realmofstories | Chapter 04: Act II

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Chapter 04: Act II

A MIDSUMMER ROSE: ACT II—

With the tasks completed, the story progresses onward to the next Act. As everyone falls asleep, their dreams replay the events of the story thus far.

The two queens fought fiercely with sharp words and powerful magic, but in the end Titania surrendered and muttered “just curse the brat.” Carabosse did indeed curse Tam Lin to prick his finger on a spindle and fall into a deep slumber, as well as give the child an invitation to join her dark forces should he ever decide to forsake his family.

While Oberon was hesitant to trust his son with Puck, the rebellious fairy argued that being rough around the edges meant he could better handle a crisis. So the king set Puck the test of retrieving a flower from a dangerous locale and returning with the flower intact, lending the sprite a priceless dagger for protection and a further test of trust.

Puck trusted little Tam Lin to hold the magical flower while the sprite carried the babe, eventually stumbling upon a convenient baby carriage. The two then enjoyed the beauty of the wild forest on their trek.

While still in pain from parting with their son and previous hurts in their relationship, Oberon and Titania reaffirmed their love and trust in each other as they set out to destroy the spindles.

Puck raised Tam Lin more as a younger brother than a son and they formed a strong bond. While Tam Lin took after Puck in being easygoing and playful, they still had a love and protectiveness for the forest they called home. The two would often use Puck's ability to shapeshift and communicate with animals and Tam Lin magically gifted skill with music to soothe and heal injured animals they came across and to protect the forest from any outside threats.

Carabosse did her best to intimidate Nick Bottom into telling her Tam Lin’s location, but the playwright parried her at every turn and even accused her of being a yaoi fangirl. Eventually the evil fairy’s temper reached its zenith, prompting the soon-to-be donkey to challenge her to a children’s card game. Bottom won through the use of sleight-of-hand, but Carabosse caught the cheater, and for his insolence turned him and all the town into donkeys.

When everyone awakens, they find themselves in the forest cultivated by Puck and Tam Lin and once again in their strange fairy forms. It is flourishing, more color, sound, and even music filling the air as sunlight streams through the open branches. However, within the shadows lurk dangers that manage to slip in and the forest still needs care and protection as it will be their main stronghold.

Like before, the magical fairy rings made of flowers and glowing mushrooms will send those who are to act their scenes to their proper location. However, there are other paths illuminated by glowing mushrooms and flowers, each one leading to various places both within and outside the large forest.

One path in particular will lead them to the cursed village where they are to help cure those afflicted by the curse as well as fend off the Erasers and other dangers that threaten the village. However they should be careful as they will have a "curse" of their own upon entering.

§ instructions.

The second Act 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.

As a reminder, there are two different fairy forms that characters outside the main scenes can take when in the setting of the story. While in Tam Lin's forest, they will take on their fairy form (can be the same as last Act or different). While in the cursed village, they will take on some kind of "hoofed" creature or fairy with a slant towards the equine.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped into 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.

§ 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.

¶ I. Lifting the curse. Everyone in the village has been turned into donkeys, and those who enter the village will also find themselves "cursed" with a hooved form, causing a bit of havoc within the village. The temperaments between each one vary from morose to hostile, and both can be difficult to handle. Some donkeys even stray from the village and need to be herded back, or else they are attacked and killed by the Erasers that lay beyond. To lift their own curse, the Aspects must protect and lift the curse off the villagers. There are a few ways to do this:

The cursed villagers no longer remember who they are, but a reminder of who they used to be could help. Although they cannot speak, clues range from the bits of clothing left on their bodies, their behavior, and the locations they tend to stray to.
The more hostile and aggressive ones may need to be subdued; knocking them unconscious may expel the curse from them.
Finally, there are some glowing white candied roses scattered about the village. Should the cursed villagers eat some, they will be cured.

Reminder: Aspects who enter the village will take on a new "hooved creature" form and must help lift the curse of at least one villager before they can leave the village and get rid of the "curse."

¶ II. Protect the forest and its creatures. With the Fairy Queen caught up in a complicated love affair and Tam Lin distracted by his own romance, the protection around the forests have gone thin, and many fairy creatures are left unattended and vulnerable.

The Forests. Tam Lin's forest has a barrier that must be strengthened every so often by using the pollen of the purple flower and casting it over the barrier. The weakest points will be where the shadows and darkness are greatest, and hostile creatures and Erasers are lurking. For the forests outside, follow the glowing mushroom path to different "outposts" to replenish the magic barrier in the area. Not only can they use the flower, but they must increase the amount of light to disperse the darkness.
Fairy creatures. A cute, little fairy creature may help guide them and even become attached. If not leading them to one of the weakened locations, the creature will lead the Aspects to a special nursery where many of the wounded need to be fed and healed.

Note: Aspects will have their fairy forms while in the forests.

¶ III. Clear the Castle Path. The pathway to the castle is covered in thorny vines and unpleasant fae folk under Carabosse's command. Some are just ordinary plants, while others will come to life and attack anything that tries to pass them. These plants also seem more resilient to flames this time, some even spitting fire and acid. The faes will create illusions and puzzles for our heroes to solve, such as turning parts of the road into blocks and forcing them to try and piece them back together (like Tetris). Other faes prefer being combative, trolls and orcs battle ready to stop anyone.

