etcelsior | ON MY WAY

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test drive

ON MY WAY

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.

WOOF WOOF! This Friday is National Take Your Dog to Work Day, and everyone seems to be out with their pooch, enjoying the summer sun! (At least until they start to sweat and have to make a beeline for someplace with air conditioning.) However, the thing about superheroes is that their work can take them anywhere, and with the Top ImPort contest leading the news, EVERY imPort is a hero in the minds of the public!

Got a costume on? Here's a corgi. In line for an iced coffee? Come kiss this old lady's schnauzer. Allergic to dogs? Have a Claritin...and then brace yourself as this Great Dane tries to sit on you. And be sure to smile! Can you imagine how many likes a pic of the coolest new imPort cuddling man's best friend will get?

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.

Welcome, everyone, to the sugar fueled festivity that is National Hot Fudge Sundae Day. The celebration is taking place on two closed down city blocks, with a market in between them selling all the pun filled souvenir shirts and stuffed ice cream cone toys, fudge bottle body pillows, and every kind of craft fair knickknack in between, that you can imagine. The powers that be in Nonah have clearly tried to divide the celebrations up into the ice cream and ‘normal’ food sides, but this is America. They can’t tell you what to do. Go try those meat and potato ‘fudge sundae’ monstrosities or cover your ice cream in wine from an adult beverage cart. Dip your deep-fried cheese in hot fudge. Disgusting food choices are in the constitution (somewhere).

But on the pure ice cream side, there are certainly enough choices to make ‘real’ food not super necessary. In addition to your normal food flavors that range from the tame you’d see in any ice cream parlor, or the slightly more hipster flavors like ‘lavender’ or ‘bacon maple,’ there are existential flavors. Yes, inspired by some previous imPorts, these flavors induce a specific emotion in the person while they eat it, which lasts up to about 10 minutes after the dessert has been consumed. These range all over, from ‘full cell phone battery’ to ‘the bitter-sweet satisfaction of vengeance against your sworn enemy.’ Maybe try a ‘puppy love’ and ‘first day of autumn’ twist covered in fudge for a true moment of contentment. It’s all in your hands. Careful though, things like ‘moment you first realized your parents were only human’ or ‘pain of failure’ are also available, though obviously not as popular. Hopefully, you don’t create an emotionally devastating mix out of curiosity (or a prank on another imPort).

In addition to ice cream, there are all kinds of family fun activities to pick from. Traditional carnival themed games have been set up, with the normal employees yelling at the crowd to attract attention. Throw a ball in a milk can, get a goldfish in a an (empty glass) ice cream cup! Pop balloons with dulled darts, get a sprinkles themed pair of sunglasses. This is Nonah, though, which means hard work deserves a reward. The bigger prizes for big point getters are a little insane: genetically modified fish that can breathe air, stuffed animals the size of a minivan, a free years worth of ice cream (to be taken home all at once now). There are also some bounce houses and slides that kids and adults alike can enjoy, just no ice cream allowed inside the rides

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.

Welcome to the Church of the Ancient Webmistress' annual cookie sale! To raise money for a variety of community organizations, card tables line the street where the church is located, and boy, do these baked goods look delicious! Cookies, brownies, pies and more are all for sale for very reasonable prices--and to help out such a good cause, you're definitely going to buy some. Right, hero? The watching crowds certainly expect you to set a good example (when they're not busy purchasing tasty treats themselves.)

It seems there's been a mistake, though--mixed in with the cookies frosted to look like spiders are, er, a tray of someone's special brownies. Edibles, as it were (though everything here is edible--and delicious!) Just try to keep it together, okay? After all, there are kids here, and you're a role model! Or possibly not, but if you end up feeling the need to stare at your own hand for an hour, maybe find a side street. Or at least purchase some extra munchies to support any number of charities.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[How does one explain to the kid that his parents are here? But that they are barely older then he is right now...He reaches up and rubs his temple in an effort to try and figure out how to put that conversation into words. He drops his hand back down as he finds a table and bench and plops down on it.

He sets the ice cream bowl down on the table part and will actually get to resume eating it now that he is away from the dog.]

