HOT DOG FRENCH FRIES COME ON BABY TELL ME YOUR LIES

[maskormods]

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. Today is even friendlier, as the Florida city is experiencing a dip in the temperature that allows it to feel more like autumn -- why, at 60 degrees Fahrenheit, people might start breaking out their winter coats soon!

With a certain spooky holiday coming up, the city's main hospital has gotten in the spirit by setting up a Happy Hallow-Vein blood drive at a local block party. Maybe you've stumbled by and had your attention captured by a bunch of phlebotomists dressed up like Dracula, or maybe you volunteered your services as a celebrity imPort, here to encourage others to donate today! Either way, consider donating and then enjoying some fried Oreos and lemonade at the street fair. Gotta top off those fluids, after all!

Oh, but if you're an imPort, you might have to fill out a few extra forms... they have to watch out for alien blood, after all, and you might just run into a couple of people wondering if they can get your powers from your blood.


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!

In this spooky month of October, special effects companies are doing a limited-time outdoors expo to really show off their stuff! You may see terribly convincing lizardpeople, zombies, monsters, elves and aliens in your midst, delighting in peeling synthetic skin off to reveal horrifying makeup beneath the masks and occasionally ducking away to perform a little last-minute costume maintenance. The kids are agog and aghast at what’s surrounding them, and if you, imPort, happen to be a little less than human, you might get children and adults alike yanking on your ears, tails, and other non-human characteristics while marveling, “Amazing! How do they make it look so real?”

The rest of the expo is spent showing off holograms of explosions, entirely too many smoke machines, demonstrations of stuntmen on bungees, and more! Guests are welcome to get their faces done up as the mythical being of their choice or, for the truly daring, to try their hand at a stunt or two themselves.

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.

Infuriated by the reappearance of some members of this old imPort team, you might run into a few gangmembers spoiling for a fight with any imPort they can get their hands on. You can see them striding angrily down the street, giving innocent people the stinkeye and glancing at everyone's wrists. Eventually, they come across a poor soul that simply has a very distinct aesthetic - look, they just like cyberpunk! - and, having mistaken them for an imPort, drag her into the shadows for what they feel is a well-deserved beat down.

What do you do, imPort? Do you save her? Do you run away to avoid capture yourself? Or, you little villain you, do you go in and beat them up so you can take her purse? It's easy to see that she's carrying an awful lot of money on her!

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. Today, much of that excitement centers around tryouts for The Sing-le Long, the hottest new singing competition/dating show to hit the airwaves! Held in the outdoor ampitheater of a local park, the lines for tryouts are somewhat disorganized, winding around into the audience area—you might come to take a look and find yourself accidentally onstage! Or maybe the tryout coordinators spotted an imPort and bumped you to the front of the line. Either way, prepare to belt out a song and list your turn-ons afterward!

Outside the park, you're still likely to attract attention. Natives may gather around new arrivals and ask both personal and broad questions about life as an imPort, what they are looking forward to, if they're looking for a sidekick. A few restaurants will offer a free appetizer (with the purchase of an entree), and you may be offered product samples from local businesses! Just be sure to speak to an agent before signing any endorsement deals.

Comments

[hadthehighground]

“The Jedi and Sith are enemies it’s true,” he conceded. He could hardly forget Darth Maul, and how he had killed Qui-Gon. Only to come back years later and kill Satine as well.

“But you are not my enemy. Or at least, I hope not.”

He still couldn’t consider Anakin an enemy. Not after he had raised, trained, and fought a war with him. It didn’t feel right, and yet he couldn’t forget what happened on Mustafar either. If they were to be enemies, it would be Anakin that would consider him that.

There was a pause after what Anakin said next. His gaze turning down again for a moment before looking back up, searching his former padawan’s eyes again.

“Have you considered that Sidious is deceiving you, Anakin? No one can stop someone from dying. Not a Jedi, not a Sith. Has he given you proof that he can do this?”

