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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!
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And then he takes a potshot at her, and she can't really even be upset about it. The laughter that bubbles from her mouth is a little higher in pitch than usual, but Ochako snuffs it quickly. If there's anyone in the world that she's not ready to be vulnerable next to, it's Bakugo Katsuki.]
I don't think I can when you're here... [HAH.] B-B-BECAUSE YOU'RE STRONG!! AND RESOURCEFUL! AND PROBABLY GOING TO BE A GREAT HERO!! [S T O P. She stands up very suddenly, woodenly, pumping a fist into the air. Hell yeah, let's change the subject!!]
W-We should regroup with the others!! If you've made contact with them, do you know where they're staying, Bakugo-kun? I don't have much money, but enough for a train ticket...m-maybe...
[Bold of you to assume that America has a reliable public transport system, Ochako.]
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That might not be a good thing though as his blank expression morphs into one of indignation.]
'Probably'?
...I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO BE A GREAT HERO! THE BEST HERO! THERE'S NO PROBABLY INVOLVED!!! THE ONLY THING I'M PROBABLY GOING TO DO IS NOT KICK YOUR ASS FOR SAYIN' THAT!!!
I think they live in different cities and shit. Don't worry about money, we'll just take the porters.
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I'm sure you'll be amazing. [And while there's a hint of exasperation there, Ochako means it earnestly. She's just on the last pools of her energy right now, and stress is winning out. You are an exhausting person to deal with sometimes, my guy.]
...The what? [She's...trying to remember just how much information she was given when coming here. It all seems fragmented past her initial shock. Or maybe she just blocked it all out? She was desperate to think this was all a bad dream a little while ago.]
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[He continues explosively, not reading her exasperation or lack of excitement or aggression. He's too caught up in his own goals, his own anger to notice unless she argues.]
The porters? Newbie. [He scoffs. Like he can talk.] I can show you when we're done eating.
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It...also tastes terrible to her, but IT'S THE PRINCIPLE OF THE MATTER.]
Hmm? I thought you just arrived too, Bakugo-kun. [She takes another sip, looking him dead in the eye as she does. How can he drink this...it's so bad....like chalk.] But I'd be happy to walk with you and take in the sights.
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Did she fucking just-
And when he does understand, when he does recognize that yes, Ochako did just have the audacity to take his kind of hard earned drink from him and chug it like a frat boy trying to impress everyone, his eye starts twitching and he reaches for her drink, brings it to his lips-
What the fuck is this?
And he fights back the urge to gag, chugging it until the bottle is empty, blowing up the cursed drink as soon as he's done and slamming the ashes on the tabletop.]
I'd be happy to show you around, Newbie.
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The softest of eeee-s escapes Ochako as Bakugo rips the can from her hands - like air escaping a deflating balloon - and she flinches, putting her hands up in defense. She's very aware he wouldn't hold back against anyone - age, gender, social status...none of that mattered to her so-called friend here. She peeks one eye open, just in time to see him blow up the can and shakes her head. This guy is unbelievable...
Unlike her barbaric companion, Ochako finishes and neatly deposits her trash in a bin close by, dusting off her clothes of crumbs. The other snacks she has left over she'll carry in her pockets, but she does hold out a Snickers to Bakugo.]
Payment for your generous offer, senpai.
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WHAT THE HELL?! THEY DON'T HAVE RECYCLING?! What's their fucking problem...
[- he finishes throwing away his trash, and takes the offered Snickers bar. It's...acceptable.]
You can't afford me, kouhai.
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Ochako has to clamp her mouth shut to not utter that hellish thought aloud, though she does snort quietly and tries to hold back the tiny giggles shaking her shoulders imagining how furious he would be if she actually did say that to his face. It makes her cheeks rounded as she holds back the laughter.
The staredown is painful, and she's going to crack at any minute.
Without uttering a word, Ochako bows her head and motions for him to lead the way. Carry on, o' fearless leader.]
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[His scowl lingers for a moment longer, but then he's opening the candy bar and taking a bite as he leads her to the porter outpost.]
So fucking weird.
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She's never been to America, probably never will go ever unless by some miracle, so she's quick to take it all in. It's not terribly different, but Ochako does gawk at the towering palm trees often use for decoration, and the colorful architecture of some of the buildings. However, the most interesting of everything is...the people. As she observes, her expression drops from awestruck and fascinated to solemn, and thoughtful...brows knit together.]
Hey, Bakugo-kun? Um...I just noticed something... [She chews her lip, then hurries her pace to walk alongside him, lowering her voice a bit and leaning in.] Maybe it's not my place to judge, but...isn't it weird? Everyone looks...normal. I-I mean, I don't see any outward quirks on anybody.
[Which isn't impossible, but just highly improbable. Which is why it's so bizarre that no one looks even a little similar to, say...Mina, or Tokoyami, or hell...even Ejiro with his tail.]
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[He just rolls his eyes, looking to the heavens for some kind of reprieve, yet nothing comes. As he walks around, he notes his surroundings, looking at them in great depth too, but with a more judgmental sneer. It's ugly, ain't it?
He's about to comment on it when Ochako speaks up.]
It's fucking bizarre is what it is. Like stepping back in time. How the hell does a world develop quirks with some kind of visible features?
[It's disconcerting, and he doesn't know enough about this world to guess as to why just yet. But it's worth looking into.]
