Mask or Menace | MODERATORS (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
maskormods) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
etcelsior2017-09-24 10:02 am
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2017-09-24 10:02 am
Entry tags:
I PUT THEM TO BED, NOW THEY ARE DREAMS, AND WE GO --
T E S T D R I V E M E M E
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 ON THE TEST DRIVE MEME!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. Many of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation and their local troubles, while others might not say anything -- but if you have something nasty to say, better not say anything at all, right? That's just the Heropan way.
But despite the relatively small size and mostly easy-going population, this here is not a city immune to the urbane ways of the world. And Heropa, like the rest of the world, adheres to the calendar of this universe. You, fine imPort, have just happened to land squarely on SING LIKE YOU'RE IN A MUSICAL DAY! Wowee! Locals and tourist natives alike will conspire to cajole you into singing your GREATEST WISHES and CLOSING ACT songs. And, oh, you don't feel like singing? Then BEWARE of anyone spritzing a sweet-smelling yellow perfume at you -- that's a lasting vestige from the crumbled HEAVEN SCENT corporation, still on the market, and it will COMPEL YOU TO SING. Even if it's for a few minutes, you'll be singing a few bars. It's nothing personal, the locals just want you to feel like you belong.
Happy Sing Like You're In A Musical Day!
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! Those words have meaning here. 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 or recently published PLoS papers. 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. Some of them MAY ask if you personally know the De Chima Ambassador, Sam Merlotte. Beware if you answer in the affirmative; anything from personal questions about romantic chances to bedroom habits to dietary queries might come up!
If you wander the clean streets beneath those chrome and glass skyscrapers, you'll come upon the limited greenery clearing that De Chima possesses. You'll see a live demonstration in the middle of small Newton Park. A live demonstration! Of what, you ask! Of the start-up company DeCRYPTO CANINE! You'll find a fenced little area in the park fitted for a low-rise stage. On that stage are lots of dogs -- terriers, labradors, dachshunds, huskies, even a great dane or two. Around the collar of every one of these dogs is a glowing blue band encapsulated in a silver framing. When the demonstration begins (at the push of a big red button on a remote control), the glowing blue changes to yellow, to green, or to red -- all depending on the dog.
"Communication with our good canine buds!" Says the woman on the stage with the microphone and the remote. "DeCRYPTO CANINE translates blood pressure and adrenaline into mood, and mood into limited speech! At long last!"
Who let the dogs out? This woman, because she opened the fencing floodgates and these dogs ran to greet the waiting audience. Wagging tails -- green! And a computerized voice says "YOU ARE NEW HELLO I SMELL YOUR BUTT NOW WE ARE FRIENDS".
Whimpering, lowered tails -- yellow! Concern! "YOUR CROTCH SMELLS BAD. ARE YOU SICK."
Tense shoulders, hunched posture -- red! "BAD MAN BAD MAN BAD MAN!"
What will these dogs reveal about you?
03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has carried a reputation for ups and downs ever since imPorts began reappearing again, just those few years prior. Several imPort heroes have put focused efforts into cleaning up the streets of this somewhat infamous city, while a handful of others had 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 -- but that war waging is taking a turning tide thanks to the order and regulation established by Ambassador Petyr Baelish. Locals know him best for his library and his hardline on containing the criminal element. Trustworthy guy, they'll tell you. But one man's leadership isn't enough to clean up a troubled city in a year's time; everything from the classic bank heist to brutal bloodbaths can happen around the corner. You have to keep your eyes open and your mind sharp when you live in Maurtia Falls.
Case in point: the two cars screeching down the bust, bustling streets of this noir-styled city. A green car and a red car, both sedan styled, dodging and weaving through midday traffic like they had learned to drive at a bumper car rally. Not too far behind is the wail of several police sirens. You know that the police are too far away, that these speeding vehicles might make it to the off-ramp freeway and get home-free -- what do you do about it? Huh, hero? What do you do?
NOTHING
Just go about your business. Crazy day, huh?
CHASE THE GREEN CAR
Going 79 MPH in a 35 MPH zone, that'll be some chase. Careful about the other vehicles, parked cars, pedestrians. But when you catch up to the fleeing vehicle, beware: the lady in the passenger side is armed. The lady in the driver's seat is armed. The guy tied up in the trunk is not armed. These sunglass-wearing bounty hunters will fire at you, they are armed and dangerous. They are mean. They will not humor your shit. And they are hauling tail trying to...
CATCH THE RED CAR
If you pursue the red car first, you will find a very angry Bonnie and Clyde type couple with hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of diamonds and jewels in their backseat. They have a bazooka.
04. Nonah, North Carolina, has its own unique rhythm; it is 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. They probably already think they know what Ambassador Miles' favorite article of underwear is -- and it's probably a kinky assumption. Whoops!
