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etcelsior2017-01-25 02:34 pm
maskormods) wrote in etcelsior2017-01-25 02:34 pm
Entry tags:
TIME TO GET READYYYYYY
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 there's only one rule in Test Drive Meme Club: 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, while others might not say anything -- but if you have something nasty to say, better not say anything at all, right?
In the wake of the recent blackout, neighborhoods are coming together to repair damage done by miscreants and share resources. In one of the commercial areas, retailers are taking advantage of the mild weather to hold a sidewalk sale. New arrivals and long-settled imPorts alike will receive a small discount at most stores, and while a few locals give them envious looks, many are just interested in what they might buy. You could set a trend, hero!
02. De Chima, Virginia, is a large city with a healthy economy, and though it's quieter than Heropa, there are still large numbers of citizens to be awed at your very presence. Look at you! Organic wonder! Science and technology are the lifeblood of this city, so you're likely to come across a good many locals taking your picture with the newest of devices. The imPort craze remains high here, and you may find yourself cornered by overzealous imPort fans, media wannabes and opportunists alike, shoving cameras in your face.
Their questions are likely to be fairly mundane, however; get ready for an interview about your taste in romantic partners, personal underwear choices, favorite foods, and more!
03. Maurtia Falls, Pennsylvania has had its ups and downs since imPorts started reappearing. Several imPort heroes have put focused efforts into cleaning up the streets of this somewhat infamous city, while others have swooped in to help the criminal industry thrive. More so here than the streets of any other imPort city, the battle between good and evil looks more like a war of escalation than a heroic tale. That might make the less than warm welcome imPorts are given in the city a little more understandable. The emergence of locals with superpowers is hardly helping. While some of these individuals have turned to crime, many locals seem more inclined to defend their native powered drug dealer than help the non-native hero bring them to justice. Who are you to tell them how to live?
There's still snow on the ground in Maurtia Falls, and some locals have decided to hold an impromptu snowman-sculpting contest. But...wait. That one looks familiar! Some of the snow people are definitely meant to be imPorts, but they aren't exactly flattering likenesses.
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. To be American is to be part of a melting pot, and that there’s more money to be made by the thriving local industries hardly hurts.
Go wander and get your shopping in, folks. Any imPort willing to be interviewed about how their New Year Resolution is going is instantly surrounded by a small gaggle of people.
Lirael | Old Kingdom Series
HEROPA
Hmmm.
[ Crouching by several home appliances, Lirael looks both out of place and absolutely confused. This is the sort of thing that Sam would love to tinker with, she thinks as she rests her chin on her golden, mechanic right hand, made by no other than him. To her, they're all boxes of different thickness that somehow manage to make moving pictures and sounds. It's very over-the-wall looking, although her connection to the Charter remains still.
Not that she can explain any of that to the guy trying to sell her a 50'' flatscreen smart TV, whatever that means. ]
I think... maybe I should focus on finding clothes first. [ Not standing out like a red, sore thumb would be good. Maybe, just maybe. She doesn't even know if she has the money to buy such things anyway.
Of course, the moment she says so a woman seemingly materializes next to her, offering Lirael an assortment of miniskirts and tank tops for her to try on, apparently on the middle of the street.
Someone help this girl pls. ]
MAURTIA FALLS
[ Lirael is there mostly for the snow. She's good at ignoring people looking at her and whispering behind her back anyway, so that doesn't bother her. She does miss the icy terrain of her former home, although she's no stranger to visiting. Still! It's not in this world and so any reminder of it is a nice thing to indulge into.
That said, playing in the snow with a mechanical hand has the unwanted side effect of it getting really, really cold. Eventually, Lirael takes a break, sitting by a bench and rubbing her golden hand before it starts to bother her where it connects with her skin. She also takes the time to wager the likeness of some snow sculptures to their intended models, although she doesn't know them. Still... ]
I doubt anyone's nose can actually turn like that.
A RANDOM QUIET PLACE
[ Lirael isn't a people person. Yes, she's good at being civil and knows her ettiquete, but the constant interactions with strangers sap her strength rather quickly so as soon as she can, Lirael finds herself some nice spot, probably at a park to sit down on the cool grass under the shadow of a tree.
Lirael rises her hands and Charter marks manifest around her, making the air full of energy and relaxing her as she slowly strings marks ciphers together, half paying attention to the spells she's lazily crafting. There's no knowing when she might need to defend herself, so she better be prepared.
Still, the methodical and familiar nature of it is enough to help her recharge. It also makes her distracted enough that anyone capable of feeling magic or the Charter (or just happens to spot her) might be able to get closer to her. ]
Maurtia Falls
[Hey Lirael, does she look familiar? This Sabriel is younger than the one Lirael knows- younger than Lirael even- and dressed in clothes that blend in to this world, although the sword and bells rather ruin the effect. Sabriel tilts her head, spotting the Charter mark, and feeling the magic in the other woman's hand. Carefully, Sabriel extends her own gloved hand in greeting.]
I didn't expect to meet someone else from the Old Kingdom. My name is Sabriel, the- current Abhorsen.
no subject
I'm- my name is Lirael.
[ The golden hand is glaringly mechanical, but it moves with the deftness of one made of flesh. Still, the handshake is brief. Lirael can't focus on proper social practices right now. ]
I am the current Abhorsen in training.
no subject
Either Ab- father forgot to tell me we had other family, or we're from different times. This place- or rather, what brought us here- often plays such tricks. Tell me, how long has it been since the start of the interregnum? [It seems the best reference point. She could be from before then, or perhaps from some point after Sabriel's own- in which case, she'll know whether she'll succeed or fail in at least one possible future.]
