maskormods: (⒉)
Mask or Menace | MODERATORS ([personal profile] maskormods) wrote in [community profile] etcelsior2015-04-25 12:26 pm

[kill bill sirens]




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 someone else's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

    01. Your memory might be a haze still and you might even feel frustrated or anxious by the sudden news that you are no longer in your own world and that the Porter scientists and military cannot send you back. You don't get a chance to linger long in the underground Porter lab, but something is clearly amiss; light patches on the floor indicate something else used to sit in that spot in the room. Parts of the wall, floor and the tables look recently refurbished -- something happened in here not too long ago.

    You're ushered out quickly and then suddenly, you're enveloped in a faint blue blue light before you find yourself under the bright Floridian sun. Another soldier steps toward you with a smile, directing your attention to a car near a large gate. She mentions she'll be debriefing you soon, handing out a brown folder. You don't see the digital tattoo on your wrist, but it's quickly explained on your way over to the car as you realize there are other confused faces nearby, all holding files of their own.

    02. According to the soldiers, a domestic terrorist attack is the reason why the cheery and small city of Heropa is still under some major reconstruction. For a small city, the amount of outside help called in for reconstruction and repairs has made it livelier than it normally is. Construction workers on coffee breaks wave to the most obvious looking imPorts, some will even salute you. "We couldn'a done away with those bastards if it weren't for good folk like you," they say.

    Wherever you go, locals are pleasant and courteous enough, sometimes stepping forward to ask for a quick photo or autograph. Every now and then, however, anyone who is so obviously an imPort will find a local backing away from them nervously, pulling their child back with them before closing a door.

    03. De Chima, Virginia, while it suffered some damage to its downtown area, never slowed down for a second. For a large city with a bustling population and booming economy, it's quieter than one would expect for it to be, too. If you're trying to avoid the awestruck crowds, you might be able to thanks to everyone ducking under umbrellas and buildings due to heavy rainfall today, provided you aren't letting it slip you're a newcomer to this world. If you're not exactly human-looking or wearing clothes that very much scream medieval ages (or distant future), sorry. There's a high chance the kids are going to crowd you in excitement.

    Some locals seem less enthused to see you. They never make an approach, but they can be overheard scoffing and muttering something about cameras. "Who do they think they are?" or "I don't like it... it reminds me of the government corruption back in the eighties." What could they be talking about?

    04. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania, has, as always, avoided any major or minor damages. Ask about the Hornets or the recent fights between imPorts and the locals will shrug. Don't get them wrong; they're glad those damn Hornets have been dealt with, but they don't want to discuss politics. Try asking the local imPort Ambassador. What's his name? Ryan? Revan? They don't offer any more information. Naturally for a big city, the people are somewhat aloof in nature. You might even notice the police are just the same, turning their heads the other way when two shady figures exchange fat wads of cash at the street corner. Did the police just drive away in their hovervehicle without bothering to observe what those two were up to? They sure did.

    05. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities. It's loud, busy and there's some kind of energy in the air that gets everyone buzzing with excitement. Anyone who they come to determine an imPort is bombarded with all sorts of offers; job offers, advertising gigs, spokesperson for advocating children stay in school, etc. Anything and everything! You name it. Shops offer discounts for food and clothing, whatever they need. People flock in droves with questions, but they all say the same thing. Thank you for your service to this country, Hero. You saved a lot of lives. Wow, feels great to be a hero, doesn't it?
oceanthief: (and i don't think i get it)

well i've seen all of five minutes of any fate/stay confusing canon, so i'll trust you on that

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
I'm a gem.

[this is stated with quiet firmness, like it explains everything, even as Lapis watches Saber struggle with where she ought to place the umbrella with mild consternation. this was the dominant species of the planet the Crystal Gems had betrayed their own kind over? christ.

she returns to what she had been doing before Saber had approached, which was using her hydrokinesis to simply part the rain around her - and Saber now too, since it seemed. a little awkward to let her continue getting wet, especially when she was still refusing to use her own cover properly.]
noblesword: (pic#)

gosh watch more watch moooooreeee

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-26 04:17 am (UTC)(link)
[Saber may not fully understand what being a "gem" means, but she accepts readily enough, her knowledge of magecraft offering her a fair foundation for comprehension. Which is to say, it's better than having no foundation at all.

