etcelsior | SLAY BELLS RING

Entry tags:

test drive

SLAY BELLS RING

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 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.

Although even Florida can get chilly during the winter, they won't let that spoil the fun. It's not beach weather, but it's time for a palm tree decorating contest to bring everyone into the holiday spirit! Note that isn't technically Christmas decorating. Pick a theme, any theme, from holidays to puppies to capitalism and have at. The natives will judge and vote for their favorite- so really, there's nothing wrong with a little pandering. The winner will get both the honor of having defeated their rivals, and a free lifetime supply of Italian frozen ice and hot dogs from the sponsoring local stand.

Those who just aren't interested in competing might be called in to judge another competition down the beach: a youth sand-sculpting contest! Only one team can walk away with the grand prize of a laser tag package, but can you bring yourself to be harsh on those wide, hopeful eyes?

Speaking of that Italian ice, there are some free samples being offered to tempt you into competing for the prize. And, shocking to no experienced imPort, someone has meddled with it just a bit. Each of the three flavors will have a different effect and, fates help us, they can be stacked, though the effects only last about an hour. Strawberry with fill you with team spirit, encouraging you to decorate a tree in a group or spontaneously form a new rock group. Even those that usually Only Work Alone will want to form a team. Lemon will spike your competitive nature. You're not just going to win, you are going to wave the severed heads of your competitors before their weeping mothers-, er, that is, win by a lot. Finally, lime flavor with up your silliness factor. Everything's fun and happy at the Holiday season, right? Why not pull a prank or two while you're here, or just enjoy a nice knock-knock joke with friends. Hopefully you didn't get that lemon-lime mix and now must pull the most epic prank ever or show that you are the single happiest person on this or any other world. That could get complicated.

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! Synthetic wonder! Whatever you might be, those words have meaning here. 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 or recently published PLoS papers. 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.

With Christmas coming, the producers behind a guerilla new reality show are hard at work getting new footage—starring you! Areas of the city with the most foot traffic have been absolutely blanketed in mistletoe. If you happen to pass beneath a sprig, you might find a small camera crew jumping out of nowhere, urging you to give the person next to you a smooch—and thanks to the strange radio waves coming out of the unit on the executive producer's wrist, you'll feel a little compelled to do so!

...except the compulsion isn't that strong, so those who don't kiss on the first meet can easily break out of it. Your next choice: give the camera crew a piece of your mind, or ask the would-be kissee out for coffee? They are pretty cute...

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has carried a reputation for ups and downs ever since imPorts began reappearing again, just those few years prior. Several imPort heroes have put focused efforts into cleaning up the streets of this somewhat infamous city, while a handful of others had swooped in to help the criminal industry thrive. 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. Everything from the classic bank heist to brutal bloodbaths can happen around the corner. You have to keep your eyes open and your mind sharp when you live in Maurtia Falls, and hostility against imPorts can spike. The emergence of locals with superpowers is hardly helping...

The downtown mall is tilting the balance solidly toward welcoming to imPorts with a Winter Welcome Festival. All the storefronts and many temporary kiosks occupied by local vendors are holding special sales, and newly arrived imPorts are given a coupon book to make the most of them. The food court has some free goodies for participants to mix and mingle.

Unfortunately, a local rogue with the alias of Klone Kringle is here to spoil the fun. After a small boom echoes throughout the mall, everything dissolves into chaos as dozens of copies of a man dressed in a polyester Santa Claus costume begin looting the retailers! The guns they wield that shoot snow and ice might not be lethal, but they can certainly slow you down (and give you a cold). Will you be the hero and help take down Kringle(s), or will you seize the opportunity to do some theft of your own?

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.

Although Nonah sees milder winters than some imPort cities, it's strangely snowy today, with icicles hanging everywhere. They definitely weren't there this morning, and no storm has passed through, so what gives? A downtown disturbance makes it clear: a would-be supervillain calling himself THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN has attacked. Is he some kind of mutant, a scientifically modified human, or is there just a lot of arctic-tech stuffed into his snowsuit? Whatever its source, he's spraying ice and snow far and wide from his hands, turning the area into a winter wonderland and absolutely ruining sales for local businesses that depend on foot traffic! Also, some citizens have been frozen in blocks of ice. That's bad.

