Field Mission 7: The Queen of Hearts, OOC post

[balancemod]

There are some things that I've done in the past that I'm not proud of. But I have always put the well-being of others at the heart of what I've done. I think it's time you know the truth. NAVIGATION See recovered NPC memories here! As promised before, Lucretia has a plan to restore magic to this world in all of its entirety by utilizing the Bond Engine onboard the Starblaster, a ship that's been stored on the Moon Base. The Hunger has revealed itself to Maya as a man in a perfectly tailored suit with an absurd corporate strategy. It wants to consume everything in its path, in an effort to "grow," angered over the answer to the greatest question of all time: "why are we here"? The morale on base is low, despite her stern optimism that things will work out. She clutches her staff and believes in her Reclaimers, as she always has. With Candlenights over, it's time to finish this. To destroy the last Grand Relic, to bring the confrontation to a close. Her plan is to starve The Hunger until it dies, but she can't do that without the existence of magic in this world. How, you might ask? Jesse McCree had found an old journal of hers, tucked away in the Restricted section of the library, that revealed a spell she has been working on... for decades. She calls a meeting on the morning of the 5th. She prepares for it, thinks of a million things she needs to say. To apologize, to make amends for the troubled past she and her 7 friends have had to endure as they were hunted across universes time, and time again by the Hunger. "Reclaimers, Seekers, Regulators. I've brought you all here today to address the elephant in the room. While it might look as if we are in our darkest hour, it is during this time that we afford ourselves the opportunity to shine brighter than ever. I... Actually, forget the speech. Let me talk to you like family. That's... what we've become over this past year, right? "In order to return magic to this world, we're going to use something called the Bond Engine. It's powered by the shared experiences of people attuned to it — the energy of those shared bonds, those experiences, can be utilized to create a brand new wellspring. I believe that what we've got, right here, between all of us... is the strongest source of energy this world's ever seen. Our engineers have been testing the engine over the past few weeks, but progress has been a bit of a slow go. The Bond Engine--" She's about to continue onward, until she notices an unwanted presence in her auditorium. He stands, back up against the wall, chomping down on a styrofoam Cup O' Noods, listening to what she has to offer. This figure, clad with long white hair and strips of purple and pink scattered into it, seems to have a differing opinion of the Bond Engine entirely. "Hey, Director lady. Lucretia. Lulu." He passes off his ramen cup to a nearby Reclaimer, an older gentlemen with equally beautiful white hair and sporting a very stylish pair of glasses. Hey, Michael. Catch. "Y'know that's going to take way, way too long. Have you checked out my crib lately? Some ne'er-do-well has decided to chomp down on it and me and Mystra over here barely made it outta that place." He points to a woman beside him, but she's apparently not there. Kind of sucks being the Goddess of Magic when no one can believe in Magic anymore. "You know how the Bond Engine works. For that level of miracle to happen, to generate that much energy, you'd need something far more intense than just your run-of-the-mill goodfeels, right? People need to remember why their friends mean an entire wealth of magic to them. And you'd have to hit them with it, hard." "Karsus!?" He rolls up his sleeves. "I've got this." 1. THE ILLUSORY WORLD OF FANELIA (click to expand) And just like that, your characters are brought into an illusion, the size of an entire continent. Your memories are replaced with that of another life, one where you've been here since you were born. On your wrist are three "empty" crystals in the shape of hearts, lined up in perfect symmetry to each other. Your recollection of the events within the Bureau of Balance is reduced to nothing, and you've assumed a new identity. For one long year, you've been under the effects of this charm. We return to our heroes, the focus of our story, in media res. The world in which Fanelia resides in is a beautiful, sprawling landscape with a number of factions, land types, terrains and people all within it. The storybook character you chose should be able to easily fit in any place within the bounds of the continent, but this is by no means a complete and exhaustive guide of what to find and where. Your characters are natives to this world, and as such, you can do worldbuilding as well to help populate the various places in between towns. Is your ice queen in need of an ice castle? Feel free to create one! Your characters should resemble the fairy tale character that you've built, but how closely it parallels the story and how committed you are to the finer details of it is completely up to you. They should, however, believe in their hearts that they belong in their assumed role, motivations and all. No one will have memory of the Bureau of Balance having ever existed. For those of you who don't aspire to live your days in