Mask or Menace | MODERATORS (
maskormods) wrote in
etcelsior2015-10-24 01:05 pm
Entry tags:
SPOOKY SCARY SKELETONS

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. A snippy voice wonders aloud: "My taxes are going to their parties and other expenses? When are they going to do something for us for a change?"
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 and an incident involving gas. "Biological warfare... we sure some of them haven't defected?"
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 mutter under their breaths resentfully about "vigilantes". However, not all locals turn the other way seeing imPorts; some of them will offer a polite enough smile and compliment them for quick thinking at the last Swear-In. They don't stop to clarify what they mean, though.
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. With Halloween fast on the approach, many of them are offering pumpkin-flavored foods and beverages, and others are trying to get the more obvious looking imPorts to consider allowing local businesses to sell costumes of them.

no subject
You're assuming I plan to do anything at all.
[Ordinarily a safe assumption, except that things for Yuri Petrov are no longer as simple as they once were. His idea of justice tells him to do with Crane and all the villains like him what this world's new justice system will not, but his commonsense? Now that's another story.
As for any plans involving Barnaby and Kotetsu, or even any of the other people he'd grown acquainted with during his last stint in this world, well...he has none beyond making his presence known to them. And other plans for the sort of life he'll live now that he's returned? That's a little more complicated a question to answer.]
I suppose all I can do for the time being is all I'm doing now.
[Not hiding. Being honest—for the most part. And, at least for now, not hunting down criminals and killing them, even if he remains vigilant and is as determined as ever to keep himself informed...]
That's probably not the answer that you were hoping for, I would imagine.
no subject
Your answer... makes sense, I suppose. After all, you were never one to rush into a situation without a plan.
[He speaks stiffly, his tone the result of a clash between his distaste for Yuri and the thought of giving him anything resembling praise. Still, while he does not trust Yuri further than he can throw him, he knows that the man is no idiot. While he doubts he's changed his ways, only a fool would fall back into old habits so quickly]
But what about last time?
[He's starting to speak more naturally now, and he glances over to look Yuri in the eye]
Did everything go according to plan then?
no subject
I wonder, why is it you feel the need to ask me a question to which you already know the answer? A deep-seated desire to feel validated, perhaps?
[Truly, he'd like to know. But that hardly answers the question asked of him, does it? So Yuri continues, though not without the sigh of a man who obviously feels as though he's about to state the obvious.]
Very few plans are so formidable they are without flaw, Miles Edgeworth. My own included. Back then...there was much that did not pan out the way that I would have preferred.
no subject
[He speaks calmly, thoughtfully, almost]
I asked you questions about Lunatic. You were, after all, the resident expert at the time.
[A note of bitterness escapes his tone, the only thing that breaks his calm. It's only a temporary slip, though, and he continues without pause or hesitation]
I remember that you described him as someone with nothing left to lose. Someone who was willing to accept his punishment when the time came. So again...
[He looks Yuri in the eye, his gaze unwavering]
Did everything go according to plan, Mr. Petrov? Was that the punishment you were seeking?
no subject
[The judge exhales, and as he does so, he closes his eyes. Back then, he'd been more honest with Edgeworth than he cares to admit. All of his speculation had in reality been carefully disguised fact, but it would seem that even in his absence none of what he had shared had been confirmed.]
What do you think is the answer, I wonder?
[Opening his eyes again, Yuri stares at Edgeworth.]
Do you think that someone who has vowed to eliminate evil from the world would be satisfied with what the fate that befell me? Do you think that such an end was according to plan and not premature? Does it seem reasonable to conclude that the punishment I was seeking was the result of a poorly timed accident?
Well?
no subject
[He tilts his head again, and his voice goes cold]
You're still going to seek punishment, aren't you?
[Whether he means punishment for himself or punishment delivered unto sinners, Edgeworth does not specify. He's not entirely sure it matters. The important thing to him right now is the implication that Yuri is unsatisfied. And if he's unsatisfied, then he's still very much an active threat]
no subject
I have never sought punishment, Mr. Edgeworth. I have only ever sought justice. So, to answer your question, if you are wondering whether or not I will turn a blind eye to acts of injustice, the answer is, of course...
...no, I will not look the other way.
[But can he continue living the way he had before? With his powers and his identity both revealed...certain amendments to his philosophy might also need to be made.]
I don't expect you'll pretend not to see the injustice around you, either. In our vigil, Mr. Edgeworth, you and I are united.
no subject
No, we're not. Despite what you may think, you and I are nothing like, and I have absolutely no interest in your idea of...
[He spits the last word out, as if he just sipped something remarkably foul]
...justice.
no subject
[Without hurry, Yuri pushes himself up off the bench.]
There's no point arguing with me. The more emotional you become, the more vehement your refusal to accept the truth, the more certain that I am what sort of man you are, Mr. Edgeworth.
We're both men who desire peace. Perhaps our methods may differ, my idea of justice being stronger than your own weak ideals, but our end goal is very much the same. You want as much as I to see evil erased from this world.
no subject
And is it worth it?
[He spits the words out, his voice still sharp]
Is it worth it to become the same kind of filth you want to erase from the world?
no subject
[Even if he can accomplish only a fraction of what he hopes to...extinguishing some evil int he world is better than none at all.]
...yes, it is worth it.
no subject
You won't succeed, you know. You were stopped before. You'll be stopped again.
[There's still heat to his voice, but it lacks the firm undertone in had earlier. As much as he tries to puff himself up, Yuri's wearing him down]
no subject
There is no better place to hide than in plain sight, after all.
no subject
Somehow I doubt that will be effective if you decide to pursue justice again. You have a bad habit of standing out, Petrov.
no subject
[He turns away, his every intent to leave, but not without having the last word.]
In fact, you would do well to remember how long it took you to identify and capture me before.
no subject