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etcelsior2015-08-22 08:10 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2015-08-22 08:10 pm
Entry tags:
The power is in your hands
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?
B???? I GUESS??? weeps
It's a lot harder when you're suddenly tethered to the earth like every other person. Noah is alive, or he at least has a living body, and just that is enough to freak him out. He's experiencing everything at once, now, like he's forgotten how to block out the unimportant things. People whispering behind your back. The wind hitting his face and the minty scent of a particular bark that comes with it. The warmth of the Sun. A hand on his arm as a stranger stops him. Then ten more. Being approached by what feels like thousands of strangers is what blasts him miles out of his comfort zone. Naturally, he disappeared.
And accidentally left his sleeping body behind. Noah had spent all morning figuring out how to repossess it before one of those gaping faces called an ambulance. Then he ran, hid among some of Virginia's many trees, and followed them to the park.
It is this overstimulated Noah that glimpses a familiar face in this sea of strange. A beacon, Adam, seated in the park. Noah barely processes that he looks miserable; Adam usually does. The sight allows him to focus. He stumbles through the foliage, popping out of a bush beside the bench.
There are leaves in his hair. He's panting] Adam. [his eyes continue what he forgets to speak: You're here oh thank Christ.]
omg smol babe
... Noah?
[ Noah, flushed and real looking. Noah with leaves in his hair and a pulse when Adam reaches for him, fingers wrapping around his wrist. ] Oh my God, what happened?
;w;
[He's talking entirely too fast, and he frowns at his own voice. His Adam's apple bobs as he tries to swallow it down. Was that how it worked? No, it only nudges the lump in his throat. A brief I remember that skips across his thoughts before his eyes refocus on Adam.
At a complete loss of how to explain what this means, he continues quietly] I don't know how.
[consequentially, his file will be of little help, as he's not holding it]
no subject
Okay, okay. Sit down. You look like you need it. [ He offers Noah the space of bench he just vacated, his hand running through his hair as he does his best to think. ]
This place gives people powers, right? So maybe they've ... given you a body.
no subject
[Noah has obeyed without really thinking about it, seated with his knees pulled to his chest. It's always so much easier when he's following along.
Breathe in, breathe out. He thought he did breathe as a ghost. Was it always this hard?] How do you deal with this?
no subject
[ Noah, he hasn't had the best of luck with his body. If he had he might be able to hear out of both ears still. ] Just keep breathing, okay? [ Adam's hands twitch like he's half tempted to touch his friend but isn't sure it's his place. ] Keep breathing and try to -- try to stay awake, I guess?
[ A pause and then he's kneeling down in front of Noah, watching him carefully. His pulse is moving at his throat. That's strange. ] How does it feel?
no subject
Noah shrugs sluggishly] Loud and warm and . . . heavy. Small, too. No. Cramped. Like I'm wearing clothes five sizes too small.
[He shifts. Swallows] I thought I'd be more if I was alive again but mostly I'm just more tired. [And not the kind of tired that'll have him passing out, Adam, gosh. He knows you know the kind. Which is why he said it]
no subject
Yeah. [ Tired. Bone deep and worn down like he's feeling now. ] Did you read your file? [ The file you do not have that would have been very useful right about now. ] Does it say anything about this?
finally does the thing
[Honestly, he glanced at the file's contents, and it had only served to freak him out more. Noah Czerny can even manage to run away from information that scares him. Amazing.
He loosens his arms around himself, his head tilting as he stares back at Adam. Adam, who seems adamant in crouching on the ground instead of taking the park bench beside Noah. Despite his ability to hear his friends' thoughts, sometimes Adam escapes even him.
He frowns wetly] You can sit down, you know. Or give me a hug. I'd be okay with both.
no subject
[ Adam frowns at Noah's frown before he rises to his feet quickly. It's not easy for him to be affectionate, he's never been a physical person. If he's small and quiet and easily ignored he's less likely to be hit. But there's a moment where he thinks he's hurt him, hurt his feelings and he wants nothing more than to fix that.
His arms move to gather Noah into them. This isn't the usual slapping kind of hug boys do. This is Adam touching someone who hasn't been touched in so long. If he can give him that he will damn well do it properly. ] I'm so glad you're alive. [ His hand presses between his shoulder blades, careful but firm. ] And I want you to know that. But we're getting a replacement file, okay? [ He doesn't let go but he does lean back a little to look him in the eyes. ] You don't have to read it but I want to. I don't want anything happening to you that we could avoid.
I need you to trust me.