realmofstories | Character Introduction Log: May 2020

Entry tags:

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

[Oh! Someone's stopped right in front of her! His voice is muffled a lot by the thick glass, but she presses her ear right up to it, and in doing so makes out the tail end of his sentence. And if she heard right then he's at least noticed her!

She pouts up at him, looking at him with her most beseeching look.]

Please let me out of here!

[She'd been scaling the table to get up to the cake before she knew it, and now that she's trapped in here, with a perfect view of the height she's at, Minako is absolutely jittery with the desire to leave.]

[ He'd continue to question his sanity and try to write her off as a delusion, but... really, the fact that he's here and alive is crazy enough he's willing to go along with it at this point. This is supposed to be some kind of messed up fairy tale, no? Anything's possible, he figures.

Ragna can't exactly hear her from all up here, especially with the wall of glass separating them, but it's not like it's difficult to figure out what she wants. He doubts she's part of the café's exposition (and if she was, that'd be pretty fucked up, even for this place). ]

Right, right, I get it... Step away, 'kay?

[ He's not sure if she can hear him back, but she can't say he didn't warn her now. He grabs the cake dome, which immediately begins to crack ─ though thankfully not enough to shatter altogether. Good. He's learned the hard way with a cup of coffee earlier that whatever this "Essence" thing that's apparently attached to himself is, it sure likes to break everything. Well, no matter, since he manages to lift the glass without causing a mess (and possibly endangering the tiny girl he's freeing). ]

Get outta there, Thumbelina.

[ It's not even an attempt at a guess of her Essence, it's just a nickname she's stuck with for the time being. ]

[There...really isn't that much space to step away, considering it's a cake dome. But she squeezes herself as close to the cake as she can without getting it all over her clothes, watching warily as the glass above her cracks. She doesn't need telling twice once the moment comes. As soon as the dome is lifted high enough, Minako darts away, even if her hair is long enough that it still stays near the cake as she does.

Unfortunately, there's really no escaping the fact that she's still ridiculously high up. She looks up at the man who released her, so she doesn't have to think about it.]

Thank you so much! I was about to throw myself against the glass if someone didn't come rescue me. [Minako waves at him energetically with both arms, trying to rid herself of the jitters.] Can you even hear me? I don't know when I'll change back but hopefully it happens soon so we can have a normal conversation!

[ Her voice might be somewhat reminiscent of distant chirping, but it's enough to hear what she's saying. And what she's saying isn't exactly something he's on board with. ]

Pass.

[ He's not here to chat. Actually, he's not here to help out tiny girls trapped in cake prisons, either; still, he probably couldn't just leave her here without losing sleep over it.

Which is why he extends his hand for her to climb on. ]

Hop on. I ain't gonna carry you around all day, but I can put you somewhere safe. You're gonna have to figure out how to undo this shit yourself, though.

[ There's a limit to how helpful he's willing to be, and it's a small miracle he's doing it at all. ]

[She pouts again, not happy with his dismissal, but steps onto his hand regardless. It'd be difficult to get back down by herself, after all-- and then she sees just how much taller than the table it'll be if he holds her up.

Too!

High!

Pure panic grips her, as well as a healthy dose of frustration because she's never felt so acrophobic before, but she wraps her arms around his thumb before she can back out of this. Just ignore her trembling.]

J-Just don't put me near any of the bunnies, please? They've been going a little crazy lately.

[ Well. This is just as awkward for him as it is for her─ scratch that, probably more. Ragna didn't give his actions much thought (as usual), but now that the full absurd of the situation hits him it feels really weird to be carrying a (supposedly temporarily?) tiny person in his hand. Seemingly oblivious to the girl's distress, he preoccupies himself with gently gathering all of her hair from near the cake and putting it next to her, though that only leaves him with more questions than answers. Is... is all of this hair really hers? Is it this long when she's normal-sized, too? ]

The hell do you think I am, travel agency?

[ He scoffs in response, but has to admit she has a point: the way she is now, the rabbits would not make for a safe company. He looks around, not sure what he's hoping to find. A doll house? ]

How about that table over there?

