maskormods: (⒋)
Mask or Menace | MODERATORS ([personal profile] maskormods) wrote in [community profile] maskormenacelogs2014-08-09 04:00 pm
Entry tags:

Let's live it up

WHO: YOU.
WHERE: De Chima, VA.
WHEN: Saturday August 9th.
WHAT: Registration in motion... among other things.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; please let us know if this should be edited.


" The new frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises -- it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them. It appeals to their pride, not to their pocketbook -- it holds out the promise of more sacrifice instead of more security. But I tell you the new frontier is here, whether we seek it or not. "
( from jfk's speech "the new frontier," 7/15/1960. )


While known for being surprisingly quiet compared to other bustling cities like Nonah, De Chima is loud and packed this weekend with news of the Swearing-In Ceremony being held at one of its lavish halls this evening. Spreading like wildfire, people from nearby cities show up at the hall in attendance, many there for the publicity or for the opportunity to meet an imPort themselves. There's no shortage of non-locals in the hall and one may even begin to wonder if just how many non-locals outnumber the De Chima residents who are attending the ceremony.

The hall is brimming with excitement, with members of City Hall having joined the party (but the Mayor had other business to attend to, sorry!) to public figures who've decided to make an appearance much to the surprise of the media who are present (as usual) at these events. Reggie Pressley, Swaggy-Swag McSwag, Bartolomeo Zoccarato, and London Marriott can be found around the hall, some being interviewed by the local media, getting their photographs taken, or giving out autographs to those who ask. Marriott in particular will be poking around imPorts for juicy gossip and other information. Other public figures who have made an appearance tonight are local businessmen and women from the city itself, scouting imPorts in the hopes some will take an interest in their work. While many are looking for imPorts to work in computer, research, and medical fields, there are many entry level jobs in data entry, paying slightly more than minimum wage. These business folk will be around till the end of the event, handing out their cards to anyone who takes an interest.

If anyone is paying close attention to the De Chima locals who are attending, or if they had been out exploring the city earlier, they will have noticed something... peculiar about many of them. Silky smooth hair, unblemished skin that almost radiates, straight, white teeth, perfect eyebrows, noses, jawlines... you name it. These people are good looking and they know it, but more importantly, you can be, too! There are various doctors in the hall, make beelines for identifiable imPorts, and they apparently haven't established what boundaries are. If they can, they will grab a hold of an imPort's arm, shoulder, or boldly go for the hips and babble about their appearances, offering their cards and pointing out any flaws (or perfections that can be improved) the imPort has. "I can help you with that," they'll say about crooked noses, scars, wrinkles, anyone with a little extra weight, etc. A few may forget they're here on business and flirt with the adult imPorts, taken in by good looks (or other appealing features). One particular doctor, Dr. Nic, a man with buoyant personality, will be trying to pass around as many of his business cards as he can.

There are long tables set up overflowing with all kinds of food and drink. Alcohol is served at a bar where ID is a must, so sorry to anyone under twenty-one! There's a space in the middle of the main room of the hall for dancing, where Swaggy-Swag McSwag will domineer unless someone wants to challenge him to a dance-off.

In one corner of the hall, a small crowd has gathered to watch local businessmen exhibit their latest invention: a roomba with musical capabilities! At the top of the room is a slot to fit portable music players and it has wi-fi capabilities, allowing it to connect to someone's music folder from their computers. Like many roombas of the current time, it displays low level intelligence, able to repeat a couple of basic phrases. It also purrs at some point, which results in the crowd glancing at one another with perplexed expressions.

Unsurprisingly, or perhaps surprisingly to imPorts, is stricter than usual tonight. Before entering the hall, security checks everyone's belongings at the door. Jackets are scanned, purses are checked, sometimes pockets are asked to be emptied. Security will ask this of everyone, so don't pick a fight at the door unless you want to be escorted off the premise! Inside the hall, there's a security guard or two at every doorway and roaming up and down the other hallways.

The event begins at 5PM and ends around midnight, but imPorts are free to linger. De Chima is also known for its rainy weather and today is no exception, unfortunately. It pours outside and will continue even late into the night, so imPorts better take care not to wet their nicely done hair or clothes!

( Please state your character's official status -- REGISTERED or UNSETTLED -- in the subject header of your thread. Please also read and state your character's official status at THIS post, considering not every character will post a starter thread!

Additionally, NPCs will not be NPC'd by a mod, but players are welcome to utilize them as they wish, provided it's within reasonable bounds. (Don't shank anyone!)
)
boobwindow: (... okay there)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-08-19 04:59 am (UTC)(link)
Nobody is starting rumors tonight. If someone does I'm kicking them right up their butts.

[ There are a number of journalists around in the hall, so who knows if they've already begun to fabricate stories for profit. ]

Don't listen to anything those doctors said to you, alright? They're only trying to make money off insecurities.
tragicomedienne: (☎ i said to get real)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-08-21 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
[The lightning-fast speed with which she responds is amazing.] I'm not insecure!

[Nanami's voice quivers a little; her pitch is close to glass-shattering (literally), and she lowers her voice quickly to keep from letting any of that hideous freakish power from showing.]

