ICE ICE BABY

[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, a downtown park is hosting a "Last Blast of Winter" event that features a snowman-sculpting contest (using artificial snow, naturally), downhill sledding in the form of a giant, inflatable slip 'n slide, and snowflake-shaped and -themed food from the kiosks running along one side of the park—along with ice cold drinks, of course.

However, a trio of teen would-be supervillains have cobbled together backpack-mounted ice machines capable of freezing people solid at worst and making them, like, really shivvery at best. After emerging onto the scene with a shout, they're threatening to take attendees hostage if they don't get their demands: 500 Flitcoins, the amazing new cryptocurrency. Hero, will you try to stop them by force, bargain, or let them put this event on ice?

02. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, with large numbers of citizens waiting to be awed by 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. If you let yourself get cornered, beware! Anything from personal questions about romantic chances to bedroom habits to dietary queries might be come up!

As you wander, you may come across a few streets that have been closed down to show off the newest wares that America's vehicle industry has to offer. The streets are lined with new, shiny cars, alongside salesmen eager to show off exactly what they can do. Some of them are as dull as boasting excellent seat warmers, but the more avant garde among the displays look like something out of Wacky Races, decked out in incredibly bizarre designs and boasting not yet released features like the ability to turn into a boat, fifteen different horns ("a different sound for every occasion!"), bottom-heavy designs ("so your car won't flip over next time there's an imPort catastrophe!) and defense mechanisms ("it shoots out a sticky adhesive to halt any supervillains in their path!"). Many of these won't be released at all but, by gum, they're giving it their best shot.

You can simply wander around and enjoy the festivities and the bounty of food, including donut tires, candy traffic lights, truck-sized burgers, and more! It's certainly a nice place to have a quick break and some conversation.

Or you can get stuck in the cross-fire as the adhesive shooting vehicle malfunctions, spraying a sticky goo over everyone in the vicinity, just as little car-shaped bits of confetti begin to fall from the sky.


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.

On this fine day, it appears that there's mischief afoot. One sordid citizen has gotten ahold of a prototype of a freeze gun and, wearing no better costume than a ski mask, has decided to hold up a bank. As he notices cop cars whizzing past, he panics, freezing a cop car in mid-chase, not quite gathering what a poor idea that is.

Everything seems to happen quickly as cars begin to plow into one another with a sound of screeching metal and an explosion of debris. What will you do about this, hero? Were you trying to cross the street and in need of a rescue? Will you go after the culprit? Will you try to save those who are trapped in the wreckage?

...Or will you try to make off with the criminal's money and keep it for yourself? That's always an option too.

04. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities; loud, busy and there's always some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement.

This month there's the release of a hot new movie about imPorts themselves, though in order to evade copyright, it seems that the imPorts on screen are simply amalgamations of several different imPorts through the years instead of staying faithful to one true story. They've got everything! Action! Romance! Death! Desire. It's a whole load of hooey, in other words, but it's hooey with a big budget. What this means, however, is that even the newest imPorts are being roped into this red carpet affair. Even if they're simply passing by on the street, an eager reporter may well step up to you, saying, "Oh, are you an imPort? Please, you must come in! No, I insist!"

If you succumb to their pushy ways, you'll find yourself in a gala, likely unprepared and underdressed for the flash of the cameras and an endless torrent of questions about what you want to do here as an imPort, whether or not you feel you'll find love in this place, whether or not you fear an inevitable port-out (despite the fact that you may have just gotten here!) and will be plied with food and, if you're of age, with plenty of booze.

