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

Draco Malfoy / that series of books about wizards

[pureblooded]

Muggles.

Crowds and crowds of them.

They had stopped approaching him, at least. After sneering at the first few who approached him, he had taken to simply refusing to respond to their grovelling for his attention. He ought to turn them all into beetles and step on them. If there had been fewer, he would have. They were as insidious as insects, crawling over everything in sight.

He found a bench and scared the two small girls into running away so that he could have it to himself. He sat with his arms folded uncomfortably across his chest, glowering at anyone who dared come near.

This was a mistake of some kind. It had to be. He would go back to that muggle place he had come from and demand they return him. He didn't belong here, after all. He certainly wasn't going to help their pathetic little war. He had his own war to support back home. He already had his mission.

His stomach gurgled hungrily. He ignored it.

[deosil]

"I don't suppose you have more than four lives, do you?"

Ignoring the frightened girls scurrying past, Chise was crouched down a few feet away from the bench. By her feet was a fat orange tabby tom backing in the warm afternoon sun. And there she was, casually trying to chat up a cat more interested in napping than talking.

"I know your king in Ulthar," She said with a bit more force, "If you're not inclined to speak with non-magic humans that's fine - I'm not."

It was after several failed attempts that made trying to squeeze blood from a stone the easier task, did Chise notice the dour boy with the pointed pale face grimacing on the bunch. And he probably just saw her talking to a car.

"...Ah."

Feferi Peixes | Homestuck

[fishingforpuns]

1

[Feferi blinked, looking thoughtful studying the faces around her. She'd never seen so many people in one place. Not in person, at least. Seadwellers were pretty rare, and she'd never had much time away from her lusus, not when Glb'golyb was always so very hungry, so she'd never been able to go to the cities. And everyone was human, too, which was a little weird and strange. At least she was still grey, even if some people did seem to be a little uneasy looking at her.

Oh well. It didn't really matter. There were more people here, and not all of them looked unhappy to see her. Smiling as widely as possible, teeth clearly visible, she approached the nearest friendly-looking face.]

HI! My name is Feferi! Have you just been fished up too?

3/4

[She was still getting used to this place. It was still strange having SO MANY people around, and the technology was SO weird. Why was it all metallic? No bioware at all?

It was because she was staring at the cars, wondering if they were all metal under the bonnets too or if there might be some proper organic technology running them that she noticed the chase, and the people in the way who clearly hadn't noticed.]

HEY! YOU NEED TO WATCH OUT!

[She hefted her fork and considered jumping up. Maybe she could stab the car? That would stop it, right? And, as a bonus, she would get to find out what was in those floating transportation devices.]

1

[totalpacifist]

[Well, this is definitely an unthreatening face, at any rate. X is used to seeing a wide variety of people, but they're usually artificial; this many people who seem to be more organic than not who look so strange is definitely a novel experience for him.

Feferi nudges X and asks him- something about fishing and it takes his processor a second to catch up. He'd been pretty deep in thought.] I- well, yeah, I guess you could say so. Most of us have, right?

Namo/Mandos | Tolkien's Legendarium

[doomsyou]

[2]

[Námo doesn't understand a great deal of what's going on. For all his knowledge of what's to come, his foresight, this is all strange to him. He does try though, he'd found clothes more fitting the style that people here wore so he would blend in. He doesn't look entirely comfortable in them, he misses his robes but at least he's managed to find a hooded shirt to almost make up for it.

Generally speaking, Námo looks human-like but not fully. He looks more like an elf, tall and fair in face with long silvery hair tucked behind pointed ears and eyes so blue they almost shine. And he definitely carries an air of being distinctly inhuman, however much he tries.]

[4]

[It's never been his place to interfere in the fates of those in their world. Námo is the Judge, the Doomsman. Aside from Melkor, he is often the one that his fathers Children would fear.

This isn't his world though. These aren't exactly his fathers children and he can't see the fate of the people here as he could in Eä. It's instinct that moves him, long legs carrying him more quickly than a mortals might and he dives towards them, grabbing them around the waist and twisting in the air to cushion them.

It isn't until the kids are climbing to their feet and thanking him that he realizes the gravity of what he just did: He interfered in the world, in life, as Melkor might. As Melkor did on Arda. The only difference being that he'd saved lives instead of twisting and corrupting them.]

[Wildcard]

[Hit me with whatever!]

[belegurth]

[Even though Námo has changed clothes and form, Melkor still recognized him easily enough.

This is bad.

This is very bad.

He didn't move as he watched Námo of all beings save the kids from the car. He would have thought his brother felt no compulsion to meddle in the fates of this world but a grin slowly appeared across his face. This meant his normally aloof brother felt that same desire to do something even if such a gesture was small on the grand scale of things.

Melkor waited until Námo was on his way once more before he approached him, coming up from behind to wrap his arm around other other Valar's shoulder, pulling him close.]

Could you see their fates? This is not our realm yet you reached out your hand and saved them from death. A very noble act.

asshole with a shitty haircut | the reboot everyone hates

[fuckchild]

01

[You know those days where you haven't had anything to drink, and somehow, you still wake up with a hangover and a headache so strong you're pretty sure that maybe you're hallucinating at this point and quite possibly somewhere in your questionable state you wonder if your headache was caused by being smacked with a brick?

Okay, well, maybe not all of those things are normal, but that's exactly how Dante feels. He's too frustrated, confused and slightly appreciative of the female soldier's rack to really start an argument.]

No, thanks, I can walk on my own.

[He shrugs off the soldier, who's trying to tear after him. He's already gone too far by now. At some point, he just. Stops.

He stops and stares upward, covering his eyes with his hands and screwing up his face to avoid the direct sunlight. That's when he notices the tattoo.]

What the fuck?

[What the hell kind of wild night did he have...?]

03

[No, but seriously, maybe he's still drunk or still suffering from a concussion after that lovely little battle with Lilith. Is he seriously in Back to the Future?

