etcelsior | SLAY BELLS RING

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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!

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[ ...Ooof. Wuxian stares at Meng Yao for a good few minutes. But he just doesn't know this man well enough, not really. ]

Sometimes we have to accept things, even when we do not want to.

[ He glances over off screen again. ]

I might. You didn't answer me. So I have to assume something even worse happens that involves you two. [ And on opposite sides. ]

That isn't why I wish to see him.

[The words are barely above a whisper and he glances at Wuxian hesitantly.]

He is safe with me. I would never hurt him.

[ Wei Ying gets up and heads outside, giving one last pointed look off screen and a hissed insistent 'Give me a minute alone'.

And don't ask how but he manages to get onto the roof. ]

We're as alone as we're going to get unless you tell me where we can meet. So. Are you going to tell me now?

[The roof? He makes an amused sound that borders on a sob. After everything, how can he explain this? And to him?]

I don't know this city.

[So meeting somewhere would be difficult.]

Did you ever wonder why you were singled out? Everyone was angry with you; they blamed you for things you either didn't do or did for a kind reason.

I was responsible for that.

[ ...He's not going to like what he hears. He knows this. And Meng Yao's told him already that he used him. So he tries to prepare himself for...

...Oh.

Wei Ying listens, silent for once. As still as he can get, though there are more than a few twitches as he struggles with himself. Finally, cheek twitching and jaw clenching and unclenching... ]

Why?

[Why? Such a simple question shouldn't be so damn complicated to answer. Meng Yao grabs hold of the fabric covering his chest, his fingers aching from the strain.]

I'm sure you have heard what they say about me? The son of a prostitute, the unwanted child of Jin Guangshan?

[He forces himself to calm, though his hand shakes.]

I have only wanted one thing... Acceptance. I saw a way to achieve what I wanted, but I needed a distraction. After the Wen sect was exterminated, I used you for that task.

[ It's easy to say someone's birth doesn't matter. But to most, it does. And that's what has bothered Wei Ying from the start. Why he doesn't treat other people like they're lesser just because of birth. Only if they're jerks does he treat them like dirt.

Hearing this man is the one responsible for dragging his name through the dirt just so he might gain acceptance...it's hard to understand. But it also doesn't matter. ]

Meng Yao. Tell me straight. Did you directly cause my shijie's death? Her husband's death? [ His fingers twist viciously in the cloth at his waist as he fights for calm. But his lips are a thin, painful line. His eyes almost crazy, with a wisp of darkness curling around him. ]

Directly or indirectly doesn't really matter. [There were outcomes he foresaw and others that took on a life of their own. He isn't happy or proud of every loss, but some, more than others, served his purpose better.]

I knew how they would react and of course your sister protected you.

[Meng Yao closes his eyes tightly.]

Ask what you wish.

[ He wants to scream.

Maybe it would help.

But maybe it would just attract more of the spirits in Jeopardy. He's been good so far, not attracting them too quickly, too much. But this.

...This is...a lot.

A tear slides down an angry cheek, eyes rimming red as he shakes. But he doesn't sob. He doesn't scream.

Doesn't shout. ]

Was there a second flute controlling Wen Ning, and then the other corpses? Was that flute under your control?

Yes. [Seeing Wuxian like this isn't easy. He is the cause of all of this pain and anguish. And all for what? A position? Respect? He had wanted those who were dead to notice him, but instead they came to claim his soul.

Meng Yao shudders.] I am not bad at instruments. I memorized pieces from my visits to see Zewu-Jun.

[ His breath comes as a shuddering, painful sound. Almost a sob. His eyes close and he shakes his head in denial.

...

Lan Zhan would be angry, seeing him like this again.

Lan Zhan would be upset. Again. Hurt, again.

Only through the efforts of Lan Wangji and his skill with the guqin, playing to try and soothe his pain since their reunion does Wei Wuxian gradually force the fury back.

Force the danger back. The shadows around him slink back into him, making him shudder and clutch at his chest. But he doesn't cry out. ]

...Was...it worth it?

[ He doesn't- can't look at Meng Yao. Not right this moment. But he's listening. Voice painful to hear. Head bowed with the effort of controlling himself. ]

[He makes himself watch and he knows his heart isn't dead. If he could have killed it, he would have done it a long time ago. But through everything, it has reminded him, stubbornly, that there are those he cares about.

It never seemed to matter that they didn't care about him. He could pretend, for awhile, that they did, at least. Until they rejected him soundly, of course. Then he didn't know what to do. Killing them hadn't made him feel better, so what then? Keep them as a doll? As a puppet? That can't last forever.]

No. [And not because he lost an arm or his life.]

[ One single word.

His heart breaks, and he's dimly surprised he doesn't actually shatter.

He barks out a bitter laugh.

Suddenly he wishes he were back in that bar he'd found in De Chima. Or any bar, he doesn't care which. Or where.

