realmofstories | Chapter 07: Act I

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Chapter 07: Act I

SUGAR PLUM BEAST: ACT I—

§ instructions.

The Sugar Plum Beast 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.

Quick reminder that everyone is dressed to fit the rustic village style! Costumes for each role is linked in the scene they first appear but carry over into other scenes. And for those who are cast as Beast roles, will undergo full transformation, though the degree of transformation is up to the players. They can go into full hulking beast or be something more benign and cute with just ears and a tail or something. The Beast form also can be whatever you want, there is no set "design." In terms of affected personality, in general those in the role will be a little angrier and grumpy than usual, but it's not a complete personality switch. So it's possible to have the character mostly unaffected but snap or get annoyed more easily than usual or over the most random things they normally wouldn't. However there are cases when they may fly off the handle and while we leave it up to the players on if and when that can happen during a scene, anything more extreme that is specifically required will be noted for that scene.

Finally, just to be clear, characters who are in Main Scenes are not immediately dropped into their location and will have to go through designated flowered arches and then return. 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. Toy Repair. Scattered around the roads and around the boundaries of the town are damaged sometimes broken toys. They vary in size and shape, but for some reason their expressions are one of fear and pain. Take the toys back to Drosselmeyer's workshop and try to repair them. Even a fresh coat of paint will make the toys seem happier and relieved. Who knows maybe this good act will be returned later…

¶ II. Toysitters. Some of the toys brought into the workshop are on the young, baby side, and boy are they needy. Constantly crying "Mama! Papa! Poopy!" one would easily think they're just malfunctioning. Though that's strange, does this kind of setting have the technology for these toys to have voice recordings...? Regardless, better pair up with someone and try to soothe these baby dolls before the locals come in wondering what kind of witchcraft is going on in there.

¶ III. Garden Birthday Party. There is a birthday party being thrown and everyone is invited to either help decorate or just chill and enjoy the food. However, the garden it's held in needs some pruning. You know those plastic joke flowers that squirt water at people? They're blooming all over the place and are dousing anyone who gets near them. Either weed them out or figure out a way to lessen their water output! And of course there are Eraser and hostile toy blot problems that need to be taken care of. The further out towards the boundaries of the town, the more dangerous it is.

¶ IV. Easter Egg Hunt. Similar to a scavenger hunt, toy eggs have been scattered all over town and all the children are having fun trying to find as many eggs as they can. Perhaps the Aspects want to join in either hiding or finding eggs. However, some of these eggs are actually not toys but rotten, or if they are toys, terrible pranks like a pie to the face or a small firecracker exploding happen once opened. Some of the children are upset, even hurt, so it's imperative to find the culprit! Witnesses say they saw a strange, yellow polka dotted Velveteen rabbit hopping around the areas where the prank eggs are found.

¶ V. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A. Toy Repair

It might have to do with her Essence, but Lena found herself feeling sorry for the broken toys. She was able to gather a bunch of them, and took them all back to the Drosselmeyer's workshop.

Fixing them was a different matter, though she found that she had an easier time with toys that were made of wood. Her ability to manipulate wood let her fix up any cracks or breaks, or fashion a new limb if one was too damaged to fix. Once she was finished, she added a bit of paint to any toys that needed a touch up.

It didn't really feel like much, but she managed a small smile anyway.

B. Toysitters

In all honesty, Lena wasn't too surprised by the sentient toys. Her own control over toys meant that she saw them moving around all the time.

Babysitting them, though...that was not something she was really looking forward to.

She was able to calm down a few dolls, but others were starting to get fussy. And honestly, she wasn't entirely sure what she was doing. Picking up a few dolls, she tried rocking them to sleep, while a few others tugged at her clothes to get her attention.

"...a little help here?"

C. Easter Egg Hunt

It wasn't that difficult to find eggs, though Lena did come across a few of the rotten ones. With a grimace, she tossed the rotten eggs away.

"I thought this was supposed to be fun," she quipped, wiping her hands on her shirt. "I'm gonna be smelling that for hours."

D. Wildcard

((Feel like doing something else? Feel free!))

Edited 2021-04-18 10:30 (UTC)

By some miracle, Jean hadn't been able to scare any of the dolls even if he was stuck in his beastly form. Maybe the doll babies didn't care or just found him fluffy - either way he didn't care too much.

With a sigh, Jean approached Lena and took a few of the baby dolls away from her feet. They clung to his clothes instead, then, still crying quite a bit for attention.

"... is this a good time to say I've never been a babysitter."

Lena breathed a bit a sigh when he took a few of the baby dolls. "Join the club," she replied, still trying to rock the ones she was holding. "All I know about babies is that they sleep, eat, and poop. And given these are dolls, I'm pretty sure only one of those really applies."

"You forgot the part where they scream", Jean said, sighing. He held the dolls close, trying to make them as comfortable as possible. At least his furry form was good for something since he was super warm.

"I wonder if they're similar to the furniture I have..." If so, who would curse babies.

"Right, of course..." Lena continued to bounce a few of the dolls, trying to get a hold of her frustration. It wasn't really the toys fault, and if they could put them to sleep, it wouldn't be as bad.

"What about your furniture?"

A doll with a broken seam was held out quietly to Lena. Makoto tried to look cool about it, but really, he was just embarrassed. It was clear he had tried, and failed, to sew it together.

"...can I trade you?" He asked. "I don't know how to sew and I think I hurt its feelings."

She blinked in surprised, looking from the doll to him. "Uh...sure, I guess. I don't know much about sewing, but I think I can manage?"

Makoto nodded. "I'm okay with painting but anything else I seem to mess up."

He set the doll down. He really did feel kind of bad, but hopefully she could do a better job than him. Even if only a little. He then pointed to a toy that appeared complete, just with faded paint. "May I take this one?"

