Chapter 06: Act I

[storyevents]

FRANKENHYDE: ACT I—

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§ instructions.

Frankenhyde Act I is underway! This is the designated log for all Main Scenes. Others are free to create their own toplevels for the Sub Quests, which are detailed below. Each Main Scene has their own unique toplevel and those cast into the roles are to thread their scene under each. All scene instructions are provided in the toplevels.

A few reminders. The city's setting is steampunk themed, so while for the most part it follows ye old Victorian England style, you have a lot of Industrial accents and odd machines about, including small airships. There is a river, so ports and docks are available but although this place may seem large, it's actually a finite space. Sailing down the river will be an endless loop back to the start with fog being the only visible "boundary." Passing through this fog will them back to where they were. There are also numerous research labs and other buildings, but many of them are locked or sealed behind an invisible barrier so no one can enter. The "locals" are all blots, so they are more like living puppets that will have minimum response to anyone who tries to interact with them. Most are neutral, but will attack if provoked. There are also some that are immediately hostile, and are differentiated by the sparks of electricity they generate around their bodies. The "safe zone" for this campaign will be a designated apartment building. Everyone can either bunk together or choose their own room.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are assigned roles will know beforehand and can either communicate with their partner beforehand or just wait until they're in the scene. To get to their scene, characters must enter a specially marked door in the apartment building to be transported into their scene. They will automatically return upon completion (or if something goes horribly horribly wrong). Threading all of that isn't necessary, but it's to help give a better idea that characters can take a break between scenes or wait a bit to help with other things like the Sub Quests.

Feel free to refer to the Game Notes for more detailed info as well as ask questions or clarifications.

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§ sub quests.

Everyone is free to participate in the Sub Quests. There are no specific top levels, so you're free to incorporate them however you wish in your own top level.

¶ I. Help the Scientists. A lot of work needs to be done to help the research experiments be a success, some of it a bit more unsavory than the rest.

1. Gather Ingredients.There are a lot of things that go into creating life, so cue the fetch quest. Items range from organs from wildlife to various plants and herbs to tools such as thread, needles, and large bolts. These items can be found throughout the town and outside of the forest and can be left at either of the buildings that is set for Frankenstein's and Jekyll's laboratories. Do note that no one except those who are cast for the scenes can go inside (there is an impenetrable barrier that will shock anyone who tries to enter).
   
   
2. Bzzzzt. The scientists also need to generate a lot of electricity. Outside each laboratory are various generators used to harness and conduct electricity: lightning rods that can be attached anywhere, strange boxes that need to be powered, and even an odd looking metal ball that can be opened to physically capture lightning. Just be careful to not get shocked!

¶ II. Help the Locals. Like most damaged stories, the local townspeople are not real but Blots taking the form of the original residents. Most are friendly and continue about their lives without paying much attention to the Aspect and providing basic assistance or keeping out of their way. They do not speak but seem to understand if communicated to.

1. Science Fair. There is a local science fair being held that anyone can participate in! Rewards...aren't that great, but it's the experience that matters. But as expected, things don't go smoothly as various experiments and projects go awry. With the technology as it is, this can be even more dangerous as more than one is dealing with explosive fuel or have way out-of-the-box inventions such as flying motorized bikes or small automaton of some kind.
   
   
2. Dangerous Blots. There are some blots who are badly damaged by Erasers and are more prone to attack. Those that have small electric sparks around them will have jerky movements and must be subdued or destroyed. There are also real Erasers lurking about, taking the form of unidentifiable homunculus and small chimera.

¶ III. Trick-or-Treat! It seems everyone came in time for Halloween. Although not quite as festive as current day, the children still participate in some lighthearted trick-or-treating. The Aspects are free to participate either in wearing costumes, doling out candy, or playing tricks, but they will want to keep an eye out. Some of these costumes appear too good, and some unfortunate accidents and incidents will reveal odd mutant experiments have escaped and mingled with the crowds. Most are not hostile and just cause accidents and disturbances, so they can be gathered and returned to the various research labs. Others may prove a bit more "bite-y" so more force may be necessary to subdue them.

¶ IV. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt!

Comments

Soldier: 76 | Overwatch | Raw Head (Raw Head and Bloody Bones)

[steadypulse]

Wildcard. 3am Communal Kitchen
[He kept himself scarce whenever around the apartment building that was their designated base. Hell, he even scaled up the side of the building to get to the apartment he'd claimed far away from the other Aspects.

Likely why once things were quiet he'd come out, a pack over his shoulder, and ducked in to the kitchen area. Mask still obscuring his face, and bag near him as he claimed it.

Didn't take him long to find what he wanted, the smells in the air filled with a sweetness of fresh cut fruits and something cooking on the stove. A bit of citrus in the air. Made a little habit out of this. A quart jar of some clear liquid within reach, flipping a flapjack in the air and catching it, creating a nice stack of the fluffy looking things already.

