SLAY BELLS RING

[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 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!

Comments

Meng Yao (Jin Guangyao) | The Untamed

[dazzlingdream]

De Chima, Virginia

He doesn't know what to make of the attention. He is hardly in any shape to enjoy it and he can't help wonder what is to become of him. Meng Yao - for he will never be Jin Guangyao again - doesn't smile or offer anything in the way of a polite exchange with those that approach him. The civilians might forgive him for his lack of enthusiasm considering it is dreadfully obvious that he recently lost his arm.

They might jump to the conclusion that such a loss has left him in shock. However he barely notices the wound and when they try to lead him to a hospital, he tugs away from them impatiently. The buildings loom around him ominously and he feels a cold sweat breaking out on his skin. His heart too is racing and he comes to a stop, intending on catching his breath, when he discovers that he can't take another step. Presuming this is some foolish spell, he looks around for the cause - only to met with a spring of mistletoe.

"What is this...?"

Network

[For a man who is accustomed to shifting his expression on a whim, the odd lack of emotion he feels sits at odds with him. His voice is soft and polite, but he sounds detached - as if he doesn't fully accept that any of this is real.]

I have found my home on a map. How might I go there?

[Should he go there?]

Will it be as changed as these cities? [If it is, there is no point in making the journey.] I come from...a simpler time.

[He does his best to bow, but the bow his culture prefers requires two arms.]

I am Meng Yao.

Network

[yilingdaddy]

[ Wei Ying wrestles his comm from Lan Zhan so he can frown at Meng Yao. ]

How about you tell me where you are first?

Aah...it probably is pretty much the same there as it is here.

[ What he doesn't immediately ask is WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM ]

[dazzlingdream]

[This must be justice; justice in the form of Wei Wuxian. He might enjoy the irony if he felt better.]

Do you want to see me, Wei Wuxian?

[He finds that hard to believe.]

[yilingdaddy]

[ Uhm. What? ]

...Why are you looking at me so weirdly? I know we aren't that closely acquainted...

[ Then he grimaces and rubs at the side of his head. ]

...You're from some time in my future...? Lan Zhan said it's been sixteen years...

[dazzlingdream]

[He stiffens and his fingers grasp a bunch of fabric covering his legs.]

It has...been longer. You don't know...

[Must he reveal the truth again?]

Ask...Hanguang-Jun...whether you should see me or not. If he does not mind, I suggest you come together.

I AM SO SORRY FOR THIS

[yilingdaddy]

[ There's a flash of anger that he has to take a breath to avoid speaking through. ]

Hanguang-Jun does not control me. [ And he failed. Welp.

Wei Ying looks away, shaking his head and glaring away from the screen. ]

Unless you're responsible for my shijie's death, we should stick together.

[dazzlingdream]

I did not mean to suggest...that he did. He could know...more...on this subject. That is all.

[He is trying to control his breathing, his energy flagging.]

Wei Wuxian, I used you.

[yilingdaddy]

[ It takes effort. More than he's used in these cities so far. But eventually he looks back to Meng Yao. ]

...So what. [ He shrugs carelessly, face still tight and angry. ]

People have been cursing my name since years, why not be used as well?

[dazzlingdream]

[He could say that he is the reason for all of that cursing, but no. Meng Yao manages a very small, tight smile.]

Are you happy?

[yilingdaddy]

[ He rolls his eyes, sinking into full on sulky pout, slouching down. ]

It doesn't matter if I'm happy. I'm not being attacked. I have a roof over my head. I have food. And I'm paid for a stupid job.

[dazzlingdream]

[They can agree about the job situation. Meng Yao has noticed someone has a sense of humor.]

You are resilient. I hope I can prove to be equally strong.

[He glances at his shoulder.]

I must tend to this.

[yilingdaddy]

We all are.

[ One more breath and he tries to pull himself out of the angry sulk those memories tend to drag him to. And he nods. ]

There are hospitals here. Doctors. Let them do what they can for you.

[dazzlingdream]

[A faint wince follows that statement. He isn't strong.]

Have you paid them a visit?

[Meng Yao is cautious of everyone, his gaze darting from one end of the room to the other.]

de chima for maximum ow?

[ze_uwu_jun]

Lan Xichen not so much as explores as... wanders. He's not paying that much attention to either where he is or who is there. (He tries. His mind just spaces out.)

... and then there is voice beside him which he has been hearing far too much inside his mind, and he makes a small noise of surprise, blinking with far more focus. First at the shorter man, then around them. He hasn't actually tried to move away past the radius of effect.

His voice is not a croak only by virtue of being Lan Xichen. It's still far too low and raspy.

"... what...?"

ALL OF THE OW.

[dazzlingdream]

Xichen. His heart sings - just to hear that one word - but his mind is in a panic. He tries to push against the mistletoe's effects, a low sound of defeat leaving his lips when he discovers it is impossible.

"Zewu-Jun." he isn't sure how he forms the title - his throat feels far too dry.

And since he can't escape and he can't manage a proper bow, he kneels, shaking uncontrollably.

I think we broke the ow meter.

[ze_uwu_jun]

... oh. One arm. Trying to escape from him...

And failing. That explains why the first question. As it is...

Xichen tries to catch him, but his -- but the younger man still sinks to his knees, and Xichen squeezes his eyes closed before gently following.

"Be still. Are you in pain? You..." He shouldn't. After all he has done, all that he has failed to do, he should leave him alone. But he can't. He never could deny someone in need, someone in pain. He holds out his hand, but he doesn't try to touch the other man without agreement.

"Let me help."

Why are you such a good, Xichen?