He debates if he wants to kick one of the hovering motorcycles on its side, but he digresses. It's cruel to tip cows.]

Something tells me there aren't cigarettes here.

[Said as he cups his hands and peers through a convenience store. This place looks too... nice for anything like that. But he knows better. Everything has a shadow.]

3

[standsproud]

It's a city. Of course there's cigarettes.

[Said by a very tall and broad-shouldered young man with a rockin' hat and long coat. The two of you have similar styles, Dante.]

Motoko Kusanagi | Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

[majormalfunction]

02.

If it wasn't her hair or her eyes catching everyone's attention, it could certainly have been her outfit. No one really seemed to be paying attention to the expression on her face, which would have told anyone else to leave her the hell alone. And autographs? Really? She wasn't some airheaded movie star who thrived on the attention. While she might have appreciated a little credit now and then, she was supposed to be the dirty little secret. The classified ace in the hole when no one else could manage to do their job.

And not to mention this sure as hell wasn't Japan...and even if it was America, the tech was off. Since when did the cars drive in the air?

Something was very, very wrong here.

So instead of shoving people out of her way (which was sorely tempting at the moment), she folded her arms over her chest and shut her eyes. But the diagnostics didn't return any errors.

"It isn't a hack then. Or a virus. The attack barriers should have repelled anything and I would have known about it.

"What the hell is going on?"

((Prose or brackets are both fine!))

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

A veteran of the 22nd century, Jacob was always on the lookout for new arrivals who could commiserate with him over being trapped in this warped version of Earth's past. When he spotted the Major on the street, he quickly got the idea that she might be from a different time, or at least a world with a different level of technical development. Her clothes had a futuristic edge to them, and she was talking tech.

The purple hair might have meant something too.

Jacob walked up to her, casual and dressed in the same style of clothing as the locals. "Hey, you look like you're new around here. Can I help you with something?"

sabetha belacoros | gentleman bastard sequence

[belacoros]

03.

[ In her line of work, it pays to be adaptable. And while Sabetha Belacoros prides herself on many things —adaptability definitely being one of them—she hadn't imagined it would extend to something like this. The only familiarity here is the smell of the ocean. The irritating residents offering her free drinks and waving at her, on the other hand? Well, it's not half as fun when marks are so willing.

And then there's everything else. The cars, for one thing. And the... other vehicles. It's quite a bit harder to move around in her preferred style with those gods-damned contraptions hovering everywhere. The rooftops don't seem like such a safe bet if one wants to remain inconspicuous.

For this reason, other imPorts may notice Sabetha nimbly climbing down from an aforementioned rooftop and only narrowly avoiding a hovering motorcycle that rounds the corner at a remarkable speed and zooms past her. Her expression is something akin to calmly murderous. ]

Gods. What is wrong with this place?

WILDCARD.

[ Wildcard!?! Have you noticed your pockets are suddenly lighter after a redheaded stranger walks past you? Quick—she's just disappearing around a corner now. ]

wildcard

[janebond]

[ You chose the wrong person to rob, honey, that's her fake wallet with her money and cover ID and credit cards. It is a pain when you're broke and a spy and Nikita is going to be wanting that back, tyvm. Or anyway - the cover is. ]

— Hey! Stop!

Max Payne | Max Payne game series

[envy_the_nayme]

3)

[Max hates everything right now, but a few items in particular are standing out at the top of the list. They are: 1) himself 2) the Porter or whatever it's called 3) mirror dimensions 4) tattoos that claim he's a hero 5) hovering motorcycles that look like they came out of an old Elvis movie.

There's not much he can do about any of those things though, which honestly suits him just fine. He'd much rather just stand on the street and stare at the bizarre floating transportation drifting past him, as though it will just wink out of existence if he rejects it strongly enough. It's not working too well, so he decides to throw some words behind the sentiment and see if that helps:]

What the hell is happening?

[friendshiprocks]

[ ENJOY THE TINY SMALL CHILD, MAX. Hime just kind of sighs in the sort of way that's 'here we go again'—she is obviously pretending to be old hat at this, despite the fact that she arrived here only a few months ago. ]

Let me guess: new here?

Nikita Bishop | Nikita

[janebond]

→ three

[ Colour her unsurprised. Or more accurately, colour her a healthy shade of surprised. She's been down in this neighbourhood once already, at night, pressing her fingers to the pulse of the city and waiting to tap the veins and cut where it suits her. In the daytime it's a different world. She dresses down, wearing gloves to cover the tattoo. The first thing she'd done once the tails dwindled from three to one (but they still have the file - problem can be handled later) was get a haircut and a dye job. The spy disappears: replaced by a young up-and-coming police detective, enjoying getting to know the city. Half the knives are still on her person: nothing could always turn into something. ]

[ The jukebox in here is worth looking at - digital when everything outside is incongruently from the 50s. She presses some buttons aimlessly, frowns like she's looking for something that she can't find, and then hmms curiously. ]

[ Addressing the person nearest, ] Does this have Bluetooth?

→ wildcard

[ It doesn't take long to find an arms dealer who wouldn't miss a crate. She's missing a submachine gun (or five) from her usual arsenal and at least two sniper rifles, but the variables here call for caution rather than the usual hurricane - superpowers are rampant and even an ability to manipulate UHT milk products can turn into a dangerous weapon in the right hands. She rents a car under her cover's name, and patiently stakes them out. Wherever they store their weapon specs and shipping details, it needs to be found and and put to better use. ]

[ She picks the empty roof opposite, and crouching there with a pair of binoculars, marking down who comes, security on the outside, and points of egress. In and out, nine minutes total. Now she can proceed, if it weren't for this pesky person who's just landed on the roof and seems to have the same idea. ]

Identify yourself.

→ three

[totalpacifist]

[X is starting to get used to interacting with humans again; it's been so many years that he's forgotten how similar they are to reploids. So when a woman who is probably just talking to herself -or maybe that harried waitress- asks a question that's been bothering him all afternoon, he can't help but pipe up.]

