safety first

[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 as if they have been refurbished in the past few months -- something happened in here some time ago. Something big.

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 and a pamphlet. 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 city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place. The locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to help cool you down in this awfully nauseating heat. Some of the locals might thank you for always lending your service to the nation and others might not say anything. In fact, some people might back away from any imPort who quite obviously looks like they aren't from around the neighborhood. Once in a while there's a look of disdain on someone's face and hushed voices. Something about "the outbreak" and "the government's gotta crack down on their medical files". "Some of them can't be right in the head" says another.

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 normally known for being a little more on the apathetic side, but there's been tension in the atmosphere lately. Nobody will outright state what it is that's rustled their jimmies, though you might find a newsstand with articles on recent and aggressive vigilante behavior within the city. "ImPorts: loyal to the cause of their own?" reads one newspaper article.

People are not as friendly in this city and go out of their way to avoid walking down the same sidewalk as the more obvious looking imPorts pass through. Local cops say nothing, but they scowl at those imPorts and utter something about "no badges" and "acting like authority figures".

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

[seiyaaa]

That's a good question! I guess we'd have to run through what poses we know, one at a time, if we really wanted to be thorough.

[fuhgottaboutit]

[She scratches her head.] And there could be a catchphrase, too... [The possibilities are infinite! So of course she will pick one at random. That's almost guaranteed to work.]

... For love and justice! Um. Warrior Osaka ... transform!

[Aaaand Ultraman pose! Boy I'm sure glad this doesn't make me look stupid. Still no henshin, though.]

[seiyaaa]

Oh, wow. That's pretty fancy! [ ... He never did end up making a catchphrase, did he? :( He'll have to think about his own, it's still on the itinerary!

Hm!! He strikes another pose, with his communicator in fist at his side, then sticks an arm crosswise over his chest and into the air. ryuki-senpai give him strength ]

Uh... Medal Warrior, OOO... Transform!

[ ... nope. He drops the pose after a second. ] Aw, man...

[fuhgottaboutit]

[Still nothing? Dang! Osaka's gotta put the ol' thinking muscle to some real use.]

Maybe if we do it together? Or would we need a third person for that? [Gotta have at least 3 on a sentai team!]

[seiyaaa]

Hmm... Hold on, my -

[ Friends, coworkers, senpai, peers? Uh. Awks. ]

- I think I've seen one with only two people transforming. What you do is go back to back with me, and then... [ He puts up a fist (with the communicator in hand) to the side with a bend to his elbow. ] Like that! It makes a W shape. [ DETECTIVES INTENSIFY ] Transform!

[fuhgottaboutit]

[Perfect! Osaka tries her best to follow his lead, though she has the communicator in the wrong hand at first.]

Transform! ... Oh, wait. [She switches hands, then resumes the pose.] Transform!

[.... youtried.jpg. It'll take significant practice before she can do that with anything like synchronization.]

[seiyaaa]

[ Eiji waits very patiently and syncs up with Osaka as best as he can, but frankly, this is a pretty misshapen attempt at the W transformation. Eiji is a full 5 foot 11, he could probably use Osaka as a side table.

... BUT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THEY FAILED FROM LACK OF TRYING. ]

... Aaah, wait, there's a catchphrase with this one, too! How did it go? [ He sticks his other hand out and points at an invisible archenemy. ] Uh... "Count your..." Count your... mistakes? No, sins! Count up your sins.

[fuhgottaboutit]

[Oh man that's so cool.]

Yeah! Count up your sins!

[She points along with him, and actually pulls off a surprisingly scary face for this. Some little old lady crosses their path and gets pointed at, and looks alarmed for a second, but then angrily waves them off and shuffles away, grumbling something about the hooligans and the young people these days.

Osaka watches her go. Yeah you better run, grandma.]

[seiyaaa]

[ ...! Aah, wait, too much too much, he didn't mean to scare off the elderly! He looks down at Osaka - oH DEAR. ]

Whoa, watch where you're pointing that! [ He's got half a mind to chase down the old lady and apologize deeply. Seriously. That's scurr. ]

[fuhgottaboutit]

[Osaka immediately goes back to normal. Pointing - her finger?? She pulls it back and examines it, as if it's a device that's not working properly.]

Whoops.

