DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?

[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 something of a pickle. While Do-It-Yourself cloning kits produced by the all American (and currently under intense investigation) company Heaven Scent may sound like a bit of harmless fun, it turns out there can be some negative side effects when they’re handed out to random members of the public. Who knew? Apparently a kit or two fell into native hands and, long story short, some teens took them to the local petting zoo. And now the sheepening has begun. Masses of poorly cloned, family friendly animals have over taken the Laying of Hands On Zoo therapeutic petting zoo. Worse, these seemingly unending masses of clever charmers have chewed their way out of most pens and taken to the streets. With absolutely no fear of humans, sheep are consuming every bit of vegetation in sight, goats are climbing fire escapes and into dumpsters, tiny horses are clogging the streets and confounding traffic cops, llamas are surrounding people in the street to eat their food, and the capybaras have taken over every body of water they can get access to, from local swimming pools to lawn sprinklers. Given the heat wave is still in full swing, none of this is helping the general mood of a local people that are now wary of going into pools, stuck in traffic jams, and having their ice cream consumed by belligerent alpacas in the street.

These creatures have one weakness, though: tipping. It’s not just for cows anymore. Thanks to the cloning kits being used waaay past their suggested limits, the clone qualities have really just gone downhill. Give a hard enough shove to make them fall onto their side and the animals will start disintegrating. Right there. In front of all those screaming kids. Maybe just herding them away or using some porter given powers will cause less emotional scarring to the local population? It’s up to you how to proceed, hero. But while doing nothing is an option, beware of roving petting zoo animals coming for that free drink in your hand or into the nice air conditioned resting spot you’ve set up in no matter how much you want to avoid getting involved.


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!

School is back in session and the campus of the Technical University here in De Chima is buzzing: they've invited a bunch of imPorts to come give speeches during orientation week celebrations! Only problem is, they forgot to actually send out the invites. So if you happen to be on the streets of De Chima, prepare to get accosted by desperate students begging you to come give a speech on the big stage. Please? Surely you have amazing worldy or other-wordly advice to give?


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.

Despite the lack of gratitude that's in it for you, you may want to step in once you see a very, very sad supervillain wandering Maurtia Falls' streets. Dressed in a cape that appears to be a large swath of fabric purchased from a nearby sewing store, galaxy-themed leggings and no shirt is a man who runs right into your vicinity before striking a pose and yelling, "Everyone, stop before me and my wrath! I am Mister Mars, and provided you give me what I ask for, nobody needs to get hurt!"

At which point Mister Mars snatches an old woman's purse, loudly laughs in her face, and begins to float upwards. By the time he reaches the height of the tallest building in the area, he's beginning to look slightly panicked as he fails to really be able to move anywhere but up. Meanwhile, the old woman has begun shaking her cane at him and screaming quite an assortment of alarming expletives.

Maybe you should help one or the other out? If not, just lean back and enjoy the show.


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. To be American is to be part of a melting pot, and that there’s more money to be made by the thriving local industries hardly hurts.Natives may gather around new arrivals and ask both personal and broad questions about life as an imPort, what they are looking forward to, what their favorite article of underwear is. A few night clubs offer free entrance - just this once!

In the middle of the city's biggest park is an autumn tradition — a corn maze! Of course, it's not real corn, since there hasn't been time to grow it. But craft supplies store Mikey's is sponsoring a maze built with genuine imitation corn, and hundreds of locals have already enjoyed getting lost inside! Curiously, few of them have come out the exit, and those who venture inside will discover the maze is twistier and deeper than they ever could have anticipated. Somehow, it's bigger on the inside, thanks (no doubt) to some dastardly villain's powers. Will you try to navigate a way to the exit, forge your way through the stalks, or have a nap?


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.

Things are quiet in Jeopardy. Weirdly quiet. In fact, way, way too quiet. But if you ask any of the citizens of the city why they won't talk to you, they just raise a finger and make a shhhhing sound and then point down the street towards the church. If you try to shake them, they grit their teeth. WHY WILL NO ONE SPEAK TO YOU?



(The one who is silent the longest wins a new fridge.)