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She grips his arm very suddenly, looking a bit panicked as she steers them away from the crowd and somewhere they can have a more private chat, just for a moment.]
B-Bakugo-kun, you don't....y-you don't think we went back in time to before quirks ever manifested, do you? [Because that would be bad. Very, very bad.]
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STOP WALKIN' IN FRONT OF ME, ASSHOLE, OR THE ONLY THING THAT'LL BE FLOATING IS YOUR SOUL TO THE AFTERLIFE!!! YOU WANNA GO?! HUH?!
[And they're...there, and Katsuki has to calm down, still scowling for a moment longer before he listens to what she says.]
Don't be dumb. Time travel doesn't exist!
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Ochako has to pause a moment, because her "friend" is really trying her patience right now. Were she not so stressed, scared, and a ball of anxious nerves, maybe she'd not be searing holes into his face with her scalding glare, but Ochako is tired. She tried being nice...she tried to diffuse this idiotic bomb time and time again, but it's exhausting dealing with him on a good day.
And Ochako Uraraka's day has been getting worse and worse by the minute.
Heat stings at the corners of her eyes, and her fists clench and raise slowly, as if she was actually going to take him up on his offer - straight up throw a punch into his face, because man...it'd get rid of some of the emotions she's been holding in, but he'd like that too much. No, she won't give him the satisfaction, though he's succeeded in getting under her skin when she's already frayed down to the bone. Congratulations, you broke her Nice Streak.]
I told you no already. I'll fight you on my own terms, and when I'm good and ready. If you can't accept that, Bakugo-kun, then I've already beaten you at being the bigger person.
Take me where you have to take me, I'll follow. [I'm sick of looking at you, right now. It's a thought she'll feel awful about later, but right now he's really not helping her feel better about any of what's happening, and only making her bad mood worse.]
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You think you're better than me?
[He whispers, his voice hoarse and thick with...something. Something he won't put a name to, because he's not weak, he's not going to let Round Face Uraraka get under his skin.
But she already has, and he couldn't put a pin back in this grenade if he wanted.]
Why? Because of your reasons for bein' a hero? Because you're nice and part of the fucking nerd brigade, with your nice cutesy powers and nice family legacies and stupid, reckless selfless acts?
[Because she wasn't the one who caused All Might's end? Katuki's smiling, but there's nothing happy or kind about it, as his eye twitches.]
Maybe try backing up that self-righteous bullshit with a win and I'll start taking you seriously.
Fuck you, you don't get to tell me what to do. [He wrenches his hand away from her, ready to stalk off. He won't go so fast as to lose her, but he doesn't want to be close to her either.]
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'Better than me'? Hah. No, she'll never be better than he is. He's already proved it by forcing her to attack him after she said she wouldn't. From behind. Cowardly. She would never do that, would she? She wouldn't stoop so low...and yet here she is, a strangled, almost feral yell garbled in her throat as she hurls her fist at his jaw. There are tears in her eyes, yet she's never been more focused on anything in her life.
Just once. Just once. She wants to see Bakugo bleed. Because of her. It's disgusting, a thought she hates. A thought that will no doubt gnaw tirelessly at her once the adrenaline wears off. Friends...friends don't fight like this. She just wanted to be friends. She wanted him and Deku to be friends. Everyone. But he's so difficult, and so hurtful, and--]
WHAT'S WRONG WITH BEING NICE?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH PUTTING OTHERS FIRST?! I'M GOING TO BE A HERO, AND I DON'T NEED YOUR APPROVAL! YOU HEAR ME?! [She voice cracks, but she screams this time.]
I DON'T NEED YOUR APPROVAL!!
CW: blood
One moment he's stewing in his own anger and guilt, which is always there but now it's on overdrive, the next his world is spinning. He starts to wonder if he's going to black out, but he staggers, catching himself low to the ground, as the simultaneously sharp and throbbing pain sets in. Ochako is saying something, something about approval-]
What-
[But he doesn't hear her, not really, and when he rubs the spot she punched his fingertips come back red.
His head is swimming, livid and ashamed he let her get that hit in and he didn't even defend himself. But she's mad. Mad about something. That's what people do when they're pushed over the edge, they punch you.
Something about Ochako snapped, and he grimaces, standing back up as he nurses his jaw.]
Yeah. Okay.
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Is that it? Is that all he has to say?! After all bravado earlier, all those swears and curses, and tearing her apart at the foundation, all he has to say now is okay?!
Snorting like a bull, Ochako is ready to keep on swinging, spurred on by the giddiness that tickles something manic in her chest when she sees the splash of red on his face. Hahah! She did it. She actually did it!! She hit him! She hit him - hard enough to make him bleed and it fills her with a victorious sense of triumph. See how nice she can be?! Who the hell are you, Bauko Katsuki, to tell her what sort of person she is? What sort of person she can be?
Why did she admire you? Why did she think you're so great? What on earth was she so inspired by, of yours, that made her want to keep aiming higher and higher? Why couldn't it have been anyone else? Why did it have to be your stupid face, that was the only person Ochako could trust to treat her like she was somebody more than what she thought she was?
Why?
She can't bring herself to keep going. Just like last time, just like at the Sports Festival, she falters, and she chokes on a deep sob. She can't see past the blurriness her vision takes, and the next punch she throws is at the wall opposite her, before she whirls on her heel and dashes away.
You win again.]