realmofstories | 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

[He's going to feel the force of a charging rhino as he takes Hyde head on. The force is enough to push Steelbeak back, but Hyde is going to feel his feet leave the ground. Suddenly he gets flung over and behind Steelbeak.

But, he's not going to let Steelbeak get the full satisfaction of countering him. His claws grips onto something, anything. He tears into his crisp white suit, and bending parts of the metal of his chest plate. His claws eventually grab hold his arms and as he flips onto his back, lifts Steelbeak along with and tosses him over. It was like a weird game of brutal hopscotch right now.]

[There's about two seconds where triumph rushes through Steelbeak's mind. Aaand then claws tear straight through the metal of his chest plate, ripping into the clothes beneath. Maaan, that's the only suit he's got right now! Even when Hyde flips and tosses him, that's what he laments the most.]

Waaugh! [Smack! He's hit the ground a second time and he's pretty sure his arms are bleeding from where Hyde grabbed him. Oh well. Once again, he scrambles back to his feet, almost shrugging the injuries off like they're nothing. The deep heaves of breath he's drawing betray that the fight is taking a toll, though.]

Heh heh... Don't flip out on me, now.

Hahaha don't?! [He's back on his feet without much difficulty and chuckling. Although he uses one of the nearby buildings to lean on. One would think the fight was affecting him in a similar fashion, but he's still laughing.]

It's too late for that! [A crack appears in the building, then more.] This is my way of being! [Suddenly parts of the building collapses as Hyde just casually pulls and lifts a chunk of the concrete to toss in Steelbeak's direction. Did he, seem to have gone mad? More so than he already was?]

[... Well. Alright then. F.O.W.L. training didn't exactly cover what to do when a piece of building is chucked your way, but that's hardly a problem. Dodging is dodging, it's just that this thing got a whole lot more intense all of a sudden. Now that the crowd of people has dispersed, Steelbeak has more than enough space to leap into the street, avoiding that chunk of concrete. It cracks the sidewalk and not much else. He laughs in a loud, malicious sort of way.]

Hee ha ha! That's a pretty neat trick! But if you can flip, so can I!

[He brings his foot down on a manhole cover, causing the lid to flip upwards. He catches it and without even wasting a second, flings it Hyde's way like a frisbee.]

[His brows raise as Steelbeak lifts that manhole and just tosses it. He shouldn't be surprise by this point to be honest. This chicken has more than proved he's not just mere poultry. He swats away the manhole like nothing as it hits into another building like a cannonball, going right through it.]

That's what I like to hear!! [The thrill, the rush of adrenaline, this is what he lives for! The same cannot be said of their surroundings though as their battle continues. The entire area was nearly leveled to the ground by the time their energy had been nearly spent.]

Ugh, ya dumb chicken don't know when you're outmatched. [Says the man who is also breathing heavily, hunched over and ready to fall on all fours. What bruises and wounds he procured had mostly healed, but a few still visibly lingered as the healing effects had worn off. At some point his cloak had been torn apart, revealing the scratch marks on his arms and chest.]

[That sure was a time skip that just happened there! Time was skipped and battles were fought and it was swell.

The whole thing's taken its toll on Steelbeak, and unlike Hyde, his wounds don't heal. He's got quite a few bloodied scratches where there was no armor to protect him. He's lucky his beak is made of steel, because it means it won't get damaged too fast, and he's lucky he's wearing a helmet to save the rest of his face. His arms, waist and legs? ...Not so lucky. So yeah, he too is struggling to stay on his feet, drawing in deep, heaving breaths.]

Outmatched? Heh... You wish. [Okay, not his best quip. He's tired. Give him a second.] ... Maybe you're the one who's outmatched...!

[That was even worse.]

Ughh, I'll show you...! [He drags his feet over to where Steelbeak is, goes to grab his helmet and then-

......

Well the plan was to smash his face into the ground several times, but it just ends up, being one sad hit as he kneels down.] Tch...I guess this is as far as I can go, for now. [He sounds disappointed, yet he was laughing between his breaths.]

[Naaaaaa-smack. And that's it. Just one sad little smack against the pavement, his helmet clanging all the way. Steelbeak sits up straight, pulling his head out of Hyde's hold and then straightening his helmet with one hand as his eyes try to find their focus again. Mmm, no, still blurry vision. He's probably taken this way too far, he realizes. But it doesn't matter, because now Hyde is on his knees and clearly exhausted as well!]

Ha ha! I've got you now! Prepare to be- [He tries to stand up straight, only to falter and sink back down into a wobbly crouch.] Ggghhh...

[Pfft] You got nothing. [Have a push as he flops onto his bum.]

Ahh, I haven't fought this hard in a long time. You're one stubborn chicken.

[He will take that push and raise you a- ... Nothing. He's got nothing. And he's gotta ask.]

... Why do you keep pointin' out I'm a chicken? You got some kind of grudge against one?

Ya taste bad, don't have much meat- [He gives Steelbeak a once over.] Though I guess you're the exception.

[One second passes, then three seconds, then finally...]

Whah- Not all chickens are for eating!

No? Cause where I'm from, you're all livestock to us. [He licked his lips, looking like he might actually reconsider Steelbeak's value, but then he shrugs.]

But you get a pass from me, might even tolerate you. Aren't you lucky?

[Steelbeak's met all sorts, but never a barbarian quite like this one. Livestock...! Gosh. He snorts, the sound a little metallic thanks to his beak.]

Lucky... Right. You know what? Give me another fight like this sometime, and I'll pretend I didn't hear that livestock thing.

Hehe, that I can certainly arrange. [He's already smiling at the prospect while sitting there, too worn out to do anything.]

It's Hyde, by the way.

[Alright. Good. At least someone around here isn't a stupid goody-two-shoes.]

Nice to meetcha, Hyde. I'm Steelbeak. [Very original name, yes.]

[Pfft] You come up with that name yourself? [He glances around at the destruction their fighting had cause.]

Better get on out of here, Beaky. Unless you like to do some cleaning service.

Character Introduction Log: May 2020

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