June's over? Julying.

[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.

What a month, huh imPorts? Changing ages, mysterious shimmering explosions, and uncomfortable weather. The city of Heropa understands. That is why today the largest local water park is having an imPort appreciation day. The cost of entering is waved- so long as you’re willing to do a power display on the way in for the gathered crowds and kiddies. No explosions or mass destruction, folks, keep it family friendly and hopefully entertaining.

While it might be a drag to be treated a little like a circus freak to get in, the park itself is well worth it when it comes to cooling off and forgetting the horror happening elsewhere in the world. High-tech gadgets are here to improve experience. Water proof robot bar tenders wander around the many slides, floating rivers, and tanning areas (or swim around in the lounging pools) making free whatever you orders, alcoholic or virgin. They’re obedient to a fault, so if you want to waste their time by asking them to shake ice then pour it out fifteen times before putting the vodka in there, feel free. Only the people in line behind you will get annoyed. The robots themselves will just offer fun bar trivia and talk with the flair of a 1920s speakeasy bartender.

But of course it wouldn’t be a day for imPorts without a little bit of a weird twist. They’ve got to get the locals to pay top dollar to come watch everyone swim, after all. Some of those free drinks have an extra special free ingredient, one with random effects. Guess you should have read that size 1 font subsection on the ticketing booth that waives park liability. If you happen to be one of the lucky ones to receive a spiked drink, you’ll experience one of the following effects:

1)Hydrophilia – You couldn’t leave this pool even if you wanted to. Which you don’t. In fact, the idea of getting out of this pool is horrifying to you, who knows what could happen outside of these safe, watery depths? You’ll need to get others to bring you food and make some difficult bathroom choices, but for the next two hours even the threat of death would have trouble getting you out of the water.

2)Buddy system – When you took that final sip of drink your eyes fell on another person and you knew- just knew- that this was meant to be. At least for today. This person, whether you’ve ever met them before and whether they’re a human or an AI or a drink serving robot, is going to be your constant companion for as long as you’re in this water park. Whether they like (or know it) or not.

3)Razzle Dazzle – A purely physical effect. Your hair, skin, and even eyes start shifting colors. Some are more or less normal, bright, bright red hair for instance, while others are just out of this world. A shifting rainbow of Unicorn sparkle colored skin, bright yellow eyes, you name it. Anything you imagine, you could possibly be. At least for the next hour.

4) Safety First – The lamest of the effects, but it does make everything easier for the owner of the park. Rules are there for a reason, kids, no matter how nitpicky they may be. And by America, you are going to make sure everyone is following the rules. No running, no flip flops in the pool, no swimming within half an hour of eating, even some special individual rules that only you would think of must be enforced.


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! Synthetic wonder! Whatever you might be, 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-- c̨͟o͝͠r͟͞n͏ęr͜҉͞ed̶ ͢b͏͞y͜͏-- c̕ǫ̡҉r͘͡n͟͡e̶̢re͘d̀͏ ̴by ͘th͠͏i̛͟͝n͏g̸͏s̶̢ ͟th̀̕a̶͝t̴̢ ͡use͟d̷͞ ̛t̸̵̢o͏ ͡͝b̛͡e̷̛͞ p͢ȩó͝pl̸͜͜e҉.͘

De Chima is not what it once was. The city is covered by a strange shifting shimmer, and you don't even know how you ended up here, but you did. The sunlight splits into strange rainbow prisms, and everywhere you look things are growing. So quickly that if you stand and watch for more than a few seconds, you can see it growing in real time.

Not just growing. Changing. It isn't just the plants. The animals, the tech, the people, the land - everything is changing, morphing, dissolving. And you're changing, too...

y̛̜͈̪̹̤̲̣o̪̘̱u̸'̬̻̳͈͎r͖̯̫ͅe̸̠͕̟̜ ̧̝͇̠c̤̹͓͈̱̻̜h̼͔ͅa̝͇̟n҉̖̯ͅǵ̝i̖͎̫̜̩̝̻͞n̮̖͚̠̳͉g ͕̺̗̞̭ͅa̺̭̘͕͉̳̺n͙̦̹̙d̹̤̫̪̦͔ ̮̙i̝̺̺t͏̱̟͙̪̳͈ w̥͎̹̦͍o̩̬͍͍͕͠ṉ͓̠͖'̧̦̝̘͔̳̫t͓̫̹̥̬̹͕ s̪̤̗͙̦͎t̛̯̩͙̦͇̤o̴̘͍̝̣̼̙͙p͓̱̜̹͖


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, even with Ambassador Padme and imPort Mayor Baelish gracing the headlines. 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, and hostility against imPorts can spike. The emergence of locals with superpowers is hardly helping... #THANKS TONY STARK, #ya muffin.

The protests from earlier in the month have left their toll on Maurtia Falls, as the damage done from the riots are still being painted over, cleaned up, repaired and repaved.

Walking along the streets of the city, if you stick out at all like an ImPort (or even have a visible ImPort tattoo), you’re immediately honed in on by one of the various members of the clean-up crew, who wear bright yellow vests.

“You’re an ImPort, aren’t you?” They’ll say, gruff and slightly accusatory. “Well, help clean this up. You’re the reason this happened.” 

