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etcelsior2015-04-25 12:26 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2015-04-25 12:26 pm
Entry tags:
[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?
(thank you, so is yours! I still can't believe it wasn't taken)
Jasper is even worse at keeping her emotions hidden than keeping herself from acting on them, and even with her back to Lapis her body betrays her. She freezes, her shoulders locking in a tense, hunched position. Thankfully, it's only a matter of seconds before her secondary reaction comes in to take its place: half-blind fury. If she had a little more time to think it over, she'd be able to make the connection between her shifts in mood, between that momentary feeling of utter helplessness and the rage she feels now, but she doesn't! She doesn't think and she doesn't speak. She summons her stupid pompadour helmet as she turns, her equally stupid hair flaring out around her, and she lunges. ]
You!
[ She bares her teeth, but it's more snarl than smile. The truth is that, like any other petty bully, Jasper won't feel at ease until she's certain she can come out on top of the situation. The hatred in Lapis' voice is a raw reminder of just how uncertain that balance might be. In the meantime, anger is easy. Anger keeps her stalking forward, pushing (and at one point, bodily flinging) any unlucky bystanders out of her way, not even bothering with that spindash thing she does. ]
Don't tell me you finally want to fight fair.
dw constantly amazes me with what still isn't taken
her wings flare out in defiance, ready to propel her just out of Jasper's reach should she make a grab. for the moment, however, Lapis stands her ground. it's about making a point - and emphasizing how little of a threat she feels the other gem is.
this is at least partially bluff, but no one else needs to know that underneath the steely set of her shoulders Lapis is hurriedly trying to form a strategy. Heropa is a seaside town, which means that it would be to her advantage to keep baiting Jasper until they hit the water's edge.
that shouldn't be too difficult. in the meantime, there's enough water sources to keep her from having to play purely defensive. looking like she was running scared isn't exactly in the cards at the moment.]
Do you even know what that means?
[sorry, but you don't try and coerce an emotionally fragile gem into forming a gigantic multihanded super monster and get to complain about fair fights.
a nearby fire hydrant bends and bursts suddenly, the water from the pipes shooting out to swirl deftly around Lapis. unlike Jasper, she at least thinks about the civilians quickly fleeing the scene of impending violence; like her gigantic orange counterpart, however, their well-being doesn't factor much into her plans. that's the sort of thing Steven would care about, and he isn't here right now.]
no subject
I know what it's not! You couldn't take me down without using me for backup.
[ She's a brute and a hypocrite, but she's also a soldier, and as Lapis fortifies her position and the distance between them evaporates she, too, is trying to devise a strategy. The problem is that without getting a grip on her, Jasper's ability to actually take Lapis Lazuli on is severely limited: her gem destabilizer is gone, and the blunt force her fighting style utilizes is only effective when it comes to things she can break. Water doesn't fit in that category. If she could just make Lapis crumble emotionally, lose her focus, she could bypass the threat her abilities present and neutralize her much more easily.
But that's the other problem. She doesn't know what to target. She knows all about Lapis' rage and hate, having been in close quarters with both up until about two hours ago, but all Malachite really taught her was just how little about this gem she understands. She'd thought she knew, before fusing, just where to prod emotionally to get her to fold. She'd had no idea, and now that she needs leverage the only thing Jasper can think of -- that pathetic gambit of Rose Quartz's, which she still doesn't understand -- isn't even in the same universe. (Allegedly. For all she knows, the fusion is about to break through the crowd and start singing again.) If she's off the mark, all she'll do is strengthen the cold current of rage that runs through her. ]
Do you miss it already? [ she hisses, goading from the only perspective she can reliably count on, which is her own. In the approximate ten seconds before the chains bit into their new arms, it had felt good to be Malachite. She'd actually thought that that heady sense of power welling up was hers -- that Lapis was nothing but a minor source of support in the background, waiting the experience out as passively as she did anything else. Stupid, stupid. ] You wanna trap me at the bottom of the ocean again? I'm not going to make it easy for you.
[ Not that she actually thinks Lapis does want to replicate that. There's no element of surprise anymore, and no consent. It would be a lot less taxing just to kill her. Despite that awareness, Jasper has yet to recognize that her continuing to harp on them fusing is a sign of how heavily the possibility weighs on her mind. Give her like 48 hours and she might get there! ]
no subject
[there's a cold sense of pleasure behind being able to drop those words, and the vengeful part of Lapis relishes in it. the knowledge had hurt upon discovery, yes, but she knows that it would damage Jasper far more - the gem still had ties to her planet, had pride and loyalty and perhaps the unspoken assumption that she could bring its full military might to bear once things become too stifling here.
but there was none of that. the fusion still had Jasper rattled (she refuses to dwell on her own feelings towards it, not now) and her reply is phrased specifically to bite at that uneasiness. we're still alone. for all intents and purposes, they might as well still be Malachite.
it also brings up another thought that she barely touches on. what Lapis has said is true - she doesn't need to deal with Jasper at all. there's no crisis, not even a Steven somewhere on this planet that she needs to protect. any action she takes, any violence she lashes out with, will be completely for herself. it's the first completely free action she'll take, she thinks. how appropriate that it may be vengeance.]