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

[totalpacifist]

[please have mercy on this child.

he can be a little dense.]

What it stands for? [Huh. Well, reploid serial numbers are a very different format; also usually much, much longer. But what could "DLN" stand for? And what would it have to do with the conversation at hand?]

Well, "N" I suppose is number. "DL" must be some sort of identifier, either your place of manufacture, perhaps a series number or initi-

Ah!

AHHHHH! [he figured it out]

Are you a Doctor Light model?!

[pastmelodies]

[A little dense, but definitely quick. And he was reminding him more than ever of Mega Man.]

... Yes. [He reeeeeaally doesn't wanna have this conversation, but X doesn't deserve to be like a baby in the woods in this place. Break Man starts walking again.]

I was the first self-aware robot that he created, I went online in the early 21st century. You came later, obviously.

[He didn't have truly unrestricted AI like X did, but he came close.]

[totalpacifist]

[X has to booster-dash to catch up, and he drops out of dash to jog alongside Break Man until he matches his stride.

Another Light model. A sibling. X is so hopeful, so excited he can hardly stand it; Break Man is definitely giving off a lot of "I don't want to talk about it" body language so maybe X shouldn't question so hard, but- but this might be his only chance.

He has family.]

This- I- Do you mind if I ask you some questions? I mean, of course if you don't want to answer I'd never try to force you, and don't feel like you have to but I'm just so curious, I'd really like to-

[The first. X's older brother. He has an older brother-! Logically he knew he must, but he has one here, now, in front of him! If he had a heart it'd be pounding; his systems are revving in simulation of it anyway.]

Could you- Could you tell me about yourself? About the Doctor? Anything at all, I'm not picky; I'd love to hear about anything you can tell me-!

i didnt sign up for this

[pastmelodies]

[Break Man looks over at X, almost puzzled now. Just how much was this robot modeled on his so-called younger brother? His basic design seemed patterned after Mega Man's, if...taller...but it was unreal how much his personality reminded him of the boy in blue.]

I'm - [He hesitates; he's still trying to sort out his own identity, really.] There isn't much to tell. As for Light, he's... [a fool, a liar, naive, careless, blind--]

... What would you like to know?

it's too late now the only way out is through

[totalpacifist]

A-anything! Anything you're comfortable sharing. I don't know very much; the doctor left some notes but a lot of the data was corrupted over time. I don't know much about him personally, and I don't know anything about any- [is he gonna use the word

yes ok he's gonna do it] -any siblings I might have had.

sobs

[pastmelodies]

[Break Man stops again, looking towards X. His hands clench, and he brings his right up and points at him like he's about to tell him off...

Before he crosses his arms.]

Fine. If we're going to talk about this, then we should at least find a place to sit.

[totalpacifist]

[X nods; he'd been afraid he was going to be shooed away for a moment, but even if Break Man is reluctant to talk about it, he's at least willing to do so for a while. X shrugs off the feeling of being a bother and glances over the edge of the docks, gesturing down to some stone benches at the edge of the beach. Far enough from the sand so it doesn't weasel its way into joints, close enough to the sea so the waves and wind will drown out anything they might say for eavesdroppers. Not that X is really concerned about that.

He fidgets for all of half a minute.]

You don't seem eager to talk about the doctor. Could I ask why?

[pastmelodies]

[Perfect. Being out in the open like this, though... part of him wants to change to his civilian appearance, keep X as the center of attention. He stood out here, and that bothered him when it wasn't on his terms.

There's a long moment before Break Man responds. There's a simple reason that he isn't dropping his armor - hiding his face means X can't read him. He goes over more than a few potential responses in his processor, before settling on the easy answer.]

He replaced me. [Just as, he's sure in his irrational and angry way, X must have been intended to replace Mega Man after something happened to him.]

[totalpacifist]

[Something like a glitch blips through X's runtime and it takes a moment for the gravity of that to sink in. Humans, he knows, can feel replaced. Reploids moreso; they're so easily assembled, so quick to make that many reploids have been subject to the whims of their brothers, sisters and creators. Replacement isn't uncommon.

But for robots, it must be so much worse. To have a purpose and then to be denied it- To be unable to search for a new one, restricted by your own programming?] I'm- I'm so sorry. I had no idea.

[At the same time X can't hardly believe it. The kind, caring Dr. Light he's always seen in the holograms? A man who always looked so much like a loving father, replacing one of his own dear creations? That...can't be true, can it?]