forgottentales_ooc | Test Drive: September 2020

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Test Drive: September 2020

Test Drive: September 2020—

§ instructions.

Welcome to the Test Drive for Forgotten Tales! This is to help interested players test out their characters in the game's setting and see if the essence they have chosen will actually work in game play. There are a number of prompts that try to touch on the kinds of settings and scenarios the characters may encounter. So here are a few things to keep in mind while on the test drive:

Feel free to use the current Workshop for help if you need it! Both the Workshop and the Test Drive are required for Registration.
Participating on the Test Drive does not guarantee a spot on either Claims or Registration.
Check the Character Roster and Essence List to see if your choices are not already taken.
Include Character Name and Canon in the subject line, and note somewhere within the toplevel your character's essence. It can be in the subject line if you already know what it is (so ex; Character | Canon | Essence). Side note: You are free to try more than one essence if you're on the fence. Just make sure to note which one you're using for that particular prompt.
Players are free to assume their characters have been informed of the very basics so you can skip all that if you'd like.
Only the "In the Index" prompts of the Test Drive can be carried over in its entirety, but you can alter the story based ones as "stage play" settings within the Index if you wish to carry over that interaction as well.
Don't forget to refer to the Game Info for how the mechanics work.
Public Registration is currently closed until further notice, but anyone with an invite and current players can register at any time. Claims will open at a later date.

Most of all, have fun! Feel free to invite those you may think would be interested to participate in the test drive.

§ prompts.

¶ I. In the Index. When not out adventuring or playing character roles in stories, the Aspects will have some downtime within the Index, the central hub of the Realm of Stories. Here they can explore the city, read up on other stories, socialize with fellow would-be heroes, learn more about the essence, or even just do nothing at all. Any threads and CR made with "Index" prompts can be carried over into the game.

A. Out in the City. Life in the Index can range from the mundane to the extraordinary depending on which area one travels to. Because it is a hodgepodge of many different stories from numerous cultures, one can never be sure what they may encounter even on an average run for groceries. The Commission Board is also available to choose special jobs from. (This is basically the free for all "taste of normal life" prompt.)
B. Essence Practice. Suddenly inheriting the abilities of another person while losing most of your own at the same time can be quite jarring. Picking a place to test out these newfound powers or even going to the Library to read up on the essence's story may help glean some clues as to what they can do.
C. Try Out the Journal. The journals are unique to this world and the sole source of communication for everyone. Feel free to give it a try, either by sending a random message out or even a doodle.
D. Macy's, Eat Your Heart Out! To celebrate the arrival of the Aspects and all the work and help they've provided for the past two years, the local citizens are throwing a festival and are hard at work to prepare. This year they want to throw a parade and special floats are being made to reflect the five different stories that have been restored. However, things never go as planned. That's why they might desperately rope passersby- including newer Aspects- into making sure the floats don't go (completely) out of control and ruin the party before it even gets started.
1. Just Tricks no Treats. For Hollow Christmas Carol, the main feature of the float is a mechanical horse that a costumed "headless" rider will sit upon while throwing presents and candy to the crowds. The horse is also equipped to fire soft presents and candy through a special cannon equipped in its mouth. However, there is a problem—a lot of problems. For whatever reason, the mechanical horse will suddenly spring to "life" and become a buckin bronco, tossing whoever tries to sit on it. When testing the mouth cannon, it spins out of control while firing candy out like bullets. The float itself has mysterious pumpkins growing on it which need to be removed. There's also the matter of collecting enough candy and wrapping presents for the masses.
2. Fly Me to the Moon…? The Bamboo Cutter's float is decorated as a bamboo forest and there will be shows of skilled swordsmanship as they cut through designated patches to then toss out the small gems that are produced in the shoots. Volunteers for actors are needed, but what they desperately need are bakers. A giant moon cake is to be on display that will later be cut and shared among the populace at the festival. However, it's a massive endeavor and requires a lot of ingredients and several people to help prepare each section. To make things worse, someone or something keeps eating it!
3. Clammed Up. The Little Mermaid needs pearls. Lots of pearls. However, the clams they brought to help harvest them are being difficult and refuse to open. These clams are special in that they're similar to chickens—they can create a large pearl within a day or two, thus they are treated with care. But they have become spoiled and refuse to give up their goods until certain demands are met. They range from singing to them, bathing them with luxurious bath salts, and decorating their shells. Only once appeased will they hand over their beautiful pearls...only for the process needing to be repeated again.
4. Rose Parade. The fae are in charge of A Midsummer's Rose float, and a few pixies have decided to join in on the fun. Along with taking care of the living flowers and plants that form the float itself, those around the float must be wary of the pixie dust that is sometimes scattered about (on purpose). The dust can make the individual feel very giddy, as if drunk, and even have them float in the air a few feet. Waving some pollen from any flower on the float will negate the effects, but even that can be difficult given the flowers are affected too. Snapdragons and dandelions on this float act exactly as their namesakes and will get a bit "chompy" when hungry; pansies will start cowering and crying in fear; and love-lies-bleeding will lean too hard into the Shakespeare influence start wailing loud, stilted death speeches and trying to steal the show; and so on. Getting enough pollen to snap everyone out of it might require some creative thinking.
5. Shroom Magic. Although recent, those from Alice in Wonderland won't miss out! Their float is like a whimsical tapestry depicting key scenes of Alice's journey through Wonderland. They also have a little "play" zone formed with large, special bouncy mushrooms for kids to join in during the parade. However, the mushrooms are a bit too bouncy...and playful. They've suddenly sprouted legs (some are blaming the pixies) and are jumping about making a mess of things, even endangering the other floats still being built! Help wrangle the mushrooms and get them back in their place. A quick splash of a special brew will help return them to normal, but if any get on a person, then they will have some growth and shrinking problems. There are also warnings to not consume either the mushrooms or the drink as they can cause serious hallucinations and delusions. For some reason people are not heeding that warning, so taking care of the afflicted by bringing them to nearby healers is requested as well.