Come, heroes, and defeat this icy menace! That, or build a really cool snowman. It's your call.

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.

Saturnalia is just around the corner and Jeopardy is in full festive swing! The seven-day marathon of festivities includes a parade, with a ((cw: arachnophobia)) very special float from the Web Mistress's church; a day long city-wide paintball game; an attempt to break the world record for largest bingo game with everyone playing in dead silence; and a feast!

Usually the feast focuses on the symbolic ritual sacrifice of a giant chocolate Santa Claus, but this year is a little different. In an effort to display their gratitude for imPorts keeping their city from being ground zero of the apocalypse, they are making an entirely different set of effigies: you! Instead of one Big Chocolate Santa there are over a hundred 1/6th scale chocolate humans, each lovingly recreated in the visage of their favourite imports. Whether or not that loving visage is accurate may be up for debate, but... Hey, want to eat a chocolate rendition of your own head? Now you can!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Wei Ying purposely doesn't look, not sure he even wants to know what the other man thinks. He doubts it's anything positive. He doubts Lan Zhan agrees with him. And the stony silence reinforces that doubt.

One more big gulp, and that's the first bottle gone. He's hardly noticed the taste- a shame, a quiet part of him says. He's reaching blindly for another bottle when the other man surprises him. He blinks and slowly peeks up at Lan Zhan, lips parted just a little.

One breath. Two.

But then he sighs and slowly shakes his head. "If they know that, then they should know I do not want to be here. That's why I forced you to let me fall."

Wangji’s eyes fell to the floor, the grief pulling tight in his chest.

There were a lot of questions he wanted to ask, and every single one of them he knew he didn’t want the answers to. If Wei Wuxian was still determined to fall from that cliff...

Abruptly, he reached out, grabbing one of the bottles, snapping it open and then drinking the whole thing in one go.

Death is a tempting lure. Free of pain. Free of all the whispers that reach his ears, laying doubt and blame on his name that he'd had nothing to do with. And the people he'd given everything for...are all gone. Dead. Long dead, by Lan Zhan's own announcement. Stabbing his heart all over again.

Wei Ying blinks, eyes growing wide when Wangji abruptly opens a bottle and drinks it all. A weird sense of familiarity settles over him and he makes his sore body move, a quiet gasp of dismay...of worry, escaping and reaches to make sure if...when Lan Wangji falls...he'll land on the bed. "Lan Zhan!"

Though this wasn't the first time he'd drank since Wei Wuxian fell, he still hadn't managed to get much better with his liquor. He stood very still for a long moment, holding the bottle, and then dropped it uncerimoniously to bounce on the carpet below.

A second later, he sat down heavily on the bed beside Wei Ying.

That was all that mattered. He was sitting beside Wei Ying. Everything else was secondary, right now.

He blinked, slowly, letting out a long breath, and then turning his gaze on Wei Ying.

"No cliffs."

Wei Ying lets out a quiet breath of relief when Lan Zhan sits next to him, though keeps a steadying hand on his shoulder to make sure he doesn't just fall over.

Two words. Simple, and yet...they make him feel strange. Someone...Even just one person. Does not want him to die. It leaves him staring at Wangji, eyes wide and clearly troubled. Not joking, or teasing.

Eventually though he pats Lan Zhan on the shoulder and shakes his head a little, gaze flicking away. "Aah...Lan Zhan...Lay down. Get some sleep."

Wangji stares at him, eyes half lidded but unblinking. He can see it. The disbelief on Wei Ying’s face. But how could he know? How could he know the depth of regret he held, for that night?

How could he know that a part of him had died with Wei Wuxian? He wasn’t there to see it.

16 years ago, he would have shrugged the hand off his shoulder. He still would, were it anyone else. But now the feel of Wei Ying’s hand - solid, real - was something he so desperately wanted that he couldn’t even bring himself to push it away. He didn’t encourage it, either - even if he had the stupid urge to take it in his own. That was an impulse too far. But letting it rest on his shoulder... that he could get away with, he thought. That was alright.