If you can figure out how to get that thing to work, could you let me know? I can't find any kind of familiar interface on it.

Sabriel | Old Kingdom Chronicles

[bindsthedead]

01) Between the unnatural pallor of her skin, and her sword and surcoat, Sabriel looks completely out of place in sunny, futuristic Florida. When she hears the explanation, her expression shifts from wariness, to disbelief, to outright exasperation, although her practical side is relieved by the promise of a place to stay and a way to support herself.

"And you're sure there's no way to send us back?"

02) [While a hauberk and surcoat were a reasonable outfit in the Old Kingdom, in Florida, they made you stand out. And that was how Sabriel found herself surrounded by a small crowd in the malt shop, sending small lights floating through the air and small objects zooming into her hands.

When someone pointed to the bandolier of bells, asking if they could hear her play them, she shook her head, her smile slipping off her face, her voice suddenly becoming stern.]

No. That wouldn't be a good idea.

00) [Wildcard! What would you like a teenage necromancer to get mixed up in?]

02

[wonk]

[Magic! Roxy is all over magic, and finds her way to the front of the crowd, grin on her face. She is so ready for this.]

Are you a wizard?

Count Dooku | Star Wars

[smooth_sith]

4)

Being stranded on this primitive backwater known as 'Earth' has not been a complete loss for Darth Tyranus of the Sith. Certainly, he misses the prestige of leading the Separatist Alliance, the might of its limitless droid armies, the comforts of spacefaring civilization. But here, he can make his own mark without the puppeteering of his Master, Lord Sidious. And the undeveloped local population is so very easy to impress.

Standing on the street corner, still wearing his customary black clothing from his own Galaxy, Dooku sees the car pursuit approaching and acts swiftly. Some people might see the imminent deaths of two small children as a tragedy to be avoided. For Dooku, it is an opportunity to be exploited. A wave of the arm, and the two boys fly into the air, carried by telekinesis to land out of harm's way. The fleeing hovercar smashes their boards behind him. As it passes, Dooku stretches out his hand and calls upon the power of the Dark Side. Blue lightning flows forth and fries the car's engine with a crackling sizzle. The car drops to the ground, halted.

The two boys are shaken, sniffling, but alive. Dooku walks past them without a sideways glance. He strides up to the car as its driver stumbles out, visibly drunk. The Count wrinkles his nose, then curls his hand into a fist. The driver gags, clutches at his throat, begins to choke, feeling his neck squeezed by an invisible, iron hand.

"Your recklessness and stupidity almost cost these children their lives," Dooku booms, his voice rich and commanding. He flexes his power, and his victim's feet leave the ground. The driver dangles helpless in the air, gurgling. "For your sake, it is fortunate they are unharmed."

The police cars have since come to a stop, and officers are getting out, regarding Dooku with wary gratitude. The Count flings the driver to the side, letting him fall in a heap at their feet. Witnesses are already gathering- people shooting lightning out of their hands tends to attract attention. Some of them applaud Dooku's display of power. Others seem nervous by the part where he choked a guy to teach him a lesson.

Awe mingled with fear- exactly the kind of impression a Sith Lord would want to make.

[bindsthedead]

It's an impressive display of power- and Sabriel claps a little before stepping forward.

"Thank you," Sabriel says, bowing her head respectfully. Her own cloths make it easy to tell she's not around here- mail armour and surcoats aren't normal Heropa fashion.

"Although perhaps strangling them was a little excessive?" It's not a castigation, but it's delivered without much fear- Sabriel's faith in her own abilities may or may not be excessive- and more with the respect Sabriel would give to any older mage.

Captain Raymond Holt | Brooklyn Nine-Nine

[midsoup]

3)

[Holt is adjusting to these strange new circumstances as well as one could be expected to. He's currently examining the wares of a consumer electronics store, on the hunt for a new smartphone to supplement the government-issued communicator. Having just one personal electronic organizer strikes him as foolhardy to the point of recklessness.

The model he is currently viewing is more 'smart' than it might appear. It is roughly the size and shape of a generous brick, and weighs enough that Holt is already mentally calculating whether or not it could be covered under Florida's weapons bylaws as a blunt object. However, when he finds the hologram projection function, the phone's true beauty appears. A blue three-dimensional diagram rotates in front of his face: a table, figures, regression functions.]

Three-dimensional statistical analysis. Fully interactive. It's... breathtaking.

[Said with the energy of a woodblock, yet the sincerity of a prayer.]


wildcard- Anything you want!

[quantifies]

[Croach is also shopping for a new phone, as there was an unfortunate incident with an incontinent poodle at his job earlier today. The poodle will never be the same.]

It is impressive technology for this time period, but I would rather have a device programmed with the artificial intelligence that is common on my planet.

Cullen | Dragon Age (Inquisition)

[feelslikequiet]

2:

[The sight of a blond man walking down the sidewalk in any city in Florida probably wouldn't be enough to cause a stir, ordinarily. The sight of a blond man in full plate armor, surcoat, and fur pauldrons is... well, that's a different story altogether.

He's been pointed in the direction of a clothing store, given an address on a scrap of paper, but it still remains for him to actually find the bloody place. The city is so different from what he's used to (although navigating Val Royeaux springs to mind), the technology so completely alien, that he's becoming distracted at almost every turn. Children are flying past him on tiny boards and laughing about it--some sort of game? It's completely boggling, and Cullen finds himself wishing for the umpteenth time that he would just wake up already.

And so it happens that the first woman catches him completely off guard. She appears on the sidewalk beside him as he's turning back from watching a hover car pass by, and he has to come to a sudden stop to keep from crashing into her. He starts to apologize but he can barely get the words out before she's asking for a picture. And then her friend pipes up. And another.

And now Cullen is surrounded by a gaggle of people all wanting pictures, asking questions, reaching out to touch his armor, the fur on his shoulders. Asking his name. Asking who does his hair.

