sure, jan

[maskormods]

TEST DRIVE MEME

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 anyone's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory is hazy and you might feel increasingly frustrated or anxious, or maybe you're excited as soldiers march past, barely glimpsing you. One second you're somewhere underground, the next you're enveloped in blue light, and suddenly you find yourself directly under Flordia sun's bright and burning glare. A female soldier steps toward you with a wide smile on her face and directs you to a car, ready to debrief you. You realize you are not the only one, surrounded by equally confused or eager faces... and you're all sporting a digital tattoo on your wrist.

02. Welcome to Cape Canaveral, where the smell of the ocean is in the air and locals are more than pleased to see new imPorts roaming their streets. They wave, they cheer, they ask for pictures as politely as they can. The more inhuman you look, or if you're wearing a costume, the more likely locals are to approach. Hey, enjoy the moment! The popular malt shop is offering you a free drink if you need it.

03. The technology in this world is certainly something. The cars are clearly modeled after popular 50s cars, but they hover several feet above the ground as they drive down the street. There are digital jukeboxes in restaurants, motorcycles also hover through traffic, advertisements can be seen on a digital projector on the taller buildings. Even kids on skateboards appear to drift a safe ten feet off the ground while playing!

04. Wherever you are, you can hear the loud revving of an engine, distance at first before you finally see it: a hovercar bursting around the corner, going beyond the maximum speed limit and just barely making its sharp turn. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon, not with two police cars trailing it... and uh oh. Those skateboarding kids don't have much time to get out of the way as the car comes speeding down the road. You've been brought here for a reason Hero — so you better act fast.

Comments

[cleveland]

[ Unfortunately for Frank, he has no glasses to take off and hope for the best. Nor is he fast or strong enough to stop the car before it hits the kids. So all he can do is watch and wince. ]

Oh, that's... unfortunate.

[kingpawn]

[ Walter hears the impact and then the comment. He puts his glasses on and then frowns. Unfortunate is right. ]

Wrong place at the wrong time.

[ He coughs quietly. ]

But I'm sure they'll be fine. [ They're not real, after all. So Walt really doesn't have to feel guilt or remorse over them getting hit. ]

[cleveland]

Fine? [ Frank is skeptical. Sure, there are sirens coming, but they don't seem to be from an ambulance. ] Well, if you say so... They did just get hit by a car. [ Which in his book wouldn't leave you "fine," not unless you had some self-healing ability or something. ]

[ There's a crowd of people just stopped staring at the scene, some in the street, and others, like Frank and Walter, from the sidewalks. Frank considers just fading into the background and walking away-- it's what he's good at, after all-- but now he's gotten himself into this conversation with this guy... Kind of conspicuous if the guy you're talking to just suddenly isn't there anymore. He may not be home, but that sort of conspicuous use of abilities is generally frowned upon, he'd think. ]

Should we... do something?

[kingpawn]

No need. Someone else will step in and take care of it.

[ As he speaks, a few people are already rushing to the scene while the police are on top of things, even though they were pretty much the cause by chasing that reckless vehicle. They should have backed off a little, especially on such pedestrian-crowded streets. ]

We're a city full of heroes, after all.

[ Somewhat of a distasteful smirk crooks on his lips. ]

[cleveland]

Right. Heroes. [ That. Frank isn't sure what to make of this world, what with superpowered people being so out in the open. He hadn't been able to reach any of his Order contacts, or any Order contacts at all. Not to mention the fact that Heropa, Florida shouldn't exist. A city this big would have an operative, he was sure of it, but he couldn't find one anywhere. He'd have to gather information the old fashioned way, it seemed. ]

So... [ Might as well start with this guy here. ] What do you make of the whole thing? I take it you're a fellow kidnappee?

[kingpawn]

I think it's a load of bull.

[ Walt shakes his head, disbelieving. ]

And I'm still not sure if I'm dreaming. [ His eyes drift to Frank, and Walter looks him up and down. ] I don't recognize you, though. I would think dreams would be full of people I've come across before.

[cleveland]

Well that's one theory...

[ Could this be a dream? Could he have gotten too close to one of the telepaths at their last meeting? Langley, maybe, or San Francisco? Frank pinched himself on the arm, then made a pained face. ] Nope. Felt that. [ Or did he just dream that he felt it? Thinking too hard about it made his head hurt. ]

But assuming it is real, which, I don't know how it could be, I mean, superpowers? That's crazy talk, right? Superheroes don't exist outside of comic books and Hollywood blockbusters. But assuming it is real, why us? I mean, I'm just a normal guy, I'm from Cleveland, for Chrissakes. Just a pencil pusher. Why pick me?

