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etcelsior2015-08-22 08:10 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2015-08-22 08:10 pm
Entry tags:
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?
no subject
[Winry hesitates.]
Not common but not uncommon. And almost of the alchemists I know are in with the military - Colonel Mustang and Major Armstrong and Mr. Kimblee...
[Her voice fades then comes back.] And Ed. But his brother, Al, isn't in the military. And isn't here right now.
Military alchemists are called 'human weapons' back home.
[She figures the reasoning is pretty obvious.]
no subject
I see.
Tell me something: the alchemists in the military, is that a position they choose, or are they conscripted?
[ He doesn't like the idea either way, but it would be far worse if it were the latter. ]
And you, Winry. How is it that you are acquainted with so many soldiers?
no subject
There's no conscription at this point. Ed agreed to join the military.
[She doesn't say he was twelve when he joined - the youngest State Alchemist in history.]
And I know so many people in the military because of Ed. I'm his engineer. And his girlfriend. When he needs my skills, I go where he is - usually a military post or hospital.
no subject
[ Gansey says that with far more of a disbelieving emphasis on engineer than he intends, but alchemy is one thing. Magic is spiritual, and natural, and its rules are rather different from science, but engineering is clearly something that one would need to be qualified to do.
This girl looks impossibly young for that.
Also, why does an alchemist require an engineer? ]
What do you do for him?
[ Manners. His mother would be ashamed of him. ]
I'm sorry, for all the questions. It's just that there's so many worth asking.
no subject
[Winry could have said something flip like, 'Whatever he needs' but she's not really that kind of girl.]
I'm his automail mechanic. I built his arm and his leg...ahh...he has his flesh leg here. [Thanks Noi, but that's probably confusing Gansey.] But Ed still has an automail arm.
[Before you can ask, Gansey:] Automail is a specific type of prosthetic from my home. It connects directly into the nervous system and moves like a flesh limb! They're really incredible.
no subject
But he listens, not interrupting, and then the context makes his expression clear. ]
You’re talking about robotics, aren’t you? Highly sophisticated, far more impressive even in context than anything I’ve ever seen.
[ A pause. Gansey thinks of robotics and mechanics and moving parts, and he thinks of Adam. ]
I have a friend who’d love to meet you. I must introduce you some time. Is that something you offer to anyone? I can think of quite a few charitable organisations who would be desperately grateful for that kind of skill.
no subject
I'd be happy to talk to your friend.
[She cocks her head at the 'charitable organizations' comment. Back home, charities deal with soldiers and widows and orphans. She's heard about them of course, there're those commercials with the depressing music advising her to donate to save animals and urgent people talking about starving children or children with cleft palates.]
I'm working with my boss and a couple of other engineers on medical applications to our work. [She's kind of proud of that. StarkTech's R&D turned to healing? Amazing!]