What do I have to be insecure about? I know not to listen to people who are just jealous of how successful and collected I am. You don't have to worry about me! [Said very quickly, and with a slightly laugh.]
boobwindow: (tentacles are not my kink)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-08-21 11:52 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She's taken aback by that reaction and in a corner of her mind, notes to probably not use that word around this girl ever again. She lifts a hand, palm facing out. ]

Okay, okay. That's comforting to hear.

[ She looks at her glass momentarily. For a second there, she had wondered if her grip on it was too strong. ]

But I gotta ask... you okay?
tragicomedienne: (☎ when did we lose)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-08-24 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
[Even at a a lavish and dramatic ceremony, even with her own perception of "very dramatic" set to "normal behavior," she hesitates, fingers curled close to her chin. Behaviors don't have the same kind of capital here, not that she thinks it out to that extent. This isn't the first time the rules of the world have seemed different and alien.]

What do you mean by that? [It's slightly less combative, but still protecting something. She brushes hair behind her ear.] You mean, after they took the camp buses like that? How do you think I should be?
boobwindow: (kitty will you forgive me)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-08-24 12:11 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She hesitates, mulling over her answer carefully. Is this a trick question? She doesn't want to upset this girl any further than she apparently has. ]

You were at the camp. [ She bites down on her lower lip. ] I don't know exactly, but I do know it's normal to be wary of strangers afterwards.
tragicomedienne: (☎ i don't know how yet)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-08-28 05:15 am (UTC)(link)
Everyone here is a stranger to me.

[What might still pass as an attempt at a tough answer is probably less so. Even the people she'd shared a cabin with or the people she'd crossed paths with on the ropes course weren't exactly people she could count on. Being taken away with only those people as company and returned to city just with more strange people just means that Nanami has spent the past month of her life being afraid of strangers.]

...So what if I am?
boobwindow: (cat problems)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-08-29 03:56 am (UTC)(link)
[ The funny, though also sad part, is Karen has spent quite a lot of time with people like Nanami. Not just angry, rebellious teenagers in need of attitude adjustments, but grown men and women who were habitually skeptical and mistrusting of others. It doesn't make for the most easygoing relationship. It also means she needs to handle Nanami with more patience and care. She's capable of it, but it doesn't mean it isn't frustrating at times. ]

How long have you been here?
tragicomedienne: (☎ i need somebody to hold me)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-08-31 10:24 pm (UTC)(link)
[The reality check of knowing that nothing changes or gets better when you're older will be crushing.]

Huh? Um... I don't know. Maybe a month; a little more. [Thirty-four days, thirty-five - Something like that.] Let's see...It was my birthday yesterday, so yeah, I guess so. I've had other things to worry about. [It doesn't even seem like she's fishing for special birthday treatment. That seems so outside the scope of what she's dealing with right now.]
boobwindow: (screw public transport)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-09-01 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
Huh. [ She sounds after an owlish blink. ] Happy belated birthday, then.

[ Nothing like having a birthday in a different universe to make you realize how far from home you are. ]

It's a lot to take in, isn't it?
tragicomedienne: (☎ i can't talk to you)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-09-03 04:47 am (UTC)(link)
...Thanks. [Genuine again, if not sugar-coated. There's really nothing to celebrate.]

It's not that I'm having trouble understanding what's going on. [Her arms tighten protectively.] That's not it...I just don't want anything to do with it! I'm not like other people here.
boobwindow: (we soulbonded oh my god)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-09-03 09:05 am (UTC)(link)
"Other people"?

[ That's too vague. It can mean anything when you're dealing with imPorts plucked from various corners of the multiverse. ]
tragicomedienne: (☎ i'm not the girl you think you know)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-09-10 02:34 am (UTC)(link)
You know!

[But maybe she doesn't know. Maybe Karen, poor woman, was raised into different circumstances. Maybe she's used to it.] I don't care about this weird magic business! I don't believe in it. [I don't want anything to do with it.]
boobwindow: (tentacles are not my kink)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-09-10 07:29 am (UTC)(link)
[ Oh, boy.

Honestly, she should have seen this coming.

Karen bites the corner of her lip, frowning slightly. ]


I hate to break it to you, but it's not magic and it's kind of hard not to believe it when you're living it.
tragicomedienne: (☎ a border between us arrived)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-09-15 05:13 am (UTC)(link)
[Oh, boy is right.

She's not ready to (intentionally) offend Karen into walking off on her just yet - because she's an adult, at least, and because she can fight off those annoying, clingy doctors.
]

I know it's happening! It's just...it isn't me!
boobwindow: (doc you done fucked up)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-09-16 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ She raises a hand, trying to placate Nanami's anger. ]

Okay, okay. Breathe, kiddo.
tragicomedienne: (☎ stand up and shout your name)

[personal profile] tragicomedienne 2014-09-23 05:00 am (UTC)(link)
[Her expression goes from frustration to utter consternation.]

How am I supposed to do that?

[It's not an entirely invalid question - not for somebody who can't see the alternatives, anyway.]
boobwindow: (ugh asexual wank)

[personal profile] boobwindow 2014-09-23 11:44 am (UTC)(link)
[ Her shoulders slump and there's a hint of vague irritation on her face. ]

Just... take a deep breath and count to five. Ten if you really need to.