If you prefer to dodge the unsavory bustle, take a walk downtown into the heartbeat district. There you can find the throbbing nightclubs and dazzling haute bars. And as a newly arrived imPort, you're invited to the VIP lounge of the hautest bar in town: THE TIPPING POINT. It is a very fancy affair, however, so if you're not dressed to the nines, you WILL be taken care of and given a designer suit or cocktail dress to borrow for the evening. All you have to do in return is smile for the cameras! And there WILL be cameras, along with B-List celebrities hobbing at your elbows. Lucky night for you if you're JUST at the legal drinking age, but not quite there -- this lounge doesn't card. So sit down, take your gin and tonic, and smile.
duo maxwell jr. | gundam wing: frozen teardrop
03. 🛰 IT'S A GUNDAM!!
04. 🃏 Pick a card, any car- no, not that one.
05. 🎲 aka WILDCARD
1 | son no
[It wasn't enough that his kid had to be dropped into his lap when he was right in the middle of a number of dangerous criminal under-cover operations, had enemies on all sides, and other collateral to worry about in the form of the churches; no, that wasn't enough. The Porter had to give him the most potentially dangerous and obnoxious possible powers, too.]
[Get bent, Lachesis. Seriously. Is his pain that funny to you??]
[As soon as he sees the familiar form of the Gundam swerving around downtown, he's speeding towards it on his bike, not for anything to actually do with the Gundam itself; he's looking for the source of it. It doesn't take him long to spot the little brat close to the action, hiding away in a corner while he cast his little "spells", but hey- being undetectable had its merits, too.]
That's enough. [He scolds, giving him a flick in the back of the head, then popping his hand down on top of it as he becomes visible to his son.] What the hell are you doing? Gundams are government secrets that thankfully don't exist here, and you're going to go ahead and give these bozos bad ideas?
son yes, dad pls, etc.
kidguy going to make a name for himself here if you just up and tell him NO like that? Sheesh, parents.But that flick to the back of his head accompanied with the hand after has poor Warlock there fizzle for a second. Loss of concentration on these illusions = the jig is up, thanks pops. ]
Yo! What's the big idea?! Can't ya see I was in the middle of something here?!
[ Totally didn't hear anything you said, pops. ]
ugggghhhhhhh
[And with that Duo draws his gun and, aiming for just a split second, silently shoots out 3 or the car's tires, sending it spinning out again. CRNCH.]
That's how you show off, kiddo. [He grins, strained] No need to overdo it.
[See? Learn from dad's example.]
whatever dad
For now, Jr. here gives his old man a sour look if there ever was one, clearly unimpressed with his own attempt at trying to show him up. ]
Whoo, yipee. So cool. [ as he twirls a finger around in the air. ] Sure showed me.
[ Fun sucker. ]
don't be jelly kiddo
[Well, Duo is used to getting that face from him, so it doesn't even make him flinch. Instead he just turns and grins to the kid, twirling the gun on his finger and holstering.] I sure did. Don't gotta hold back; c'mon, don't I look cool?
[Oh, you bet he's going to push the corny dad act now.]
don't be boring, pops
you abandonedwho is embarrassed by you and wonders why the hell you are the way you are at times.So... he's just going to look away and frown a little up to his buddy Warlock. A sigh then, he claps his hands, the Gundam disappearing. He doesn't actually need to clap his hands to make the illusion disappear but pizazz and all that. ]
Whatever, old man.
[ But this is when the slightly bratty side of him seems to fizzle out and he looks to the man with intense eyes. ]
So what's the deal? Didn't think you'd come racing over like this. Weren't you like... somewhere else?
[ So was he for that matter... ]
omg how DARE dad is never boring!!!
[Good boy, now you're guarding government secrets. Duo watches the phantom Gundam vanish (...Phantom Gundam, now that would be a cool name--) and then starts to direct Duo away from the scene as the cops finally arrive to pick up after the wreck of the badguys' getaway car.] Let's go, before they catch wind of you.
[He keeps a hand on Duo's shoulder, cloaking him as he eases him off in the other direction.] --Well, when you see a Gundam zooming around, you kinda drop everything. [He knows that's not exactly what he means. Ok, so he was supposed to be in another city, but...] Recon. Had a little change of plans. What are you doing here? Don't you have school?
(nottalking)
Well, can't say it wasn't a good practice run to see just what he can do with these powers of his, right? Of course... he'll have to see everything he can do with them but now's obviously not the time.
The mention of school though? Yeah... that has Jr. here look up to Duo with a raised brow before he raises a hand as if to say not important. ]
Where the hell is Heero anyway? Is he still snoozing? [ he makes a bit of a face at that ] Sheesh, I didn't think he got hit that hard.
[ Cause Heero, his Gundam buddy, is totally here as well.
Right? ]
HMPH
[He certainly didn't expect it to be Jr. that showed up. But then, the Porter loved throwing curveballs.]
