realmofstories | Chapter 06: Act III

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Chapter 06: Act III

Frankenhyde: ACT III—

With such an unpleasant ending to the last act, the mood in Londeva has changed further. The weariness and silence felt in the evenings continues and the bright splashes of color from before have taken on a more garish contrast, no longer seeming quite as cheery as they had before. Still, life and the story must go on, so the quill is once again put to paper in order to deliver the events of the scenes to the Aspects once more.

Some time after we last saw Hyde and the illustrious Dr. Jekyll, Hyde approaches the doctor to demand some sort of recompense for being the doctor's experiment; after all, Hyde pointed out, they can't get good data on an "unhinged man" if Hyde's limited in what he can actually do. Though Hyde threatens him, Jekyll is able to keep calm and compromise with his test subject on the matter of pay. He once again warns Hyde to avoid drawing too much attention to himself. Hyde assures him that he knows what he's doing.

A few days later, Mister Utterson is called to Jekyll's house to discuss some personal matters. The old friends take a few moments to clear the air between them, to allow Utterson a moment to vent to his old friend, before the settle down to the business Jekyll called his solicitor for in the first place: adjusting his will to leave everything to one Mister Hyde. Utterson is appalled at the very idea, but Jekyll eventually confesses that he and Victor Frankenstein were working on creating life and that Hyde is a vital part of these experiments. It only makes sense to leave all of his money and property to a known criminal who would probably kill you as soon as look at you.

Perfect sense.

That night, as the young Danvers is out walking, Hyde decides it would be a wonderful idea to kill an innocent man in cold blood. A few hours later, Stixen finds Hyde in an alleyway covered in Danvers's blood. Tired of trying to play nice with the "normal" humans, Hyde points out that the two of them will never be accepted for what they are, so he and Stixen should just kill them all. Stixen admits it's a solution, but is not entirely convinced. The two part ways.

As Hyde returns home to Jekyll, Jekyll has had enough. He realizes what happened last night when he sees Hyde covered in blood, and that is a line too far. Jekyll demands Hyde stop. Hyde decides that he doesn't want to stop, but instead take over Jekyll's life. The two fight, and Jekyll is locked in his cellar, leaving Hyde free to do whatever it is he wants.

The next day, Stixen is wandering around and thinking about what Hyde suggested. He runs into the young Agatha de Lacy, who is trying to get her cat down from a tree and is very clearly annoyed. Stixen, still wanting to help people, climbs up the tree in an impressive display of acrobatics and rescues the girl's cat. Agatha is impressed and the two start to form a very tentative friendship before parting ways. Unfortunately for them both, Hyde was watching.

As Stixen was saving kittens from trees, Utterson rushes to Jekyll's house to report Danvers's murder and ask him to come look over the body. He's distraught to find the poor man having a panic attack in his cellar and hurriedly gets him out of there. Jekyll hates what science has become since his younger days, though Utterson does point out that it was always a little unsettling, and things are about to get a lot worse. Upon inspecting the body, Jekyll realizes that this was the man Hyde had killed.

That night, disgusted at what he had seen earlier that day, Hyde tracks down the de Lacy house and sets it on fire. Agatha flees the scene; Hyde gives chase. Eventually, the poor girl is torn limb from limb by the now monstrous Edward Hyde. When the girl's body is discovered, a mob forms outside of Victor's lab, demanding that Stixen face justice. Victor knows that the girl's death was not Stixen's fault, and so the two try to calm the people down to no avail. Eventually, they resort to looking around the lab for something to use to force them to calm down, allowing Victor to escape and get help.

Victor eventually finds Jekyll and begs him for help. Jekyll, of course, agrees, but he first insists that Victor join him at his home and all but forces Victor to follow. As they get closer to Jekyll's home, Victor realizes that it is not Jekyll at all but Hyde and tries to get away. He fails and, realizing that there is no hope for him, is gentle and almost calm about it all. Hyde, in one more act of brutal violence, stabs Victor through the heart.

Unlike before, when everyone awakens they will not feel refreshed and ready to tackle the day. Instead, there's a feeling of lethargy and unpleasantness, as if they experienced a restless night with unpleasant dreams. That feeling of past and possible potential dread will be hard to shake given that the city still seems as dreary as before. Still, life goes on as the citizens of Londeva continue to go about their daily routines. If anything, the city seems livelier than it was before, almost as if people are trying their best to make it a better brighter place in defiance of recent events.

But all is definitely not well in Londeva. With all the residents being busier and livelier, that means the blots and Erasers are more active as well. And as the Act goes on, the city itself seems to become more active with entire blocks disappearing and transforming seemingly at random. Additionally, cracks begin to appear in the city, ground, and sky as well as if the story itself is having trouble holding itself together. Hopefully everything will work out in the end, but it looks like getting there may be a bit of a challenge.

