Gotham tabloids, if he was ever one to look at those, or certain gossip blogs. "It's nice to meet you, Jaime."

[khajidont]

"Oh! I have heard of you... I think. Sorry, I don't keep great track of that kind of thing," Jaime says, flashing a grin her way. And he's right, he doesn't pay much attention to it, or else he probably wouldn't have thought that Booster Gold was a fictional character. But the big families of Gotham get in more than the news, and it's hard to avoid at least peripherally hearing about them.

"At least you're pretty well-equipped to be here? It's a lot weirder for people who are from worlds without superheroes or anything like this. You settling in okay?"