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

Jefih’ir Zherma/Six | Final Fantasy XIV

[irassible]

( 1 ) Heropa
[ This land - the Land of Florida - is terrible. It's warm, and it's crowded, and it's humid, and it's warm, and it's loud, and it's warm, and from a little past mid-morning, Six was already doomed. He'd told himself that exploring was his best and only option until he knew more, as long as he didn't draw too much attention to himself. That meant keeping his face hidden, keeping to the back streets, and leaving his chocobo behind at the house (to the woe of the house).

It also meant that at a little past 2 PM, he's swimming in his own sweat because stubbornness outweighs common sense. He might've just given up the ghost and found himself a cool place and something to drink, but that presents a whole new problem: where? And with what?

At a little past 3 PM, anyone happening by might find a masked man(?) with his head down on a table outside of a small, closed (Hours: 8 AM - 2 PM) coffeeshop. He may have, in fact, passed out, or is coming very close to it. ]

( 2 ) De Chima
[ This is better.

Well, it's not worse.

And, as far as Six can tell, there's nobody watching - which is odd, considering the amount of children here. The building itself is striking, all chrome and blinking colors, gaily outlining a word he doesn't recognize: ARCADE. He'd stopped, intrigued, only to start to attract, one by one, Hyur (or "human", he'd been corrected, more than once) children of every age. He doesn't understand half of what they're talking about - "Great costume, man!" "Are you a mutant?" "Are you an alien?" "Did you fight the Soviets?" - but other than one small girl that keeps insisting on grabbing his tail, it's not so bad.

So there he will be, a man (???) standing amidst a gaggle of kids and teenagers outside an arcade, posing when asked but having zero clue what they're doing with those little shiny squares of theirs, because what is a selfie, exactly? ]

( 3 ) Heropa: Bonus!
[ There's no man in black to be found.

Instead, minding its own business, is a bird. A big gray bird with a saddle and a bridle, with said bridle currently tethered to a tree. The bird is close enough to one of the complimentary trashcans that it can, and is, sticking it's head down into the bin to rifle through its contents. ]

(1)

[radioclub_jp]

[At a little past 3 PM, Paprika happens to be happening by and finds... you get the picture. Strange place to take a nap, though. She'll come over and gently lay a hand on his back, leaning over to try and get a proper look at him.]

Hey - are you okay?

[irassible]

Ah...ah?

[ Not so much, no. If he had been, maybe he wouldn't be so surprised by - ]

--what?! No! I don't want any!

[ - just a simple touch on the back, because he's lurching back in his seat and recoiling, as if assaulted by every salesman in the world. ]

[radioclub_jp]

[Paprika jumps back, startled.] Whoa! It's okay, it's okay! I didn't mean to scare you, sorry.

[irassible]

[ Give him five seconds to cling to the table, tense, ears back and tail up.







Okay. Now he'll relax, and slowly settle back into his seat. ]

...

You didn't scare me.

[radioclub_jp]

[Wow bro how convincing, she is totally convinced :| Also oh wow are those real cat parts? Well now she's actually interested. She smiles, but at least doesn't laugh.] Whatever you say. Are you okay, though? You picked a funny place for a nap.

[irassible]

[ He never tells lies! Only un-truths. ]

I'm fine.

[ That's an un-truth. He's actually looking very wilted and sounds parched, even behind the mask. But hey, you don't need to be feeling well to get defensive! ]

Where else is there? I haven't seen an Inn anywhere in this godsdamned town.

[radioclub_jp]

An inn? [Odd wording, a little anachronistic.] You mean a hotel? They don't usually call them "inns" these days.

[irassible]

Why would they do that?

[ His posture adds: that's stupid. ]

[radioclub_jp]

[Shrug! A linguist she ain't. Anyway-]

Do you want some water? You sound kind of...

[irassible]

[ Yes.



...but let him hem and haw for a second. ] You have some?

[radioclub_jp]

Oh, uh - not on me. [Paprika glances around for a sec. Is there a vending machine, or a drinking fountain, or... oh, that looks like a restaurant across the street. That'll work! She points over at it.] Let's try over there, though.

