maskormods: (Default)
Mask or Menace | MODERATORS ([personal profile] maskormods) wrote in [community profile] 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.
 
herrstory: ([ 03 ])

[personal profile] herrstory 2017-09-18 03:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ When he heads back into the curtain, Herr Starr DEFINITELY does not expect to be greeted by a naked southern man. And he is certainly taken off guard, looking down at his leash, then the man, then the man's genitals, and back to the leash -- or more specifically his hands. ]

They said we now have powers of our own, but I was certain it was one of their lies to get me out of there.

[ Starr looks down at the leash, uncertain whether it was that or his own hands that turned Sam from dog to very naked man. But. ]

How do I turn you into a hot, naked woman instead?
shifting: (Following a laser pointer)

[personal profile] shifting 2017-09-18 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[there's a delay in Sam's response and an absolutely baffled expression.]

No, it's my goddamn power, asshole. I'm a shapeshifter. You - [he shifts his attention from the leash to the (now much tighter) collar around his throat, two hands moving to unbuckle it.] - went and put a collar on a goddamn person, not a dog.

Not that I expect that to matter much, since that's what you were doin' in the first place when I saw you. What the hell was that?
Edited 2017-09-18 05:02 (UTC)
herrstory: ([ 01 ])

[personal profile] herrstory 2017-09-18 06:50 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh.

[ A mildly disappointed 'oh.' But he adjusted his tie and cleared his throat. No matter. ]

Then you should turn into a hot, naked woman instead. Your genitals are distracting me while we speak. I find myself unable to look away.

[ His eyes lingered on Sam's crotch unnervingly. ]

But I am certain that must be something you hear a lot.

[ Clearly this is a more important topic than talking about why he had collared a metahuman. ]
shifting: (Guide dog)

[personal profile] shifting 2017-09-19 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
[Sam tosses collar and leash to the ground at the other man's feet, taking a moment to rub at his neck. Starr's request (and complaint) meet with an incredulous, prolonged stare of Sam's own. The shapeshifter has long since grown used to being naked around other people, so it surprises him just how perturbing he's finding Starr's continued, focused attention.

...Yeah, no, that has to stop.
]

Look up anyway, [he suggests, casually relying on his Whisper to ensure his new, erratic friend complies. Still, Sam grabs a spare promotional poster from a pile sitting nearby to hold for modesty's sake - covering himself on two fronts, as it were.]

And I don't hear it is as often as you'd think. I'm also not that sort of shapeshifter, so you're gonna have to get your hot, naked women the old-fashioned way. ...Which I want to be on record sayin' shouldn't involve more leashes.

[normally that's something a person shouldn't have to clarify.]

Now - who the hell are you?
herrstory: ([ 04 ])

[personal profile] herrstory 2017-09-19 11:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ It's almost compulsive, the way his eyes fly to Sam's face. But the whisper does far more than simply get him to obey. It causes him to look at this naked man in a whole new light. Southern drawl, mid to late thirties, could be a dog, and could compel a man to do as he pleases with simply his voice? This is Jesse Custer 2.0. And could very well be his ticket toward a more controllable future here in this world.

As far as Herr Starr was aware, they did need a Messiah in this place. A place where God didn't even exist. ]


My apologies for the first impression. It all had been intended to be a very lucrative joke.

[ A joke. Sure. ]

My name is Herr Starr. And you are...?
shifting: (Old dog; New tricks)

[personal profile] shifting 2017-09-20 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
...Sam Merlotte.

["Herr Starr" sounds like a name out of a Bond movie, but okay. Fake name or not, it's more than he had before.]

And if that was a joke - [he turns, targeting a second nearby prop box to rummage for clothing.] - you're gonna want to work on your routine. I don't think you're ready for the Apollo yet.

[a few promotional T-shirts, a child's costume cape, a poodle skirt with a literal embroidered poodle on it. Jesus. This stage must not get a lot of regular use. Sam grimaces at his options.]

So, you already gave away that you're an imPort. Did you just arrive?
herrstory: ([ 03 ])

[personal profile] herrstory 2017-09-21 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
[ Starr watched Sam in his clothing plight, not bothering to rush to his aid. After all, the poodle skirt might very well look fetching on him. ]

I have. I am about as new to this as a young, nubile virgin. And yet, I find it not strange at all to be exposed to a world of powers and powerful men.

[ He looked over Sam, avoiding his crotch region due to the still remaining effects of the whisper, but he could still look upon the man's backside when he turned. What a toned buttocks, he thought to himself. Just a passing and completely straight thought that would be normal for any person to observe. ]

You are the Ambassador, are you not? For De Chima. Your name was given to me upon arrival.