play nice

[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 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.

Comments

[chimerad]

[his hand is halfway extended before he hesitates, more aware of himself. it withdraws, going to tug his hood a little further down before he goes about twisting out of that crater and slowly onto his feet.

he holds his hands out for balance, wobbling just a second.] Mh... [ok? are we ok?

ok. he straightens, turning his head to peer at her.]

Thanks. I'm fine. I... [his head is slowly tilting to look over her shoulder at the car.

he looks down at his feet, starting to grimace behind the mask.]

...better get out of here. [no way in hell is he getting billed for property damage.]

[vestigial]

Okay...? [ Far be it for Alana to make the guy stay, but his wariness is making her uneasy. If he starts to walk away, she's gonna follow and keep an eye on him. Make sure he's really alright. ]

[chimerad]

[walk he does, albeit not with as much haste as he'd like, but he can keenly remember one time getting beamed hard in the head before, walking it off, and promptly blacking out. rock bodies do not have cushioning inside for brains.

he has the demeanor of a kid who's trying to casually walk out of a suspicious scene, mostly because every second of growing clarity makes him more and more self-aware, and there goes any air of confidence or innocence. worse, some kind old lady tries to approach and ask him if he was okay, and he nearly teeters off the curb to avoid her. it propels him to hustle, both hands clutching his hood, and turn sharply between two buildings.

super, super smooth. as graceful an exit as his godawful display of total ignorance of traffic laws.


...aaand here comes he headache.] Hell...!

[vestigial]

[ Alana follows after and assures the old lady that, 'He'll be fine. Don't worry.' She turns into the alley after him, standing at the entrance with her hands on her hips. ]

Okay, not your best exit strategy. It's a dead end.

[ Except then he's clutching his head and she hurries over. ]

You. You're not fine, are you.

[chimerad]

[he flinches, eyes narrowed and sharp.] I'll be fine! You can go worry about whoever else... [some of the sharpness gives way to a wince...well, wait, she kind of said no one got hurt.

right?

hell. he shakes his head.] In any case, I know how to take care of myself. So don't worry about it. I just need to get out of here.

[vestigial]

No, I can't just go worry about whoever else, because they fucking kidnapped me away from my home and my family!

[ Okay, so maybe that's not what the guy meant, but Alana's not having the best day, okay? She takes a deep breath after her outburst, rubbing her forehead and shifting her weight to one leg. ]

Look, I'm sorry. I just thought... You know what, never mind.

[ She turns to go. ]

Good luck finding a way out, I guess.

[chimerad]

[Zel winces, grimacing again. a fledgeling migraine and guilt pains. it's just what he wants. truly, it's hard to be the stone-cold actual-stone swordsman he likes to say he is when people gotta make him feel all...feeling-like.

he swallows, mumbling:] Sorry. [half beat.] Uh...I mean. Thanks. Sorry.

[vestigial]

[ At his words, Alana stops, leaning a hand against the alley wall. She takes another breath, then turns around, offering the mystery man a smile. ]

Hey, you want to get a drink?

[chimerad]

Uh, I– [he wasn't expecting that.

after a hesitation, he ducks his head.] Sorry, I don't think...that's a good idea. So far, I tend to only make scenes when I'm around people. It'd be troublesome.

[vestigial]

Are you new here too? [ She gets it. She hasn't caused any trouble yet, herself, but she gets the feeling of being in a strange place all alone. ] We don't have to go out. They gave me an apartment, and it shouldn't be too hard to find some decent booze around here.

[chimerad]

[Zelgadis gulped, lifting his head up. it really doesn't take much for his mind to just blast off on tangents sometimes...

but he blinks a few times, back to reality.] Oh...yes. That is, I'm...not from around here.

...

Someplace secluded would be good...so I can get my bearings.

[vestigial]

[ Alana smiles. ] Then come on. We can get drunk and compare kidnappings. I haven't gotten drunk in ages. [ Between being pregnant and being on the run, it's been almost a year since she last got properly shitfaced. ]

[chimerad]

[the prospect is...well, it's not exactly enticing, but compared to stumbling around directionless with a migraine? there are truly worse things.

doesn't hurt that she's pretty.

nice. pretty nice.]

S...sure. Then, [a feeble gesture.] lead on. Preferably away from the, uh...

[vestigial]

[Married. Pretty damn married. And wearing a ring to prove it.]

Right. Can't fly you out. [Her wings, currently folded down on her shoulders, can barely carry her, let alone a guy who dents pavement.] We'll have to hoof it.

[chimerad]

We could fly. [he says it so matter-of-factly that it takes a beat for him to wonder if that was a strange thing to say. really, he has no idea; she just popped out of the blue (almost literally), so who knows what her deal was? besides alcohol.

he hesitates, adding on:] That is, if you fly, I can, too. I don't know how much sorcery goes on around here, so I'm not sure what's not going to cause another problem.

[vestigial]

Well. I can fly... but it hurts like a bitch.

[ She extends her wings for him to see. They're not very big. ]

I'm kind of useless in the flight department.

[chimerad]

[he can still be surprised, even here. how many people does he know with wings, anyway? (like one)

after a hesitation, he straightens up.] I can handle it. You'll just have to hang onto a hand.

[vestigial]

[ The wings get put away almost as soon as they're brought out. She hasn't seen anyone else from Landfall or Wreath here, but you never know. She's still wanted by two armies. ]

You sure? You did just get hit by a car, like, a minute ago.

[chimerad]

I've dealt with worse and flown away fine.

[habit has him tugging at his hood before he sends his hand out in a bit of a flourish.]

Raywing. [a little gust of wind, and he's floating easily in place.

after a beat, he extends his hand, feeling incredibly silly but not terribly so.]

[vestigial]

[ How charming. She's charmed. She takes the hand, stepping closer to him. ]

I can't help but notice, you're not speaking Blue.

[ Maybe it's her translator ring, but even when Marko does magic, she hears it as Blue. She's not sure if her mystery man is hiding a pair of horns under his hood, but from the blue skin she's guessing he's not a Moonie. Still, she doesn't know of any other species that does magic like that. ]