[irassible]

[ Uuugh, in there? With all the people?

...hell, but it'd be out of the sun, wouldn't it? And if she knows what she's doing, he doesn't have to do anything other than cross his arms and follow her. ]

Alright.

[ Up he goes, wobbling only slightly. ]

Lead the way.

[rathercommon]

[ That coffee shop is called Gini's, and it is the place where one (1) Kitty Jones works, and where she is closing up. She can tell he's an imPort with those clothes, and with that funny appearance, and she knows it's about the time of month where new imPorts are coming in, so it's not hard for her to guess that the poor guy is probably having a really hard time of things. And so she, out of mercy, lets him sleep as long as possible before she comes over to shake him gently by the shoulder. ]

Hullo, there. Hi. Sorry.

[irassible]

[ Eloquently, Six responds: ]

Mmrrgh. Blegh.

[ It's been a long, hot, uncomfortable, and, if he admits to himself, unhappy day. The last thing he wants to be doing is waking back up, though his instincts prod and poke at him, reminding him that this place is not safe, and not known.

So he does the best he can: he lowers his ears, covers his head with his arms, and curls his tail more tightly around his waist. Maybe if he pretends to be dead, or hibernating, he can stay asleep. ]

Five more...bells, c'mon...

[rathercommon]

Nope, sorry.

[ She sounds absurdly cheery. Which probably just makes the process of waking up even worse. And, to add insult to injury, she reaches down and tugs lightly on his tail, like he's a cat and she's some...well, someone pretty unafraid, evidently, since you don't typically want to tug on a cat's tail. ]

You've got to get up. Sorry, sorry. Come on. I've got to chain up the tables. C'mon.

[irassible]

--Gh!!

[ It's all there: the sudden leaping, the ears all the way back, the puffed up tail. The table-occupier nearly vaults out of his seat, stumbling around the edge of the table to cling to the other side. The mask kind of ruins it, but there's hissing involved, and presumably teeth.

Which is excessively over-dramatic, considering she didn't even pull hard. ]

How dare you! Don't touch me!

[ There also might be some hurt pride involved. ]

[rathercommon]

Oh!

[ She jumps back, startled at the sheer sudden ferocity of that response. A hand comes up to her lips; her eyebrows rise; she stares, wide-eyed. A moment, though, and her eyebrows settle back down, and her hand leaves her lips. ]

Sorry. Would you mind letting go of this table? I need to tie it up so that it doesn't get stolen. We're closing for the afternoon.

[irassible]

You - what?

[ It comes rushing back, quickly, trampling down his soreness over being so startled: this place, the people, the papers with his name on them. An ugliness twists in him and he stiffens, though he stands as well, pulling his hands away from the table.

He also takes the time to smooth his hair back. ]

Fine. I'm going. You can carry on with your business.

[rathercommon]

Hold on, won't you.

[ She shoots him a wry little smile. She does feel a proper monster. So she says: ]

I don't suppose I could ask for a bit of help, actually? I'll buy you a drink or something if you help me.

[irassible]

[ Both ears dip a little, twitching in vague surprise. It's the first time someone's asked him for anything other than pictures or autographs, if they asked at all.

He scratches at his wrist, then shrugs carelessly, wetting dry lips behind his mask. ]

What kind of help?

[rathercommon]

Well -

[ She smiles and points down at the table. ]

That table there, and that chain - they're both made of iron. Which I don't really like to touch. So I'd hoped that maybe I could tell you where they need to go, and you could pull them into place, and then I'll put the lock on them.

[irassible]

[ A moment of silence for his slightly confused skepticism, but -

It's not the weirdest request he's ever received. ] This here?

[ He stoops to pick the chain up up. ]

Easy enough.

[rathercommon]

Oh, brilliant.

[ She clasps her hands together. ]

If you can just sort of weave that between the bars that hold up the top part of the table - see them there?

[irassible]

[ He makes a grunt of understanding and complies, the metal links clanging quietly against the table. A push and a pull and it's all roped up, waiting for the next step. ]

Like this?

[ A glance around the sitting area gives him a pretty good idea of where this is going. ]

You want them all together?