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etcelsior2020-05-24 09:21 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2020-05-24 09:21 pm
Entry tags:
DANCE MAGIC DANCE
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.
Unfortunately, tragedy has struck today. It seems like the entire Heropa PD is parked out of a local, popular grocery chain. A huge crowd is amassed in the parking lot despite the best efforts of officers to get them to leave. They whisper about excitement and shame, and you don't have to ask if you just listen in a bit...
"What do you think he'll do to the employees? He sounded so serious..." "He really wants that pussy, huh?" "If I left my man for cheating on me, I'd take the damn cat, too!" "How does he think taking her and her coworkers hostage is gonna make her change her mind about him being a bad boyfriend?" "My wife is pregnant, please - if I don't get her favorite deli sub I might as well not go home!"
Domestic disputes! Tragic. The police aren't too sure how to handle this hostage situation, claiming the man only has a box cutter and isn't actually waving it around at the moment, but...are you an imPort? They'd really appreciate the help, okay. Get in there and counsel the unhappy couple. Or not!
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. 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.
Today, a company that manufactures tech-based educational toys—"Where Science Meets Fun!"—is running a demo of its latest project, Quincy the QuizBot. Filled with information taken from the curricula of many grade levels, Quincy is whirring through the streets to conduct pop quizzes! Answer a question right, win a prize, ranging from a coupon for a free soda at the local fast food joint to a $100 gift card, based on difficulty!
Except...something's gone wrong with Quincy's programming. An hour or two into the demo session, he starts to approach passersby and demand answers. "WHAT IS THE SQUARE ROOT OF 47284? CAN YOU LIST THE PHARAOHS OF EGYPT IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER? ANSWER-ANSWER-ANSWER-ANSWER!"
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...
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.
Today there's a big lemonade stand on one busy sidewalk, staffed by a group of industrious kids. Aww, isn't it sweet? Wait...is that a cookie stand a little ways down, also run by elementary-to-middle schoolers? Heck, the entire block is full of kid-run mini-businesses — a gathering of pint-sized entrepreneurs! And they have their eyes on you, hero, because as a celebrity imPort, your pockets are full of $$$, right?
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.
Despite the weird constant hum and the creepy cultish bingo, Jeopardy is usually a pretty calm place. A safe place. But not today. Today, someone has released a couple hundred tiny praying-mantis-like robots into the city, and the place is in chaos. Shops are closed up early because though these little destructive creatures don't have bullets, they do have some weird arm appendages that like to just crunch everything in existence. Like a locus swarm of cockatoos, anything made of wood or plastic is being crunched up and left for scrap. But at less than six inches high apiece, rounding them up is proving extremely difficult. Luckily, the mayor in her wisdom is giving out titanium nets to any imPort who wants to help round up the trouble makers. And, in the spirit of the city, she's offering the imPort that catches the most robots a free meal for two in the swanky Radiation Galley - Jeopardy's top tier, five star restaurant.
Get catchin', imPorts!
Maurtia Falls, Looka Miraluka
[That commentary would be accompanied by the sort of abrupt and deeply unsettling presence that tended to accompany Jadus- though the voice was different enough, and despite the readily apparent presence of the Dark Side, Nox's aura also lacked the more uncomfortable qualities like unsettling hallucinations that tended to exist around Jadus. Though, as Nox moved past the Agent, it was obvious his own armor was meant to make up for that difference with a more obvious sense of lethality: Adorned in any number of gruesome fangs and claws from large predatory beasts, segmented durasteel claws along the fingers of his gauntlets, and a horned helm no doubt inspired by some unspeakable inhuman abomination of Sith alchemy.]
Remain where you are, Miraluka. There are matters we must discuss, once I have dealt with this particular nuisance.
[A Sith Lord? Helping? It's more likely than you might think! ...Even if the chosen methods are probably more in line with what Edwon would expect. Reaching toward the distant figure of Mister Mars with one outstretched hand was enough to halt the man's ascent- and to pull him closer, and closer, until Nox's hand closed around his throat. In truth, he wasn't quite strong enough to suspend Mister Mars this way with strength alone, but to that end he'd employed a healthy bit of deception. Force choking the man and at least partially holding him off the ground through the Force made the feat easy enough to pull off, and convincing enough to any onlookers- who were precisely the sort of people this little display was for.]