It's Halamshiral all over again. Someone save him.]


3.

[If he's thought it once, he's thought it a hundred times. This technology is baffling.

Cullen is currently sitting on a bench outside an ice cream parlor, staring intently down at a little rectangle of plastic and light and frustration in his hands. It's the communicator he was given upon his arrival, and though he was briefly shown how to use it, there's just nothing intuitive about this cursed thing. He flicks a finger across the screen and sneers as the contraption does the exact opposite of what he'd been trying to accomplish.

Is this really how these people live?

He tries again.]

What? No! Maker's breath, you horrid little piece of--

3.

[deosil]

Do you want help?

[ Chise walked up to the bench with a melting ice cream cone held in one hand and her own smartphone in the other. After what little she picked up from the more tech-savvy imPorts she had gleaned a reasonable understanding of how they worked.

It was not like her to walk up to complete strangers in the least bit, but their all being in the same boat made her somewhat more sympathetic to her fellow man. ]

X ||| Mega Man X

[totalpacifist]

02 - JUNGLE GYM

[A metal man in bright, shiny blue armor is definitely attention worthy to the families who visit the docks on imPort day. And it's pretty obvious by the gaggle of kids with their parents snapping pictures a few feet away that X wasn't quick enough to get away.]

Oh- well, sure, I guess so. But I- oh okay, [X says lamely as a few more children climb up to hang off his his arms. He already has two with their arms wrapped around his neck, shrieking happily, two and three off of each arm and a few smaller ones attempting to hang off of his waist. He's not exactly tired, but he might be getting tired of it and it's pretty clear he's just way too much of a pushover to say no to a bunch of pleading kids.

He attempts to catch the eye of any passers by and give them his most pleading look. Please. Please save him.]


03 - TECHNOLOGIC

[For all X understands technology, he's having a hell of a time figuring out this jukebox. He knows the slot does something but it says twenty-five, like twenty-five what? And there's no hardline interface and nothing is holographic, so how does he use this? he pokes ineffectually at it for a while before giving up and heading outside into the sunlight, shielding his eyes and almost getting blindsided by a hovering motorcycle that went way too close to the curb.

The cyclist shouts something rude at him and X lifts a hand.] Oh- sorry! [It was probably his fault. Even if it wasn't, he would've been fine and the cyclist wouldn't have, so it's really only fair he apologize.

But he needs to find his way home. He searches for a hub he can sync up to for a map of the area and...can't. There are some high-frequency bands and radio signals, but none of them are accepting his interface handshake and he's not even sure he's compatible. He knows he was given some ancient comm device to use for navigation but the display is just...weird. He can't interface with it wirelessly either, except to post to the network and what good will that do him if he can't even find his house?

So he searches for the first person he thinks might be a fellow imPort and gestures,] Sorry- hi. Do you know how to get to the housing district...?

2

[hypnotherapy]

[ He's not inclined to pay too much attention, but--huh, that sure is a robot. Being accosted by small children.

Being unwillingly accosted by small children. Oh dear. He supposes he should help, if only because he's more inclined to be immediately useful to other artificial beings. ]

There are plenty of other imports to look at. [ He casually lifts the kids down, getting them off X with the minimum amount of fuss. He doesn't like humans very much, but if there's one thing he's learned from his operator it's parental instinct. ] Including me. Yes, I know. My coat's the same colour. We're not related.

[ He spends time shooing them off before he straightens up to look at X again. ]

Better? [ His voice is clipped; his movements are awkward. Though he looks completely human, it's probably not all that he is. Or was. ]

pariya | otoyomegatari

[pariya]

[There's a girl wandering around the city streets of Heropa today. A girl who looks quite out of place. She wears rather a lot of heavy-looking elaborate jewellery on her person, with many layers of clothes that are richly hand-embroidered with patterns all over. She carries a wooden bow in one hand-- last thing she remembers before she woke up here, she was out hunting on the plains.

Pariya is not only surprised by Heropa. She is positively gawking at it. She doesn't stay still long enough for any of the locals to approach her.]

Hey! Hey, it's flying! [She says, pointing at a local speeding by on a passing hover-board.]

HELLO YOU HAVE EXCELLENT TASTE

[hypnotherapy]

That's a hoverboard. It flies.

[ This guy is just...tall. And dressed very simply, compared to the girl's patterned clothing.

He stares at her ornate, layered clothing and then up at the annoyingly bright Florida sun. ]

Your clothing. Isn't it too warm for this weather? [ His sentences are clipped and awkwardly precise. ]

Eru Iluvatar | Tolkien

[songcrafter]

2.
Eru had taken a form for the first time ever. One best suited to this world, though the world itself and the universe it belonged to were not of his making. Some of his Children were here, and this was an age much like one he'd want to save them from. But hadn't.

But here he was, and he'd decided to sit. Watch. And learn the nuances of the daily life of those who belonged, and did not belong. It was precisely why he'd taken such an old appearance. Who would suspect one such as he to appear so old? Dressed well, still, though in clothes barely suited for the time. That was the only oddity of the old man sitting at the docks with a thermos in hand.

Wildcard. He'll just take to wandering, so feel free to catch him anywhere, doing little more than watching and exploring.

[ahappyending]

[Well well well.

It's not often even she sees someone like this. Someone cosmic.] It's nice to watch them, isn't it?

Each of them with their own lives and their own hopes and dreams. A thousand different stories being told right in front of our eyes.

Shovel Knight | The game with his name

[shovelrous]

02.

The diminutive knight, standing just beyond four feet in height not including the helmet horns, lifted a sizely vanilla milkshake's straw to the opening in his helm as he strolled along the pavement. The clank-clunk of his armor, punctuated by the occasional slurp as an air bubble formed within the drink, made him something of a spectacle among the locals.

By the third instance that he was asked where his parents were, joined by being addressed as 'kiddo', he had the feeling that he was in for a never-ending circle of misunderstandings. Nothing that tried his patience, no, as he was accustomed to the mistake for being more on the short side, but he did wish they wouldn't pat his head as they did so!

