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etcelsior2017-08-25 07:25 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2017-08-25 07:25 pm
Entry tags:
KEMOSABE, JUMP ON IT!
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?
No matter how you feel about imPorts, there is one thing the community all must suffer through together: the weather. And time. Two, two things the community must suffer through together. However many things there are, today is celebrating the Dog Days of Summer. Literally. There is an adoption fair for every kind of dog you can imagine, and a few that really take imagination to call them ‘a dog.’ Like cats that have had doggy ear-shaped hats placed on their unwilling heads, or fish with decorative dog art painted on their bowl. Or that baby alligator on a leash with fur (glued? It looks glued) on its back. So while it’s a fine day to come and meet a new friend- or drop one off and run, hoping someone else will take it- it may also be a good day to stop the smaller animals and some wandering children from getting eaten by some of the more carnivorous creatures a few of the local eccentrics have decided to try to pawn off on the public. Or grab a snack from the fried food and ice cream stands and watch the madness. Whatever your choice, welcome to Florida, heroes.
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!
Wasn’t the forgiveness day festival wonderful? What, you weren’t in this world yet to attend? Well, never mind that! There’s still time for those willing to part with a few dollars to show your love for this new world and sympathy for the natives and imPorts alike that have been harmed in it. How? Why with a flower festival, of course! An entire block has been closed off for the seemingly endless sale of flowers of every shape and color. Technically, all the flowers have meanings and a few wandering guides are more than happy to help you pick out the bunch that may speak your true feelings to your intended target. It has all the potential to be a nice, sweet smelling day where you can express your love or eternal hatred or total ambivalence with living flora.
Of course, this is the science city. It can’t be something as simple as only normal, natural flowers. Some of the stands are nice enough to keep their technological wonders neatly labeled and separate from the rest of the foliage. Others aren’t so nice. The best way to get people to try a new thing is to spring it on an unsuspecting public, right? Right! Also for sale are roses that, if you prick your finger on the (oddly able to pierce through even superhuman strong, unbreakable skin) thorns you are compelled to spend the rest of the day with the first person you lay your eyes on. Never seen them before or hate their guts, it doesn’t matter. You simply feel awful when more than three feet away from them. To the point you will pass out if you’re away from them for more than five minutes. Hope you’re good at making quick bathroom runs.
There are also lilies that make birds flock to you and snap dragonsthat offer you supportive messages given in a squeaky voice every time you smell it. For those liking slightly more visibly engineered flowers, a multicolored daisy turns you into a Technicolor wonder, your clothes, hair, eyes, and skin changing rapidly from color to color without any apparent rhyme or reason (or respect for clashing). Putting the flower down will stop the changes, but you’re stuck in whatever random pattern it landed on until an hour passes and the effect wears off. Good luck with the festival!
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?
To say all is not right in the streets of Maurtia Falls is to more or less state the obvious, but this time, the criminal nature of this foe is a little... sillier than usual. One gentleman gifted with the powers of superspeed seems not to have grasped the true potential of his powers and instead of spending his time robbing banks or big businesses, he's decided to be the world's most efficient pickpocket. He zips through the street, pushing people over at superspeed and picking their pockets and snatching their pockets, leaving only a brown blur in his wake, evidently having lost the memo that primary colours are all the rage for costumed heroes and villains.The more heroically minded among you may want to go after this villain or save a grandma or two that have been unintentionally pushed straight into traffic... but the guy has to stop to rest sometime, and he's really begging for a beatdown with this kind of behaviour.
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!
Today the word on everyone’s lips is branding. It’s not enough to slap on some spandex or hand stitch a mask these days. That’s so 80s. Now is the time not only to get your hero/villain costume professionally made, it’s time for sponsorship! Why should natives be limited to just having some registered imPorts actually working at their place of business? A cape is basically a big, open banner just waiting for a logo. Or ten. Now, they can’t really promise money up front for anyone agreeing to wear their logo and work their slogan into a witty quip during an arrest, but they can do one better: free products. Get all the free socks you can wear by only fighting crime in Jane’s Honey of the Earth socks, underwear, and bras. Or negotiate for free dinners for life if you wear the logo and agree to only appear on dates eating at Overweigh burger shack.
Of course, there’s nothing like an unlikely team up to really get the media spotlight on an imPort (and the brand they now represent). If you fall for the hype or even just get herded over to an audition station (if you are walking down the road today, chances are you’re going to get unwillingly pulled in at least once), get ready to meet your new partner: this random stranger! The company will give you 10 minutes to get to know each other, then it’s time to grin, bear it, and think of the free merchandise as they ask you to perform at least one heroic feat as a team for their cameras. What that is, exactly, is up to you.
no subject
I'm not bothered by the mundane. I am bothered by the unknown. Giorno, anyone who has admirers has enemies as well. And my I feel like you are familiar to me somehow. I don't like it.
[He scowls, tapping his long nails on his glass impatiently, but doesn't press any further. He is suspicious and his suspicions are known, which is the most important thing. Let the boy know that Dio is not so arrogant that he is not watching. Make no mistake, he is still assured of his victory, though.]
