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

a.

[caerulea]

[ She's staring really hard at him right now. Practically glaring daggers as he throws the paper her direction. Not a very unRonan-like thing to do. There's a strange comfort in the familiarity of the action. Even if it is rude and agitates her at the same time. ]

Are you really not going to read that?

[fuckwashington]

[Oh, fuck, it's Blue Sargent, his least favorite girl. (Coincidentally, Blue is also his favorite girl, because Ronan only knows one girl.) (Don't tell anyone.) His sneer morphs into a twisted smile.]

You already read it, didn't you.

[caerulea]

[ There's a moment when his sneer catches her off-guard. It instantly warns of her of what's to come. The inevitable insult.

Delivered right on time.

Her surprise fades into a look of pure anger before she huffs and turns away to busily look through her file. ]

Not all of it. Most of it. [ Finally she looks back up. ] You should be reading it too. It's not like this is a walk through Cabeswater.

[fuckwashington]

No, Cabeswater's interesting. [He stares down at the crumpled paper lying on the ground, and kicks it into a puddle of mud.] Cabeswater doesn't need fucking soldiers. They tattoo you, too?

[He almost sounds concerned, but it's probably just your imagination.]

[caerulea]

You don't think this is interesting? [ Okay, it lacked the mysticism of Cabeswater. The finesse. The elegance. The latin. Aside from that, though, it was a whole other world. What could possibly be less interesting than another world? Cabeswater had almost felt like another world.

Wryly, she holds up her wrist to flash an invisible tattoo. That makes her lips purse even more. ]

It said Registered.

They got you too, then?

[fuckwashington]

This is just some theme park America. It's fucking Disneyworld. [Said like Disneyworld is an insult.]

[He takes a step back toward her, and looks over her shoulder like he expects her to follow. He does, but what right does he have leading?] C'mon, let's see what else they got. [Someone is planning mischief. Please escort.]

[caerulea]

I never went to Disneyworld. [ Some of us aren't made of money, Ronan. Some of us haven't even been to Busch Gardens let alone Disneyworld.

Yet she still follows. It's a magnetism she can't escape. Something familiar. Not even familiar. He was still one of her Raven Boys. She couldn't lose one of the flock. ]

I feel like I should be in a poodle skirt. [ She eyes the locals as they pass as if they carried some disease on them. Her clothes weren't normal at home. They really weren't normal here. ]

[fuckwashington]

Surprised you're not. [In a poodle skirt, that is. He's sure she'll make one out of twigs and tissue paper, given enough time.] Was there anything important in the pamphlet?

[Because as much as Ronan is in the lead, he's not in charge. He won't say it, won't repine on this unlikely combination, but Blue is the one who should be making decisions. Anyone, anyone, but Ronan.]

[caerulea]

Surprised I'm not wearing the symbol of female oppression in the 1950s? [ You should know better, Ronan. Or maybe not. Maybe only Blue concerned herself with things like that.

Well Ronan should know now.

She left Ronan to ponder that thought while she delved into a realm where she was in charge and Ronan followed her. She didn't need to be a psychic to know this didn't end gracefully. Blue was no Gansey, but she was also no Ronan. Two facts that made her all at once unqualified and qualified for leading them through Heropa.

She goes back to the pamphlets. ]

We have housing. We could start there. Probably should start there. Before it gets dark and we get lost trying to find it.