DANCING WITH MY HAPPY FEET

[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, Florida 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. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation, while others might not say anything -- but if you have something nasty to say, better not say anything at all, right?

They are, however, in the middle of some awfully hot weather, so some good samaritans have gained the approval of the government to close off a few of the streets for some good old-fashioned fun. They've equipped everyone who steps in with water guns of varying quality, and there's also access to water balloons, a slip n' slide, and more! Why don't you grab an ice cream cone, watch the festivities, and cool off? But you'd better be careful - there's always a munchkin or two here to spray any unsuspecting onlookers they may find.

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! 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. 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. Their questions are likely to be fairly mundane, however; get ready for an interview about your taste in romantic partners, personal underwear choices, favorite foods, and more!

On this lazy summer day, the biggest buzz comes from a group of teens and tweens who are all taking part in a massive scavenger hunt spread via social media! What are they gathering? You! ImPorts are likely to be targeted and asked to pose for pictures in which they demonstrate their powers, video clips in which they share fun facts and secrets about their home worlds, and much more! If you're not interested, you better hurry home -- they're persistent!

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has had its ups and downs since imPorts started disappearing. The city's political core now gutted with its mayor and supreme ambassador exported out, the streets have returned to the hands of the local people -- and incidental, the local criminal element. 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.

As your character walks down the street, they may find themselves thrust within what appears to be an organized protest and a smaller counter-protest. There's shouting, there are chants. You pick up rhythmic beats of THE END IS NEAR, GET THEM OUT OF HERE clashing against the clumsier counter-chants of IMPORTS ARE PART OF US. You probably don't know why, but there are sects of people who believe your kind is bringing about the end of the universe. You'll probably learn why, in due time. But given the scorching tension of the situation you have found yourself in, it's probably a good idea NOT to use your powers.

But even keeping your powers on the down low, you're of keen eye, or at least today you are, as fate would have it. You see a boring looking man, perhaps in his mid-20s, with a cluster of boring looking companions (three or four at most) wearing backpacks as they all uniformly step back and don black masks. The protests are crossing the street ahead of First National Bank. These men beeline towards the bank.

They are going to rob it, and people are going to get hurt, you're sure of that. They're probably armed, given their backpacks. What do you do?

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. You may find yourself in the midst of a few closed-off streets for some occasion or another - whether it be a food cart festival, no-car day, or something else! - and surrounded by the hum of people, the waft of food being served on the street, and plenty of attention

Today there's a big lemonade stand on one busy sidewalk, staffed by a group of industrious kids. Aww, isn't it sweet? Wait...is that a cookie stand a little ways down, also run by elementary-to-middle schoolers? Heck, the entire block is full of kid-run mini-businesses — a gathering of pint-sized entrepreneurs! And they have their eyes on you, hero, because as a celebrity imPort, your pockets are full of $$$, right?

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.

What's that sound? Why, the Church of the Ancient Web Mistress's choir is putting on a performance! A sizable contingent of the congregation's musically-minded members has gathered downtown, attempting to forge a spiritual connection through the power of song. Sure, these hymns sound a little spooky to your ears, but the sincerity is what matters, right? And the churchgoers, who are also handing out lyric sheets to interested participants, are sincerely interested in getting some imPorts to join in as temporary members of the choir. Never hurts to get a little more press and tithes, right?

Comments

Keith | Voltron: Legendary Defender

[lonered]

[ 01. Heropa ]

[Keith hadn't intended to get involved in a gun fight immediately after arrival, but sometimes you don't get to choose what fate throws at you. And yeah okay it's water guns, and his assailants are a bunch of kiddos, but still. It might have been the large furry cosmic wolf that caught the children's attention first, but whatever it is, Keith and his lupine companion find themselves embroiled in a water war.

He resists at first, but well, they're persistent. And more endearing than anticipated. And given how twisted up his mind is, finding himself here, out of his world, away from his team, it's actually nice to take his mind off all that for a moment.

