etcelsior | A for effort though

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

She said aloud, again, to no one in particular. This is, of course, something that only perfectly sane individuals say to themselves, and not an indication of Winry's gradually unraveling mind at all.

[There's only the slightest hint of sarcasm to the voice; he is, after all, acting the perfect gentleman!]

Only -- oh, dear. Oh, dear me. It seems that those around Winry don't share this point of view. They're giving her a very wide berth indeed.

[Let's switch tacks here.]

Who are you? Since you know my name.

[And she'll flip her wrist to show off her tattoo to anyone who glances her way. A warnng. Invisible ImPorts could be a possibility.]

Ah, but Winry isn't content to sit around and wait for answers! No, not her. She wants a much more active story, one where she may question what is going around her, and perhaps even her own existence.

Now, Winry, the story I have written is for a much more passive player, but if you wish... well. We can always improvise, can't we?

[There's a sound in her head like the fluttering of pages as the narrator hums, leafing through something.]

Something exciting, perhaps. Action-adventure?

[As if on cue, an alarm goes off in a nearby jewelry store, and two masked robbers flee the area!]

That's more like it, isn't it? Winry, our intrepid and not-at-all mad young heroine immediately sprung into action to assist her local jewelry store!

[Oh, geeze! Winry touches one of the nearby cars, pulling metal out from it like a lasso. She uses it to loop around the closest robber.]

You could offer some help you know!

Winry persists in speaking to nothing, even as she captures the dastardly criminals. It's a tiresome trait in a main character -- a sign of lazy writing, perhaps, which just won't do at all.

[Eat your heart out, Deadpool! The Narrator's got qualms.]

Nor will the simplicity of this whole affair. This seemed too easy, didn't it? Now, I may not be experienced in this particular genre, but surely we can do better. As Winry turns to look through the window, she sees that she's missed the deadliest robber of all. This one had a gun.

[On cue, a robber emerges from the window, revolver in hand.]

...no, that's so dreadfully commonplace. A flamethrower.

[It's replaced seamlessly with a flamethrower, and the robber doesn't seem at all surprised to see this as the case.]

Frightened, Winry dives to the ground, the plume of fire missing the top of her head by mere inches!

[Winry lay on the ground, her head still feeling like it smoked. No one in sight to help out. But she's not frightened, she's angry. And her closest friends would've told the Narrator pissing her off led to bad consequences.

The metal liquifies again, turning into something very much like an adjustable wrench. All right, exactly like an adjustable wrench. Winry pushes herself up and throws the wrench at the robber.

She never misses.]

A for effort though

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