¶ II. It's Getting a Little Mad Here. Things to get a little weird once the autumn season rolls in and everyone starts getting ready for the spooky season, but things have gotten downright crazy and even dangerous. Normally tame creatures are behaving erratically and inanimate objects are suddenly coming to life. There are also reports of strange lightning appearing somewhere deep in the dark forests outside the Index. Help handle and investigate these strange incidents!

A. Hog Wild. Although not the original "Three Little Pigs," pig triplets are not uncommon in town and many have followed their "role models" and turned to construction. However, for some reason all of these construction pig workers have taken on a more destructive route and have started to demolish everything! With various tools including jackhammers and even a wrecking ball, these pigs mean business. Stop them before they destroy more of the city!
B. Gobble Gobble . The dreadful Swan Princess has returned! And this time she has an army of birds to aid in her wreaking havoc across the Index! Ducks locking people in their outhouses, chickens gobbling up all the corn in the fields, loons untying boats so they drift off docks, chaos everywhere! Worst of all is the princess's steed, a massive turkey the size of a horse, running through the streets and frightening all with its gobble! Those facing the giant turkey must either dress up as something enticing to try and "woo" it away (an attractive turkey, a big ear of corn, a giant moth for some reason…) OR ditch the costumes and hunt it down to add to the anniversary feast.
C. Stoned. Late at night, strange creaking sounds can be heard along the rooftops and strange shadows cover the night sky. It's on the second night that the source is revealed to be strange, large stone gargoyles that have perched atop random buildings. Some partake in late night revelry, drinking and carousing until right before dawn. Others take to the streets and behave like thugs, harassing and threatening hapless late night workers. Fortunately none have grown violent, but concerns are there. They only appear at night, arriving once the sun sets and leaving before the sun rises. It has been found that those caught in the sun will harden and are unable to move, making it easier to capture and, in some cases, destroy. It's uncertain as to whether the gargoyles are "living" creatures or inanimate stone structures magicked to "life."
D. Wayward Woods. Those who follow the departing gargoyles will discover them heading deep into the dark woods, known for the dangerous beasts that lurk within. Those strong enough will spot a castle in the distance, but no matter how hard they try they cannot seem to reach it, thwarted by a magical fog and moving trees that disorient all who approach by ground or air. But lightning is constantly seen striking in the vicinity and the occasional maniacal laugh.

¶ III. Scene Snippets. The following prompts are various scenes styled similarly to those designed for the campaigns. Two characters are randomly assigned a role and must "act out" the scene. It can be assumed they are given the basics, but they are free to act however they wish. There is no real script or set direction, and they will have full access to their Essence abilities. Roles are not gender limited, so go wild. You are also free to create your own scenes or play within the general setting of the provided stories, even if they are not specified. Everything here is just a "guideline" and characters can act and behave however they would if dumped into the setting.

