TEST DRIVE MEME: At the Mall

[theearth]

THE MALL
It's where all the cool kids hang out and you can be a cool kid too.

How it Works
Due to the nature of Save the Earth, it's a more complicated process to play in than most other games. With this in mind, it can't hurt to experiment a little.

Post your character and in the comment share a few details regarding their reincarnation. Repeat if you have multiple ideas you want to try out, as many as you like. It's also suggested that you set a scene and there's a few prompts below to help there, but think outside the box if you like. Then tag around to other threads and help your fellow prospective players to test out their characters and the variations on them. Don't be afraid to presume a little CR to make a scene flow more freely, or to assume an Echo or two.

If you have an app, complete or in progress, you might want to link it.

Prompts

Chilling
There's no particular goal in mind to being here, but it's a nice place to sit around.
Browsing
The mall is made for shopping and that's just what you'll do.
Working
The place doesn't run on wishes, but takes hard work.
The Movies
There are other things to do in the mall besides shop. Are you there with a friend or are you that one guy who won't shut up?
Crime Pays
$59.99 for Call of Duty? Time for the five finger discount. Or think bigger.
Alien Invasion
The Martians* are attacking! They want our brains/world/women/hot dogs. Take these freaks out, or cower in terror.
Stake Out In
Mysterious goings on have made it seem suspicious goings on are occurring after hours at the mall. Someone is investigating, but are you with a partner or are you the mysterious thing yourself?
Meeting with Witnesses
Tensions are high and you don't trust the person you're meeting not to try something dangerous unless it's in public.
Taking Shelter
One of the dangerous foes to mankind has caused a gigantic blizzard. Its been days since it began and... now what?

*Martians are not actual Save the Earth villains.

Comments

[shendude]

Info!

[Browsing]

[Even at his advanced age, Shen Fujin has always tried to keep up with the times. It was one way to pass the time and he needed that. Although he still had a bit of trouble with using the internet for shopping. It meant he spent a long time searching for what he wanted and could be found wandering the aisles of a film store until-]

Grrrgh- Why is the second series so much more expensive than the first or third!?

[The old man is so frustrated by odd pricing conventions that he throws a DVD down the aisle.]

[beyondrebirthday]

Info-in-progress

[Chilling]

[BB is sitting around. But not just sitting. He's sitting in a very weird, uncomfortable pose, that makes him look rather like a frog. But he's pretty comfortable in it, nevertheless. And he's thinking, incredibly deeply, on his new ability, with a thumb pulling on his lip.

Suddenly, he looks up at the person with him.]

I've come to a conclusion. This echo...! It's!

Completely useless.

[and he'll just flop down into a normal position on the bench - well, rather than normal, just like that he's sprawled out like he's dead. One arm dramatically covers his eyes - an arm covered in burn scars. Apparently he hasn't had the best luck getting things back - currently the ability to mimic someone he's still never heard of.]

[northless]

[Robb snorts when he sees this, then sits down next to BB, a cup of Starbucks coffee in hand.]

Try knowing how to wield a sword when there aren't any around.

[beyondrebirthday]

[BB is briefly jealous of the coffee - seriously now, he could have been getting one of those instead of whatever it was he was just doing. But after that short moment he courteously de-sprawls so Robb can have some more room on the bench, and contemplates that.]

Huhn. Well, I suppose it'd depend on the sword. A sporting goods store may still have fencing equipment.

[northless]

[He huffs out a laugh.]

No, that would be too convenient. Think the flashy medieval sword fights on TV, and you're close.

[beyondrebirthday]

I see... A sword like that is probably rather large. And the age of swords is long gone. Even if you had one, you couldn't walk around with it. And why would you, unless there is someone you'd like to go out and behead? You can't even use it to pick up girls. I feel sorry for you.

[He doesn't really. It's still better than his.]

[northless]

[He winces at the mention. Some echoes were harder than most.]

Please don't mention beheading. [He lets out a breath.] What about you?

[beyondrebirthday]

Oh, did I strike a nerve? Sorry about that.

[And believe it or not, that was genuine. Seems didn't think that hyperbole through well enough.

BB's hand goes back up near his mouth as he thinks.]

About me... some kind of muscle memory. A series of gestures, highly practiced, although for what, I can't be sure. A character in a play, maybe.

[northless]

It's fine.

[Huh. That is useless.]

Were you an actor before?

[beyondrebirthday]

Probably.

[northless]

Good for you, then.

[He thinks, sometimes, of the memories he has. They're fragmented, out of order, and in most of them he is a lord, or a king, and it's harder than he ever thought. Being an actor in a past life, he's certain, is better than being a king.]

[beyondrebirthday]

You think so? Maybe I shouldn't complain so much. My echoes are all so random, but they are only pieces of a puzzle, after all.

[northless]

Then everyone's a puzzle, if we're going down that route. I haven't met anyone whose echoes made sense.

