etcelsior | we're all reponsible here

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we're all reponsible here

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

[ Sasha's minding her own business, merrily preoccupied with a large hamburger she's halfway finished with. There's relish smeared on the corner of her chin and bread crumbs hanging on the edge of her mouth. She doesn't seem to notice or care, focusing on the boy who's spoken to her.

Or she thinks he has. ]

Pardon me?

[He looks up, not having noticed anyone else was around. It's a bit of a cinematic moment as he turns: the sudden divine appearance of a pretty girl. He doesn't even notice the food on her face, because his eyes go right to the hamburger itself, which looks goddamn delicious. He is suddenly reminded he hasn't had a thing to eat since he got here.

Then he hears what she's saying, and realizes he just cursed in front of a girl.]

Whoa, sorry, not you. Excuse my language. I was just...

[His gaze slides back to the headline. Is expressing opposition even something you're allowed to do here? Everything he got from this handlers reminded him of stories his parents had told him about life back in the USSR. Several times he'd wanted to interject with, "You know I'm Russian, right?" But mouthing off to military personnel who were personally responsible for his freedom hadn't seemed like the brightest idea.

He stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans and shrugs.]

Talking to myself. I do that sometimes. Bad habit. Hey, where did you get that hamburger? It looks amazing.

[ She tilts her head to indicate she's still a bit perplexed by his behaviour, but then she shakes her head, smiling at him. ]

That's okay! Everyone talks to themselves sometimes.

[ She does it a lot herself.

His question is met with surprise once more. Sasha's eyes drop from Jayden's face to her half devoured burger, bits of relish clinging to her fingertips. She winds up switching the burger from her dominant hand to the other to lick off the sauce. ]

It's super amazing! [ She finally looks up at him, her eyes practically twinkling as she discusses the burger. The more she goes on about it, the more it sounds like the way someone in an art gallery would discuss famous art. ] It's from this restaurant called Burger Hut! They make the buns so crispy! And the vegetables taste fresh even though they've been sitting in a tray all day! The cheese melted onto the slice of beef is the best part...!

[Man, she is super excited about that burger. But that's okay, because a growl from Jayden's stomach indicates he is also really into the prospect of one. The name of the restaurant makes him laugh.]

Must be a Florida chain, but I think I know the kind you mean.

[He could go for a Burger King or McDonalds calibre hamburger right now. And french fries with lots of salt. It's been that kind of day.]

Could you tell me how to get there?

[He looks around, remembering he doesn't know his way around this city at all. ]

Or – maybe show me? I think I'm actually a little lost.

[ She doesn't know what a "chain" is supposed to mean in terms of food, but she nods anyway and then holds up the half-eaten burger. She heard that growl and she can deeply sympathize with someone who's starving. ]

You can have a bite. [ She points down the street. ] It's just around the corner. Come on.

[ She begins her trek back down the street, glancing back at Jayden to finally survey him up and down. ]

I'm Sasha, by the way!

[He gives her a small self-deprecating smile and waves away her offer.]

Nah, it's okay. I can wait till we get there.

[Grateful, he begins to follow her.]

Jayden. Are... you Russian, by any chance?

[Sasha is a pretty Russian name, but he can't really tell otherwise. Maybe her parents just gave her that name because they liked it. But he's curious; more curious than he usually is at back home. Here it seems like it might become a bigger deal if you happen to be Russian, what with everyone screaming about what a problem the Soviets are.]

You'll love it, I swear! And they have different kinds of sauces and vegetables you can get with your burger. If you don't want a burger, you can get chicken wings! Or something called nuggets. There's so much to choose from...!

[ The question throws her for a split second. She takes a bite out of her burger and ends up shaking her head. ]

Russian? That's a person from Russia, isn't it? But no, I'm not.

[He laughs again, but then stops. Is she serious about not knowing what chicken nuggets are? He thought she was kidding, but if she's not sure what a Russian is either, he has to wonder.]

Oh. Sorry. The name threw me. Never mind.

[He pauses, trying to think of a polite way to ask why she's never heard of chicken nuggets or one of the largest countries in the world.]

So, are you new around here too?

[That seems as diplomatic as anything.]

It's Russian name?

[ She's curious; she's never heard that before. It's just the name her father gave her, but maybe once upon a time when humanity thrived in her world before titans, there were a lot of these Russian people and lots of Sashas. ]

You're an imPort, too? [ She blinks, surprised. ] And sort of! I haven't been here long, so I'm still getting used to the layout of the land.

Yeah. I think it's short for Aleksandra. Or Aleksander in guys. At least where I come from, but that place is a lot different from here.

[And he nods. He's not sure if it's such a good idea to bring attention to the fact that he's a) an imPort and b) a Russian, but he's kinda desperate for some allies here.]

Well, I just got here today, so you're already ahead of me.

There are boys named Sasha?

[ That's actually kind of funny. She adjust her grip on her hamburger which is getting soggier the longer it has to stay out in this Floridian humidity and isn't eaten. ]

Honestly, this land is very different than what I'm used to. I don't know how much help I could be.

Yeah, Russian nicknames tend to end in "a," even if you're a dude. My dad's was Pasha.

[He uses the past tense with practiced ease.]

Really? What's it like where you're from? ...They don't have chicken nuggets, I'm guessing.

[Which really is pretty tragic.]