And with that, they’ll shove a vest, a broom, and a dust pan into your hands, before taking off. Maybe they were trying to get out of doing the work themselves in the end.

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. Today, the biggest buzz comes from a tech-cosmetics company, ReNew U, which is offering free tests of its new flagship product. What looks like a can of hair spray actually has the power to temporarily change one's appearance. A spritz to the face could add or remove freckles or provide a new makeup job; a spray to the head might provide not just a new hairstyle but new hair. And going all-over seems to change one's entire body! Of course, it only lasts until someone takes a shower, but why not experiment?

There's just one catch—thanks to the social component of ReNew U, these new looks aren't generating temporary changes out of thin air, they're copying the appearances of others in the area. Got a killer new haircut? So does someone else, thanks! Walk around for a while and you just might meet your doppelganger—so you're going to take a picture together and post it via the special ReNew U app, right? #twins #goodlooks

Comments

carter kane ( the kane chronicles )

[kemwer]

( heropa )

--Seriously?

[ the kid protesting the entry is a short teenage boy dressed in a linen tunic, jeans, and sandals, an eye of horus pendant hanging around his throat. he sighs, rubbing both hands over his face as he tries to decide what to do. he'd just wanted to cool off in the water park, man.. of course, apparently powers aren't a big deal here, so he supposes it can't.. hurt? ]

Okay, fine, hang on-- [ to be honest, he's not the best at words of power, though he's much better than he started out, at least. time to study will do that for you, really. so after a moment, he lifts his hand, concentrating, and speaks a word: ] Maw. [ a golden egyptian hieroglyph of three waves appears in the air, glowing gently, and water spins into existence in his palm, stretching into a small tornado. he lets it do so for several moments, long enough for a proper display, before directing the water to a set of potted plants and letting the spell fade. ]

We good? [ because doing magic around non-magicians weirds him out. ]

( network )

Anyone else here have gods they can't contact? My magic used to be dependent on the fact that the gods are around somewhere, but they're definitely not here the same way and I can still do my magic just fine.

Mostly fine. Travel in the Duat seems to be impossible, but everything else seems to be functioning correctly.

Thanks.

network

[notgood]

You sound like you're saying you just go to the Duat for fun.

[kemwer]

The Duat's never fun, but it's convenient. Plus, it's really the only way for someone living to get to the Land of the Dead, so.

[notgood]

And that comes up enough for you.

[kemwer]

It's how my sister and I visit our parents.

[notgood]

Oh.

[Fuck. Now he feels like The Biggest Asshole on the planet.]

You're right. It's not possible here. And the Gods here aren't... exactly right, either.

[kemwer]

But they're here in some fashion? How did you find out?

Network

[setmatch]

Travel to the Duat is currently impossible because the Duat doesn't exist here.

Trust me. I've tried.

[kemwer]

[ .. damn. ] I wonder where I'm storing my khopesh, then? I can bring it out and drop it back in just fine, but if it's not the Duat, then what is it?? Weird.

What Nome are you part of? [ you know, if he's.. even from carter's version of earth?? this whole alternate universes interacting thing is exhausting. ]

[setmatch]

Nome?

I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with the word.

But, a for dropping things in and out of the Duat, I'm curious as to how you do it. I had to have a son of Anubis work a spell over me.

[kemwer]

I guess that answers that question for me.
Probably. Unless you're self-taught. Which you shouldn't be, if we're doing our jobs right.

Most magicians can access the Duat to greater or lesser degree. My sister and I are a little more connected in than most.

[setmatch]

I'm not a magician. I don't have access to that particular skill set.

[kemwer]

How do you know sons of Anubis, then?

[ not that.. they're actually anubis's kids at home, but you know.. ]

network

[areou]

only a god i wish i could lose all contact with

( read: apollo. she's kidding, mostly. he's not really that bad. but you'll never hear her say it. )

[kemwer]

Tell me about it. I have a couple of those I'd love to lose contact with.

[ LIKE SET. ]

[areou]

demigod i take it?

[kemwer]

Not exactly. Not the way the Greeks [ and apparently norse? ] are, anyway.

[areou]

( yeah get used to it buddy. at least there aren't any romans hanging around. yet. )

what's that supposed to mean

[kemwer]

I'm Egyptian. Our gods seem to operate differently? They don't really have half-human children.

( network )

[ambasciatore]

there is no underworld. no duat. no valhalla.

though, there are god just not like how you might have seen them. what gods are you looking for?

[kemwer]

Someone else mentioned the concerts.

[ which is.. strange. he hopes no one tells thoth about them. ]

The only pantheon I usually deal with is the Egyptian one.

[ambasciatore]

they're exciting.

ah. that's new. there are demigods here from the greek and norse pantheon. oh and actual the god apollo.

[kemwer]

I don't know, the last god I knew that was into music wasn't the sort of guy I'd go see in concert.

[ greek demigods.. ] This feels like a long shot, but Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase don't mean anything to you, do they?

[ambasciatore]

what did percy jackson do to you?

[ WHAT DOES PERCY JACKSON DO TO ANYONE? Percy Jackson is a menace and must be stopped. ]

[kemwer]

I mean he didn't make a great first impression, but nothing? He and Annabeth helped my sister and I out with some things.