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]

[ When he points out her mask, Carol triggers the release and the mask folds away, revealing her face and letting her hair fly loose from its confined mohawk. ]

Helps with the whole oxygen thing when I leave atmo.

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo lifts his eyebrows, equal parts entertained and impressed. ]

Huh. That's handy.

[ He glances upwards pointedly. The newcomer had been fast. Really fast. And Apollo's been longing to really stretch his legs (metaphorically) against someone who could actually fly. ]

How far outside of atmo are we talking?

[usaf]

[ Carol heaves an annoyed sigh. ] Normally, no limit. But when I tried it here, I couldn't get past the moon before... something went wrong.

[solarcharged]

[ Ah. Yes. Apollo nods sagely with a sympathetic expression. ]

Probably because you're not Registered. They don't like their superheroes to have their own free will here.

[ BITTER MUCH? Sorry, he can't help himself. Still, Apollo grins brightly and jerks his head upwards. ]

Race you to the moon?

[usaf]

[ Carol tilts her head. ]

I'm gonna want to hear more about that later. But for now...

[ Yeah that's all the lead in he gets before her mask is back on and she's rocketing skyward. ]

[solarcharged]

[ Apollo doesn't protest as she takes off ahead of him; grinning, he simply shakes his head briefly before setting off in pursuit in a bright burst of golden sunlight. Up above the clouds with unrestricted access to the sunlight flooding the upper atmosphere it isn't long until he catches up, drawing (nearly) level as he shouts above the roaring, whipping wind: ]

Oh, that was a dirty move!

[usaf]

What, you expected me to play fair?

[ Carol puts on another burst of speed, actually pushing herself to her limits for the first time in a while. Sure, it's just a silly race, but this guy can keep up, and she doesn't want to lose. ]

[solarcharged]

[ He'd been slowly closing the gap between them, right up until the newcomer puts on a burst of speed that takes Apollo by surprise. But with the sun on his back and a fierce flash of competitive spirit powering him onward he inches closer, gaining on her heels as they hurtle through the thinning air. ]

I'm going to remember you said that! [ He calls over the wind, making use of the last few precious moments before they lose the oxygen and break free of the atmosphere. ]

[usaf]

[ The last thing he hears before they break through into the blackness of space is Carol's laugh, echoing on the wind. But then they push through the atmosphere's edge, Carol activates the force shield on her mask, and the only thing she can hear is her own breathing, echoing in her ears, as she zooms towards the moon, growing larger as they race closer. ]

[solarcharged]

[ The good thing about space? The lack of atmosphere between Apollo and the solar energy of the sun's surface. Amidst the unadulterated, unfiltered sunlight Apollo summons up a healthy burst of speed, errupting in a flare of light and heat as he draws level with Carol and --

He reaches out, shoving her boyishly with both hands in an effort to jostle the other hero of course. Beep beep, sun god comin' through. ]

[usaf]

[ Okay, she didn't see that one coming. She's thrown off course, which at the speed she was going means she veers pretty far to the left, before she curves back around and puts herself on a collision course.

Forget beating him to the moon. Now she just wants to tackle that smug asshole out of the sky.

She comes at him like a linebacker, throwing all of her not insignificant force into him (he can probably take it. right?) and making them both careen straight into the rocky surface of the moon.

The moon needed a new crater anyway. ]

[solarcharged]

[ If this were a high budget Hollywood movie, the kind that forgets the laws of science in favour of dramatic effects, the sound of their impact would have been impressive. But as it is they land in a silent of explosion of light and heat as Apollo's solar energy scorches an unhappy black mark of glassy dust in their wake. Someone's going to have to explain that burn mark to the space nerds on earth, Carol!!!!

Apollo laughs silently beneath Carol, gently untangling their limbs as he slowly sits up at the bottom of their new mini crater. ]

I think that's a draw, [ He says through the network's neural link. ] Agreed?

[usaf]

[ Carol's laughing inside her mask, though the sound doesn't travel outside it due to the whole no atmosphere thing. She pushes herself back off of him, standing up and looking around at the crater they've created, rather impressed.

But then--

Okay, that's new. Voice in her head. Pretty obvious it came from the only other person here but... How? ]

How are you doing that? [ She thinks. ] Can you hear what I'm thinking?