"Brutus, no! NO! You leave that child alone!!" Shovel Knight turned his head, then started. A rottweiler was bounding toward him, leash dragging behind it, owner distraught, and the knight was no good at animal body language.

Coughing and hacking, for he'd inhaled some of his milkshake in a gasp, he turned and ran as quickly as he could!


04.

You bet your bottom dollar he was going to get right in there. Reaching back, he sped down the sidewalk, retrieving his shovel from its place strapped to his back. If he had any of his artifacts from home, then he could simply speed onto the scene, grab them and make his way to the other side of the street. If Shield Knight was here, they could...

No, he was alone. He had to think quickly!

...That was when the spade of his shovel, in his distraction, tapped the pavement.

"What the-!?" The ground moved beneath him, jutting suddenly, shooting the blue knight off like a pinball. Hurtling through the air, he was uncertain how he got himself in this predicament, but he was heading right for those kids! He curled his body and entered a flip, righting himself and landing.

The shovel was twirled in a hand, and he set to work, piercing asphalt and digging right through. By three hauls of asphalt, stone and soil, it was deep enough. It had to be deep enough. Looping arms with both kids, he jumped into the hole. No sooner had they disappeared into the trench did the hover car haul ass right over it, not even bothering to slow with the cops right behind him. They swerved to dodge the hole, and continued on their pursuit, the doppler-effected sirens filling their ears.

"Are you both all right?" The kids, though shaken, nodded. With a breath of relief, he helped them back up and out of the hole, the adrenaline making his hands shaky. That was too close...

But when he emerged last, he cleared his throat and straightened his helmet. He needed to calm down. After waving goodbye to the kids as they hurried along to the opposite sidewalk, he set to work filling this hole back up again, watching warily for any more oncoming traffic.

4

[hot4engines]

Kaylee had watched the whole scene from a distance, unable to get there in time to help, impressed with the way the armored figure had helped save the kids from the racing car. She was happy to see that it turned out okay- and even more impressed that he stayed to fill the hole back in.

"Say, that was pretty impressive! I ain't never seen someone dig a hole that fast."

Colorman.EXE | Megaman Battle Network

[ballbutt]

03.

[As amazing as the technology of Cape Canaveral was, even it wasn't immune to hacking or mayhem from within its networks. Those hoverboards? Now speeding across town at maximum velocity with no way to turn it off normally. The jukebox? It's screeching loudly, playing a mix of its selection all at once in a disastrous cacophony of sound. And the digital advertisements around the area have been replaced with the image of a bizarre looking clown with a large polka dot ball replacing its legs, laughing giddily at all the chaos he was causing.

Confront the troublemaker?]


wildcard.

[You might be walking along today, minding your own business or trying to come to grips with this world as it flips everything you know upside down and then some when a ball out rolls in front of you. It's just a normal looking plastic ball, something kids would play with, so it's nothing too out of the ordinary. But then another ball comes bouncing along. A rubber ball. And then another -- a steel ball, this time.

Whether or not you've stopped to puzzle where all the balls are coming from and why, the next ball comes smacking into the side of your head, and bounces off harmlessly. Obnoxious snickering follows the ball, identifying the perpetrator as a brightly dressed teenager sitting on a large polka dotted ball.]

Ooooops!

wildcard 8|

[hypnotherapy]

[ Colorman gets a mettaur virus about the same size as that ball being casually thrown towards him in return. It meeps as it rebounds off his face with no harm done.

The summoner is obvious. ]

So you did get something else. Interesting. [ He waves a hand and dismisses the virus.

He picks up the steel ball to inspect it. Completely solid. ] This is a lot of power for someone as irresponsible as you.

[ He sounds mildly amused rather than, you know, dismayed at all. ]

sara lance | arrow

[canarys]

01

[ The sunlight and debriefing are so sudden and succinct that even moments after the soldiers have left them, she's still dazed. And then she realizes that no, it's not just the sun. Her head is spinning, and aching worse than she'd felt after any fight.

Luckily, she can see that the others with her are just as out of their element. She doesn't blame them one bit. ]

I guess it's too much to hope that this is just a dream. [ It's said dryly with a weak smile. ]

some dark alleyway at night

[ In an unfamiliar world, this is familiar. It's comforting. Almost.

Sara stays close to the ground, close to the shadows. It's only when she comes across someone with their back to the wall, and an assailant advancing on them that she extends her staff and reveals herself. It's over in moments, the guy being nothing more than some lowlife with a knife. Once he's down on the ground, she spins her staff to tuck under her arm and turns to the other person. ]

You should get out of here.

( ooc: Feel free to be the rescuee or someone lurking nearby! )

alleyway

[loremasters]

[ Elrond does not fear the night. He never has.

Though the stars are somewhat obscured by the haze of modern-day pollution, his keen sight reaches beyond what a mortal's would, allowing him to see these sky diamonds. So similar to the ones Elbereth created, though the scientists have assured him that these twinkling lights are other planets and not Valar-made.

He's been wandering around the city by himself, seemingly unarmed and available for mugging. At least according to the ruffian who tugged him into the little alley. There isn't more than a few minutes between the tugging and abruptly being saved, though. In fact, Elrond is still trying to figure out if the human is serious when Sara arrives.