¶ IV. Bucking Bicycles. Scattered throughout the forest, at first they seem like regular bicycles with toy horse heads attached to them, but anyone who tries to ride them will suddenly find themselves bucked and tossed onto the ground. In order to ride one of these mighty metal steeds, one must first earn its trust. Perhaps a little elbow grease might persuade them, or a nice metal carrot.

¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt!

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[Although he questions how he should play some kind of "love struck teen," he won't know how he should even approach this without meeting his partner. After looking around the forest, he decides to walk through and get his bearings while keeping an eye and ear out for any sign of "Bonny Rose." At least it seems more or less peaceful, so hopefully there won't be any unnecessary disturbances.

After walking for a bit, he notices a gathering of butterflies. It's unusual, and recalling that Tam Lin is the protector of this place, he proceeds forward with some caution, but not taking his weapon as he has his guess as to who might be in the center of all those butterflies.]

[It's definitely been an eventful story so far. Exterminating plant monsters in the kitchen, making the feast, saying goodbye (or hopefully "see you later") to one of her first friends among the Aspects, and then having to deal with being part ghost as a silky and then HALF DONKEY half the time for this next portion (SO WEIRD!), it's almost a break to be cast in a scene again, let alone allowed to be human again and in a comfy, pretty dress. Maybe if she's lucky, Roxas will be her partner again~

When she arrived through the fairy ring to her "mark," she almost taken aback with how pretty the butterflies swarming her are, a flurry of a multitude of greens, blues, yellows and whites, all swirling around her in a slow cyclone. (And it really does help that none of them are currently trying to bite her or something, because it sucks that THAT'S a legit worry to contend with in these stories.]

[Unfortunately, her real boyfriend is not her partner. If he could (and if he even knew) he would have happily swapped, alas.

When the butterflies clear a bit, he sees a young, teenage girl at the center. Although he's never formally met her, he recognizes her as the girl who seems to either be or aspires to be a chef...she's usually providing food during these things, anyway. He also knows her name because the reports from the scam ring earlier.

Now the question is...should he greet her normally? If he were to be in character he's supposed to act suspicious, but since they've never met, it might be a poor start.

Not that he has that much time to consider his options. As if sensing his presence and recognizing his role, the butterflies suddenly break up completely and flutter over to him, one actually landing on his ear and a few others settling on his shoulders or some other part of his body. Welp, there goes any element of surprise should he had opted for it, but this is probably the better course.]

I take it you're the one playing Bonny Rose. I'm Eustace, the Tam Lin.

[Oh! Uh... that is definitely not Roxas. She recognizes him a bit from feeding people during the stories, of course, and with the investigation into the fraud ring, but they've never really interacted before.]

Oh uh... hi. Y-yes, I'm Kotori. It's nice to meet you properly.

[Just a small nod of acknowledgement before he frowns a bit as the butterflies hover around his face. With a gentle swat of his hand, he pushes them away before proceeding.]

I'm aware that this is a romantic scene...but given the circumstances, we should discuss how we should actually play this out.

[Because......considerable age difference and strangers.]

[YEAH, she honestly appreciates that!]

Ahaha, um.... yeah. I... actually have a boyfriend so um... maybe nothing TOO romantic, please?

[I mean it's not like the age gap is a BIG turn-off for her, BUT STILL.]

[...Oh. Well that's a little awkward. But fortunately Eustace isn't the kind to get hung up on such things and only nods.]

Understood. I'm not really that big on romance, so I wouldn't know how to overdo it regardless.

[...Hm... He shifts his weight from one leg to the other, arms crossed over his chest as a finger rests against his chin in thought]

Romance aside, the point of this scene is for the two to meet and get to know each other, and they're young so they'd likely want to try and impress each other... [Eustace may or may not be overthinking this—

TECHNICALLY the age gap is probably not a problem for him either BUT YEAH STILL.]

Impress each other...?

[... Yeah, even WITH having somehow gotten a boyfriend, it's not like she knows how flirting or courting work. Not to mention Bonny Rose is supposed to be brave and adventurous and... well, Kotori's STARTING to admit she might be the former, but definitely not the latter.]

Ah, right, so... we can probably start with that. I just got led astray by the butterflies [a pause and soft giggle as one lands on her], and then you suddenly appeared?

Yes. Tam Lin is the protector of this forest, so he would have been on his guard. If it were me, I would be wary and question who you were, but... [He considers both characters.] If Tam Lin is more of a teenage youth, he might be dumbstruck by Bonny Rose's appearance since he might not have seen a girl before.

[Had Kotori been older, he definitely would have just gone with the former, but since she's not and he was being more considerate...this is kind of turning into more of the latter, huh.]

Right. In that case... I'm probably a little startled, since I wasn't expecting another fairy to find me.

[Granted, the surprise might be a bit stilted now, but Kotori is grateful for the coordination, and she's probably a bit more confident with her acting now.]

[Huum.]