He's in full paladin armor (though the helmet has been set aside for now) and he's armed himself with a decent watergun, and he's cheated a bit teleported with the space wolf to duck behind a bush, swinging around, ready to ambush and drench what he expects to be one of the munchkins, but maybe he's mistaken. Maybe it's you, in which case he straightens up quickly, lowering the weapon (fire arm etiquette is important even when it's a watergun) and offering a,] ...sorry about that.


[ 02. De Chima ]

[By now he's swapped out his armor for civilian clothes, which somehow still isn't letting him manage incognito as well as he would like. He's quick to dodge cameras and quicker to dodge questions.]

Uh... no. Look, you've got the wrong guy, I--

[He winces at the flash of a camera and sighs.] I don't have time for this.

[Another flash, another flurry of questions. He could use an extraction? Help?]


[ 03. Maurita Falls ]

[Trying to keep his head down (complicated given the large strangely colored and vaguely glowing wolf padding along at his side) Keith makes his way through the crowds of protests, moving with a surprising amount of ease, but he's had some experience navigating battlefields, so this is nothing. Yet anyway. The tensions are uncomfortably high. And the young man with the scar slicing across one cheek looks like he's feeling that tension.

Which is why he's swearing under his breath when he catches sight of the men bee-lining for the bank.]

Damn it. [He's not exactly the type to stand down if he can stop something bad from happening. He flexes his fingers by his side and the black bayard is in his hand instead of tucked inside his jacket, flaring once into a long straight sword. More than ready to charge in, he hesitates if he notices someone else looking.]

That's trouble. [Stating the obvious.] Going in?


[ 04. Wildcard ]

(( Keith can be found basically anywhere, familiarizing himself with things. feel free to hit me up at seasided if you want to plot something out! ))

03

[made_up_names]

[ Want a spider friend to go with your wolf friend? He's significantly less glowy, but he makes up for it by being sticky and swingy. He's perched up on a nearby wall, having Karen run a quick diagnostic for him behind the mask. ]

You knock 'em out, I'll string 'em up?

[lonered]

[Weirdly enough looking up and seeing a guy in a vaguely armored onesie with a mask makes him feel right at home, so Keith nods once, succinct. Works for him.]

On it.

[He reaches a hand over to settle on his wolf friend's large fluffy shoulder before with a little almost electric fizzle, they're suddenly no longer where they were, reappearing a fraction of a second later in the midst of the robbers.

The wolf lands directly on one, knocking the man prone and bearing its teeth to dissuade him from trying to rise. Keith meanwhile catches the backpack of he man he appeared behind, jerking hard and catching him behind the knee before turning to the third and final man, sword drawn.]

[made_up_names]

Whoa, teleportation. Awesome.

[ Okay Pete, time to stop staring at the cool glowy dude and time to start beating up some robbers. He swings in behind Keith, throwing out webs to finish up the job. The first robber gets stuck to the ground by his feet (with another glob of web on his arm to keep him from getting ideas). The second one gets yanked up to the ceiling once he's clear of Keith, yo-yoing up and down for a moment before dangling. And the third ...

Well, Keith's probably got this, but maybe he could use a distraction. Peter thiwps his way up to the ceiling, hanging out there for a moment. ]

Hey tough guy! What'd the bank robber say to the superheroes?

[lonered]

[Keith has no idea what to expect from this guy's fighting style, and it's good he doesn't try to guess because swinging and webs is not anything like what his imagination would've come up with.

It's effective as hell and kind of badass though, so he can't quite keep the start of a grin off his face, just a flicker there and then gone.

He will take the opportunity given him by the quipping -- watching the would-be robber look up at the webslinger with a genuinely confused look -- and darting close, a quick swing of his blade (catching the man with the flat of it to knock the breath out of him before bringing the handle down on the back of his head as the guy double's over.]

[made_up_names]

[ Annnd there's the web to keep him down once Keith knocks him out. That takes care of all three of them, and Peter doesn't sense any more coming around the corner. For now, anyway. ]

Apparently they don't say much.

[ He casually flips down, landing lightly next to Keith. ]

Killer moves, dude. And what's with the lightsaber?

Heropa

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Pidge spots Cosmo from down the street and almost can't believe her eyes. She blinks a few times and shook her head before looking once more, almost missing Cosmo teleporting away.