Wei Ying didn’t answer him. Not really. He hadn’t thought he would. As much as he wanted Wei Ying to swear to him - to promise to live - he didn’t expect it. But his eyes fell when he didn’t get it, despite himself, and he turned his head away.

The effect of the alcohol was hitting him hard already, making his head foggy and his eyelids heavy.

“It isn’t nine,” he replied, a hint of petulance he wouldn’t normally show slipping into his tone.

But, even as he protested, his head bowed further, his chin sinking. A second later, Lan Zhan was asleep, still sitting upright, perched on the edge of Wei Ying’s bed.

Too much pain. Too full of grief. Wei Wuxian hadn't been able to see any other action but to through himself off that cliff. He'd wanted nothing else, either.

But now he's here. And Lan Wangji is here, making such a fuss over him, seeming to see more in him than anyone else. Supplying him with liquor, a place to recover...checking his wounds and bolstering his pitiful amount of spirit energy to speed his healing along.

The petulant tone startles a little laugh from Wuxian though before he gasps in worry as Wangji clearly falls asleep. He sighs, shaking his head in wry affection before tugging and twisting his friend until Lan Zhan is stretched out on the bed. Even if the toll on himself is a return of some of the physical pain, everything complaining at every move. He takes a moment to breathe, then moves on to take their boots off, then back up and adjusts his friend to the proper sleep position of the Lan Sect, arms folded over his chest and perfectly straight on top of the covers.

He collapses next to Wangji then, limbs trembling with the effort, but it doesn't matter. He gives himself another few minutes before propping himself up and checking his friend over one more time. And gently moves some hair from Wangji's face, unable to help the fond little smile.

He blows out a breath and eventually forces himself from the bed, snagging another of the bottles of liquor to take with him to the window where he leans against the wall beside it.

When Wei Ying was lying next to him, Lan Zhan slept like the dead, utterly at peace. It was telling, then, just how the worry and concern had been pinching his brow, when finally at rest it disappeared and his features lay smooth across the face that had aged so little in sixteen years.

He didn't move even as Wei Ying pushed hair from his face.

However, as soon as Wei Wuxian's body was not next to his, Lan Zhan sat bolt upright, awake. Well, sort of. His eyes were half-lidded as they tracked the room until he found Wei Ying. Then he stood up and stumbled a few steps over to him, only to stand nearby and loom, his brow slightly furrowed.

He didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. It was just fact that if Wei Ying was over here, then he should be too. And it was a fact that the haze of alcohol only managed to make even more clear.

It's a well-known fact that Lan Wangji's golden core is strong. He'll live a long time, centuries, if not longer, and age very little. But it's the expression of pure peace on that face that has Wuxian lingering, just studying him for a long few minutes.

He hadn't expected his friend to wake up so quickly just for lack of him being right beside him, let alone to come after him. It has him hunching his shoulders a little, mid sip, and peering over at him with wide eyes.

...Right. Not awake, really. His shoulders relax and he shakes his head with another wry little smile before reaching out to grab one of Lan Zhan's wrists to lead him back to the bed. "Alright, alright...I'll stay and try to sleep more." Which is what he should do anyway, but he'd not wanted to just yet.

"Come on, Lan Zhan. Back in bed you go." He'll help him stretch back out before doing as promised and laying back down.

He let Wei Ying grab his arm, but then stood still as a statue, refusing to be moved.

"It's not nine," he repeated, more petulantly than before. He hand moved, faster than it should in his inebriated condition, and gripped Wei Ying's arm in return, long thin fingers securing around his wrist.

He turned, glancing out toward the window, his eyes narrowing slightly. Yes. Out there, maybe he could find something that would make his point better. Maybe he could find something that would demonstrate to Wei Ying why he should stay.

On the other hand, Wei Ying was still hurt--

His drunken mind quickly considered all the available options, and then he closed his eyes, raised his hand, and pressed two fingers to Wei Ying's temple, pouring his spiritual energy into the other man.

