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

That's...unsurprising that it sounds creepy, it's shadows.

[ A dry look. ]

Well, you're not protesting, so if you want the food, you may as well come on.

[ And with that he took a hard left, into the alley, and disappeared. You're either on your own, Cisco, or you can follow the overdressed ex-supervillain. ]

[ He hesitates, looking around for any possibly less insane person to talk to instead, but there's no one around who isn't watching him with either awe or a wary eye. So he sighs and ducks into the alley, not at all sure what to expect. ]

[ Well, when he steps into the alley, it's empty, but a few steps in, and there's nothing. It's like stepping into night, before he'll walk out onto another, different alley -- and there's Shade, gesturing with his cane at a burrito joint. ]

See? Burritos, and Air conditioning!

[ He looks back into the alley behind him, then at Shade, then back. ]

Okay, that? That was creepy and also seriously cool.

I've heard that before, yes. Most people think I'm a touch creepy, and also... cool?

[ Is cool good, he thinks he is. ]

I'm surprised the hunger hasn't gotten to you yet!

[ Only a touch? Sure, dude, whatever you say. ]

It's not like I'm starving to death. The heat is more annoying, but I figured most restaurants have AC, so might as well find something to eat while I'm cooling down.

[ So he's heading into the burrito place Shade pointed out. Ahhhh, sweet, sweet air conditioning. ]

[ Shade follows, although he's much slower. ]

I don't think I caught your name, you know.

I didn't get yours, either.

[ Okay, sure, he walked through a stranger's weird shadow powers portal, but he's still pretty creeped out by this guy. ]

[ Shade grinned, and pulled the hat off his head, and then the sunglasses off his face -- slipping them into his jacket. ]

You may call me the Shade.

[ Wow. That sure sounds like a supervillain name, doesn't it? ]

[ Oh, it totally does, which is putting him even more on alert than the shadows thing alone. ]

I'm gonna guess that's not on your birth certificate.

Birth register, actually! Certificates were silly things that most people didn't bother with in my time.

[ Yes, he's as much a relic as he looks. He sat his hand on a table, and spoke to the waitress in low, perfect Spanish, something about 'dos Colonche', and she patted his arm, giving him a smile. ]

I don't think you shared yours, please, sit!

And what time was that?

[ He sits, though, and skims through the menu. ]

Cisco Ramon. Which is on my birth certificate.

Well! Quite special then, aren't you?

[ He didn't even look at the menu, but obviously he was a regular. An extremely pretentious regular who always spoke the language of the staff -- even if he looked like an ass doing it. ]

It was the eighteen hundreds, actually. So quite some time ago.

[ It's okay, Cisco's totally used to pretentious white boys speaking his language to show off. ]

...Okaaaay, so, what's your deal, exactly? My guess would've been vampire, but Florida sun kinda rules that out.

[ Probably a good way to go about it, sorry cisco

He laughed. Either way. ]

No, of course not. I wouldn't be eating either! [ He held a hand to his chest. ] I think I'd die, without food. [ No, no he wouldn't. ]

I'm merely an immortal. [ With shadow powers. ]

Hey, sometimes vampires can eat normal food! It all depends on the story.

[ This fuckin' nerd, honestly. ]

Oh, right. Merely.

[ He blinked. ]

Right, well!

[ He waved at the menu. ]

You'll find I'm one of many fish in the sea, immortality doesn't quite hold the...panache it used to, now that metahumans are so popular these days.

safety first

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