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

I mean, I eat meat, but I don't always have to.

Right now, I think I'd rather have something sweet, anyway.

[He's been here for a half a day and boy oh boy does he ever miss Pep.]

Something sweet, huh?

[He rubbed his snout in thought, then smiled and started leading Louie off, waving his hand.]

Follow me, then.

[Humming softly to himself, he led Louie out of the dragon area and off to a small copse of trees outside of the paddock part. It seemed to be an aimless direction, until as they got closer, there was a tunnel entrance concealed in the roots of one particularly large tree. Huh. Was that there a minute ago?]

[Louie's quite sure it was not, and he blinked a few times in confusion.]

Did you do that? Is that an Essence thing?

Kinda yeah, kinda no.

[He grinned a little, waiting for Louie to step in ahead of him, while he fiddled in the pockets of his vest for a minute. Taking out a small candle with a metal disc behind it, he lit it and held it up for light.]

Fraggles can kinda do that on our own, though we didn't know about it until recently. [He paused, then waved a hand.] Long story. Anyway, tunnels tend to appear where we need them, when we need them, and happily that carried through with my Essence too.

Cool.

[Louie ducked - just a little - to get into the tunnel comfortably. A little unsettling, but underground dark spaces tend to be, for him.]

I bet that comes in handy. Great way to make escapes, too.

[His tail flicked a little at that, but ultimately he nodded and smiled.]

Yeah, you got it. And definitely the easiest part of my new abilities to get under control.

Makes sense. So, what is your Essence, anyway? Hopefully less dumb than mine...

I didn't know who mine was since Fraggles have different legends than you Silly Creatures do, so I had to read up on mine when I got here. But my Essence is someone named Hermes, from some kinda old mythology?

I'unno, a lot of it kinda flew over my head.

[Pun not intended.]

Oh, yeah, my mom told me about him. Greek mythology.

[A pause as Louie debates whether further explanation will just be confusing, but he thinks he can keep it simple enough.]

Not actually myths, though. At least, not where I'm from. Like, I've actually met Zeus, who I'm pretty sure is Hermes' dad. Real blowhard, too.

Zeus, not Hermes.

[He eyed Louie somewhat strangely, as if considering- or realizing -something.]

You know, there was another duck here a few months ago who mentioned she'd known Zeus too. And a couple others, like one she was pretty tight with. [He paused, then scrubbed his snout with his other hand.] Shoot, I only heard the name once, but they had to do with the moon...?

[Louie goes to stand up so quickly that he bumps his head on the tunnel ceiling.]

Selene?

[It has to be, right. That means his mom was here, and he's... Not sure how to feel about that. He missed her, and on the one hand, he's used to not having a mom. On the other hand, he was also finally getting used to having a mom... And he misses her.

He turns around, moving more carefully now, to look at Gobo.]

Was her name Della? The duck you knew? Did she have an artificial leg?

[He does remember her mentioning, a few weeks ago, that she'd had some very vivid dreams. Pleasant ones... He can't help wondering.]

[He looked at Louie's face, his own expression a rather quiet one. Then he nodded, smiling; it must've been the dimness of the candle, but it looked a little more distant than any of the smiles before.]

Yeah, that was her. She told me lots of stories, especially about "her boys."

I guess one of those must be you then, huh?...

[He's not surprised to hear that Della talked about them, but it's still nice to know...]

Yeah. I am. You guys were friends, then...?

[He was quiet some, and not even the lighting could mistake the look in his face. Distant still, with a bit of- sadness? wistfulness? -taking the edges off that smile, and he glanced off some.]

A bit more than that. We were hanging out one day, and she was helping me with something, and she got to talking about her family. You, and her other kids, and her brother... And she asked me about mine.

[Any pretenses fully gone now, he sighed a bit.]

When she found out I only had my uncle, who'd also raised me since I was little... Well, she- [He paused, wondering if this would be awkward to one of her actual children, but when he couldn't find a decent way out of it he continued anyway.] She offered to be something of a mom figure to me, should I ever come up needing one.

[Oh. No wonder Della had made that offer. Well, she probably would've no matter what, Louie knew well his mom had a good heart. But... Gobo had been raised by his uncle. Just like Louie and his brothers.]

Look, Gobo, I...

[Man, what did he say? He didn't quite feel ready to explain how similar their situations were, but... Jeez. This was hard, but if Della had trusted Gobo that much, maybe he should, too.]

I'm glad my mom was there for you.

Um... You know, I was raised by my uncle, too. Mom was away until about a year ago, and Uncle Donald - her brother - he was there for me and my brothers.

[He smiled a bit at the idea of Della being able to be there for him, though Louie's next words caught him a bit by surprise.]

You were?...

[Though by a shift in the tunnel's curve they'd arrived at their destination Gobo didn't go up quite yet, instead staring at him. Then he glanced off a bit, still mystified, if in a quiet, sad sorta way.]

