QUIT RUNNING IN THE HOUSE

[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 anyone's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. Your memory is hazy and you might feel increasingly frustrated or anxious, or maybe you're excited as soldiers march past, barely glimpsing you. One second you're somewhere underground, the next you're enveloped in blue light, and suddenly you find yourself directly under Flordia sun's bright and burning glare. A female soldier steps toward you with a wide smile on her face and directs you to a car, ready to debrief you. You realize you are not the only one, surrounded by equally confused or eager faces... and you're all sporting a digital tattoo on your wrist.

02. Welcome to Cape Canaveral, where the smell of the ocean is in the air and locals are more than pleased to see new imPorts roaming their streets. They wave, they cheer, they ask for pictures as politely as they can. The more inhuman you look, or if you're wearing a costume, the more likely locals are to approach. Hey, enjoy the moment! The popular malt shop is offering you a free drink if you need it.

03. The technology in this world is certainly something. The cars are clearly modeled after popular 50s cars, but they hover several feet above the ground as they drive down the street. There are digital jukeboxes in restaurants, motorcycles also hover through traffic, advertisements can be seen on a digital projector on the taller buildings. Even kids on skateboards appear to drift a safe ten feet off the ground while playing!

04. Wherever you are, you can hear the loud revving of an engine, distance at first before you finally see it: a hovercar bursting around the corner, going beyond the maximum speed limit and just barely making its sharp turn. It doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon, not with two police cars trailing it... and uh oh. Those skateboarding kids don't have much time to get out of the way as the car comes speeding down the road. You've been brought here for a reason Hero — so you better act fast.

Comments

[sassguard]

The hand pulling him back so sharply is a sensation he's more familiar with, and the instinct is to fight it off, before he swiftly crushes the urge, recognizing it's meant to help and not to harm. Still, he's not easy to manhandle by any stretch of the imagination, practically half-cybernetic and shot through with enhancements as he is, so anyone who can pull him around like a limp ragdoll is someone to be wary of.

"I'm fine," he manages, automatically, but he's more occupied twisting around to taking stock of his rescuer once he wipes the brine from his face and... huh. That explains a lot. His eyebrows twitch a little, like he's deciding whether to comment on the obvious or not.

"Thanks," he settles on. And then, because he has to say something, "Are mechs being lifeguards around here a regular thing?"

[heartlessglitch]

The machine considers him a moment, as if she needs the second to determine whether or not he means that question as a joke. Her sense of humor does leave something to be desired.

"No," she finally settles on, letting go of him once he seems steady on his feet. "I do not find that 'mechs' in general are a 'regular thing.' Though perhaps that may not be the case in your home universe, given your usage of the term. I do prefer, however, to be referred to by name."

That last comment is accompanied by a pointed sort of look that she must have learned from watching her organic female counterparts.

[sassguard]

It's a look Shepard has been on the receiving end of often, though getting it from a robot is new. Huh. Just when you thought there wasn't anything else the universe could throw at you to surprise you... he shifts his weight to one leg, letting that hip push out while he crosses his arms and raises both brows. It's not the first time he's dealt with a robot, but it's the first time he's dealt with one so obviously human-shaped, and she has significantly more bite to her than Legion did. If anything, the way she talks reminds him of EDI on a bad day.

Or as bad a day as a ship ever got.

"Fair enough. So what's your name?" He'll leave the question of robots back home alone for now, more curious about how she'll respond to that.

[heartlessglitch]

"My name is Danger."

Ominous. Or at the very least, foreboding as far as names go. But if she thinks there's anything unusual about it, that impassive metal face doesn't give it away -- though it doesn't normally give much away at all.

"I assume, given human social norms, that you will now identify yourself to me."

[sassguard]

At least her name isn't Qwib-Qwib. Shepard doesn't know if he'd be able to keep a straight face then. As it is, he just nods, showing no reaction, at least not until the comment follows.

Then his mouth twitches, into something that isn't quite a smile, but is definitely something at least related to amused. "I was about to, but you didn't give me the chance." Even as he says that, though, he lets his arms uncross, shoulders straightening. He doesn't offer her his hand, but something in his posture and inflection subtly changes, offering her his title with an understated formality.

"Lieutenant Commander John Shepard. Systems Alliance." And he lets the manner drop as quickly as he allowed himself to slip it on, spine relaxing fractionally. "... But just Shepard is fine." Looking at the metal and chrome of her body, he almost winces in sympathy. At least his cybernetics are mostly covered by flesh and skin, so he doesn't have to worry about sand getting into his joints. He wonders if she even cares -- and wonders if she can pick up on the hardware fused to his bones. It wouldn't surprise him in the least.