And, you know, lends a hand to the over six and a half foot elf staring down at her bemusedly. That was a competent show of force, and the former herald knows all about force. ]

Are you injured, m'lady?

richie gecko | from dusk till dawn: the series

[monstruo]

[[ ooc; btw, pretend these icons don't have glasses in them 8T he's not wearing them. ]]

01.) [ the heavy wooden doors of carlos's club had only just closed behind seth, the sound seeming more deafening than it should be, and echoing louder in the empty club than it probably ought to, depsite the fairly decent acoustics. he's closed his eyes, like the finality of it was a physical blow he'd flinched away from. it wouldn't be the first time he was completely without his big brother - after all, he'd spent that lovely little vacation out in the woods before pritchard came to fetch him. but it'd be the first time seth actually left him. not threatened to, not talked about it like it was going to happen - actually left. "abandoned", richie's mind echoes, but he knows that's unfair. it's not seth that broke up the gecko brothers. he'd wanted to go, sure - richie didn't want to think of stupid, hot-headed seth with his bad tactics and terrible choice in heist partners heading back out into the world, and doubtlessly, to another job or five hundred without richie there to watch his back. but the world wasn't just richie and seth anymore. not after all of this. and hadn't been, for longer than he thinks either of them wants to admit.

but he'd said "don't bother". it should be certain, in his head, that seth doesn't mean it. should be, but it isn't. it stung, and seth was gone before richie's mind could rebound enough to respond. he could have pulled something over his head, run out after him, waited until dusk and gone with. but things had changed, and all this? it was only the beginning. there was still more to do, and there was santanico, and the fact that all of this had started to feel like it fit, like he needed to be a part of it. for the first time in a while, richie felt strong. stable, and able to take care of himself. as much as he'd looked after seth before, gone to extreme lengths to keep his brother safe (the only one he'd ever really had - blood), it spoke very little of how well richie felt things were kept together. like there wasn't something he needed to figure out, keep his eye on, prepare for. but even all that, over seth?

well, he hadn't really had time to consider what his choice actually was, and why, because, when he opens his eyes again, it's to a lab, remnants of a bright blue light just fading. the rest happens in a blur; people in military uniforms talking, richie's head feeling light and dizzy, getting shuffled elsewhere and looking down at something that stings at his wrist, only to find a new tattoo there. and then, there's the sidewalk, and the city. his neck cranes as richie's eyes lift to skim up the buildings, and look out over what's obviously a military base. are those palm trees? since when does mexico have palm trees on the texas border? this isn't cancun, but everything sure does smell like dead fish and way too much sunlight. and tourism. so much tourism.

for about a full minute, richie's slowly turning around in a circle, ignoring the people around him, to try to figure out what the actual fuck this is and where the shit he ended up in, or what weird hallucination this is supposed to be, and what dark corner of his mind decided florida was an appropriate place to go to. there's people shouting about files (something that was shoved into his hand a moment ago, along with a briefcase that seems fairly heavy, ignored for the moment), cars, "imports" and free malts. free malts?

that's about when it occurs to him, as he squints over to the call of free malts, narrowing his eyes against the sun. he's not burning up. or dissolving into a cloud of dust. not that he has a whole lot of experience or knowledge about how that happens, but it sort of seemed like an 'on contact, instantaneously" sort of gig. yeah, that should be happening, but it's not. ]

Huh. [ he lifts a hand to look over it, wiggling his fingers some in the sunlight, looking normal as ever, save for the fact there isn't a hole in his hand anymore. well. okay. vampirism is weird, but whatever, he'll take it. ]

Cool.

[ that's it. time to get a malt. he'll be going for strawberry. ]

02.) [ now that a malt has been acquired, richie's found a booth to settle himself into, placing the briefcase that was handed to him down on the table carefully, his file on top of it. a moment passes as he sips at the malt's straw (sure does look 27 going on 11), peering closely at the file contents. one thing he knows - no surprise. one thing that's convenient. one thing that seems like a joke, but honestly? not complaining. it's flipped closed and slid to the side, before his hands go to the clasp on the briefcase, and eventually, he pries the lid open... a little shocked at what's chilling out inside. there is an albino snake, something viper-looking, with too prominent red veins showing beneath its scales, and it is very casually sliding out of the briefcase, no big deal, snake in a box, he travels like this all the damn time, you feel? ]

What the fuc-- woah. [ richie near on shoves the briefcase, jerking back from it, but having enough presence of mind to hold it still rather than... fling it across the room into someone's face. that would be Bad. though, because his hand is still on the case, the snake takes the opportunity to climb over his wrist, wrapping under and around richie's suit-clad forearm, beginning to crawl up him in a very familiar sort of way, that probably isn't a sight most people want to experience in polite society. not that richie often has much concern about his image in polite society, but, can we... not do this right now? ] Nono, not here--

[ omfg, trying not to knock his malt over, but also trying to pry a big ass, ancient aztec legend snake off of his now bicep before it tries to crawl into his mouth, because, believe it or not, this is a legitimate concern. he's actually not really sure how the snake got out of him in the first place? look, the last several hours of richie's life have been like a very convuloted acid trip. snake swallowing hadn't been on the agenda when he woke up that morning, but, you know, shit happens. now, he's trying direct the snake back towards the briefcase, but it doesn't seem to have much interest in going back into its fancy snake-box. though, as his mind churns on what the fuck is my sort of demi-goddess sort of girlfriend's blood snake doing in my briefcase, the normality that has been cape canaveral so far is starting to bleed a little back into... the not so normality of the last several hours. and he might be squinting a little closer at the snake, tilting his head like he can look it in the eyes as if it's a person. aaaand talking to it. muttering, at least. ] Can you... hear me?

[ worth a shot. the answer, however, is: no, richie. she can't fucking hear you. it's a fucking snake, not a walkie-talkie. the snake isn't about to talk to you either, you loser. ]

01!!

[insurgent]

[ now, helena isn't normal by any definition (and she revels in that, tyvm), but she likes to think of herself as rational. she's abnormal, sure, but it's logical for her -- no, it's justifiable. her loss left her off-kilter. and the following revelation that her father caused said loss stabilized her grief, retooling it into anger.

not normal, no, but definitely explainable.

richie spinning, muttering, letting his freak flag fly. now, that's weird, seemingly lacking cause.

absolutely worth investigating. ]

[ helena strides over to richie, all confidence and light interest, arms crossed more for sass purposes than defensive ones. she squirks an eyebrow and offers him a half-smile. when she speaks, her tone maintains an easy casualness. ] Having trouble finding your center of gravity?

