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

[rebelarrow]

Do what?

[There's absolutely nothing in his response that shows he even knows there's the water balloons hovering in the air behind him... nor that they're now spinning in the air in a circle.

The action uses a negligible amount of his psychic energy, but it's a flashy trick that kids seem to enjoy.]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam watches, amused. And he gets and idea-- but decides against it, for personal reasons.

He understood, by what was told to him in the lab - one of the very few things he actually understood from all that they told him - that people brought here have powers. But still, he's impressed.

Dog stares up at the spinning balloons and barks once, hoarsely.]

We're definitely going to get them.

[rebelarrow]

[Judd's lips quirk into a slight smile before he nods once.]

Agreed. This world should learn that an Arrow never loses its target.

[A glance at the boy--a hint? no, surely not--before Judd glances down at Dog as the balloons slow to a halt behind him.]

But first, have you located the target?

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He notices the glance, and smiles more. War involves trickery and a lot of waiting, the latter not being as fun, but it's worth it in the end. You have to be careful, and keep your enemies close.

Dog stares up at Judd and woofs, faintly wagging his tail for a moment. He looks at the kids nearby, none the wiser.]

Good job, boy.

[rebelarrow]

[Looking from Dog to Adam, he decides to confirm:]

So those are the assailants you witnessed?

[They hardly looked like they could be "big blurs", but he seemingly rolls with the story just the same, lobbing the water balloon in his hand at the group of children, narrowly missing them, taking care to make it look like a bad throw, rather than alerting them to their presence.]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam laughs, and Dog barks, tail wagging fast as the balloons fly. The children yell and begin to scatter, laughing too, rushing to find ammo of their own. ]

They're coming back!

[rebelarrow]

[Judd motions for Adam to hide behind a nearby tree, as he takes position behind one a little further away. Physical and psychic hands throw the balloons in the direction of the children, getting from them far better than what he gives. By the time his ammunition is exhausted, drops of water drip from the hem of his black shirt to the ground, the fabric thoroughly stuck to his skin. He pushes his now-damp bangs out of his eyes, as he surveys the damage.]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Dog barks intensely as the battle rages on, and Adam quickly talks shelter where Judd suggests, but not before grabbing as many balloons he can find.

It is a violent, terrible war, of many colorful ammo being thrown through the air and exploding on contact. Dog, the poor thing, jumps when one hits the ground near him, and he runs off to hide with his master.

When silence falls - sort of, because the children are talking from behind their own covers - Adam peers out to try and locate them, blonde curls seemingly hit.]

Can you see them?

[rebelarrow]

[A small nod, a brief, non-intrusive telepathic scan telling him where more or less everyone in the area was standing--he doubts he'll ever get used to the fact that no one in this world has mental shields of any type--before motioning over towards a nearby pond.]

They retreated that way. Is your dog all right?

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Not quite no one. He might be surprised to find out, if he tries, that any attempts to locate the boy ‘slide off of him like water off a duck’, as someone once said.

He checks on Dog who, besides having some damp fur, seems to be absolutely fine. He’s made for war, of course.]

Yeah, he’s fine. [ He peers out again.] Can you see more balloons?

[rebelarrow]

[He hadn't noticed--too focused on picking up the minds of the innocent children, and silently reminding him to strengthen his psychic shields to keep stray, unshielded thoughts from entering his mind.

Keeping one eye firmly on the mischievous child, he locates an unused bucket of water balloons in the distance and 'ports it over, the bucket blinking onto the grass between them after a second or two.]

I could.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Adam grins wide, excited, when he sees the bucket. And the idea comes into his mind again - maybe he could use his powers here, it should be fine, it’s just a water balloon war. Theres no way he could do any harm this way.

He reaches out and nabs one of the balloons, and peers out from behind the tree again. He sees some of the kids doing the same from behind their own shelters and shields, and he hides again. He looks over at Judd.]

Ready?

[rebelarrow]

[He finds his own suitable hiding place, then nods once.]

