The power is in your hands

[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 someone else's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory might be a haze still and you might even feel frustrated or anxious by the sudden news that you are no longer in your own world and that the Porter scientists and military cannot send you back. You don't get a chance to linger long in the underground Porter lab, but something is clearly amiss; light patches on the floor indicate something else used to sit in that spot in the room. Parts of the wall, floor and the tables look as if they have been refurbished in the past few months -- something happened in here some time ago. Something big.

You're ushered out quickly and then suddenly, you're enveloped in a faint blue blue light before you find yourself under the bright Floridian sun. Another soldier steps toward you with a smile, directing your attention to a car near a large gate. She mentions she'll be debriefing you soon, handing out a brown folder and a pamphlet. You don't see the digital tattoo on your wrist, but it's quickly explained on your way over to the car as you realize there are other confused faces nearby, all holding files of their own.

02. The city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place. The locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to help cool you down in this awfully nauseating heat. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation and others might not say anything. In fact, some people might back away from any imPort who quite obviously looks like they aren't from around the neighborhood. Once in a while there's a look of disdain on someone's face and hushed voices. Something about "the outbreak" and "the government's gotta crack down on their medical files". "Some of them can't be right in the head" says another.

03. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter, there are just as many citizens awed at your presence. Heavy winds have people grasping at their newspapers and constantly brushing hair out of their faces, but that doesn't distract them from crowding you in excitement if you're obviously from a different time or world, or just let it slip that you're a newcomer. Children and young teenagers are especially likely to ask for an autograph and a photo.

Some locals seem less enthused to see you. They never make an approach, but they can be overheard scoffing and muttering something about cameras. "Who do they think they are?" or "I don't like it... it reminds me of the government corruption back in the eighties." What could they be talking about?

04. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania, is normally known for being a little more on the apathetic side, but there's been tension in the atmosphere lately. Nobody will outright state what it is that's rustled their jimmies, though you might find a newsstand with articles on recent and aggressive vigilante behavior within the city. "ImPorts: loyal to the cause of their own?" reads one newspaper article.

People are not as friendly in this city and go out of their way to avoid walking down the same sidewalk as the more obvious looking imPorts pass through. Local cops say nothing, but they scowl at those imPorts and utter something about "no badges" and "acting like authority figures".

05. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities. It's loud, busy and there's some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. Anyone who they come to determine an imPort is bombarded with all sorts of offers; job offers, advertising gigs, spokesperson for advocating children stay in school, etc. Anything and everything! You name it. Shops offer discounts for food and clothing, whatever they need. People flock in droves with questions, but they all say the same thing. Thank you for your service to this country, Hero. You saved a lot of lives. Wow, feels great to be a hero, doesn't it?

Comments

Teddie | Persona 4

[kingofthetvworld]

[5]

[You know, it's pretty scary getting sent to another world all by your lonesome, against your will. Having to adjust to everything, let alone by yourself, can get pretty intimidating pretty fast. If that was all this world had to offer, certain bear-like creatures may have thrown giant bear-like tantrums...

However, nothing calms an animal down faster than having their ego stuffed beyond its limits. If anyone's enjoying all the sudden attention they're getting, it's the weird guy in the mascot suit who gracefully takes just about everything everyone hands him. It isn't long before he's gathered a miniature hoard in those plush arms of his, which really is hard to miss at this point. ...You know, if the colorful bear suit was hard to miss in the first place.]

Now now, no need to rush~ There's enough Teddie to go around for everyone~

[Truth be told, Teddie was absolutely traumatized by what just happened, being away from his friends for even just this long was incredibly nerve wrecking. In a weird way, he was strangely thankful for the people lavishing him with attention, at least more than he normally would've been if this somehow happened in, say, Inaba. It's a distraction, plain and simple, and he'd happily eat it up and live in a few moments of bliss before it dawns on him how utterly miserable he's going to be. You know, when he remembers that this is actually happening, he's really all on his own.

Until then, where's a candy shop or ice cream stall when you need one?!]

If everyone bearhaves, I might even let you pet me~

[That's a good deal. Really.]

[bindsthedead]

Why don't all of you give him some space?

[Sabriel's tall enough that she makes her way through the crowd easily enough.]

Are you new here? People can be enthusiastic, but they don't mean any harm.

[And while Sabriel doesn't have any of the over the top enthusiasm of Nonah's locals, she certainly isn't unfriendly.]

I imagine you have a lot of questions.

[kingofthetvworld]

[Teddie's face couldn't fall any faster when he watches a few people slowly back away, he already misses the...nameless strangers. Why anyone would separate him from his adoring fans like that is beyond him, it was the only bit of fun he had here! It crushes his heart, truly it does, and he makes a mental note to gather them up again. Later. When he feels like it. Because as disappointing as that all is, there's still a girl talking to him, and that's really all that matters right now.]

Actually, I do have a question!

[An important one by the look of things, he even raises an arm in the air to emphasize his point. And of course by doing so, he ends up dropping a good portion of papers and pamphlets he happened to be carrying.]

Ahem. Where is the bathroom?

I gotta pee.

[Bears are elegant creatures.]