My patience for your ridiculous escapades is growing thin, Mars. If you insist on annoying me with these disturbances, not only will I refuse to intervene further, but I will spare no effort in hastening your demise. Do you understand?
[With Nox still depriving the man of air, the response can't be given verbally, but the frenzied attempt to nod his head as he claws at Nox's hand is as good a sign of confirmation as any. Rather than just releasing the would-be villain however, the Sith Lord's arm surges with rather eye-catching purple lightning as he electrocutes the man in his grasp. Only once his struggling has ceased does Nox end his little illusion and toss the man to the ground- still breathing, notably, but unquestionably unconscious. It's only once that's settled that he turns his attention back to the Miraluka.]
You have an Imperial accent. Which Empire?
i apologize for edwon in advance
He doesn't show any reaction outwardly. If he can tolerate Darth Jadus' aura, he can tolerate this one. He stays quiet, letting this strange Sith deal with Mister Mars, surprised that a Sith would bother with someone they would normally consider beneath them. He's trying not to find the whole situation funny.
It's hilarious.
This Sith is a strange one. That armor makes it seem like he's compensating for something. And he's holding back, using tricks to inspire fear instead of killing the man, which is what he'd normally expect. This behavior could ruin a Sith's reputation back on Dromund Kaas. Edwon doesn't laugh as the Sith finally at least hurts the man - there's not even a twitch of an expression on his face - but only because he's saving it for later.]
There are some fools who will never learn their lesson.
[He stands calmly as the Sith turns towards him, arms behind his back. If he hadn't run into Darth Jadus earlier, that question might have confused him more, but he's at least been warned that time and events are inconsistent here. So his attitude right now is just to roll with it, no matter what it is.]
There is only one Empire.
[Which doesn't mean he can't feign confusion.]
still better than thanaton, tbh
[Methods that needed to be, to put it mildly, discreet. The fact that the tattoos on each of the imPorts designated their level of compliance with the local laws had not escaped him, nor did the connection to the nanites each and every one of them were injected with on arrival.]
So do not pretend ignorance, Imperial, it does not suit you. Even the most backward idiot from the darkest, most plague-ridden swamps of Hutta would notice the disparities in technological progress present in this city alone.
[Which was certainly true- it wasn't just the people from their own galaxy to notice, but imPorts from any number of different times and worlds tended to find themselves in this place. And their understanding of technology followed them. To say nothing of the unusually large gap in capability between the local technology on display- on the one hand, they were standing on a street illuminated by copper wiring and primitive filaments after dark, while also in possession of locally-provided devices that were in some ways more capable than even the most advanced personal holocomm. Even someone brand new to the city should have noticed something unusual was afoot, or at least been considerably more clueless than this Miraluka was pretending to be.]
Which means you cannot possibly fail to grasp the reason for that question, or its implications.
[Of course, there was also his particular profession. Nox was notably less skilled than most when it come to forcing his way into another's thoughts, but he also didn't particularly need to in this situation. The other man wasn't presently a stammering, fumbling wreck, which meant he wasn't a slave, a Moff, or a civilian. He was several steps below the usual overconfidence of gangsters and freelancers. Really, the list of probable professions was a short one indeed.]
low bar to be fair
He inclines his head in a slight apology.]
There is only one Empire. That should tell you when I'm from, shouldn't it?
[It doesn't really narrow it down much, considering how long the Empire has existed in his time already, but it does answer the question.]
The fact that people can arrive here from different points in time, and remember events differently, means we need to be extra cautious, My Lord. [That 'my lord' is just there to placate.] For the sake of our Empire, we cannot blindly trust anyone while we're here. Even people who call themselves Sith.
[And he doesn't trust anyone to begin with, especially not Sith. What he does do is lie through his teeth, since none of that had anything to do with his real reasons. And he's testing this stranger - so he's smarter than he looks, but how smart, and how will he react to Edwon's lack of subservience or grovelling. Edwon is constantly analyzing him now, but outwardly he continues to look calm, his face otherwise difficult to read.]
Which Empire are you from?
no subject
[Both a fundamental rule of the galaxy, as well as a general linguistic one. Anytime anyone can refer to it as The Empire generally meant there wasn't much in the way of competition for the honor.]