Like..how long have you been here and what do you know so far?

[He's still fairly new himself and was impressed by everything when he showed up. He's just curious to see how Jin Ling is also fairing.]

[ Jin Ling remains standing a little longer before dropping down to sit at the table too, his elbow resting on it as he rubbed his face at the question. He'd been trying to ask people questions but he hadn't managed to not be rude so most people hadn't been so inclined to give him more information or assistance. ]

Not very long... and... I know enough!

[ Because he's not going to say he basically knows nothing. ]

[He doesn't have to say that he knows nothing because Wei Wuxian can already read that in the response he gave. He sighs softly and gives the boy a look that shows he needs to try and reign in that attitude of his.]

In this place you aren't going to get anywhere if you can't get along with people. The people here aren't going to care what sect you are from or who you are related to. But you do have family here to support you and help you get used to things.

[More family then he even realizes...]

[ Jin Ling purses his lips, brow furrowing at that. He could have seen the sort of lecture coming not that he expected it from Wei Wuxian of all people. He sits up straighter and crosses his arms over his chest. ]

It's not my fault if they don't know better!

[ He shrugs and then his shoulders drop a little. ]

Who?

[ He's still fresh on the knowledge that all his family isn't good family. ]

[Wei Wuxian doesn't like being the one to have to give the lectures. He much prefers being the nice uncle. But he still doesn't know exactly how this world works and doesn't want Jin Ling to get in trouble before he figures it out. But unfortunately..he opened the door to the next very difficult part of the conversation and there really isn't much going back on it now.]

I'm here..and so are your parents.

[He doesn't figure he really needs to beat around the bush with that knowledge. Might as well put it out there and try to put out the fire it ignites.]

[ Jin Ling just stares at him and there's a myriad of emotions, disbelief, to a burst of anger and then Jin Ling crumpling and wiping at his face furiously because he was not going to cry at just the mention of them. ]

That's not a funny joke.

[ Because letting himself believe something like that just... he couldn't. His parents were dead and all he had was his father's sword and he didn't imagine that this place could just up and resurrect the dead at least... not in a good way even if it seemed to be capable of all sorts of imaginable things but that? How could he let himself believe it or hope for it. ]

I'm not joking. Do you really think I would consider something like that funny?

[He clearly wouldn't. Of all the people on any world, he would be the last person who would joke about his shijie being alive.]

They come from a time before us. They aren't married here and they never experienced death. But they are aware of their futures.

[He is not..however..particularly sure that they know of Jin Ling and hasn't really had a chance to raise that question. In a way he didn't really think he would ever have this kind of a situation arise.]

[ Jin Ling is still trying to put on a tough face and spends most of the time listening to Wei Wuxian with his head turned away. A part of him knew it hadn't been fair to make that accusation to this uncle of all people but well, Jin Ling is pretty incapable of holding his tongue most of the time. ]

So they're not really my...

[ If they weren't even married yet then he didn't even exist to them. ]

Okay. That's fine.

[ It's not fine. ]

I should go get Fairy.

[ Because he was super not prepared for any of this. ]

A-ah! no! [Oh gawd..not the dog. He reaches out and grabs onto Jin Ling's sleeve. He thought it better the boy be prepared for who was here. As soon as he opens the list of people on the communication device he would have known. So at least he is here with someone who understands this shock better then anyone.]

Listen..There is a chance here to meet them. Something you wouldn't have been given otherwise. Shijie she...

[He stops himself and takes a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady.]

She knows more then your father. She might already be aware of you. She is from later on, when they were already married. I'm sure she will be very happy to see you.

[ Jin Ling is failing at keeping his face from showing that all he really wants to do is cry. He doesn't keep going,, though, he lets the other keep him in place without a fight without jerking away from him. ]

What if...

[ Jin Ling kicks the ground. ]

What if neither of them are happy... or I'm not what they would have wanted?

I'm pretty sure you have nothing to worry about. Shijie will love you regardless. She cared for me despite everything. The peacock will too.