She runs towards where the wolf had been moments before and looks around trying to figure out where they'd gone. Out of the corner of her eye she sees a flash of white and red and finally spots Keith. He has his back to her and is apologizing for spraying a random pedestrian with the water gun in his hand and he's honestly the best thing she's seen in weeks.

She's running before she knows it and jumps onto Keith's back, wrapping her arms around his neck. ]

You're back! Oh holy quiznak I'm so happy to see you again! You and Lance just disappeared and left Allura and I alone and how could you?!?

[lonered]

[There is half a moment where he very nearly reacts to suddenly being jumped from behind by trying to flip the person off his back, but thankfully he resists that urge at least long enough to hear--]

Pidge?

[Surprise, clearly. He blinks and cranes his head to look back at her.] Hold on, slow down. Allura's here too? What do you mean I disappeared?

[Despite the confusion, he's smiling, a little relieved to have a familiar face.]

[pidgewidgeon]

Of course Allura's here! And what do you mean' what do I mean'? You were here one day and gone the next!

[ She punches his arm before sliding down off his back and moving around to look at him. She's about to continue berating him when she gets a good look at him. ]

You have no idea what I'm talking about do you? [ Shock and hurt are clear in her voice. ]

[lonered]

[And his smile falls away when he's suddenly under assault. Pidge is stronger than she looks, though he's rubbing his arm mostly for show (and to avoid getting hit again) but he frowns now, seeing the change in her expression, in her tone.]

No... I don't. I just got here, woke up and got the welcome wagon spiel and then...

[Well. Then he was here. She she was here.] Pidge, what's going on? How long have you and Allura been here? Are you okay?

[Those priorities first, then whatever the hell else is going on.]

[pidgewidgeon]

[ Yeah, okay. She can totally deal with this. This must have been how everyone who'd known the other version of her felt when she arrived ]

You're on an alternate Earth, that Porter that pulled you here just kind of stole you away. I've been here a year now, and it's not been too bad. Weird, but not too bad.

[ Pidge kind of shuffles from one foot to the other before she darts forward and hugs Keith properly. ]

I've missed you.

Heropa

[usaf]

[ Carol is an experienced warrior. When a combatant disappears off the playing field, she keeps her eyes open for where they've gone to. Which is how she finds him behind the bush. Interested in whoever can teleport, she makes her way over, super soaker in hand.

Then he sees her, and lowers his weapon. Wrong move. He may feel apologetic for targeting an adult, but she has no problem spraying a teenager with water. Which she does. Liberally. ]

Sorry, not sorry.

[lonered]

[Hey now he is in his twenties. Totally old enough to drink (barely) and everything! And now he's sprayed. Keith blinks at that. But well, yup. Okay. Remorse on his part fades away at once and he lifts his squirtgun to fire back.

This means war, lady. But there's a grin threatening at the corners of his lips.]

That's how it's gonna be, huh?

[And he will play to his advantage, setting a hand on the wolf beside him and letting his lupine pal teleport them both behind Carol, where he will not hesitate to start spraying.]

[usaf]

[ Okay, so she gets sprayed in the back. She gasps as the cold water soaks through her t-shirt. But, she learned something important. He needs to touch the wolf in order to teleport.

Carol takes to the skies, lighting up like a Christmas tree and turning to spray the pair from above, trying to shoot between them so they'll separate. ]

Oh yeah. That's how it's gonna be.

[lonered]

[Oh she's good. Keith realizes the strategy; she caught on quick. All right. Keith dodges left, rolling behind a tree for cover, while the wolf dodges right. Said wolf may not have a squirtgun or a way to fight back, but he's clearly enjoying the play.

He's also trying to wrap his hand around the fact that she's flying and glowing. But hey, weirder things have happened.]

Pretty good trick!

[He calls out, biding his time for a moment.]

[usaf]

Yours isn't too shabby either! [ Flying versus teleportation. Both pretty cool. ] Or should I say, your pet's.

[ She keeps her gun trained on the young man, but keeps the wolf in her line of sight. Doesn't want to be caught off guard again. ]

De Chima

[patchricide]

["You've got the wrong guy"? Keith, no other human on the planet still wears their hair like that. It's eyeroll-worthy enough that Allura ought to leave her fellow Paladin to his fate.]