I'll just say it now—there's no way I can act as an awkward teenager no matter how hard I tried. The best I could do would be awkward silence. [He just. Can't. MAYBE IF HE WAS YOUNGER but even then—yeah, no.] But Tam Lin might be curious about Bonny Rose and be friendly, and that much I can do.

So how about this. We'll start similarly to what happened just now—I enter and ask who you are with initial caution, and I'll adapt to how you react.

[Nod nod.]

Sure, we can do tha--

[Almost as if on cue, the butterflies start to swarm her again, prompting a soft "eep!" even if the startle immediately settles.]

[That. Actually surprises him. ...And a little amusing. At least these butterflies are harmless or he would be very concerned.

But all right he'll... ...Should he go back and re-enter—no, that's a waste of time. He'll just start from where he is and goes for it. Taking on a more defensive stance, he'll make a loud, sharp whistle to call off the butterflies before speaking in a loud, deep, clear voice.]

Who goes there?

[Half of the butterflies will scatter at the signal, some once again returning to hover or settle on him, while the others will break away from Kotori, but staying close.]

[OKAY YEAH, the sudden whistle gets a genuine startle out of her, that helps!]

A-ah... [Brave and adventurous brave and adventurous] I-I am... Bonny Rose. I'm looking for my c-companion Nick Bottom.

[.... Nailed it...?]

[...............Good enough.]

Nick Bottom? Never heard of him. [...Should he soften his tone? Eh, he's supposed to be on his guard, so it should be fine for now at least.

Right, so, still going to appear guarded, but he'll tone down the initial hostility.]

...How did you enter the forest?

A-ah, well... another fairy said it was alright. I-I think his name was Puck?

[She THINKS that's how it went so far, at least.]

Puck? He let you in?

[There's a small, discernible frown as he considers this. It could be a trick, but... No, wait, he's not supposed to be as guarded. This is Tam Lin facing a girl for the first time in his life. A shame he can't be a hapless lovestruck fool, but he can relax a bit. As if to help the transition, the butterflies fly away from him and gather around Kotori, but this time they appear less hostile and more curious, some landing on her hair. It's as if they're trying to paint the picturesque scene of the fair heroine making her grand appearance.

Well he's no animal enthusiast, but he can pick up the signals and work from that. He'll be more relaxed and have a friendlier demeanor.]

...The butterflies seem to be attached to you, as well. You said you were missing a friend? It can be dangerous here, so I'll help you find them.

Ah... [She gives him a light bow.] Thank you, sir, that's very kind of you. May, um... may I ask your name?

[If this were a traditional fairy story, the thanks and the exchange of names would be two VERY dangerous breaches of fairy etiquette. It's probably a good thing this story's been fractured to hell and back.]

[Even without knowing the traditions of the fae folk and names, Eustace is already purposefully guarding Tam Lin's for this exact moment.

He looks at her with quiet regard before he finally answers.]

Tam Lin. And you said yours was Bonny Rose?

[She nods slowly.]

Y-yes, it is. I'll um... let you lead the way, then.

[A small nod before he turns and... ...Well he really doesn't know where to go, but the butterflies seem to be serving as a guide, fluttering down a natural path. It seems as good as any, so he'll head down that way.]

What does your friend look like?

[Good question... She's trying to remember what the Nick in the dream looked like...]

Ah, well... He's a man [(?????)] in a bright suit. Like... really REALLY bright colors.

...Really bright colors?

[Were this anyone else in any situation, he'd find this amount of information unimpressive and useless. However, that's neither here nor there so he puts on a contemplative face, the crook of his finger at his chin as he pretends to ponder.]

Given that no humans should be here, he should stand out regardless. [A thought then occurs to him and murmurs under his breath, "I wonder if it would work..." and he looks toward the butterflies.] ...Hey.

[The butterflies respond! They flutter about merrily around his face, one landing on his ear again. Glancing up at it he tries the idea that had come to mind.]

Go through the forest; see if you can find another human. [Very small pause.] And...ask the others if they have noticed anything as well.

[If he had dogs he knows for sure he would be able to communicate with them, but alas he was not blessed with such companions and only the butterflies for now. But perhaps this role is able to extend his abilities; at least they seem to understand, one even seeming to salute with its wing before they scatter off, leaving only a few behind to flutter around them.]

That should help with the search while we continue. [He starts off with his usual matter-of-fact speaking, but then he remembers ah yes. He has to pretend to be a curious elf boy who has met a pretty girl and probably fell in love at first sight.

...Troublesome...

Anyway, he clears his throat. At least his own awkwardness matches (unless this Tam Lin guy is supposed to be some suave playboy—oh well).]

I could...also show you around the forest if you're interested.

[Lame pick-up line achieved.]

[Yeah, she knows it's lame, but she also knows that giving a more concrete description is kind of a mess, given the switching nature of the roles. Still, following the butterflies is a good plan, and the offer does sound nice. She gives him a little nod.]

That'd be nice. I really appreciate all this, Tam Lin.

Not a problem. [And just going to follow a rather obvious path, deducing that that is where they need to go.]

...What do you do, Miss Rose? [Getting to know her is a step in the right direction, right?? He will his best to not make it sound like an interrogation—]

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