realmofstories | Character Introduction Log: May 2020

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Character Introduction Log: May 2020

Intro Log: May 2020—

§ instructions.

Greetings and welcome to the intro log for Forgotten Tales! There are no hard and fast rules here. Just include your Character, canon, and essence in the subject line and post away! Network prompts are allowed in the intro log, so feel free to put one in.

In terms of timeline, the intro log can span over several days, so don't feel as if everything has to happen all at once. You are also free to post your own logs at any time, and can even take these prompts for them!

§ prompts.

¶ I. Adjusting to a New Life. Even after being told by the Storyteller about everything, there's still a lot to learn. There's also the satchel and journal to investigate, and figuring out where they live. The Index itself is a large, vast city inhabited by a large variety of characters from numerous stories. Because of this, there is no uniform style to the city. One street could look like a normal street plucked out of a Victorian, English fairy tale and then the very next is made of candy. It makes for an interesting mishmash of cultures that somehow manages to get along. Most of the time, at least.

A. Brushing Up on the Lore. Perhaps a trip to the Grand Library to read up on the essence's stories wouldn't be such a bad idea. It might help give the Aspect some ideas as to what they can do. But you know, it would be their luck to have a large tome dedicated to their stories way high up on a top shelf. And the ladder is rusty. Might need some help.
B. Magic Journals. For those of the modern era, needing to write is going to be an interesting exercise. But after reading the instructions, maybe they want to reach out, see who else is out there. Or troll people with dumb doodles.
C. Watch What You're Doing! Testing out a new spell or weapon? Great! Just be mindful of the surroundings—this is all new and no one has thought to create a special training area for everyone (yet). And while most of the locals are happy and hopeful about their potential heroes, broken windows or almost burning one of them won't go over too well.
D. House Hunting. Among the items found in the satchel is a set of keys. These keys will magically lead their new owner to the house they will be living in for as long as they are in the Realm of Stories. The home will be styled to fit the essence and the location will also be fitting of that essence. It could be within the main city of the Index, outside of town, underwater, in the air—anywhere! Now if only the keys didn't take their own through...interesting, winding routes. Like through a random bakery or down someone's chimney. Who knows, maybe they will want to come back and visit the stores for clothing and other housewares.

¶ II. Rabbit Season, Duck Season. There are two new cafes that have opened up: Hare de Lune Teahouse and Bistro de Saison de Canards. The Hare's owners hail from the Book of Kaguya and wish to spread the joy of eating their local treats with the bonus of having a cute, fluffy rabbit as a dining companion. Canards, however, are more local and are competing against them with their own special delicacies focused on duck and eggs. A fierce competition is brewing between the two, and hair and feathers may end up flying before the day's out.

A. Hare de Lune Teahouse. The inside of Hare de Lune's is brightly colored (almost a bit too bright and chaotic), but the perfectly brewed teas and beautifully crafted wagashi served are surprisingly elegant, adding a note of serenity to the riotous surroundings. … At least at first. After eating certain cakes or drinking certain teas, patrons will suddenly find themselves either suddenly growing or shrinking in size. The effects only last at most ten minutes, but it's still a bizarre change that sends many in a panic. Could the Canards across the street have sabotaged their food!?
B. A Hareful of Trouble. Not only that, but even the cafe's rabbits are acting strangely. While most are still docile and enjoy a nice warm lap, others are acting rambunctious and are attacking cafe patrons. It gets worse when a few nibble on a few of the size-changing cakes. If they grow in size, they become a more dangerous threat while those that shrink make it harder to find. The owners don't want the rabbits to be harmed, however, so great care is needed to try and catch or calm them down! Perhaps a big carrot will help? Or figure out which size-changing food will reverse the effect—and hopefully not make it worse.
C. We Ducked Up. Bistro de Saison de Canards has gone all out to be as fancy as possible in every way. Duck-shaped flower arrangements and topiaries, ice sculpture ducks enchanted to "swim" in the center of the tables and quack pleasantly, linen napkins folded like swans, menus inexplicably also folded into a duck shape (good luck trying to re-fold them), and very pretentiously named dishes which… might have concerning amounts of duck eggs and rabbit meat in them. To help attract customers, they are hiring volunteers to be their mascot who must wear a special costume and try to draw anyone who is heading towards Hare de Lune to their side instead. Unfortunately, sometimes the mascots are a bit too zealous, and one even tries to steal a rabbit! Perhaps it's someone working for Hare trying to sabotage Canards? Whether trying to have a meal, roped into being a mascot, or a witness to the ridiculous actions, it's a chaotic mess. (Was that a small flock of ducks that just waddled out onto the street with a chef chasing after them?)

