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

[hostage]

[Jesse's already started the car, ready to shift into drive when Walt asks that question. He pauses there, his hand on the gearstick, shaken by that question. Why would Mr. White ask him that? Why's that the assumption he leapt to?

Walt's gone postal, Saul had said. You two broke up, he's running with a new gang, and ten guys are dead.

Jesse huffs out a short breath that could be a nervous laugh.]

Of course we're not dead, Mr. White. Don't let my power freak you out too much, okay? I'm not like a zombie or anything.

[kingpawn]

[ Well, good. It's good to hear Jesse hasn't gone and screwed up his chance at freedom -- at living life the way he wanted, and hopefully without the cops catching up to him. But Jesse's wrong about one thing, and Walter says it about as casually as though telling him the time. ]

I am. Dead, that is. Maybe a little like a zombie.

[ And he starts to laugh at that, suddenly finding the whole thing hilarious. Two kids almost got killed, Jesse saved them, and now they're flying away in a wheels-optional hovercar. And to top it off, Walt is with Jesse again -- Jesse's alive and Walt isn't. Jesse doesn't hate him, even though he did. Powers. Heroes. Jesse might be able to fit the mold, but what kind of hero is Walter supposed to be, really?

He laughs until his lungs can't take it and he starts hacking uncontrollably. A little unhinged? That's an understatement. ]

[hostage]

[The cancer, is what Jesse takes that to mean. The cancer got him.

Jesse's heart drops into his stomach, but it isn't a surprise, really, is it? He's spent the past year thinking about how Mr. White would be dead by now, if Lachesis didn't mess with time so much. He'll be upset about it later, on his own.

For now, he reaches across to take Walt's hand. He can't take all of it away, not with how injured he is, but he can ease that cough.]

Just - Just relax, okay?

[kingpawn]

[ Walt doesn't think anything of it. He doesn't put two and two together about Jesse's strange, new abilities. If he did, his pride probably would have gotten in the way as it always had when it came to his cancer. But he accepts the hand, squeezing it weakly. ]

I'm proud of you, Jesse. [ He manages to wheeze out. ] How far you've come. I never stopped being proud...

[ Not that it makes a difference or that it changes anything. But he thinks Jesse should know. ]

[hostage]

[At the moment, those compliments are more unnerving than they are welcome. He'd be happy to hear praise from Mr. White if it didn't sound so much like a goodbye.]

Thanks, but s-seriously...

[He's the one wheezing now.]

No last speeches, okay? You're not dead or - or gonna die or anything like that.

[kingpawn]

[ Walter's symptoms seem to alleviate for the time being. He manages to catch his breath, leaning his head back against the seat. He still doesn't realize that it's transferred to Jesse -- that the wheeze is his wheeze and not caused by whatever internal injuries Jesse acquired from his stunt before. ]

No. [ There's faint amusement in his voice as he shakes his head. ] I'm not so sure I can die. Not on my own terms, at least.

[ He gulps a bit of precious air, taking a few seconds to enjoy some fluid-free breaths. ]

So. Heroes, huh?

[hostage]

[Jesse doesn't know how to take that statement. He chalks it up to Walt's disorientation. Everybody's a little weird when they first arrive, especially the dead ones. It'll take time.

He shouldn't drive yet, but he lets go of Walt's hand.]

...Yeah. It sounds stupid, right?

[kingpawn]

Among other things.

[ He lets his hand drop against the seat. ]

But you seem to have jumped right into the role.

[ Not surprising. Make Jesse feel useful, and he'll be useful. ]

[hostage]

[Jesse shrugs. He's got no right to the title, and Mr. White's one of the few people he can be honest with.]

It ain't a big deal for me to help, so I might as well.

[As if he'd ever stand by and let kids get hurt, whether he's got superpowers or not.

Anyway, he's caught his breath. Time to get the car moving.]

My place? Or - I mean, I could put you up in a hotel so you don't gotta stay with whatever freaks the government's got you rooming with.

[kingpawn]

You don't have to go to the trouble. Your place is just fine.

[ The less Jesse travels in his condition, the better. ]

Are you sure you shouldn't be going to the hospital, though?

[hostage]

[Jesse gives a slight shake of his head as he pulls out into the street.]

I'll be almost healed up by the time we get there.

[He glances at Walt with a crooked little smile.]

I'm regenerating right now.

[kingpawn]

Regenerating.