When the rain around her suddenly stops, however, she gives pause. Holds up a black-gloved palm and observes no droplets falling upon it anymore, though clearly beyond her immediate perimeter (and the "gem's" perimeter as well) the rain continues to fall quite fiercely. This, Saber deduces, is either a kindness shown by the other woman, or merely a natural effect occurring due to their close proximity to one another. Whatever the case may be, she says...]


Thank you.

[...and finally lowers her umbrella, giving it a shake away from them both before closing it.]

I hope that I wasn't interrupting you.

[In...whatever it was she was doing.]
oceanthief: (one day i'll see you around)

i-i thought it was boring....

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
[she doesn't comment on the gratitude, because to acknowledge it is embarrassing, and instead shrugs sort of half-heartedly. there's not much that anyone could really interrupt her in, because that would require Lapis to really know what she was doing. right now she was simply drifting, uncertain of what to do now that she'd been freed unexpectedly.]

I just wanted to see the city. You're not really tall enough to be in the way.

[look, it's like a weak stab at a joke...she's trying her best, ok.]
noblesword: (pic#)

SHRIEKS LIKE A BANSHEE ATCHU

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-26 05:14 am (UTC)(link)
[She's...she's not...

asdfldskfadhfgdfhdhkfasjfdghsdag

HOW INCREDIBLY RUDE!

Saber...she stares. Dumbfounded for a moment. Not certain whether this woman is deliberately being insulting or if perhaps she's just someone who is careless in speech! Or maybe it was even an attempt at humor? Safer to presume one of the two latter than to think the worst, she decides. But even so, talk about a lack of etiquette!]


...Of course.

[She looks awkwardly away, surveying the area before her gaze wanders back and rests upon the woman.]

I was taking in the city myself. Would you like some company?
oceanthief: (so i just gotta do it)

IT SUPER WAS THOUGH DON'T YOU YELL AT ME

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
[you may have been king of Fantasy England, Saber, but you need to face the fact that you simply aren't building-sized. your dreams of blocking the sightseeing of innocent tourists will never come true.

Lapis is oblivious to the inner etiquette turmoil raging in her conversation partner's head. instead she tilts her own to the side as she considers the proposition.]


You can come, if you want to. Although I...really don't know where I'm going.

[honestly she doesn't care if Saber comes with her or not, but Lapis is also not looking to start a fight so soon in this world - it's much easier to slip back into passivity in many ways. she does have enough consideration left to warn her of the likely aimlessness of their wanderings, though, so point for her.]
noblesword: (pic#)

we can't be friends anymore

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-26 05:45 am (UTC)(link)
That makes two of us.

[Saber offers Lapis a hint of a smile.]

Of course, if we do not go, we will never arrive at any destination at all.

[Meaning, of course, that she doesn't mind wandering. That is how one learns of destinations worth visiting again.]
oceanthief: (one day i'll see you around)

i still cried when someone showed me the clip of rider dying, it's fine

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 05:48 am (UTC)(link)
That's not always a bad thing.

[but she starts walking all the same, picking a random direction and heading off at a pace sedate enough that Saber can easily keep up with her new personal magic umbrella.

she's quiet for a bit and then realizes she should...probably introduce herself. right. yes. socializing. she can do this!!]


...my name is Lapis Lazuli, by the way.
noblesword: (pic#)

AS YOU SHOULD HAVE. also that means i forgive you. ALSO SHH SPOILERS!!

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-26 06:15 am (UTC)(link)
[Keeping up is not a difficult task for Saber. Though she is not great in stature, she carries herself with grace and is capable of easily matching such a simple stride.]

Perhaps not, but I presently see more advantage than disadvantage.

[She too falls into silence thereafter, taking note of the street names, the various signs on the sides of buildings and lining the roadways—anything and everything that will help her later should she need to navigate these places more quickly than she is doing now.

And then, at the offering of Lapis' name, she replies...]


