Chapter 04: Act I

[storyevents]

A MIDSUMMER ROSE: ACT I—

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§ instructions.

The first Act of our fourth campaign is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels.

Reminder that everyone is coming with a fairy form! Feel free to use and/or refer to the meme for what form your character takes. Characters will remain in these forms throughout the entire act, but will change to fit their role when in a scene. So if someone was originally looking like a centaur, they will revert back to their normal form with whatever extra touches needed.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped in to their location and will have to step into a designated fairy ring made of iridescent mushrooms and flowers and then return. Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

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§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the Sub Quests. There are no specific top levels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level. As a reminder, the main setting for everyone not in a scene is within the fairy castle and everyone is in fairy forms.

¶ I. Fairy Pranks. Fairies are known to be mischievous, and the ones at the party are the worst. They will spice up people's foods, drop cake on others' heads, even inflict minor spells and curses on people! From changing skin colors to turning people into frogs or even bugs, these fairies are such a menace. Catch them in the act and stop them, else try and help those who are victims. (Any curses inflicted are temporary and should wear off naturally after an hour.)


¶ II. Stupid Cupids. A specific group of fairies called cupids are making their rounds. Completely drunk, they're firing their arrows willy nilly, and those who are struck will be enthralled with the first person they see. However, it's not always romantic. In fact some might just want some intense friendship, others are seeking some kind of familial connections, and then there are the few who just want to fight everyone.


¶ III. Weeding the Castle. While the main party hall is safe, the outside is definitely not. If they're not careful, some creepy crawlers may try to slip in. Take care of the hostile plants by either destroying them or by trying to restore them to their original forms. However, this can only be done singing or using special fairy dust acquired by one of the pranking fairies flying about in the party. Watch out for the Erasers, too—they are disguised as mandragoras, so if they're pulled out they will first try to deafen with their screams before attacking. Another form they take are snapdragons, but they will actually transform into a dragon-like beast with a lot of poisonous teeth.


¶ IV. Clearing out Spindles. To help the King and Queen, those not busy with scenes can help clear out the spindles littered about the castle. They could be in any room, closet, bathroom, or tower, so perhaps those taking care of the weeds can do this as well. However, be careful. Should anyone prick their finger they will fall into a deep sleep and must be awakened somehow (the method is left up to the players). Some spindles are Erasers in disguise, and but instead of falling asleep, getting pricked (or more accurately, stabbed), will paralyze and cause severe hallucinations. They also use razor sharp threads to attack and try to bind those they are fighting. But they're made of wood, so fire is a good way to get them.

¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! Feel free to use the wildcard for general party prompts and castle exploration. Outside of the grand hall where the main festivities are held, the castle is run down and lifeless, overrun with withering, rotten, hostile plants. It's even worse outside.

Comments

[ricebird]

[Good. She gives him a soft nod and a quick but gentle kiss on the cheek, thankfully her lips still feeling warm despite being a somewhat-ghostly silkie for the story. She'd throw in a hug, buuuut...]

Now... we um, should probably get you that apron.

[twilightskey]

[The kiss, even if it's quick, makes him start with a small gasp, and his face turns warm as she pulls away. He nods, glancing off to the side.]

Y-Yeah... right. Apron.

[ricebird]

[Surprisingly, the hunt goes a lot faster when Kotori isn't a flustered mess, and she finds one that will protect Roxas's lean wiry muscles from any spills or splatters, not to mention burns.]

Ah, here you are.

[twilightskey]

Thanks.

[He grins as she hands it to him, and he slips it on easily enough. It'll keep him protected in the case of any spills.]

So, what do you need for the whipping cream?

[ricebird]

Ah, right! [She goes to grab the bowl and start whisking it again.] Not much at the moment; I'm just trying to whipped it until it forms soft peaks. Once it does, though, we can start layering the cake, and I have some mixed berries macerating in that bowl over there that we're going to spread on top too!

[twilightskey]

Sounds pretty tasty. Anything I can do to help?

[ricebird]

[She nods, gesturing him over to three cake pans of three different sizes, all filled with finally-cooled, berry studded almond cake.]