[ Pasha, she echoes silently due to food in her mouth. That's rather cute when she thinks about it.

But aren't the Russians supposed to be their enemies in this world? She doesn't understand the political context behind it at the moment. ]

Not as much food as this world has. And a lot of the technology doesn't exist, like those carri — cars. [ She quickly corrects herself, glancing at the row of parked hover cars. ] We still uses horses if we need to travel.

And the clothes are different.

[ It's not a bad thing, but modesty is still expected to a degree where she's from. Girls don't wear shorts or skirts where you can see their undergarments or butt cheeks peaking out. ]

[Yeah, Jayden is confused on that point, too. Especially since the Powers That Be expect him to fight the Soviets without any context, nor do they seem to care he's Russian himself.]

Wait, you don't even have cars?

[Okay, he might need to reassess his decision that his own world is the shittiest of them all. He would not like to have to get around those cramped Boston streets on horseback.]

Is that the only way you get around? No planes or trains or anything?

[ She wipes the corner of her face when she realizes there's a smidge of relish on it. She stares at her thumb for a moment before licking it lean. ]

Mm! [ Sasha glances back at Jayden. ] Horses and carriages if you had to travel across a large stretch of land. 3DMG, too, but only those in the military use it and it's not useful when you're traveling through flat land.

[As they turn a corner, Jayden spots a sign for the famed Burger Hut. He approaches the entrance in his usual plodding saunter, and holds the door open for Sasha to enter first.]

3D what? WMDs?

[He can't have heard correctly. That gives him an odd mental picture of people wearing 3D glasses and traveling via explosion shockwave.]

[ Oh, that's right; most people haven't heard of her military's standard issued equipment and it's still jarring to her to remember this tidbit. She doesn't have it on her right now, so it's difficult to motion with her hands how it appears. ]

Three Dimensional Maneuver Gear. 3-D-M-G. [ She sounds out each letter slowly. ] It's the military's gear. It's got grappling hooks, hand grips, and a propeller to help move through the air. It's all gas powered.

[He looks at her closely and repeats the letters.]

3-D-M-G.

[There's a slight trill on his r in "three," a remnant of the Russian accent almost entirely lost to his muddled American affectation. His brows furrow slightly, trying to picture it from her description.]

That sounds awesome. And kinda dangerous.

[And like he totally wants to try it.]

[ It's a curious thing; she's not certain if she imagined the accent or not. For herself, she masks Dauper's localized accent perfectly. Though Ymir would chide her for it after all this time, Sasha is unable to break that particular habit just yet.

They're coming up closer to the restaurant and she points with her free hand its entrance. ]

Operating it isn't too hard once you've been trained. [ She grins. ] It is pretty awesome. Being able to sail that high and fast is exciting!

Edited 2014-07-06 08:30 (UTC)

Wait, you're in the army where you're from?

[He's not sure why he hasn't put it together before now. Maybe because he has a specific idea of the kind of girls who would join the army, and Sasha isn't it. But maybe that's an unfair bias on his part. Things on her world sound really different, so he can't be one to judge.]

[ Finishing off the last bit of her hamburger, her pace slows for a moment as in her distraction she tries to explain her enlistment in the military. It's odd that it's considered odd here for anyone under eighteen to be in the army. ]

That's right. Ah... [ She stops then, standing at attention. Her left arm goes around the back and her right presses against her chest, a fist curled right above her heart. ] Sasha Blouse of the Survey Corps.

[His eyebrows shoot up – but not because he's skeptical. He just didn't expect her to be so... official all of a sudden. It's impressive, really.]

That's cool. Seriously. I don't know anyone who even wants to join the army, but things are kind of weird right now in my country when it comes to that stuff.

[He enters the restaurant, immediately enticed by the overhead menu. He stands there, brow furrowed in deep concentration, trying to decide what to order.]

Do you like it?

[Does anyone like being in the army? Maybe that was a stupid question.]

[ "We're not good people anymore," says Armin back in the basement where what remained of the 104th huddled together, trying to block out the horrible screaming and crying of the men Levi and Hange tortured.

It's a far cry from what she imagined her enlistment to be. Sasha wants to do good and she thinks she has, but lately things haven't been so black and white. Maybe they never were.

Sasha's brow furrows. ]

Well, it's not a matter of liking it. [ But she doesn't hate it. She never would have forged such wonderful friendships or made precious memories if she had never joined. ] It's duty, after all. Someone needs to protect the civilians from the titans.

[That's probably about all he can expect for an answer to a question like that. Jayden intends to tell her that he respects her choice, that's a lot of commitment and such, except her final statement throws him for so much of a loop he forgets all that entirely. He tears his eyes from the menu to too her in the face, confused.]

What's a titan?

[ She grimaces slightly, gory memories flashing in her mind's eye. However, she maintains her composure to answer him. ]

Titan are mankind's enemy. [ Save for one exception. ] They're giant monsters who devour humans for no reason and they're incredibly dangerous.

we're all reponsible here

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POTATO GIRL!!!!!!

:)

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we are actually unsure "where" aot takes place :[

pffft they're inside totally safe walls, who cares what's outside them? ;)

only heretics apparently!

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jayden's about to learn his world doesn't have the darkest timeline once he hears about sasha's

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fyi i just want to say i am loving this thread ;;

ME TOO and so sorry for slow on it

NO WORRIES and i'm glad :3

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