I think that's fair, isn't it? I don't know the whole story, so of course I'm interested in expanding the knowledge I have.
Though something dramatic would certainly be nice.
[He's read him right on that one. Dio loved the dramatic, but he simply could not deal with anything mundane. That'd just be so... boring.]
no subject
This ambiguity isn't threatening to begin with. In the end, both of us will get something from the other.
I've got nothing else for you. Compared to others, I suppose you can say that my intentions are quite straightforward.
no subject
He tapped his fingers on the table before them before raising his glass for another drink. So be it, then. He'd have to find things out the old-fashioned way. That meant always keeping his wits about him around this 'Giorno', though.]
So straightforward, hm. I'd say money, power, or sex are all also very straightforward. [He would not agree so much on 'wanting to learn from him' being very straightforward. Or maybe it was, and it was just not as easy as the things people usually wanted from him.]
Are you still sitting here hoping to hear tales from me, Giorno? Or... do you have some to share with me?
no subject
any thoughts of reaching to him on a more personal level are thrown out of the window, as if left to rot in the heat of an egyptian sun.
giorno drums his fingers on the table. being with dio is a constant test of wills. ]
You will not like my tales. I'm a student, before I got here. I lived in Naples, Italy. I have good friends and a difficult family, but what teenager doesn't. [ uh huh. this is like two truths and a lie now. giorno smirks; ignore the fact that it looks and feels oddly familiar. it's just the drink. just the lights. ] My record is clean. I didn't bring a transcript.
You, on the other hand. [ he swirls his glass, finishes the last bit of wine. ] My mother loved you. When drunk, she spoke of you warmly. You say sex is straightforward; her name, then, is not a matter of interest, nor is her background; it's nothing you haven't heard. But to ... someone with a fairly mundane life, it's enough to disrupt everything .... her admiration is an interesting break in an otherwise normal life.
You can tell me stories. I'd love to be indulged; what child doesn't? I wouldn't be able to tell if you're lying. But I feel in a world where everything is possible, even us meeting like this .... there's a truth in our interactions regardless of what we do or say. [ giorno is serene as he says it, smiling. ] And you are the one with the ability to suspend time.
no subject
[Dio raised his brows a little, his expression softening a little. He had met Enrico in Italy, hadn't he? Must have been when he met the boy's mother... right? Maybe. Who could be sure? A clean record certainly was a bore, though.
His suspicion is not erased, but it is eased at that. Just a little bit of information that made him feel less like the boy had ulterior motives.]
I did spend some time in Italy a few years ago, though I was in Rome for that time. [Whether he told the truth here or not didn't matter. As Giorno had said, there were no transcripts here. No record existed of anyone existed.]
Stories though. Hm. I take it you are interested in hearing about myself, then. I spent a lot of my time travelling, before coming here. What kind of things are you interested in hearing from me? [Because he could dive into philosophical bullshit, but he needed a springboard first.]
no subject
I often wondered what Egypt was like. Your followers - how did you find them? Why did they come to you? Who did you keep?
And ... how did you come to know your Stand's power? Who helped you train? How?
[ honestly, if he chose to do philosophical bullshit giorno would be ok with it too. but he wants to know about egypt first. ]
no subject
I love to travel, but I've been cut off from that since I got here. [Blasted government.]
About three years ago, an old woman found me. She said she wanted to see my potential, to help me to reach it, and reach beyond it. I gained my Stand then, and she joined my side as an adviser.
Surely you know how Stand Users attract each other. [Like moths to a flame, really, when it came to his own followers.] They flocked to me because of Gravity. Some had Stands at the time, others, I granted it to them. With them, my influence spread outward. Those who had no place in society. Those who felt helpless, those who were lost. Those who needed a reason for living. [For being a bunch of bungling assassins, Dio spoke highly enough of them.]
I learned of my own power by putting myself under duress. As you know, Stands will act on their own to defend their user if the need arises, and so I simply created a situation in which the need would arise. [You're going to have to loosen his lips a little more before you get any specifics, unfortunately. Dio loved to talk about himself, but he still was nowhere NEAR an open book.]
no subject
[ your son is nosy. he will continue asking until he gets somewhere. giorno leans back, looking pensive, a million ideas running through his head.
.... he can agree to dio saying that stands are moved to protect their owners from harm regardless, but .... is that what happened to diavolo? diavolo was condemned to an eternity of dying and never reaching the truth; how was that proportional, if ever, to the need of his stand protecting him? it made no sense.
and gravity. what was that term? ]
By 'gravity' - do you mean fate? What an odd term, even in the case of Stand users.
no subject
[There it was. The thing that had allowed Dio to learn of his Time Stop. Something that would kill any human, but would not have killed him. Perhaps The World had simply bored of all of the trials. He certainly had not been afraid of death in that moment.]
'Fate' is similar. Gravity in particular is as the name implies. Many planets rotating around, drawn to, a star. Or moons, encircling a planet. [Do you get it, Giorno? Dio is a Great Heavenly Body, and those drawn to him are simply pulled in by his Gravity. It's not a hard thing to put together.]