the fabled, and slightly terrorizing, court of the Queen of Hearts, the entirety of Fanelia is yours to call home and do with what you please. While we won't go into extreme detail on any specific locale, here are a few places where you might like to start, or maybe provide some flavor to the world that you've been living in. ○ Spine of the World: a frozen, inhospitable stretch of mountains that are nigh impossible to cross during the winter months. The elusive panserbjørn, a loose federation of animals who don armor on their shoulders and speak the common tongue, are defensive and protective of their beloved mountains. Although most prefer to keep to themselves, it's been known that some tribes are quite hospitable to humans and their ilk, often providing aid or assistance for someone who's lost their way in the perilous climb. ○ Divinoa: The Holy Review of Fanelia: This archaic society offers scholarly refuge to those who seek answers to the mysteries of the world. Many have tried to enter the Hermetic Order of the Many-Forked-Path, but few rise among its ranks. The people who live in the town surrounding around the beautiful, Gothic cathedral are extremely devout and typically are employed by the Holy Review in one way or another. ○ The Ruins of Tristair: A citadel once stood here before the appearance of the Expanse. No one knows much about the civilization that once lived here, but it's home to a number of ancient and wise dragons who impart wisdom to brave travelers who are judged to be worthy. A small contingency of people are rumored to live here, nomadic by nature. They're typically skittish, and show distrust to the outside world. ○ The Highlands and Loch Abar: Bountiful hills and beautiful stretches of plains make up the majority of the Highlands. Its capital, Loch Abar, features a garden that outshines that of the Queen's personal rose sanctuary. While Loch Abar is considered the center of the region, many familial clans preside over the Highlands, and leadership is elected through a clan vote every decade to ensure fairness and the interests of its people is kept to heart. ○ Harrowyn: A secluded, quaint town in the middle of an expansive woodland area, Harrowyn aims to keep out of the affairs the rest of the country faces. The biggest racial contingency of people here are elves, humans, and half-elves, most of which who practice the druidic arts. Hard working farmers and artisan tradesmen are easy to come by, and an astounding number of people are raised in, grow old in, and die in Harrowyn without ever leaving the city limits. Simplicity isn't just a way of life, it's their everything. ○ Kingstown: This preamble to Fanelia is the melting pot for the southwestern, eastern, and southern regions. Small castles, filled with noble families who have left Fanelia to set up in Kingstown are not uncommon, and you'll find a little bit of influence from everywhere here. It's protected by the Crown Guard of Fanelia, which is a defensive maneuver as well as political. Being the mouth to the capital city, placing it under marshal law of the Queen extends her line of power and foresight into the realms she rules. ○ The Enchanted Forest: A wilderness that expands for hundreds of miles in every direction. The Enchanted Forest is home to a great number of mystical beasts and old magics. No two people ever seem to have the same experience navigating through its tall trees. ○ Peppelfen and the Isles of Sorrow: The outlying Isles of Sorrow houses just one town. Peppelfen. This scenic island town is often accredited with the creation of magical music. Many a writer, poet, bard, or hopeful laureate has hailed from Peppelfen, which has been said to been blessed by an ancient god who loves the arts. Their magic and inclination towards putting power behind their words, however, comes with a cost. The average life expectancy of anyone born in this town is roughly 30 years. ○ The Expanse: The outer perimeter of the world, it exists as a dark and stormy cloud, impossible to navigate and deadly. It's been there for as long as people can remember, and intrepid explorers who have made attempts to set out upon it never come back or are presumed to be lost forever. The border of the world seems to shrink, little by little, every year, and a common fear among the people is that one day it'll encroach upon their town. 2. THE COURT OF HEARTS The capital city in which the Queen of Hearts resides seems ripped straight from the pages of a storybook, no pun intended. The city is bustling, the taverns are flowing with good food, good drink and good entertainment. And best of all, everything is pretty affordable! The residents here seem happy and prosperous. Well — as best they can be under the watchful eyes of the Queen of Hearts, at the head of the Court of Hearts. She means well, they mutter, drawing the covers down over their shops at the end of the day. She means well, but her ... methods of ruling, and particularly of punishment, trend toward unorthodox or outright cruel, and often don't fit the infraction. The decrees can be absurd and impossible to follow, too. Indeed, the latest decree is plastered on the walls, down alleyways and around town: BY ROYAL DECREE, YOU SHALL NOT KEEP SECRETS. Inside the castle where the Queen resides is, curiously, something of a paradox