Comments

Dr. Stephen Strange ۞ MCU

[timestones]

۞ Maurtia Falls, PA ۞
Compared to what Stephen has been recently seen (which, honestly, is far more than what actually happened in his own reality), there's something about the scene playing out in front of him which is surreal in an entirely mundane sort of way.

He watches the villain's steady ascension, his head slowly inclining to one side as he travels higher and higher, legs thrashing in his galaxy-pants, with subdued bemusement--not much really fazes Stephen anymore.

Though, the colourful phrases that tumble out of Granny Badmouth here does make him shift his attention off the floating criminal briefly before he heaves a somewhat put-upon sigh through his nose and gives the collar of his cloak a small pinch between his thumb and finger.

"Go do something about that, would you?"

Ever-obedient, the cloak zips off to do something about Mister Mars (shrieks intensify) as Stephen closes his eyes with a small shake of his head.

"Are things always this much fun around here?" he asks whoever happens to be closest.


۞ Nonah, NC ۞
Cities being in a state of street clean-up is starting to become a pretty recognisable sight to Stephen, based in New York post-Chitauri incident and having the Bad Guys Stop Here beacon of Stark-cum-Avengers Tower smack-bang in Park Avenue.

So the mess doesn't really both Stephen as much as the attention does. While generally speaking he's a lot more tolerant these days, there are still limits to his patience, places where overstepping boundaries are unacceptable as more hands tap his shoulder, tug on his arm, grab the tails of his cape, followed by excitable questions.

He even answers some, obliquely and somewhat monosyllabically: Yes. No. We'll see. Possibly. It's hard to tell yet. No, neither one of them made out of crystal, but thanks for the interest.

But enough is eventually enough and with a slight pursing of his lips, Stephen counts to somewhere between three and five before he spreads his hands slowly and calmly.

"All right, let's take five, shall we."

It's not a question: the magic pulses out from him in a gentle wave to force a careful sphere of painless energy between himself and the crowd, installing his own personal bubble for a moment and letting the small gasps of wonder work their way through the crowd. This isn't wondrous through, it's just insisting on some space.

"Next time I'm leaving the cape behind. There's such a thing as making too much of a statement," he mutters to the next closest imPort. The cape appears to 'sit up' on his shoulders like it's utterly affronted by the suggestion.

---

Barring bumping into him as he extricates himself from the crowd, some might find Stephen a little later, shifting his way through the corn with a surprisingly calm air for a space that can't physically be this winding and complicated. When you can enter the Mirror Dimension and walk through portals, this sort of thing is pretty much water off a duck's back.

That doesn't necessarily mean it's the same for everyone though. The thing about corn (synthetic or otherwise) is that it does make noise and upon hearing a rustling at his back, Stephen pauses in his own step, just to determine it's not him making the noise (or the cloak, which gets a light whap and a shh). When he's certain it's not him making the noise, Stephen turns around fully, prepared to meet whoever, or whatever, is about the round the corn(er).


[Also happy to continue threads from the last TDM in the service of the ol' voice test.]

MF!

[crassidy]

[Whoever happens to be closest has also been watching the whole scene play out with a bemused eyebrow arch, snorting a few laughs at the granny swears but mostly staying well and truly out of any potential heroics. And so he just stands, dressed like he found every item of clothing in a thrift store or dumpster dive, and an open umbrella thrown jauntily over a shoulder.]

Oh yah, pretty normal day, mate.

[He comments idly around the cigarette perched between his lips, gaze peering over the top of his sunglasses as he stares up at the floating 'villain'.]

I think your cape's doin' a runner. Does it usually come back? [Spoken like a man who truly can't bring himself to be surprised by an item of clothing doing it's own thing.]

Misty Day | American Horror Story: Coven

[strongerstill]

De Chima

[She had been in hell one moment and suddenly was alive once more. She couldn't find any of the other witches and now found herself surrounded by a crow who somehow knew who she was. What she was. The last time ordinary people found out what she was it had ended badly.

She pulled her shawl closer as she ducked behind an alley where no one would follow her. They seemed to have found someone else. Either way, her attention was caught by the sight of a small bird lying motionless near a heap of trash. She knelt down, cupping her hands gently around the creature as she closed her eyes.

And a moment later there was a flutter of wings and she spread her hands, letting the bird take flight. ]


Jeopardy

[There is something about this city that draws her to it. The desert may seem bereft of life but she could feel a humming in the air, something she couldn't explain. Jeopardy made her feel uneasy in a strange way. Ghosts were one thing, this was something else.