[seiyaaa]

[ With great power comes great responsibility little friend. :( das scary ]

I don't know if this is working. [ ... ] Maybe we need to sound, uh... More heroic? [ but HOW ]

[fuhgottaboutit]

[No it's fine though. She steps back to put some personal space between them again, and counts on her fingers.]

Well, we did the poses... the catchphrase... even the cool team pose, and none o' that did a thing. [a little disappointed] Maybe we just ain't cut out to be sentai.

[seiyaaa]

[ Huh. It's the first time he's noticed her accent. Well, she did call herself Osaka, after all. Is that her name? ]

No, don't be so down on yourself. After all, we put a lot thought into this! We've got to give it a real shot.

[ ... Uh, actually. ] Why were you trying to transform with this in the first place? [ He holds up the device. ] There must have been a good reason, right? [ HE BELIEEEEEEVES ]

[fuhgottaboutit]

Huh? [She looks blankly at him for a second, then down at her own phone thing. Why was she trying to transform with it?]

... Oh! Uh, 'cause my superpowers weren't workin'.

[No they work fine, she just has no idea what they mean or how to use them. The phone is an innocent bystander in all this.]

[seiyaaa]

[ ...? Well, it was more of an ideological question, but hey, experimentation is fine too. He thinks he has a good grasp of their current situation, but he's not sure where she's coming from, exactly. Time to be nosy. :) ]

I see... So you thought you could make them work by using this. [ Brandishes his phone! ] Is that how your powers work back where you come from? By transforming?

[fuhgottaboutit]

[She shakes her head softly, smiling. If he's being nosy, she doesn't seem to mind.]

Nope, not at all. I never had any powers back home. Least, as far as I know I didn't. [Maybe the power was dormant inside her all along! Only no, it wasn't.] But we're s'posed to get some here, right? That's what the paper said.

[seiyaaa]

[ Yup, he'd read it too. Although he'd sort of skimmed over that part; seeing as how he'd come with his belt and medals tucked safely in his underwear, he's pretty sure that the vast majority of the section didn't apply to him. ]

There was a part that said that some people had to wait up to a week to use their powers, right? When did you get here?

[fuhgottaboutit]

Ehh? A week?? [She missed that part.] But I just got here yesterday!

[seiyaaa]

[ Seems pretty cut and dry to Eiji... but he tries to soften the blow a little? ]

Well, that means it's been a day already! Just six more days to wait - less if your powers decide to come early.

[fuhgottaboutit]

[That... kind of works? She's still a little disappointed, though.]

Aw... In that case, it better be somethin' cool. Like... what if after all that, my power was just to turn into a million bugs? How gross would that be???

[seiyaaa]

[ EW WHAT THE FUCK OSAKA ]

Don't tell me that that's what you had in your file... Wait, did you get a file? [ He starts moving back to where he had laid his traveling stick - on a bench, just a few yards away. ]

[fuhgottaboutit]

...... Oh, yeah, I did. [She doesn't have it with her, but...] But I forget what it said.

[seiyaaa]

[ If Eiji were a weaker man he'd facepalm right here. He's made of better stuff though. ]

I'd check it once I got back to where I was staying! [ because home =/= government housing :/ He's not exactly anti-establishment (wait he's a kamen rider of course he is) but he's also not opposed to just camping out under a bridge until he figures out exactly what's going on. He's figuring she's staying in government housing right now though. ] It'll save you a shock later, right? And then you'll know whether to expect bugs or not.

[ Yup, and there's his file where he left it. he opens it up and starts flipping through it really quickly - yes, it does look like that besides the healing factor from the nanites (REALLY CREEPY BY THE WAY), he's got the powers he's used to. it's all good over here :) ]

[fuhgottaboutit]

[He is correct about the government housing! Osaka's never gone apartment-hunting even in Japan, she hasn't the slightest idea how it would work in America. She nods.]

Good idea. I'll do that.

[...... and now she is curious.] What kinda power did you get?

[seiyaaa]

[ ... IT'S WEIRD TALKING ABOUT HIS POWERS. That he. Technically shouldn't even have anymore? And how he got them back was weird and.

Well, Eiji is an excellent liar, but he can't help but shift a little uncomfortably when he shuts his file. There really isn't anything to lie about, after all. Nothing to be nervous about, right? ]

Well, ah... It's not turning into bugs? Or snakes. Man, I'd really hate turning into snakes. [ He laughs, sincerely. Boy, are snakes gross! ] I guess something like eels would be okay though. Or octopi?