It's good to meet another member of the family though.
no subject
The thought of lying to Sabriel crosses her mind, once, then she dismisses it forever. She can't lie to her sister. Not now, not ever. That's just out of the question. ]
Ah...this is a bit awkward to say, but as for the interregnum, the important thing about it is that it has ended. You ended it, from my perspective of time. And you will from yours I suppose. Hopefully my saying of this doesn't affect our world negatively.
[ No, she won't lie, but she won't burden Sabriel with information beyond of what she needs to know. It would be like taking away any semblance of freedom she has here. ]
Also...we're half sisters from father's side. I never actually met him though, as I believe his relationship with my mother was grounded on necessity. For you see, I am a daughter of the Clayr, even though I obviously take from father in terms of looks.
[ Cue awkward fidgeting. ]
I'm supposed to be several years younger than you, too.
no subject
From my own experience, when we're returned to our worlds, we don't remember this one- and we're returned at the exact moment we left.
[But Lirael's words give her pause.]
How many years, exactly? Father- his duties took up much of his time, but he loved me, and I cannot imagine him ignoring any of his children.
no subject
It's been for as long as I've been alive; nineteen years. I'm afraid Father and Arielle- my mother, they met once, at the very end. I suppose my mother was guided by the Sight and the Abhorsen felt inclined to oblige.
[ Yeah, talking about her conception like it's no biggie. ]
I believe he didn't have the chance nor the time to properly meet me.
...The union did prove...interesting. I'm actually a Remembrancer, the first in centuries. As the Clayr look into the future, I do the past.
no subject
I- haven't heard of Remembrancers before, but there is much father didn't tell me about the Old Kingdom.
[Sabriel pauses.]
It is good to see you though. Has anyone explained about the nature of this place, or our general situation here.
[Don't worry Lirael, big sister is going to explain everything.]
no subject
Oh well, we see the past as the Clayr sees the future. It involves entering Death, though.
[ She blurts all that while looking at somewhere over Sabriel's head. Definitely a younger, more amicable Abhorsen. ]
I understand the basics, but beyond that... I'm rather lost.
no subject
There are dangers here beyond the Dead, and no less dangerous.
no subject
[ She's not all that bothered by not being able to enter Death, really. That place will never not give her the creeps. ]
And that does not surprise me at all, I'm afraid. Hopefully you haven't had a hard time here?
no subject
[Sabriel is bothered, for all that Death is unnerving. But then, she's been walking into it since she was 12, far longer than Lirael.]
I've managed. There are things I don't entirely understand about this world's history, but I've been investigating, and have joined an organization called RISE. We're imPorts who work with the government to stop things the local authorities can't deal with.
no subject
[ If there's no immediate need to scourge the world of evil undead they might even manage to have something resembling a life here. ]
Are there many things the government can't deal with?
no subject
Many things, yes. Ultimately, it's other imPorts, and those forces in this world that seek to either harm us or use us for our own ends that are the greatest threats. This country is in a state of conflict with another, called the Soviet Union, or Russia. Even though many imPorts have... minimal loyalty to America at best, the Soviets see us as weapons, and a threat that must be controlled.
As for other imPorts... a handful are Dead, but the nature of the Porter means it's not possible to force them to truly die. A few of them are something close to Free Magic spirits, and others simply want to use their powers to benefit themselves, regardless of the consequences.
Heropa
[ Faith's already been through something similar, even though she arrived in a much more modern style, with the black tattoos under her right eye and on her right arm are clearly visible. ]
She's not interested, she'll be back if she changes her mind. You can go now. No, really, go.
[ Another moment of dubiety on the part of the would-be salespeople, but they do retreat a bit, although with a manner that suggests they might pounce again if they sensed a change in Lirael's choice. ]
no subject
Nonetheless she beams at Faith. ]
Thank you so much. It has been a while since I had to deal with merchants like this.
no subject
Well, nothing says "out of towner" like a sword. Just arrived?
no subject
That I did. I suppose it will keep giving me away in the future, too. I take it you have more... experience with this place'
no subject
For a few weeks. It's very different than... where I was. Where is it you're from?
And what's your name?
no subject
Is it? This place reminds me of Ancelstierre, a land beyond a barrier of sorts that separates it from my own country. Although I believe this place is far more advanced than Ancelstierre, something I didn't believe possible.
Apologies, my name is Lirael. It's a pleasure to meet you. And yours would be...?
no subject
[ She repeats it more to commit it to memory than out of recognition. Faith hums a little under her breath, clearly thinking over her answer. ]
Faith. I could use something to drink, you?
no subject
[ Very original. ]
Faith. [ She likes it. ] Oh I- well I suppose some water wouldn't be too bad.
no subject
[ She looks like she's thinking of a different term. ]
I don't suppose the names Cascadia, OmniStat or Sabaeus mean anything to you?
Right, water it is. I might get something a bit stronger than that.
no subject
It really is quite old.
[ she nods, almost immediately. ]
I'm sorry, I have never heard of those. And by all means, maybe I'll partake later.
[ This is a lie, because Lirael has absolutely no experience with alcohol and doesn't want to have it anyways. ]