She walked down the street, pulling her shawl closer around her. It was too quiet. Any resident she encountered was silent and she followed where they pointed, finding herself in front of a church. She wasn't going to turn back, taking a moment to look around her when she heard approaching footsteps.]

[timestones]

[Having done a full round trip of riches to rags and then somewhere kind of weirdly in-between but closer to the rags side, Stephen really knows better than to judge someone on their clothing choices... And yet he can't help the slight double-take and the vague frown that squeezes across his brows.]

Oh good, I was starting to worry it was either a special occasion or I was a special occasion. I feel much better now.

[He's quite content to keep company with this guy though, umbrella and all, as they watch the clock do the heavy lifting.]

Usually. It's pretty fond of me, for some reason. [Honestly, it is still a genuine mystery.] But if it decides it likes that guy--[He points accusingly upward at the wailing Mister Mars]--better? Who knows.

[crassidy]

Huh, fickle, issit?

[A thoughtful grunt as he stares at the honestly quite pathetic sight of galaxy brain floating slowly away. It's like watching a slowly escaping balloon that some screaming kid has let go of, and yet instead of a crying child, they've got a cursing granny.]

Well, I can bet yeh right here and now, there's no way it'll take that guy over you. He's a bloody eejit, look at that. Can't even steal a single handbag without fuckin' up, mate, I could steal twenty o' those while on a pound of meth. Bet he couldn't even take candy from a baby.

de chima

[thecacophony]

[Like the bird brought back from death, this woman too has found her wings again. She has little problem avoiding curious crowds; flying above the buildings, she perches herself on the edge of a fire escape just as the bird flutters its wings in revival. Watching it fly off above her, she turns her attention to the woman who's helped it.]

Well shit, now I've seen it all.

[Not a very polite manner of greeting, unfortunately. Wind magic moves around her as she drifts down to the alley, enough of a distance from the woman to try and alleviate both of their concerns.]

Some kind of healing magic?

[She asks so casually, as if magic could be some mundane, ordinary sight. And maybe for some places, it is.]

Jonas/Vision 2.0 | Marvel Comics | OTA

[callmevision]

In the city of Heropa, Jonas, the hero commonly called the Vision, was trying to deal with being alive. He had been brought in just as he was attacked and slain, an somehow, on arriving, the people of this world had been able to make him whole. It had felt unreal, but it had happened. In addition, this body, this new self he had, while intriguing, was... weird, and felt utterly fake. An ironic fact. And so he spent most of his time in his original body, trying to learn of this new world.

Heropa seemed nice. he had gotten several offers of drinks and food, and people asking for autographs were friendly about it, not rude. It was not at all what he expected when told that imported being were considered celebrities. But then he had been a hero before so maybe he was jaded? In any case, he found them when cloned animals were roaming the streets. It was an odd thing, he felt, but still a small crisis and one he could help with.

Rescuing a small child from a belligerent Alpaca that was trying to steal their ice cream, he gently tapped the side of the cloned animal, and it fell over, and he distracted the child with their ice cream while he whisked the animal away.

Jonas faced a city fill of roaming, somewhat angry, and somewhat just plain stupid cloned animals and sighed. No rest for the weary. He set out to help.

***

De Chima on the other hand, seemed more like New York, and it had tourists and tech moguls, and all of them looking to talk to him and the other Imports. It was a little overwhelming to find so much passionate curiosity for him here. He was asked for autographs, to pose for selfies, and asked many questions.

"What is your home life like?"

"Do you like men, women, other, or robots?"

"Can you have sex?"

"What do you feel is important in this world?"

The sheer variety of questions and how they were being thrown at him led to him backing away quite quickly to escape. Still, once he eluded them, he found a nearby university to check out.

Being asked on sight to give a speech to tech students was startling, but for once, something completely appropriate. he did so, talking about passion in Engineering, about hope for the future, and about the race to both weaponize and deweaponize technology. He was somewhat amazed to find people clapping when he was done, and he felt... well, he felt embarrassed, which was an odd sensation for him.

Jonas was not sure what to think about that. He got an offer to attend and be partly employed, if he would give speeches like that now and then, and nodded, saying he would think about it. He probably would consider it, he thought, once he was less dazed by his arrival.

***

Jonas visited Maurtia Falls with some trepidation. He had been told of the rise and fall of the city, and how it was very troubled currently. He felt a need to check it out, to see if he could either help, or even if it was like it was described. He found himself embroiled almost immediately as he spotted a... very weird looking supervillain.

Could one even call this being a supervillain? Jonas sighed as he flew close, openly showing his open hands. "Excuse me, sir, can I help you? I think you need to return that purse, and possibly also get inside a building before you float away."

Even as he was screamed at by the woman and called named by passersby, he concentrated on the man in front of him, trying to keep the unfortunate villain's attention. A hero's job was never done.

***


At Nonah there seems once more interest in his personal life, his life story, and his opinions, and there is an energy here that draws him. He almost feels like he could belong here, in a way. Some of the questions as a little silly, but he answers them, nonetheless, unembarrassed by most.

He visits several tech stores, and even a nightclub, thanking the owner for the pass in, not interested in drinking, but finding himself watching, mostly and accepting a few offers to dance before he leaves again, on his own, when he gets a request to help in a situation.

Drawn by curiosity, he goes to see the corn maze, and heads in as himself, curious to what will happen. He has heard that many have not come out, so maybe he can help, or maybe he will get lost. Or possibly, he will find new friends in the weirdness!

***

Sara Lance | DCTV

[thecanarylives]

Maurtia Falls, PA

Sara's spent the last ten minutes idling on the back of her bike, contemplating the faint blue glow of the imprint stamped on her wrist.

REGISTERED HERO. It seems ill-fitting, all things considered. To stamp words like that on a person who's left so much blood in her wake. Still, she's sworn allegiance to far worse causes than a military assigning so-called superheroes to serve and protect. Probably.

She's snapped out of her thoughts by a particularly vile chain of curses uttered from an otherwise pleasant looking old lady across the street, and when her gaze follows hers up towards the man hovering above a rooftop with a carpet bag in tow, she stares for probably longer than she should trying to make sense of the scene.

Right. Serve and protect. From... cheap neckbeard magicians, apparently.

Plucking a small, silver shuriken from the inside of her jacket pocket, she straightens and takes aim before whipping it in the direction of Mister Mars. The throwing star cuts through the air and nicks the straps of the old woman's bag, sending it hurtling down into a heap on the lawn below.

"Please tell me that's not the norm around here," she mutters to no one in particular.

Chris Shane | Lock In

[fbinary]

GENERAL / OTA

[ Well here's an unusual sight. An android is wandering around the various imPort cities, holding a rather emaciated body close to their chest, princess-style. They're being excruciatingly careful with said body, trying their damndest not to bump anything or anyone. The android body is all sleek steel and aluminum and tempered glass, with a smooth faceplate instead of an actual face. No clothing, but the body is modeled to look they have clothing, so it's not like they're naked, exactly. Lines of LED lights trace the lines of their body as well.

Also? They have an FBI badge displayed on their chest plate. Somebody's an agent. ]

HEROPA

[ Should they do something about all these sheep? They feel like they should do something about all these sheep. But they're not sure what to do, exactly, especially while still holding that unconscious body in their arms. ]

Okay, I'm gonna fall asleep if I count any more of these things. Where the heck are they even coming from?

MAURTIA FALLS

[ Well this is a new experience. Chris doesn't often get lost, given their threep's GPS and recording capabilities, but they're quite certain they passed this turn a couple turns ago. ]

I gotta call bullshit on this. Is somebody cheating? And is that somebody a Goblin King calling himself Jareth? Because if not I'm going to be extremely upset in addition to being extremely lost.

Deirdre Skye | Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri

[planetdeath]

Heropa

[The sheep don't look particularly well cared for, and some of the downsides of cloning are readily apparent. She's fairly certain that domestic sheep don't have quite so wobbly knees or a tendency to collapse into dust when pushed over. Still, Deirdre doesn't join in the effort to remove the sheep. It's hardly the fault of the sheep that they're hungry and that there are so many of them. Still, she keeps an eye on the situation, and the sheep themselves, careful to keep her fingers out of the way of anything they happen to be eating at the time. Most stick with grass and leaves, but a few brave ones venture out to trashcans and whatever the hapless people around them offer.