When you meet someone who can change your life, you cannot always escape their pull. This is true of many people, but it is what my followers were ultimately drawn in by. Fate had a hand in it, of course.
no subject
but it also means that his father would have to put him in deadly situations in order to push him, and dio - not his father, although even if he were his father and understood the consequences of that, does it make a difference? - doesn't seem like somebody who would hold back. he had no problems showing off his strengths and even talking about his stand abilities in length; this is not something to hide. no, he is proud of it, if anything else.
as for fate ... is that what happened in naples? meeting buccelati, mista, the rest of passione ... him achieving his dreams. was that fate too? it certainly makes sense that way ... and before that, weren't they drawn together by something else entirely? an arrow ...?
no, he has to watch himself. dio's terms and definitions are not his own, and he cannot make them his own. they are two very different beings. admiration aside, if he isn't careful, he'd be a follower like the users he spoke of, too. and what good is he if he lost his will to dio? that's not what he was here for.
you are here to learn, giorno reminds himself sternly. ]
Very well. Until it's proven otherwise - such a coincidence can be called 'fate' or 'gravity' for the lack of a better term amongst us.
Going back to your firing squad. Was that done repeatedly? Was the ability to stop time gradual? Is your control within its field absolute, or can it be broken?
[ giorno's mind turning, turning, sharpening the metaphorical knives within his brain, that look of viciousness in his face a bit out of place for an ordinary student, but it's there and he can't always hide it. or rather; he's never had a reason to do so. ]
no subject
My power in the stopped time is absolute. The World allows the very world to be at my fingertips. [Hence the name.] In this time, I am unstoppable, and I cannot be pulled out of it early. The duration of the stopped time had gradually grown since I got it, and it's potential is limitless.
Even now, it is much longer than it was when I'd arrived here. And believe me... in a fight, even just five seconds is like an eternity.
And yes, of course I had them firing at me repeatedly. Before I came here, it was how I forced my Stand to strengthen rapidly, and it has done so.
[He laughed, sounding casual as he brought his wine glass to his lips, responding to the intensity that had overtaken Giorno with calm serenity. Oh, he'd seen it alright, and it was noted, but Dio was in this not to overpower this young man, but to wear him down. He wanted information out of him too, and if that meant talking about himself to grab every scrap of relevant data about him, his questions, his reactions, his mannerisms... then so be it.]
no subject
his fingers are brought together on the table in a steeple, giorno thinking about his options as he regards him intensely. no matter how powerful he is, there is always the small matter of his death and defeat before his time. he would do well not to forget it. ]
Interesting.
You've spoken against my humanity before. I've already told you I'm quite partial to it. When did you lose yours?
no subject
It is debatable that I ever had any.
[Dio didn't sound upset at that. Really, despite not having been born inhuman, he couldn't exactly remember a time in which what he wanted was in line with anything 'human'. He was always ruthless, always willing to crush anyone or anything in his way to climb to the top, and never has he regretted a single minute of it.]
To be human is to realize your limits. To hit that ceiling, and to not break beyond it. Such a thing is useless to me. Why do you cling to yours so?
no subject
Let's grant that you've never had it in the first place. And I will also concede that going beyond humanity allows you to become powerful - godlike, in simpler terms, though I don't quite believe that idea. But like 'fate' and 'gravity', let's suppose these are things that are inevitable once you rid yourself of humanity. Regardless -
The human capacity to exceed beyond limits, precisely because of whatever fate is imposed in our lives, is well worth fighting for. More than that, it is contagious. The power imbued in an individual's strength of will can be inherited and transformed into an inevitability that rises out of adversity - and it is not unique at one point in time. You can stop individual actions. But you cannot predict someone's will to live. More than that, you cannot predict where power shifts years and years from now. I speak honestly when I say that you are dead in my time. I am more than interested in what circumstances someone as powerful as you would be destroyed, if only because I value your existence and would want that knowledge for my own. [ how's that for honesty. ]
More than that - inhumanity isolates you. And you know this quite well. You, who have gone beyond humanity, still had to rely on the weakness of strangers to achieve your goals. To become your namesake, Dio - I truly believe the only way to do such a thing is to erase yourself from existence.
[ when giorno speaks, he speaks fervently. intensely. that's because he's remembering venice.
and it's hilarious that he speaks of this right now, considering giorno's definition of humanity is so different. ]
I'm not interested in giving up my own. If need be, I will defeat you with everything I have.
no subject
Relying upon others is a weakness, you silly silly fool.]
The weakness of others is inevitable. All humans have their weaknesses. Whether it's being too Good, wanting too much, hoping too hard. Needing something, wanting something, searching for safety and security. There is no guarantee. Not a single person can say with certainty that they've become the strongest human being, as there is always someone or something stronger.
[Dio was not a human, and he was The Strongest. Whether or not Giorno believed him to be dead in his time.]
Furthermore, you use 'isolation' as a detriment, when it is not.
[He flashes his teeth at Giorno in a smile that was reminiscent of the snarl of a tiger. It was not a kind smile, nor even a supportive one. It was a challenge to meet the one put forth by Giorno.]
I look forward to proving you wrong.