¶ III. Untitled Swan Princess. It's a lovely morning in the Index… unless you happen to be the latest princess cursed by a rogue sorcerer. Unfortunately, this particular magic user was under the impression that swans are lovely, serene birds and make complacent captives. He was proven very, very wrong very quickly. Now the princess-turned-bird has a lot of anger to unleash, and quite a few acts of chaos on her to-do list.

A. Write Your Story. Apparently either the princess or her new bird brain has quite the case of kleptomania. Everyone wandering the streets today will want to keep a close eye on their valuables: lunches, keys, potion supplies, even journals and quills! As a result, some might find themselves on the receiving end of squiggly, angry beak-writing from strangers, or chasing after the thief while dodging bubble traps or ice slicks from potions dropping out of a snatched satchel!
B. Hot Fuzz Sundae. Somehow, the swan has managed to orchestrate a massive accident involving broken barrels of caramel sauce, a teddy bear parade, and a cart full of down pillows. Thankfully for anyone caught in the crossfire, the caramel is room-temperature, but now the whole intersection is covered in a sticky, fuzzy, feathery mess! Are you a passerby, a volunteer for the clean-up crew, or a stunned victim? And more importantly, is that caramel making you stick to something (or someone) else?
C. Wild Goose Chase. Finally, after hours of chaos, reports come in of the swan storming the Grand Library, stealing artifacts from the four Drafts the Aspects have restored thus far: a Jack-o-Lantern from A Hollow Christmas Carol, a bamboo sword from The Legend of Princess Kaguya, a pearl necklace from The Little Mermaid, and a rose-decorated dragon egg from A Midsummer Rose. It's up to the Aspects to stop the swan before she leaves the Library with the relics, but it won't be easy. The swan has planted rotten egg bombs all over the place, some even ready to fall on the unsuspecting. They do not smell until cracked open and are camouflaged to match their surroundings, especially the carpeting. Then there are some that are large and tick ominously once someone is within range, counting down until they explode. Either get those eggs out before they explode or somehow neutralize them, or the Grand Library will really be a mess for months to come.

¶ IV. Of Tea Leaves and Dragons. Somewhere outside the index is a newly opened nursery farm focused on raising tea dragons — special little dragons that produce leaves on various points on their bodies. Teas brewed from their leaves will reflect the temperament of these dragons, and although friendly special care must be taken for them. As they are a new addition to the Index, both the dragons and their caretakers are still learning to adjust and thus need a little extra help. These are the mains types of dragons and their teas at the nursery:

Rooibos. Active, curious dragons who tend to get into trouble. Drinking Rooibos tea will lead one to being unable to sleep or sit still.
Earl Grey. Easygoing and protective dragons, they are the largest of the group. Drinking this will lead the person wanting to be around those they care for, making sure nothing bad happens to them.
Hibiscus. Although calmer, they are willing to try new things and socialize with others. Drinking this tea will make one want to explore new places and or become more talkative about what they discover.
Ginseng. Very sensitive, these dragons can read the emotions of others and are loyal. The tea will help strengthen bonds between relationships as well as have an odd side effect of allowing one to read each other's thoughts.
Chamomile. The smallest of the dragons, they love to take long naps and just laze about, not really caring about what's going on around them. Similarly drinking their tea will make the drinker more apathetic and prone to sleep more often.