[bindsthedead]

Er.. [Sabriel immediately starts gathering said papers up.] There should be one in the cafe over there.

[Which she'll promptly guide him to. At least it's something she can answer, rather than 'when can I go home'.]

My name is Sabriel- I don't think I caught yours?

[kingofthetvworld]

Why, I'm Teddie, king of the-

[But before he can finish whatever stupid title he was going to give himself this time, he begins walking in place when it becomes apparent that he can't wait any longer. Nope, not even to talk himself up. Without even thinking about it, the egg-shaped creature makes a beeline for the cafe, just bearly barely squeezing through the door.

It'll take a minute or two before he comes back. Would any reasonable person really wait for this thing?]

[bindsthedead]

[He's an imPort, and obviously new to this world. Of course she sits down at a table and waits.]

King of the what now? [She'll humor him. How dangerous could that be?]

[kingofthetvworld]

[Needless to say it's a surprise to see her still out there, waiting for him. It doesn't happen very often, especially with strangers, and he visibly jerks back from the shock. Trying to play it cool, though, he simply wipes his hands together, signalling that he is, in fact, done.]

King of the-

...Shoot, what was I gonna say...? I had a good one all prebeared and everything!

[King of the indecisive, apparently.]

[amadaman]

[The bear definitely catches the attention of one curious dog, and the dog's curiosity catches the attention of the boy who's with him. The two of them pause in the middle of their walk when the hear the talking bear, and while Koromaru barks and bounds over to make a new friend, Ken raises an eyebrow at the stranger's offer.]

... Pet it? Isn't it just a suit?

[What's so fun about petting that. Sorry for the killjoy here.]

[kingofthetvworld]

[Seeing a dog come his way, Teddie stops in his tracks and suddenly comes to a realization. Without Yosuke around, he could easily adopt all the pets he could ever want. Clearly this dog is offering to be the first volunteer, or...it sees him as some sort of luxury chew toy. Teddie plays with both possibilities in his head, either could be likely. But before he can get the chance to come to a conclusion, someone just had to go and break his heart.]

H-Huh?!

[He looks at the boy as though he just stabbed him in the chest, tears streaming down those big, dumb bear eyes. Sure, from someone like Yosuke, he's used to hearing comments like that, but from a kid? Where is the whimsy and wonderment? That's what made the kids at Junes so great, they always played along!]

I'll have you know that this is one hundred bearcent authentic Teddie fur! Just a suit... [He grumbles.] How anyone can be so cruel...

[amadaman]

[The fursuit moves to match the speech. How high tech is that? Mitsuru would be so fascinated if she were here... but Ken cocks his head to the side.]

Teddy bears are just dolls, aren't they?

Anyway, are you an imPort? [he gestures to the dog] Koromaru's been curious about you.

[kingofthetvworld]

J-Just a doll?!

[Teddie's arms begin to flail at his side, he did NOT just hear that. Just a doll. Who calls someone that? Who could so easily discard someone's person status like it was nothing?!

In desperation, he falls to his knees and crawls closer to the dog, the one who hasn't hurt his feelings yet. This is what he's come to, he's begging to dogs. But if he's really so curious about him, then maybe he can make a quick ally.]

C'mon, help a brother in fur out. [He's whispering, but it's not exactly a very hushed whisper.] Tell him I'm a really real bear.

[Never mind the more important questions at hand. Teddie's more concerned about this than his imPort status.]

[thelimitdoesnotexist]

[Just a regular human coming through. It's an odd comfort to see something resembling an Ursaring...even if it looked shorter, fatter, and generally weaker than any Ursarings or Pangoros.

Mewtwo himself doesn't like this kind of attention, but to find something close to a comrade in these parts is a rare blessing.

The bald "human" still finds how this Teddie eats up all this attention so easily. Seriously, what's his problem.

Approaching him, Mewtwo gives him a puzzled expression.

< You're letting them touch you? >]

[kingofthetvworld]

[Ah, bald people. Teddie will never understand them. How anyone could choose a life of no fuzz is beyond him. It's not like it's something people can help, right?! A forced furless life, why, that would be a nightmare. No one is projecting! YOU'RE PROJECTING!

Insecurities aside, Teddie doesn't seem to even notice that there's a voice addressing him inside his head. Probably because he's too busy being the world's largest ham. He'll notice eventually, maybe. When it's relevant to his new found stardom.]

Well~ Normally this fur is reserved for girl hands only, but considering my sudden BOOM in pop-bear-larity, it would be a crime to withhold myself from a good chunk of my adoring public~

[He pauses.]

But the moment somebody tugs, Teddie is outtie!

[thelimitdoesnotexist]

[Someone is obviously projecting. But Mewtwo is relieved he doesn't need to do the explain his psychic projection song and dance. That gets tiring.

He just fixes Teddie with a critical look like wanting people to touch him is the dumbest idea ever.

< I wouldn't let them touch you at-- >

Hold on.

< ...what was that? 'Pop-bear-larity'? >]

[kingofthetvworld]

[If anyone knows the hardships of having to explain yourself over and over, it's Teddie. Not...that Teddie isn't avoiding asking out of courtesy, but rather he's just too naive to let it bother him right now. Hooray for small miracles.

