etcelsior | 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

[ Finn just sits there and watches Blue watching him with a warm smile on his face. His hands come up to wrap around his wrists, holding him as if to ensure that he's real, too.

Had he called out to Blue? He supposes that's possible. But for now, he breathes a laugh. ]

A few reasons. Mostly some drugged ice cream. Partly because... I think I almost forgot again, too. [ He's been gone a little while, longer than two weeks, and he doesn't know anything about his friends here yet. It hurts... but he'll find out later. ]

I think that I'm like you. There's this thing inside me that's awake. I feel you.

[Blue's concerned expression shifts to something more quizzical, as the tone with which Finn explains doesn't ring with danger or terror. yet he says drugged ice cream?

at mention of being alike, Blue's mouth presses into a thin line. were they not held in place, his hands would've drifted away in attempt to dim the intensity of senses that are apparently shared.

feel, he says...]

What do you see?

[ Look, it's-... The ice cream's fine. It's fine.

Anyway. Finn has to think on the question. He sees... a lot. Maybe if he tried hard enough, he could see everything. That's what it feels like, at least.

He shakes his head. Either not understanding what Blue asks or not understanding the answer itself. ] I don't know. I just see you.

[ The physical body and everything else that makes Blue who and what he is. That alone is a lot, Finn's content to bask in it. ]

[it's telling enough that nothing need be said in reply -- that Finn's reaction enough is that response and how, somehow, Blue himself is aware of what Finn is perceiving. it's almost like being able to faintly perceive his reflection in a dusty, cloudy window.

in turn, Blue can see what effort Finn is consciously and unconsciously putting in focusing on him. it's not familiar -- not in the way Blue would describe his own power. but it's not...dissimilar, either...

at least he knows better than to be vexed by that; there's already too much he can't grasp or contextualize based on his own missing memories.]

...I wish I had answers for you. [his head shakes faintly, his hold slackening.] But I don't. I don't even...know how I came to be here. As opposed to there. [an alley. an apartment.]

That's all right. It doesn't matter.

[ Finn's own hold loosens, lightly travelling up Blue's arms but grasping tight anymore. He feels, somehow, like he doesn't have to. ]

We'll figure everything else out. I can accept the rest as it is for now. This is what's important.

[ This. Now. Both of them here and together and, sort of, knowing the other. ]

[that's the sort of sentiment that is almost too easy to grab hold of...and is maybe too good to be true. but perhaps there is no harm in feeling secure for even a moment? there were no drones in the sky, no lines of soldiers...people are free here. somehow.

his eyes close, ruminating on that, ruminating on Finn.]

This isn't...the same land anymore...is it? It can't be.

There's hope here...

No. This is a better place.

[ Much, much better. ]

I've called this place home for over a year. A real home.

Your home...?

[his eyes open and fix on Finn, his expression softer and curious. he's quietly touched by the notion; he can't for the life of him recall if he's ever felt at home anywhere.

another gap. another hole. yet here is Finn, with that sensation.

it's humbling.

a faint bit of color paints his cheeks as his mouth tugs the slightest notion of a smile.]

Of all places...to wake up...and find myself lost...

[ Finn smiles, too, finding it impossible not to with that look on Blue's face and the warmth filling his senses. ]

My home. Your home, too, if you want it. I... don't know for how long, but... we have right now.

[ So no use trying to examine the hollowness in his chest about what tomorrow may bring... ]

[and it's all Blue has. it almost need not be said, really -- that much is obvious even without the shared connection. with that connection, though, Blue feels the heaviness of dread, the ominous press of the unknown of tomorrow, and it aches in him, too.

his gaze flickers down and follows his hands as he sets them in Finn's.]

...I'll try. Whatever I can do to learn. And remember, if I can. So as to not become such a heavy burden.

[ Finn holds Blue's hands firmly, not tight but not about to let go either. The hot streak of the need to protect chases through him again, almost close to anger but definitely close to love. ]

You are not and will never be a burden. You-... You're my friend.

[ He doesn't have bigger words to describe it and, to Finn, the term 'friend' means a hell of a lot. The love pumping through him, though, is unmistakable as something more. ]

I'll help with anything you need if you let me.

Thank you. Finn.

[Finn. the name he couldn't remember, given freely by way of their link -- and with it, the means to soothe any guilt or shame that came with not remembering at all. in turn, all Blue can give is his humility and gratitude, because the drain of panic is exactly that: a drain. he cannot bear to fear much more right now.]

[ Finn's smile is slow and kind of watery but it's the happiest he's felt since-... since maybe ever. See? Something remembers. Something about their connection won't ever forget even if they do. It's a bittersweet comfort but it's still comfort.

He takes a second to cradle his cheek before enveloping Blue in a big, warm, kind of tight hug, never wanting to let go again. ]

ON MY WAY

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