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?

[deosil]

[ Already high strung with nerves fraying like wet rope, Chise looked fit to jump out of her skin when Rose sat down. Prepared to run for the hills when she called her a wizard. ]

You saw that.

[ It wasn't a question even as her voice quavered as the shock petered out. ]

A magus.

[wonk]

Yup. [Roxy leans back in her seat and takes a sip.] What's the difference?

[She frowns, and then actually notices Chise's expression.]

—also, like. I'm not gonna fight you or anything you don't gotta look so scared.

[deosil]

Wizards use mage to create outcomes that run concurrent with the realms of possibility. Magus don't.

[ Roxy seemed calm and appeared to have some grasp on what Chise was talking about. If anything, it could be nice to talk to another girl that looked to be around her own age. One that didn't come off as cruel or a bully as she was used to. ]

Sorry, I just...don't get out much.

[wonk]

'kay, so I'm about to be a giant-ass hypocrite but that makes like no sense. [She leans in.] If you do some magus-thing, doesn't it enter the realm of possibility?

[deosil]

Uhh...maybe? [ She leans back. ] I don't actually know. I'm just an apprentice.

[wonk]

[Roxy blinks, and then pulls back slightly, resolving to be more careful.] Well, if you ever wanna grow a rad beard, you can be a wizard and a magus, probably.

[deosil]

A beard?

[ Guess who has two thumbs and is largely indifferent to pop culture. ]

[wonk]

Yup. Most important part of bein' a wizard. You gotta have that beard. The longer 'n' whiter the better.

[deosil]

Are you screwing with me?

[wonk]

I don't fuck around when it comes to wizard beards.

[Roxy frowns, reconsidering.]

I mean, okay, being a good person and not like a crazy supervillain is more important, but the beard's definitely top five in terms of important shit wizards should have.

[deosil]

Apparently they're still very important.

[ Chise deadpans, still not sure whether or not she should be waiting for the punchline. ]

So what are the other four?

[wonk]

The not a supervillain thing like I said before. Um, awesome spells, wands, badass one-liners? [She frowns.] I'm not a complete expert, I'm just a big fan. Being an expert is my mo—the job of one of my relatives. [She's not explaining the momdaughter thing to a stranger.]

i am so sorry

[ballbutt]

[Perhaps it was the fact that she looked like a nervous little bunny, trapped in an uncomfortable situation, or perhaps it was the little spell she did. Either way, she's managed to attract Colorman's attention, so within a minute of her using that spell, the blindingly dressed teenager's throws himself into the seat across from her with a vanilla milkshake in hand, letting it slosh all over the table.

If that abrupt entrance wasn't startling enough for her, Colorman leans forward eagerly, with a somewhat unsettling grin on his face. He's silent for a few seconds, staring at her without blinking, and then--]

Hiiiii!!

[deosil]

[ Immediately, Chise yanks herself back to dodge the oncoming spill of sticky vanilla mess now covering the table. And to avoid the onslaught of bright colors in her face. He was like the idiot king of the fairies, Oberon. ]

Can I help you?

[ She asks in a voice that implied she very much wouldn't want to. ]

[ballbutt]

Noooope! You just looked so scared I thought I'd help release some of that tension! Kehehehe!

[Judging from the somewhat malicious grin on his face, that was the exact opposite of his intention. And he didn't plan on going anywhere soon.]

Plus, I saw you do something veeeeery interesting. Colour me curious!! [He giggled at the joke he made on his own name.] Something vanished into thin air, and I wanna know how you did it!

[deosil]

No, you didn't.

[ Chise said stiffly, wary of strangers. Especially brightly-colored ones that could apparently see her doing magic out in the open. ]

I was just humming to myself while cleaning my shirt off with a napkin.

[ballbutt]

Lying's a very bad thing to do, missy! Plus, if you're going to lie, you shouldn't make it so obvious! I never said what disappeared~!

[He can tell she's wary of him, and it just makes needling her all the more fun.]

[deosil]

Who are you?

[ Chise balked at his further pressing and being called missy. Growing more and more suspicious of him. No one other than fairies or demons were this strongly drawn to her, and neither of those were good. ]

[ballbutt]

[She may be overestimating the danger he posed to towards her, though. Colorman was just naturally drawn to those who could provide him amusement, and seeing her squirm under his constant badgering was entertainment.]

Me? I'm Colorman! I'm just a normal person! A very very normal person!

[A very obvious lie there, which would serve to fuel Chise's suspicions most likely.]

[deosil]

A normal person named Colorman.

[ The incredulity comes off her tongue heavy as molasses. ]

[ballbutt]

That's right! A normal person named Colorman!

[Hey, his name was normal by Navi standards! But of course he knows no human has a name like that so he just gives her an impish grin, as if daring her to ask the obvious question.]

[czes]

[There's a lot of people wandering around with that lost-faun look in their eyes today. Czeslaw only makes those expressions when they suit him, and while he'd been happy to accept the coupon for a free malted (they're sadly falling out of favor in the NYC of 2001 that he knows), he's picked this spot for the people watching.

Adulation has its uses, but while these citizens may happily keep him clothed and fed, he's looking for more interesting things.

It's not a coincidence that he's stopped blowing bubbles in his chocolate malted and taken a slow, fine swig just as she's sat down. He overhears. He watches. Interesting.

This is who Czeslaw looks like: a boy of 11 at most, hair combed neatly, buttoned down and well-mannered. Dull, really, save for the fact he is apparently alone. Well even that might not be so strange in a soda shop after school hours, right?]

Was that a magic trick? Can you show me how to do it, miss? That was amazing!

[deosil]

[ Chise reacted less poorly to the young boy than she had to passers by that had hounded her for either a photograph or for answers to questions about both herself or this place, none of which she how to respond to. Too old to fear children or the bullies they could turn into these days, Chise had grown a greater sense of empathy for children seemingly all alone.

Smiling, she taps her mouth with her index finger and lowers her voice to a whisper. ]

Thank you, but it's not a trick.