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[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 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. The small, cheery city of Heropa is finishing some downtown construction work following an attack some months ago. There are enough construction crews still around and on break to wave and raise a cup of coffee in a salute to the most obvious imPorts. You might even be thanked for playing a role in saving the city from whatever happened.

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, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter, there are just as many citizens awed at your presence. Heavy winds have people grasping at their newspapers and constantly brushing hair out of their faces, but that doesn't distract them from crowding you in excitement if you're obviously from a different time or world, or just let it slip that you're a newcomer. Children and young teenagers are especially likely to ask for an autograph and a photo.

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, is just fine as always. Ask the residents about their opinions on the recent two-block space that burned in a fire or the imPorts mixed up in the incident, and the locals will shrug. They're just not interested in talking 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?

Comments

[glowsferatu]

[ it's the smell that gets her attention, after the scream, blood in the air is such a distinct scent when you're particularly inclined toward it. when she finds where it's coming from, it's not hard to guess what's going on. vampires always recognize their own. but some of them aren't so careless about it. just seeing him like this leaves her angry and embarrassed, who does this scrub think he is, just hunting and eating out in the open like this?

certainly no one she's going to let go uncontested.

she stomps her in and grabs his shoulder from behind. she has half a mind to just fight him then and there. well, he did just kill someone, didn't he? ]

Do you fucking mind? Have you no sense of discretion, or self control?

[hisheartsdesire]

[He turns to the girl, notes her horns and general complexion, and is actually surprised to the point that he drops his meal. His expression changes to that of dread, of horror, because he doesn't know what other imPorts might be capable of.]

More likely the latter, really. [He sounds far from confident, his voice almost miserable and pleading.] But if you must know, I never wanted this to happen.

[glowsferatu]

[ she rolls her eyes and groans, sometimes humans just make the worst vampires. having no mind whatsoever to manage their condition, and then when something like this inevitably happens, they pass the buck like it was an accident! giving the rest of them a bad name, she swears to god. ]

Oh, supposing he slipped and fell in your mouth, then! [ she grips his shoulder tighter, pulling him up. for her young age, she's surprisingly strong. but then, she's also a very tall alien, so maybe it isn't that surprising. ] If you didn't want it to happen, you shouldn't have done it. You do realize you've just killed a man?

[hisheartsdesire]

I know I did, and that I—get off me! [He shoves her arm to get her hand off his shoulder, and while he's somewhat stronger than a human, there's no way to gauge his exact strength from that quick move.]

What, does it look like I'm enjoying this? Is that it? [He looks and sounds both agitated and disgusted and somewhat disdained.] Because I'm not. I didn't ask to be this way, he's better off now than he would be turning, and none of that means I feel good about it.

[glowsferatu]

Oh, come off it! [ and with that, she finally does throw a punch, fist flying right at his nose. ] Do you think feeling bad makes this okay? Do you think any of us asked for it?

Whinging about how little you're enjoying it doesn't excuse you from doing it. If this isn't what you wanted, you find a better way to manage it, or you do yourself so you don't do in anyone else!

[ and she follows it up by aiming a kick between his legs. at this point, she'll beat the hell out of him if she isn't stopped. she's out of patience for weak-willed justifications, as if they somehow make everything better. ]

Stop acting like this is someone else's fault!

[hisheartsdesire]

Ugh—Go on, assume whatever you like!

[Tobias goes down hard, blocking and bracing himself for the incoming kick. Truth is, he doesn't want to fight, not really.]

I lived for so long, trying to make the best of a bad hand, and I even made sport of it! And then one day, one day thirty years ago, I ended it. Problem solved for everyone, or so I thought because I came back only days ago, and so much had changed, and that was only in the world I'm from. What more in a completely different world as this one? Do you really think someone who's been alive for centuries is capable of changing overnight?