Yes.

[perfectlyhuman]

Three, two... [ Quiet enough that only Judd should hear him, through it's not that easy to gauge. ] One--attack!

[ He quickly jumps out of hiding, one balloon thrown high, aimed to go above a trashcan some of the opposing group were using as a shield. It goes far too wide in an arch, but hits the rim of the can perfectly, causing the children to scatter out of hiding.

Dog barks at the commotion as Adam grabs more handfuls of balloons to throw, their enemies attempting to go around and flank the tree-based hideouts.]

[rebelarrow]

[At the cue, Judd once more lets loose his barrage of balloons, missing the "enemy" children just close enough to not be obvious he's throwing it... all the while telekinetically "nudging" some of the other kids' balloons into a more fruitful trajectory towards Adam. Not all of them, just one or two, and never enough to hit in the face or any other painful area.

He's playing the long game, and that requires patience. Luckily, Judd has it in spades.]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ This psychic power-enchanced betrayal will surely not go down easy. But, right now, Adam is too busy getting hit with water balloons and laughing, as well as managing to strike one of the opposing members square in the back with one of his own.

But it’s when he manages to push his damp hair out of the way that he manages to see one of the balloons flying in the direction of his face that something a little odd happens - it simply bursts midair before it ever hits him.]

[rebelarrow]

[In fairness, Judd did claim revenge against the person or persons who actually hit him with that water balloon. He is merely (covertly) seeing that promise through.

He stills at the sudden pop of the balloon--he knows that he didn't do it, and so that left one likely candidate. The boy seems innocent enough, but that didn't necessarily mean anything; Judd certainly didn't broadcast when he's about to use his abilities unless absolutely necessary. Running another surface telepathic scan, he notices the boy's abnormally strong shield for the first time. Some humans had natural shields, but this was beyond that--it was as if he didn't exist.]

You wouldn't happen to be Psy, would you? [Judd calls out in a moment of calm.]

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Oh, there's a long story to tell. One he doesn't know most of the details of.

But he's broken out of his concentration by Judd's question, smile fading into a look of confusion. ]

What?

[rebelarrow]

Psy.

[He pauses, unsure how to better explain himself--he's never had to explain his race to someone before.]

Born with mental abilities?

[perfectlyhuman]

[ You know, there's more than one truthful answer to that question. Which isn't how most questions go.

He could play it off as a... What was the word? An imPort thing. Probably. ]

Why?

[rebelarrow]

[Judd wondered if his hunch was wrong--he's quite clearly made himself known as a Psy with his antics, and there's no reason for a child to be so coy about it. Not anymore.]

Your... psychic signature is different than anyone else's that I've come across. [He's quick to add:] That's not a bad thing.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ Is it?

He remembers a conversation with Anathema, his friend. She told him everyone has an aura, and that she could read them. She couldn’t see his, she said. He’d completely forgotten about that moment until now.

It’s not that he looks fearful. He’s not afraid. He’s just unsure he wants to be talking about it. It’s not something you can just throw into a conversation, even when he’s bound to go on ramblings that would confuse most adults.

But he can play it off. There’s an easy excuse.]

Different how? How’s it supposed to be?

[rebelarrow]

Where I'm from--and from what I've seen here--humans have very thin, or non-existent, mental shields. Yours is the best I've ever seen.

[Sascha would love to see such craftsmanship.]

Some humans where I'm from do have natural shields, but it's luck of the genetic lottery... and still looks different on the psychic plane than yours.

[perfectlyhuman]

[ He thinks...mental shields? Natural shields? Psychic plane?

All he thinks to ask is ]

Is that like auras?

[rebelarrow]

[It's hard to anticipate what to explain to someone when everything is so elementary where he came from. He's trying his best.]

Auras, at least where I'm from, are more... mysticism than reality. But similar. Rather than around the body, it's around the mind. Psy can build mental shields to keep other Psy out of their heads.