Was humming something as he worked, peeling and cutting fruit when there was no pan to watch.]

[cancercarcino]

[Most people weren't up at 3am, usually busy with activities such as sleeping and dreaming. But despite slowly adapting to the weird diurnal schedule of the Index, trolls were still fairly nocturnal by nature. So Karkat being up at 3am is no odd occurrence.]

[But Karkat expects most humans to be asleep at this time, so the scent of fresh fruit and some sort of cooking definitely catches his attention. So he makes his way down from the apartments to the kitchen, perking up when he sees not only a familiar feral man, but also a stack of strange food and fresh fruit.]

[And... were those peaches?]

[steadypulse]

[Some of them were peaches, sliced up neatly and in a bowl with a bit of sugar to turn their own juices in to something of a syrup. Just enough added to do it to not make their natural sweetness too much; more to compliment.

76 picked up a mug, the lower part of his mask unhooked and the lower bone 'jaw' of it set on the counter within reach. All s he could take a drink of black coffee while he worked. Some bit of a meal for himself, and a little prep to what h was going to take back up to the apartment he'd holed himself up in as well.]

[cancercarcino]

[Ever since coming to this weird world, Karkat's grown fond of peaches. Even though his love for them's gotten him in some serious trouble with the rotten fruit fiasco, he still loves the fuzzy little fruits. So seeing the little bowl of them definitely caught the troll's attention.]

[He walks into the kitchen, glancing at the fruit and the simmering, flat.... somethings in the pan.]

What are you doing? [He might be slowly reaching for a peach slice.]

[steadypulse]

Unless you want literally sticky fingers, get a fork. [76 hadn't even turned his head to look, mostly because he could see from the corner of an eye.

Took the pan and flipped the lot with a flick of his wrist, setting the pan itself back on to the stove. Took another drink of coffee.]

Cooking.

[cancercarcino]

[Karkat's hand froze mid-reach for the fruit, and he shoots a frown at 76. He flexes his claws for a moment, debating on ignoring the older human out of sheer stubbornness, but he pulls his hand back, instead rummaging through the nearby drawers.]

I can see you're cooking, obviously. But what the hell is an old human doing up this late? Don't humans sleep during the night?

[chippedsoul]

[Be it his connection to the story or his own essence, Kazuma has been unable to get much sleep at night. He's been spending his nights beating up ink monsters and occasionally poking into the kitchen for something to eat afterwards. It's another one of those nights, though while he's washing off as much ink off him as he could, the smell of something delicious reaches his nose.

Someone is using the kitchen this late at night? He'd wait for them to finish, but he's hungry, and whatever is being made smell too good to resist. His stomach will declare his entrance into the kitchen as he wanders in. There's still some ink stains on his clothes, but he's got most of it off.

So it was 76 in the kitchen...making pancakes? Rather than say something, or just go get what he needs, he's staring at 76 and the food as he cooks.]

[steadypulse]

[Was making them large enough he only had one in a pan, picking it up to flip the either thing with a flick of his wrist. Left him some time in between to drink his coffee, hip rested against the counter-]

Need something?

[-was hard to see where he was looking. The visor was still activated, that black 'band' of magic hiding his eyes. Only thing that could be seen -with the lower 'jaw' of the mask removed- was the thick beard he apparently was sporting under it all. Tone gruff as usual, so likely wasn't bothered by being watched.

Just asking what the hold up to keeping him standing there was, more or less.]

[chippedsoul]

[As if on cue, this stomach growls after his question.]

Pancakes at this hour? [There's nothing really weird about it, he just doesn't want to ask about having some.]

[steadypulse]

Yep.

[His head tilted towards a bowl of sliced apples resting in a light mix of cinnamon and sugar he'd scrounged up.] Interested?

[Vague, but it was still enough to be a clear enough offering of what was being made. He'd heard the stomach growling after all. Already up.]

[chippedsoul]

[Don't drool, don't drool, don't drool, don't drool-]

Yes. [He might have said that too quickly.] Do you need any assistance? [Smooth recovery]

[rokubro]

[Rokurou isn't normally awake this late, but it's not so unusual that it's weird for him, either, especially when he decided to do a little bit of "late night hunting." But as he's heading out, he smells something from the kitchens and curious, he pokes his head in.]

Oh man, are you making pancakes?

[steadypulse]

[His head tipped back when being spoken to, just to better glance over his shoulder. There was a huff, half amused and half letting out air.]

Yeah. You going to be wanting any now that you caught a scent? [Pancakes, flapjacks. Either way they tasted good.]

[rokubro]

If you don't mind sharing. [A careless grin as he walks in to get a better look.] Bit surprised to see anyone up making these, though. Night owl?

[steadypulse]

I don't.

