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

[usaf]

Carol has the decency to look horrified by that anecdote. "For a ...sel-fie?" It's clear by the way she says the word that she's got no idea what a selfie is.

She also has no idea what the Justice League is. "I'm guessing they're a league of warrior heroes?"

[kid_flash_found]

"When they hold up their phones to take a photo of you with them," Bart said, taking his own device out as a demonstration. "I don't really get it, either, but folks love taking pictures of themselves with celebrities and sharing them."

The hesitation on the word makes her wonder if it's some kind of translation issue.

"Not all of them are warriors, and I know one or two who would flat-out deny the hero thing. But it's an organization of people with powers who try to use them for the good of everyone."

[usaf]

No translation issue, she's just pre-cell phones.

"She jumped off a building to take a photo with someone?" Her incredulity is plain in her voice.

"And this organization is on Earth?" It sounds like something Kree Starforce would throw together.

[kid_flash_found]

"I wish I were joking, ma'am. My life would have been easier without people like that. Especially since I can't fly," Bart said, trying to keep the smile off his face at her reaction.

"Yeah. Although there are members from other worlds. Mars, Krypton, and so on. The Green Lantern of our Sector is a member, and the Lanterns are basically space cops."

[usaf]

"Please, call me Carol." Ma'am feels too formal.

"I've heard of Mars, but the rest of what you've said is all stuff I don't recognize." That said, as far as she was aware, Mars was a planet full of red dirt and not much else. Certainly no people, let alone people with powers. "We must come from very different worlds."

[kid_flash_found]

"It's a big multiverse," Bart said, smiling a little.

"I go by Kid Flash. Fastest Teen Alive."

[usaf]

"Apparently so." It's getting bigger and bigger by the minute.

"Is that common, where you come from? Teen heroes?"

[kid_flash_found]

"Not exactly. Most of us are related in some way to older heroes. Or victims of accidents that caused them to get powers and they decided to try to use them for the good of others. I'm part of a team, the Teen Titans, that was created to give us a place to be ourselves with a degree of safety, but not under the eyes of mentors that might be a little controlling," Bart said. "I still don't know how Nightwing managed to get Batman and the others to agree to that, but he was the first when he was younger. We're more sidekicks than solo acts, anyways."

He kinda likes the support aspect, not always having to be the first on the scene, to adapt blindly to whatever crazy thing has been thrown at them.

"What about your world?"

[usaf]

Carol nods, somewhat impressed. It all sounds very... organized.

"As far as I'm aware, I'm the only hero on Earth in my universe. There are races of people with powers in space, but none of them really have noticed or come to Earth."

[kid_flash_found]

"Well, heroes have been around a while. I mean, my first mentor started his run in the wild west. Like, literally that time."

[usaf]

"Earth had one superhuman in the 40s, but he sort of disappeared decades ago." Nobody really knew what happened to Captain America after he went down in the Arctic.

[kid_flash_found]

"Metahumans are just a part of life in my world. Although not all of my friends have or need powers. I'm actually a third-generation speedster. Runs in the family."

[usaf]

Carol looks impressed. "Sounds like you had a few advantages, in having people who could teach you how to use your powers." Briefly, she thinks of Yon-Rogg, then shakes her head. Yon-Rogg only ever wanted to hold her back.

"I pretty much had to figure a lot of stuff out on my own."

[kid_flash_found]

"Actually, I didn't get a handle on my powers until I was fourteen or so."

And for his third birthday, he turned fifteen. But that was hardly anything to bring up.

"Before that, I was more of a lab rat than anything."

[usaf]

"A lab rat?" That earns him a look of concern.

"I hope you mean that in some metaphorical sense."

[kid_flash_found]

"Well, it was technically a lab, and most of what I did in the VR chamber was run around, so the if the shoe fits?" Bart said, shrugging dismissively. "Being born with superspeed tends to have side-effects, since babies aren't exactly known for their control.

"Things have gotten a lot better, though. Still not entirely certain about this place, though. I mean, government registration isn't always a good thing. Just ask the Jews and the gypsies."

[usaf]

Carol is still very confused about most of what this kid is saying, but she'll gladly abandon her line of questioning for more familiar topics.

"Yeah, I'm not so sure how I feel about all that. I don't see why the government needs to know anything more about me than they already do. I mean... Did they give you a file when you Ported in too? They already know our names, our powers, where we come from..."

It's creepy, and Carol really doesn't like it.