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

Chise Hatori | Ancient Magus Bride

[deosil]

02.

[ Miserable and alone, too far from home. The unreality of her situation leaves her numbed to the roaring din of the crowds breaking like waves around her as she meanders into town. Ignoring the flashing of teeth in crooked smiles and cameras as strangers hover around her, saying things that ring in her ears with the world dialed down on mute. The only reason she stops at the malt shop is because a woman in white skirt with a candy stripped blouse and hat steps out of the store and hands her a coupon for a free milkshake. Chise took it because the woman blocked her on the sidewalk, temporarily yanking her out of her fugue.

As is her luck, no sooner had she sat in the back at an offensively bright mint green booth with her vanilla milkshake did it slosh over the rim of the glass. Spilling onto the front of her shirt. Chise barely registers it, moving stiff like a machine as she wipes the glob of ice cream off her shirt.

Just think of a fix. Like rooting out the error in a computer code; rewrite the mistake. Chise holds a hand over her stain and nearly smiles as if remembering something, then she begins to mutter under her breath in an almost sing-song way. ]

"A ring of hollies. Key and nettle."

[ When she removes her hand the stain is gone and her shirt dry, even spotless as if they stain had never been there in the first place. She looks around, mouth pressed into a nervous thin line before she takes the big red straw in her mouth sipping on her shake as she regards the rest of the malt shop like a rabbit in a fox hole. ]

[wonk]

[No matter how weird or chaotic or packed this place is, there are somethings Roxy has to investigate, and this is one of them. She finds her way to Chise's table and sits down across from her, her own malt in hand.]

So are you a wizard?

jim kirk | star trek: aos

[hischair]

( 02. a wild kirk arrives )

[ Regulation 157, Section 3 (Paragraph 18): Starfleet officers are required to take all necessary precautions to minimize any participation in historical events.

Immersed in a crowd of bustling, cheering onlookers while being hailed as an imPorted hero in what appears to be an divergent reality of the past, Jim has to wonder if Pike isn't doing backflips in his grave. To Jim's credit, he skirts out as often as possible, although it's impossible to check his comm-link without arousing interest and, in the end, he finds there's little point trying to be subtle in the first place.

People know him, people from other worlds outside the nexus of wherever the hell I am where they tell him he's famous for something other than the usual rote excuses. Being fictional? Fine. He can deal with an alternate reality being out there along those lines after meeting Jane Kirk (he hopes his comics and tv series have obscenely high ratings, given the bullshit he and his crew go through it seems only morbidly fair), it's not even overwhelming. His mind is elsewhere, ripping through security protocols and noting each major offense: removing an individual from a planet against their will (considering the welcome Jim is getting, it isn't an uncommon affair), getting involved in the politics of other cultures, interfering with the normal development of alien life or society ... This place is a hot mess. Absolutely nothing sets him at ease, despite his tight smiles. An abduction of a Starfleet captain will do that to a guy.

He's very recognizable in his gold-shirted uniform, a phaser hitched onto his belt and a captain's rank striped on his cuffs. Even if one doesn't know who he is, since he's certainly no Bill Shatner, he remains pleasant despite his disorientation and willing to chat. ]

( 03. captain trash @ divebar )

[ You bet your ass Jim has found a stiff drink. He sits at the bar with a whiskey on the rocks in-hand, idly twisting the subspace frequency dials on his comm-link which lies flipped open on the old wooden counter. It whizzes and hums a bit, but ultimately it gets him nowhere. ]

I swear to God, Spock, if you pick up this call I'll let you skip out on gamma-shifts for a month.

[ Come on, come on, come on ... Please.

He tries vigorously to recall his debates with his First Officer concerning other realities, which they've been tripping over for longer than a lot of people can probably say. This isn't a pocket dimension of my own reality, that would mean only variables I'm familiar with would be here. Not the case. Isn't a derivative of any one place, no matter what it looks like — it's a nexus. A holding cell between universes, the result of a violent breech in temporal activity, maybe a state of temporal flux phasing in and out of the spacetime continuum. Jim rubs the bridge of his nose and knocks back a swig of his drink, clearing his throat after and thinking of Spock Prime, lost somewhere outside the Beta Reality he created, forever separated from Jim and the rest of the erased crew from the Alphaverse. His fingers twist a delicate balance on the comm-link, the small screen lighting up with a brief flare as he attempts to access subspace tremors. Anything. Mostly, he looks like a guy screwing up his phone's brightness settings.

I am so fucked. ]

( ooc: down with fourth-walling the 60's show since it's mentioned in so many other canons, but please not jim's own movies! )

o3

[siriusly]

[Manabu had full intention to just keep walking, having spent a good five minutes trying to get the bar tender to just. just put the drink on the bartop, not in his hands. and to wait for him to put the money card on the bartop, not reach for it.

this is exhausting, but this is the one drink or food item that hasn't been accidentally flung in his face and he's going to cherish it, even if it turns out to taste like motor oil! and that's exactly what he means to do, wanting to find a spot that's not–]

...Eh–? [wait, though.

Manabu stops, as his heart almost does, to lean back and see over the man's shoulder at the item on the counter.]

That's! [standard issue from SDF HQ? oh thank goodness there's finally some evide–

wait. he startles again, this time weighted with disappointment.] ...Oh, oh, no, it's not.

[definitely not. stupid, how could he even think that (can you blame a guy for some extra wishful thinking?)?]

Manabu Yuuki | The Galaxy Railways

[siriusly]

o1.
That tap? That wasn't a tap. That was a woman with the intention of a tap who suddenly found herself launching a fist at Manabu's shoulder. It wasn't anything dire, and Manabu took it as...as gracefully as any man could when suddenly walloped without cause (it helped that she looked about as confused as he), but that hit pretty much set the framework for his first day out in the world.

He winced and ducked his head as daylight burst from the slow-opening bay door. Man, what now? Bruce is probably going to kill me dead if I'm stuck here long...


"Oh, hey–" He'd only just arrived to this weird little gathering and barely begun to wonder on it when he saw loose pages fall out of someone's file folder ahead of him. He knelt down to pick them up, raising his voice a bit more to be heard.

