etcelsior | walking in a winter wonderland

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test drive

walking in a winter wonderland

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.

Although even Florida can get chilly during the winter, a relative heat wave is sweeping through, resulting in an impromptu Beach Body Competition sponsored by a local gym. ImPorts who are the buffest of the buff all the way down to the super skinniest (competing in separate weight classes, of course) are likely to be urged to join in for some fun in the sun and the extra attention they garner from native fans.

Those who just aren't interested in competing might be called in to judge another competition down the beach: a youth sand-sculpting contest! Only one team can walk away with the grand prize of a laser tag package, but can you bring yourself to be harsh on those wide, hopeful eyes?

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.

With Christmas coming, the producers behind a guerilla new reality show are hard at work getting new footage—starring you! Areas of the city with the most foot traffic have been absolutely blanketed in mistletoe. If you happen to pass beneath a sprig, you might find a small camera crew jumping out of nowhere, urging you to give the person next to you a smooch—and thanks to the strange radio waves coming out of the unit on the executive producer's wrist, you'll feel a little compelled to do so!

...except the compulsion isn't that strong, so those who don't kiss on the first meet can easily break out of it. Your next choice: give the camera crew a piece of your mind, or ask the would-be kissee out for coffee? They are pretty cute...

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...

The downtown mall is tilting the balance solidly toward welcoming to imPorts with a Winter Welcome Festival. All the storefronts and many temporary kiosks occupied by local vendors are holding special sales, and newly arrived imPorts are given a coupon book to make the most of them. The food court has some free goodies for participants to mix and mingle.

Unfortunately, a local rogue with the alias of Klone Kringle is here to spoil the fun. After a small boom echoes throughout the mall, everything dissolves into chaos as dozens of copies of a man dressed in a polyester Santa Claus costume begin looting the retailers! The guns they wield that shoot snow and ice might not be lethal, but they can certainly slow you down (and give you a cold). Will you be the hero and help take down Kringle(s), or will you seize the opportunity to do some theft of your own?

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.

Thanksgiving and Hanukkah have passed, Christmas and New Year's Eve are coming up, but what about holidays from home? This weekend, the Nonah Cultural Center is hosting a one-day event during which attendees can share stories of their traditions and celebrations (whether they are related to winter holidays or completely different ones) and sharing them with others, either on a small stage with a microphone or in individual recording booths, so that these tales of cultural traditions can be preserved for others to learn about. ImPorts from worlds that are not variants of Earth are particularly encouraged to attend. Small refreshment tables will also be open to those who speak.

05. Jeopardy, Nevada by all rights shouldn't exist. A glowing neon city smack in the middle of the desert, the only reason it's still here is that the central nuclear power plant has tapped half a mile down into a subterranean lake for its water supply. So though the desert around it may be barren, the occupants of this small city are happily self sufficient. Those weird figures you see out of the corner of your eyes? Don't worry too much. Probably just weird radiation after effects. Jeopardy has a lot of those.

Saturnalia is just around the corner and Jeopardy is in full festive swing! The seven-day marathon of festivities includes a parade, with a ((cw: arachnophobia)) very special float from the Web Mistress's church; a day long city-wide paintball game; an attempt to break the world record for largest bingo game with everyone playing in dead silence; and a feast!

The final feast, of course, comes with the main event: ritual sacrifice. Of course, no one actually wants to do anything quite so base, in 2018, so the sacrifice is more metaphorical than actual: the kids of North Jeopardy High have spent three months building a giant chocolate Santa tied up in ropes to be slaughtered and fed to the city at large! Bon appetit!

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[ At the mention of paperwork, Finn's reminded about the long winded title. ]

Is the Aegis Force a local police group here?

Mm, yes, something like that.

[ He kneels, picking up some leftover ice and examining it, before dropping it and wiping his fingers on his jacket. ]

It's a government-sanctioned task force, led by and staffed by volunteer imPorts. It's no Galactic Empire, but... [ He stands, back straight, chin high. ] We try to right the wrongs of this world.

[ He visibly straightens at the offhanded remark. What were the odds it was a different Galactic Empire? With Finn's luck, not much. ]

An Empire from your home, you mean?

Yes, my apologies.

[ He still forgets sometimes that most people on this planet have never heard of the Empire. ]

It's a galaxy-wide political and military system from my home. I was a Commander in its Army.

[ Maybe it was a different galaxy-wide political and military system- ]

Have you heard of someone called Vader?

[ Finn figured that was the easiest way to ensure himself that it was definitely a different galaxy-wide political and military system. ]

[ Akobi's attention is caught at the name, and he turns his attention back to the young man. ]

Lord Vader is the Emperor's right hand. His top enforcer. [ A grin breaks out on his face. ] So you must be another one from our galaxy!

[ The question remains: who does this young man align himself with? The Imperials or the Rebels? ]

[ Oh. All right. ]

I'm, uh- I'm from your future, actually... But yeah.

[ He can't bring himself to smile, really. He has no idea how to be around an Imperial officer. Probably would have been best to not let anything on but too late now. ]

Ah, another one from the future.