A. The Princess and the Frog. A classic tale of a prince saved by the kiss of the beautiful princess. Or thrown into a wall. Or just has to sleep on a pillow. Obviously this story has a loooot of versions, one more can't hurt, right?
1. A Frog's Life For Me. Somehow things got a little mixed up—it seems that everyone has been turned into a frog of various species and are stuck in a random castle. Fortunately, there is a cure! —Aside from finding a princess to give a kiss (or try kissing each other, who knows it could work), a special potion bottle rests on a shelf in the adjacent room, so it shouldn't be too difficult to recover, right? Well, maybe if there wasn't a weird spiny half-goblin-half-hedgehog resting in the room. Sneak past it to get the potion!
2. Just a Little Smooch? All right, things have been properly sorted and the main characters, the Frog Prince and the Princess have been cast. Of course, the Frog Prince is really a frog, not in a costume. Although a "true love's kiss" is the traditional means to break the curse, there are some other options: 1) creating a potion using less than flavorful ingredients based on a frog's natural diet (mmm flies); 2) traversing through the nearby swamps to find special moss illuminated by a firefly's bulb for the frog to roll through (beware the wildlife, both native and Eraser form); 3) defeating the giant snake lurking in the swamp's waters and smearing its venom all over the frog's hide (but the Princess should not touch it or they will be paralyzed); or 4) try some of the other story methods, such as chucking the frog into a wall.
3. I Object! Somehow, the curse has been broken, and the prince and princess are set to wed! But before that can happen, the Aspects have to deal with the Blot of Iron Henry, the Frog Prince's most faithful servant. The Story Eater's corrupted him into a raving fanboy who refuses to let his Prince-sempai marry anyone but him! It's up to the Aspects (dressed either as the happy couple or as part of the wedding parties) to subdue the wedding crasher so the party can continue! Be warned, though, Iron Henry will try to fight back by throwing magical iron bands from his heart.
  - Scene Revisit. On future revisits, instead of a Blot Iron Henry, Aspects are cast into the role alongside a Frog Prince or the Princess. Iron Henry's goal is "win back" his prince, thus Iron Henry must either convince the Frog Prince to let him remain at his side (however that is interpreted) or must face off the Princess who won't let her Prince go so easily (or will she?). Of course...everyone has two hands.
B. Create Your Own! No need to limit to what we provide. If there's a particular story, scene, or even setting that you think would be fun, go for it! You can even use the story your character's essence is from. Other options are any of the scenes and settings from our previous campaigns and side stories.

¶ IV. Mix it up. This is the "wildcard" prompt. Feel free to take any of these prompts and make them more of your own, or pull from an entirely different story. As mentioned you're free to use any of our previous stories or other events. Just have fun with it!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Pass.

Too late.

[That's exactly what she's going to do if he insists on being a jerk. She firmly believes she has the upper hand in all of this.

... It's also taken her this long to realize he's moving a lot quicker now, and they've managed to cover some decent ground, having finally left the little marketplace.]

[She can believe all she wants, but Alvin has his ways in getting out tricky situations. He always does.

But he's also paid little attention to how he's moving and in what direction he's been going aside from just keeping his eyes forward and making sure he doesn't run into anyone or anything. Fortunately most people move away and perhaps because of the weight dragging it, the key is being nice and keeping him mostly on the road.

And their little banter and other conversations from that point help keep to make this ridiculous ordeal tolerable for Alvin. There are even points where they get some excitement where Alvin has to avoid an oncoming carriage. Yeah, exciting (not). But despite the meandering way the key takes them, it does give them a chance to get something of a glimpse of the city as they continue to head further out. They might even notice a few stores or places they could try and come back to check out later.

Eventually they leave the city and are sent into the bordering forest. At first they're on a path, but as probably predicted, he's eventually led to thick brush which makes pulling a crate like this almost impossible. So he stops and drops the key, stepping on it so he doesn't lose it and taking the chance to catch his breath.]

Man, this thing really took us out really far... Not sure if I'll be able to pull the crate any farther from here.

[Honestly, that little run-in with the carriage probably aged her about twenty years. And there she had been trying to pull on his rope like it was a set of reins. That little mishap aside, she got a good look at everything and made a few notes of some items they'd need and which shops to revisit.

But then the path ended and though she's not the one doing all the walking, she wonders just how much farther it is...

She hops off the crate to join him.]

So what'll we do with all this stuff, then?

Hmm, let's just stash it here for now and come back for it once we find the place. It can't be too much farther.

[He says, but he's probably thought this several times already and at this point it's just false hope.]

You say that, but...

[But, yeah, he's said that several times. In fact, she's convinced that every time he's said it that it somehow makes it even farther away.]

And what're we gonna do when that key drags you all over the place without the additional weight to hold you back?

Hope that if I slam into a tree it won't hurt too much.

We don't really have much of a choice either way. If I try to drag that crate through all this brush, it'll just get caught or worse.

[Sure, as amusing as that'd be, she doesn't actually want him hurt. Much.

But he does have a point.]

Right. [that settles it.] I'll just grab onto you and see if I can't slow you down even a little.

[Better than nothing at all?]

Highly doubt it, but might be best if you did, anyway. This thing won't continue too far without you, but I still don't want to risk us splitting up.

