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

[vacationer]

Right. There's no reason not to indulge as much as possible.

[Even though she can't really enjoy it anymore, she still believes that.]

[timeshares]

[He lifts his can in a toast to that.]

We'll get along just fine.

[vacationer]

It must be easy to say that when you don't actually know anything about me.

[timeshares]

[He nods, amiably, taking another drink of soda.]

Downright failproof.

[vacationer]

[So she decides to ruin it. Better now than later.]

You see that man over there?

[She points, picking someone at random.]

[timeshares]

The one with the hat?

[vacationer]

Yeah.

It's a nice hat. He probably likes it. But I could make him take it off and throw it in the mud.

[timeshares]

.... Charmspeak?

[vacationer]

No. What's that?

[timeshares]

On the rare occasion, children of Aphrodite are born with the ability to just make people do anything by talking to them. They call it charmspeak.

[vacationer]

I wouldn’t even need to talk to him. But I could do anything. I could stop his heart from beating. It’d be easy.

[timeshares]

Would you?

[vacationer]

I don't have a reason to. But I don't have a reason not to, either.

Do you think I should?

I'm sorry, he's also sort of a monster. Moral compass only clicks on super extremes.

[timeshares]

Without a reason? Nah. Playing with mortals should be below you.

You're not going to have any problems staying fed here, though.

fffff

[vacationer]

I'm not immortal.

[She doesn't think she is. She hopes she isn't.]

And I don't feed off of it. It's just something I can do.

[timeshares]

Oh. No, I meant regular food, but that's also good to know.

.... Unless you have a job here to actually make money.

[Somehow he doubted restaurants were going to be as generous as the shopkeeper was.]

[vacationer]

They gave me one, but I don't work anymore. I don't do anything that isn't fun.

[Except for working for aliens.]

But you're right, it's not going to be hard to stay fed. I can get free stuff anywhere.

Does this mean you aren't afraid of what I can do?

[If he isn't, she doesn't know what to think about that.]

[timeshares]

You don't have a reason to use it on me. [A shrug. If she did it for enjoyment, there would be a dead man across the street right now.] Of course, you don't have a reason why you shouldn't either.

Wary? Sure. I'm not an idiot. Afraid? No.

[vacationer]

But I don't have a reason not to use it on you, either.

[Just reminding him of that forever.]

... Anyway, it probably doesn't work on you.

[timeshares]

[There's no shortage of surprise and confusion on his face that she'd actually tell him that.]

No?

[vacationer]

It doesn't work on everybody here.

[She is so put out by this.]

It might only work on humans - normal humans, without anything special about them.

[timeshares]

[He wrestles with that a moment. Outside of lingering strategic questions, having it inflicted on him would have been one thing.... But something to test himself against was something else entirely. No demigod resisted a challenge easily. Besides, there was a simple allure to a possible ally.

He finishes the soda and sets the can aside.]

Try it.

[vacationer]

[Someone actually offering is a surprise. She raises her eyebrows, but leans forward.]

Okay.

[She tries something innocuous - making him lift a hand off the table.]

[OOC: It's up to you on whether it works! There's no canon precedence for whether it would work on most non-humans, so you can do whichever would be more fun/interesting for you.]

[timeshares]

[His right hand lifts without any hesitation. He gives it a dumbfounded look and concentrates after a moment of surprise, slowly sets it down again.]

... So it's like that...

[He examines his hand with particular interest.]



[OOC: What's the fun of powers if you don't get to play with them? Midrange okay? Enough that she can mess with him easily enough if you want to, but he has a fighting chance if Shit Gets Real at any point. If it's all or nothing, let me know and I can revise!]

[vacationer]

It worked.

[She sounds a little surprised - but pleased.]

What does it feel like? I've never asked anyone that.

[OOC: Sure, that's totally fine! It is all or nothing in canon, but that sort of thing is easy to fudge in a game environment, and there's no reason we can't say the Porter tweaked them a bit to make it so some people can fight back.

Also, some info so he can answer her question: it's just body control, not mind control or hypnosis, so it would just have felt like his hand decided to move on its own. Nothing mental would have been affected at all, and he would have been fully aware of what was happening the entire time.]