[And that requires the patience of a saint and a heart of gold. He releases the boy's sleeve though and signals for him to sit back down. He's not going to apologize for how he references Jin Zuxian though.]

They will be proud of you when they hear about all you've accomplished.

Hey!

[ Jin Ling starts to go on about disrespecting his father but he lets it go and he sinks back down maybe sitting a little closer to the other now than he had been before. ]

Maybe...

[ His brows furrow and hell might have frozen over when he speaks next: ]

Why does knowing they're here hurt so much?

[He doesn't know the answer to that even if he understands it a little. Seeing his shijie's face after everything he has done and the time they have been apart was like a refreshing breath but also a painful reminder of the things that happened that took her away.]

I can't say for sure why it hurts, but maybe it is just because love is complicated. And you've lived without them for so long that it's going to be strange to know that suddenly they are there right besides you.

[And seeing them is also a painful reminder that if they ever leave this place..their futures are filled with sadness.]

[ Jin Ling's quiet after that and then he decides that he doesn't want to talk about that anymore. Maybe everything will just make more sense when he sees them -- could he even know them by sight? ]

Is there anyone else here...?

Not too many. [He pulls out the device that they are given.]

I've learned a little about this thing. It has a list of people on it. I've gone over it a few times to make sure I've seen all the names. Zewu-Jun is here as well as one of the Lan disciples.

[Most are safe but there is one exception to the rule...]

Do you remember the parties involved at Yi City? There is someone here that you will need to be wary of.

[ Jin Ling supposes the list could be worse. He nods his answer. ]

Really?

[ There's a short list of possibilities that come to mind but if only Yi City is being mentioned then it feels a bit more narrow. ]

Xiao Xingchen...and Xue Yang. If you encounter Xue Yang then you should get away quickly.

[And another couple people that should be dead. He has yet to encounter either of them but this world is large and so he's not that surprised. He would like to seek out his senior uncle..but he'd really rather avoid Xue Yang.]

Oh... I guess this place doesn't discriminate.

[ Jin Ling says dryly. Resurrect the good and the rotten. He exhales a shaky breath and takes a moment to let himself bury his face in his hands and just breathe. Look away, look away. This definitely isn't a moment of weakness or anything. ]

It could be worse...

Don't speak worse into existence.

[He doesn't know what it takes to bring people to this place and he doesn't want just mentioning their names to be what draws them in. He does reach out and put a hand on the boy's shoulder.]

It's a lot to take in, but I thought it better you were prepared. You never know who you might run into so you need to be careful.

[ Jin Ling just makes a disgruntled sound but he's glad that people (person) he had more complicated feelings about isn't there. He should definitely just stay dead. He tenses at first at the touch and then his shoulder sag down. ]

I wish Jiujiu was here...

[ Maybe you can speak better into existence though. It's not that Jiang Cheng could have made him feel better but he was a solid waypoint, the only one really in his life. ]

A-ah..ha..[Wei Wuxian isn't so sure he would consider bringing Jiang Cheng here better. Since he is still not entirely sure he is back on the man's good graces.]

Well until he is, you have me. I'm not going to threaten you as much as he does, but I can still help you.

[as long as the dog stays away.]

You don't even really know me.. and I don't really know you.

[ Jin Ling is pretty sure that Jiang Cheng is past wanting to murder on sight at the very least but still he can't help but want him there, threats and all...not just for him but if his mother is here...

Jin Ling's brows furrow at the thought. ]

That's fair. But just because you don't know me doesn't mean I can't offer to help. But since you are in this place, who do you know more then me?

[Why is this boy so stubborn? Just accept the help you troublesome nephew. But he can't really argue with the fact that boy wants who he is most familiar with.]

[ Jin Ling is very, very tempted to just stick out his tongue at Wuxian. He sighs and he nods. ]

I know...I just...

[ He exhales. ]

If I told Jiujiu I wanted a hug he'd probably threaten to break my legs. You'd just hug me.

[ He says it like it's a bad thing. ]

[He gives a small laugh as he leans on the table.]

Are you saying you want a hug? Or is that a roundabout way of admitting you do without actually asking for one?

[Because he most certainly would give him a hug.]

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