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

[turnsignals]

[ Okay, that merits Wasabi's attention. ]

You travel wirelessly? Electronically? Like... like a signal? [ He shakes his head, smiling. ] Now that is one useful superpower.

[hypnotherapy]

Yes. My body is...not usually like this. [ He waves a hand. He's gotten the hang of that, at least. ] I wouldn't call it a superpower. I had it back in my own world as well.

[ Slight head tilt. ] Did you receive powers on arrival? Or do you not have any?

[turnsignals]

No, they, uh. They gave me lasers. [ Which he guesses is fitting, given his research, but also kind of impractical. ]

What do you mean, your body isn't usually like this? What's it usually like?

[hypnotherapy]

...Lasers. [ At least this guy's responsible? ]

Well, it's...offensively useful, isn't it. [ Understatement of the year. ]

...I'm an evolving AI. A netnavi. Born and programmed to assist humans and to grow alongside them.

I'm not...used to this body yet. It feels like I was just created again. Except worse. More stimuli here.

[turnsignals]

[ An AI. He's talking to an AI. Man, either Hamada brother would flip right now! ]

Yeah, I... uh, I bet. So, someone created you?

[hypnotherapy]

[ Oh right people aren't used to AIs and free-willed sentient programs aren't just a Thing That Happens. ]

Yes. It was a long time ago, comparatively. Compared to the newer generations. I estimate about 30 years. Maybe more.

[ man he's rambling. ]

Netnavis are made with basic templates and a capability to learn and develop mentally that is on par with human beings. Appearances can be customised.

We are very widespread in the world I come from. But not from yours, I assume.

[turnsignals]

[ So he's talking to an AI that's older than he is. Great. ]

No, definitely not. We have artificial intelligence, but they're limited to machines, or robots, and have only a very limited capacity to learn.

[ But he's smiling. He got a free hoverboard to tinker with AND he's met a walking, talking, living AI. ]

[hypnotherapy]

I suppose you have...other things, to make up for it. Our society is accommodated to be networked together. Most things are run electronically.

It can be exploited. [ He should know... ] But it works, all the same. [ He suspects it runs on miracles and the goodwill of all people but, you know, it works. ]

Ah. AI technology was developed first, where I came from. Robotics was pushed aside. Different development paths.

What kind of technology do you have? Compared to...all this. [ Another hand wave. He's really getting the hang of this gesture! ]

[turnsignals]

[ If Wasabi recognized the novelty of hand gestures, he would applaud his seamless use of them. ]

Well, back in San Fransokyo, we do a lot of research into robotics, but also chemistry, magnetics, lasers, all sorts of fields. But we're... sort of not-as-advanced and yet still more advanced than this place. It's weird.

[hypnotherapy]

Technology is very advanced here. But I did not expect it to look so...boxy. [ He really doesn't know the meaning of the word 'retro'. ] Things have taken a strange path.

What kind of research do you do on lasers? [ Honest question. That emphasis is nothing but pure curiosity. ]

[turnsignals]

[ Ohhh, you picked the right one to question. ]

Well, let me tell you! It's mostly plasma-induced lasers, with a little magnetic confinement for ultra-precision. But as for practical applications, it's about cutting through anything from soft tissue to steel. Precisely.

[hypnotherapy]

[ Well, it sounds interesting. And better than whatever Regal was doing ]

So that would be...surgery. Construction. [ He thinks for a moment. ] Rescue operations. [ Car crashes and having to be cut out of them are still a thing. ] ...Laser swords. I suppose. [ Someone's going to think of it. ]

Interesting. Is that why they gave you lasers here?

[turnsignals]

[ Wasabi smiles when he sees that the guy gets it. Then he shrugs. ]

Yeah, guess it is. So I can continue my research, with a more... hands on approach.

[ He demonstrates, lifting up a hand and showing how he can create a small laser from his fingertip. ]

[hypnotherapy]

Useful. [ He sounds approving, as much as you can tell. Even with a more expressive face, he's still fairly muted in his emotional range. ] At least you no longer need equipment to continue work.

[ He pulls out his phone from the pocket of his coat, staring at it intently.

He makes a gesture - a two-finger 'come here' twitch - and something very small pops out of it.

It looks around and then promptly sits on the phone, confused as to what to do. It seems to be awaiting orders. ] My powers are less practical. But appropriate.

[turnsignals]

[ Okay, dismissing the laser because what is that? Wasabi leans in, staring with interest. ]

Hey there, little guy! Where'd you come from?

[hypnotherapy]

[ The mettaur stares back. Why is it here. What is looking at it. ]

It's a virus. In physical form. [ Yeah, it's cute, he knows. He keeps them as pets back home even though they're basically anathema to data. ] Enough will corrupt a system. Or destroy it. There are many types.

Like this, though, by itself. They are harmless. [ He picks the mettaur up, carefully. It wriggles, but otherwise doesn't protest; it seems to be enjoying its new lease on life.

The unspoken million-dollar question:

Do you want to hold it. ]

[turnsignals]

A virus, huh?

[ Heck yes, he wants to hold it. He reaches out a hand, except... ] It's not... contagious, is it? To organic beings?

[hypnotherapy]

No. Humans...things that stay in the physical world. Those are safe. Viruses do not recognise them.

They are destructive to data. And technology. They will seek out electronics in the real world, here. To multiply. If they are left alone.

[ Here, he's putting that mettaur into your hand. It feels like holding a little plastic model of something. The sensation feels slightly odd. ]

[turnsignals]

[ With his free hand, Wasabi moves his cell phone to his back pocket, to make sure the virus can't reach it. Then he's poking at the little virus' pitchfork, its helmet. ]

That's amazing. And you can, what, summon them? Control them?

[hypnotherapy]

[ It seems more interested in him than in the phone, at any rate.

When it's poked, it squeaks. Like a little squeaky toy.

The helmet and the little pickaxe are pretty solid.

His mouth quirks up a little at the 'that's amazing' comment. ]

I can do both those things. I am not sure about full capability. But I can control them. Simple commands, I think. They form out of...random data, back home. They operate on instinct only.

I assume that is also the case here.

[ The mettaur pokes Wasabi's hand back with the pickaxe. It pinches, just a tiny bit. ]

[turnsignals]

[ He makes a face at the small pinch, retracting his hand and focusing his attention on.. ] You know, I never asked your name. Do you have a name? [ Is that a rude question to ask? ]

[hypnotherapy]

[ he laughs a tiny bit and picks the mettaur up again. It hops onto his hand and begins the arduous climb to his shoulder. He lets it be. ]

Magicman will do. It's the name I was given. I am still myself, whatever body I have. [ He'd thought briefly of assuming a human name and had rejected the idea. He was still himself. And abandoning his name even temporarily would feel like cutting a connection to his old world.

To his operator, in fact. Which was what mattered most. ] And you? You have a name, I'm sure.