We can finally pull these out now, and then we'll cut each round across the middle so we can spread in layers of whipped cream.

[The cutting being mentioned surprisingly casually.]

[twilightskey]

Okay. I can help with that.

[He notices that, but doesn't say anything yet. Instead, he walks over to get the cake pans.]

So, how do we do this?

[ricebird]

First we want to ease the cakes out of the pans. [She takes one of the pans and runs a butter knife (a copper one instead of the usual steel or silver) in between the edge of the cake pan, angling herself and the pan so Roxas can get a good look.] This is just to make sure the cake comes away from the sides cleanly.

[Once that's done, she flips the pan upside down over the counter.]

The pans were given a nice coating of butter and lined with parchment paper, and they're all at room temperature, so with luck...

[She gives the inverted pan a few gentle taps on the counter before- plop!- the cake drops out onto the counter.]

They should all come out just like that!

[Now she holds the butter knife out to him. His turn!]

[twilightskey]

[He watches he carefully, impressed at her skillful actions, and moreso how she handles the butter knife. He blinks when she hands it to him, taking it in hand, but doesn't move to mimic her just yet.]

You've gotten a lot braver with these.

[ricebird]

[A soft chuckle.]

I mean, this is just a butter knife. It's lot like I could cut myself with one anyway... [But then her smile becomes a little more confident.] Still... I've started using kitchen knives more often at home, and in this kitchen too. I still have a long way to go, but... it's getting easier, little by little.

[twilightskey]

[Hearing that just makes Roxas’s own smile widen, pride forming on his face.]

That’s great, Kotori! It sounds like you’ve grown a lot since you came back.

[ricebird]

Thanks. [She gives him a warm smile, stepping just close enough to lightly lean against him. (She WOULD hold his hand, if they weren't in the middle of cooking.)] I've had a lot of people help me. At home... and here.

[Especially him.]

[twilightskey]

[She leans against him, and he leans against her slightly in response. He’s genuinely proud to see how far she’s come, and hearing her gratitude just makes a warm feeling bubble in his chest.]

I’m glad, Kotori.

[ricebird]

Me too.

[He has no idea how tempting it is to give him another kiss on the cheek, or even one on the lips... Still, if she did that, they might never get this cake decorated.]

So um... do... you need any help with your round?

[twilightskey]

Oh, uh, I think I can do this...

[Right, they had a cake to decorate. He's going to try his skills at mimicking Kotori's demonstration, trying to cut the layer down just as she showed him.]

[ricebird]

There you go, like that! Just make sure to keep the knife close to the pan. We're just trying to free to cake, not trim the edges.

[twilightskey]

Right, got it.

[Another go, and... boom! Cake layer, all nice and neat!]

Like this?

[ricebird]

Ah, that's perfect, Roxas!

[Once the third one is three, Kotori moves to grab a long, serrated copper knife.]

Now we need to gently slice each round into top and bottom halves; that way we can spread more of the whipped cream inside.

[twilightskey]

Okay...

[He turns to her, then jumps as he notices the long, serrated knife. He looks from it to her.]

Uh... do you want me to..?

[ricebird]

[Bread knives, truly the most sinister looking knives of all after the cleaver.]

Ah... We can do it together, maybe. Be very careful where you put your hands, but if you could set the cake on the stand and slowly turn it, I can cut through the center.

[twilightskey]

[Roxas blinks at her, surprised at her offer, before he nods.]

Yeah. I can do that.

[ricebird]

[There they go... she takes a second to show Roxas where to put his hands (giving them a small squeeze before letting go) and then sets the blade horizontally against the side and barely slides in a bit of the edge, thankful that this cake stand has a small lip for a guide.]

Now just turn it slowly, and that should do most of the work for the blade.

[twilightskey]

Okay.

[He nods, following Kotori's advice and allowing the blade to slice through the cake. Together, they're actually making some good progress here!]

[ricebird]

[Nice slow gentle slicing, aaand voila! The two halves are finally separated, and with fairly smooth margins too!]

There! That was a great job, Roxas! Now we just need to sandwich the whipped cream icing between these two halves, spread more across the surface, repeat for the other two layers, and then we can decorate with the berries!