[ y'know, with the spinning. ]

3 - THE IRON BULL | dragon age: inquisition

[rideme]

[Holy shit.]

[No, really. That's the first thought in his head, seeing the goddamn flying cars. How do they work? Is it magic? Some kind of mage-powered crap? There doesn't look like there are any glowing runes or sparkles or whatever they use to make shit work.]

[Don't even get him started on the projections and jukeboxes.]

[Trying to turn over a parked car got him nowhere -- except yelled at. Maybe by you. Maybe it was your car. Or maybe you just happened to see a huge, metallic-skinned, horned, man trying to flip a car.]

[Either way, he'll abandon it, in favor of scooping up a skateboard left unattended, and turning it over in broad hands.]

... gotta be some kind of magic crap.

[bloodyantivan]

[So Zevran thinks he might like Heropa.

The bustle, the heat, the people in various states of undress... the humidity and the stink of political corruption behind the gleaming, clean business facades. It reminds him of his beloved Antiva City, truly.

One among the shirtless he did not expect to see is a qunari in little more than trousers and a brace. Not that it is a sight he regrets to see, so long as no converting is going on.]

It may be magic, true, and yet I've seen it handled by children who do not seem to be casting spells - a toy, like a hobble horse, only faster and more dangerous. Would not even the famed black powder of the qunari seem as magic to those who'd never seen or heard of it?

irene adler ♕ bbc's sherlock (reposting closer to app date!)

[herrin]

( ooc: would prefer no fourth-walling because that could get dreadfully confusing considering the number of adaptations that are out there for sherlock holmes. )

two.

( compared to the rest of the new arrivals that seemed to be getting the full paparazzo treatment, irene adler seems to hardly stand out at all - and that suits her just fine. her white work suit was a bit upscale, but no one could mistake it for any kind of costume. instead, she was observing the spectacle, a folder tucked neatly under one arm - hers, put away for the moment while she could ponder the idea of powers and their existence in the rational world she knew.

or at least, that was the plan. pity, then, that a young boy passing her by caught a glimpse of her wrist and the tattoo there and rushed up to her, autograph book in hand. Please? I almost have them all! he begged in a childish type lisp, and for a moment irene was caught unprepared, the look on her face conflicted. )

Well, then. I'd best help you on your quest. ( her accent immediately screamed not from around here, but the way things were going so far, she had a feeling she wasn't the only one. taking the notebook from the boy, who was grinning from ear to ear, she flipped through it nonchalantly under the guise of finding an empty page, committing some of the other signatures to memory as she did so. they had cartoon-y names, the sort that you found in comic books or dime store novels.

her own signature was a flourish across the page, illegible in the end, though with enough style to satisfy a child. )

Now, one good turn deserves another, wouldn't you say? ( she smiled at the child conspiratorially, leaning down closer to him. ) I don't suppose you could tell me where I might find a shop that sells lady's clothes around here?

( as not-costumey as her white work suit was, it was very much her. and she would rather not be so easily identifiable. note to self: get something with long sleeves. )

Zevran Arainai || Dragon Age: Origins

[bloodyantivan]

01. [It is somewhat uncomfortable to find yourself surrounded by humans in strange clothes with clipboards, telling you in precise, clean words that they have a file on you and this and that.

This is a bright place, and these people are clearly the ones in control, so Zevran sees that the logical choice is to follow instructions. He slips into the car next to him, the leather of his armor skirt fanning a little. He eyes the glowing tattoo with a frown, turning to the person next to him:]

It is not the design I would have chosen, alas.

[ahappyending]

Aw, but it looks so good on you.

Toothiana | Rise of the Guardians

[exchangesfor]

2)

[A young woman covered completely in feathers is fluttering around on her wings as she goes from person to person (yes, that means you), prompting them to open their mouth (or sticking her fingers right in there) so she could peer at their teeth and leave advice and praises where she can. The fact that she's still holding on to her phone is nothing short of a small miracle. (Her file is long gone, unfortunately)]

Oh, your teeth are fabulous!

[or]

You should floss more often.

[or]

Aww, look at that. Your lateral incisor is about to fall out! Don't forget to leave it under your pillow.


4)
[The sight of the speeding car rushing towards the children has her charging forward before she has time to think. With the rapid flap of her wings, she reaches the children a few seconds before the car does and grabs them in her arms. For her small stature, she's deceptively strong as she flies off into the air with both children, circling around before dropping them off on the other side of the street]

Thank goodness. Are you two all right?

[she's a little surprised when the children just cheer and whoop about how awesome that was instead. At least that answers her question]

2

[microbrobotics]

[ Lookit this little monster with his gaggle of crooked teeth. He makes a vaguely annoyed sound around her fingers. ]

-- Hey!

Sakura Kinomoto l Cardcaptor Sakura

[keystaff]

2:

[Sakura has certainly, thanks to the best friend, definitely arrived in costume. So she's getting possibly more attention than she is used to. Which is more than a little overwhelming given the circumstances.

And when she ducks into the malt shop to try get away from the crowds, that doesn't seem any less packed than outside right now. Unfortunately. She takes a deep breath and a seat, trying to calm herself down.]

Everything will be okay. For sure. I'll....figure something out.

04:

[It's not even something she really considers. The crowd. People seeing. Not when those kids are right in the way of that incoming car. Sakura's eyes widen, taking in the situation as she turns at the sound of the engine, the horn beeping.

She reacts quickly, using her Sealing Wand to activate the 'Jump' card.]

The key that holds the power of darkness. Reveal your true form to me. I, Sakura, command thee under convert. Release!

[There's a bright light as the staff extends, before she pulls out the Jump card, slamming the beak of the staff to it and yelling: 'Jump'! Her sneakers gain wings as she leaps much higher than a girl her size should manage, jumping to knock the children out of the way and down to the ground.

It hurts, but she doesn't really care. So long as the children are safe and unharmed. Or, comparatively unharmed as they may have been otherwise.]