[ Idly, Akobi wonders if this young man knows Poe. How far into the future is he? ]

Someone should probably tell you, then, that we have a sort of truce going here. Between the Imperials and the Rebel factions. Not that the matters of our war likely mean much to someone from your time.

[ No, no. Those matters mean a lot to him, actually. ]

I've heard. I don't have a problem upholding it. [ So long as everyone else does, too. ] You were a Commander in the Empire and now in the Aegis Force? That's a lot of experience.

[ Internally, Finn has no idea what to do and kinda wants to run. He's hesitant to give his name, curious about what the Aegis Force gets up to, and wants to know a lot more about Akobi. But mostly, he just wants to leave... ]

Well... [ He smiles to show a degree of self deprecation. ] I was a Commander in the Empire and I'm an operative in the Aegis Force. Aegis is led by Commander Jacob Taylor, not me.

[ As much as he would love to have a command again, he recognizes that he's too new for anyone to follow his orders, besides TK-622. ]

[ Oh. Well. Finn's silently relieved about that, actually. He only shows it in a nod. ]

You said it's a task force led by ImPorts, right? Can any ImPort join up?

[ He probably won't, but he'd like to look into it either way. ]

There's a rigorous selection process... [ Not really. An interview and a psych eval, and a few references. Pretty standard stuff. ]

The roster's full now, but if you're interested, keep an ear to the ground and a spot might open up.

[ He's not really intimidated by a selection process. ] I will, thank you.

[ Awkwardly enough, Finn doesn't know what else to say and looks out at the mall as people come behind them and start cleaning everything up. ]

I've known a few people who were in the Empire back home. [ A bit random, he knows. ] Are there more here? I've talked to someone else from home, but he didn't give me any exact numbers.

There are two Imperials present on this planet right now. Many more on the side of the Rebels, though I don't have an exact count. There are at least three from your time, counting yourself. And some from a time earlier than the both of us.

[ But Akobi knows there are more he hasn't spoken to yet, ]

[ Poe, Hux, and Ren- right. Hadn't run into the last two yet. There was a comfort at the thought of numbers on his side, though.

He nods, feeling as if he were holding back so many questions but felt uneasy about asking any of them. ]

Sorry. This place is just... really weird. It's hard to get a headcount on the things that matter anymore.

[ That gets Akobi to let out an empathetic chuckle and slap a hand onto the young man's shoulder. ]

Don't get me started. Has anyone told you about how this Porter plays with time and space like it's a toy? Or how death is apparently no big deal here? Why, I'm living proof!

[ Finn flinched and swayed at the sudden hand on his shoulder. He could not get a read on this guy. ]

Uh- Yeah. Yeah, someone mentioned that.

Wait, back home you're not- [ Oh, um. Ah. ] Sorry. [ ~~Is he, though?? The guy seems cool and all but- Oof.~~ ]

[ Don't worry, Akobi isn't really a touchy feely sort of man, so the hand doesn't stay on Finn's shoulder for long.]

Ah, yes. Not the most pleasant topic of conversation, I know. But I for one am glad for the second chance.

[ It's kind of hard to imagine for Finn. Perhaps it was almost like passing out on the Starkiller and waking up on the Raddus. Or maybe not at all, he doesn't know, so he doesn't go further with the comparison.

Instead, he nods. Everyone deserves a second chance, he supposes. ] I am glad this place was able to give you one. Glad its good for at least that.

[ Perhaps it was worth all the rest. ]

Thank you. [ It's to this young man's credit that he can put aside loyalties to see that another chance at life was a gift and not a shame, as some other Rebels had told Akobi.

He smiles and shakes his head, extending a hand for a shake. ]

Where are my manners? My name is Jeroen Akobi.

[ Oh, ah- He hadn't really intended to give his name out to this man, but that hardly mattered here. He'd find out his name and affiliation eventually. So long as none of it made things awkward, maybe it'd be fine.

Not that it wasn't already a little awkward. ]

Finn. [ He shakes his hand. ] It's good to meet you. [ Maybe. Hopefully. ]

[ Finn probably isn't expecting the look of recognition that crosses Akobi's face. But the smile that follows is genuine. ]

Likewise. Your reputation preceeds you, Finn. Poe Dameron seems to regard you in high esteem.

[ ... Oh. No, he... definitely was not expecting that. Finn smiles back over the fact that Poe apparently spoke highly of him to this Imperial officer. Everything was confusing but it still seemed nice. ]

I hold him in pretty high esteem as well. I'm- [ I'm shocked he told you of all people about me? I'm more shocked about that than I should be considering our backgrounds? ] I'm surprised he's talked about me. Are you two friends?

[ Akobi keeps smiling, but hips lips grow a little tight at the assertion that he and Dameron might be friends. ]

Acquaintances. We have a friend in common. He's been... indispensable in helping me adjust to this world, however.

[ Friends would have been nice but acquaintances sounds more believable. It's nice to hear that Poe helped this man, though. ]

Good. He's... good at helping people adjust to new things.

[ Good thing they're talking about Poe. Otherwise, this could be awkward. Oh wait, it's awkward, anyway. Great. ]

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ralltiir - 2018-12-30 13:14 (UTC) - Expand

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