Comments

[athnvas]

[ well, there's a level of percy must love even that side of annabeth if he's stuck around as long as he has. but in the same breath, annabeth loves every possible side of percy, even the sides that want to send back smartass comments about questions she has rightfully asked. loves him enough to just ignore it, and when her device finally pings, she's on the move.

and okay, so maybe she hasn't used these things enough to be good at this. magnus had explained how they worked, how she could move anywhere on the coast, but for all these months she hasn't really needed to be anywhere but de chima. she had a job, she had people she was looking after, and okay- maybe lester was also in heropa, but it wasn't like she was about to go visit lester. he came to everyone else.

but it doesn't matter - the location comes and annabeth is gone, magically barreling across the country and appearing in percy's exact spot. does that make things difficult? yes. yes it does. especially considering that the second percy sends that message, annabeth is appearing, and with his precarious balance act and the chair and everything else, it ends up as some kind of chaotic moment of limbs and movement and inevitable crashing back to the ground.

annabeth lands on her feet - needing a second to catch her balance, but working it well enough. unfortunately, unless percy's reflexes come to save him in the last moment, his immediate future will be back on the ground. your move, jackson. ]

[ripstides]

[ there’s no saving grace here. maybe, maybe, if he knew annabeth had shiny new shadowtraveling abilities or teleportation, or what the heck ever, he could prepare himself. but in reality all that happens is that he makes an undignified, loud squawk, arms flailing, tea flying, and he goes down.

he does not yell timber. it is a tragedy.

he’s left essentially staring up in confusion, not a daze because he at least has the good sense not to let the back of his head thud against the cobblestones. he hears sally’s voice in the back of his head, chiding him: i told you not to sit like that, percy. because she’s warned him a hundred times and he’s sat like that a hundred times, anyway. ]

What? How? What? [ DOES NOT COMPUTE. getting up is awkward. a weird scramble of elbows and palms, on the ground. it’d almost be better to just somersault backwards and call it a day. he somehow manages to stand eventually, not sure of his own mixed emotions. is he mad? happy? thrilled to see her? puzzled beyond belief? all of the above? ] What just happened? Did you...

Nope. Nuh uh. No way. You did not fly here. Am I the only one who can't fly? [ this! sucks! ]

[athnvas]

[ no, there probably isn't. but it also wouldn't be true to form if it didn't involve flailing of limbs and a dramatic entrance. even if annabeth's not a huge fan of it, she couldn't really care less about the details of the rest. she is here, percy is here, and maybe he's actually on the ground and very un-gracefully trying to get up, but he's here.

she does reach down to help him on his feet, her eyes quickly scanning over every inch of him she can see, checking for wounds, for anything she doesn't recognize, any clue of where he'd been and where he's coming from. her mine is spinning and her hands are moving, wiping off his arms, straightening his shirt on his chest, looking up with mild amusement. ]

I wasn't flying.

[ and maybe she could explain a little more clearly - give him the rundown and the explaining of everything from day one - but before she can her hands are tightening in his shirt and she's jerking him down to meet her, kissing him very directly and determinately. so much that she's leaning back a little and pulling him with her, just needing the moment before she can get in to the rest. ]

[ripstides]

[ percy’s exactly the way she left him. no open wounds, no new scars. that’s not to say that he’s stayed entirely out of trouble, but well, he wouldn’t be him if he had. he feels like he’s being momed. any second now, she’s going to swipe dirt off of his cheek with the pad of her thumb. it doesn’t bother him too much because she’s close, touching him, and how can he complain about either of those two things?

except for the lack of comfort her answer inspires. there’s that. he may complain about that.

or he would if her fingers weren’t curled in the front of his shirt, guiding him to her. honestly, he loves her mind and he cares deeply about what she has to say, but right now he doesn’t want to hear it. the world can take a number. what’s going on doesn’t matter, when they’re going home isn’t really here or there, all that matters is that they’re together. it’s the only thing that ever truly has.

annabeth leans back and percy steps into her space, palms seeking out her waist, holding her close so that regardless of how far she leans, she won’t fall as long as she remains in his arms. he's not thinking about the tipped chair, the mess on the patio, the employees that have probably rushed out to see if they're okay ( or to kick them out ); he's not thinking about much else, aside from annabeth's mouth on his. not even the metal screeching of the patio table's legs deters him, although, it does make him laugh. ]

