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

[akimbo]

[ She's going to walk all the way to him, maybe a bit impatiently, and then...

She's going to punch in the gut. Yeah, totally romantic. ]

Holy shit you're real. You're real!

[ Happiness flood her voice, because wow York is REAL. ]

Uh, sorry about that.

[logicunlocked]

[ There's nothing there covering his torso other than the skintight black undersuit and Carolina can pack a real punch. He staggers back just a tad, grunting with the hit, and is left out of breath.

He had known she was going to do something like that.

He clutches at his gut and tries for a laugh. It comes out a little high. ]

Yeah, real enough, I—I guess.

[ Another laugh when she apologizes, a deeper one this time. ]

Don't worry about it, I expected you to react something like that.

[akimbo]

Oh, sorry.

[ Here, have a comforting hand on your shoulder. ]

That says a lot about me. And you, since you didn't even try to cover.

[ But with that out of the way. ]

York, you're supposed to be dead. Does that mean that I'm...?

[logicunlocked]

[ That's kind of...incredibly amazing, her laying her hand on him with such ease in her posture. Too bad he can't feel it. ]

That's what I hear. Apparently it somehow happens a couple years from now—or, uh, a couple years after they brought me here. It's a little confusing, but from what Wash tells me this isn't some kind of afterlife.

And hey, I was raising my arm up to block. You just got the hit in first.

[akimbo]

So you're alive, and I'm alive...

[ Well, damned be the armors, she's hugging him anyway. ]

Sure you were! Just be thankful I pulled that punch.

[ :) ]

[logicunlocked]

[ He's amazed, amazed, at how she's acting. After the terms they parted on the last time they saw each other? Not that he's complaining. He returns the hug with a joyful little hum. ]

Someone would think you were happy to see me.

[akimbo]

[ Yeah well, she had her closure. It was bad, man. ]

That someone might be onto something, maybe. Now you should probably explain what the hell is going on here.

[logicunlocked]

Well, you got the basics when they brought you in here. Other than that? Turns out they have some way of bringing us in from different points in time. Apparently I die about two years from now, or— from when I was brought from. [ He shrugs. ] For now I'm not really thinking about it beyond that. Thinking about the whole death part is kind of, uh...well, it's not fun.

[ It's much more fun to think about them being here in the same time and in the same place and finding that she has no desire to beat him up. He's been looking at her as he spoke, examining her new armor, and he sets his hand on her arm and smooths it down along where the suit is covering her upper arm. ]

Where did you get this if the Project broke down?

[akimbo]

York, I come from years after your death.

[ Better get that out there before it got more difficult to say out loud. ]

A lot of things have happened. A lot. I don't even know where to begin.

[logicunlocked]

[ He looks at her for just a moment, then shrugs. ]

Yeah. You know what? It's not even important.

[ He offers his arm, as if expecting her to just hook hers in with his. ] Let's talk about something more pleasant.

[akimbo]

[ She's going to hold on that arm thank you very much. ]

Are you going to show me around?

[logicunlocked]

I will show you to the nearest cafe so we can take these damn helmets off and talk like civilized human beings.

...As long as you're okay with that, I mean.