[prophesiedone]

"Then we are enemies." he swallows hard and watches Obi-Wan, wary and ready for any attack, "If you plan on stopping me from saving her - from bringing peace and order to the galaxy - we can be nothing else."

No matter how he feels. No matter how much he wants to throw himself at his once Master and sob until he passes out. Stars above, when is the last time he slept? He can't remember.

"Darth Plagueis did it. He could influence the midi-chlorians to create life and stop his loved ones from dying." he has to believe it's possible, "I believe it can be done." his desperation is bright and hard in his eyes, "He's a means to an end. I don't care about him anymore."

Anymore being the operative word.

[hadthehighground]

And just like that his heart sank again. The older man letting out a breath to try and his the crushing disappointment. He knew what he meant by that, and Obi-Wan couldn’t agree with it. We’re they destined to be at odds like this, even here?

Still he listened though, making no move to fight or to argue. Even though he wanted to shake Anakin to his senses.

“Anymore? And yet you believe what he told you? What makes you so certain he will show you, if he even can.”

[prophesiedone]

"I know he isn't lying." his words sound childish - and they are childish, but he clings to them, "He will train me and I will do everything I must to learn."

He has proven that. The Hero With No Fear is being very selfish on this point, though one can't really wonder why considering how he has reacted to previous deaths/tragedies. Anakin feels everything sharply and he feels an unforgiving weight on his shoulders.

"Have you heard of Darth Plagueis?" he knows he shouldn't ask: he won't like the answer.

[hadthehighground]

“Anything? Even kill us? ... Kill me?”

He would take the lives of innocents on the notion of saving Padme by some promise from a Sith Lord? It made him feel sick to his stomach. Obi-Wan felt certain that Sidious was only using him and never intended to fulfill that promise. Such was the way of the Sith.

“No, I haven’t,” he then admitted. “We had believed the Sith extinct until Darth Maul appeared, after all. And I don’t recognize that name from history.”

[prophesiedone]

He doesn't answer. He feels very cold inside and memories of the younglings in particular haunt him. Yes, he will kill whoever necessary to achieve his goal.

What have I done? He has gone too far; he has seen Sidious's true nature and he has seen his own.

"He probably went by something else in public." if he existed in the first place. Anakin rubs a hand over his face, desperate for some sort of relief from his thoughts.

"There are always two: a Master and an apprentice. We knew that."

[hadthehighground]

The no answer was answer enough. It filled him with dread, though he knew what Anakin was capable of. He had seen it. And it made him no better than those who killed his mother. He was determined and it appeared there was nothing Obi-Wan could say to change his mind.

“Yes, we did. And the master fooled us all. I fear he has fooled you as well.”

He knew actually. Anakin has been manipulated. He was putty in Palpatine’s hand. It distressed him to think that he hadn’t taught Anakin to be better than this.

[prophesiedone]

...and there is one of his fears coming to light. Anakin pales and he bites the inside of his cheek, reopening a wound that he refuses to let heal. But physical pain is easier to bear than the disappointment he sees on his once Master's face.

What does he know?! He didn't see! He refused to see...

"The Jedi will be eliminated. Democracy will be replaced." he breathes out in a rush, "Aren't you tired of fighting and watching those you love die? I can put an end to that and it would happen much sooner if..." his voice quiets, "...you helped me."

[hadthehighground]

His heart only continued to sink further.

“I have seen a lot of death. The Sith have taken away everything I have ever cared about. Qui-Gon, Satine, all of my friends and family and even my home. I have lost everything. So yes, I am weary.”

That weariness is in his eyes and voice. The spark the Jedi Master had, has dimmed. He was a man beaten down by tragedy. Of which Anakin himself had a large part in.

“But death is a part of life. All things must die, Anakin. No one can live forever. It’s not natural and the Force would not allow it.”

Obi-Wan then sighed softly and shook his head sadly.