itself. If you manage to wander past the normal public common areas, you'll find that the restricted sections of the castle have hallways that occasionally lead to no where. Doors open to a stone cold wall, the same as the exterior of the entire structure. Stairs casually ascend straight into the ceiling, with no clear route to the next floor. There's also a great croquet field. On top of that, there are several enchanted rooms intended to keep you right where you are until the guards can detain you, and punishment can be administered. That said, gaining an audience with the Queen of Hearts is easy in theory, but difficult in practice. Tread carefully when speaking with her, lest you lose your head. There will be more in the prompts of things to do around the capital city on the log, but there's one other thing to take note of: From the moment you enter, until the moment you leave, you'll feel a strange sense of familiarity. It's not just the fact that you remember being here before — because, as far as you can remember, of course you have! It's more of a déjà vu that you can't quite explain. 3. PEOPLE TO MEET, THINGS TO KILL, NOT IN THAT ORDER THE QUEEN OF HEARTS. The prodigal queen of Fanelia, who embodies the concept of "the ends justify the means," the Queen of Hearts is a calculated and meticulous woman who rules over Fanelia with an iron fist. Her trust issues seem to stem deeply within her, probably indicative of an unknown past that's forced her to become the way she is today. As Queen Regent, she oversees the administration of Fanelia and the protection of the capital town, ensuring that the neighboring regions of her kingdom are kept on a leash that she can contract at any moment to reign in. Those who disagree with her or openly protest or defy her are taken prisoner and sent to the guillotine, making her both feared and rather detested by much of the population she rules over. While she thinks she knows what's best for the kingdom, many take issue with her manipulative and behind-the-scenes shows of power. Her royal seal is a single rose in the shape of a heart, often portrayed with fire brimming behind it, and she has a keen affinity to apples- often seen tending to either rose bushes or her private orchard when she's not entertaining guests or donning the responsibilities of the crown. PINOCCHIO. In the small village of Harrowyn, a carpenter once visited The Enchanted Forest to obtain some sturdy lumber to create the Queen's new throne, a present gifted to her upon her coronation ceremony. Him and his wife were incapable of producing children, but the carpenter had a knack for making puppets and selling them in Emberwharf for some extra money on the side. One day, while traveling up through Kingstown and into the forest, he was visited by a fairy of the Enchanted forest, angry with him for having chopped down her favorite tree. He explained the situation to her, and upon discovering their wish to have a child but never having it come to pass, she blessed one of the puppets in his wagon. And thus, Pinocchio had come to life. It's been over a decade since they've passed, and Pinocchio is no longer a young boy. He lives in Harrowyn, taking up the trade his father had taught him. There's one key trait that everyone in Harrowyn knows about Pinocchio: when he lies, his nose grows. It's caused him to lead a life of honesty and quietness in this little town, but he's mostly okay with that. THE WIZARD OF OZ. Not much is known about the Wizard of Oz's personal life, but he's widely known as a soothsayer and wish granter to those who visit him. He presides as the current governing force over the town of Peppelfen, located in the Isles of Sorrow... but honestly, he's not that great at it. Assumed to be a talking jade crystal robot by all who visit his chambers, a tightly kept circle of people he trusts know the sad truth about the Wiz. It's all smoke and mirrors: he controls the robot from the sidelines, amplifying his voice through it in one of the weirdest shams to have ever graced Fanelia. The truth is, he's a very anxious man who doesn't trust others easily, and would rather quietly work on his own inventions than take a seat in local government. But as they say, some are born great and some have greatness thrust upon them. Not that he ever wanted it. MERLIN. One of the greatest wizards in history, Merlin wields the power of clairvoyance and is known for downplaying his own massive wealth of magical talent to an almost comically bad lie. Despite the assumption that his place belongs in Divinoa, the seat of powerful clerics and mages who live to teach and instruct young sorcerers and witches, he's known to wander the realm of Fanelia, appearing at oddly specific times and to specific people, with the intent to council them. His ties to the Ruins of Tristair and the Enchanted Forest suggest that he might not be completely human in origin, but it's not something he references often- when asked, he'll shrug it off and come up with some fake tale about his origin story that gets increasingly stupid the more times he has to tell it. He's known as one of the few people who has the Queen of Heart's ear, which is one of the worst-kept secrets in all the realm. When he's not meddling in affairs that he has no business participating in, he explores the realm