OH MY GOD YOU GUYS

[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 someone else's thread, either!

And remember to have fun!

01. The city of Heropa is what one might expect from a small, bright and cheery place, where locals are friendly enough and local shop owners might offer a free drink to welcome you to their fair city. 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. An upset voice wonders aloud: "More of them, when we already know they can't protect us? That's just painting a bigger target on the city's back!" However, they're quickly hushed with a judgmental: "They helped save the cities, and it's the Soviets you should be angry with anyway! The imPorts are here to protect us!"

02. 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. Many people are out and about taking care of their regular business, 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 spies. "How can we trust any of them now?"

03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania, is not as friendly and its citizens tend to 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 thank them for their help in overthrowing the trespassers. They don't stop to clarify what they mean, though.

04. Nonah, North Carolina, is the liveliest of all cities; 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. Advertisements are abound for imPorts to make appearances at various, televised celebrations, luring them in with promises of free food, merchandise, and payment.

Comments

[wifeonmars]

I mean... I keep meeting people I know but they're not the people I know? Like puzzle pieces that don't fit right.

[...Except for Conner. But that's a whole other can of worms.]

No, the Gar I know is human! Mostly. Adopted little brother.

[xfiled]

Of course they don't.

[He peers down at the kid. Does he have that stupid tattoo on his wrist, or is he just some kid who doesn't know he has a cat instead of a dog?]

You lived here long?

[glowsferatu]

[ There's nothing really vicious in Kanaya's current motivations, there's nothing to put her in a particularly violent mood going on, though if M'gann digs deep enough, she'll see plenty of violent history. More likely, she'll catch flashes of the world in bright green, less a wireframe than and endless number of glittering green threads, stretching out in every direction. Space, as Kanaya's able to see it.

When M'gann becomes visible, Kanaya's face softens from its earlier uncertainty to something kinder, a smile for a relative stranger. ]

The crowd is a bit much, isn't it? I imagine it gets quickly overwhelming for someone new to it, especially one who stands out as much as you do.

[burningbothends]

[Way to go, Roy. God, he probably looked insane. He's still reeling a bit, but he orients toward her voice, offering an easy smile.]

Thank you, miss. I seem to be a bit lost.

[ursawhiner]

[WOW Tupaws has a lot of energy, okay! And the tattoo can be seen as a faint shimmer on Dipper's wrist.]

Almost a year? And you must be new. Pretty much everyone knows that if they're wearing a mask, they don't really want to be seen.

[monge]

Yeah, they're different back at my home too, I think it's just a US thing, zura.

[But you can only work with what you're given.

And so, while she gets into the passenger side, the tiny dog walks up and opens the door to the driver's seat. Only somewhere in the middle of this process the tiny dog isn't exactly a tiny dog by time he sits down, and now there's just some guy. Granted, a guy with much longer legs that can reach the gas pedal no problem, but it's still kind of a big difference between the wee thing he was just a few seconds ago.]

Oh good, you knew to buckle up already, zura! You wouldn't believe how many people like to argue about that, zura...

[Well, at least the chances of death have cut down some. A little. Maybe.]

[shifting]

[it speaks a lot to how shaken Sam is from his Pull that he doesn't notice at first. Just sees a cute girl at a public park on a beautiful day, a sight that reads as Safe to him in every sense. He's smiling when he walks over and asks for direction, trying on that Southern charm even with the smell of a fresh grave still stuck in his nostrils.

Bar would be great, yeah. And I -

[a hiccup, just a second, where the shifter's brow crinkles as her look and her lack of something important both register.]

...wouldn't say no to some company. Sure. [Sam licks his bottom lip. Considers. Not a vampire, not a were or a fairy, and even crazy bitch maenads have scents. Everything does, unless this is a dream, but if it was a dream he wouldn't feel the heat from that sun on his black suit, wouldn't be able to smell the sickly sweet sugars from the ice cream truck across the field and the exhaust from passing cars.

It's just you. It's just you sitting there like you're only a hole in the scenery.]

My name's Sam. Who is it I've got the pleasure of talkin' with?

[storyseeker]

[That actually makes her laugh, in spite of the low-level worry she's carrying over being away from everyone and everything she knows.]

Seems like a pretty cheap way of reporting, but if it gets me screen time, I'll take it. I'm sure the biz is just as competitive here as it is back home.

What about you? Going to seek out dastardly criminals, or try something else for however long you're here?

[wifeonmars]

[Digging into someone's mind when they haven't yet shown any aggression would be rude, so once M'gann senses that Kanaya is harmless, she retreats back to her regular low-level psychic awareness.]

I definitely should have considered something more lowkey. Then again, superheroes back home aren't really treated like this.