[glowsferatu]

You're still making excuses! [ she throws another kick at his stomach. she honestly isn't sure if she'd dislike him more if he were unapologetic instead of sniveling, at least then he'd own what he is. but then, she also wouldn't hesitate to kill him instead of the beating she's giving now, however temporary it would be. ]

You can't change overnight, well bloody good for you! But you aren't going to change at all if you aren't even trying! So you don't revel in it anymore, but you haven't stopped, and that makes you no less a wretch. People like us, we don't have the right to be picky, because our lives aren't worth anything more than however many have died to keep you fed.

[ and she kicks him again, gritting her fangs and hissing her breaths through her teeth. ]

When you do this, you surrender your right to anything fresh from the vein. This isn't a morally ambiguous or defensible position, you find a safe source, or you starve!

[hisheartsdesire]

Oof—! [He manages to curl up, blocking his groin but taking the hit on his shin, the pain reverberating through his leg and quickly echoing up through his body.]

Do what, you mean arrive here? I only just got here, hiding from the sun all day, not coming out lest I burn up and turn to cinders! Or was I supposed to just know there's a 'safe source' as you say? That there was another way to do it without this?

[Feeding like this and killing his victims is the only way he's ever known to survive. If there were ever an alternative, he certainly never found it before.]

[glowsferatu]

You've got your damn file, you can see that they know what you are. You're hardly the first to pass through, much less the first to cause trouble. Me, I was the first vampire to cross their threshold since this all started, I asked what they had in place.

By now I'm sure they must have just told you about the synthetics, unless you ran off before they could!

[ and that damn synthetic blood, she wouldn't drink it if she had a choice. but it's only there for when you don't, and the awful taste certainly makes a splendid motivation to find something sustainable that's actually pleasant.

but tobias, she figures he deserves the synthetics for a while. ]

[hisheartsdesire]

[Unpleasant as it may is being lectured by this other vampire, Toby would rather have this than being beaten. Still, he startles at the mention of synthetics—it's the first he's heard of them.]

Yeah, well I think you're right, I must have. The sun was too hot and high when I came out the building, and I was so focused on getting into the car because I'd already begun to burn. The smell of ash was on me when I got inside, and they put a folder in my hands before driving away. No one else inside seemed keen on sharing info, so I didn't know who to ask before they eventually dropped us off.

[The details of his vampirism were, in fact, in the file. There was no questioning that. But he doesn't recall there being anything about safe alternatives—did they miss putting in something about that? Maybe they forgot to include the 'dealing with your hunger' instruction sheet?

It's clear from Tobias' expression that he sincerely didn't know.]

[glowsferatu]

[ she sighs, humans and their sun allergies. ]

Should I get you an umbrella? I can't believe they'd be stupid enough to dump someone like you right out in the sun without the barest mention of how to deal with you. That would be dangerously incompetent, and while they near that at times, it's never been that extreme.

It's entirely likely your first week's rations have already been delivered to your assigned residence.

[ she doesn't entirely believe that he hadn't run off, human vampires believe so dearly in their secrecy that they're always running, or trying to hide. catching him in some dark corner snacking on a native doesn't give her much faith that he's any better.

but now she's responsible for him, because she found him, and is even a bit like him, if a different species. she's going to have to make sure he's seen to, or there'll be more dead. probably best to make sure that's answered for, also. ]

Do you still have your folder? Where did they place you? [ first thing is to make sure he's going to be kept fed, to minimize any other risk. she doesn't really trust the police to handle him, not after import prison reform means they'll just slap him with a nullifier and a probation. major general armstrong might be the person to see, instead. ]

[hisheartsdesire]

They left the lot of us at an outpost. Said we should find our way around, and that the government-issued flats circle round the town. I found a place to hide—around here, obviously. I spent the day here, skimming the folder, though I hid it before I... well, you know.

[While he went to feed, of course.

Tobias rubs at his face as he sits up, and then he brushes himself off as he staggers to his feet. He could easily recover quicker if he feeds again, but it seems more important to sort these matters out now and deal with that problem later. Besides, doing so may ensure he'll have a place to hide and rest when the sun comes up.