[ It might not help solve her problem, as it's still pretty high up for her current size, but at least the bunnies wouldn't reach her there? It's probably the best he can offer at the moment, really. ]

[She snorts out an amused laugh that says yes, he absolutely is a travel agency to her right now.]

As if one or two extra steps would kill you.

[She is thankful that he's thoughtful enough to pick up her hair, though, and not subject it to the possibility of rabbits eating it as soon as it dragged along the floor. She doesn't want a repeat of those horrible chocolate bunnies, even if she wants to chop off all her hair sometimes.

As soon as he steps away from the counter, though, an agitated rabbit hops up, nosing at the cake Ragna just released Minako from. She notices and urgently smacks his thumb with her hand.]

Look out, one of the rabbits just--!

[Too late, alas. The rabbit gets a big bite of it, and suddenly it's the size of a large boar, fixing its eyes onto the tiny Minako and her long stream of hair.]

Oh no.

[ It might not kill him, no, but she's severely overestimating how invested he is in helping her out. He figures that if she complains too much, he can always place her on some high shelf and leave her there.

The smack on his thumb is no more painful than the café's bunnies bumping his hand with their noses before, but it's enough to get his attention, as evidenced by the annoyed groan he lets out. ]

What now─

[ He glares down at her, but his whining is cut off by the clutter coming from the counter; hearing that, Ragna spins around, only to watch the rabbit grow in an instant. ]

Shit.

[ He instinctively reaches to his back for his sword and it's only when he grasps nothing but air that he remembers he left Aramasa back at the Gate. Looks like he'll have to improvise. ]

Hold tight!

[ He pulls his hand with the girl in it closer, extending his free arm just in time to catch the giant rabbit leaping at them mid-air.

─Wait, what?

He had no doubt he could stop the animal, yes, but he had no clue holding it with just one hand would be this easy. He doesn't have the time to think it over, though, as he pushes the rabbit away─ or at least, that's what he meant to do, but instead he ends up hurling the huge bunny across the room, causing it to crash into a table where a (rather distressed by what's happening) couple is sitting. ]

... Huh.

[ Here's hoping this counts as self-defense and he won't be held accountable for the property damage. ]

[She's holding on as tight as she can, craning her head around to watch and squeaking when he hurls it into a table.]

Careful! Don't hurt them!

[The rabbit shakes itself off and angrily bares its teeth at them, thumping its feet and backing up in a way not unlike a bull gearing up for a charge.]

Um...never mind. Bunny! Please don't hurt us!

[Aaaah she's so small, what can she do to help? She doesn't have a lot of options in that regard, only really long hair and...]

Oh!

[Keeping one arm wrapped around Ragna's thumb, she fumbles into her satchel with the other, and comes out with a now tiny pocket knife. It's difficult to maneuver, but by holding her hair somewhat taut by her teeth, she's able to shave a section off and shove it off his palm to the ground.]

Inari, I need your help!

[It's not quite the same as a Persona summon, but it feels right. The hair burns a peach pink color as it falls, and by the time it hits the ground, her fox familiar has emerged from thin air, the flames sparking at its ankles and tail.

The fox is a natural predator to a rabbit...or it would be, if it were a normal size. Because Minako's small, Inari is also tiny. He trills in alarm at the sight of the huge rabbit in front of him. Minako winces.]

Well, I'm all out of options now.

[ The whole summon thing, while less impressive than it would have been if he got to witness it in full-scale, looks promising... until it turns out that whatever it is the girl's summoned is even smaller than she is, making it somewhat useless in the face of a giant rabbit. ]

Seriously? That's all you've got?

[ Ragna casts her a look which can only be described as "disappointed". Not that it actually matters too much; he's pretty sure he can handle a blood-thirsty lapin or two by himself. Sure, it was cute when it was small and cuddly, but right now not hurting it will have come in the second place to ensuring they leave this place in one piece. So once the aggravated bunny rushes towards them he spins around, delivering a kick powerful enough to once again send it flying across the room to its side. This time, however, it lands on the counter they met at, knocking all the cakes and sweets off. Hopefully there aren't any more rabbits ready to take a bite of those around on the floor... ]

That's it, I'm sick of you
You better let it go
Or else we'll be having rabbit stew
For the next month or so!