4

[exchangesfor]

[Toothiana draws back with a sharp gasp as she watches the events transpire. It was too late for her to react but it isn't too late for her to fly over and hover over the three children with concern on her features]

Oh my goodness. Are you all right?

Roy Harper | DCnU/Red Hood and the Outlaws

[stagethreeclinger]

01). Actually, sister, as much as I'm sure you'd rock the 'cellphones for the technologically allergic' tutorial like nobody's business, I'm actually cool without?

[ roy harper is kind of loud. and frankly, never shuts up, so maybe this is the first time you've overheard his voice, or maybe this is the 54895574923758915th time you've overheard his voice. either way, he's not too far away, chatting at the wide smiling government woman trying to shuffle roy into his complimentary car ride. he's wide smiling right back, but while the congenial, casual seeming chat goes on, he's ducking and leaning and sidling out of reach and further from said car. yeah, not really his style. ]

And, I'm assuming here, but if you've got the Jetson's style hovercars, that probably means GoogleMaps is kickin', right? So, I'll pass on the totally not creepy military taxi ride to my cubical housing, if it's all the same, you know, conservation of gas, helping the environment, I could use the excercise, ad infinitum. Greattalk,thanks,noyouhaveawonderfulday!

[ aaand, he's off. despite being six foot whatever, wearing fairly bright colors, a horribly tacky trucker hat, and having ginger-red hair, he's surprisingly good at slipping away and getting lost from the woman in the surrounding crowd in barely an instant. skills, yo. skills. it's not for any great reason of paranoia that he doesn't want to go with the government folks (well, aside from the fact all this is creepy and getting into cars with strangers is like Basic Childrens' Guidelines To Life 101), he just prefers to do the leg work on this kind of thing. that, and, the idea of being shipped off to some room, alone? sort of sets him uneasy. it didn't escape him that neither kori or jason were around the area when he got up streetside, and roy hasn't done well on his own, in the past. maybe part of him wants to hold out hope in running into them getting into some sort of ridiculous trouble somewhere.

in the mean time, he'll be content to wander the city, cellphone out and in hand, as he snaps pictures of every little thing here and there. on the scale of Shit Roy's Ended Up In? multiversal clusterfuck in the 50s au of metropolis? eh. kori's space ship was cooler. aaand, he's still talking. talking and walking and snapping pics. multitasking. ]

Hella vintage. The Stepford Sci-fi - not bad, not bad.


04). [ it had been a fairly casual stroll, phone now full of tourist style pictures, though in roy's unique style of taking note of the small little things that intrigue him more, and he'd gotten his free malt - chocolate. still alone in who-even-fucking-knows-land, as far as he can tell, but despite not doing well alone, doesn't mean he can't deal. he's casually watching some kids playing with hoverboards out in the street, and trying to focus more on the intrigue of techonology than the loneliness that's trying to creep in under it all. that's about when he hears the squeal of tires, the roar of engines, and snaps his back in that direction. ]

Aww, son of a bee. [ he knows where this is going, and he is absolutely not letting those kids end up as pancakes. he does, however, have his hands entirely too full to keep all this stuff intact and still get to his bow and quiver in time. so, that means the cellphone gets dropped on the sidewalk, as does the malt. which he mournfully whispers to, as it falls: ] I'll never forget you, malt.

[ aight. business time. a hand reaches up and behind his backpack, and roy's dragging out a bow that's compacted small enough it could fit in a book. it pops sharply into form, and roy's other hand is heading to the quiver that had been sitting on his hip, pulling out an arrow that seems random, but he has a system for these things. this one has a chain that extends from the end of it, and roy's hurrying in the short time rapidly evaporating as he wraps the chain around a nearby light pole, hooking it securely to itself. he loads up the arrow, and there's only a fraction of a second to take aim on the approaching, speeding car, then fires. the tip expands into something like a grappling hook as it flies, slamming into the side of the car, and the chain immediately pulls taunt, dragging at the side of the car and causing it to swerve off the road (luckily, sidewalk unpopulated). ]

Ker-bam! [ sure did just make his own sound effect. as the speeding car starts to dramatically jerk to the side, and heads to nose-dive into some newspaper dispensers, roy's already running, heading around the other side towards the kids frozen still in the road. to the side, there is the tell-tale ker-bam, and roy gives himself a fistpump as he jogs. ]

Heyhey, we all okay here? Nothing broken, pants un-wet? [ it's okay if it's not the case, okay, it happens, dude. anyway, the kids all seem to be fine, the car not having made it to them, and beyond that, they just seem shaken. so... this is the awkward part where "okay, see you around" is what roy would like to do, but isn't this the hero point where you say something noble or dashing or something? ]

Uh... look both ways before you cross the street? Stay in school, say no to drugs? [ wait, wait, he's on to something there. ] Yeah. Say no to drugs. School's kinda eh, so scratch that one, do what you want. Unless what you want is drugs. As per Point A, we ruled that out.

Ooookay, good talk. [ yeah, he's leaving now. this has been Weird. ]

4 c:

[restitute]

[It's not often that Oliver's beaten to the punch when it comes to rescuing people. It's especially not often that a fellow archer has a slightly faster draw. Although, in his defense, he's A) not in uniform, B) doesn't have a bow on him, and C) was at least half a block away when he saw the kids run out into the street.

Still, beaten to it or not, he has to take a moment to admire the archer's work. The chain? Impressively strong. The shot? Well-aimed, well-executed. The resultant property damage? ... well, he'll give Roy points for style.

Jogging over, Oliver checks on the condition of the driver and, finding him alive, conscious, and more than a little dazed, he's satisfied enough to turn back to where Harper has, apparently, started giving a quickly deteriorating lecture about school and drugs.

The fact that he was, even for a fleeting moment, impressed is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Still: ]

Nice shot. [Says the guy standing calmly on the side of the road with both eyebrows raised and an amused look on his face.]