[kingpawn]

The same reason they picked a former chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico. Maybe they want to build a team out of the most mundane citizens? Or maybe they see something in us that we don't see in ourselves? I'm of the same belief that superheroes with superpowers are things of fiction. There would have to be a great suspension of disbelief for me to accept this as a new reality. But I do have another thought.

[ Walter pauses to cough lightly. ]

Maybe this is some form of after life.

[cleveland]

[ Frank files away the information the man revealed about himself: former chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico. He knew Jeanne, the operative from Phoenix, but he didn't think he'd ever met an operative from Albuquerque or even Santa Fe. If there even was a New Mexico operative.

After Walter coughs, Frank makes a face. ]

After life? But ...wouldn't that mean we were, you know, dead?

[kingpawn]

[ A somber smile flickers across his lips very briefly. ]

I can't speak for you, however...

[ His words trail off. Walter leaves Frank to infer what he would. ]

[cleveland]

[ It takes Frank a moment to piece it together. Or at least Frank makes it look like it took him a moment, anyways. ]

Holy Christ on a cracker, you're dead?!

[ His outburst was loud enough to draw the attention of a few nearby onlookers away from the scene of the accident, but they merely give Frank a weird look then turn back to the street. ]

[kingpawn]

[ Walt takes it this guy is not. Or at least he doesn't know if he is or not. He frowns at the outburst, still. It reminds him of something Jesse would do. ]

I'm led to believe that is the case. I was...am terminally ill. Lung cancer. Inoperable. In my final memories, I succumbed to the cancer. So it makes sense, this being an afterlife.

What is your last memory before arriving here?

[cleveland]

[ Interesting. Frank amends his mental file on the man: former chemistry teacher from Albuquerque, New Mexico; inoperable lung cancer. ]

I was... [ He scratches his head. ] ...watching the election results. Obama's second term, you know?

[ He doesn't specify where he was watching from, or who with. ]

[kingpawn]

And?

[ Walt is waiting for something. Anything. A heartattack got him. A major earthquake started and he was hit by debris. A meteor crashed into his house -- something. If Walt is the only dead man walking here, what does that mean? ]

Is there anything after that? Anything at all to indicate you may have died as well?

[cleveland]

[ Frank makes a face as though he were searching his memory. ]

Mmmnope. Nothing I can recall. It was just an ordinary night, and I'm not sick or anything. My doctor says I have high cholesterol, but doesn't everybody? I've been eating Cheerios, 'cause those ads say it'll lower your cholesterol, but I don't know if it's doing any good...

[ You're rambling, Frank. Rein it in. ]

Anyway, what I'm saying is, I don't think I'm dead. Not unless I had some sudden aneurysm or something.

[kingpawn]

[ Well, Frank's gonna die in a minute if he doesn't stop rambling. Kidding. But Walt does rub the bridge of his nose. ]

You're nervous, aren't you? Understandably so. It can probably be unsettling to realize there's a possibility you passed on. You may have. Stranger things have happened. But whether or not that is the case, we're here.

And I'm not sure if this world has Cheerios, but hopefully. It would be a shame for you to mess up your eating regimen.

[cleveland]

[ Maybe he's right. Maybe they are dead. But this isn't like any after life Frank ever imagined. ]

I feel like I might need a paper bag to breathe into or something. Do I look flushed? I feel flushed.

[kingpawn]

Perhaps you should sit down.

[ Walt looks up at the cafe close by and then gestures toward it with his hand. ]

I'll buy you a drink. I seem to have some money on me.

[cleveland]

Right, a drink. A drink would be good.

[ Frank heads toward the cafe door, collecting himself as he goes. panic attack in such a situation would help no one. ]

[kingpawn]

A drink and relaxation. No more speculations or theories. Just, perhaps, the beginning of a friendship.

[ He soothes with a smile, placing his bony hand on the man's shoulder. ]

My name is Walter White, and you are?

[cleveland]

[ Frank smiles back, calming already. ]

Frank Rickards. Nice to meet you, Walter.

[kingpawn]

You as well.

[ He opens the door, grateful to see Frank's nerves are eased. ]

It's strange to find ourselves in such a....predicament, I suppose. Where I'm from, it was 2011.

[cleveland]

[ Frank finds a booth where they can both sit down. ]

So, there's time travel involved in the after life? I'm not sure whether that makes perfect sense or no sense at all...

[kingpawn]

Time means nothing to death, I suppose. And if this is a mass collection of those who died, I imagine they would all be from different time frames.

[cleveland]

[ That lands solidly in the "making sense" column. ]

You'd think the afterlife would be more crowded, then. Unless there's an after-afterlife.

And why Florida? I mean, you're from New Mexico, I'm from Ohio. Florida is just... so out there.