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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?
and we all want your love...!
Best to assume he's just another native, though Jaime privately thinks that any native would be a fool to move to an imPort city. They don't have the greatest track record in the world.]
Welcome to De Chima, then, [he says, smiling politely.] I'm Jaime. I don't actually live here, but I've been often enough, if you've got any big questions.
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I keep hearing something about what happened to this town in the 80s, is there an anniversary?
[ At least if everyone knows about it, he can attribute it to the accent... ]
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[They're talking about the corrupt government, of course, but Jaime's busy thinking about things that they would commemorate... and besides, things about the government are frustratingly scarce in the history books.
Surprise, surprise.]
But I didn't exactly grow up here, so maybe that's why. I only got here around a year ago.
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Where were you from before that?
[ Should he trust him? He's leaning towards yes. ]
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[It's a nice, civilian answer. El Paso is similar enough that when he's passing as a native, he can easily talk about how life had been there, what he'd liked about it, and it's all been the same.
But there's really no harm in giving away the fact that he's an imPort when someone's already talking to him. He lifts his hand and places another one over his wrist so that Erik can see the extremely faint etchings of his tattoo. He's always been rather relieved that it's not obvious unless it's dark out.
With a crooked smile, he says,] Not the El Paso they have here, though. I'm an imPort, so if you wanna know traditions that aren't in any of the history books, you're out of luck.
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[ Yeah alright, time to give up the ghost. Whew. It's still such a strange place to find himself, trying to get his footing and navigate around. With most other things, he's studied, calculated. But this? Well. ]
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[He doesn't mean to show it, but he relaxes a little knowing that he's speaking to another imPort, shoulders loosening up as he leans forward, propping his elbows on the table.]
I couldn't tell you were an imPort at all, but that's the sort of thing I can answer a few questions about. A year's not long if you were born in this world, but being here for a year as an imPort? I'm practically a senior.
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I need to know everything you have to offer.
[ And honestly it helps knowing that Jaime wasn't immediately forthcoming with his status either. When in Rome... ]
Why we're here, what happened, who the most prominent figures are.
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[He looks down at his phone again, scrolling through the network. He's not at all abashed by Erik's hunger for knowledge; it's the same thing that most intellectual imPorts seek out on their first day. He'll do his best to provide.]
Erik, Erik... Erik Lensherr? Is that you?
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[ Wait, what. Like, he's looked through the comms and everything but this amount of knowledge... Like having a phonebook in your phone. Weird. ]
These are useful devices. How much do they cost to replace?
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[And as if on cue, Erik's communicator lets out a cheery little jingle. Congratulations, Erik, you've got a text message! In it there's a link.]
So, click on the link I just sent you, and you'll see a FAQ that a couple other imPorts set up. Do you need any help on figuring out how to do it?
[Obviously he's not used to cell phones. No one who is would call their communicators useful devices.]
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[ He struggles a bit, but it looks like he's opened the link! He looks happy to have achieved this goal, though mostly he hides his expression. But it looks relaxed, at least, which is good enough. ]
This technology has really come a long way. I couldn't have imagined a machine so small powering a screen so large.
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[Who knows? All the Kryptonians look basically human, if not impossibly buff. This guy could be from the world of Squeep Sqwop and look the same.]
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But... I wouldn't have imagined this to happen in less than a hundred years. Is the technology influenced by the Imports?
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[He twists his head, staring out the window for a second, at the hovercars and holotech that he now considers to be normal. He squints, trying to see it through the lens of someone from the 60s.]
Wait... does this mean that you had to go from one Cold War to another?
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[ He has a wry smile. He's not that surprised. But he did anticipate that at some point, it would have turned into a hot war. Worse than the last, probably. ]
But I have to say, the propaganda here is some of the worst I've seen in some time.
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[Or it ended when he was a baby, but... eh, he's a little shaky on the dates. Should have paid closer attention to this unit in History class instead of slacking with Paco in the back.]
You should have seen July's swear-in. It had some intense propaganda -- know your place, shut your face kinda posters everywhere.