Still, the Storyteller has faith that the Aspects will be able to see things through, even if some of their behavior during this story gives room for pause.

§ instructions.

The third Act 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.

As stated in the flavor text above, all sorts of craziness is happening this act. There’s some additional information in the game notes, but things to keep in mind and possibly play with are as follows:

there’s a pervasive feeling that something bad is going to happen
cracks will begin to appear in the city and sky as the act progresses
the amount of Erasers and rogue blots in the city will increase as the act progresses
the city’s layout will appear and disappear, and change throughout the act (see the book repair subquest for more information)
Aspects could be susceptible to behavioral changes (see the pick a side subquest for more information)
During scenes where Victor's body is involved, the body will appear as his plant creation from before. Will it be dead, alive, friendly or hostile is up the players.

Costumes are also provided for this Act, although there's something...odd about the choices this time around:

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped into their location and will have to go through specially marked doors and then return. Characters will also be aware of their roles and partner prior to entering the scene, so it's possible for them to meet and coordinate beforehand or meet within the scene for the first time. 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.

§ 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. Pick a side, any side. Early on, everyone will start feeling not quite themselves throughout most of the act. It can range from mild to severe and last for varying lengths of time, but the effects will always be temporary. Characters will either take on a "Hyde" personality or a "Stixen" (Frankenstein's Monster) personality.

"Hyde" side. Will have erratic, immoral, and violent tendencies. Those who have non-human Essences can become more monstrous and transform at will, even capable of hiding their transformed self while still able to use some of those powers.
"Stixen" side. Will be the opposite with a more curious, polite, and generous disposition. Those who have non-human Essences will more often be stuck in their transformation; alternatively they will only transform when enraged and become more violent in this time.

Should any of the two meet each other, they will be immediately hostile with "Hyde" personalities taunting and trying to coax the "Stixens" to be more like them. It is possible for a "Stixen" to switch to a "Hyde." It is also possible for anyone not affected to try and snap the other out of it, or at least convince those who are under "Hyde" influence to focus their violence on other problems instead of each other. A solid hit to the head will work wonders.

¶ II. Creepy Crawlers. There is an abundance of abominations roaming through the city—failed creations that will attack anyone on sight. The robotic reindeer are still around and will try to aid in clearing them out, but some will actually be consumed and mutate instead.

There's another reason to destroy the abominations: any not killed will be captured by an Eraser and loaded into one of the many airships to fly towards a darkened space in the sky. For what reason is unclear, but it's best not to wait and find out. Stopping the Erasers and destroying the airships will be paramount.

¶ III. Emergency Book Repair. The very book itself is starting to tear apart and it worsens after the final battle scene. Buildings starting to crumble, Blots disintegrating, even the very ground ripping open. If this keeps up the story will be destroyed. Fortunately, the Aspects aren't left helpless. Ribbons made of white light and runic symbols appear here and there as if trying to help "stitch" things together. Using their Essences, Aspects can find these "ribbons" and gather them to spread over other places. Use of Essence abilities will also help with patching things up, as if the use of them is reaffirming the story’s existence itself. Buildings will start to be repaired, cracks in the earth sealed over, and possibly blots restored, though some of the construction work may be a little patchy. That building wasn’t always partially made of straw or gingerbread, but it might be now!

¶ IV. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Unfortunately, it's the yellow eyes. He doesn't think they're good until those are gone.]

So you know they were thinking that, or you think they were thinking that?

[Because if that's a thought he think they thought... hooow does he know?]

[Ken didn't say anything at first before giving a scowl. This was going to take a lot longer than he thought.]

You can say it's a little bit of both. Woe is me that I am forever faced with the tragedy of being a child trapped in adult life and not knowing how to handle it.

[Although, his patience was starting to wear a little thin as he was starting to feel the urge to get up and moving.]

Woe is being a child going through an adult problem, but not having any adults listen apparently. You know I remember stuff I'm told sometimes. So, not even any friends to try hearing you out back home?

[And then, he fakes a wounded gasp.]

Are we not friends here either?! Ouch, my pride!

[Then an idea came on his mind. If it would get a reaction out of him, then maybe...just maybe?]

Who said that we were? How terrible of you think we ever were friends to begin with!

[Although, if Zidane heard carefully enough? His words appeared to have no real malice behind them. If anything, it sounded as if he was struggling to get the words out]

[That sounds like someone else he knows... and there's something weird about it, but there's been something weird about this the whole time. Maybe he can push it.]

You're right, I thought. Do you really not want to be friends? Like, you can look me in the eye and say that. I think I might believe you then.