Wei Ying knows himself well enough to know that if he were anywhere near Meng Yao...he'd kill him. Slowly. Lan Zhan's disapproval or not. Yanli's disapproval, or not. ]

Tell me.

Was I just the easy target? Or did you single me out from before the Qishan Wen Sect started getting out of hand?

[Wuxian wishes for depth; for reasons why his life was ended and why he suffers still. He wants to be fair to him, but a pawn is a pawn and there is only one devastatingly simple answer he can give.]

I noticed you before, yes. Our circumstances were similar, however you were loved and cherished. I suppose I chose you out of jealousy.

[He just sounds tired; the sort of fatigue that comes from being laid bare mentally and emotionally.]

Later, I was amazed by what you had accomplished. As I said, I'm not bad with instruments or mimicry. Once I saw Wen Ning reacting, I knew I could direct him.

[ Exhaustion is why Wuxian doesn't move. Soul deep.

He swallows heavily, fingers loose against the roof tile now. The Wens- his Wens, would still be alive if not for this man. Good people. Kind people.

A-Yuan...

Yanli.

Even the peacock.

If not for this jealous, miserable man. ]

You should have made your own way. [ A breath. Almost steady. But there's a hard edge to his voice. ]

You have so many skills. You could have found another way.

The arm tells me you were caught. It doesn't matter enough to ask who.

Do you know what it is like to - [He grimaces and turns his head away. No, now isn't the time.] If it is of any consolation, the one who took it was Hanguang-Jun.

[The Lan sect has brought him much joy and much grief. Yet the grief was his doing.]

[ Another laugh, slightly less bitter. ]

Does it matter to you if it is or not?

[ Wuxian doesn't bother wiping his face. But he lifts his head to stare at Meng Yao, lips in a mockery of a smile as he waits, body still shaking a little every so often. ]

...yes, it does. [Meng Yao finds what small reserve of strength he has left to match Wuxian's gaze.] You were the most like me. You were like who I wanted to be. Bright, strong, confident...

Don't let what I've done haunt you anymore. [He frowns, shaking his head.] I'm sorry.

[ He bites back on the retort that wants to answer. Swallows it. Then sighs as anger drains from him.

Wuxian absently wipes at his face, shifting to shake out nerves before settling into a dubiously more comfortable position. And it gives him a moment to think. ]

...Sixteen years. But Lan Zhan...looks at me like he'd just found me, before we came here. So.

Do you continue to use me as a pawn, after my death? Or am I brought back in the body sacrifice curse so you can use me again?

[ He seems to ignore the apology. At least, he doesn't acknowledge it's said, or the words that sound compassionate. ]

He cares for you. [Any fool with eyes can see that. He had taken their relationship for granted; he had thought he had pushed Wuxian far enough to the fringes so that he wouldn't have any powerful allies.]

Until I am caught, I continue. [That is the bald truth and finally he lets himself sit, relaxing back carefully. The new position does nothing for his pain.]

I didn't expect Mo Xuanyu to be powerful enough to manage such a spell - or to know of it. I don't know why he was successful.

Edited 2020-01-07 12:54 (UTC)

[ Wuxian waves it off. ] We're good friends.

[ And yet there's more to it, isn't there? He trusts Wangji with his life. Would give his own a thousand times over if it meant keeping Wangji safe.

He nods, finally. That's what he'd thought.

The name has him raise a brow, mustering up some interest. ]

Who was Mo Xuanyu?

You didn't stay long enough to find out, did you. [This is a bit - a lot - awkward all things considered.] He was yet another illegitimate child of my father. Our father.

[So Meng Yao's half-brother.]

I heard he was interested in demonic cultivation. He was expelled and labeled a lunatic. The Mo family were abusive towards him too; perhaps in punishment.

[ That gets Meng Yao a mild glare as Wuxian rubs at the side of his head. ]

I don't remember everything like you do. And there were a lot of people claiming to be my disciples who I'd never heard of, let alone met.

[ But. ]

They shouldn't have hurt him just because of what doctrine he followed. No one deserves to be abused.

[It is a bit more complicated than that and he toys with the idea of sparing Wuxian the details.

Well, he hasn't so far.]

He had a following; those that found him interesting.

[Now comes the hard part.]

He and I were close. I believe he learned how to summon you from one of my books.

[ He'd rather know, than be surprised.

And...it makes him pity Meng Yao. After he thought about this new bit of information. ]

He found out about what you were doing. Didn't he? So he cast the spell, dragged me back from wherever I was, and used me to kill you.

[ His laugh...isn't a nice one. A touch of the madness that is always just one angry outburst away. ]

Are you angry with me about that too? Taking away a brother you loved?

Believe me. I wish I hadn't been brought back here, why would I have wanted to be brought back through a curse?

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dazzlingdream - 2020-01-07 14:08 (UTC) - Expand

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