A. How to Bribe Your Tea Dragons. The dragon tea leaves are ripe for "plucking," and while the process is painless for the young dragons, they can still be a little ornery about it. After all, no one likes being manhandled by a stranger. One has to earn their trust, and fortunately it's not too difficult. As they are young, playing with them will go a long way in forming that needed bond. Tossing balls for either a game of catch or fetch, playing chase (the flyers are cheaters), hide and seek (they love hiding in bushes), and other similar games. Another good way is to offer them their favorite treats; fruits, veggies, and specially cooked biscuits are all part of a balanced diet, and will add some delicious notes to the final tea.
B. Harvesting Tea Leaves. Once settled in, the dragons will allow their leaves to be plucked and harvested. The process is really more like "grooming" the dragons, using special brushes to gather the loose leaves before hand plucking those that remain. First a special oil is applied to loosen the leaves and then a rake-like brush is used. It's a simple enough process, but the real problem comes from the dragons. While one person could possibly harvest a dragon on their own, they get so comfortable and cuddly while grooming that more often than not they end up pinning the holder's arms or keep butting their heads against the brushing hand which can hinder gathering the loose leaves. A second person is usually needed to either help distract the dragon or to collect the leaves.
C. Taste Testing. At the end of the day, everyone is welcome to try a taste of the finished tea. They all have different effects, and everyone can carry a small sample home with them.

¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! Especially in regards to the festival, anything can really happen.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Adjusting to a New Life

( 1 ) Library

[Libraries really weren't his kind of a place. Not that he didn't like reading, but that was more for Armin anyway. Still, he needed more information about the story he was representing so it was the most logical place to go.

At least he doesn't have any problems climbing rusty ladders. He's used to even more dangerous things, after all. So if he spots someone looking at the upper shelves he approaches. Don't mind the small horns on his head.]

Need help? I can get your book for you...

[At least he'll offer.]

( 2 ) House hunting

[Just follow the key. That seemed like a simple enough task. Jean had no idea how that worked, but he decided to trust the progress.

Which seemed like a bad idea after being guided through a few shops (at least they were understanding) and climb on a roof and down from a roof twice before being guided through bushes that were hard to see in straight into a river. And then when he was all wet and his horns were full of leaves he was back in a park.

That's when he decided to take a break.]

If I need to follow the same route every time, I'll shut myself inside...

[He says, grumpily, as he dries his cape.

At least eventually he does find his house. Or, er, his castle.]

( 3 ) "Testing" powers

[Considering Jean's natural temperament, it doesn't take a long while for him to trigger his new powers. He ends up insulting someone (an NPC or perhaps someone else), hurting their feelings, so he shifts into a full form of the Beast he was becoming.

He was not covered in fur all over, even his face. He had sharper teeth and a snout. In addition to the (slightly larger) horns, he had some sort of animal ears on his head. His hands and legs had turned into paws with claws on them and he even had a tail. Of course, he also grew a bit in size so his clothes were a bit ripped now.]

Wha... what is this? What the hell is this?!

[Of course, he's being stared from many directions and it's making him even more uncomfortable than he already feels. His instincts tell him to run away, but he's resisting the urge for now... just in case someone could help explain what was going on?

He figured becoming a beast was a thing that would happen to him, but all of a sudden? Then again, he was already supposed to be one. This made no sense to him.

Eventually, he does figure it out and after a genuine apology he gets to shift back to normal. It might take a while, though.]

Untitled Swan Princess

( 4 )

[Well, this probably could be a way to get to know to someone. Jean feels both annoyed and a bit flustered to be stuck to someone with the caramel.]

Any idea how we'll get this off...?

Of Tea Leaves and Dragons

( 5 )

[It took a lot of playing around with a ( Hibiscus ) dragon and gaining their trust, but Jean can now harvest a dragon. Which was rather soothing, he had to admit. It seemed to be that way for the dragon too because after a while, Jean finds himself unable to continue.]

Stop that. Hey. I'm still in the middle of... Oi.

