etcelsior | safety first

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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How does it all work? It's very Back to the Future hoverboard-y, and I gotta say, I'm loving that.

[ He's watching how she moves with it, clearly noticing the awkwardness in the slow movement. ]

Oh, uh, less than an hour? I think? That's since I woke up, anyway.

[~~The best way to entice anyone that knows a speedster...~~]

Electromagnetic suspension. The magnets in the discs react to the magnets in the armor. Less strain on the body, more precision. Still a work in progress.

[Oh he is BRAND new. The folder told her he was a recent ImPort but he literally just got into town, didn't he?]

Welcome to Heropa. It's not too bad here, though I've heard it has a tendency to be destroyed.

[Was that native resident saying something about a dragon?]

Do you think I could get a closer look at it sometime? Obviously not, like, right now, but oh man, that sort of thing is an engineer's dream.

[ Fresh off the ~~boat~~ Porter! ]

Destroyed? Oh, great, good to know I have that to look forward to. You said you don't live here?

Mechheads unite! [She raises her fist in a half-assed cheer, but the smile is genuine.] I don't mind showing it off some. I'll have to show you what they can really do.

[She shifts her leg to loop in a tight circle and begins skating backwards.]

I live in De Chima, Virginia. You should consider moving there. Tech junkies dream. Less chance of repair bills.

[ He grins at that. ] Sweet.

Maybe after I get my bearings I'll check it out. I have a housing assignment here in Heropa for now, I guess. But if it's always this hot here, I so wouldn't say no to heading north.

[ He ideally wants to go home, but since that seems to be off the table for the time being, he's trying to stay focused on figuring this place out as best as he can. ]

There's a couple of different options. Nonah isn't too bad, but you'll want to avoid Maurtia Falls. Network had mentioned something about terrorist cells and the locals really don't like ImPorts.

[She had gotten to the point where she wasn't sure she even wanted to go home anymore. Almost everyone she loves is here.]

That's the one in... [ He flips through his pamphlet quickly. ] ...Pennsylvania? Good to know. Man, this place is sounding more fun by the minute.

[ His sense of adventure is going to be quickly outweighed by missing his friends (who he hasn't realized are basically all here yet) and, yes, even his family. ]

If your idea of fun is mutant jello and mental manipulation, sure,

[Just another day in the land of superheroville, right?]

It's not all that bad, but most ImPorts tend to just try to make a place and live it

Mutant jello? Seriously?

[ That's even goddamn weirder than he's used to, and that's REALLY saying something. ]

Work with what you got, right? Even if what you've got is kind of insane.

Okay, it was more an organic devouring mutant blob that grew to over 300 ft tall.

[She can be flippant NOW, but at the time she was terrified out of her mind for the idiots who thought the blobs were fun before they started absorbing each other and growing.]

Man, at least if it was jello, people could've just... eaten it to death. But it sounds like it was doing the eating, huh?

Pets, teenagers, old ladies with walkers. Anything it could catch.

[Oh look, here's their stop. She smoothly kicks back to the ground, deactivating the magnets, and slots both discs together so she can carry them beneath her arm,]

So, like the Blob?

[ He watches as she deactivates them, still so interested in her tech that he's barely paying attention as they head into the smoothie shop. ]

Like what? If that's some kind of comics reference, I'm not going to get it.

[That's an interesting trick. She wonders if she held her tech just right if she could just lead him in circles without him noticing.

Cruel in this heat, but maybe some day in the future.

But hey, the air conditioning is downright frigid compared to outside and she strolls right up to the counter to order.]

What, seriously? It's a horror movie.

[ HEY he's not that distracted. He just gets a little fixated on tech sometimes! He's following her up to the counter, eyeing the menu as he basks in the AC. ]

[She shakes her head as she orders, then gestures to him to do the same. She's got this one.]

Must not exist in my world, then. Haven't had much call to watch movies since I got here. [Except for one or two movie nights, but god dammit, they needed those.]

[ He orders some strawberry pineapple lime thing, then heads for a table to go sit down to drink it in the comfort of the air conditioning. ]

Oh man, you're missing out. If it exists here—and oh man do I not want to be in a world where horror classics like that don't exist—you have to check it out. I mean, some people would say it's pretty dated, but it's still a classic.

I'm all for terrible movies. Line up a mountain of junk food and we'll call it a night.

[She sets the discs on the table and leans back in her chair with her drink. He was right, the AC really was a great idea. She hadn't realized just how hot it was until she pulled her head out of her work. Props, new guy.]

I'm Gogo, by the way.

I said classic, not terrible! Though, okay, to be fair, some of the classics are pretty terrible in that really great way.

[ He's sort of idly checking her tech out again while he enjoy the delicious cooling power of smoothies and air conditioning. ]

Cisco. Nice to meet you.

So bad they're good?

[She maaaay casually nudge the maglev a little closer with her elbow when she leans forward.]

Well, if you've got any questions about the place, feel free to ask.

safety first

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