"Excuse me, you dropped something–"



02.
[general noise on the street is escalating very quickly with a mix of outrage and confusion, and Manabu is doing his very best to try and diffuse it. unfortunately, this appears to be family matters, and even a sharply-dressed officer from Who Knows Where doesn't have the clout to intervene and try and calm hostile relatives down.

even if it is kind of his fault. kind of? he has no idea. he's just trying to show he's fine, really, and no, he's not mad or going to sue or, or whatever.

someone – Margaret, he thinks he heard? – is giving an older man a tongue lashing for having gone to shake Manabu's hand and instead decked him square in the nose. said man says he didn't mean to, that it was some kind of muscle spasm, but oooh no, Margaret is having none of it.

it doesn't help matters that now there's people, related or otherwise, gathering and taking sides and making it noisier and more bothersome. Manabu is getting way out of his element here.]

U-uh, please...Both of you? I said it's alright! There's no need to get mad, he already apologized!

[the woman, who Manabu is sure means the best, turns her attention to him to argue some more and sweeps her hand over to gesture–

–and winds up backhanding him into someone standing behind him.

the crowd erupts again.]



o3.
With a weary sigh, Manabu plopped down on an open air bus stop bench, slumping so far down that his head nearly touched his knees. Once he'd exhaled entirely, he sat back up, frowning unhappily at passing traffic. Strange, certainly, but not for the fact half the cars are hovering. Why were cars in hover and terrestrial modes using the same lanes? That seemed hazardous. He wasn't an urban engineer by any stretch, but it just seemed...

Ah, whatever. What did he know, anyway? Especially about this place.

"Aaah..." He looked at the file folder set in his lap, dog-eared pages poking out at edges, stains from tea and some condiment still visible...but less so than what had wound up on his uniform. He'd tried to get something to eat, and the waitress had smashed the tray over his head. So much for that.

He lifted a corner of the folder and peered at the page on top again, rereading the line again. Someone had tried very, very hard to make a scientific, easy label for the weird phenomenon happening to him, but Manabu had needed it spelled out anyway.

Simply enough? Anyone extending a hand to him was going to wind up smacking him instead, somehow. That was probably the eighteenth time he'd read it and he was no less vexed. He pouted at the page, talking aloud.

"What kind of lame-brain machine makes something like that happen...?"



o4.
[Manabu is not new to high-stakes, lightning-fast situations. he's not seasoned, but he is trained and still trains for them pretty regularly!

that said, SDF basic training doesn't cover situations like this, because the SDF's vehicular dilemmas tend to involve being in the vacuum of space rather than Downtown Wherever, so there's little workplace protocol to reference here.

not that he would; that's a lot of work in a very short amount of time.

no, instead? instead, Manabu is shoving people out of his way and making a break for the street as fast as he can.]

LOOK OUT!!

[for what? the cars, or him?

Manabu rams into one kid hard enough that both go flying across the rest of the street while he himself winds up in a totally different direction the instant that car makes contact with him. up and over, hitting and rolling on concrete just shy of getting mowed over a cop car along the way.

he'd say ow or something but he's too busy blacked out and ragdolled.]



NOTE: i picked "punch magnetism" and healing/regeneration for powers :>

4

[bombshelled]

Holy shit!

[ Lana was going to try to get the kids out of the way of the oncoming car (by... exploding the car... ok, maybe it wasn't the best plan), but then some guy is running out into the street, and--

Lana runs over to where the body lays, distorted and unmoving on the ground. ]

Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! Please still be alive, please still be alive...

Wasabi | Big Hero 6

[turnsignals]

03

[ Okay. This may not be San Fransokyo, where, you know, his friends and his life are. But Florida's not so bad, if their tech is anything to go by. He thought his friends were special with their tech stuff, but hovercars? Just... around? A kid whizzes by on a hovering skateboard, nearly knocking into him, and Wasabi shouts after him, ]

Hey! Shouldn't you have a... a permit for that, at least?

[ Buuut the kid is long gone, so Wasabi just shakes his head and keeps walking. His fingers are itching, wanting to take some of this stuff apart and see how it works, but he keeps his hands firmly shoved in his pockets. He's not sure where he's headed, exactly-- where is he going to go in a city where he doesn't know anyone? But moving is better than standing still with his jaw hanging open, so... moving it is. ]

[microbrobotics]

[ Fortunately, the next kid you see with this tech is a little more familiar. He's even wearing his usual getup: dark hoodie, red robot shirt, annnnnd a backpack full of all kinds of junk. Which he is levitating out of his backpack and in front of him, making an impromptu workspace out of this bench. Huh. That part's probably new. But like heck Hiro's gonna just wait on a bench for the bus without trying to cannibalize the floating components from a hoverboard to install in a teeny tiny version of Baymax.

Just as he's floating away a bit of wire from the bitty bot's exoskeleton, Hiro happens to look up. And then he double-takes. ]

Wasabi?

Norman "Normie" Osborn | Marvel MC2

[notyourfathersosborn]

03
[He only intended to put a quarter in the jukebox.

At least, that's what he had convinced himself. Normie had been drawn to the thing since he entered the restaurant like a sirens call, one he managed to resist throughout much of his meal until it finally became too strong, and soon he stood in front of it. He slid in the quarter, selected a song at random... and continued to stand there, examining the machine itself. He looked behind it, trying to get an idea of the processor that ran it. He ran his hand down the side, stopping over the keyhole that kept people like him from tampering with it. He debated using a piece of his other to slide in there so he could see the inside, eventually deciding against it; it wasn't his to mess with.

Normie finally pulled himself away from the machine, determined to buy one for himself to tear apart piece by piece. Unfortunately, he wasn't exactly paying attention to anyone else around him when he did it...]

Oh man, sorry about that! You all right?


04
[Normie stops the moment he hears the engine, looking around for the source. He takes a step backwards as he sees the vehicle peel around the corner, taking advantage of a patch of darkness between the street lights as he allows his other, the alien symbiote which had been posing as his suit, to envelope him completely, forming... they really needed a name for themselves (anything had to be better than Venom).

They go to fire a strand of "webbing" at the car... only to notice the skateboarding kids for the first time.]

Look out!

[They bound forward, grabbing the kids with two long, black tendrils that wrap around their waists, and pull them towards them. They then form a third arm from out of their back, but rather than end with a hand, it ends in a long, sharp blade. Using their actual arms to shield the kids, the third arm stabs the car through its hood, causing it to crash to the grounda.]

Issss anyone hurt?

[Well, those people in the car, probably. But he doesn't really care about them.]


Wildcard
[Or go nuts!]

4.

