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

[goodtobebad]

Oh, are there? You'd better show me where to find them, then.

[ He's also got an angel with a sweet tooth. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Oh, they'll get along wonderfully. ]

Yeah. Come on, it's not far.

[ New ice cream! Hopefully, it won't ruin his stomach. Or his appetite. But there hasn't been anyone to keep an eye on him for a couple of days, so...

Does the Antichrist get tummy aches? One might find out. ]

[goodtobebad]

[ If it does ruin his appetite, it's not like his parents are around to chide Crowley for it.

Aziraphale might chide him, but he can deal with that.

The point is, Crowley isn't trying to get this one to be evil or anything. He's just a kid. Crowley is going to look after him. He did give the demon back both his angel and his Bentley, after all. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He is very much just a kid. And the world is lucky he is.

He walks along, Dog trotting by his feet, already listing the flavors he wants to try this time. But questions pop into his head, as happens with most children.]

What did they tell you, when you showed up here?

[goodtobebad]

I imagine they told me the same thing they told you - that everyone brought here has powers, whether they had them back home or not.

[ Which means the kid has powers. Of some sort. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Indeed, he does. So much he knew, already, of course. And the scientists sure told him that, too.

He's quiet for a moment, thinking his answer over, along with trying to remember everything the lab people told him.]

Yeah. [ He looks at some people passing by on the street, away from the protests.] But not the people here.

Are we like...superheroes?

[goodtobebad]

Uh...

[ Crowley makes a face at the thought. ]

I don't know about you but I don't really go in for the spandex tights and caped crusader look.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He gives Crowley a subtle look-over. He tries to imagine him in a classic superhero outfit - thankfully to no real-world effect - and decides that, no, he really wouldn't look right.]

I guess not.

You look more like you'd be a super villain. [ Dark clothes, cool look? Clearly someone who monologues about their plans that constantly get ruined.]

Or like those guys that dress all dark but turn out to be good guys anyway. Like Wolverine. [ The movie version, of course.] Or Batman.

[goodtobebad]

I'm not dressing up like a bat, that's beneath my dignity.

[ He'd rather be a snake, anyway. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

You don't have to. You could dress like something else.

[ Yes, this is the conversation now. If only his friends were here with even more suggestions. ]

Not all superheroes dress like animals.

[goodtobebad]

I think I'd rather keep dressing like me.

[ He changes his style every few years anyway. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam eyes his clothes again. ]

You look more like a super-villain.

[goodtobebad]

Well, obviously. I'm a demon. We're, like, the original villains.

[perfectlyhuman]

Are you a villain? [ He really doesn't get that vibe off him... ]

[goodtobebad]

I'm a demon. Evil, by nature and definition. I think villainy sort of depends on your perspective, though.

I mean, pretty sure both Heaven and Hell think we're villains, right now.

[perfectlyhuman]

Why? [ That whole thing. He still doesn't know how he feels about it. He isn't even sure he understands all of it. ]

Because you helped stop the end of the world?

[ Even though they kind of only showed up at the end there and gave him very confusing advice. ]

[goodtobebad]

Yeeeeaaaaaah. We stopped them from doing the thing they really wanted to do. And also I've been friends with an angel for six thousand years, and just generally thumbing my nose at Hell.

[perfectlyhuman]

So? [ Oh, he remembers that one tall guy in the grey clothes and that person with a fly on their head. He didn't like either of them.]

People should be friends with whoever they want. And they shouldn't want the world to be destroyed.

[ Well, he's also partly guilty of that last one, but he learned pretty quick.]

[goodtobebad]

In case you haven’t noticed, people aren’t always going to agree with you about what’s right or good.

[ Crowley shrugs. ]

That means people are going to have different ideas about who’s a hero and who’s a villain.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He quiets down a bit at that.

There's a lot about that subject that he's only just begun to learn. ]

Yeah.

[ And he almost got it very, very wrong.]

[goodtobebad]

That’s just how it goes with free will.

[ He at least means that to be reassuring. ]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He thinks for a moment, keeping quiet. ]

If there's no right thing to do, then what's the point?

[goodtobebad]

[ Crowley frowns at Adam for a moment. ]

There are definitely right things and wrong things. It’s not all relative. Part of being human is figuring out the difference, I’d say.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ The boy looks up at him, then ahead at the road.

It's a lot to think about. ]

That's confusing.

[ Did I do the right thing, back there? he thinks about asking, but can't bring himself to do so. ]

[goodtobebad]

Yeah it is. Even moreso for humans than for occult and/or ethereal beings. I mean. I have a purpose, at least in theory. Humans... have to figure that out.