[Yeah, his hand is definitely getting headputted first and then pinned by the dragon so it can cuddle him more.]

You can't just do that.

( Wild Card)

[If you have something in mind, feel free to write a custom thing or plot with me through

sasageyo or Shiranna#8997 on Discord)

[Minato had seen the transformation and he was quite surprised as well. Then again, he supposed it was bound to happen. He himself didn't need to transform, he just came with the wings and had to learn not to sleep on his back and watch where he went. He wasn't sure how he would deal with a full body transformation.

The Index native was understandably scared and upset as well after the guy had already been agitated at him. So, he walked over and reached out to lay his hand the now much larger arm of the beast. While his powers were best suited for taking away people's physical pains, mental pain, anguish, and even anxiety were apparently part of it too.

So, Jean would simply feel a calming presence within. Nothing striking, just a slow feeling of his anger ebbing. A gentle push so that Jean himself could work to calm down fully.]

Take it easy and take a breath.

[He didn't like the feeling of possibly controlling people's emotions, even if it was more like the calming effect of lavender or soothing music, so he never used too much. He just wanted to help instead.]

[Feeling his anger slowly calm with help was definitely strange, but it definitely wasn't unwelcome. Jean followed the suggestion, taking some deeper breaths. Even that felt alien to him, since his lung capacity definitely increased thanks to the overall growth. But it did help calm him down even more.]

Th-Thanks... I needed that.

[Well, obviously. He now looks at the native still frozen to the spot. That's definitely a ton of guilt he's feeling. His ears fall back with shame.]

Mm.

[ He nodded and pulled his hand away. Then, he looked at the native and back to the beast. He tapped the furry arm to get his attention and then nodded to the native. You already look sorry, you should probably say it.]

[Jean looks at Minato ... and then back at the native. Right. It doesn't really help if he's thinking it, does it.]

Look I'm... sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you or said the stuff I did.

[The native is a little wary at first, but as the Beast does seem genuine with his apology (as far as he can tell??) he nods and then offers a smile of forgiveness before continuing on his way.

As the native walks away, Jean sighs in relief and what do you know: he changes back into his normal form. The horns are still there, sure, but otherwise he's normal. Even if his clothes did suffer.]

... I guess I did something right.

[After he makes his way into the forest, he'll eventually hear a distant voice coming from above him.]

Helloooooo~! Over here!

[Minako waves energetically from her tall, tall tower in the middle of the clearing, her long, long hair spilling out from the window she's leaning out of.]

Hi there! Are you lost?

[At least with the tower there it doesn't take him too long to look at the right direction (... or right height?) to see who's calling out to him. Someone actually lived up there?

... and that sure was. A lot of hair.]

Uh, hi. I don't know? I'm trying to find where I live...

[Though it felt like he was lost?? But it felt like he had been going in circles for a bit...]

I can help you if you tell me what it looks like! I have a perfect view of the forest from up here!

[She can see for miles, and even the edge of the Index is visible from her tower. As long as his house isn't magically hidden...]

[Jean thinks about that for a moment.]

Well, the story suggested I'm a prince so... a castle?

[There shouldn't be that many castles hidden in the woods, right?]

[You'd think that, and yet she can see at least three. Not surprising given that there's so many princes and princesses in stories around the world, but also not helpful.]

Hmmm. Might need to narrow it down a little more. [She disappears from the window for a second, and comes back with a spyglass.] Do you know what story you're a prince from? The look of the castle might match with who your Essence is.

[Wait.]

Actually-- do you want to come up and look for yourself? Maybe you'll get a feeling from one of them if you look at them from here.

[Of course there is. Of course it could not be as simple as "hey there's a castle". Jean sighs.]

It's Beauty and the Beast, but uh. If you don't mind, sure? How do I get up there?

Ehehehe...

[She shakes her long curtain of hair so it wiggles against the castle tower.]

You can climb this, or climb up a lot of spiral stairs. Your choice!

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2;

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DEATH FROM ABOVE-- i mean 3

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