[osreborn]

[ Norman doesn't see his grandson until toward the end of this -- well, it can't really be considered an accident now, can it? -- exhibition, so by the time he's passing by the area and stops to watch, the symbiote masks any resemblance that might otherwise be glaringly obvious.

Instead, he finds it in himself to applaud with two slow, sarcastic claps. ]

There's another one of you?

alby ( the maze runner novels )

[tetchiness]

01.

[ there's a large commotion on the street that occurs just after the pretty soldier directs someone to a car, and that would be the sound of someone escaping. shuck. that. says the brain of one former glade leader, who is smart enough to not to get into cars with strange people--not just because he's not a klunk for brains moron, but also because he's seen things and this? this is not the world alby saw when he went through the changing.

something is wrong. were the creators--WICKED, thomas said they were called--lying to them? of course they would be. why wouldn't it be anything else? this is just some other test, some other trial and--

alby is supposed to be dead.

skidding down the street, alby runs, feeling nothing if not panic, all of his old skills of leadership and (mostly) calm replaced with panic and fright, brought on by the changing and amplified by the fact that something was wrong. this sprinting has him looking for somewhere to hide like he's running from a griever (he'd just been running to them, knew it was right but knew how afraid he was of the outside, too) and since he's not looking where he's going, he runs into someone with a crash. ]

Shuck-- [ alby grunts, loudly, as he bounces off the person's chest and jerks backwards ] What kind of stupid shank just stands there in the middle of the street?! Look out!

02.

[ once alby's calmed down a little (as calm as alby can be, anyway) he retreats from a hiding place in an alley and starts to look around. though his curiosity is muted by the changing, the memories skipping around in his head, he takes his time moving around corners and looking into shops. eventually, he settles into the malt shop, shoulders hunched together and sitting in a corner, watching the people who walk in each time the bell above the door rings. the drink is good but--something just ain't right, here.

is everyone here dead? ]

wildcard.

[ c: whatever you want! canon point is tentatively post death. ]

A. !!!!!

[runout]

[ It's Minho. Minho is the kind of stupid shank to stand there in the middle of the road. Though, in his slight defense, the chance of a car hitting him is pretty slim. Unless it somehow sneaks up on him despite the loud noises a car engine makes, his ability to dodge has gone up considerably since being dragged into this world. Thanks Porter, for the gift of super speed.

A guy running full speed, though not quiet by any stretch of the imagination, is still a lot quieter than a running car. Though the reason Minho didn't move out of the way wasn't because Alby snuck up on him. Nah, he saw the guy coming from a good dozen yards away. It's more the shock that keeps him rooted in spot.

Even when Alby slams into him, Minho stumbles back a few steps before regaining his balance to resume the dumbfounded staring he was doing early. ]

I'll be shucked...

locke lamora | the lies of locke lamora

[horsepiss]

I for i can't believe i have to call glasses optics

[Yes, there are flying cars. Yes, there are hovering planks of wood. it's all very impressive. In fact, it's so impressive that Locke is sure to schedule ample time later to be duly impressed by it. Later. Much later. For now, there's important affairs to settle.

Important affairs in the shape of dolphin sunglasses and an array of other souvenirs. Other items in hand consist of a token florida shirt, khaki shorts, a fanny pack, a visor and a pair of sandals and socks as seemed to be all the rage. It was an assortment of items picked from observation and convenience-he needed something that would help him blend in. Attention was all well and good when he was-ah-"performing", but outside of that it was fairly disconcerting and Locke was quick to notice his rather bedraggled state was nothing close to inconspicuous.

Plus, he smelled like piss.

Regarding the closest possible person above the rim of his dolphin sunglasses, he bats his eyelashes.] Do these optics match my eyes?

E for eh

[Thank the gods for public showers. Freshly cleaned and newly decked out in a bulging fannypack and socks-and-sandals, Locke parades down the street like a freshly crowned king. His body aches and screams with each step he takes but it's fine. He'll work through it provided nothing else comes his way.

Just his luck, something does.

A plucky hoverblader skating down the sidewalk at mach point none slams into him. Locke keels over, slamming down hard on the pavement with a pathetic groan and some moderate cursing. Deciding it a better idea to panic rather than take responsibility, the hoverblader flees before Locke can stand up. With nothing else to do, Locke turns to the only worthwhile action he can.]

That's right, you miserable pissant! Run! Best use your legs now before I find you, you-ah-shapely-legged oaf!

[Alright, not his best insult but it's been a long day. At the very least he got a reward for that little bump, having snatched the man's wallet as he fell. Still shouting, he tucks his prize away.]

thE BOTTOM ONE

[siriusly]

[yikes.

Manabu had seen that impact from too far away to have stopped it, let alone call out a warning; just the peripheral zoom of a body, then– eesh.

the kid's already making a getaway, and Manabu, trotting over, is about to raise his voice to tell him to stop, but.

well. look at all that yelling up written up there.



Manabu stops – that kid's long gone – and leans a little to get the crash victim's attention.]

Hey– are you alright?

Tadashi Hamada | Big Hero 6

[tadeadshi]

03 .

[ He's gotta admit, the tech here is pretty amazing. More refined than anything he was seeing in the lab. It's hard to miss a hover-skateboard that isn't being jet propelled; Tadashi is dead certain Hiro would love those, and not just for the technological endeavors involved. While he's certain this phone he was given could take a picture or video if he played with it enough, touching it was giving him some weird headaches so it stayed safe in his pocket.

Tadashi's still trying to watch a hover-cycle drive by, even as he walks past. Can you blame him, there's a lot to see here! And he half-wonders if he could ever get his hands on one of those. He stops when he's in front of a small store, a smaller bike parked right there in front of him. ]

Whoa... This is... This is something else.

[Look he's not really gonna touch it. He wants to, practically dying to, but he won't. Right this second. He kneels down and focuses pretty intently on trying to look at it without touching it and it's hard. It's so hard to not touch.

Maybe no one will notice faint fingerprints on the chrome. ]

04 .

[ He definitely hears the car before he sees it. He'd been watching the kids because he still wants to figure out those danged skateboards. He glances back at the car, then does a double take when he realizes what's about to happen. ]

HEY!

[ He drops the files and everything else in his hands and takes a breath before lunging to tackle the kids down flat on the street to safety as the cars speed-hover above them. Once the danger's clear and gone, Tadashi lifts his head and rolls off the kids. Carefully helping one sit up, he notices the cuts and bits of road rash the tackling caused and inwardly scolds himself. ]

Hey, you okay?

