etcelsior | DANCING WITH MY HAPPY FEET

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Literally. [He turns to face the robber and gestures to the knocked down and unconscious robbers.]

Lay down your weapon. This is over. [The robber doesn't think so. He brings his gun up and the metal Lion hits him in the side, knocking him down. Shiro dives for the gun as it is knocked free of the man's hand. He closes his glowing hand around the barrel.

The Lion lays down, pinning the guy.]

Well, that's one way to solve the problem.

[ Yes, Shiro, that was the joke. But Peter grins behind his mask - he can already tell this guy is gonna be great. ]

That is one hell of a cool lion. Also a cool arm. Where'd you get 'em?

[ He'll help clean up at least, webbing the pinned goon to the ground. ]

The Lion is from home. Usually Black is way bigger than this. [He powers down his arm and kneels down to double-check no one is going to keep the fight up.]

As for the arm...not my choice. [He ejects the ammo from the remaining guns and sets the weapons down out of reach of the disabled robbers. Shiro stands up and signals to Black. The Lion climbs off the downed man.]

I'm Shiro. I got here not that long ago.

[ Huh. Well - that sure sounds like there's a story behind it. Both the lion and the arm for that matter. ]

I'm Spider-Man. Nice to meet you, Shiro.

Uh - how much bigger are we talking?

At home, Black is my ship. I doubt we'll see them return to their usual size here. From what I've heard, anyway. Which isn't much. [He looks up as the wail of police sirens sound and steps back.]

And that is a conflict done. [He crosses his arms over his chest as his lion settles back at his side.] So, Spiderman. What happened to destabilize this city this badly?

Ship? As in spaceship?

[ He's eyeing the lion with new eyes now. So cool. But they should probably get out of here. ]

Um, I have no idea? I just got here like an hour ago.

Let's continue this talk out of the public eye. [He turns and walks back towards the alleyway.]

And yes, spaceship. [The red and blue glow of the police lights suggest they should hurry. He glances towards the bank. The security should now know the danger.

He can check in after. Black slips into the alley and he's not far behind, rolling his sleeve back down over his arm.]

Right, right, yeah. Subtlety and all that.

[ He's going to try to hold in his excitement as they walk. A spaceship shaped like a lion? Sign him up. It reminds him of that ancient animated show he and his uncle used to check out from the library. ]

[Shiro lays a hand on Black's back and says,] As far as I can tell something happened in this city to really destabilize their view on 'imports', in short, us.

But, I haven't found out just what yet. [He'd come looking like any other non-combatant but he does slightly regret not having his armor.]

Have you been to the other cities yet?

Must've been something big. I mean, I kind of get it? There's some people that blame superheroes in my world for the bad stuff that happens.

[ And in some cases, they're not wrong. ]

Not really. Just Heropa and here.

Heropa and De Chima here. ...the later really seems to like us. A bit too much. It's cameras everywhere.

[He crosses his arms over his chest and nods.] But you're right, it has to have been something big and I do get it. I just hope there's something we can do to ease their worries.

[ Oof. That's a lot to think about right now. Peter quiets for a moment, just feeling exhausted. It's been a long ... month? Months? Depending on when he mentally starts his whole mess back home. ]

Yeah. Me too. But I think I'll do a better job helping once I know what the heck I'm doing with my life.

...can’t argue with you there. [He has been avoiding thinking beyond gathering information. His life has been fairly simple these past few years. Survive. Make sure his team survived. Fight a war.

He scrubs at his face and sighs.] That’s going to be a job on its own. I’ll help however I can. Thanks for the help today by the way. You do good work.

[ He can't help but beam a little, appreciative of the compliment. Especially since this guy knows what he's doing. ]

Thanks, man. I've been doing it since I was fourteen. So this kinda thing is pretty normal for me.

It definitely shows how often you do it. Anyway, [They've been here a few hours and already got into a fight. Feels like his life.]

We should probably clear out. if the citizens are unsure...law enforcement might be worse.

Yeah. Uh. Good call. The cops are okay with superheroes back home, but they’re still really grumpy if you get framed for murder.

[ He offers a hand out to Shiro. ]

D’you want a lift?

[On habit he takes it with his left hand, the human one.] Sure.

Let's get going. [Black would meet them where ever they end up. The Lion will just follow the tie between it and its' paladin.]

Thank you again.

DANCING WITH MY HAPPY FEET

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject