etcelsior | HERE I COME

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test drive

HERE I COME

NOTE: This is the final test drive of 2019 as apps will be closed in December.

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?

The recent dimensional anomalies have disrupted people's daily business more than a little, but the latest danger is a herd of zombies shambling towards the annual Mister and Miss Corncob beauty pageant. Right in the middle of the swimsuit competition, too! Of course, who gets the crown is partially based on audience appreciation — are you going to take out some of the undead or cheer your favorite participant on to victory? Either way, you're (probably) a hero!

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!

It's nearly Halloween, and the annual city parade and costume contest are underway! You've got one, right? The locals just love it! If you don't, well, that's okay — just for imPorts, there's a special costume rummage bin at the start of the parade route. Try cobbling something together from costume shop donations and items left behind by ported-out heroes! Then strut your stuff and prepare to be cheered for!

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.)

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Nobody ever thinks about that. [ Next thing out of the purse is a bottle of water, which she also hands over without ceremony. ] We get zipped around so often, and trapped in weird places, or held hostage outright, and nobody ever prepares for it.

[ She closes her purse and takes another glance at the maize walls, and up, checking for some taller reference for position — a street lamp or something. ]

I have to keep telling Jaime to bring snacks if he's going to throw himself into obvious time-traps like this, but he never remembers the next time. [ Her nose scrunches when she looks back towards Tadashi, a little teasing. ] People are a lot more agreeable if you feed them.

You're not wrong. [He remembers the submarine and everything around that. It's true, no one prepares for it.

There isn't any surprise to know Jaime's still here, or that he and Ruka are friends. He just munches the protein bar then - when offered - takes the water for a couple quick sips.]

Thanks. You'd think like this I wouldn't need it, but. [Well. Bodies are weird, even dead ones. He looks back up and, now that he's gotten something digesting, reaches his phone up high and snaps a picture one direction.] Let's see what we've got.

[ Ruka, meanwhile: always prepared to be kidnapped. ]

Why wouldn't you need it? It's not like you're a proper undead-type. [ They've never discussed it, but she doesn't tip-toe around it. ] Do you see anything useful?

[Yeah he's gonna ignore that undead conversation and see what he's got.

A lot of corn.

A looooooot of fake corn. And off in the distance...]

Yeah, a tree. It's pretty far off it looks like. But it's something. Lemme-- [He focuses and sets his camera to panoramic, then marks one line in the dirt so he knows where he started and takes one big 360 picture.]

.... Looks like it's just that tree, at least in the dark.

That's one marker, then. But that'll only get us a cardinal direction — we don't know which side the exit's on, yet.

[ His aversion to the topic is noted, but — hey, he brought it up first. Maybe he'll be willing to say something else later, but she knows when to let a matter drop. She's be a poor excuse for an empath, if she didn't. ]

Follow the right side, then?

I guess so. [Deep, unnecessary inhale of breath before starting to lead the way.]

We'll figure this out. [They have to. They're smart, they work... decently well together as far as he remembers as far back as the shark park day, and... well! He has to believe in something right now.]

Edited 2019-11-01 06:18 (UTC)

Worst comes to worst— [ ... considering the scars, suggesting to burn the maze down is probably out of line. She pauses, and thinks of a different track. ] —I could probably cheat our way out. Or we'll get tracked down, if we're stuck here long enough.

[ Hittin some corners, meanderin through some corn... the eeriest part is probably the quiet. There's not even birds. ]

[Listen...... don't think he hasn't thought about burning the maze down. The only reason he hasn't yet is because he can't do a controlled area burn in this fire hazard.]

I guess if nothing else we could call Jaime. [Considering the last time he ported in and texted him, it'd probably be better if Ruka called.

He follows alongside her, making sure none of the corn touches her. He doesn't trust this shit. Especially with how quiet it is.]

When did they start doing this anyway? I don't remember any corn mazes before.

I think it's just a Halloween thing. I've seen people talk about these kinds of things in smaller towns, so maybe they're just popular?

[ She doesn't take up a lot of space, especially once her gloves hands are folded behind her back — at least that much is the same, but blue is a new color. ]

I'd like to save that for a last resort, though. Calling, I mean. [ Crunch crunch crunch. Another turn. Oh, hey, jack o' lanterns. Those are new. ] It's been kind of a busy week, so he's trying to take the night off of this kind of thing. He got roped into helping out with the church's trunk-or-treat party, and I don't want to pull him away from a good time.

[ And in an absolute worst case scenario, he'll know the moment she gets hurt or starts panicking anyway, so it's fine. It's fine. Still... that's a lot of detail from someone as anti-social as Ruka...

And look! More jack o' lanterns. These ones look bigger. Spooky. ]

[Yeah that is suspiciously a lot of information. Also what would Jaime have to take the night off from? Being... friends? There's something he's missing.

But for now, they're walking and Tadashi is keeping eyes open for anything amiss. Like big... bigger spookier pumpkins.]

There's no way that's any good.

[ She can feel his suspicion like a fly on her neck, but talk and attention toward the pumpkins means it's given a plausible source.

The problem with knowing everyone's secrets from the outset is you have no idea who would — or wouldn't — have been given what you'd gracelessly stolen. ]

Maybe not. [ squints... ] Should we... leave them alone? Or...

[He stares at them a couple seconds more before looking to find a path around them.]

I think that might be the safest bet for now.

If you're sure...

[ She follows after, gaze lingering on the pumpkins as they pass.

Finally, though, she has to ask... ]

... How long has it been, for you? I don't think I was still here, when you left.

[Nothing seems to happen when they pass; either nothing was wrong to start or they did right by not messing with them.

At the question, Tadashi shrugs with a heavy sigh.]

No idea. It's... There's not. Really time where I was, I think. So it feels like I was just here.

No, I know that—

[ A breeze, rustling the corn— ]

It's like that for me, too. I meant, when was it here?

[He's quiet for a few seconds. To anyone else, it'd look like he's thinking. He's got one hand on his comm while they walk, technopathically going back through the entries. So... so far back.]

God... Looks like it's been almost three years.

[ That makes sense... Ruka only got back about a year and a half ago, but missed the whole year and a half before then. That's about the right timing... ]

You must have left not too long after me, then. [ A strange way to frame it. ] ... But, I suppose that means I've caught up to you now, huh? You don't have to worry about babysitting me so much.

I think so...

[Wait what.]

I never babysat you. I just came by sometimes to bring food... [THAT IS A THING FRIENDS DO, RUKA.] I never considered it anything like that. I'd do the same for anyone. [And did, when Magicman wasn't doing it to him first.]

[ She gives him a Look. A little fond, a little patronizing. ]

Just because you didn't think about it like that, doesn't mean it's not how it was. I don't hold it against you or anything. I know I was a difficult person back then. [ Not that she really stopped being difficult, but it's a different kind now. ] I only meant, you don't have to worry about me so much anymore.

[He gives her a look right back, the kind that says "I know what you think you're saying but you're wrong for assuming what I think" in big letters.

He focuses on their path again, not sure whether to go left or right.]

I always worry about everyone. That doesn't change, even if I'm dead.

I know.

[ But it is different, too. She's different, in ways he hasn't seen yet, in ways she'll never be able to explain. So much of her was shadowed, back then — cloaked and masked and terrified of being seen.

Another husk cracks beneath her shoes. ]

... I always knew, [ she admits, slowly. ] About you.

[He takes in a slow inhale. If he doesn't think too hard about how creepy this maze is, the season's almost nice. The air's crisp and cool, a nice change to the hot embers in his heart.]

... What do you mean?

That you died.

[ She's fallen a little behind Tadashi as they walk — he's a lot taller, and his stride is longer, and he probably wants to put himself between her and any danger they might encounter, even if he's not actively thinking that far ahead — so she watches his shoulders, the edge of his jaw, when she says it. She braces her heart for the feel of it. ]

... That you came here on the threshold of it, the first time.

[Tadashi only stops to wait for her, turns to blink once at her, then smiles a softly.]

Thank you for telling me. I knew some people here knew before I even got here the first time.

[There wasn't anything they could do to change it in the end. He'd had to come to terms with that and live the consequences of his actions. It doesn't hurt him to know she knew, to be reminded. He's just grateful that she's telling him now, that she didn't tell him before it happened.]

I don't know if it was before you arrived, but it was before we met.

[ By about five minutes... ]

He didn't tell me, or anything. I don't think he meant for me to know, but... it's hard for things to stay a secret from me, unfortunately.

[ Another cracking husk. ]

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tadeadshi - 2019-11-08 04:20 (UTC) - Expand

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