[ He doesn't notice the kid's skin healing under his fingers or the small crowd gathered around to watch or that he left his files way across the street. ]

wild card

[anything goes! he's not dead!]

o3

[siriusly]

[he's just passing by, really; bikes aren't really anything special, not when you have a career riding a space-faring battle-ready armored train. Manabu's just not got a mind for them, not when he's still trying to puzzle out this ridiculous file he was handed (correction: it was shoved at him).

at this time, though, fate decides he startle to a stop when he hears the bike vendor popping out of his storefront to yell at someone about what will happen if they're putting their grubby mitts on that bike–] Yipe–!!

[-it makes Manabu hitch a step and bump Tadashi.] Ooph, sorry!

Drividot Nicot | FFXIV (MMO PC)

[coerthan]

02.

[Well, this wasn't planned. Not remotely. And as cute as all these Hyuran kids are, the heat in this place is even more oppressive than he's used to--the air smothering instead of refreshing--and if he doesn't get away now from the crowd asking for a 'photo', it is not going to be a pretty picture.]

E-excuse me--Please, I need to--one moment, one moment...

[And with one final gentle push, he's made it to the line for the malts (what's a malt? According to the sign, 'cold and refreshing', so it can't be all bad). And now...well, now there's a towering, elfin man with grey skin behind you in line, wondering what in all the realm a 'strawberry' is.]

*_* elezen

[bloodyantivan]

[Chocolate is at least in the realm of the familiar, so that is what Zevran has chosen for his malted. He very generously steps aside after placing his order at the counter... well. My my.

There is no such thing as a tall elf in Thedas. Zevran, by comparison, is shorter than some human women.]

Hello, my tall friend. I was just thinking how unpleasant it would be to drink a malt alone. [He indicates some wholesome signage portraying two human teens sharing a malt.] Care to join me?

Aelita | Code Lyoko

[audiofile]

03) [ Aelita's no stranger to tech, but what she sees around her in the city is absolutely wild, looking more like something she'd find in Odd's collection of cheesy old sci-fi movies than anything. Who would even know where to start between hoverboards, retro flying cars, consumer holo-displays... She's too polite to do more than gawk at it all, but once she ducks into the malt shop to get out of the sun, her attention is immediately captured by the sleek, boxy looking contraption set front and center.

The jukebox, she decides, is a perfect place if any.

She's settled one arm on the frame, happily flipping through the catalog but not choosing anything, just as intrigued by the mechanism itself as she is the music selection. Which might put her in the way should someone actually want to pick a song. ]

[ Or a wildcard! I'm up for anything.]

03

[hypnotherapy]

[ He likes music well enough; it's not his thing, necessarily. But the jukebox is interesting.

Though by the way someone else is poking at it - not Aelita - it's having trouble, and not one that can be fixed with a mechanic's touch. The audio is fuzzing, and the screen seems to be having trouble. The song selection's not working right. ]

May I...?

[ He doesn't raise his voice, but he gets heard in the crowded shop regardless.

He just has to touch it for a moment, then something happens and -- he's gone. There is a conspicuous absence of person.

The screen sparks blue for a moment, and then returns to complete normalcy. There's some kind of clicking sound, and he's back - albeit on his knees and looking more than a little ill. ]

That...should fix it. [ He holds a hand up to stave off any words. The other hand is pressed to his head. ]

Charlie Maxwell | Original Character

[animated]

[ 02 ]

[ Charlie has never, ever had the desire to be famous. He was perfectly fine with his unassuming little life in his unassuming little bookstore, far, far away from anyone who could ever recognize him. And when you live your entire life knowing that there will be dire consequences if normal people ever found out that you had legitimate magical powers? It's hard to shake that feeling of dread whenever a person looks at you with that expression that says they know.

He looks pretty unassuming, which is a point in his favor, but after getting cornered a couple of times, he thinks it's time for a getaway.

It's easy enough to cause a distraction- a quick spell sketched into the air behind his back, in subtle movements- and something goes crashing over, or someone's hat goes flying away despite the lack of breeze.

Charlie ducks into the first open door he can find. Is it the malt shop? Is it the place where you work? Is it a public restroom that may or may not just be for ladies??? Could be anything, really.

He leans his back against the nearest wall, heaving a sigh and muttering, ] I'm too old for this shit.


((OOC; Charlie is a wizard with the ability to animate inanimate objects. For the curious, he has a baby bio on his profile.))

[hands4healing]

[The little hardware store isn't usually populated by ImPorts, but Winry's found there are good deals there. So she has to stop in and check and find out if there's anything new that she might need for her work.

When someone steps in the door, she didn't look up, at least, not until he speaks. Then she glances over, sees the crowd outside, and figures it out.]

Oh? Are you new?

jack frost ❄ rise of the guardians

[icy]

2a.

[ 'Ugh, it's so cold!' 'If I wanted snow and ice I'd move to Canada!' With a flat expression, Jack — Jack Frost, yes — sips his free milkshake amidst the kerfuffle, the meet n' greet far more fun to watch going on around him from his perch atop his staff, heads and shoulders above everyone else. Is the chilly drop in temperature his fault? Maybe. Could he stop the brisk breeze if he wanted to? Sure. But now he won't. ]

And this would be why I don't visit the sunshine states. Rude.

[ Sluuuuurp. There goes the last of his banana shake, alas. ]


2b.

[ At some point, he drops his file. In his defense, Jack hasn't been accustomed to carting around more than his own staff for three centuries, so when it slips out of his hoodie (rolled up and very prone to doing so) and splats all over the floor, he keeps chatting to people animatedly and doesn't look back.

It reads:
NAME: JACKSON OVERLAND FROST
ALIAS: "JACK FROST"
AGE: 318
OCCUPATION: SPIRIT OF WINTER
SUPERPOWER: WEATHER PHENOM

And so on, and so forth. Be a good passer-by and return it! ]

2b!

[heavyhitter]

[ Sure, she'll return it! She'll definitely return it, being the upstanding citizen that she is. But not before slinking away to go take a seat not too far off and read through everything (once she realizes that he's definitely not going to notice her scraping together those pages, anyway).