enjoying the sights, sounds and pleasures that the countryside has to offer. That is, when he's not being hunted down by his own familiar, Cath Palug. IOREK BYRNISON. Situated on the Spine of the World, a mountainous system of perilous peaks and apertures, a race of animal folk protect the region fiercely and with all their heart. Iorek, the once king of the panserbjørn, appears to be an overgrown cat donning armor made from a magically resilient material. Currently, he resides in the town of Loch Abar, where he serves as a sort of disgraced armorsmith. Attempts to talk to him of his past, or the conflict that led to him coming down from the Spine of the World are usually met with disdain and particularly pointed distaste towards the topic. He wants nothing more than to be left alone for the rest of his days, having given up his claim to regency. The townspeople, however, treat him very well and respect his proud history. They're often seen leaving gifts of bananas and fresh caught fish at his doorstep as thanks for all he does for the city. THE GRIM REAPER. The Grim Reaper serves one function, one sole purpose in the entirety of Fanelia, and you might guess what that is just by the name alone. If he appears before you, chances are that you're at the end of your story, and he's here to guide you along your journey to the afterlife. Seen primarily in a robe of scarlet that hides a human system of bones underneath, The Grim Reaper was once a regular person like you or me, before he unhinged himself from the confines of the mortal coil. For those of you looking to cheat death itself, you're in for trouble. His other, more grave role is that of a bounty hunter, working for the natural forces of the world that wish to call those who should've died towards their ordained destiny. 4. MEMLOSS MECHANICS (PLEASE READ THOROUGHLY) This mission will be working a little differently compared to others! See the notes below for an explanation of how. ○ At first, no one will have any recollection of their lives before the moment the illusion sets in. As of the start of the mission, one full year has transpired while under its effects. Your understanding of the Hunger or the threat that faces the world is completely diminished, and instead, you have access to a new identity replete with its own set of memories. ○ The outside boundary of the wall is simply a black cloud, impossible to pass, but known by all as "The Expanse." Anyone who's ever attempted to make it to the edge of the world has never come back alive, and it should be a very superstitious and unsettling place to approach. ○ There are three heart shaped crystals placed in equal spacing upon your wrist. They are dulled, and as far as you can tell, have been so your entire lives. As you make connections in your new world, three significant events from your character's canon and CR that you've established over the course of Balance will return, brightening the crystals up, revealing a beautiful, soft red tint. ○ What are the trinkets for, from your AC homework? You'll find out soon enough! ○ Each crystal that becomes lit will provide one major memory for your character. This might be in the form of something from their canon, or something they've experienced while working for the Bureau of Balance. The edges of the memory, however, may seem fuzzy. Use as little or as much discretion in figuring out how shaped and fully formed those memories should be. One returned memory is not enough to shatter the illusion of your newly assumed life, however, when all three crystals are filled, your entire memories will come flooding back to you. ○ Network communications still work; your thoughts can be transmitted via a mental network that seems to be somehow linked to the three heart shaped crystals embedded into your arm. Simply touch it, think of the person you'd like to telepathically link with, and a connection can be opened. Additionally, you can use the same method to access the latest network posts. ○ As hinted before in our last OOC touchbase, all path actions, including magical ones are available and in play for this mission. This includes things like Oaths — how your character experiences it, and how they go about figuring out how they are connected to the people on the other side of the line, is up to you. The goal is restore magic to Faerun so that you have a fighting chance to stand up to the Hunger in the finale. ○ Important note about the RNG: Instead of implementing a hard roll limit, we will be setting a cutoff day where no new rolls will be accepted. You are free to thread out how your character's memories are restored however you like, you do not have to roll a success to get there! But the RNG is there if you'd like a more randomized scenario. ○ This mission, largely based on powering the Bond Engine, is designed to be focused around CR. Behind the scenes, the actual plot of Fanelia is light, to give you a chance to focus on your character's stories, both fake and eventually remembered. That doesn't mean there aren't mysteries to unravel! But you do have license to alter anything as you see fit, aside from the capital city itself. And lastly, remember: Lucretia wants to harness the power of your bonds to restore magic back to the world. And there still is the final relic in play. blurb code by photosynthesis