[xfiled]

I just got here.

[He can't read if it says hero or not, but the kid comes up to his hip; he's pretty sure he's safe no matter what.]

What about you? You've got powers too, right?

[He can think of a few shady reasons someone might not want to be seen, although that's less worrying when a ton of them apparently have powers.]

[annihiliner]

[Lexa hesitates for just a moment before following a pace behind, silently listening.]

...eyes and expectations can be a heavy thing to wear at times.

[She speaks quietly, compared to her somewhat brusque tone from earlier, her words now little more than a gentle suggestion.]

But knowing of this one part of you is not the same as knowing you. You still decide how people are allowed to see you.

[bindsthedead]

I'm so sorry, but no interviews! [The would-be robber is currently immobized- except for his mouth, judging by the string of profanities he's shouting.

Sabriel, in the meantime is backing away slowly. Her mask is little more than a bandanna that hides the lower half of her face- and she's determined to get to the Porter building and out of public view before she attracts even more of a crowd.]

[radioclub_jp]

And landed on your feet? [- she adds, not missing a beat. okay, but enough puns for now.] Same here, really. I'm not used to all this superhero stuff.

[ursawhiner]

Welcome, I guess. [Better not to mention stuff like the Soviet invasion and the kidnapping and all that.]

Uh, yeah. All imPorts have powers. They're different for everyone, though.

[xfiled]

[Good thing he's an FBI agent.

Which means that while the reporters stay where they are, Mulder has no trouble slipping behind them and following the girl out of the back of the building. Which is . . . pretty sketchy, honestly, a grown man following a girl, but he doesn't mean any harm. He just wants to talk to her.]

[23wishes]

[She can't imagine how.]

Should you be somewhere? You're wearing hospital clothes. And you look pretty bad... Maybe you shouldn't be wandering around.

[Aerith's gonna take his arm, okay? Just to offer him some balance or grounding.]

[xfiled]

And . . .?

[Spill the beans, kiddo.]

[pawdonnemoi]

Of course! [She might be done with puns but Chat Noir never is. It's only a matter time before another slips from his lips.]

Well, you're in luck! I happen to be something of an expert. [Ever the braggart when in costume.] Although I've never done it quite like this. You know, working for the government.

[annihiliner]

I am from Polis. Do you know it?

[ursawhiner]

And what!

[Gettin' squeaky there. Tupaws, meanwhile, is trying to climb Mulder's leg.]

[deciphered]

[Unfortunately for Mulder, the masked hero makes their exit a little too quickly for him to follow. All that's left near the scene is an embarrassed looking young man, along with an older one insisting on loitering nearby while he takes the opportunity to work on a quick sketch of the energy rings holding the would-be thief in place. The sirens are still far enough away that he has a good minute or two to finish. More than enough time.]

You think they would have learned to develop more effective counter-measures by now...

[He also clearly doesn't seem to care that "they" can very obviously hear him. Or maybe he just missed the rude gesture.]

[pawdonnemoi]

Oh, yeah, that makes sense. Family reunions must be quite the affair.

[He knows nothing of that. His own family is complicated enough, however. More so than he yet realizes.]

[xfiled]

What's yours?

[Yeah, no thank you, Tupaws. Without taking his eyes off Dipper, Mulder leans down and takes hold of the cat, pulling him off his leg. He's gentle enough about it-- he doesn't want to hurt the cat-- but yeah, no. No thank you.]

that's because Dogs Rule, duh

[shifting]

[Oh. There's something off about that scent.

Sam has had a very successful afternoon so far, the highlight of which was a passel of school children on a field trip who promptly abandoned their lunches to give him many fantastic pets, offer him peanut-butter sandwiches, and tell him what a Pretty (pretty!!!) and Good (good!!!) dog he was. Fantastic day all around. He's actually still licking peanut butter from the roof of his mouth when the little cat, bold as brass, wanders over for a sniff.

Sam-the-dog perks his ears and snorts, surprised and then on edge to realize there's something Different here, something Not Right about the little cat's scent even if it's not one that comes immediately to mind. Trying to tease this mystery out results in a drooped tail and a troubled chuff of air, but he'll allow the cat in his space unless it does something unpleasant like swipe at his nose.

He is not, however, going to lick it. No sir.]

[xfiled]

[The hero was interesting, and Mulder is absolutely going to follow up on that-- but of interest, too, is someone sketching notes about the energy rings that hold the thief in place. That's a man after his own heart, that is, and Mulder isn't about to just ignore him.]

What is it, exactly?

[He's not . . . peering at the notes, exactly, but he also very much wants to.]

Some kind of low-scale tractor beam?