[ It takes a moment for his own words to sink in, at which point Ragna visibly cringes. He's certain it was his voice, and those words certainly came out of his mouth, but─ rhymes? This doesn't feel right. ]

... What the fuck was that?!

He's not normally this small!

[is her defensive answer, prickles of mortification going up her spine. Inari ducks under a table to avoid Ragna's leg, making upset noises as he goes, and her heart squeezes to see how distraught he is. She's just about to yell to him to hang on, she's sure that she'll change back soon, when--]

...phfft!

[It has to be an Essence quirk, and she shouldn't be laughing, especially because he seems the type to get absolutely furious at her for it-- but it was just so sudden and his reaction so genuinely astonished that she has to stifle an onset of giggles behind her hand, nevermind the somewhat concerning situation they're in.

It feels really nice to laugh naturally like this again.]

Sorry, sorry! Not helpful. Um-- it's going to keep coming for you at this point, so we should take away the cakes before we have to worry about more angry giant rabbits.

[Might want to do that soon, before the rabbits eat all of the cake and become the size of the whole store.]

[ Ragna looks daggers down at her, clearly considering chucking her across the room. Thankfully, he decides against it, either because he has a bit more sense to him than one would expect or because she at least apologized, which is more than he can usually count on.

But he's so putting her on the highest cupboard he can find once this is over.

He lets out an annoyed sigh, silently hoping she never brings up the weird rhyming thing up. Actually, he just hopes it never happens ever again. ]

I'm gonna need both of my hands for this, y'know?

[ If for some stupid reason he's gonna keep her safe, handle the rabbits (both small and giant) and play the clean-up crew all at once, then he really needs at least some freedom of movement. There's not much time for thinking and it's never been his strong suit anyway, so he unceremoniously places the girl on his head. ]

Try not to rip my hair out, will ya? Not all of us have unlimited supply.

[ She'll only have a brief moment to get used to the new location before Ragna moves to grab the cake from the floor, right before other bunnies reach it. ]

[So high! Higher than before! Minako doesn't answer-- in fact, she becomes tight-lipped, immediately fisting his hair in her tiny hands, breaking out into a cold sweat. Breathe, breathe, she'll be fine, nothing is going to happen.

And then he starts walking forward, and oh no, oh no oh no, she's going to splat to the ground and die a second time, isn't she. She squeezes her eyes shut and prays that she'll change back soon, staying stiff and frozen on her perch.

The rabbits give Ragna a disgruntled look as he swipes the cake, bouncing restlessly around, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to get their prize. At least none of them seem to be trying to escape out of the cafe...for now.]

[ To his credit, Ragna at least tries to avoid moving too fast, hoping to prevent her from falling. She may have been a bit of a handful in the short time they've known each other, but that's no reason to wish her the gruesome fate of getting splattered on the floor.

With the giant rabbit still getting itself together after the last attack and the small ones keeping their distance, Ragna has little trouble picking up most of the cake from the floor. The question remains, what does he do with it now? There's no point in him keeping it and it would only make fighting the bloody lapins more of a hassle. Conclusion? The easiest solutions are the best, so he just tosses it out through the nearest open window. ]

There we go.

[ Out of sight, out of mind. If some other animal decides to eat it, grow the size of a building and destroy the entire town, well, that won't be his problem now. ]

... You still alive up there?

[ Obviously, since he can feel her tugging at his hair. What he's really asking is if she's okay; she sure didn't seem like the kind of girl who'd stay quiet like that. He reaches up to grab her with his hand again, but stops when he hears the huge bunny finally getting up and readying itself for another charge. ]

Dammit... Any idea if it's ever gonna change back?!

[ It might be a long shot to hope for the situation to just magically resolve itself, but magic is how they ended up like this in the first place. Would it be too much to ask for it to work in their favor for once? ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Character Introduction Log: May 2020

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject