realmofstories | Tortoise and the Hare Races Mini-Event

Tortoise and the Hare Races Mini-Event—

Amidst the sudden flurry of red hearts and sudden declarations of heartfelt confessions of love, there is a lot of fanfare and excitement about the newest carnival to roll through the Index. Inspired by the fable, The Tortoise and the Hare, denizens of that particular story have set up a special racetrack that runs around and through the carnival grounds. For those who are not feeling the love, this is an excellent chance to getaway for some real excitement as well as serve as a great distraction from the terrors that lurk just outside.

The "entrance" is really a curved ramp of the racetrack, the sound of racers zooming past and firing off various magical power-ups a thrilling greeting. To fit the theme, everyone is given an animal costume to wear—unless they are already part-animal. From there carnival goers are greeted with a strange mix of sounds and sights of a traditional carnival and high speed racetrack.

Of course, it's not just all fun and games. The Aspects will receive a brief message from the Storyteller, alerting them that the time is almost near for them to restore another Story. To help prepare, there are several items scattered through the carnival grounds that need to be found. These items will most certainly help aid them in the future, so the more they find, the better.

Good luck everyone!

§ instructions.
As mentioned in our Game Notes, this mini event is mostly for fun, but there is a Scavenger Hunt to help connect it to the upcoming campaign. To see the items and claim which one your character will find, refer to the Game Notes and sign-up! As a reminder, characters will have the necessary information within their journals. The information they have is roughly the same as what is written OOCly. If you have any questions, feel free to ask them on the linked Game Notes post.

§ prompts.

¶ I. Off to the Races. The main attraction is the giant racetrack that loops around, swerves through, and ramps over the entire carnival grounds; a truly amazing sigh. As is tradition, it's a 1-on-1 race with two cars, but there are a couple of variations of which type of race one can participate in. The cars are designed after the fabled Tortoise and Hare so hopefully everyone's costumes won't be too much of a hassle. Tortoise cars may be slower, but they pack a lot of firepower and benefit more from speed boosts. Hare cars, on the other hand, are fast but are more likely to spin out of control and have terrible fuel efficiency. Aim for the right power-ups to win!

A. Race to the Finish! The standard mode of racing! Compete against each other, use those power-ups, watch the speed ramps, and try to get into first place! But anything can happen while out on the track. Try not to spin out and Hares should watch their fuel. If anyone runs out of gas, they'll have to wait until the mushroom pit crew make their way to help!
B. Co-op Racing! In this mode, two people are in each car. One is the driver and the other is the "gunner." They focus on aiming whatever "weapon boosts" are on the track at their opponent. These are the following available boosts: mud ball, spider webbing, carrot missiles, pellet bombs, and the all powerful turtle shells and shooting stars. If the "ammo" hits the ground, they create a trap effect instead.
C. Bumper Cars. There is a smaller arena set where multiple Tortoise and Hare cars are designed more like bumper cars. Groups of people go in and try to score points by either bumping as many cars as they can, or by making other cars spin by shooting them with a special cannon. It's all in good fun, so have at it!
D. Through the Carnival! Someone probably saw this coming. Try as they might to make the track secure, the magic malfunctions and the cars are suddenly roaring through the carnival grounds! Even worse, because the cars are off the track they aren't responding properly. Racers have to do their best to try and avoid people while returning to the track. Carnival goers need to get out of the way or try to help the racers either stop completely or get back on the track.

¶ II. Special Games. There are some special noteworthy games at the carnival. There are certain items that will actually be useful for the next Story they will be visiting, and they can either be found while playing the game or be given as a unique prize. Everyone will have received a small note in the journals mentioning that they need to try and find certain items scattered through these games. Good luck!

A. Bamboo Ninja. Apparently run by the Huntsman Fan Club, the object of the game is to prove one's reflexes and skill (or lack thereof) with sharp pointy objects. More specifically, participants will be bombarded with shafts of bamboo and have to slice them in specific ways before they get bonked on the head! Bonus points are given for cutting along or close to the dotted lines drawn on the poles, and sometimes there'll be an extra prize inside! But if they miss and get hit three times, they're out!
B. The Golden Rabbit. There is an area with several large sandboxes, and they aren't for kids. Each sandbox has a three foot tall golden rabbit statue that has been broken into many pieces. Not only must one dig through the sand to find the pieces, but they must correctly assemble the rabbit within a certain time limit. Whoever completes their statue first or is the farthest by the time is up, wins! Good news is that contestants can bring in one partner to help, and the pieces themselves aren't too obscure and the pieces will fit with each other. Just a matter of digging deep and being able to put them together.
C. White Marble Maze. A co-op game, one person is to push a large, white ball through a giant maze while another sits above and instructs them through special communication headset gear. They are unable to see in front of them and will have to trust their partner to guide them. They must be careful, though. There are numerous (harmless) pits and traps, deadends, and even fake walls that could be used as shortcuts. Additionally, that special item might actually be in the maze, so if it's there they'll have to work to get to it. Teamwork is going to be key in this game.

¶ III. Wildcard. Make up your own prompt! This is where you can include other general carnival activities, like traditional game booths, food, general mingling, and more.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Velvet. Didn't they teach you manners in Wolf school?]

Honestly, I'm not sure. [While she has a stick of meat, he's having some funnel cake because why the hell not. ...This seems reversed somehow.] We've had to look for things in the last story we did, and I still have no idea what they were for. But I'm guessing there needed for something.

[ The things she would have learned in Wolf school would not involve eating cooked meat on a stick.

Nothing about this is wrong, Velvet's a Wolf and wolves eat meat. Rokurou eats whatever. And if she pinches a piece of his funnel cake, is he going to complain? ]

So we find them and just hold on to them, hoping we don't completely miss the opportunity they might be needed?

[He might look at her in some surprise because how dare. But no, in fact he'll probably offer her some, anyway, so pinch all you want, Velvet. Well. Maybe not too much. Just be mindful of the cinnamon and powdered sugar because he might have overdid it just a little. A little.]

Pretty much.

[Said between bites. Om nom nom.]

But I wouldn't worry too much about it for now. You haven't been to a carnival in a while, so let's have some fun.

[ All of that extra cinnamon and powdered sugar are just what she needs when it comes to eating non-meat foods. He'll be lucky if he doesn't lose all of it. Velvet has been rediscovering flavors since her arrival, and most of her meals are overly seasoned.

The meat is gone quickly enough and yoink, no hesitation to pilfer some of his dessert. ]

Fine, fine. What do you want to do first?

[Girl, if he didn't know about her rediscovering flavors he might be less amenable. As it is, he'll just watch her a bit amused and debate whether he should just give her his and go buy another one.]

Nah, why don't you pick? [Because if left up to him they'd be doing that bamboo ninja one or anything that would allow him to swing swords.] ...Or do you still want to eat?

[ For the first time since they met, Velvet actually has an appetite for food rather than malevolence. She might have eaten normal meals with the group but being unable to taste any of it had made it more of a chore than anything enjoyable. Seeing as how she can taste now - no matter how dulled it may be - Velvet is going to take advantage of that.

Her eyes scan the collection of games and knows instantly what Rokurou would pick. No doubt that's where he'd want to go - if he hasn't already been several times. ] The maze then. Surely after all of the places we've been, a simple maze is easy in comparison.

We can get more food after. [ Participate in a game, eat - repeat. ]

[Yes, he really is that predictable. And let's just say yes he's been at it several times already before he met up with Velvet ~~what is time consistency~~.]

Haha, all right. Think there's anything to fight in the maze?

[Because of course he would ask that. Oooof course. And he does know the answer, but you know. It's him.

He's also going to look at how much funnel cake there's left on the plate before tearing off one last piece for himself and then just handing the rest over to Velvet. What a nice buy.]

[ Anyone who's known him for an hour could figure out which one he'd want to go to first. Hence why she's attempting something different. ]

No idea. You could always go find out and I'll try not to lead you into any traps.

[ Velvet wouldn't mind being the one led through the maze by him or Eizen. She trusts both them and her own instincts.

When he passes over the whole plate, she merely blinks at it for a minute. Shrugs and continues to finish it off - tail swaying back and forth in a content manner. ]

[...He sees that little tag wag. It may be just some swaying, but he sees it. That's something he'll still need to get used to, but it's amusing all the same. But knowing she'd deck him or something if he said anything, he'll just keep it to himself.]

The maze, huh? Sure, we can go for it. And you better not lead me into traps or I'll get back at you somehow. [He's not sure. How yet BUT HE WILL. Or something.]

[ That isn't a wag. He would absolutely get decked if he commented on what her tail is doing, so it's best he doesn't say anything. Not to mention that it would bring it to Velvet's attention so she'd try her hardest to prevent it from happening ever again. ]

Don't worry, the only traps I'd lead you into would be the ones where you'd get to fight. [ Best trap: yes or yes? ]

[And that is why he'll never say anything. For a while, anyway.]

Aww, you know me so well. [Best trap.

But then he's going to look at her for a moment.]

By the way, you have some powdered sugar by your mouth. [Pointing on his own to try and help her out.]

Tortoise and the Hare Races Mini-Event

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