Character Introduction Log: May 2020

[storyevents]

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!

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§ 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:

1. Rooibos. Active, curious dragons who tend to get into trouble. Drinking Rooibos tea will lead one to being unable to sleep or sit still.
   
2. 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.
   
3. 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.
   
4. 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.
   
5. 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.

Comments

[outofyourshadow]

Exactly. Plus, it's a good way to get familiar with the place, right?

[gobetween]

Oh, for sure. You'll never quite get a place properly mapped out 'til you take a chance and get a little lost in it, first.

[outofyourshadow]

[ She snickers. ]

Sounds about right. Nothing wrong with a little adventure along the way.

[gobetween]

Exactly!

[Tilting his head a little, he smiled.]

You wouldn't happen to be from a place called Duckburg, would you?

[outofyourshadow]

[ The question gets an amusedly curious raise of a brow. ]

I would. You've heard of it?

[gobetween]

I have! A few months ago there was another duck like you here, though she's been gone a while.

[His smile seemed to slip just slightly there, but he soldiered on as if it hadn't.]

She was older than you though, I think anyway. [It's hard to tell with Silly Creatures.] And she had one leg that was made of some kinda metal, it was really neat honestly. I've never seen anyone with something like that before.

[outofyourshadow]

[ It's hard not to know who he's talking about with that kind of description. ]

Ooooh, you're talking about the guys' mom. Della, right?

[gobetween]

[He brightened some at that and nodded.]

Yeah! Yeah that's her.

[outofyourshadow]

[ She'd never actually really met Della herself. Most of what she knows about her come from the boys and Webby. But she seemed pretty cool, from what she'd heard about her. ]

That's too bad she left so soon then. I bet the guys would've loved to explore this place with her.

[ Well...Huey and Dewey probably would have, anyway. ]

[gobetween]

I bet they really would've. She definitely loved checking stuff out.

[It was clear from his tone of voice that he missed her greatly. Still, it didn't seem like he wanted to let it get to him, outwardly as bright as he could manage things.]

[outofyourshadow]

[ She can definitely pick up on that, but she's not too good at being comforting yet. Or at least, she didn't think so. ]

Hey, who knows? Maybe she'll come back sometime.

[gobetween]

[He smiled, but it didn't seem to quite meet his eyes. Between that and the other hints, there's definitely something going on here...]

Yeah! Yeah. Here's hoping, eh?

[outofyourshadow]

[ It's getting harder to not say something about...well, that. ]

...you two were pretty close, huh?

[gobetween]

[He glanced up at her, then sighed with a little nod.]

Yeah. We were. She kinda offered to be something like a mother figure for me when she found out I didn't- uh...

[There he trails off a bit, realizing that he'd said too much for someone he's known for five minutes, even accounting for the gregariousness of Fraggles as a whole.]

[outofyourshadow]

[ She frowns, because she picks up what he doesn't say. ]

'cuz you didn't have a mom?

[gobetween]

[He hesitated a moment or two, then nodded.]

Yeah. I was raised by my uncle and.. for the longest time, he was all I had. At least when it wasn't just me, because he was always off exploring and mapping new places. That's what he does, it's his job, and he's the best explorer around.

[A resigned half-chuckle that had no humor to it.]

I met all my closest friends when I was still a kid but... it'd be nice to've had more family, too.

[outofyourshadow]

[ She's silent for a moment, considering how much she was willing to share. ]

...y-yeah. I know what that's like.

[gobetween]

[He blinked, lifting his head some.]

You do...?

[Honestly he's not sure what to feel. Happy at finding a kindred spirit... Or sad at finding a kindred spirit, that more people know what that's like.]

[outofyourshadow]

[ She nods, glancing off to the side. ]

Yeah. Didn't have much of a family until recently. Before that, it was just me and...I called her my aunt, but to be honest, she didn't really care about me at all.

[gobetween]

[If this were Wembley, he'd be over there and hugging her as soon as he could get to her. As this was Gobo, less forward with that sort of thing (at least barring certain circumstances with existing friends), he stayed where he was, but his sympathy- no, empathy -was clear on his face.]

Oh, I'm... really sorry about that... That must've been rough.

[Said in "Do you want to talk about it?" tones, even if he didn't use those words. And if she didn't, well-]

I'm glad you have family now, though.

[-Well, there was the Out.]

[outofyourshadow]

Yeah it...wasn't great.

[ Honestly, she isn't sure how much she wanted to talk about it. Things are different now...did she really need to rehash the past? ]

Thanks. It's been nice, having people who actually care.

...still don't have a mom, though.

[gobetween]

[There are a couple things he almost says. He didn't have a mom (here) either, so they were alike in that? Or maybe some remark on how having people who care makes a difference anyway.

In the end he says only one thing, none of it any of the above.]

You've got a friend, though. I can't be a mom- [That small chuckle was genuine this time] -but I can be that, at least.

[outofyourshadow]

[ Glancing at him, she gives him a smile as well. ]

Thanks...friends work.

[ She's been liking having friends too. ]

[gobetween]

[He smiled, pleased by that, his tail even waving a little behind him. Always nice to make a friend and, if he might say so himself, Fraggles know how to pick 'em.]

Yeah, they sure do.

[But, onto better subjects, right? Can't stay too serious for too long.]

So, I know you probably haven't been here long but, what do you think of it so far?

[outofyourshadow]

[ She shrugs, glad for the change of topic. ]

It's all right. Kinda quiet compared with back home, but that's not really a bad thing. People here seem pretty nice. Humans are weird, though. We don't have any of them where I'm from, so it's taken some getting used to.