[That was the problem, his shadow version couldn’t. As he tried to look at him, he could his other self struggling to say something. Suddenly placing a hand on his head, he turned around and mumbled to himself]

We’re...not.

[But as he said those sounds, it sounded like he was struggling to say it]

[Tilting his head the other way, Zidane hummed.]

I don't think I heard that...

[But he did and maybe this was a breakthrough?]

I said we're not!

[He shouted but as soon as she said that, the shadow had to hold onto his head. There was a scream at how much pain he was in before the yellow his eyes started to flicker.]

We're just not...!

[It sucks to see Ken struggling and really in pain, but he was close.]

That's it! Say it again! You think I don't wanna be here for you? Where am I right now, Ken?

[As he kept on screaming from the pain, his grip on his head tighten.]

H-How should I know...? Why don't you just shut up?! [He mumbled before attempting to get Zidane off of him. In a last ditch effort, he started to kick and flail as much as he could!] I had enough of you screaming about friendship!

If you're sick of it, prove it! If everyone's supposed to hate you, then why am I fighting for you?

[Zidane's not going to shut up. There's no getting rid of him that easily.]

[Ken didn't say anything but he kept shaking his head. He would feel his other self starting to win as he knew he couldn't last much longer. He wanted to say something but he couldn't.

He just couldn't.

The fact that there was at least one person who cared about him was enough to make the boy finally stop flailing around. For a moment, he paused at what he was doing. He eventually turned around and blinked at what he saw.]

Zidane-san? [It seemed the yellow tint in his eyes was gone as he wondered what just happened.]

[When the flailing stops, Zidane wonders if that was it... or maybe it became too much. Oh... shit, he probably should've thought about that. He might need to find a doctor, or did they have a white mage somewhere? Healer? Could anyone heal?]

[But then, he blinks at the sound of his name and tuns his head back. He grins at the sight of yellow being gone.]

Hey, Ken. How're you feeling?

In pain but only because of a certain somebody.

[He said before giving Zidane a deadpan look. He wasn't being serious but he was a little embarrassed. To think his shadow managed to get to him and now one of his friends had to take care of it?

It wasn't a good look for someone who wanted be take care of himself. As he placed his hand on his face, he just mumbled.]

Sorry...

Haha, okay... I'll admit this maybe wasn't the usual tactic I would've gone with, but it worked out.

[Anyway, he'll stop keeping Ken down and crouch next to him, tail curling behind his back.]

Hey, don't apologize. You weren't all yourself there... something weird's going on with the story.

I know but I figured I should say it anyway.

[He said before attempting to get up. Granted, he was still holding his head from the pain. Mumbling to himself, he looked back at the elder with a small frown.]

You're telling me, I never thought I would actually become my shadow! How embarrassing, I hope he didn't create too much trouble.

Fair enough.

[He'd apologize too haha. Getting up, he holds out a hand to help Ken stand... well, whenever he's ready.]

Dunno. It was looking for a fight so you could've fought someone before me... and the post. Also, what do you mean your shadow?

[Ken didn't hesitate to his hand. However, he dared not to look Zidane in the eyes before scratching the back of his head. He really had to explain this to him, didn't he?]

Let's just say a shadow is the repressed feelings you have deep down and it can take form whenever you're not ready.

[And not to mention there was the whole issue of getting a Persona but that's for another day.] It's not something you want to mess with.

[Back up to his feet he goes, Zidane listening to this whole shadow talk.]

Repressed feelings, huh? I think I dealt with most of those already, but something about being in this story right now? That might not mean much.

[And he doesn't... wanna think about what his emotions might do. He shakes his head.] We better get this straightened out. Who knows what everyone else will be like if they've been affected.

[At the same time, Ken just looked around the area to see if there were anymore affected too.]

Then we better hurry, we need to find out if there are anymore people who turned into their shadows.

[A pause] I don't even want to think how much chaos this could create!

Too late, already thinking about it.

[Though, turning his head, a green rabbit-like creature suddenly pops up next to him, carrying glowing ribbons.]

Oh! Right, Ken, we gotta keep a lookout for these things too!

[Before Ken could even react to the green creature, he just stared at Zidane before looking at the ribbons.]

Wait, what? What are these for?

[He said before attempting to hold one. Was there something he was missing while he was in his shadow form?]

The world's kinda been falling apart here, but these ribbons can fix it.

[As he says that, a building just collapses somewhere behind him.]

I was working on that before I ran into you.

[Just as he heard the building fall apart, Ken just stared at Zidane and then the building behind him.

This is fine.]

I see. Was that what happened while I wasn't paying attention? What is going on?

Edited 2021-01-10 23:47 (UTC)

[Totally fine.]

Dunno, but I think it's more than the story at this point. There's been some weird airships taking those science experiments and disappearing... yeah, someone or something's outside and interfering.

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