[athnvas]

[ no, there's nothing wrong with him. it's a realization she comes to quickly and with quit a bit of relief. it's not that she expected him to come in bleeding and dismembered, but she had to check anyway, just in case. just because the anxiety of it all and the stress of what could have happened has bubbled up a little too much for her to just completely ignore. so she checks, and fidgets with every inch of him she can reach, just to feel the familiar warmth of his body and the presence of him being here.

but then she pulls him in for a kiss - unforgiving in the jerk of it, and unwilling to really let him go once she's had the chance to catch his mouth with her's, but what does it matter? it's percy, whole and safe and here, and annabeth has had too many moments where the relief of those things have rolled over her. too many moments where she has needed this to happen.

so she kisses him, and he kisses her back, his hands finding purchase at her waist and bringing a soft smile to her lips as he does so. a smile that only grows when percy starts to laugh into her mouth, pausing a pulling away only a fraction, only enough to get a few words out, her eyes searching his face again. ]

Took you long enough to get here. [ and she kisses him again, a quick peck, before she pulls away more fully now - the smile still there as she does. ] Jerk.

[ripstides]

[ lucky for him, he has his very own annabeth to english dictionary at his disposal. when she calls him things like seaweed brain or jerk, or any variation thereof, what she really means is that she missed him. that she’s glad he’s here now and in one piece, not worse for wear like the two of them so often are. he can’t help but to keep grinning at her, even after she’s pulled away, and is pretending to be mad at him.

who knows? maybe she is. there’s probably very real resentment under that smile, connected to those words, but percy keeps on gazing at her like a guy in love. ]

Well, not all of us can drop out of the sky. [ or whatever that was. no, he hasn’t let it slip his mind. a very pointed look!! ] With the exception of moody or injured pegasi, malfunctioning shadow travel, faulty chariots, or being blasted out of the sky via lightning bolts. [ for the record…? ]

I’m here now. [ as if being here now can serve as a salve for not being here the second she was. ] Did you really think there was anything that could keep us apart?

[athnvas]

[ lucky for him indeed. because even if there's a part of annabeth that is honestly upset, and does kind of mean it, the relief and happiness and warmth she feels just because he's here is enough to surpass it. she notices the way he's watching her, too, and she lets herself smile back at him. even if she tries to not smile like a total idiot, percy's look is hard to ignore. ]

I didn't- [ he presses her lips together, though more of the smile creeps out than anything negative, letting go of where her hands had been gripped in his shirt and flattening them against his chest. ] I told you. It's not flying. Or lightning, or- [ eventually she just rolls her eyes, realizing there's no point in arguing with him when he's trying to make a joke.

instead, she just sort of settles in looking at him, feeling like every part of her is relaxing for the first time she's since arrived. after another moment, she lets out a breath. ] You are. Better late than never. [ there is just enough time for percy to probably catch her grin before she wraps her arms around his neck and tucks her face into his shoulder. it's the first moment that she kind of lets her weight fall into him, squeezing him close and tight for a few moments before she says anything. and yes, okay, she has so much more she needs to explain and so much percy deserves to know. but just for a breath, and then a breath longer, she just needs to resettle, mumbling into his shoulder. ]

I knew you'd get here eventually. It's just the eventually part that bothers me.

