etcelsior | 30 days has September

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test drive

30 days has September

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.

Everyone’s in preparation for the arrival of Autumn! A small street fair has dedicated itself to welcoming Fall with open arms. Harvest foods have practically taken over— hot pumpkin-themed drinks, warm apple pies, and butternut squash soups are everywhere. One stall in particular has a scarecrow-building class, providing with plenty of patched up clothes and straw.

If you stay late enough at the fair to see the moon rise, you’ll notice it takes on a deep orange glow— pretty normal for a harvest moon. But it’s strange… a few scarecrows also seem to share the same color glow from their eyes. Maybe it’s just a reflection…?

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 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!

Although what really seems to be the question of the month for those hardhitting journalists is a little less of the mundane;

"So what do you think about the recent Import mission to Mars? How much did that cost the government, and what will the repercussions be?"

Maybe they're hoping for a psychic Import on these matters...

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. 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.

Up ahead, it seems like there’s a traffic jam- or rather, a complete deadlock. But strangely, no one’s honking their honks or trying to zoom around other cars. Upon closer inspection, it seems like everyone is stock-still, with blank expressions upon their faces. The only figure moving in the crowd is a woman with a rather strange black and white outfit…

It seems like yet another local with superpowers has emerged from the woodwork- perhaps literally, in this case, given that she’s dressed up like a mushroom.

It seems that Feelia Fungus has taken to telepathically freezing the entire intersection with her mind control “spores” while she helps herself to robbing civilians of their belongings. It’s up to you to stop her!

Remember: September is known for being mushroom hunting season!

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.

One might think that being such an industrial-based city, Nonah might might leave behind old cultural traditions. But with their motto of “Work Hard, Play Hard,” they certainly wouldn’t forget about a holiday they hold dear: Oktoberfest.  
The germanic celebration is in full force this week, complete with stalls giving away beer, and various snacks like brazen and würstl, along with various cakes. Anyone underage will be given a nice warm cider instead, and some natives may even try to convince you into wearing some classic dress- a dirndl.

For those with a more competitive streak, there’s a crossbow contest for most bull’s eyes hit!

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[ Of all the things Padmé's come across since arriving into her present circumstances, Anakin Skywalker facing down a group of scarecrows has to be the most absurd. Perhaps that's why it makes her smile so, her affection for the man practically bubbling up out of her with how glad she is to see him, here of all places. ]

They're made of straw, Ani. How malicious could they be?

[ There's practically laughter threaded through the words, fondness curled around every syllable as she steps closer. She's missed him. How strange it is when they still hardly know each other... ]

[Seeing her is far more complicated for him. He turns, on the verge of embracing her, but she looks different than he remembers and, with a quick glance, he notes that she is not pregnant. So he forces himself to breathe, to release the tension in his chest, and he gives her a warm smile.]

I'm not sure. How are they alive in the first place? [Her voice brings a flush to his cheeks and he decides against his earlier wariness. Sorry, Padmé, you are getting an embrace.] I'm glad to see you, Padmé.

[ She nearly melts into that embrace, everything in her feeling warm and safe with his arms around her. They'd only had a handful of days together before she arrived here, and yet somehow they had been more than enough to send her tumbling headfirst into loving him. ]

I'm glad to see you, too. It feels like it's been years since we were last together.

[ Realizing something she'd failed to notice at first, she leans back slightly to peer up at him. His hair, the lines of his face... He's different than the Anakin she fought beside on Geonosis. Putting the pieces together with what she's learned of this place, she frowns slightly before asking a quiet, hesitant question. ] How long has it been for you?

[She fits so perfectly in his arms and he wishes he could protect her from what is to come. He has learned a multitude of lessons from their children and grandchild, but it's too little too late where she is concerned. He runs his fingers through her dark hair, sighing.]

You have no idea. [He gives her a soothing smile when she gets a good look at him. Where to begin...?] Looking at you, I would say I'm from your future. If you don't want to know anything, that's fine by me. But I don't mind telling you either. I just want you to be happy.

[ Reaching up to press a hand to his cheek, her fingers brush against the edge of a scar she doesn't remember, strands of hair far too long tickling against her skin. It's unsettling, knowing that this place has the sort of power to bring them together from different points in time. And yet... He's still Anakin, and she still trusts that he truly does want her happiness. ]

I do want to know. [ As difficult as the future is to face. ] But we don't have to discuss it now.

[His eyes close and he relaxes. She has power over him; power he doesn't fully understand. But that's okay. She is Padmé - the love of his life and his wife. He doesn't mind being weak before her sometimes.]

It will take awhile. Just know... We're married. [He touches her cheek tenderly, smiling into her eyes.] Happily married and you are expecting.

