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

[tadeadshi]

[He's sorry!!! Gosh, one giggle and everyone gets all touchy.]

Uh - Well. It's just, I spent my first two years of college on a robotics project. A healthcare companion robot.

[A beat.]

Named Baymax.

[dadroid]

[another beat.]

That's a remarkable coincidence, I suppose.

[tadeadshi]

Oooor my brother is a lot more sentimental than anyone gives him credit for.

[dadroid]

[ LOOKS AT CAMERA LIKE HE'S ON THE OFFICE

Okay, clearly Tadashi is dead set on this 'brother' thing. But the story doesn't add up. ]

You must have been quite the child prodigy, then.

Hiro built me when he was seven years old.

[tadeadshi]

[His brain stops with a screeching halt record scratch what.

His brother is the prodigy, not him, building robots when he was three. But that timeline doesn't add up at all and the confusion is more than palpable on his face.]

There's... There's no way that's possible. I've been looking after Hiro since he was three and - not that I doubt he could build you when he was seven, it's just that I would've noticed.

[dadroid]

[ Baymax always keeps photos of Hiro on hand. This is partly because if the boy ever gets lost, it makes asking around easier, though partly because he's a proud dad who gets a little sentimental sometimes.

but now it's useful for another reason. Perhaps this really was a misunderstanding. He produces a photograph, a candid shot of Hiro fiddling with his Cyberglasses. ]



My apologies, perhaps there's been a miscommunication.

This is the boy I'm speaking of.

[tadeadshi]

Hm?

[He looks at the photo and ...He looks similar enough. A few differences here and there but they could almost be twins.

In turn, Tadashi pulls his phone out and flips through to a photo of them from their recent road trip - Hiro and Tadashi squished together in the frame with the tops of heads of other people behind them.]

This is my brother I'm talking about.

[dadroid]

[ Baymax inspects the photo, looking impressed. ]

Remarkable.

My apologies, Tadashi. I think perhaps I may have been pulled from a parallel reality when I was Ported here. I hope you'll forgive any distress I may have caused.

[tadeadshi]

It's all right. [With that out of the way, he carefully puts his comm back in his pocket, but not taking his eyes off Baymax.]

I just have never run into this before. Alternate realities of us, I mean.

[A beat. He corrects himself:]

Of him.

[Even in an alternate reality, he doesn't exist... He's not sure how he feels about that. Not just a universe where he died and left Hiro alone, but he just straight up wasn't there to begin with. It doesn't sit well with him.]