And you would do well to relieve yourself of any notions that we are simply remembering things differently. It is not as simple as differing experiences or perceptions, but genuine divergences in the timelines. At present, I can only confirm that such is the case with our own galaxy, but I have been been preoccupied with more important matters than surveilling the imPort community at large. Prior to my distraction however, the same occurrence had also been confirmed for other universes besides our own.
[And as much as Edwon was watching him, Nox was observing Edwon just as closely. Watching, certainly, but also listening. Carefully. His comfort level indicated someone accustomed to dealing with Sith- perhaps not regularly, but frequently enough that it wasn't a completely unexpected event. That ruled out bureaucracy in its entirety, especially as the only time a Sith tended to involve themselves with civil administration was when someone was about to shuffle off this mortal choir and join the choir eternal, so to speak. That left the military, or Intelligence. Which Intelligence was another matter entirely, but if the Miraluka was military- something rather unlikely, in Nox's estimation, but not impossible- he'd have to be of considerable rank.
May as well throw a spanner in the gears, just to see how the new arrival reacts.]
The Empire I come from is a broken one. Crippled, conquered, and all but toothless- with anything of value long since plundered.
[Was it true? In a sense. He'd yet to take the new Empress up on her offer for a formal meeting, but he'd certainly heard plenty of reports of just how thoroughly the Empire had been ground under the heel of Zakuul. And really, the best lies were the ones that were half true. It ensured they could be delivered with the sort of conviction and certainty that was all but impossible for a total fabrication.]
no subject
He recognizes that he's being tested, and he's always enjoyed a challenge.]
Eventually the Sith will go all but extinct. They'll have to go into hiding.
[He says it matter-of-factly, like he's reading from a history book. It would be difficult to guess that he only learned about it recently going by his tone.]
Which makes it all the more important not to put my trust in every Sith that might appear. I won't swear my allegience to anyone so weak as to let the Empire fall on their watch. [He wouldn't swear his allegience to a Sith either way.] But a new Empire will rise. A new Empire that can finally stand up to the Republic.
[Thank you, Second Sister, for revealing so much. Though in reality, he's kind of hoping this Sith will call him on his shit. It would definitely make it more interesting, and it's not like he has any actual intention of keeping up the pretence that he's from this future Empire. Even if he wanted to, he doubts even he'd be able to maintain that lie for very long.
He's gambling on the fact that Darth Nox is from the same Empire as he is, but for all he knows, the Empire in the future might be broken as well, and Second Sister just didn't mention it. Or didn't know about it, since apparently she was executed in the end.]
If your Empire is about to fall, does it really deserve that title? Or should we rename it as an embarrassment and move on? What has your role been... My Lord?
[It's actually kind of fun to imitate the typical haughty Sith tone, with some sarcasm thrown in for good measure.]
no subject
So instead he'll let him continue, biding his time. It's only when he's reached what feels like a natural conclusion that Nox speaks up, and even through the electronic distortion of his helmet he still sounds thoroughly and truly disinterested. It's helped by the fact he now has a fairly accurate impression of just who he's dealing with, as far as their profession of origin. He'd ruled out any higher ranking military officers- while it was true that the ones known for actual competence would speak so brazenly, it was usually in regard to other Sith regarding a particular Sith they wanted dealt with. Not with the Sith in question, unless they'd made a grievous error in judgment.]
Are you finished, agent? I only ask because you seemed to be on quite the comfortable roll- I'd just hate to interrupt. Call it a professional courtesy.
[Or just a general understanding that sometimes you needed to let the kath hound keep baying its heart out until it calmed down.]
strangling him is always valid tbh ask jadus
Most Sith tend to underestimate Intelligence. That, or they don't pay it much attention, too caught up in their own little world, their own problems, their own preferred solutions to those problems. There's been a few exceptions, but he hadn't expected to be faced with one now.
This goes beyond just that. This Sith has seen right through him.]
I'm finished.
[His body had gone still for less than a second. Aside from that, the shock hadn't really shown outwardly. But his mind is racing, feelings of disdain fading away as he's forced to admit that he's impressed. Extremely impressed. He'll have to be more careful.
And that gets him excited.]
You pay attention.
[He's not going to try denying that he's an agent. He knows how to admit when he's been outplayed.]