[ripstides]

[ he hears her. or well, more accurately, he hears that she’s making words and then still not explaining anything. which is weird, right? this is annabeth! the queen of Knowing Stuff. it kind of speaks for itself. she isn’t rushing into a bunch of facts, breaking it down for him, so he quickly picks up on how they aren’t in any immediate danger. if they were, she would be much more guarded. and she needs this. she needs this embrace as much as he needs to feel her in his arms.

it makes enough sense with the distance between them at home without all the extra time she may have spent here. he doesn’t really suspect that officially until she says eventually. by then, she already has her face buried in his shoulder and he doesn’t really have the heart to pull her away with questions. sure, they give her a focus point, but so what? this is nice. they can have this. right now, there’s no reason to go, go, go.

percy doesn’t squeeze annabeth quite as tight, yet he has no intention of letting her go until she’s ready. he turns his face, presses his lips to the side of her head. they’ve had countless moments fighting at each other’s side, and probably under a dozen of these. ]

That's because you think too much. Sometimes, you've got to shut it off. Trust your gut. Trust me. [ there's no doubt in his voice. he knows she trusts him and that she can't turn her mind off. he's mostly trying to get her attention again. ]

[athnvas]

[ she does just need the time. the feel, and the smell, and the knowledge, that he's here with her now. he knows it's him, too, against all odds, even if there will always be a voice or two giving her ways it couldn't be. that he could be a mirage, or a monster playing tricks, or that it could be the gods messing with her again (a thought she has almost every day, every morning when the sun rises over the atlantic).

but in the same breath, she knows it is him, because he knows to just let her process. to kiss the side of her head and to hold her. she takes one breath, and then another, and somewhere in that breath is the smell of sea breeze and salt and percy jackson, and it grounds her the most she's been since arriving. ]

Shut up, Seaweed Brain. [ but she's grinning, anyway, and squeezes him for just a second longer before pulling away to look at him. just looking straight at him, holding his eyes with that serious, overwhelming look of hers. ]

You know I trust you with my life. [ and that's when she softens, tilting her head forward to press her forehead against his. ] I'm sorry, I'm just happy you're here.

[ripstides]

[ the look that somehow manages to make him feel like he’s on his knees again, holding up the sky. she’s always had such serious eyes. when she looks at him, it’s not even a question of whether she knows what he’s thinking because she knows his heart well enough to predict everything else. he does shut up when she tells him to, for once he has no objection to being told what to do. he’s a guy standing somewhere peacefully with the girl he loves. what more can he ask for? ]

I know. [ he lifts his hands but doesn’t remove them from her, instead he swaps his hold on her waist for running his palms over her arms in what he hopes is a comforting gesture. ] Come on, Wise Girl. I never want you to apologize for being happy. You’re smarter than that. I guess I just thought when we reunited, we would both be at home. You would get back in time for my little sister to be born, I’d pass the SATS, all of that.

[ he shuts his eyes for a moment, rebalancing, and when he opens them again, he shrugs. he doesn’t step away very far but his arms are spread out to fully display how little the rest of the world matters in comparison. ]

But so what? [ right, yes, too far away. too soon. don't mind him as he reaches for one of her hands with his. yeah, yeah. he knows better than to cup his hands over his mouth and shout, "hey, fate, i dare you!" and??? ] We're here. We're together. Whenever I have you by my side, I know everything's going to work out.

[athnvas]

[ there is a moment there where she just looks at him - she gives him a look, and he pauses, there under her eyes, and it makes her feel something close to whole. because he's here, because it's him, because she can see him for what he is, and what he is makes her feel in response to it. the look also softens, after a moment, as his palms run over her arms, definitely a calming gesture that works, annabeth letting out a breath of air in response.

it has her smiling, softly and subtly, as she lets her eyes close as well - letting the image of sats and percy's sister and home wash over her like a warm wave. they re-open their eyes at nearly the same time, and annabeth just kind of snorts at his obvious challenge to the universe. ]

Let's not anger another set of gods before we get you settled, okay? [ percy takes her hand and annabeth squeezes it. ] But you're right- you're here, we're together, it'll work out fine. [ and then she'll lean up and kiss his cheek again, a sudden swell of needing to just because he's here and she's not going to hold back. not for the foreseeable near future. ] C'mon, I need to introduce you to Magnus. [ and then she stops, that sudden seriousness flashing over again. ] What do you remember from home? The last thing?