Comments

QUESTIONS

[balancemod]

[aceso]

Does this spell they're under stop them from really noticing that not everyone in this land has the three heart crystals in their wrist, or are characters able to discern that they're "different" in this way?

[rockymountaindie]

The year timeskip! Are our characters going to physically age for this? The main question here comes from how this is an illusionary world, and I'm not sure how much time or aging is going to be relevant in the storybook.

[ribticklers]

1) Since Sans and Lucretia are both pulling from the same canon here, is there anything I should keep in mind when messing with locations and stuff re: Alice in Wonderland?

2) Are characters going to be able to access the pre-memory-loss network stuff, or is that cut off?

[motherfucking_ghost]

Sssssso what if the character you picked is the same as one of the NPCs? Or will there just be another Pinocchio running around, just calling himself by a different name?

Re: QUESTIONS

[wrightingwrongs]

As a key figure in the Brave Little Tailor's story is the King who entrusts the Tailor with a task far above his pay grade (unknowingly in the case of the original mythos). In lieu of that, given the Queen of Hearts's dominion (and recent developments), do we want to say that Lucretia fills the role of the authority figure in Phoenix's tale? And if so, was there any particular task she would have entrusted the tailor?

[hxppythxughts]

is Angus anywhere to be found or is this a question for the RNG?

EDIT: Miss Zarves too???

[usamin17]

Sort of related to Sans’s question, since Nana’s character in canon is a herald for the Queen of Hearts, is there any affinity or alternative goal she should have for the Queen?

[eudaimonikos]

If your fairy tale character has abilities that your actual character cannot replicate with their path actions, do they just perceive themselves as never having had those, or do they think they lost them for some reason a year ago?




eta: also did michael still have karsus's ramen when this illusion went up a year ago, I just want to know for comedy purposes if the boogeyman ate karsus's lunch

[bakucchan]

Hello! As far as paths being in place, does that mean they've had them all their lives in their fake identities or do they regain them with their memories?

Also, are canon powers that they gained as path actions, like Bakugo's Quirk, included with the other path actions they can use?

[ribticklers]

For NPC interaction in the log, do you have a preference between a written-out thread and an ooc summary of what the character is going to say?

[myliteratureclub]

ALRIGHTY! So I have very tentative plans as I don't want to disturb the mission too much but I was think of some things for evil queen Monika:

Basically I was wondering if it'd be possible for her queendom to be in conflict with Queen of Hearts. Possibly borderline war unless that's going too far of course! While she's not going to necessarily force other royals to join her, she will be trying to gather them as a power play to help in her aid. Monika's unfortunate obsession of power would be the reason for it, but also I think negative bonds could be interesting too!

Of course if this does not work the plot at all that's totally okay too! I figured it'd just be something fun and interesting. Let me know what yall think and thanks!!

Re: QUESTIONS

[bu773rfly]

Halloooo.

I picked a mythological tale (Pandora). For it to be played straight, Erikadora would have to be like....immortal/quasi-immortal, and bear responsibility for a lot of things about the AU setting (fabrication that it is).

Is that...acceptable? Should I be revising the character backstory to scale it down (unleashed a plague x human lifetime years ago or something) or is it fine to go that...grandly dramatic here?