What she sees is definitely worthy of an eyebrow raise, and becomes the only reason she actually does decide to return it, rather than just toss it or see what the going price for a genuine imPort file is. The 318 year old Spirit of Winter sounds like a great guy to have a chat with. She heads over, already smiling brightly, and doesn't mind at all sliding into whatever conversation he's in the middle of. ]

Hey! So, weather phenom. What's that even mean?

elrond | tolkien legendarium

[loremasters]

02:

[ It's loud, this world.

It's also amazing and not a little terrifying, and there are so many bits and pieces of advanced technology that the Noldor part of him wants to investigate further. Farspeakers and farseers and ways to preserve knowledge so that countless future generations can benefit from it. History books printed on specialized parchment that doesn't tend to fade with age. And medicine! He's been told there are hundreds, if not thousands, of hospitals all over the world: large complexes and centers where healers gather to heal people.

There are horrible things as well, too. War and prejudice and everything negative that comes along with them. Hunger, poverty, hate. The human condition writ on a scale so large he can't quite grasp the whole picture yet. But he will.

For now, Elrond of Rivendell is taking refuge from the abundance of strangers, with startlingly bright cameras and unending questions, in a downtown malt shop. He's attempting to eat his first burger and fries (so helpfully suggested by the waitress), and waiting on something called a chocolate shake. The elf probably won't mind company, or questions, as long as he doesn't get mobbed again.

Because apparently six-foot-eight tall, robed elves (or half elves, in his case), are even less common in Florida than they are at home. Especially one chewing thoughtfully on french fries and eyeing the jukebox with great consideration. ]

Wildcard

[ have another idea? toss it over this way. ]

2

[hands4healing]

[Winry always checks out newcomers' day, to find out if Alphonse might've returned. Or if anyone else from home might've shown up. The malt shop is a place a lot of people seemed to wind up in, and usually, the crowds leave the newcomers alone once they made it inside.

Spying a somewhat unsual-looking man eating a hamburger and fries, Winry makes her way over to him, waving at the waitress to get her attention. Ordering a soda for herself, she sits next to the stranger on the stool at the counter, and offers a smile.]

It's kind of weird here.

[Yes, that's an understatement, but as an opening, it's at least polite? -ish?]

magicman.exe | megaman battle network

[hypnotherapy]

03

[ Hover this, hover that. It's actually pretty impressive; he wonders if, in some place where Wily and Hikari allowed themselves to work together, the future would look something like this.

He didn't expect all the technology to look so boxy, though. What is a 50s aesthetic.

He glances around at the abundance of tech, and decides that he can probably use it to his advantage. He needs practice, after all, with these powers he's not used to yet.

(His body itches. He doesn't like it. It's not really his - too fragile - but it looks enough like his operator that he's attached to keeping it.)

If someone happens to come strolling past on this busy street, they'll see a man in a blue coat and formal clothing sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk, out of the way. He's gathered a crowd, mostly because he's...doing something weird. ]

If you could just hand me your device....

[ A variety of phones is offered. He takes one and examines it for a second, taking in the details, and then twitches his fingers in a 'come here' gesture, like he's beckoning to a dog.

Something jumps out of the device, to applause and 'oohs', to land on his palm. It's about the same size; quite small. ]

There we go.

[ Take a look? Join in? Ask this weird import what he's doing? the choice is yours. ]

04.

[ He's not paying much attention to what's happening on the street; he's busy reading his file.

He looks up when he hears the screeching and sighs, closing it with a snap and staring intently at the hovercar.

He has to estimate the location, but at least the size is something he knows. He makes a flicking gesture with his fingers.

Something slams down in front of the car - did it come from the car? - easily stopping it by crumpling it.

After a moment, something ticks over in what probably passes for a brain in there and it takes a bite out of the hood.

He wanders over, presses a hand to the strange wall thing that materialised out of nowhere, and it disappears to wherever it came.

He just waves a hand and turns away, dismissing anything the kids - or for that matter, the drivers - are trying to say to him. He doesn't like this kind of attention. ]

WILDCARD

[ ANYTHING GOOOESSS ]

04

[ballbutt]

Boooo, why'd you do that? You ruined the fun!

[Magicman's brightly coloured companion, who disappeared earlier (presumably to find or cause chaos in the city) was hanging off of a horizontal section of a lamppost upside down, addressing the blue coated man with a huff and cross of his arms.]

Snotlout Jorgenson | How to (sort of) Train Your Dragon

[snotlout]

ooc lets pretend my icons are from httyd2 and embrace my laziness and inability to icon search yes


2
[Off to the side of the malt shop a crowd's started gathering. It's full of children and teenagers and the odd overly excited adult but around its fringes are people a whole two seconds away from calling the cops. Or animal control. Or something that would be able to deal with the rather large and terrifying dragon lounging on the sidewalk, his tail curved out into the street and his head attempting to small gate separating the outdoor seating for the malt shop from the rest of the street. There's a kid there staring wide-eyed and letting her malt melt, so you better believe Hookfang is determined to relieve her of it.

In front of the seemingly lazy dragon is a kid decked out in furs and leather. Hell, he's even topped off with a viking helmet. He's somehow managed to find a crate to stand on and has his hands thrown out in front of him.]

Think you have what it takes to ride a mighty and powerful Monstrous Nightmare? Don't worry people, everyone will probably have a turn. Though if you don't get in the front of the line I can't guarantee he'll still be in a good mood. Now- let's talk offers. The better they are, the closer to the front you'll be!

[Surprisingly, at least a dozen hands immediately pop up]


3 kinda i guess
[ WHAM

The sound of someone - or something - hitting the side of something solid reverberates up and down the street. Car horns suddenly blare, people are yelling, and there's the crunching sound of heavy footprints against the pavement. Just around the corner, you'll find a dragon walking up and down the middle of the street, poking his head into the doors of the various stores he passes, investigating the city with seemingly insatiable curiosity.

But there, suspended about two stories up by a flagpole stuck down the back of his jacket, is what seems to be an angry young man - if the flailing and yelling is anything to go by.]

HOOKFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!


or wildcard!

3

[icy]

[ Barking with laughter, Jack assesses the scene to make sure no one is about the immediately get hurt (the guy looks like his shirt can keep him hoisted a while longer, meh) before flying over to him. ]

Hey, now! Was that your pet cat that just turned the corner?

[ The huge dragon crashing and thundering about, yes. Hi, Snotlout, enjoy Jack surfing his staff in front of you. Sup, bruh. ]

alice morgan / luther

[vacares]

o2.