... Then they could go out. Maybe he could find rabbits. Or chickens. Or something.

Wei Ying draws in a sharp breath as he's restrained, half turning from back to Lan Zhan with the step he'd taken to try and lead his friend back to the bed. He studies the other man closely for a moment, wondering what's going through his head now.

He doesn't bother trying to break free of Lan Zhan's hold this time. There's no point. Instead he rolls his eyes and finishes the latest bottle of liquor, again too fast to really enjoy it.

Wangji surprises him once again though, by turning back to pushing more energy into healing his wounds. Enough a surprise that his eyes slip closed, though he doesn't collapse. Instead, he leans against the other man. He could argue. He could fuss. But he doesn't.

"...Feels nice..." He murmurs instead.

He had to let go of Wei Ying's arm, but it was a worthy sacrifice, as it meant he could loop it around the man instead, steadying him against his shoulder as he pushed healing energy into him.

A warmth spread inside him at the words, an almost guilty pleasure that would have felt a lot more guilty had he been sober. Instead, he just made a low noise - "Mmn." - and continued with his work.

Unfortunately, he couldn't concentrate quite as well as he would otherwise, so after a few minutes his hand dropped and he looked down at Wei Ying, waiting to see if he was any better.

His wounds all but closed with the extra bit of energy. Wei Ying hums quietly, not pulling away even when Lan Zhan stops. He's used to leaning against people- or, he was. And Wangji hasn't pulled away or shoved him away yet so...

But there are the clear signs of an ease of pain. He's more relaxed. Less horribly pale. He seems less exhausted, too.

Eventually his eyes reopen and he smiles at Lan Zhan. Almost just like he had before...back in the Cloud Recesses. "Thank you," he tells his friend again.

He doesn't quite smile. It's still too painful to see Wei Ying, there's still too much grief in the years in between, so he can't bring himself to smile. But his expression does soften, even if it weirdly half-lidded and even if he might be swaying a little bit.

"Mmn," he replies. He lets Wei Yin lean against him for another moment, and then he pushes him slowly off him, only to grab his wrist and start dragging him to the door.

"Out."

Wei Ying doesn't expect a smile. The softening of Lan Zhan's expression is enough.

...And then he's being dragged again, but this time he tugs back, biting back a laugh. "Lan Zhan! I took our boots off! Are you really willing to go out barefooted?"

As much as his friend worries him while drunk...there's just something so endearing about how he acts too.

Lan Zhan froze, frowning, and then stared down at his feet.

A beat. Two. Three.

He let go of Wei Wuxian's hand abruptly and stalked back to where their boots were, stumbling a little as he grabbed them off the floor. He tossed one set at Wei Ying - unhelpfully, they were white instead of black. And then he tried putting the black ones on himself.

Wei Ying gives up and laughs, bending over to clutch at his sides.

He does manage to catch...one of the white boots though. And wanders back to Lan Zhan's side with it, also stopping to pick up the other before flopping on the floor at Lan Zhan's feet.

"Here," he offers with an amused shake of his head and holds the white boots up before reaching to rescue his own. "You still can't hold your liquor," he quips.

He narrowed his eyes at the offered boots, but finally relinquished his prize back to Wei Ying to take his own boots back.

He pulled them on, the movement still smooth mostly out of muscle memory, and then he stood up. He waited patiently until Wei Ying was done, and then took hold of his wrist again to drag him towards the door.

It wasn't nine yet. They had a few hours. And Wei Ying was healed better than before. So he had to prove to Wei Ying that he wasn't going anywhere. That he was here, now, for better or worse, and would take what came.

He would share every consequence.

So he needed chickens.

With the lessening of pain and exhaustion, fairly good humor has been restored. The grief is still there, toying with the edges of his mind. But Wei Ying is generally pretty good at ignoring the deeper issues when around other people.

So he waits patiently for Lan Zhan to decide which boots to put on. He ends up with his rightful boots eventually, and puts them on before getting tugged back to his feet and off to the door. This time he doesn't put up a fuss, this not being a battle worth fighting. Lan Zhan wants to take him...somewhere, and so that's where they're going.