[He hated those. He grips Duo's shoulder just a little firmer as his own lack of planning comes back to remind him.] You didn't answer my question, squirt. Why aren't you in school? I know most of it is a load of shit, but you need at least some of those skills. Not every form of math and science is applicable to piloting, you know. And you should know what the propaganda is that they feed to people here, so you know what's real when you're coming up against it.
no subject
What? No lessons in that from Father of Shit here?
[ Coming to turn around so that he can face Duo as they walk, he jerks his thumb back over his shoulder. ]
Seriously? Was kinda stopping something back there.
no subject
[He glances down the kid as he turns to walk backwards, and glances half-heartedly towards the wreck where the robbers were now being arrested.] Yeah. In the worst possible way. Great goin'.
[He pauses for a minute, thoughtful, then shrug.] ...That junk's small beans. Don't worry about that, leave it to the street-level heroes.
no subject
[ Street-level hero, bogus priest, father of shit. It's all the same, right?
Jr. stuffs his hands into his pockets and turns back around to look forward as he walks, checking out the sights and everything now that he's got a chaperon here. Couldn't be Heero, huh?
Glancing down to a crumpled can, he kicks it down the sidewalk as they go before he glances over to his old man. ]
'sides. It's not like illusions are all I can do, y'know.
no subject
So don't sweat the smalltimers. We have more important things to worry about. [None of which Duo particularly wanted to get Jr. involved with. But he was sure he could find something for the kid.]
[He glances down, shrugs, nods.] I know. I read your file, remember? [A grin] A flashy power for a showoff little brat. Who's surprised?
no subject
Ch, remind me to never get myself a diary 'cause you'd probably go ahead and read that too, you nosy creep.
[ But, what Duo mentioned earlier catches Jr's attention and he glances over to his old man with a bit of curiosity in his blue eyes. ]
What kind of important things? This sure as Hell don't look like back home, y'know. Kinda doubt the same shit's going on here.
no subject
[He'd made sure that file was destroyed as soon as possible, of course.]
[As for this conversation... Duo keeps his face trained expertly, so he doesn't give away how little he wants Duo to get involved in this mess. Sure, he would have readily accepted his involvement in the political situation itself, but that would surely mean entanglement with the Constellation, and that...]
As you know, [He starts, heaving a sigh] This country has a democracy of sorts, but things only became that way a bit recently. Or rather, they were historically, then the tides were turned by war, and now things are restored to their former state. At least, on the surface... And the deeper you go, the less it seems that the stability of this country's politics are what they seem.
(no subject)
no subject
So, that's bad.
Before he even has to consciously think about it, he's running towards the Gundam (--two scythes? That's not--) but he's momentarily spared from having to think up how to deal with an unknown mobile suit when you're all squishy and unprotected and at street level by the sight of the long braid swinging around in front of it.]
Du--
[thaaaaaat's not Duo. Second time in two minutes that Quatre's stopped in his tracks today, that's got to be a record.
What is going on.]
quatre pls he could TOTALLY be duo... just cooler
-that's when he spots that blond hair and he squints off toward Quatre. Is that... Professor W? But he... looks a little different and isn't wearing what he saw him in last. Huh. How 'bout that. ]
Yo, Professor! What the hell are ya doing here?
[ Which... makes Warlock fizzle and shit! Concentration, gotta concentrate. ]
duo jr can't be cool until they've spent months hiding out in the desert together so THERE
Professor? [he repeats, and he's about to deny it and apologize for whatever misunderstanding is obviously happening here (the first thing he can think to do, because he's still slightly unnerved by this) when the Gundam flickers and draws his attention again. Right, the mobile suit is the most important thing here.] --I'm sorry, please get to safety. There's no way to know who's piloting that thing. [Or like, what its powers are. Thank god Quatre is here, and super familiar with deadly mobile suits, so he can successfully manage this very threatening situation.]
wow professor w, you wound him
Huh? It's cool, yo! Warlock's my buddy! You would know, right?
[ And it's with his attention now fully on Quatre here that he gives a clap of his hands (pizzazz) and the mobile suit fizzles out and disappears. ]
See? Totally cool!
3!!!!!!!!!!
[riptide had been unlucky enough to just be wandering around in the general area in human form when he sees the gundam appear. more like gundamn am i right. anyway he flips out, thinking it's some kind of cybertronian and switches to his own giant robot form and vaults over a couple of buildings.
does he do damage? yes. does he care? no. he's doing heroics!!]
STEP OFF, WEIRDO!!!
no subject
But still! Don't blow this, man! How's he to concentrate on keeping the illusion of the Gundam up when you're shouting and screaming like that?! Speaking of- ]
Hey, pal! What do ya think you're doing?!
no subject
[he says, throwing a punch at the gundam.]
no subject
But, you know, Duo here is so not about some guy punching his Warlock, illusion or not. ]
Hey, pal! It's called an illusion! And you're totally cramping my style here!
no subject
[riptide yells incoherently for a moment.]
YOUR STYLE IS MAKING GIANT HOLOGRAMS?!