Okay. Help me hide this crate first?

On it.

[After undoing the ropes around him, Alvin takes a quick look around before finding a suitable hiding spot: hidden within some dense brush near a large tree. Really even if someone swiped this it wouldn't be that much of a loss...but if they're leaving the books and other supplies, then it would suck, so he'll still make an effort to make it as naturally looking concealed as possible.

Once finished, he dusts his hands and steps back towards his key.]

Think that should do it. Ready?

[Good. Even if Alvin doesn't, she will at least return for the books, as she desperately wants to begin her research as soon as possible.

She moves closer to him and... Well. How is she going to do this? Instinctively, she grabs ahold of the back of his jacket.

... This doesn't seem like she's going to be able to maintain her grip, but the alternative is wrapping her arms around his waist and, for whatever reason, she hesitates doing that. It's not that it's weird, because it's not, it'd be totally necessary.

And yet... her hands remain clutching the back of his jacket.]

I think so.

[...Yeah, he's also uncertain about her current "hold" on him.]

Maybe it would be better if you rode on my back.

[Except... how would riding on his back help? At least in her mind, she visualized digging her feet into the ground and attempting to drag herself, should the key try to jerk him around, or into a tree or two.]

Then I wouldn't be much help trying to slow you down. Uh, here-

[There is some noticeable hesitation. Why? She can't figure it out. She's spent the night at his place before. Walked around his apartment in her PJs. And none of that struck her as odd. Honestly, though, she'd be hesitating grabbing anyone like this, even Jude. So, really, she's just overthinking it. After a moment of deliberation, she reaches around his waist, wrapping her arms tightly around him, pressing herself fully against his back. All right. See, no big deal? It's just like she's giving him a big hug.

A big, awkward hug.

Then she digs her heels into the ground.]

Okay, that should do it. I hope.

[Spirits... if he makes any stupid, teasing remark about this she really will buy him a tank for his frog form. It doesn't help that she already feels herself flushing with embarrassment.]

... And don't you dare open your mouth or I'll forcefully close it for you.

[Better yet, she'll warn him anyway.]

Edited 2021-03-04 12:01 (UTC)

[It's probably because he has very little faith that she'll actually be able to stop him. But. All right. This is kind of new. But other than just glancing back behind her, he just finds it a bit awkward. Otherwise it's like getting a weird hug from behind.

So while thoughts do occur, he'll be good and just gives her an amused grin, following her "request" to keep his mouth shut.

And since he's on the impression that he needs to stay quiet (he's not, he's just being difficult), he looks at her questioningly and points to the key.

Should he pick it up now?]

[Great Spirits, Alvin, just pick up the key so she can stop awkwardly standing here like she's cuddling him.]

Would you quit being so difficult, you know what I meant!

[Yes, she's visibly flustered. And she reinforces her grip by grasping onto her wrist... and trying not to think about how warm she is or how he-

Nope. Turning her brain off. Weird hug. That's it.]

[Yes, that is a chuckle she's hearing.]

Then hang on tight, who knows how this will go.

[So he's going to pick up the key...]

[AND LEIA BETTER HAVE SOME STRONG HEELS BECAUSE THE FORCE OF THE KEY IS SOMEHOW DOUBLED!?]

Holy shit—!

[SERIOUSLY HE'S JUST LUNGING FORWARD AS IF HE'S BEING YANKED BY A HORSE.]

[Hope Alvin likes the sheer force of her arms jamming right into his stomach, because she's just trying her best to hold on at this point. Her heels feebly dig into the ground, but the only thing they manage to do is loosen chunks of dirt.]

N-Never mind, drop the stupid key!!

[Seriously, they can toss their keys away and just camp outside the rest of their stay here.]

[And that key is dropped.

...

But so does Alvin, so unless Leia lets go of him, she's coming to the ground with him.]

[Well.

Needless to say that she's completely unprepared for him dropping to the ground like a sack of potatoes. And she lets out a yelp, unable to properly dislodge herself from him in time, as she is dragged down to the ground with him.]

The hell, Alvin!?

You try keeping your balance when suddenly letting go of something like that!

[LIKE HE LIKES THIS ANY BETTER.]

You wanna take your key and try your luck??

Actually, I've been thinking about how much I prefer camping instead.

[Although... Alvin would probably be able to act as a better anchor to her than whatever the hell they were just attempting.]

Does seem more appealing.

[It... occurs to her a bit late that she's... still on top of him. And she quickly rolls off his back, sitting beside him on the ground, face flushed and sort of looking away from him to hide that fact.]

R-Right? [ahem.] But, not gonna lie, so does a nice, hot shower after the day we've had.

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