[korekara]

Sortttt of piggybacking off the royal question too SO: Since the version of the Nutcracker I'm pulling from has Sugarplum as the Queen of the Land of Sweets, is there any chance that Heartscreatia and Sugarplonoka (that sounded WAY cuter in my head) would be familiar with each other or have some prior interactions in their illusionary lives?

Honoka probably would have tried very hard to establish friendly relations with the Court of Hearts in general just because it seems like the best way to uhhhh not get her little kingdom stomped, which in practice has probably mostly consisted of Honoka being unrelentingly sunshiney and cheerful and loading Heartscreatia down with sweets every time they cross paths. Sugar solves EVERYTHING.

[menarefrom]

quick belated question: do reclaimers still have whatever they might have had in their inventories with them when they left the moon base?

Like i'm assuming nothing they'd left would be accessible, but for example, if Spike was wearing Ein's collar on his wrist when he went down, would catSpike still have that collar?

OOPS QUICK SECOND QUESTION;

As Puss in Boots, would Spike be a panserborn or are those guys big and Iorek-specific? or am I misreading assuming Iorek is a panserborn...

[unrecovered]

Can Merlin be sought out, or is he the type to appear by his whim alone? Is he the type to try to get someone to stave off Cath Palug so he can make an escape?

...I kind of want to pursue the Wash and Mou thread, is what I'm saying, if that's at all possible. |Db

Additionally, Wash would have sought an audience with the Queen of Hearts, as the small kingdom he's heir to is near the Expanse and he's been seeking information/aid on how to slow or avoid the encroaching doom. Would she have allowed him an audience, or sent him on a quest first to prove his worth, or...? I'm up for whatever!

Also! Wash's phobia of magic is a death cost - is it still intact in the illusion, or does he not have it, given that it's tied to his memories of having been killed by magic? I'm up for either - it'll be fun to play with either way.

[eudaimonikos]

New question: what happens if we die here? I'm gonna try to avoid that, but Michael is aggro-ing like a LOT of other characters rn and thanks to him, everybody owns knives!

[quiescis]

Hello there! As Yuri is being placed at Alice from Alice in Wonderland is there anything I should be using in specific to Yuri's memories of the Queen? I'm brainstorming using Yuri having snuck into the garden several times before to paint flowers red, maybe the guards have her as a wanted face?

[ribticklers]

For sharing memories, are we allowed to do them first-person from our character's perspective and also share their thoughts and feelings on said memory, or should they all be in the third person style of the NPC post?

[feytality]

Since the little match girl's fate is to die (but I'm hoping to avert it thru the power of friendship), could she still see the Grim Reaper w/o actually dying? esp being a spirit medium? like maybe an imaginary friend kind of situation?

SETTINGS DISCUSSION: YOU HAVE THE AUTHOR'S PEN

[balancemod]

Feel free to use this section to toss ideas around about the various locales of Fanelia or discuss where your character hails from.

Of course, setting up an individual thread in this post to hammer out plotting details is highly encouraged, but you're welcome to discuss and hash out some worldbuilding details in collaboration with other players here.

ORRENVIA

[motherfucking_ghost]

Rather than a wooden puppet from Harrowyn, Church's version of Pinocchio is more...metal, let's say. Therefore, I'm thinking Orrenvia, at the base of the mountains and tucked in a valley and obviously having the sound of 'ore' in its name, is home to much mining and metal-working. Think like...really stereotypical high fantasy dwarf shit. Populated by more than dwarves, of course! ...But also there's probably a lot of dwarves, comparatively. I imagine plenty of weapons and armor come from there, or at least the ores to trade to make such things, and blacksmiths aplenty, a place to handily learn the trade if you can handle the winters there.

THERE ARE NO STRINGS ON ME

[motherfucking_ghost]

(aka the church-specific comment, apart from my orrenvia musings)

Church was made of metal in the shape of a man in Orrenvia. Probably somewhere right around or not too terribly over a year ago! He hasn't been...keeping track. He was not the first attempt by the creator--let's call him Leo--and his other creations lacked a certain spark as he perfected his craft. They were now used as armor racks, scarecrows, or even, yes, as puppets in their own way. Something about Church was different, and some magical soul took pity on Leo's strange and deranged personal quest, and the spark of life was put into Church. Who was, essentially, a large metal child.