[ ah, what a lovely day in Cape Canaveral. the sun is shining, she's just recently been abducted to an alternate universe in which she is presumably now to remain for the forseeable future and they're offering her free beverages. there's travelling and then there's this, and Alice has always been one to do things in style.

well, she's got time. plenty of it if inferences are to be believed. so, since today is a day of excitement on the part of the natives, and since she has days and weeks and who knows how much longer to explore the place, she may just as well make the best of the moment to get a feel for the people: those like herself, those people who have found themselves fishes out of water, left with no option but to grow legs or flop about on the shore until they die... doesn't much matter which. she's on the prowl, decked out in a smart pantsuit a trifle too hot for the climate with her jacket and coat draped over one arm to cover her tattoo and a delicate smile on her face, ensemble all coming together to gently suggest it's my first day, so long as a person knows what to look for. first test.

anyone will do, so long as they're sporting a tattoo (or are interesting enough besides), and Alice makes her approach without any fuss, pausing alongside her chosen target to enquire without any real introduction: ] Do you have the time?

wildcard

[ new place, new rules, new communicator... there's more than one way to get to know the population, and one of those would be the often undervalued art of digital communication. so. time to cast a line. ]

Are there any powers that make you feel uncomfortable? Any hidden strength that could make you wary of a friend? From what I understand there's no real telling what someone might end up with on arrival here. It begs the question.

ahhh I love Alice! Also #2

[envy_the_nayme]

[There are things Max Payne doesn't like: bright sunlight while he has a hangover, Florida, attention from complete strangers who seem convinced that he's some kind of big deal, and being slapped with a tattoo like an item getting barcoded at the supermarket after getting zapped into some Twilight Zone version of the 1950s. And wouldn't you know it, all of those things are happening today.

So it's a fairly rumpled and confused Max who blinks in response to Alice's question. She's not the only one who's dressed a bit too warm for Florida- Max's suit is suitable for a New Jersey winter, an urgently-needed trip to the dry cleaner, and not much else.]

Uh, sorry. I just got here, and my watch is still on... Jersey time.

[It's the same time zone, Max.]

Jonathan Crane | DC Live Action

[sighcology]

04.

[Well. Crane's already taking mental notes. He has field work to do, with this one moment being so carefully constructed; all his work, all his planning, hiding from the Batman, reading the network posts, learning about his new powers. How they could work. How they could make people tick. How they could make people scream.

His ears prick before he moves in. Children running. His eyes slide towards the two police cars coming closer. Closer.

The children's footsteps are terrified. Patter, patter, patter.

A heartbeat. He swallows, then releases the breath stuck in his throat as their shock reaches his ears. Three childish cries. Sirens. All in terror! Each a beautiful sound, to be remembered and treasured. The public expression on his face is still very careful and cautious, but the giddy emotion is suddenly threatening to break through when the escaping car's driver swerves to avoid the little ones... and drives into the nearby store. It appeared the female driver, unconscious over the wheel, had faced her fear like he'd taught her to. That it was a case like one of his university students was deliberate. Because he knew the Batman would study it. Bats would sense something terrible was happening and, later once he'd seen Crane's hand behind it all, would swoop in on him like something deep and dark and terrying from the night.

Crane wouldn't have it any other way.

Even now, the driver's cigarette was burning in the car's compact lighter, emitting a thin plume of grey gas.]

Wildcard: 1

[Crane's an educated psychiatrist, so whether you're in need of expert mental health care, are a fellow in the field, or need a Jungian analysis of your thoughts, pull up a chair. The doctor will see you now.]

Wildcard: 2

[I'm down for threading whatever you want!]

04.2

[chiroptophobic]

[ And come he does. In the night, with barely a footstep at the open window, the light breeze concealing his arrival. A black shadow - terrifying, fearless - he steps inside, his footing discrete, but Crane is clearly one step ahead of him, awake and aware, like he expected it to come to this all along. Like it was a trap set up just for the Batman. Those kids, the woman, the car plowing its way into a store full of people; all of it designed to bring him here.

He tossed the hovercar's push-button lighter onto the desk in front of Crane, almost dismissively. ]

You need to develop a new repertoire.

Caitlin Snow ϟ Flash

[bleakmidwinter]

4. [Caitlin is not exactly used to using her powers in any situation, but she's not about to stand still and let somebody get hit by a car. It's too far to push them out of the way even if she starts running right now, so instead, she lets the ice creep into her veins. The change in her body is quick and startling to anyone watching her, her skin color blanching to a hue not usually seen outside a corpse as her core temperature drops below what's normally survivable.

She could put up a barrier to stop the car before it reaches the kids, but then she risks hurting the driver, too. Instead, Caitlin concentrates on creating a dome of ice above them with a slope to it that leads the car up and over them instead of into them. Once she's sure everyone's okay, she hides her face behind the collar of her coat as much as she can and starts walking away fast, before anyone can connect the dots and draw attention to her. She needs to find a heat source strong enough to bring her body temperature back up within normal range, and having a bunch of people crowd around her could be dangerous right now.]

wildcard
do whatever!

4

[canarys]

[ Sara was too far to help them, but what she isn't too far to see is Caitlin's skin turning paler than she thought possible. And then the ice appears, just like magic.

Two plus two, equals Sara discreetly tailing the woman away from the crowd. She's curious to see where she's going so quickly. Don't superheroes usually stay long enough to take the credit? ]

roxy lalonde | homestuck

[wonk]

02 - what is a populated planet

[This is the highest number of people Roxy Lalonde has ever been around in her life.

There's so much noise, people chattering and cheering and shouting talking as cars drive past and feet pound and at first it's really cool! But she's not used to this at all, she's only ever seen maybe twenty people in the same place and most of them were dying anyway. The chaos is starting to get to her.

Roxy retreats into the malt shop, grabs a free drink, and tries to hide in a booth as far away from everybody else as possible. She leans on her elbow as she sips, one hand placed conveniently over her hear to block out the cacophony. She winces with every shout or loud noise, and her gaze travels precisely where people aren't.]

04 - rogue time mutherfuthers
*mockerfockers
*w/e

Groans.

[It is two seconds before impact and Roxy, having successfully narrated her groaning rather than actually doing it, disappears.

Immediately before impact, the car disappears.

The seconds tick by, and then at ten, two men tumble roughly onto the road as the car smashes onto the ground several feet in front of them.