All in all, this is the sheep's town, and Deirdre is just visiting it, a few fluffier specimens wandering over to where she's been standing, probably in search of food.]

Is it grass you're after?

Nonah

[The corn isn't real by any stretch of the word, but the maze is impressive in its own way. The people wouldn't have needed to build all this fake corn from the craft store for their illusion if they already had fields to farm. Perhaps the climate's not the right sort, or perhaps the local farmers have found different crops to plant, but the result is the same. The lights from the city still shine bright enough to blot out any semblance of stars, and she supposes in a week or so all this imitation corn will be rotting in some sort of landfill once they have served their purpose.

But still, the maze lures her in, in the hope of finding a quiet place, far from the crowds bustling in the overgrown city. She's yet to find an exit as she circles around the paths carved from the crop, but that's not a concern. Not when the corn is so easily brushed aside to form alcoves and cul-de-sacs whenever she likes.

Though others might notice her pushing cornstalks down along the route.]

[timestones]

Very. Or so I'm told. [Though it's always been very loyal to Stephen, so he really is going by what others have said of the cloak as he smiles faintly at the private joke.]

But I appreciate the vote of confidence, given the competition. [He gives the granny a sideways glance before tilting himself every so slightly toward the stranger in the eclectic outfit (look who's talking)] But I'm not sure if it came right down to it that I'd want to go toe-to-toe with Nanny McPhee over here, pound of meth or not.

[He straightens up again, forcibly not looking at the old women who just might be giving the two of them the stink eye.]

I also wouldn't necessarily trust the babies here, would you? I mean, who knows what's in that candy.

Ambellina | The Amory Wars

[burnedherwings]

[Heropa: Petting Zoo?]
Who keeps good meat in a zoo for petting? She knew some of the races would keep small animals for fun, bu this seemed almost borderline silly. And there were so many of them too.

Drawing her broadsword she was about to take care of a couple of sheep, only to pause as she watched someone else tip them over and they, well, disintegrated. She lowered her sword, tip to the ground and called out. "What kind of animals are these that simply disappear once on their side?"

She's a tall blond with blue skin, dressed in a black tight fitting fighting suit. On her back is a pair of stubs where wings once grew. She looks fierce with the sword in her hand, but a tender face, questioning this situation.


[Maurtia Falls: Funny little man]
This might be the first time she has seen a 'super villain' who couldn't pull off a simple thrift. She couldn't help standing there and watching. maybe she should have helped, stopped it, something, but here she was, staring at this strange little man screaming at a old woman and... floating up.

The woman with a cane was yelling and the tubby villain was floating as tall as a building. She spoke to the woman, a soft but commanding voice. "Ma'am. If you give me a moment, please." To try and shut her up.

She then drew back a step and, well, they said she had wings again. The stubs on her back started to catch fire, and she felt the heat burn and rise over her skin, up the stubs and suddenly flames of wings appeared, flapping behind her. She jumped and shot up in the air, a smile growing on her face. It had been over ten years since she could fly like this, and though the heat was new, it felt amazing.

catching up to the man she spoke simply. "Give me the bag back and I will help you escape." to which the bad guy gave her the purse. She started to descend, leaving the man there. A 'hey i thought you said...' was heard but she already touched ground, handing the woman the purse.

'what about him?' She asked. Ambellina shrugged, looking up. "I want to see what happens."


[Nonah: Corn maze.]
She had seen Corn Mazes before on Paris but they were rare. A waste of food, really. They tended to be out in the far country sides where the thugs couldn't reach, built for the families who enjoyed festivities more then livelihood.

this wasn't real though. Imitation. How curious. She found herself in the maze, having been pulled to come enjoy the fun, only to get to a hour mark to realize she was lost and so far this seemed much bigger than it should.

"Excuse me!" she called out to someone not far ahead of her, moving to jog up to them. Maybe they were just as lost as she was. Maybe she should fly up and get out that way. "How long have you been in here?"


[Wild card]
[Find her anywhere and write your own starter. A diner, a street, a subway, she's a blue skinned woman with bright blond hair wandering the world and looking for the Crowing. in leather skin tight black suit and a huge sword on her back. What could go wrong?]