Now, this was all well and good for a time, but warforged are hardly common, and even tucked away by the mountains, word got around about the magical metal boy, who was also...somewhat gullible as shit and also tended to wander the fuck off. People frequently took advantage of him, and he frequently ignored Leo's orders because, idk, he saw something figuratively shiny and wanted that instead of doing boring shit. School's for nerds! So are attention spans! He wasn't eternally stupid or anything; of course he started realizing how different and apart from people he was. And what he wanted more than anything in the world? To become a real boy. The boy his father always wanted! Maybe! Probably. And also maybe people will treat him differently okay okay.

At some point during the year, his bad qualities made it so he was captured and taken to the capital city to be shown off not unlike a dancing monkey. What he wanted was to find passage to Peppelfen, to speak with the great Wizard of Oz--but things took a turn, people were greedy, Church was unused to the outside world. At first, he thought it was exciting, but then once he was done, he'd be locked away. His only real friend ended up being a cricket who generally stays on his shoulder. He calls it Delta. It doesn't talk to people, or sing or dance, but he swears it talks to him. He claims it helped him escape his cage.

But now he has no idea where he is, in a world full of people that might use and abuse him, with no clear direction. Should he talk to the Queen? Does he pick a direction and Go? Does he try again to get someone to take him to the Wizard? Should he just go home...? And most importantly: how does he become a real boy?

Did I mention the lying thing? I didn't mention the lying thing. See, he doesn't have a nose to grow or anything. What happens when he lies, like the terrible lying liar he is? His arms grow. Which seems cool at first, but they just keep going, until his knuckles drag on the ground, until he can't move them. He's learning that lying's not great, but he tries to get away with little ones when he can. Still, shame he's generally so bad at it and tends to get called out even without the arm thing, so eventually he tends to relent and tell the truth, so his arms go back to normal.

Church is probably starting in the capital city, only a year-ish old but full of sass and a healthy distrust of people, angrier than the good ol Pinocchio boy from the movie, but not terribly world-wise and at times more gullible than he ought to be. He'll probably be doing his own sort of puppet-y show off to try and raise money, or doing menial jobs for coin so he can either gain an audience with the Queen (who would surely help him!) or book some kind of passage to the islands to see the Wizard (he grants wishes, you know!).

PART OF YOUR WORLD

[hxppythxughts]

PREMISE:
Sayori is the titular little mermaid from The Little Mermaid! But her tale is inspired by the story as it's told in The Little Mermaid by the San Francisco Ballet. See the synopsis of that version at that link! But the tl;dr is that it's got most of the same story beats as the Hans Christian Andersen original, except he's also a character in it (referred to only as "The Poet") and the power of his own sorrow is what causes the tale of the Little Mermaid to unfold. There's some meta shit in the end where they meet and their connection saves them both from tragedy and they leave in search of a better world.

STORY IN FANELIA:
Andersen is a powerful magical writer hailing from Peppelfen. A little over a year ago, the man he loved married someone else. As he sat on the island's shore to write, his tears washed into the ocean, and magic brought the spirit of his heartbreak to life in a young mermaid, who materialised from the bubbling of a seashell. Enter Sayori! Who has no idea that this is the beginning of her life, she's just excited to be here now. This is where she acquired a bunch of the trinkets from her old inventory; she pulled an Ariel on them and collected most of them from the bottom of the sea!

Later, Andersen is onboard a ship which Sayori sees and follows out of fascination. A man of noble lineage* (who looks awfully similar to Andersen's lost love, what a coincidence) is also aboard, and dives off of it to retrieve a golf ball he accidentally hits into the sea (yes, really.) Sayori is quite taken with this stupid himbo behavior and the funny humans in general. Humans look fun! Land stuff looks fun!

