etcelsior | throws thumbtack confetti everywhere

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Armin's still getting used to the place too. He's taken off his jacket and straps to try and avoid all the attention, but he still holds himself as a soldier.

He smiles a little, thinking it's rare for there to be an opportunity for him to help Reiner. He offers him a hand up, all of the time thinking, I don't really know if he can be trusted at all... But still, it's Reiner.]

Didn't you listen to the briefing? It's called Heropa.

I'd say "Welcome", but I only just arrived here myself...

[ Traffic has slowed, thankfully, giving Reiner enough time to let his breath catch up with him before he accepts Armin's hand and hoists himself to his feet, only really looking at Armin once he's up and at his full height.

It's reflex, mostly, that makes him smile back, but also the fact he does like Armin. No matter what else might change, Reiner was too sincere a person not to mean it when he thought of someone as a friend. ]

I heard it, but that doesn't mean I understood it. How are we supposed to know what any of that means? [ He pats Armin's shoulder. ] Well -- you might. You're a little better at that stuff.

[It feels like a very long time since he's seen Reiner, maybe it's just that so much has happened since they rode together outside the walls, since Reiner bandaged his head like the gigantic mother hen he always tries so hard to be. Thinking of that twists his stomach into a knot because it's there, like a hangnail, waiting to be pulled - that sense that something is wrong here.

The air here is so hot, so humid. Armin is still smiling in a way he hopes to be assuring, and titters a little.]

You're putting too much stock in my abilities, Reiner. It's a very unusual situation. [Unusual, like humans that can be titans and titans that can be walls. They can handle unusual, can't they? It's all a matter of context.] Let's get out of here.

[Armin indicates a new direction with a tilt of his head, attempting to guide Reiner to a less populated street. By now the onlookers want to speak to Reiner, to thank him and give him the celebrity treatment. Noting how Armin behaves familiarly and his garb doesn't quite suit their life and times, they begin asking if he's an imPort too. Armin clears his throat:] He's hurt himself, I'm going to take him to a doctor, no need to worry, just a few scratches, thank you, thank you.

[To better look convincing, Armin takes Reiner by the arm, more obviously leading him away.]

More unusual than anything--

[ But Reiner doesn't get the chance to finish that thought before Armin takes charge, leading him away from the growing crowd of spectators. He frowns slightly, looking over his shoulder at the people and waving at them to confirm Armin's reassurances that no serious damage has been done, but when they're far enough away he turns back and says, just in case: ]

It's not so bad, Armin. I think I'll be looking at one hell of a bruise, but nothing's broken. [ He stretches his arm to prove it, which is a little sore but moves normally, albeit stiffly; he almost compares it out loud to the other time his arm was injured recently, when a titan had tried to bite it off, but that memory in of itself reminds him he shouldn't let himself get too comfortable right now. ] The people here are kind of strange, aren't they?

I just figured it'd be easier on you if you didn't have to talk to all of them. It's a bit overwhelming. I'll take you to a doctor later if you think you need it.

[Armin turns him in to a less populated alleyway, letting go so Reiner can keep pace on his own once they're out of sight of the crowd. He's not all that familiar with Heropa, yet, but he's been spending his brief time here getting to know the lay of the land.]

The civilians here have this idea of what all of us should be, that we're their heroes, but we haven't been told what we're meant to save.

It seems like a lot to live up to, when we're still getting our heads around horseless, flying carriages and the sea and coffee.

Thanks. The heat's the worst of it, if you ask me -- it makes it hard to think.

[ He exhales, rubbing the side of his head and leaning his arm against the side of a building. He isn't wearing any bulky jackets or capes, luckily, but that doesn't mean much. ]

Compared to titans, I wonder how much of a challenge that's going to be. If all we got to do is make sure kids aren't getting run over... [ He shakes his head. Surely not -- that seems like a waste of their time. ] Have you seen it? The sea?

I'm sure it's nothing the likes of us can't handle. [Armin smiles again, still faintly but a trifle more sincerely. It wasn't too long ago where he'd be crushed by the doubt of his own abilities, but he's here with Humanity's Hope and Humanity's Strongest, and he's been granted a unique ability that benefits his sharp mind.]

I - we haven't gone yet. Commander Smith said we should plan a trip soon, it's not far. [Armin's excitement is shy, a child telling a secret:] If you face the right direction you can smell it on the wind.

[But, more importantly!] Oh - I suppose we'll need to introduce you to Commander Smith. Captain Levi, too. They'll be pleased to have someone with your strength.

[Well, Armin can't really attribute the word pleased with either of them. Erwin is hard to read and Levi constantly looks like he just stepped in something disgusting. But, someone with Reiner's strength is good, right?

Even if - even if they don't know -

Now's not the time. Later.]

[ Reiner grins at that, tilting his head slightly in an attempt to catch whatever smell Armin's referring to -- there's a notable sort of freshness in the air despite the smog from the cars that he assumes is related, but actual scents are hard to discern. ]

The sea, huh... that's almost wilder than anything else I've heard so far! You've gotta tell me what it's like when you go, Armin, all right? [ Then, hesitantly and a bit more solemnly, he nods. ] You think they're going to need it? I'm strong, but... that won't be good for everything.

I'm sure we'd all go, everyone in the Survey Corps. We'll see it together. [To his credit, Armin's voice barely cracks at the thought.] As for your strength... We'll just have to learn about our new powers together. We don't need to kill titans here, but you're a good soldier. We can adapt. I'll help you.

... Right. Like I'd want to miss all the fun anyway. We'll see it together.

[ He wonders briefly why he assumed he wouldn't be there. There had to be a reason, right...? He shakes his head, smiling faintly and looking at Armin with renewed curiosity. ]

What about yours? Did they give you anything good? Not a rip-off like mine, I hope.

throws thumbtack confetti everywhere

omg a reiner

:D it was impossible to resist

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