["Prose" or [Action] ok! Will follow your lead]

Maurtia Falls

[made_up_names]

"Sometimes they're even weirder."

And here's a familiar voice from next to Strange. Peter's here with a backpack slung over one shoulder, staring up at the poor failed supervillain getting himself rescued by a magic cape. No, not just staring. He's definitely recording this for later, because wow. This poor guy. He's having a day, isn't he. "D'you want me to web him down?" he asks. "We could probably tie him off to something. Like a balloon."

De Chima

[made_up_names]

Well look who's in the crowd for your TED talk, Jonas. None other than Peter Parker, who's currently checking the school out. He sssort of had to leave his old one (thanks Mysterio) and is seriously considering whether it'd be possible to go straight to college. Like, that sounds kind of nice? He wants the high school experience, but at the same time he's kind of done with it.

Anyway. He approaches afterward with a gaggle of other teenagers his age, waiting for a break in the action. "Hey, that was a pretty good speech," he says. "Did they give you any time to prepare or did you just hafta wing it?"

[strongerstill]

Something like that.

[Misty hadn't expected to be observed, looking up to see someone floating down.

She carefully watched the other woman, sensing the magic around her. It wasn't the same as the witches she knew, something was different about it.

There were no pitchforks coming out but she was still cautious. She knew better than to trust someone just because they were familiar with magic as well.]

You're a witch too.

I want to apologize for this asshole.

[imareporter]

[Eddie and Venom had been prowling - mostly Venom because Eddie was finding it difficult to manage the symbiote who did not like being stuck here in a world that wasn't theirs but then the guy had taken off flying.

Are we going to do something about that?

We should laugh hysterically.

Jesus V, he's gonna fly into the stratosphere-

So Venom had merged - the two of them a perfect symbiosis - until the red thing had grabbed the guy. Actually grabbed him.

WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?

We could grab it.

No no! That guy did it! Go make sure that guy isn't going to do anything bad!

Something very large and very inky and very toothy dropped from one of the buildings like a lead balloon several feet away from strange and began to walk forward.]

Are you going to hurt that man? Is that thing dangerous? If it is dangerous we want to know so we can fight you. We are heroes now.

[v...

It is true! We are heroes!

Venom tilts it's massive black head at the man drifting downward.]

...We have never seen that before.

[You are going to get us killed eddie.

No. You are. and you know it. Stop trying to make enemies. Please.]

[timestones]

"Hm. Weirder? Really? Can't imagine that."

If Stephen is even remotely surprised, it doesn't show on his face and he doesn't even immediately look at Peter, instead just staring a quiet moment together watching a very sorry display of Mister Mars swatting at the cloak with one hand and desperately trying to keep hold of his meager prize.

With a small shrug, Stephen finally turns a glance in Peter's direction, a subtle kind of affection haunting the edge of his eyes.

"And it depends on if you want either the warm-up or the public applause. If so, then by all means, take center stage."

De Chima

[privatepurchases]

[He has a ministry of sorts but there are things he has to accept. One. He is out of her favor, if not cast out. He has to be, because the memories of all the times he had failed had dragged him down.

She was angry with him somehow. And every time he wanted to ask why he had to remind himself that it was not his place to question. That he had to earn back her favor. Distributing pamphlets for that sort of "ministry" (Maximum Effort: What to do when you feel like you've failed everyone and everything) he's planning on getting home to his jackalope and-

That same sense in his head hits him. His sense of reality - things that were real and not real, danger, rang and he turned at the mouth of an alley - hands warily out out ot his sides and crackling with energy - he raises his hands and-

Spots the bird flying off.

To anyone who can read auras, sense supernatural energy, Gabriel shines. He radiates power and energy if not so much goodness. It's still there however. Still there and warm just...unsure.

When his hands drop however he tilts his head at it, and then at her.]

...Angel? Or Demon?

Normally I wouldn't ask but my sense of ...reality is a little off.

[made_up_names]

Well. He's not here for either of those things. Mostly he's here to help! And also to laugh a little, sorry Mister Mars. Sorry about your whole life.

"I'm on it then," he says. Casually thwipping a web up to the would-be supervillain, snagging his leg neatly and tugging him back down a little more. The dude can still float and think about his choices, but at least he'll be a safe distance off the ground.

