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

[bombshelled]

[ Lana lets him get his balance first, then has to stop herself from reaching for a hand up, reminding herself that it probably would just end up with the guy back on his ass again. After she stands up, she eyes the pool of blood on the street, thinking that's what he's saying "wow" about. ]

Yeah. Pretty gross. We should maybe get out of here.

[ Then she has an idea. ]

Milkshake? They're usually free for ImPorts, but if they're not, then it's on me. You deserve a treat, after all that.

[siriusly]

[he gives her a bit of a what, really? look with an eyebrow quirk, but...

hell, what else was he supposed to do?]

Al-alright. [why not? any near-fatal accident you can walk away from, right?] Lead the way.

[bombshelled]

[ And she does, leading him off the street towards the intersection and then around the corner. ]

I haven't been here long, but I do know a good place nearby that does milkshakes.

[siriusly]

Milkshakes, huh... That's pretty nostalgic. [he follows along just half-a-pace behind – unconsciously on the side of the sidewalk that isn't right up by the street. his brain knows what's up sometimes. ] I haven't had one of those since I was a kid!

[bombshelled]

I know, right? They're totally retro here. Poodle skirts and everything.

[ It doesn't take them long to walk to the malt shop Lana was thinking of. She holds the door open for him to enter, then follows, grateful for the cool air conditioning. ]

[siriusly]

[he doesn't have much to offer in regard to poodles or skirts, but he does hesitate and fluster just briefly at the door. mom didn't raise him to have ladies opening doors for him; he manages a stuttered thank-you and goes in, regardless, not too eager to make waves right now.]

Uoh... [wow. talk about walking onto a different planet; the interior is not what he expects. very...shiny. lots of chrome, bright colors, and polished linoleum. weird! like a fancy dining car, kind of.

oop–he snaps out of it after a moment to follow her to a booth, slipping into one side, wearing a sheepish grin.]

It wasn't so strange outside, but anytime I go indoors somewhere, it just reminds me of how I'm definitely in a new place...

[bombshelled]

[ Sorry, Manabu, Lana's proactive like that. She slides into the opposite side of the booth, fingers playing with a menu. ]

Yeah? What sort of world do you come from?

[siriusly]

Ah, well– [taking off his gloves; he'd feel bad putting dirty fabric on this way-too-clean tabletop.] I grew up on Tabito, but my job takes me to all sorts of planets now. Anywhere there's trouble, really.

[a half a beat, and he startles with a realization.] O-oh! I'm...I'm Manabu, by the way. Manabu Yuuki. [his head ducks a little.] I forgot to introduce myself, since I was...uh... [y'know.]

[bombshelled]

Practically dead. [ She finishes, laughing slightly. ] S'ok. I'm Lana, like I said. Lana Baumgartner.

So you're from space? Like, you grew up there and everything? That's pretty cool.

[ Just then, a waitress comes by to ask for their orders. ]

Oh, one chocolate milkshake for me, and... Manabu?

[siriusly]

[his goofy smile falters when the waitress appears; he only gives the upside-down menu Lana has a passing glance before lifting his head again.]

Uh! Same...that's good. Thank you. [he looks increasingly more flustered when he gives her a glance back:]

Y...you said they're free, right? Because I don't think I have money people use here.

[bombshelled]

[ Lana smiles, totally missing the fact that she's hogging the menu. ]

They ought to be. And if they're not, I'll cover you.

[siriusly]

[easing a bit, allowing himself to sink in the seat some. he ducks his head, smiling weakly.]

That's really kind of you...I'm not sure I've done much to owe up to it, but I'll try to return the favor, somehow.

[bombshelled]

Are you kidding? You just risked your ass to save a couple kids from being hit by a car. If that doesn't deserve a milkshake, I don't know what does!

[siriusly]

That's just part of–! [wait. blink. ah–] Well, well I guess I can't call it my job here if my job isn't here, huh...? [a self-depreciating kind of expression, complete with a crooked smile.] This kind of gets trickier and trickier as it goes on.

[bombshelled]

[ Lana's eyebrows raise, then she leans in, conspiratorial, and whispers, ] Are you a superhero?

[siriusly]

[leaning in out of impulse, he stops short at the question, blinks, and sits back up with a laugh.]

Ahah–! No way! Nothing like that at all. [ahem. he pats the badge over his breast.] I'm a member of the SDF. We protect the Galaxy Railways where I'm from, and that includes all the people who use it. Making sure people are safe is a big part of the job!

[bombshelled]

[ She squints at the badge, then leans back again. ] Oh. That's cool. [ Except she sounds somewhat underwhelmed. It would have been cool to meet a fellow superhero. ]

[siriusly]

Eh...? [he looks surprised at how she deflates, feeling a touch more self-conscious. the SDF is so cool and awesome; was he not conveying it properly?

maybe not having space trains strips folks of the context needed to know how cool it is. maybe.

he looks down at the table, his mouth twitching as it tries to keep that smile up.] Y-yeah...It was my dream for a long time to join, just like my father and my brother. I'm even assigned to the best train in the fleet! And we've done a lot of good, so... [he looks up, shrugging and smiling a bit more earnestly. he's decided he can't really help not being impressive, but he can be proud anyway.] So I guess that's a little like a superhero, where I'm from.

[bombshelled]

[ To Lana's credit, she does listen to what Manabu has to say, and maybe he's right. Maybe it is a little like being a superhero even if it sounds more like being a security guard. ]

So, Galaxy Railways... Is that like trains in space?

[siriusly]

[nodding eagerly.] Yeah, that's exactly it. It's how people get around, planet to planet. And since there's always a new colony somewhere, the system keeps expanding...it's a lot of space to cover.

[he tilts his head and turns it toward the window, peering up past the tops of the buildings across the street.]

There'd be long tracks that start on the ground [he lifts a hand, tracing his finger up the glass.] and go up toward the sky, and they'll launch off into space just like that...

[he withdraws his hand, settling it back in his lap, looking much more at ease. talking about something he knows pretty well is a lot better than thinking about getting smashed by cars or people hitting him for no reason.]

[bombshelled]

Are there tracks all the way from one planet to another? Or do the trains fly? [ Don't planets move? Lana didn't space out that much in science class... ]

[siriusly]

It's a bit of both. Like...Ah... [he scratches at his head, grimacing.] Man, how would the old man put it! He knows more about it than I do...

[hmph. he folds his arms, giving it a couple seconds' thought.] Well, the tracks in space aren't conventional, iron tracks like on planets. They're more like energy fields that get linked up by connectors. What goes into those is a bit over my head, but it does keep the trains safe inside while they go.

[bombshelled]

That's [ really technical sounding, but still ] pretty cool. We don't really have space travel where I'm from. Like, there are aliens who come to us, but we don't really leave Earth, like, at all.

[siriusly]

[he smiles with a slight wince in his eyes.] I heard about that. I guess there's a lot of reasons for that, but it's still strange to think about.

[he hesitates. he really does like talking about the Railways, other things he knows, but he should be trying to figure out what he doesn't know.]

Is it...I mean, is it alright here? I guess if nobody has any real burning need to find a whole new planet...