PARTY AT MOM'S HOUSE

[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

[ifnotloyal]

[ Ace tilts his head to one side at that, puzzling out what exactly the man thinks is his. The... car?

Oh.

He squints at Harlock, taking his question seriously for a moment. Since he doesn't exactly look local, he might very well think dogs drive cars. ]

No. Why would it be mine?

[prearcadian]

[Harlock's face twists into plain surprise because getting a verbal response is the last thing he actually expected. he's a guy who talks to pets like they would – not that he'd expect it!

give him a second.

blink. blinkblink.

...alright. his mouth twitches half-a-smirk.]

What. You don't have a chauffeur?

[ifnotloyal]

[ The surprise that crosses Harlock's face makes Ace regret saying anything at all for a few seconds, but then the smirk comes and, well, he didn't run away, so that's something.

That word, though, gets a the closest thing a dog has to a worried look, ears flattening back some, eyes going a bit wide. ]

A what? Am I supposed to? No one told me that.

[prearcadian]

[he laughs a little.] Hey, don't feel so bad. Nobody up and offered me one, either.

But that proves we're in the same boat, huh? [he crouches, letting his arms settle on his knees.] Unless I should expect all the animals around here to be as good at talking as you.

[ifnotloyal]

I guess so.

[ So they're all supposed to have those and not just him? Well, then maybe he isn't in trouble after all, if they didn't bother giving chauffeurs out. That makes this less worrisome.

When Harlock crouches down closer to Ace's height, he'll give him an idle sniff, more out of habit than actually wondering what he smells like. ]

And no. The animals around here aren't very chatty, even towards me. That's not normal.

[prearcadian]

[booze. fish and rice. bit of oil... he got yoinked during a lunch break in a shipbuilding garage, yanno?

also: good. Harlock's kind of glad he won't have to chat it up with every Rover or Polly Parrot he might come across.]

No? What planet are you from, then?

[ifnotloyal]

[ Fish. He never gets fish. ]

Um, this one. [ He doesn't sound very sure about that. ] Or one like this one, only this one is all wrong.

[prearcadian]

Yeah? Sounds about like the same problem I have. Probably a lot of people here now.

[ifnotloyal]

That they're all from the same planet, only not? That's going to get confusing.

[prearcadian]

Maybe. If everyone decides they gotta get along. [at that, his shoulders shrug.]

[ifnotloyal]

Well, I'd think they would want to. It's hard enough being somewhere new, a lot more if they don't make friends with anyone.

[prearcadian]

Some people thrive off of discord, buddy. [he gets up out of his crouch, cracking his back.] And other people find other things more important footholds than friendship.

[ifnotloyal]

[ Ace won't touch upon the first part. He wants to hope for the best, that the people brought here are actually going to help with, well, whatever it is they were brought here for.

When Harlock stands, he follows suit, albeit standing on four legs, not two. ]

Other things? Like what?

[prearcadian]

Money. [do dogs where this one's from care about money? somehow Harlock can't envision it. eh, shrug.] Power. Some people like to have others fear them, rather than like them. It's not something I really understand, myself. It sounds like more of a hassle than anything.

[ifnotloyal]

[ nope. no money, no problems, yeaaahh. ]

Power... [ That one, though, that one Ace has seen far too many times. ] I think that's something only the ones after it ever understand. Everyone else just ends up hurt.

[prearcadian]

Most do. But not everyone. [he wipes under that floppy swoop of hair in his face with the back of his hand – jeez, Florida, ease up.] Can't say I've heard any maniacal laughter just yet, so don't waste time worrying about it.

[grinning down at the dog:] It's my first time meeting a talking dog, so let's not bring the mood down too far just yet.

[ifnotloyal]

Oh. [ He wouldn't want to bring a mood down. ] Normally humans can't understand me, actually. I've a met a few who could speak before, but being able to talk to all of them like this is...

[ He looks down at his forepaws briefly. What's a good word for it? ]

Weird.

[prearcadian]

Is that one of those "powers" these people are throwing around here, then? [free powers. really? Harlock's still not sure he buys it...but then, testing his would be kind of life-threatening, so.] Being able to communicate with humans, that is.

[ifnotloyal]

Seems that way. [ Speaking 'Human'. What a power. ] I guess someone somewhere decided it might be useful.

[prearcadian]

That's not their call. [he starts walking around to the other side of the car, stopping at the driver's door.] If you're the one who has to live with it, you get to decide.

[ifnotloyal]

[ And rather than follow, Ace turns and jumps up to put his front paws on the passenger's side, peering on through the windows at the man on the other side. ]

While that's a nice thought, you don't always get to decide what happens in your life.

[ Powers unasked for aren't a new concept to Ace, in any case. ]

[prearcadian]

[he bends, finagling with the locked door and shooting the occasional glance in the window at the dogface opposite him. his mouth his half a grin and half a grimace as he pries the door open.]

I've found...that there's a lot more control than you would think. [click. pull.] And most things you don't want to put up with are things you can fight. [he climbs into the car, leaning forward and popping the other door open – watch yourself, pal.]

And the rest shouldn't keep you up at night anyway.

[ifnotloyal]

[ As soon as he hears the pop of the latch opening on the door he's leaning on, he backs up, all paws landing on the parking lot pavement again. ]

And I've found most the things I don't want to put up with really like to fight back.

[ Though the doors are open, Ace doesn't make a move towards the car. It isn't his, as in to say it isn't any car of his caretakers, as far away and otherwordly as they are now. ]

Should you be opening this? I don't think it's yours, either.

[prearcadian]

It'll be mine for a while, now. [this is said matter-of-factly, and followed by a beat.]

You coming?

[ifnotloyal]

[ no harlock that's stealing

But Ace does like car rides, especially if he gets a front seat. Stealing versus car rides, stealing versus car rides, it's going to take a few seconds of turning that one over before asking: ]

Depends. Will the windows be down?