Roxy reappears on the sidewalk, brushes her hands off, and grins in satisfaction, moving to check on the kids.]

wildcard

[Have at her! Roxy's void powers mask her to almost all supernatural perception, but she is a confused girl wandering the streets of Heropa, staring at anyone and everyone and just being generally confused at how so many people can fit in such a small place.]

4

[glowsferatu]

[ kanaya started running the moment she saw the kids in the street. sure, you can always think that with so many people with superpowers kept to a small area, someone's bound to do something, but when has she ever counted on anyone else to take care of things? she can just slice the car down the middle, that will at least get it out of the way of pedestrians. if they run after that, she has no doubt she can take them down. driving like that, they probably deserve a good beating.

she still has maybe ten feet to go, ready to pull the cord on her weapon, when the car just disappears in front of her. she stands there confused for a second when she realizes the car hasn't just gone, but it's gone, with no sign that it ever existed in the Space around her.

when car and passengers erupt from the void again, she's lost enough to have completely given up on making sense of the outcome here. ]

Oh.

[ at least, until she sees a familiar face moving into the street. familiar to her, at least. she can't be sure if the recognition will be mutual. ]

Roxy.

mike ross | suits

[fraud]

uno.

[ does the really shitty suit count as a costume? APPARENTLY IT SURE DOES with people coming up to him, admiring his "interesting" take on an "old fashioned" design.

no, he swears this is just polyester.

so as he's batting off the admiring crowd, he's definitely making his way to that malt shop for a free drink. ]

No, no. It came in a pack, buy one get one free. No, the tie doesn't do anything special. No, that's not a symbol, it's just some mustard. ... Wait, when did I get mustard on this? Oh, fuck.

[ watch as this normal looking guy stands in the middle of the sidewalk, licking a thumb and trying to wipe that mustard stain off his tie. a really great start to his superhero career here. ]

dos.

[ mustard free! drinks drunk! tie loosened! it is time for one fraudulent lawyer to explore this place. he makes a point, in his head to go exploring. to check out every nook and cranny until he feels comfortable with his new floridian home. he steps out of that malt shop and starts going... left!

of course then he spots a car and that just doesn't make any sense. ]

That doesn't make any sense.

[ so he approaches one, parked as it is in the street. he crouches down to inspect the hovering. no, this really doesn't make any sense. ]

This really doesn't make any sense.

[ he's gonna touch it. he's gonna wave his hand under the car and hurt himself because that's exactly the type of guy mike ross is. help him out? or leave him to touch foreign alt universe technology like an asshole. ]

darling

[rathercommon]

[ Well, no question that that guy's an imPort. Clothes out of step with this place? Yeah. Lost, dazed look? Absolutely. Inability to accept hover technology? There it is. And so Kitty, sitting nicely on a bench next to where Mike is furiously waving his hands under that car, ankles crossed, book on her lap, dressed in a poodle skirt and wearing all the clothes proper for a demure young lady, grins at his back. ]

You'll set off the proximity alarm.

[ Her British accent? Does mark her as being not of this place. The fact that she's not gushing over this imPort, too, is a bit different from what Mike has doubtless seen from the other local girls. But otherwise, it's impossible to pick her out as coming from another world. ]

Garrus Vakarian | Mass Effect

[centurian]

02.

[ Now, Garrus wouldn't say that he was one for attention. Actually, scratch that. He generally liked attention, or even a little acknowledgment here and there. You know, for saving the galaxy, fighting off Reapers. That sort of attention.

What he couldn't say he was hugely fond of was the sort of attention that involved humans poking and prodding at him (at best), or just staring and pointing. If this was what humans were like during First Contact, was it really any wonder that they ended up fighting a war with the turians over a misunderstanding?

Still, he supposed it could be worse. He could have not mysteriously woken up with shapeshifting powers and be stuck as a dextro-based lifeform with no way to eat anything, waiting for his inevitable death while people still gaped at him. ]

03.

[ The technology wasn't really anything to write home about (as a human might say), if he was being perfectly honest. For one thing, everything was either way too primitive for comfort, or just primitive enough that it almost seemed like something he was used to, only to find out that bullets don't work the same way as thermal clips.

But, as worrying as all of that was, it still managed to count lower among the list of things that Garrus was worrying about. Right at the top was the fact that he had to get used to five fingers. Seriously, what did any species need five fingers for? It definitely didn't help with aim. Staring at his hand intently, he started to wiggle them.

Seriously, what was the point?

There was also the whole issue with facial expressions. Humans might not have subharmonics or mandibles, but damn if they couldn't move every inch of skin on their faces.

So, instead of marveling (or rather: criticizing) at the technology, there was one very baffled man standing in the middle of the sidewalk, making faces at his hand as he wiggled his fingers.

Yeah. He was totally blending in. ]

or...

wildcard

02!

[mobilityassistance]

[All things considered, a crowd was hardly the worst that could have happened. At least everyone seemed rather well-behaved so far for meeting a Turian. Granted they could probably have given him a little space, but at least there wasn't any gunfire yet.

She may not have had much in the way of authority, here, but at least the metal shell was noticeable. And just intimidating enough to make most people take a step back, at least.

If she could be anything even close to approximating surprised, she certainly was as she got closer and realized just who, exactly, it was that the crowd was so interested in. Her expression didn't change much to show it, but then, it never really did.]

Hello, Garrus.

Grant Ward | Agents of SHIELD

[ochroma]

1/2.

[His skin was trying to crawl off. He was keeping his expression in check, judging scowl in place as he left the government agents and entered the brave new world. But, under that? The feeling was definitely his skin trying to crawl off. Which was good, really. Having something to focus on, something to fight and bury, was helpful. One solid task to keep to kept the panic from creeping in. Aliens and other dimensions were old news to his clearance level, but getting thrown into it? Tossed off Earth? Well, if asked he'd say it was above his pay grade. He'd just obey this government's orders and deal. But as it was? As it really was?

Skin. Crawling. Still, he could scowl for the cameras instead of pulling a gun and shooting. For now.

No. No comment. Just- can I get through, here?

3.

[Well, he had to give them credit for this one. Even Stark hadn't gone and started openly defying gravity for the masses. He was still firmly on the ground at the moment, sitting on the grass in a park, weight resting on his wrists as he leaned back, legs stretched before him. He left it to the dumbass teens to fly around above head, letting him store all the pros and cons of their chosen method of transport. Pro: above the ground, able to sail above most humans. Con: not so far above some humans they couldn't reach up and smack you out of the air. May could kill a man on one of those from a hundred paces, he was sure. Clearly it would need some modifications before he really thought about getting one...