[But no, she's not nearly that cruel. Meaning she has to figure out some way to get Keith out of the flock of paparazzi...]

[Perhaps a distraction?]

Oh! Look! Isn't that Lucina on the arm of... oh, what was that other imPort's name again?

[Most of the paparazzi immediately starts to disperse, their heads swiveling about looking for the blue-haired princess. Don't be too offended that you're yesterday's news, Keith.]

[The few paparazzi that remain still look pretty distracted. Time to grab Keith by the arm and start pulling him away.]

[lonered]

[His poor maligned mullet. He cuts his own hair okay? ...with a knife. Anyway, not the point.

Keith is still trying to figure out the best way to duck this uncomfortable crowd and run when a familiar voice hits his ears saying unfamiliar things. Whatever it means, it seems to work, and more importantly, Keith is looking entirely relieved to see a familiar face, fixing his attention on Allura.

He has never been happier to be yesterday's news, so he lets himself be led away.] Allura... [By now he's run into Pidge, so he does know she's here, but seeing her with his own eyes is still settling.] You are here. Thanks for the extraction.

[patchricide]

[There's an amused smile on her face and a laugh in her voice as she responds,] You sound so surprised, Keith!

[... and then her expression shifts, as the deeper implications settle in. Well, they can walk and talk. Allura keeps moving, checking periodically to see if any paparazzi are tracking them down.]

Tell me, how much have you been told about this reality? About the imPorts, and all that?

[lonered]

[Keith keeps pace. He is entirely happy to put as much distance between them and the folks with the cameras and the questions as he can.]

Let's call it relieved.

[He offers with a smile in return.] It's good to see you.

[And well, as to her question.] Not a lot. I got the welcome speech when I woke up. And I ran into Pidge earlier. She said you were here. [And that he'd apparently been here before, which is still a little mind-twisting.]

[patchricide]

That's right. I've been living on Earth for over a year now, in fact.

Although it's not quite the Earth you may remember. There's some differences in the timeline, as you would expect from an alternate reality...

[She pauses, and then notes,] ... it was actually you who told me that when I first arrived. Or what I thought was my first arrival. You also told me it was the second time I had been here.

[So. It's weird for both of them.]

De Chima

[cantgetanyworse]

[She's still getting used to the crowds of reporters with flashing cameras who will occasionally descend upon her when she's just trying to have a nice day in the park but the local animals are being just a little too friendly. With the powers she has, it's easy enough to pass as a non-imPort, but some others clearly aren't that lucky.

And normally... she'd just let them get on with it. Most imPorts are as used to it as she is, or more so, but the young man being currently assaulted by paparazzi just looks so---

Ah, she just has to help.]

Excuse me-- ExCUSE ME. [She drives through the crowd with a commanding voice and quickly loops her arm through Keith's.]

There you are! Come on, we have to go. I'm sure none of these lovely people want to be responsible for delaying us.

['Just follow my lead', her eyes say.]

[lonered]

[There is a moment where Keith looks entirely confused because he doesn't know this woman at all and-- Oh. Right yes. Okay, he's on board with this. Very on board, and he gives Jane an entirely grateful look.]

Right. Yeah... definitely.

[A look around at the paparazzi who seem at least caught off guard enough that they're letting them slip away. Works for Keith.]

Sorry for keeping you waiting.

[Playing along. Jane, he does not know you, but you're already in his good books.]

[cantgetanyworse]

Oh, don't worry about it at all.

[And she whisks him away, walking briskly down the street, around a corner, and--

She lets go of his arm, puffs out a sharp exhale, and peers back out around the wall with a disgruntled huff.]

Vultures. [Jane says, then turns around with a smile, clasping her hands together.] I do hope that wasn't too presumptuous of me. You just looked rather lost.

[lonered]

[Keith glances back once just to make sure they aren't being followed. But the ruse seems to be working, and he is intensely appreciative.]

Yeah. They sure are that.

[Really really persistent.]

No, no definitely not. I'm real grateful. I wasn't sure I was going to get out of that without calling for Black.

[Which seemed like overkill really.] I'm Keith.