So he moves to where he'd hidden the folder, behind some scraps and seemingly abandoned construction materials. He quickly flips through it.]

Here, it says I should be in "Residence #024", wherever that is.

[glowsferatu]

[ she looks out behind her, starting from where she knows #001 to be and working her way outward. after a few moments of counting, she pulls at the air, bringing a handful of glittering green threads with her. as she pulls them in, a light cuts through the darkness as her portal opens into the living room. ]

Stand back. Don't try to run, I will find you. [ even if there was anywhere to run to, with the sun so bright. which is just why she enters the room first, to close all the curtains so none of the light getting through is natural. once she has, she comes back to the mouth of the portal. ]

It's safe for you to enter. I recommend you sit while I determine what needs to be done with you.

[hisheartsdesire]

[Running is probably the last thing on Tobias' mind, really. He doesn't know where anything is, has nowhere to go, doesn't even know anymore. But even if he did know where to go or who to run to, there seems little point even now that the sun is slowly dipping below the horizon. Its rays are still too strong, bands of red and orange still high in the sky.

Instead, he returns his attention to the corpse lying forgotten on the ground before realizing his victim isn't actually dead. He's sired someone, another prospect that truly terrifies him because he's just now cursed his victim to the same damnable undead 'life' that he lives.]

Uh. Wait. [He vaguely wonders that one of her powers is an ability to make portals that can immediately get people from one place to another, which seems incredibly convenient. Maybe he wouldn't be in nearly as much of a mess if he'd had something like that. Anyway, he quickly clears that distraction from his thoughts.] He's still alive.

[Not that Tobias considers being a vampire any sort of life. But it seems a terrible idea to attempt his life here and now, when this young lady has already reprimanded him and made perfectly clear it's not Tobias' choice to make.]

[glowsferatu]

[ something comes alive then, in kanaya's eyes. she's gotten too jaded, seeing a body and not even confirming it, some former medical professional she is. she rushes in, kneeling at the victim's side.

no pulse, but the breathing's shallow. that isn't promising. she's read enough about human vampires to have a strong hint t what that means. ]

Well. It appears that another priority entirely has just lucked its way ahead of you.

[ she looks back up at tobias, jaw set and eyes narrow. ] And I do mean it, you were lucky this time. He gets to walk away, though his life as it was may not have been saved. Suppose you'll get to settle in on your own while I mind him.

[hisheartsdesire]

[Tobias swallows to suppress his anxiety and the tingling urge to end his victim's life—there's no point so long as the young woman is around. Despite having fed, he's tired and really starting to feel the after effects of the beatdown earlier. And even if he weren't, he can acknowledge she knows more about this situation than he does; if she wants to tend to the victim, then so be it.

So far as he knows, though, medical treatment won't do his victim any good. Once he discovers what he's become, he'll need to learn to feed, need training to hunt. Without those things, he'll probably die, if not take his own life.]

All right. I'm... I'm sorry. About all this.

[Feeling exasperated and pretty embarrassed about how messy the situation had turned out, Tobias steps through the portal to find himself in a living room. The place looks lived in, the decor can easily be described as... well, girly, to say the least. Glancing about, he decides no one is home for the time being. He supposes he should find the 'synthetics', wherever they are, because he, for one, as much as possible doesn't want anyone else picking up on what he is. No matter how obvious it might be.]

[glowsferatu]

[ she has no idea the responsibility she's just taken on, having to raise a new vampire into surviving through his new condition. but she was born to be a mother, perhaps this is just how she'll have to fulfill that, even when the man is easily fifteen years her senior.

she calls out after tobias as he steps through the portal. ]

The first thing you do, call Captain Ananke, get your rations started. And you had damn better take care from now on. Do this again, I will find out.

[ and she lets her threads go lose, the portal shutting behind him. now to figure out how best to handle her new fledgling. ]