Really, as far as Teddie's concerned, the weird bald man who talks without moving his mouth is probably just a ventriloquist.]

Duh, didn't you see? It's like I'm all famous now! [His smile slowly grows wider.] And I didn't have to win a contest or anything. It's about time things started coming up Teddie!

[thelimitdoesnotexist]

[Yes, that's it. A ventriloquist.

But with this fellow, it's starting to feel like they're talking two different conversations. < No I mean the word bear. What does it mean? >

Ohhh wait, popbearlarity must mean famous. < I see now. It's not that. You're different than them, of course they come to you. Humans pick out anyone different. >]

[hoboagogo]

[What the hell.]

[Every time Shinjiro thinks he's seen most anything the Porter can spit out, something else surprises him. There's been dragons, small girls who turn into massive, skinless beasts, and everything in between. A man in a bearsuit shouldn't really register at this point.

So why does it feel so damn familiar?

He's straight up stopped on the street, unabashedly staring at Teddie with an expression somewhere between neutral and 'kind of mean looking'. Really, he's just trying to figure out why a rotund, primary-coloured bearsuit would be giving him such a sense of deja vu, but it's easy to mistake for an angry glare. Finally, he'll tilt his head and call out bluntly:]

So what's with the bear-clown getup?

[Might as well ask, after all.]

[kingofthetvworld]

[It's a very good thing Teddie's been used to the "kind of mean looking" stare for some time now. Between Yosuke's genuine scowls and Kanji's whole...everything, it'd be weird if a teenage guy didn't look at him that way. It almost warms his heart -- almost -- if it weren't for the fact that someone had to go and call him a clown.]

Clown?! A clown?! Do I really look like a clown to you, bub?!

[Sure, dressing up like a clown does sound pretty fun, and he could probably balance amazingly on a giant circus ball, but that isn't the point right now.]

[hoboagogo]

[A quick look down. Red and white stripes. The huge red 'buttons'. Maybe it's not exactly like some kind of clown, but it's enough to remind him of one.]

Yeah, you do.

[Though the expressions on the mascot-head are disorienting and all too fluid, there's also a huge zipper around its head. So-- bear-clown suit is what he's going with for now.]

So what's with it?

[kingofthetvworld]

[That blunt answer causes him to pout, his outburst was supposed to make him feel bad. Why can't people just feel sorry for him when he wants them to? Giving a defeated sigh, it doesn't look like he can whine his way out of this one.

Teddie will just have to complain to someone else later. That'll...that'll show whoever this guy is.]

This just so happens to be my glorious fuzzy fur, mister. [HMPH] All bears have fur, duh. That's all there is to it!

[He almost makes it sound like he truly believes he's 100% a real bear. ...And not just some guy in a really weird suit.]

[rassera]

[It was that time of the month, and Kaneda had often kept an eye on the streets for any new faces that might've popped up, ones he might not be too familiar with. Maybe keeping an eye out for anyone from his world, if anything. Not that there was much to hope for--it was one or two out of a million people in Neo Tokyo--but it was something to hold onto.

Now what he DIDN'T expect was a giant clown-attired bear roaming the streets. And let's be real, he's seen/heard of things just as weird. He's friends with Riku, after all.

That being said, he can't help but laugh, starting out as a little scoff, eventually evolving into a full on chuckle before long.]

Man, they give people mascot jobs?

[You should know, Kaneda, your not-dad's second job is one.]

And I thought my job here was bad!

[kingofthetvworld]

[Okay, to be fair, Teddie's used to people laughing at him. If anything, he normally encourages it. But for the love of bears everywhere, he's trying to have fun in his time of despair and people just can't help but ruin it for him! And this time coming from some...guy, it's the last straw. Teddie drops everything he's holding in a huff and begins to puff out his chest in some sort of horrible intimidation display.]

This just got bearsonal!

[Don't ask how, but Teddie practically finds himself sliding up behind the offending offender. Literally sliding. It's not creepy at all.]

And what, may I ask, is so bad about mascot jobs?!

[He liked it more than stock duty, that's for sure.]

[rassera]

[That sure is a bear pressing up to him. In fact, it happened so fast he didn't even register it until strangely furry mascot suit is rubbing up against his side.

A hand presses to the top of Teddie's forehead ala Yosuke, trying to shove him off.]

Heyheyhey! Easy on the personal space, would ya?

What I meant...was...you know. Little hard to fit in the suit, you know? You don't HAVE to wear it.

[kingofthetvworld]

[The hand on his head is more welcoming than he cares to admit, it's only then that he realizes how little he's going to get this now. But he refuses to give this GIANT JERKWARD any sort of satisfaction and refuses to show his comfort in it.

Besides, you can't beat the original that is Yosuke.]

I'll have you know that this isn't just some dumb ol' halloween costume, buster! This is my fabulous fuzzy Teddie fur, it's who I am!

[Some people are just very passionate about fursuiting, okay?]

[rassera]

[WOW that's MR. GIANT JERKWAD TO YOU.]

Look, I don't care what it's made out of, it's still a suit!

No matter how much you like being in it!