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]

You can get it the next time.

[ Besides, the whole reason they're meeting is so Peter can tell Carol about her future. Let her handle the food, it's fine. ]

[made_up_names]

Okay, okay. Next time.

[ He'll go easy on the order at least then. Like, just one pizza okay. ]

So - I dunno where to start? But maybe the actual beginning, since I'm guessing you don't even know who Iron Man is.

[usaf]

[ Carol shakes her head. ] Not a clue. He some kind of robot or something?

[made_up_names]

He builds robots, but he's just a dude. Tony Stark. Uh, he got kidnapped and built a suit to escape and turned it into a superhero thing. He's the first modern superhero.

Uh, other than you and Captain America, but you and Cap both disappeared for a while so Mr. Stark kind of gets to be first.

[usaf]

Tony Stark? The billionaire heir to that tech conglomerate? He becomes Earth's newest hero?

[ That sounds almost as unbelievable as a US Air Force pilot absorbing the blast from an experimental engine, getting an alien blood transfusion, and learning to fly through space. ]

[made_up_names]

That's the guy. Uh, I guess he was kind of a dick before ...

[ Oh. Right. ]

Well, during your time. But he was a lot nice by the time I met him.

[usaf]

And what was a kid like you doing meeting Earth's big superhero?

[made_up_names]

Uh - well, the first time? My dad took me to the Stark Expo and I got attacked by killer robots. He saved me, it was the greatest day of my life.

[usaf]

[ Carol makes a face. ]

Sounds like you peaked early.

[made_up_names]

Pretty much. I was like seven or so? Anyway. The second time I met him, aliens were invading New York. Mostly Midtown, but they got to Forest Hills too. He was leading a team of superheroes called the Avengers. That time it was more of a flyby.

[ That's a more complicated memory, but he's still cheerful. Trying not to think too hard about how this story ends. ]

[usaf]

What year was this? Which aliens?

[ Do the Kree come after Earth in her absence???? ]

[made_up_names]

2012, and ... the Chitauri, I think. I wasn't a superhero yet so I missed out on some of the details.

[ If she's keeping track, she might notice that the math for Peter's age is starting to get weird. ]

[usaf]

[ She might pick up on that, if she weren't instantly distracted by something else he said. ]

"Yet?"

[made_up_names]

Oh. Yeah. Um - I'm Spider-Man. I got powers about two years ago? In ... uh, I forget which year, but I was like fourteen. That's how I met Tony Stark the third time. He figured out my secret identity and recruited me.

[usaf]

[ Okay now here it comes. ]

Wait. Something's not adding up. If you were fourteen two years ago... You would have been seven in 2015. Which would put the Expo after the Chitauri invasion.

[made_up_names]

[ Hoo boy. Here we go. ]

I was dead for five years. So was half the population in the universe.

[usaf]

[ There's a long moment where Carol just... stares. Then she blinks, shaking her head slightly, because what the heck is her life now? ]

...You got better, I see.

Half the universe?

[made_up_names]

Yeah. The Avengers undid it, but.

[usaf]

The Avengers... The same team that fought off the Chitauri invasion?

[made_up_names]

Yeah, them. They went back in time to get the Infinity Stones so they could undo everything. And they did, but ... two of them died and the rest retired or vanished.

[usaf]

[ This conversation is getting much heavier than Carol had expected. And yet, she has a burning need to know more. ]

Who or what could have killed half the universe?

[made_up_names]

Thanos. With the Infinity Stones.

[usaf]

[ Carol chews her lip, thoughtful. This is a lot to handle. ]

What year? When does Thanos do this?

[ All she has to do is get back to her own time and universe, find Thanos, and stop him before he can use the Infinity Stones to wipe out half the universe.

Easy, right? ]

[made_up_names]

[ Peter hesitates. He's all for it, honestly, but he has no idea what he's doing to the timeline? Probably a thought he should have had before he even started talking about this. ]

2018. So - if you're from the nineties, I guess you've got twenty-five years to do something about it.

[usaf]

Right. Sounds doable, doesn't it?

[ She puts on a confident smile, even if she isn't so sure herself. She's heard stories about Thanos from the Kree. Horror stories.

But she isn't about to burden Peter with all that. It sounds like he's been through enough as it is.

Luckily, a waitress picks that time to come over and ask them for their order. ]

You decided what you want yet? Or do you need a few minutes?