The power is in your hands

[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

[vacationer]

Is your grandpa a human?

[The possibility inspires a sick fascination in her. Maybe she’s not the only human (semi-human? Whatever she is) who’s betrayed her species.]

[spotofsunlight]

I forgot. It's pretty bad, but I forgot him. I mean, gosh, I'm so forgetful. But I think he was human? Like, what else would he be?

[vacationer]

He could have been whatever you are. I don't know how you people work.

[spotofsunlight]

No way! Grampa must've been smart—too smart to be like Shiro.

[ At least he acknowledges it. ]

[vacationer]

[Lourdes softens just a little. She can't help it. Her brain is telling her that this could still be a trick, but the rest of her isn't listening.]

Where is your grandpa now?

[spotofsunlight]

I dunno! Maybe where all my friends are, in my 'wer-ld'. Do you have one of those too?

[vacationer]

I guess so.

[Not for much longer.]

I'm not from here.

[spotofsunlight]

Hey, me too!

[ Common ground! :D ]

Do you have a 'sun' where you're from?

[vacationer]

[She mentally hems and haws - and then relents. Surely telling him something like that couldn't be giving too much away, right?]

Sure, we have a sun. There's one here, too.

[spotofsunlight]

That's so cool! I've never seen a 'sun' before. Do you have 'parents' and 'grampas' too?

[vacationer]

I'm not going to talk about me.

[Family is kind of a touchy subject, anyway.]

[spotofsunlight]

Oh, okay. So what're you gonna talk about?

[ How does 'me' relate to 'parents' and 'grampas'? he wonders. ]

[vacationer]

... Tell me about you.

[So she can try to figure you the hell out.]

[spotofsunlight]

Haha, okay! Lessee… I'm Shiro. I travel with my friends through the snow—I remember my friends!

[ He starts counting them on his fingers. ]

Kwan, Chitou, Akkai, Tomtom, Kanna, Yubekno, Makuno, Nisoro, Minapa, Petsnoka, Coroli… Icoro! We go places, and I protect all the little kids and get food so we can eat.

[vacationer]

Kids littler than you, you mean?

[spotofsunlight]

Yeah, like this big and this big and this big.

[ He gestures with his hands, varying heights, all smaller than him. ]

Except Coroli, she's like a mom, that's what everyone says.

[ He pauses a bit when he says Coroli, and somehow, it's like his smile is a little less bright. ]

[vacationer]

How old are you?

[She figures he'll say he doesn't know, but she'll ask anyway, just in case.]

[spotofsunlight]

No, Shiro is young, not old.

[ He actually doesn't know the correct way to respond to this question, because in his world, no one knows exactly how old they are. But Lourdes' hunch wasn't exactly wrong. ]

[vacationer]

I mean how many years are you.

[spotofsunlight]

What are 'years'?

[vacationer]

... Never mind.

Are you alone here?

[spotofsunlight]

Yeah! I think. I didn't see any of my friends around.

[ An idea! He hops off his bench and shuffles over to a bush. ]

They're not hiding over here.

[vacationer]

[God, this kid should not be alone.]

You should find somebody to take care of you.

[spotofsunlight]

Like a 'grampa'?

[vacationer]

Like an adult.