[ That takes her aback in a way she hadn't anticipated. Married. Expecting. However far into her future, they have a life together, or at least enough of one that they've taken those steps together. She can't even begin to guess at what the circumstances must be like, considering their respective careers and lifestyles, let alone the present state of the galaxy—

But it still makes her happy to hear. ]

That sounds... [ She searches for a moment before finding a word that rings true enough to do the feeling justice. ] Wonderful. All of it. [ And then she looks down, her hand falling to rest on his chest as her eyes trace the stitching on the fabric of his clothing. ] I'd only just told you I love you before I came here. It seems incredible to think that we...

[She is wonderful. He has watched her overcome impossible circumstances with grace and dignity; he has watched her suffer silently while outwardly looking stronger than ever. Anakin doesn't just love her; he respects her and the fact that she is having their children is...

It causes him to feel something beyond joy.]

I tell you that part in particular because our children are here. [He chuckles and brings their foreheads together.] So you're from that moment. It won't take long for us to marry.

[Out of habit, he lifts his mechno-arm, the mechanics skillful enough to touch her shoulder. But the sight of it will surely surprise her.]

[ Their children are here? Somehow, that's even more surprising than the fact that they have children at all. She'll meet them here before she's even married their father — suddenly, she feels an even stronger need to understand the future that lies before her, if only so she can understand the events that have shaped her children's lives. Until seconds ago, they hadn't even been a possibility in her mind, she hasn't even met them, and yet her maternal instincts are already demanding that she protect them in whatever way she can.

But all of that goes right out of her mind at the sight of his hand. ] Ani! What happened? [ She's alarmed at the stark change that couldn't possibly have occurred under pleasant circumstances, and she's both scared and worried for him. Which is ridiculous, of course; he's clearly accustomed to it and so the incident is far in his past. But still she looks up at him with wide eyes as her own hands grip the fabric at his waist. ]

[He trusts that she will love them. Luke and Leia are as charming, passionate and stubborn as they could wish and Anakin feels wholly unworthy of them. Padmé, on the other hand, deserves them and it breaks his heart that she will not even have a chance to hold them as infants. But he won't tell her of that; not yet. It's enough for her to know they have a life - however short - together and that they are happy.]

Oh...that's right. You don't know about this yet. [He tugs up his sleeve to show her how far the mechanism extends up his arm. Nearly to his shoulder.] I lost it in a fight with Count Dooku. It was rough being fitted for this, but it can do pretty much everything my arm and hand could do before.

[Her shock is touching, however, and he pulls her into his arms, brushing his lips against her cheek.]

I'm alright.

[ She didn't know about it yet. It strikes her suddenly how much she doesn't know, how heavy a burden that will be for herself and all those around her. The constant stream of questions while trying to catch up, where before she'd always tried to be one step ahead. How long would it be before the ground steadied and she found her footing in this new world?

It isn't just shock she's feeling, but also an ice cold fear that settled in her veins. He'd lost his hand in a battle — there is no better reminder of how dangerous his life can be, and how close he must come to dying each day. Her love is still new, still blooming into existence, yet it's already so bright that the thought of losing him makes it hard to breathe. ]

I'm glad. [ And she means it, despite how weakly the statement emerges. Wrapping her arms around him, she clings to him for a moment, holding on as tightly as she can before reluctantly loosening her grip so she can turn the conversation in a new direction. ] Anakin, how long have you been here?

[He can hold her to keep her steady. The ground will stop moving and when she does find her footing, his arms will be there to comfort her too. He can see no other way for them to face the future. Without her, he is miserable and if she feels the same way - he is certain she does - they need to celebrate and mourn as one.]

If I hadn't left, I would have been here a year and five months. So let's make it a year and four months. [His lips touch her brow and he rubs a hand over her back soothingly.] I must be older than you now!

[Ha. Now he's the wiser one. Right? That's how it works, doesn't it? No?]

This is insane. [ The words fall from her lips before she can stop them, but they're true. She can't wrap her mind around any of this, everything from her arrival until now seeming like nothing more than some strange dream. Yet it's real, he's real, and she doesn't doubt any of what he's saying.

Leaning back to look up at him, she gives an apologetic shake of her head, her hands still holding on to his clothing because she can't bear to let go of him just yet. ] I'm sorry, all of this is just so...

Only slightly. [But he wonders if he is insane most days. In comparison, this world is a breath of fresh air. He strokes over her hair in the silence that follows, his expression sad and tender.]

As the days pass, you will adjust. [Anakin pulls her into a tighter embrace, kissing her temple.] You have me and, soon enough, you will have others too. It's inevitable.

[ She clings to him as if he's the only sanity she has left. There are people all around them, voices drifting on the night air as this city celebrates the changing of seasons, but he's the center of her universe in that moment. ]

Anakin, I— [ The words falter and she threads her fingers through her hair as if searching for an anchor in a storm. ] Will you give me time? I love you, but this is all so new to me, while for you we've been married for years.

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