etcelsior | The power is in your hands

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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

[He sits down across from her, his order completed.]

Should I be?

[A pause.]

That wasn't a challenge, by the way. It's a legitimate question.

[Sure, she seems like she has a few... issues. But so far he hasn't been given a reason to go running the other way. Her mind-control abilities, or whatever they were, were kind of unsettling... but he's been through lots of unsettling things in the past, and he's been here once before. He's seen strange powers, and he half expects to run into people who have them.]

You found out I can do anything I want, to anyone I want. Including you.

[She's not actually positive of that - not here - but he doesn't know that.]

Most people would be terrified. Most people are terrified.

[Marty pauses again, and in-between that pause a waitress brings her her extra chocolate shake.]

I guess I should be. But for now, I'm just gonna have a little trust that you're not going to do anything to hurt me today. Opinion subject to change if you do something crazy. Sound fair to you?

[She drinks from one milkshake, then the other. Then she puts both straws in her mouth and drinks from both at once.]

You shouldn't trust me. I mean, really.

[It's a little difficult to take her statement seriously (even though he knows she's being very serious about it) when she's drinking her shakes that way.

He clears his throat.]

Noted. If things go sideways, then it's just my fault.

So... you wanted to know more about this world?

Yeah.

[She pauses, wiping her mouth.]

I want to know everything.

Everything's a lot. What do you wanna start with?

Tell me what your powers are.

[She's more than a little powers-focused.]

[That's a more personal question than he was expecting, but he supposes it's still relevant. Still, he answers a little awkwardly.]

Uh... well. Time travel, technically.

Technically.

How do you do it?

Yeah, technically. Technically because I'm just going by what's on the paperwork. Never tried it.

Why not?

[She looks shocked - and a little disbelieving - that somebody would find out they had powers and not immediately test them out.]

[Marty, on the other hand, doesn't see how anyone could willingly want to use his kind of powers unless they absolutely had to. The irony is not lost on him however.]

Because you don't just go around messing with time, timelines, and anything else related. All sorts of stuff can get messed up if you do, and I'm not sure I want a tangled web of messed up timelines on my plate again.

Just try going back five seconds. See if it works.

[He's still unconvinced.]

How would you even know if I did, anyway?

You'd know. You'd tell me.

You're just gonna take my word for it? I could say right now that I've gone back five seconds in time and you wouldn't know any better. Where's the proof?

You'd lie to me even though you know what I could do to punish you?

[She narrows her eyes.]

Or maybe you'll disappear for five seconds. That's how time travel works in movies.

No, but if we're gonna experiment, it's kinda useless if there's no actual proof of me traveling.

[He brings up a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. No need to glare at him!]

This isn't the movies. I might disappear for this you, but the you I go back in time to tell that I've time-traveled wouldn't know any better. It would just be a sudden revelation. You know?

That's really weird.

[But it... sort of makes sense.]

I don't care if there's no proof, I want you to try it.

[He sighs, almost not noticing when the waitress brings him his burger. He mutters a "thank you" before returning to the matter at hand.]

How about we attempt to make it a little more interesting if I agree to try? Tell me something about yourself that I wouldn't know up to this point. And also, your name would be helpful.

Lourdes.

So what's going to happen to this me? Will I be erased from time forever?

Lourdes. That's a cool name; I'm Marty, by the way. But c'mon, you need to give me a little more to work with. Tell me something else about yourself, then I might consider going back.

And... no, I don't think so. I'll just disappear, and you'll go on with your life? [He wishes Doc was here to help him with this sort of thing.] Don't ask me the heavy questions.

What do you want to know? I don't have much to tell that I haven't already told you.

[She says, even though so far he only knows her first name and one of her powers.]

[Brow raise.]

Somehow I don't think that's true. I don't know, tell me... the name of someone from your world.

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