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

[lifepreserver]

I don't know, I can imagine some pretty important people. [It's said with a nervous chuckle, because woah, ominous much?] Should I even ask?

[vacationer]

No. Don't ask.

They aren't here, anyway.

[Yet.]

[lifepreserver]

Okay. [He won't ask, then. He's not sure he wants to know how far down that rabbit hole goes, anyway.]

So, that's a good thing, right? [He hates to presume, but he wonders how he'd feel if he were in the same situation.] It means you can make your own kind of life here, not having to worry about... important people. Some imPorts prefer being here over their own worlds, you know.

[vacationer]

[She scoffs. That strikes her as painfully naive - she can't forget about the angels. Not when they could show up at any moment, or she could be sent back to them.]

Is that what you're doing?

[lifepreserver]

[He shrugs. So maybe that wasn't as reassuring as he had hoped it would be.]

Me? No way. I'd much rather be back at home; I'm tired of being pulled to and fro like the universe's plaything. [That, mixed with all the alternate timelines he's had to stumble his way through, makes for a very exasperating experience sometimes. Though at least then he had some modicum of control. Here? Not so much.]

[vacationer]

What makes you think you have a choice?

[lifepreserver]

[He laughs at that, though it's mostly humorless.]

To my knowledge, the universe doesn't usually go throwing people around into alternate worlds. But I guess I don't have a choice now. I'm just saying that if I had a preference, I would really like for things to go back to normal for a change.

[vacationer]

The universe didn't do this. That Porter did.

[lifepreserver]

Sure, if you wanna get technical about it. But it all falls under the big umbrella of "practical jokes of the universe", so you know what I mean.

[vacationer]

I don't think of it like that at all.

[lifepreserver]

Then what do you think of it as?

[vacationer]

I don't know yet. I just don't think of the universe as something that can play jokes. Not even metaphorically.

[lifepreserver]

You don't think the universe has a sense of humor? Not even metaphorically?

[vacationer]

I think if the universe is metaphorically anything, it's metaphorically harsh and cruel.

[lifepreserver]

[Wow. Ok.] That's heavy. And kinda depressing.

[vacationer]

So? Life is depressing.

If you want, I can lie. Would you like that better?

[lifepreserver]

[Damn, this girl is a downer.]

No, I don't want you to lie about it. But not everything in life is depressing. You have any friends? Family?

[vacationer]

[Sharply:]

No. I don't.

If you've been here before, tell me about this place.

[lifepreserver]

[Dayum. Okay. He gets the hint. Not a subject to dwell on.

He moves on, like requested, trying not to raise his brows into the sky.]

Uh, I mean, yeah, okay. I can tell you the basics, but keep in mind the last time I was here, it was 2014. Apparently it's 2015 now, so if anything earth-shattering happened while I was gone, I'm just as lost as you are about it.

But first, can we not stand on the hot sidewalk while we have this conversation? We're just gonna get bothered by more "fans" anyway.

[vacationer]

[Twenty years in the future. Huh. No wonder certain things - cars, phones - look so weird.]

Fine.

Where to?

[lifepreserver]

I saw a retro-looking malt shop around here, a few blocks down. We can hoof it or take my car; either way, I'm hungry.

["retro looking" being redundant, given everything has a 50s vibe in this world]

[vacationer]

What's your car like?

[She can't help but be curious about the flying cars she's seen around; maybe he has one of those.]

[lifepreserver]

[what's it like, indeed]

It's a DeLorean.

[vacationer]

So it's not like any of these new ones.

[... Well, what the hell.]

I guess we can go in it anyway.

[lifepreserver]

[EXCUSE YOU. The DeLorean is awesome, it doesn't have to be like one of those "new" cars. Besides, it flies, too. Marty just still isn't that comfortable with that feature, for fear of crashing it into something. It's happened before.

He doesn't quite bristle at her apathetic tone, but it make him eager to show her the car, yeesh.]

Then I guess I'll take you. Follow me.

[He leads the way a block down, and before long the DeLorean comes into view, complete with its own interesting little upgrades visible on the exterior. The gull-wing doors of the vehicle swing up to open, and he moves around to the driver's side.]

Hop in.