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

[lyingheart]

"For us, or for them?" She found the answer tended to work both ways. Going back wasn't always a great deal for the people who'd inevitably head back to their homeworlds - as far as she knew, no one had an option of staying, no way to anchor themselves here - but more often than not, it was where people wanted to be.

Was it simply easier having no one know to miss you? Probably is. Less complicated that way. Memories faded just as fast once back in the "right" place.

This really was just one long wrong turn for most people involved, and one that would be fading from memory whenever they did go back home. if they had one remaining.

[siriusly]

"Ah, well..." He had been thinking mostly of his team, but her prompting made him consider it a bit more.

"I suppose for both me and the platoon." And his mother. Yikes. "If I'm not actually gone for any amount of time, then I'm not late for work! And if something were to happen here, at least it wouldn't trouble anyone who knew me."

[lyingheart]

She gave him an odd look, guessing at what kind of trouble he might be worrying over. he seemed used to showing up in unexpected places without being announced or necessarily informed, he was used to working as part of a military group, and used to space travel.

Who the hell knew what kind of trouble that didn't leave you expecting? For that matter, who knew if he was even human. Outward appearances meant very little among imPorts.

"Are you someone who tends to have a number of things happen to him unexpectedly?"

[siriusly]

"Not really on purpose," he replied, turning his head and grinning at her. "But it comes with the territory. There's lots of weird things that can happen out in space! I wound up on a ghost train once, and that was probably the strangest thing until now."

He thought about it for a second, glancing up, eyebrows raised.

"Or maybe the magic guy who stole people's memories...that was weird, too. Or the lady trapped in cursed armor! Or..." Hmm. There was actually a lot, wasn't there? He folded his arms and tilted his head, thinking about it.

[lyingheart]

"... I think... you'll do fine here." Ghost train? They had ghosts. Magic people? They had boatloads of those. People stealing memories? Made her stomach clench and her teeth grit, adding a look of strain to her jawline. Yes, there were problems with things like that, too.

Cursed armor may or may not be a new one. Annie wasn't so well versed as to know one way or the other, though curses, in a general sense, probably persisted somewhere among imPorts. Maybe with Klarion.

"Add in occasional kidnappings, bombings, political struggles, and public showings to attend, then you might have it all."

[siriusly]

Manabu chuckled a little at her guess, shrugging up his shoulders. They went back down as she went on, his expression sobering to suit. He couldn't be terribly surprised at a surplus of dangerous chances, because that much was the same on almost every planet he'd been to. Bruce would say it was the direct byproduct of humans simply living together, but Manabu wasn't so sure it was that simple.

Even so, he signed up to help in cases like that with the SDF; how much different could circumstances be here? Maybe tougher just because his badge meant next to nothing, but even so...

"At least I'll be able to help out, if that's the case. We train for that kind of stuff at the SDF when we're not on duty."

[lyingheart]

The bus she'd been looking for finally rounded the corner at the far end of the street, laboring along to the particular hiss-whine-hum that marked public transit in this era. "Don't expect organization from the people here. The military can't afford it, when it comes to us, and imPorts rarely agree on anything." Too varied as a group. She was painting the picture bleaker than necessary, knowing that some things managed to get people to pull together, to some extent.

Yet that was it - to some extent. She looked over to the new guy, rolling her shoulders in a shrug that cracked her joints.

"You'll want to sound out those you can depend on to back you up. If you're here for long."

It was either kindness or bluntness that had her pointing out the uncertainty factor all over again.

[siriusly]

"Mm."

For his part, Manabu managed to smile. It wasn't the warmest, but it wasn't insincere; he could only manage so much for the time being, and he was glad to hear a bit more from a perspective somewhat similar to his own. He only wished there was more to it – more that he wanted to hear, particularly.

"Thanks for the advice," he said, bowing his head. He waved, catching sight of her in a window before the bus went on its way before leaning back against the bench and sighing.

So. So that was more to consider. What was he supposed to really make of it that was right?