etcelsior | time to put your face on

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.

The current craze sweeping the city and social media is getting people on their feet: the Camp Midnight Challenge! Based on a popular video game, the goal is to get the funkiest, silliest, most eye-catching dance sequence on video—with a twist! Successful completion of this challenge requires getting an imPort to join in a duo dance that incorporates their powers! Swarms of eager teens, tweens and would-be BlueTube stars are out and about on the sidewalk looking for newcomers to join in. If they spot you, you better come up with a good excuse or put your dancing shoes on!

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.

Today in De Chima, there's the unveiling of a brand new invention in the convention centre park! With a simple scan, it will print out your Closest Love Match of the other individuals present, along with your percentage of compatibility and a free coupon to get lunch with your new date if you match 90% or higher!

A little odd that it seems that nearly every couple has 90% or higher, isn't it? What's the probability that the scanner is broken?

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...

Local resistance to superheroes has made the city a popular gathering place for experimental engineers and scientists whose methods are misunderstood by the establishment, aka 'mad scientists.' Today, the latest creation of a former food scientist who used to work for Yell-O Desserts, is rising up in gooshy style!

From the canal that bisects the city rises a giant, gooshy, uh....thing. The blob slowly begins to ooze through town, growing larger as it consumes anything it comes across, absorbing it into its gooey depths. It's slow, but relentless, and doesn't have any obvious weak spots. Will you attempt to fight back and arrest its gelatinous progress, help the slow runners get away or make a break for it yourself? Or maybe see how good a dessert it makes?

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.

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.

You're in luck! You're just in time for Jeopardy's traditional Valentine's Race!

The premise of the race is simple: hogtie your lover, throw them over your shoulder (or back, if needed), and carry them from the bank of the train station (it's actually not a train station, it's a non-functioning movie set that's been turned into a museum, but it's still called "the train station.") While the tradition says "lover," as long as the person you tie up has consented to it, it's allowed!

At the end of the race, the Mayor gives a short speech about love, and movies, and tradition. She's also baked thousands of Valentine's and heart-themed desserts for all participants and audience members! They just happen to all be... shaped like the actual heart organ, rather than the symbol.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

heropa

[ Nadass is a little confused as she is deposited outside of Cape Canaveral-- it was a little different than the Cape Canaveral she had visited before-- but the cheery, sunshine-y city of Heropa is welcoming enough! She decides to sit on a bench by the beach and read through the file they gave her, try to recover some semblance of understanding over her situation.

She is, of course, interrupted by a local teen who wants her to dance with them. She smiles a friendly smile and sets her file aside, placing her jacket on top of it so the papers don't blow away, and gets up to attempt the dance. She doesn't end up being too bad at it, either, for a first timer, though it's clear she is no dancer. ]

Alright, now it is my turn to teach you a dance from my home planet. How does that sound? [ The teens 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the concept of an imPort from another planet, but then they dutifully pay attention while Nadass leads them through the motions of a more somber, formal dance routine. ]

nonah

[ She may not have intended to walk into a film premiere gala, but once she's in front of the cameras and reporters, it's clear that Nadass can carry herself with the poise of any Hollywood starlet. Or, rather, a foreign dignitary of some kind, as all her answers are kept polite and short with the ease of someone who is used to navigating such interviews. Once inside the gala, she politely refuses any alcoholic drinks offered to her, stating that alcohol is illegal on her planet. Finally, with enough cries of, "well it ain't illegal here!" she is convinced to try a glass of champagne.

Of course, not being used to drinking alcoholic beverages means that Nadass is an incredible lightweight. All the poise and posture from earlier disappears with the bubbly in her glass as she winds up wobbling her way around the party, interrupting conversations to taste whatever hors d'oeuvres are on display. Someone should probably take her home... ]

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Good day to you all. My name is Nadass Vihalen. I have recently arrived on this planet, and would like to speak with someone in the local government, if possible. I have come to understand that these cities we "ImPorts" have been housed in have elected officials to liaise with the United States government. If someone could direct me to one of them, I would sincerely appreciate it.

But, I suppose while we're here, I may as well attempt to get to know you all as well. What sort of worlds do you come from? How long have you been an ImPort? How have you found your time here?

[ ooc: info in journal, will match prose or brackets, hmu @

objectpermanence if you need anything more! ]

Edited 2019-01-26 02:58 (UTC)

You accept the knowledge of multiple worlds so easily? I ask because some have more of a difficult time accepting the matter.

I will admit, the concept of another Earth besides the one I was previously on is a bit odd, but I like to pride myself on my ability to adapt.

Edited (html) 2019-01-26 17:40 (UTC)

Adaptability might be the most admirable in this case. You're already a step ahead of most for considering it.

Congratulations.

I've had to adapt a lot in recent years. Being a constant traveler in a foreign land will do that to someone.

Adaptive and well-traveled. You're already rather remarkable.

I'm Frederick. Doctor Frederick Chilton.

It is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Chilton. I am Ambassador Nadass Vihalen.

Although, I'm not so sure I should include the title. My position doesn't exactly carry over to this new Earth with me.

Not immediately, true. But given your natural skill sets, I've little doubt you could apply them aptly to our little society here.

How is it that you apply your skill set to this community, Doctor?

I am a psychiatrist. So I've maintained my medical doctorate, despite it being achieved in a world apart, and I serve the imPort community in that manner.

That's an admirable position. Does the imPort community have many with troubled minds?

Oh, absolutely. PTSD mostly, and hefty manifestations of anxiety. Most do not take easily to the idea of a multiverse.

But we have some with psychotic tendencies among us, too. Even better: some psychopathic individuals.

"Better?" I'm not sure that's the word I would use. But then, my only psychological experience is undergoing a thorough exam before embarking upon my current mission.

What sort of mission? If that isn't too personal a question. Diplomatic, I would assume, but I've been told I assume a little too much and a little too often.

No, that's quite alright. I'll admit, I'm not used to the fact that no one here knows who I am or what I'm here to do.

I am the first representative from my planet to visit Earth. My official title is Ningan-Human Cultural Ambassador.

Oh, my. That is impressive. We have a few space-prone individuals here, Poe Dameron comes to mind, but I daresay your specific position is unique.

However, your skill set of communication cultural difference would be likely very welcomed.

I will keep an eye out for Poe Dameron. Thank you.

Yes, I do think I'm uniquely situated to fare relatively well in this sort of "new world" scenario, having been through it once before.

Should you need any help making the right connections, I'm certain I can provide. I've been here since any of us had come, you understand.

Thank you for the offer. You're a very good man to get to know, then.

I would say so, yes. And I would hope others might agree.

How have you been settling in, otherwise?

time to put your face on

Nadass Vihalen | OC

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