But not everyone was up in the air. He was rudely reminded of that fact as he was forced to offer a weak quirk of a smile to the passer-by bumping into his sprawled out legs.]

Hey, there. Watch yourself.

3

[hackitude]

[Skye spots him from behind, from across the park. She wouldn't be able to mistake that silhouette anywhere. She debates for a moment the merits of just going on with her day, of walking past and not engaging. That's what a sensible person would do. But she can't leave well enough alone, when it comes to Ward. So she approaches-- carefully, walking silently, like he taught her to, stopping a few metres behind him out of arm's reach. Even though it would be difficult for him to turn around and grab her from his position sitting down on a park bench, she isn't taking any chances.]

Well well. Look what the cat dragged in. I was wondering what rock you'd crawled under. Enjoying the quiet life, Ward?

Teddy (Hulkling) Altman | Marvel 616

[notasaviour]

2

[It wasn't that he minded the waving and the smiling, really, it was just that he felt like he was getting the applause for nothing. So far, he'd barely had the time to get used to being here, and he wasn't famous or anything. He certainly hadn't done anything to deserve the attention he was getting.

What he really wanted to get something to eat, maybe see if there was anything interesting around here. Find some people his own age, too, who weren't going to stare at him and expect him to pose for photographs.

If he was flying, of course, people wouldn't be able to stop him. The downside to that was that he had to revert to shift the wings into place, and he'd done that once. Never again. Green brought even more attention. Paying very little attention to the people on the street, he sped up, looking for an alley or something to duck down.]

Ah, sorry. Excuse me.

[Or, wildcard option, approach him somewhere. He'll probably be green.]

GUESS WHO GETS FIRSTIES

[selfimage]

[ it was the same old song and dance as before.

multidimensional hopping, a few stops for photo ops, and then a milkshake to follow it all up. Teddy is as easy to spot as Odin's beard among mortal facial hair. it's all too obvious that he has no idea who he's approaching, and when he finally hears the words "excuse me," Loki lifts a brow in response. ]

We've been waiting for you—or, well, Billy has, specifically. [ and then, to himself. ] Oh, how jealous he'll be knowing I got to you first.

[ to Teddy's credit, Loki's a little harder to spot without the horned get-up. instead he's dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a hoodie. inconspicuous among the mortal masses. ]

simon tam ( firefly / serenity )

[auxocardia]

2 - i.

[ This must be what going mad feels like.

He remembers saying it back on Canton. It feels like another life by now, so long ago, and so much has happened since. It had been a facetious comment borne of incredulity at the time - but now it comes back to him, lodges in his brain. It feels so much more real. Is this the kind of thing River sees? Are these the visions that swim through her brain and hijack her senses at the behest of the Alliance?

Did they get him, too?

She talked about needles though, she kept mentioning them. Needles in her head and in her eyes, conjuring up for him her half-useless attempt at an older brother a tableau of horrific scenes. Scenes like that only fit now with the concept of the Alliance in his mind because they've been welded together by too much experience.

Simon looks at the mark on his wrist. Studies it, willing it to give up its secrets. He doesn't remember needles, but then, he doesn't remember much at all.

And then there's a woman from out of nowhere, asking him so excitedly for a picture that he accepts without thinking, posing awkwardly even as he tries to tell her that she's got the wrong person and he's nobody, and now that his brain has caught up he really wishes he could take that agreement back because if that painfully awkward photograph gets into the wrong hands... ]

Wait, please, I--

[ The woman beams at him and scurries off, pleased as you like. He reaches out a hand as if to stop her, but she's gone in a flash. Simon sighs and lets his arm drop lamely back to his side. ]

... Well that's fantastic.

2 - ii.

[ Eventually, Simon comes to the conclusion that he's never going to reconcile what's happening right now with the reality he knows - that he has become surprisingly comfortable with, despite everything. He makes up his mind to find Serenity.

Assuming Serenity is here. Assuming it ever was. And, this one being the biggest, assuming the crew haven't already left him behind.

But first he's going to need data. Something to extrapolate from. He has to know what's happening in order to get out of here. So he'll stop someone, anyone who doesn't look like one of the natives, and ask as politely as he can: ]

Excuse me - can you tell me what's going on here?

i.

[hot4engines]

[Kaylee was quite sure she was seeing things at first- especially because she was aware of the fact that there were people who were near-duplicates of each other here- but the awkwardness, the unsureness makes her certain.

So she sidles up to him, with her usual smile like the sun coming out.]

Aww, c'mon. Doncha like bein' a celebrity?

Legolas / LotR

[cuor]

II

[As a child, Legolas had sat on the borders of his father's realm and looked across the wide expanse of the world. He had dreamed one day of travelling beyond what he saw there, to explore and to know of the many wonders that were to be found in this wide land that Iluvatar had made for them. When he had grown, he had done so; going forth as a messenger for his father to see great towers and wide forests.

Yet here was a land no tale had fortold, and no dream could have predicted.

It was unknown, and therefore wondrous to his eyes. He gazed upon all he saw with curiosity, interested in learning all he could. He greeted the men around him cheerfully, learning quickly that these camras of their were devices which required one to stand quite motionless and smile and the bearer. For what purpose he was not yet certain.

After yet another ritual with a camras, he turned to the one beside him.]

Tell me, what is the purpose of this? What magic do their devices contain that we must stand immobile and smile at them so?

OTHERWISE

[When night fell and the crowds of men returned home, Legolas sought out an area of trees to spend the night in. He did not require sleep, and he wished to be alone for a time to think on all he had seen.

The stars were dimmer here, he noted sadly. Foreign stars whose names and songs he did not know. Perhaps on the morrow he would seek out a man who could tell him of them.

Resting, he sat in the bows of a great oak. He sang to himself a travelling song, which spoke of long paths and new sights. Any entering the park would be sure to hear him, even if it took them some time to find him hidden in the tree.]

2

[hypnotherapy]

[ He's not really paying attention - he's reading through the information he was given, again - and he only looks up when he's addressed. ]

Magic devices? [ He holds up a gloved hand to thwart someone trying to take a picture of him, momentarily. He has to gather his thoughts after the combination of sudden movement and sudden brighter-than-usual light. ] Oh. The camera. It takes a picture of you. But if you move, it blurs. So you're supposed to stand still.