[ Walter practically laughs at the absurdity of it. He has to have a whole suspension of disbelief here to keep going along with this hallucination. ]

Right. Of course. Because a power like yours goes hand in hand with regenerating. It makes perfect sense.

[ He's sarcastic, not because he doesn't believe Jesse -- but because this whole thing seems ridiculous. ]

So let me get this straight. You lay hands on people. You get their pain. Then, all of that goes into you and--

[ Wait a second. His lungs are feeling awful clear right now. And it's pretty funny how that happened when Jesse was holding his hand. ]

....Jesse, please tell me you didn't...

[hostage]

[Jesse doesn't take the disbelief personally. It'll sink in for Mr. White soon enough. He's nodding along in confirmation with Walt's assessment of his powers, until that last point, when he glances over.]

Oh - Nah, not yet. It's kinda better if I don't keep piling stuff on 'til I'm healed from the last thing. You know, just... pain-wise.

[kingpawn]

[ Walter's not sure how much he believes Jesse because Jesse's just stupid enough to try something like this. ]

Not yet? Not ever. It's reckless and dangerous and could very well mean a death sentence for you.

[ Leave the death sentences for Walt, ok. ]

[hostage]

Don't worry about it, okay, Mr. White? You got enough to, um, process already. We'll talk about it later.

[Xavier's isn't too far. They'll be home in no time.]

[kingpawn]

[ That doesn't squash his worries in the least. If anything, he's more worried about it. ]

There's no talking about it. There's no entertaining it in the future. This is the end of the discussion and the idea, do I make myself clear?

[hostage]

Look... I survived a lot worse things than cancer since I been here.

[kingpawn]

Good. Keep surviving them. Do some good for everyone else since you're supposed to be some kind of hero.

[ He leans his head against the window. ]

Saving one man with cancer is a waste of time, a burden. You could be doing far better things with your....talents.

[hostage]

We'll talk about it later.

[He accelerates, going about double the speed limit now. As if that'll get them to the end of this argument faster.]

[kingpawn]

[ Why won't you just listen, Jesse? Walt shakes his head in frustration. ]

No. We'll talk about this until you swear to me you're not going to try healing me!

[ He looks over. ]

If you do this -- if you take this away from me, what do I have left? Everything I did. Everything we did would lose its meaning.

[ His face contorts to one of pained loss. ]

I don't have anything left, Jesse. So just leave me with this. After everything that's happened, I don't think I can live with myself knowing I'll have to live with myself.

[hostage]

[That's it. He's pulling the damn car over. Once it's stopped, he turns to face Walt again.]

Quit being such a fucking crybaby.

[Because it's contagious, and if Walt keeps this up, Jesse's going to burst into tears. He can't begin to deal with the idea of Mr. White being dead, let alone having to stand by and watch it happen.]

If I can live with everything, then so can you.

[kingpawn]

[ Those words are like a punch to the gut. Yeah, Jesse's been through hell and back -- and here he is, still kicking. Still ready and willing to help Walter out even after all Walt had done to him. Forgive and forget? More like never experienced it, but Walter doesn't quite understand the different time lines thing. They're from the same time as far as he's concerned. ]

Then accept this for what it is, goddamnit!

[ He turns to Jesse, still not believing he even has to argue this. ]

You have healed worse things than cancer, you said? I somehow doubt it. Cancer is caused by cells that just won't die. Can your regeneration really keep up with that? Maybe you'll be in constant remission until you just can't handle healing it anymore. And damned if I'm going to watch you go through what I'm going through!

[ Walt is taking off his seatbelt because he's about ready to get out and walk. ]

One of us is supposed to live, Jesse. Use your head and think about this, for once.

[hostage]

[When Jesse realizes what Walt's doing, he slams his hand down to lock the car doors.]

Only one of us has people who need him. Why don't you think about that?

You know, talking about the reason we did everything - You're the one who had one, not me. You let me help you, maybe you'll live long enough to get back to them someday.

[kingpawn]

[ Did he seriously just -- Walt checks the door handle before he looks at Jesse, the sneaky, little brat. ]

There is no going back.

[ He lets go of the door handle. ]

I'm in the same boat as you, Jesse. It's just me and a death wish.

[ Walt sighs and then waves his hand forward. ]

Just drive.

[hostage]

[Jesse obediently pulls out into the road again. He's happy to let the topic rest for now, but this won't be the end of it. He won't let Mr. White just give up like that. He's understandably upset over the circumstances, but nothing's impossible now.]