Unfortunately, they've all wandered into the territory* of a Sea Witch who absolutely does not appreciate any of what's happening. See the ballet synopsis for the full rundown because it's basically the same from there. The important notes are as such: as events progress, Andersen is subconsciously influencing Sayori's behavior because of their connection; Sayori's tail (and other parts that allow her to live in the water) are taken for ransom rather than her voice; and she doesn't turn into seafoam. This all takes place over about a month after Sayori's creation.

Following the wedding, Andersen and Sayori finally meet properly, and he tells her of his role in her story. They bond over the shared tragedy basically and set out of the Isles of Sorrow to find a better place to live! As Andersen is a writer, that's what he does wherever they go, and he's been teaching Sayori his craft along the way. So they were basically a set of travelling magical poets for about nine months after the end of the Little Mermaid story.

Six months ago, Queen Monika of the Queendom of Uta took notice of Andersen and Sayori and offered them a home in her queendom! They perform for her court regularly and do a lot of socializing at court functions. Sayori likes the new life she's made, but the knife and the pain in her legs are reminders of the home she's lost. Travelling to the coronation festivities for the Queen of Hearts will be the first time she's represented herself as a poet in her own right instead of Andersen's apprentice (because I don't want to NPC him for this whole event)! She's very excited about it.

*I have kept these things vague in case anyone would like to fill in the particulars with me and incorporate them into their own stories!

NOTES:
♥ Her trinket is the knife the Sea Witch gave her to kill the object of her unrequited love. She doesn't carry it visibly because it's scary but she sure does have it on her person 24/7.
♥ The Sea Witch is absolutely still out there, sometimes wearing her tail like a trophy. Maybe you've seen him! That motherfucker.
♥ She's humanoid but still doesn't perfectly pass for human. Her skin is textured more like dolphin skin, her face still bears markings, and her body language is kind of awkward and sometimes overwrought like she's trying to push through water. Like someone who learned how to swim before they could walk, haha!
♥ Also re: body language, her legs. She hasn't told anyone about her Sad Mermaid Backstory* but the fact is that these are cursed legs and it hurts to walk on them. She's gotten very good at not showing it, but as it goes with chronic pain, some days are worse than others. So she occasionally stumbles or has to sit down rather abruptly, and it does affect her gait as she tries to adjust her weight around to make it hurt less. And sometimes she just chooses to Levitate around instead! It's almost like swimming! Thanks, canon Sayori, for that sweet sweet Wizard path.
♥ Andersen and Sayori are from Peppelfen and travelled all around so basically it's plausible for anyone to have met them before they settled in the Queendom of Uta. And Sayori is very fascinated with things and friendly even if she does not totally understand human social mores! SO LET HER BE YOUR FRIEND, JUST HIT ME UP.
♥ If anyone gave her jewelry for Candlenights before the illusory world, she's wearing it. There are definitely people with matching jewelry out there, so. ;)

*People she has known for a while in the AU may have gotten Hints though. lmk if u would like this to be u

I've also got this info here so I can update it for my own reference and the reference of others as necessary.

Christine | Rapunzel from Disney's Tangled

[aceso]

I'm taking some liberties here, but the main things that are staying the same are her "fish out of water" element, her excitability, and her healing hair. I'm gonna be vague about Mother Gothel stuff, and there's no Flynn Ryder. Basically Christine sees the lights in the sky every year on her birthday and she's on an adventure to find out what they mean. With her chameleon sidekick Pascal and her handy frying pan for protection, she goes off into the world. She keeps her hair braided like in the film to keep it off the ground, and she keeps getting sidetracked by additional adventures, but that's okay because the lights only happen once a year and it's not time just yet!

Things I'd love to do:
— Going on adventures! She loves traveling companions, even if it's just walking with yours to the next town.
— Healing people with her magical healing hair song! Original Christine is a nurse so I had to keep this element.
— Dancing? I'm switching her from a great artist to a great dancer because OG Christine loves dancing! Plus there was that dance segment in the movie and it was cute.
— Dating show! Bring it on. I want to see what develops!

Prooobably not doing a top level this time so let me know where you want Christine and I'll hit you up!

maya | little match girl

[feytality]

IM GONNA EDIT THIS TOMORROW WITH SOME SHIT BUT CHECK OUT LUC'S WRITEUP