Glancing up, she nodded. "Yeah, that one just needs a bit of paint and it should be good to go." Luckily that hadn't needed any sewing, and just had some wood splintering. That had been an easy repair.

Looking over the doll in front of her, she couldn't help a slight face when she noticed the attempted fix. Then, looking around, she grabbed a pair of scissors to cut the thread.

"Need a little help?"

There was a small black dog standing just behind her, sniffing and likely had followed that rotten smell. Alice still had a basket hanging off the crook of an arm, and blessedly had at least avoided rotten eggs herself thanks to that little companion.

It, however, did not stop the glitter an confetti eggs from getting her however. A bit of colorful paper still stuck in her hair, and the glitter would be there for... a while. Probably.

She didn't look too impressed with her own work, but she had to get away from those damned doll abominations. Maybe they were better than the glitter....

Lena glanced over as she picked up another egg. "I wouldn't mind some, thanks." Noticing the glitter and confetti that decorated the other girl, she shook her head a bit. "Looks like you're having about as much fun as I am."

Egg hunts and some pesky rabbit-

"I'm far more used to chasing rabbits than hunting eggs, mind." She glanced back at Toto, gesturing for him to set about sniffing where he could as she blew a bit of bright paper from her face, brushing it from her hair as she set forwards as well. "Splendid time," the sarcasm could be cut through.

Lena wasn't wrong at all.

Though she didn't trust the egg she was holding, she put it in her basket anyway and got to her feet. "Yeah, super fun. What does an Easter egg hunt have to do with either story, anyway?"

She only had a vague idea of both stories involved, but she didn't think Easter had been a part of any of them.

"Haven't the foggiest." Even with all the time she spent in the Index's library she couldn't connect the dots. Wasn't one a Christmas story of all things? Leaning down to lift up part of a bush, only catching the remains of a busted egg and more glitter- and a trace of meringue of all things.

Sugar roses, everything was to sickeningly sweet- "Perhaps this rabbit is some toy that's gotten more than cotton in it's head."

Lena shook her head as she stood underneath a tree, looking up to see if there were any eggs among the branches. "These stories are always so weird. How is this even helping?"

Her nose wrinkled a little from the smell, but at least it was more old meringue than rotten egg. Still, her hand shoved in and she carefully pulled a brightly colored egg out very cautiously. When it didn't explode on her, it was slipped in to the basket, standing up straight with a breath.

Another down. Looking back, "Little tasks meant to benefit a whole? Mindless as some of them appear to be.

"Want a boost up? I've got a levitation spell I've gotten good at," thanks to time.

"I guess we've gotta do something to pass the time while the actual story scenes are going on." They still seemed pretty weird, and she still wasn't sure how these related to the stories. But if they helped, then she'd go ahead and do it.

She'd still complain about it a bit, though.

Thinking over her options, she nodded. "That might be a better way to do it. Otherwise I can try shaking up the tree a bit, but that might break any eggs that come down."

And not knowing what might be in said eggs, she didn't want to take the risk.

Quaint little village with a toy problem, and eggs. "Do you suppose, if nothing else, it's spring here?" That brought up a whole lot of other questions, of course, but it wouldn't be that strange if seasons changed even in stories. Static perhaps expected, but things were changing.

"With a click of heels then," those shoes of hers were still silver, and it was with a literal knock of a heel against the other- "Just let me know if you get off balance," A small warning, enough time for Lena to brace herself before Alice lifted a hand.

It was with a gentle whirling of wind she'd find herself lifting, and kept it slow at the very least. "Easiest way to avoid dropping an assortment of egg bombs, at least."

Lena frowned, because she hadn't really considered it before. "Yeah...it being spring would make the most sense." At least as far as the egg hunt and rabbits go.

When she began rising into the air, she couldn't help a small grin. "Nice."

Alice wasn't sure if she could recall having gone through a winter here- but hadn't it been cold and snowing in the last story? Couldn't quite remember with everything else going on, of course. "The passage of time here is odd, I suppose."

"Magic shoes," Kept it as a steady rise, and only stopped to make sure she didn't send the other knocking in to any branches. "Tell me if I need to get you higher, or down very quickly," just in case there was something nasty up there.

"Yeah...most things in this place are pretty odd, though, so I guess that fits."

As she neared the lower branches, she looked around along the leaves. "Oh there," she said, spotting one tucked away between some of the limbs. "Just a bit higher, and I should be able to get it."

"With all these stories clashed together it's not too surprising-" Not just this story, but the Index itself, "-that things go odd." It made sense to lice, thinking about it like that, but she was always something of an odd girl.

Her head tipped, even going on her own tiptoes to better visualize for herself, "Go it." Taking direction and still keeping it slow, just so if there were any little branches she couldn't see they wouldn't be violently pokey.

"I guess that's true." In a world of stories and fairytales, it's actually a little surprising that things weren't crazier.

As she rose a bit higher, she reached up, pulling at a branch to loosen the egg. When it started to fall, she caught it in her hands. "Got it!"

"All the better reason to be watchful, horror stories and the like mingled in," if the Hyde and Frankenstein stories were a clue to that. Horror stories in a way different from some, but it was enough of an idea for Alice to believe there could be far worse about.

She did start to lower Lena, the wind growing softer the closer that she got to the ground- "At least you won't need a pillow to catch you," because boy she had practiced with this little trick on herself enough to know. "Seem to be a good egg?"

"Oh yeah. There are some pretty messed up stories out there."

She waited, watching as the ground drew closer, until she could feel her feet touch down. Then she held up the egg. "I think so. It doesn't smell, at least, so that's something."

She wasn't about to open it yet, though.

Pinocchio | Lena Sabrewing

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