Then.. [He shook his head faintly and glanced back.] Then you know how it feels. Only...

['Only you got your mom back' is what he ALMOST said, but he thought better of it. Fraggles never got too serious, right? Right...]

...having him there, I mean. And well- your brothers too. I bet that was nice, with them there too.

[...Nailed it.]

[Don't make him feel like an ungrateful jerk, Gobo. Louie knows that's not the intent, of course, but... Nngh.]

Yeah. I was pretty lucky... All things considered.

[He glances away awkwardly.]

It was actually harder when Mom got back to us, for me.

[He was quiet a moment, considering.]

You know, I kinda get that? My uncle, he's- an explorer. Best one around. And when I was still young he headed out to explore the world above Fraggle Rock. When he came back, I'd become an adult in the time he was gone. And we didn't really know how to get along anymore. Ultimately he decided his place was outside and mine was in the Rock, but...

I dunno. It's complicated, I guess.

[Louie's eyes darted right back to Gobo at that.]

Yeah. It is like that. Sorta! Don't get me wrong, Mom and I get along, but we're both still figuring all of this out. The parent-child thing.

Sucks that your uncle missed you growing up. I...

[After trailing off, he stuck out the very tip of his tongue and blew a mini-raspberry. Man, he wishes Gobo could've had this conversation with Huey.

Actually, no. He wishes Gobo could've had this conversation with Della.]

Sorry. I don't know what to say.

[He shook his head and managed a smile, if only half a one.]

Hey, it's alright. This kinda stuff is tough to talk about in the first place, especially with someone you just met.

[He turned his candle to illuminate a small incline of steps cut out in the ground leading up to a hatch above them; had the steps been there the whole time?]

Either way, I'm glad you and Della are figuring it out.

[Stepping ahead of Louie, he climbed up the incline and pushed open the hatch, walking freely into whatever room was above it. Pausing at the top, he held the candle so the light lit Louie's way after him.]

Thanks.

[He still feels useless, but he'll take it. Once he climbs up, with Gobo lighting the way, he stops with only his head and arms above ground.]

You know. My mom makes a lot of bad decisions, but... Not in who she likes. [Lunaris is the exception, not the rule. Anyway, Louie shrugs.] So, uh... Yeah.

[That's too-cool preteen speak for "I think you're nice and maybe want to be friends". But even saying that in his Louie way is- A lot for him. So, as he climbs up the rest of the way, he does change the subject.]

Where are we, Gobo?

[Once they were both in the cellar, Louie got a smile for that somewhat jumbled sentence, and a brief pat-and-gentle-shake to his shoulder (so, "Yes let's be friends"). Still he was glad for the subject change and he walked further into the room, holding the candle up high and shifting it around.]

This is the kitchen cellar of a good friend of ours. Her name is Kotori, and she lets us take whatever we want.

[Noting that should ideally be "when she's around for it" but that conveniently doesn't get mentioned. Fraggles.

Realizing the "us" might need explanation though, he laughed a little and looked around.]

Oh, there's another Fraggle here. My best friend... [He seemed to flush a little even in the candlelight (and his fur)] -Boyfriend- Wembley. We've known each other forever, though it's only recently that...

[Another pause and he cleared his throat- why was talking about his family easier than this?? -and instead roved the lower shelves.]

Anyway, you might get the chance to meet him later, he's usually poking around the Index like I am.

[Finding a stock of in season fruits, he started sifting through them. Hmm, strawberries, oranges, kumquats, avocados... Grabbing an orange and a few strawberries for himself, he stepped back so Louie could take what he wanted.]

Oh man, nice. Wonder if that offer's only good for Fraggles.

[And he could make a disgusted face at the mention of dating - the temptation is there - but Gobo's been really nice and after failing to help with the family talk, Louie figures he can at least show Gobo that he doesn't need to be embarrassed about this.]

Your boyfriend, huh? That's cool.

[He does hope he can meet Wembley, honestly. ~~...Oh well.~~ For now, though, he's happy to grab a handful of strawberries, along with a couple of cherries. He was hoping for something more sugary-sweet, but this works.]

Is Kotori some kind of chef? There's all kinds of stuff in here.

[Gobo seems a little on the sugar wavelength himself when, after a minute or two of thought, he also pulls down a jar of honey from another shelf.]

Kinda, yeah! She's got this cooking type Essence, and she knows all the best recipes.

[Hmm. How to put the honey and the fruit together? Don't seem to have any bowls down here...

Eh. Dipping the fruit in works.]

[That's going to become a sticky mess real fast. Also, Gobo's nice and all, but Louie will always err on the side of avoiding double-dipping disasters. Because ew.]

Here, Gobo, hold on a second... Let me see that jar, I have a less sloppy idea.

Character Introduction Log: May 2020

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