etcelsior | 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?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ You know, you would think by now that Gansey would be used to this sort of thing. He had even thought there was a good chance he'd see Noah. It only made sense; there had been Adam and then Ronan, so of course there would also be Noah. It reinforces the idea that they're all here for a reason, and Gansey doesn't believe in coincidences, anyway.

That said, there's a difference between expecting to see Noah in front of him, and being aware that Noah has suddenly appeared right beside him without warning. ]

Good God. Noah!

[ After he's jumped, snatched up the file he'd dropped to the pavement and set himself on the path to a regularly-paced heartbeat again, he says hello. ]

You really need to warn me before you do that. When did you get here?

[ And then, after a second or two, his brain processes the ramifications of that question, and the smile he's developing turns confused, instead. ]

We buried it months ago. Is there another one I ought to be aware of?

[He nods, way too outwardly blasé about Gansey's concern and near heart attack. The reaction is familiar though, and familiarity is a great relief just now]

I got a new one, but I lost it. Earlier today. There were all these people and they wouldn't stop talking to me, so I left and then I was like this again.

[There's a hollow pause as he tries to collect his jumbled thoughts, tries to think of something to say that's helpful. Despite absolutely everything Noah does implying otherwise, he doesn't want to cause Gansey more alarm than necessary right now. He desperately casts his eyes about. His thumbs hook into his pockets, hands wipe on his pants]

It's probably lying in the street somewhere. A few blocks back. [THAT'S HELPFUL AND NOT AT ALL CONCERNING, RIGHT? Then Noah perks up like he's just remembered the words. He looks to Gansey] The thing I do when I disappear? It wouldn't come with me.

[ Gansey's eyes are wide. Internally, his brain scrolls through a number of possible reactions. Shock, because this is admittedly shocking. Disbelief, because it very much also should not be possible. Horror, because there's a body in the street, and God, what if someone finds it before they do?

And finally, pragmatism, which is the one he settles on, since it's really the only one that helps at all.

He'll worry about the why once his best friend has a body again.

There's something he didn't imagine he'd be doing today. His expression filters all of this into a suddenly controlled, focused look, and he nods. ]

All right. Don't worry, and come with me. We'll find it.

[ And he strides off in the opposite direction, even though Noah had not actually come from any direction at all. ]

No doubt there'll be a very alarmed crowd gathering in its wake. Which way did you come? Keep me right.

[He follows. Already Noah is settling into urgency rather than a panic. Someone else leading the way, Gansey leading the way, it feels like things could just fall right into place.

That's not to say he's not still terrified, of course. He sticks close to Gansey's side, just a step behind]

Um . . . [A sweeping look around as they walk. Where . . . did he come from? When he left his body behind, he drifted around in a panic, looking for a familiar face or a hiding place. The paths he took weren't those of the mostly-living.

They come to a cross-roads, and a translucent hand springs up as he points] There! Down that street. I think.

[ Gansey looks as though he knows where he's going. He walks like he has a destination in mind, and his face only looks determined, as opposed to terrified or confused.

Those are the emotions he's working through, though. Is all of this real? Is he going to find a body that looks like Noah at the end of this? If he does, what would that mean? They're not questions he can answer, and they're less important than finding the body, anyway.

He stops and turns, when Noah points, and there - right on cue - is the crowd he'd expected. His heart sinks. ]

God, I hope nobody called an ambulance.

[ He looks at Noah. ]

All right. I'm going to get you out. If you can somehow --

[ What's the right language here? ] --wake up, inside it, this would be a wonderful time.

[ He looks at the crowd, takes a breath, and with determined resolution, shoulders his way through it. ]

Excuse me! Excuse me, that's my friend -

[ Christ. It really does look like Noah. Lifeless and prone, but very much Noah, a more solid and real version of him than Gansey has ever seen. Setting his jaw, he goes to the body's side, and moves to lift him up.

Any time now, Noah... ]

He isn't feeling well. There's nothing to worry about, so if none of you would mind, we should really be going now.

The power is in your hands

no subject

I'm almost sorry

you are not sorry at all omg

true 8)

no subject