One breath. Two.

Then he pushes himself to move just a bit faster and reaches out to pat Lan Zhan's hand in reassurance. "Lan Zhan. I'm here."

It’s a dangerous action. While sober, Lan Zhan would absolutely confine himself to the wrist, but while drunk all he sees is an opportunity. He snatches Wei Ying’s hand into his own and then proceeds to use that to drag the man along instead.

He doesn’t reply to the words, though there’s the briefest subtle flash of something almost like irritation in his expression. Then pain. Then resolution.

16 years. 16 years and then he was snatched away mere moments after finding him again. He couldn’t even ask where Wei Ying had been this whole time.

But it didn’t matter. Because he was here now, despite everything.

He snatched Bichen from the wall as he pulled Wei Ying from the room, leading him to the elevator. It had taken him a few minutes to come to terms with the device before, but now he pressed the button and waited (more or less) patiently until the elevator arrived.

When it did, however, there were three very attractive women inside. Lan Zhan levelled what could only be called a glare at them, and - still holding Wei Ying’s hand - pointed at them with the hilt of his sword, still sheathed.

“Out.”

Lan Zhan never fails to surprise him when drunk. Usually it's Wei Ying doing the dragging.

But he hadn't meant to hurt the other man, yet somehow he had. So he bites his tongue and follows at Lan Zhan's side, not arguing over his hand being taken (though he does find it odd for Hanguang-Jun to do this).

The button Lan Zhan pushes gets an odd look, and he almost asks when doors open with a clang, sending him back a quick two steps and behind his friend. But then he peeks back over Lan Zhan's shoulder and blinks at the beautiful women before stepping sheepishly back out from cover to smile at them.

"Please forgive my friend..." But that small room has him a little wary.

“Out,” he repeated sternly, while the women looked at them completely aghast an confused. After a few seconds, however, they seemed to decide that getting out was the best idea, even as one of them snapped a couple covert photos of the two men with her phone.

The elevator finally vacated, Lan Zhan stepped into it.

He looked at the buttons, half lidded and frowning, clearly trying to remember what exactly he was supposed to do now and—

Well. Just pressed every button from their number down.

One of them would work.

The pictures being taken go right over Wei Ying's head, he just steps out of their way and tries to tug Lan Zhan with him, even just one step...

And then he's tugged into that tiiiiiny room, and the hand Lan Zhan holds is tense (along with the rest of him) as he warily looks around.

...And the room moves. He draws in a sharp breath and presses himself against a wall, not seeing the clear signs that his friend...doesn't...quite...know what will make the room work how he wants it.

The doors close, the elevator rumbles to life, and Lan Zhan is standing still and solemn as a very drunk statue, his grip on Wei Ying’s hand just as firm as it was before.

The doors open. He doesn’t move. The floor looks exactly like the last one they were on, but with new numbers. He says nothing, does nothing, and then the doors close again.

The next stop has a couple people waiting to get into the elevator, but once again Lan Wangji blocks their entrance with his sheathed sword, and they decide not to make a fight of it.

Five stops later, they reach the lobby, and with a small grunt Lan Zhan pulls him out into the glitzy room. There are plenty of people and a good deal of them turn their heads to openly watch the two men, which just makes Lan Zhan’s mood even more sour as he stumbles towards the front doors and back out onto the now dark streets.

Nope.

Holding on.

No moving.

When Lan Zhan finally drags him out of that room of death, Wei Ying is very much not steady on his feet.

He doesn't even really notice all the people staring at them, he's just going to make a beeline for outside where he will plop himself down on the nearest convenient surface that isn't moving and let himself shake for a moment or two.

Or three, unless Lan Zhan picks him up and carries him again.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

please let me know if I ever need to change anything, I know he is getting handsy lol

XD I'm good so long as it makes sense IC, which it does because it's these two <3

Just saying, I am always happy to rewrite/edit😂

XD Me too btw

😘

WWX DOES NOT LIKE THIS MODE OF TRANSIT lol