I'm pleased to make your acquaintance. You may call me Saber.
oceanthief: (Default)

EVERYONE SHOULD BE SPOILED. him and waver are the only interesting people and THEY DON'T WIN

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 06:20 am (UTC)(link)
[she dips into a nod, acknowledging but not returning the usual pleasantries. Lapis, for all her foibles, has always been relatively straightforward and honest. and...honestly, she doesn't feel one way or another about meeting Saber. she's still not in a place where she really cares about humans who aren't Steven.

her own gaze roams as they walk as well, but Lapis is looking at things differently. rather than wayposts and landmarks, she's taking in the buildings themselves and all of the technology that goes along with it - sizing up a culture and a species, one city at a time.]


Do you know much about cities like these?

[...well, the woman's here. she might as well talk to her about something useful.]
Edited (whoops got too mad) 2015-04-26 06:20 (UTC)
noblesword: (pic#)

I am going to KICK you, my heart can't take reliving that trauma...

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-26 07:49 am (UTC)(link)
[The buildings themselves are of interest to Saber, too! Just not as much. She has seen similar architecture with having been summoned by Kiritsugu to participate in the Fourth Holy Grail War, after all, and she recalls fondly taking to the city with Irisviel, sharing in a first exploration of modern wonders together.

It's not unlike what she and Lapis are doing now, although the woman at her side is of no real significance to her. Not personal significance, at least. Though that doesn't serve at all to dampen the pleasantness of the experience.]


I know a little of them, yes. But the cities that I've recently become more familiar with are not exactly like this one. Still, if you should have any questions, I will do my utmost to answer them.
oceanthief: (Default)

LIKE I'D FEEL IT waver and rider were the only characters who i even sort of cared about

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-26 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
Is this as advanced as they get?

[perhaps an unexpected question given their previous conversation, but that's really what Lapis wants to know. how big are human cities, how far has their technology gone, what exactly is she going to be dealing with for the next god knows how many millenia.

her view of this world has been confined almost exclusively to a mirror in the past, the sights she'd seen guided by hands that took no consideration of her own feelings. this is the first time she's really had free reign over her path on this planet...and she'd like to know just how disappointing it's going to be.]
noblesword: (pic#)

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-04-28 08:13 pm (UTC)(link)
I cannot say. I have already seen here more advanced technology than I did the last time I was sum...somewhere like this. [...] But it's possible that what we've witnessed so far isn't all they have to show.

You sound as though you're used to technology far greater than this. How advanced is the world you're from?
oceanthief: (Default)

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-04-28 08:18 pm (UTC)(link)
It left me behind a long time ago.

[the bitterness is unmistakable, even from such a mild comment. Homeworld had advanced at a frightening rate, even given the thousands of years that had elapsed between her last return home. she couldn't even begin to try and comprehend most of it, and the memory is a painful one.

she'd wanted to go home, but there had been nothing waiting for her there. even her birthplace had no place for her anymore.]


But even what I remember was better than this. [she exhales softly, then shrugs] I was just curious.
noblesword: (pic#)

[personal profile] noblesword 2015-05-01 12:25 am (UTC)(link)
The place you come from must be something remarkable to behold.

[Saber isn't sure what else to offer the other woman. She has never felt particularly left behind in terms of understanding worldly advancements, not even with being brought into modern times. There are some things beyond her understanding, some things she's been able to learn rapidly about due to her abilities, but mostly she regards her surroundings and treats them as she would any foreign land she may one day do battle upon. She prioritizes learning about them, not being afraid of them or...

...or feeling too much of anything.

An old habit. Cutting herself off from personal feelings. Kings cannot afford to feel left behind, after all. And neither can she if she ever hopes to make amends.]
oceanthief: (Default)

[personal profile] oceanthief 2015-05-01 12:45 am (UTC)(link)
[perhaps it's for the best that Saber is a bit at a loss. Lapis herself isn't certain what she wants out of anything, let alone from other people. it's like being at a crossroads where all of the signs have eroded and the paths you want to take have been blocked off.]

It was beautiful.

[for all that Homeworld has done to her, she can't keep the pride and joy out of her voice when she says that. the planet that she remember was a gorgeous place - a sanctuary, in many ways. she can't go back to it, but she can at least keep the current reality of things from ruining her memories.]

But I guess this universe doesn't really care about that. It's in the past now.