“No, I can not help you. I can not help someone who would destroy thousands of innocents as a means to their own ends.”

[prophesiedone]

He grits his teeth so hard that his head begins to ache. Obi-Wan isn't saying anything unexpected, but Anakin had foolishly hoped for another answer. Padmé has reassured him that she loves him and accepts him - even after all he has done and will do - and he wishes his once Master could do likewise. He doesn't want to give him up.

"No." he barks and a bench not far from them begins to twist and warp, "Thousands? It won't be thousands!" his eyes flare, "You've spoken to Leia."

His hurt doubles and he stumbles back.

"She hates me. I know she does. But that doesn't change how I feel about her."

[hadthehighground]

And just like that Obi-Wan raises his voice for the first time in this conversation.

“It has already been thousands, Anakin! Masters, knights, younglings! I have been to the Temple, I have seen what you did! The Jedi Order nearly wiped out! Do their lives count for nothing?!”

The man then took a shaky breath as he tried to reign in his emotions and release them into the Force.

“Leia? You know her? She’s here?”

[prophesiedone]

"They're gone." his emotions are suddenly flat, hidden behind a wall he has been erecting for months. Years, maybe. He won't want to live anymore if he considers the younglings in particular. They had been so small.

"Of course I do. She's..." too like him, "I know Luke too. It was you that took them from me, wasn't it?"

[hadthehighground]

The flat response stuns him. Anakin Skywalker, who cared about everyone, who wanted to save everyone, didn’t care. He truly wasn’t the man he had known. He had hoped, maybe deep down, he still was. That maybe he had acted too soon, hadn’t tried hard enough on Mustafar. But his hopes were growing dimmer.

“I didn’t take them from you. You were already...” Dead? Not quite, though he knew he couldn’t have possibly lived long after that. He sighed. “I was there when Padme gave birth. I assured them both a future. One safe from the Empire and the Sith.”

[prophesiedone]

"I am their father. They should have stayed with me." he paces closer to Obi-Wan, "If I can't save Padmé...then I should have our children." he has a hard time believing they could have been hidden from him if he was in his right state of mind.

"I've heard about a suit. A life support suit. Why do I need it?" he wonders how he survives if Padmé dies too. It doesn't seem a possibility.

[hadthehighground]

A part of Obi-Wan wanted to back away as Anakin came closer. The Force screaming at him that he was in danger. But he didn’t, he held his ground. He bit his tongue at Anakin’s initial words. Though when he brings up a suit, he just blinks in confusion.

“A suit?”

And then the color drained from his face, his expression becoming one of horror.

“No... it can’t be.”

He couldn’t have survived. It wasn’t possible! Not after what had happened.

[prophesiedone]

He isn't going for his lightsaber, but it's not like he truly needs it to inflict pain. His eyes narrow at the confusion and then the horror that crosses Obi-Wan's face. That isn't what he had expected.

"Right. A big black one. It left quite the impression on Luke and Leia." he crosses his arms defensively, "It can't be what? What am I missing? I remember being on Mustafar and then I was here with people from our galaxy telling me Padmé dies and I turn into this...monster."

[hadthehighground]

Swallowing hard as he again tried to compose himself, Obi-Wan shook his head. He could tell Anakin things, but no. He couldn’t bring himself to do it, and even he apparently didn’t have the full picture. The man placing a hand over his mouth.

“I can’t speak of this. Not now. I must go.”

And thus he tried to move away quickly. Yes he was running away from this. Yes Anakin would likely be upset. But telling him the truth at this moment would only make things worse. Plus he couldn’t bear it.

[prophesiedone]

He lets him go. The urge to kill Obi-Wan doesn't really exist anymore. He doesn't trust the man as he once did, but he doesn't really trust himself either. With a sharp wave of his hand, he sends the warped - and continuing to warp - bench across the street at an alarming speed. It smashes into a building and Anakin lets out a breath.

He needs to walk...and think. De Chima may end up more destroyed for it, but so be it.