[privatepurchases]

The robot gets ... very real attention because Gabriel is very confused. He's encountered people with mechanical parts - but this is a new thing and he has no idea what it is yet.

Flying though. He's never flown. Wings are ornamentation so as he yells up he frowns, "...You want help with that?"

Strange metallic man?

[crassidy]

[Cassidy mirrors that side eye directed towards Granny McPhee. Maybe it's the light stench of weed he's got or the fact he's puffing smoke in her general direction, but she sure hasn't taken a liking to Cass existing in her general presence. He never has been the sort of guy you want to take home to gran'ma, more so the sort of guy you're gran'ma warns you about.

It's why she merely gets a scoff from him because damn, he'd totally try to go toe-to-toe with her after doing a pound of meth. Bring it on, granny.]

You're not wrong there. Babies, eh? You can't trust 'em. Those dirty, sticky lil' fingers of theirs, and those sly eyes. Always up to somethin'. Can't accuse them of anything neither, people would call you a bloody lunatic.

[thecacophony]

Witch, mage, vagrant.

[She's learning so much of this new vocabulary, this new world. Sal's got to take a breath just to recollect it all.]

Magic is magic, whatever they call it here.

[Sal takes stock of the woman; she came this way to be alone herself, now instead she's stumbled on someone else's private moment. That act wasn't meant for her eyes, and she knows it, but apologies are always so difficult to form. Her hands sink into the pockets of her jackets and she tries not to look threatening. As much as you can when you're The Cacophony — that scar running down one cheek must hint at something, right?]

It's nice, what you did for it. Wild animals have a bad way of showing thanks.

[Kindness should be acknowledged, she knows. By someone.]

Gosh, just when you thought the scariest thing was granny with cane...

[timestones]

[It would be very hard to miss a giant tar-like person(ish)-shaped form thud down from the sky like that and Stephen can likely be forgiven for his body automatically shifting to a defensive stance. Too many massive, combat-ready beings in his life lately.

And then it... speaks. Stephen stays very still for a moment, not entirely feeling ready to relax just yet.]

Pretty sure any damage done will be entirely of his own making and not mine.

[He gives the cloak a brief glance as it hovers somewhere between looking like it's going to abandon Mister Mars to rapidly return to Stephen instead.]

You like it? [He asks, feigning a casual, conversational tone.] It's pretty special and only really leans on the dangerous side when needed. Otherwise, most affectionate set of drapes you ever did wear.

[If a cloak could look offended (and this one can), it does.]

What about you though? [Stephen gestures to the inky mass.] Can't say I've seen anything like you before either.


[ooc: I'm assuming the convo in brackets is something Stephen can't hear, but let me know if I'm misreading that and I'll make edits! :> ]

Happy Halloween says Venom - give him alllll the candy you have.

[imareporter]

[It's between Eddie and V- so you're on the money!]

[The symbiote is a big toothy thing and as the human flops on the ground it clearly contemplates eating it before nodding mutely. It's massive tongue lols out and Eddie sighs because that ever present animal hunger in venom perks up.

I'll buy you a box of chocolate ok? And fried chicken.

The tongue lols back into the creature's head.]

Continue your duties window curtain.

[Venom's voice sounds like sandpaper scraping against stone, like wood.]

We are Venom. Of the planet Klyntar. Warrior and protector of our earth against aliens and threats foreign and domestic.

[You could let me out now. I'm important too.

He is a potential threat Eddie...

Did you really have to add that? That's the last time I read you a paper okay. Or are you learning from me?

Silence from the symbiote as venom speaks.]

We have a host. We will reveal him if you swear not to murder him or capture him with your window curtain.

[timestones]

Some light teasing goes a long way, even if it is mostly for Stephen's own amusement.

He gives a slight sideways tilt of his head as acknowledgement of Peter setting his action plan into effect. The cloak appears a little surprised to have assistance, but when it seems to clock what Peter is doing it relents rather than attempts to play tug-of-war with the villain as the rope. Just as well, really.

"Nicely handled, kid," Stephen calls out as he steps over to meet Peter on the descent, the cloak whipping around his shoulders now its work has been handed over, "You seem to be taking this all in relative stride. Been at this a while?"