[dazzlingdream]

The fatal wound has been closed, though he can feel it throbbing with every beat of his heart. His shoulder too isn't bleeding, but Meng Yao can't recall experiencing this much pain at any other time in his life. Thus he shakes and his eyes well with tears - genuine, this time - and he speaks in a breathless rush:

"This is what I have earned. Find a way to free me, Zewu-Jun, and you will never see me again." he thinks that final promise should be comforting.

For him, however, it is just the opposite.

Not good enough to save him...

[ze_uwu_jun]

"That's not..." Not want he wants, but what right does he have to try to impose his wishes on others? Especially to him?

What right does he have to have them? He withdraws his hand.

... And then his thoughts get derailed by the camera crew and Xichen stares at that information for a long moment. Stunned. Kiss...?

That thought makes him blink again, and focus a little.

"You... could you bear if the price of your freedom is that?" Since he rejected even touch. He has to ask. And then, a moment after, softer. "I never wanted you to suffer. It will not undo... anything. But if you truly think you deserve... something, for what has been done. Instead heal, and do better."

Alone, if that is what the younger man wants. But not in pain. There is too much, and for all the excuses uttered by him at the Guanyin temple, Xichen knows that the man who once swore brotherhood with him has suffered plenty already. Would not more of it just make him retaliate more, in the end?

That's just because Meng Yao is that evil when he puts his mind to it.

[dazzlingdream]

He could never reject any part of Lan Xichen. From his warm, patient voice to his gentle hands, Meng Yao wishes, every day, every second, that he had been born into the Lan sect. With Xichen guiding him, he is sure he could have done something better than this with his life.

Raising his head slowly at the question, he catches sight of what it will take to free him. His face had been pale because of blood loss and pain, but now curious points of color gather over his cheeks.

A kiss? From -

He struggles to stand, his pulse pounding in his ears.

"Blessings are not merely bearable." Meng Yao murmurs, glancing into Xichen's eyes, "I will heal...thanks to you. I owe you my life."

That... well, try to persuade Xichen in that.

[ze_uwu_jun]

Xichen does reach up now with the struggle. He - they are both out of balance, but A- ... the man who chose to be Jin Guangyao over everything else is more out of balance, or at least in more ways, so he reaches up to support him under the elbow.

Then he flinches as though burned.

"Owe me...? I as good as took your life, how can you..." Rising himself, he sighs softly.

"We should talk, should we not? Go still, after it, if you wish, but..."

That night, or day, that time at the Guanyin Temple. It should have been enough to settle all between them.

It had done quite the opposite.

See? He's so good.

[dazzlingdream]

The touch brings tears to his eyes and though he wants to smile, the expression just won't take hold. Xichen is right to question his stability. He stumbles before he can fully stand and the pressure against his arm is reassuring.

The flinch, however, is not.

"You were protecting yourself." Meng Yao presses his lips together in a thin line, "We can talk...as long as you like..."

He will deny him nothing if he has any say.

"Zewu-Jun, I never moved. I promise you. I would never threaten your life."

They are suuuch a mess, each alone and both together.

[ze_uwu_jun]

Xichen's free hand comes to the front of his robes, exactly where the small, strong hand had pushed him away.

"I was ready to give it to you, anyway. When you asked for it." Die with me.

But then he looks down, taking in a shaky breath.

"I think I know that you didn't move. I don't know--" How to go on. Xichen shakes his head, then raises his hand to cup the younger man's cheek, then presses a soft kiss above the cinnabar mark, letting his lips linger, and then an even softer ones on his lips.

"We should go somewhere more private."

They should be able to move now.

Maybe this one can be a better mess in time.

[dazzlingdream]

He isn't accustomed to making demands. After serving others for the majority of his life, Yao isn't sure how to give his feelings a voice. Yet, as he stood with Xichen in the temple, ready to die, he had let himself speak freely. Die with me. It was as close as he could bring himself to making an entirely different declaration.

"Your eyes were sad." he possesses a memory with crystal clarity and so he will never forget those details, "I hurt you and if I let you die, my promise to you would mean nothing."

Yao searches Xichen's face, shivering under the gentle hands. His breath catches in his throat and he grabs hold of the front of the other man's robes. The pressure of lips on his lips is glorious and he nods shakily, unable and unwilling to look away from Xichen.

"Anywhere." and he will follow - as he demonstrates by leaving the mistletoe behind.

Sob.

[ze_uwu_jun]

It is not that Xichen's eyes are not sad now - the grief of having had a hand in killing both his sworn brothers, failing his born brother, and failing his older sworn brother's little brother, too... and living, in the end, undeserving but not even strong enough to change that. That won't clear from his eyes, or his soul, anytime soon. It's only covered by bewilderment - and by love that not even the truth can erase.

They go. Xichen isn't sure how far, but in the end they wind up probably in a private booth somewhere warm with food. Xichen has little want for it, nor has he, but the younger man has lost a lot of blood. He needs sustenance.

At least the walk has given Xichen a little time for composure. He places his hands in his lap, but then blinks.

"... let me know if you will need any assistance."

One can do much, without a limb. And Jin Guangyao has always had pride, back when it was bright and pure, and later when he had authority to lean it upon. But Xichen still would help, if help is wanted.

;n; <3

[dazzlingdream]

Xichen is his inspiration, his comfort, the star he follows with all the strength he has left. The fact that the restaurant or cafe is close is for the best. His energy is flagging by the time they sit down and he is grateful for warm food and drink.

"What about you?" Yao shifts, trying to find the best angle to reach his utensils and his cup. This will take time and, frankly, he is feeling very weak. He sighs quietly and shame makes his skin alternately hot and cold.

"You are welcome to ask me what you like. I will answer truthfully." that had never been in question before, but everything has changed, "Have your powers returned?"