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]

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.]

[kingpawn]

[ Walt would normally welcome silence, but he has too many thoughts right now. So....awkward small talk time is a go. ]

What have you been up to these days?

[hostage]

[Jesse welcomes the small talk. Better than arguing.]

I'm a school nurse.

[He glances over to gauge Walt's reaction to that, because Jesse personally finds it hilarious.]

[kingpawn]

A school nurse?

[ What. ]

Who exactly is in charge of the hiring?

[hostage]

Shut up.

[Nah, he's snickering.]

I'm good at it. Nobody even gets colds anymore.

[kingpawn]

Just because you're good at something, doesn't mean you should be doing it.

[ Walt shakes his head in amusement. ]

I imagine you have a lot of disappointed children who were really looking forward to missing class by laying in the nurse's office.

[hostage]

Well... Sometimes I let 'em stick around and take a nap, anyway.

[kingpawn]

If only someone let you do that all the times you fell asleep during my class.

[hostage]

Nothing could put me to sleep faster than you talking about isotopes. It was like goddamn NyQuil.

[kingpawn]

Maybe if you listened to me sooner, you would've realized chili powder has no place in delicate chemistry.

[ He lets out a little laugh. ]

But you're right, I suppose. I don't think I ever tried to be an effective teacher.

[ Hard to keep students' interest when you really weren't interested in teaching them. ]

[hostage]

You're a good teacher.

[If the proof is anywhere, it's in Jesse's meth purity levels.]

You just had a dumbass for a student.

[kingpawn]

[ He looks over at Jesse, and then he reaches out -- giving a fond ruffle to his shaved head. ]

You only had to apply yourself. That's all you ever needed to do.

[hostage]

[Jesse's so surprised by that, he laughs instead of making a face. After everything Saul told him, he hadn't expected Mr. White to be this kind to him. He doesn't know what to make of that, other than to believe Saul was full of shit or trying to play him or something (which was totally his first instinct, anyway).]

I'm glad you're here.

[Is it okay to confess that? Look, he's been alone for a year and Mr. White's supposedly at death's door, so he feels like it should be said sooner than later.]

[kingpawn]

[ Jesse's words strike him to the core. He wouldn't be saying them if this was real.

But the thing about hallucinations is they can be anything you want them to be. And Walt chooses to keep it going as smoothly as possible. It's nice to imagine this can be a reality between them. ]

I should be the one who's glad. It's somehow easier to deal with this knowing you're here as well.

[hostage]

Yeah...

[It certainly would've been easier to have Mr. White there at the beginning. He wouldn't have made so many fucking mistakes, for one.]

Maybe it's selfish, but I kept hoping you'd show up. You know, like all this crazy shit would start making sense if you were around to explain it to me.

[kingpawn]

I'm sorry I wasn't there. Not that I think me being here would have made this whole thing any easier to swallow.

But for what it's worth, I'm here now. [ He lolls his head toward Jesse. ] You don't have to face this alone anymore.

[hostage]

[Jesse glances at Walt again with misty eyes and smiles. He's determined not to think about how Saul allegedly gave him a gun and advised him to murder this man, about all the other murders that would lead to that moment - and how Mr. White's immediate assumption was that he and Jesse both were dead. Saul warned him that Walt would be coming to kill him. He should be asking himself if that happened already, from Walt's perspective. And if it hasn't happened yet, is it going to? Is he bringing his would-be killer right into his home?

Of course he isn't. Mr. White is his best friend.

They've reached the Xavier School - a beautiful vintage mansion with sprawling grounds. Jesse pulls the car up right by the dormitory entrance.]

You're gonna like it here. It's like being on vacation all the time.

[kingpawn]

It certainly isn't what you would expect out of a school.

[ Walter studied it in awe before he unclicked his seatbelt. ]

You can unlock the door now.

[hostage]

[Jesse ducks his head sheepishly - he forgot he did that - and unlocks the doors. He hops out of the car without so much as a limp to his step. See? Regenerated.]

I'm on the second floor.