[comparative_insanity]

[Well, suddenly it's raining DVD's. He gracefully jumps out of the way without thinking, his muscles following patterns they should logically never have learned, but he files that away as unnecessary for now. He bends down and picks up the dvd, approaching the old man with the intention of replacing it in the shelves.]

It's because it's the second series. The first has you hooked and the third probably isn't as popular, meaning the second'll cost more. Pretty cheap, huh?

[He slots the video back in place, smiling cheerfully.]

[shendude]

[Excuse him for being a very grump old man about it all, he remembers when VHS was the norm and box-sets were unheard of. You had to buy a couple episodes at a time but at least they were all the same price!]

Cheap? Daylight robbery. I despise such backwards tactics.

[He is in fact so grumpy about all this that he decides not to comment on the youth's choice to clean up his mess.]

[comparative_insanity]

[That gets a small laugh, and he gestures around them both his slim fingers and sparkly nails.]

It's a mall, honey. Once upon a time maybe people came to stores to shop, but nowadays it's all about getting robbed blind with style. I mean, someone's going to rob you blind anyway, you might at least decide when you want to yourself.

[He probably sounds like every typical flippant youth ever, accompanied with a little shrug and everything, but he's really just trying to be friendly.]

[shendude]

For Old Man Shen 'once upon a time' is not a time beyond remembrance.

[He snorts in an irritated way, although it's clear he's more blowing off steam than actually angry. Indeed, he seems to be playing up his age for amusement.]

And I have not been anyone's honey for many years, and I ask you not to remind me of that!

[He adds a quick waving of his cane to emphasise his last point. It's not strictly a necessity to walk, but he likes to take it with him when he goes out. Just in case. He can hardly use that wonderful levitation power of his in public, but when at home he rarely walks at all any more.]

[comparative_insanity]

[He squeaks in surprise as the old man waves his cane, but that is quickly followed by a small giggle.]

Sorry, it's just the way I talk.

[He pops some bubblegum into his mouth, looking thoughtful.]

Anyway, there's this place called the VHS Graveyard - for real, that's its name - down the street and down an alley from here, and they've got a DVD section where you can somehow find awesome stuff for half the price. You might wanna try there.

[shendude]

Aiyaah... It is not about the money, it is about the principle.

[His cane thuds down, followed by a small sigh.]

Such emotional manipulation... Good business, perhaps, but foul. Very foul.

[comparative_insanity]

Well, yes. Which is why I usually buy second-hand, because that means that I'm not giving a single cent to the bloodsuckers, see?

[A moment after having said that, he winces, as if suddenly reminded of something unpleasant. Which is exactly the case, since that brought up a plethora of very vivid memories of... well, actually sucking blood. He could feel his nails starting to lengthen and hurriedly balled his hands into fists. As long as his eyes didn't change he could just grin and pretend nothing was wrong.]

But it's a shame, isn't it? I mean, I probably wasn't even thought of during the good old days or whatever, but it's a pity they didn't stick around for longer.

[shendude]

Heh. Old Man Shen refuses to say a word about good old days. Good old days are all the better for their mystery. When I was your age, Grandfather was never silent about Good old days.

[Shen Fujin's eyes may not be as sharp as they used to be, but recently they have become magical. Specifically, a spark of red flicks about in his pupils to notify him something mystical was going on.]

I like to look to the future and its... possibilities.

[comparative_insanity]

[That earns laughter more genuine than the previous muted titter.]

Sounds like a good plan. Nothing is quite as good in detail as it is with an air of mystique. And the future-

[Oh god damn those claws were sharp. There was blood on his hands now, he could smell it. Fuck.]

The future is always a tricky thing. I'm more a today sort of person.

[shendude]

I can tell. Although you may learn to try looking forward now and then-

[With surprising speed for a man of his age, Shen Fujin whips his cane around with the intention of snagging Fai's wrist in the turn of the handle, raising the boy's hand up to be seen.

If it works, he'll be adding-]

Such as considering gloves in future.

[comparative_insanity]

[Oh, it works alright. He's caught off guard, and there he stands with a bleeding palm and almost inch-long, razor-sharp talons, the glittery false nails having cracked and started to fall off in places. He blinks, mind momentarily going blank as he searches for something to say, some way to explain it away. Except what comes out instead is:]

I'm afraid they slice through gloves. They go through just about anything, even metal.

[Now that was definitely not the right thing to say. He cringes a bit, sighing.] How could you tell?

[shendude]

[Those are some nice talons. Not quite enough to remind him of the set he is missing and would surely think are much better, but nice. He slips the came out from around his wrist with some agility. Never underestimate the Kung-Fu of an old man.]

Keeping track of what happens around you is rule one in a war.

[And doing just that, ensuring no one is looking, is what he does before he allows his eyes to fill with a red glow. It lasts only a moment, but is undeniably other worldly.]

And we are at war, young soldier.