[He gestured a little towards a bowl-] You like blackberries, or you more of a meat with your flapjacks sort?

[He tended to go both himself, having bacon or sausage on the side, but there was just something even he couldn't let go of with a bit of fruit.]

Night owl.

[gobetween]

[It had been a hard day out and Gobo hadn't even made it back to his apartment before conking out. As small as he was, it was easy to curl up in one of the dining room chairs, looking almost like a sleeping cat, albeit with a leg dangling off one side of the seat. He seemed set to remain there all night, at least until the scent of something reached his nostrils. His nose twitched, then sniffed the air, and the smell of FOOD finally filtered in to his brain and pulled him awake.

Sitting up with a wide yawn, Gobo looked around curiously, then slipped down from the chair and headed into the kitchen. Finding who it was was easy enough, and of course the innate Fraggle curiosity kicked in.]

What're you making? It smells really good.

I NEVER GOT THE NOTIF FOR THIS holy shit

[steadypulse]

Flapjacks.

[An immediate answer, head tilted back when a glance over his shoulder didn't show him anyone, so following where he thought he heard the voice from- huh.

His head tipped to the side towards the counter beside him.]

Plan on using some honey and oranges I found.

[no_reload]

[Reaper roosted, but he didn't sleep much. He hadn't in a very long time, and this was no exception. Much like 76, he generally kept to himself and hidden away. He wasn't much for conversation at this point in time, unless one counted shouting at a run away house on occasion.

Once most people were asleep, he tended to lurk the hallways to burn off energy, gliding silently along the floors. He disliked communal kitchens as much as he had learned to dislike communal bathrooms.

Normally, he would avoid them until he was completely desperate. This time there was a familiar set of smells that alerted him that 76 was likely around and making some of those old famous flapjacks. It wasn't a terrible memory, he supposed, but he also hated nostalgia like everything else too.

He eased into the kitchen doorway and watched 76 work, arms crossed over his chest.]

Still making those until the day you die.

[steadypulse]

Been there, done that.

[Didn't stop him from continuing to go through the motions, even as his head had tilted the moment he'd become aware of Reaper's presence. Aware of where everything within grabbing distance was, shifting the pan on the stove's eye.

Be a shame to waste the mixed berries that had soaked in a bit of sugar and their own juices in a bowl, but he was willing to.]

[no_reload]

Hardly. Your heart never stopped beating officially. It's simply that the world believes that grave at Arlington actually contains your remains.

[For now, he made no motion to go any further into the kitchen. This whole eating thing was something he didn't enjoy as much as he used to, though as an owl it wasn't the worst.

He figured keeping at a distance would limit 76's need to throw a punch at him at least. For about five minutes or so.]

[steadypulse]

"Officially" it did, or there wouldn't be an empty grave.

[Drawled, lifting the pan from the eye, flipping the flapjack within it over in that movement before setting it back down to finish cooking on the other side.

Some technicality that was.]

Bored of haunting the alleyways and hallways?

[blazeoflife]

[ Something...

Something smelled delicious. ]

[ That's what woke Junpei up out of his fitful sleep. A vague memory of a time at the dorms, at the table, with Shinjiro-senpai rolling his eyes in embarrassed annoyance as everyone complimented him on his cooking-- ]

[ After laying in bed for a moment, blinking-- he realised he hadn't just dreamed that smell. It was still dark outside, and the lack of a proper digital watch made checking the time in the dark difficult--

But, well... his stomach was growling now, and he was curious as to what was the cause of that delicious smell.

So, careful quiet step after quiet step, Junpei made his way to the communal kitchen, and peaked around the corner... ]

...!

[ Oh hey, it was that old dude from the market... the one who could tell what fruit was poisonous. ]

[ ...Were those pancakes...? Wow, he was seriously cooking up a storm... ]

[steadypulse]

[Was easy enough to get a real good stack going, a bit of butter going between each flapjack layer with a little whipped cream. Hell, he'd even whipped up the butter a bit just to spread it easier as he went.

His head tilted slightly, rather aware of another presence near the communal kitchen. He chose this time just for it to be less likely for someone to come across him but-]

Need something?

[Usual gruff tone, but that was simply how he sounded these days.]

[blazeoflife]

Ah-!

[ Shit, the guy noticed! Junpei let out a sheepish little laugh, pulling his had back a bit to hide behind the door frame. ]

S-sorry, didn't mean to bug you, sir. I just, smelled something cookin--

[ It was at that moment that Junpei's stomach decided to make itself known, a LOUD grumbling that nearly echoed on the rooms walls. ]

...ing...

[ Aw geez, he looked so lame... ]

[steadypulse]

Might as well come on in.

[Just as gruff, but it didn't sound like anything more than part order and part open invitation, because there was no ignoring that sound.

Sounded and acted like a kid, even if older.]