August Time Skip #1 : Books
UPCOMING TIME SKIP: WHERE READING COMES ALIVE
08/12/10 - 08/15/10
THE SET-UP: The library has always been rather innocuous. Its quiet rows of shelves never bothered anyone. That is, until now. The room hasn't made any noises, or glowed bright lights, or begun to speak; no, there's just been a feeling, an instinct, that every person has been feeling that compels them to stop for a moment. It doesn't matter that most of them don't have a key to enter and that the few that do find nothing unusual within. That is, except that a few books are missing...
SETTING: That's odd. Why is this book sitting on the flood in the middle of the hall, on the corner of the table in the dining hall, out in the garden, among the shelves of the armory? Because as soon as you touch it, you become a part of the story. Characters will remember touching the book and know precisely where they are; whether or not they know the story is another matter.
Each character will take the place of one of the established characters of the book (ie Henry Letham might become Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes) and, along with the others pulled into that book, must complete the goal of the story's original. Characters will appear as themselves to others from the house, but as their replaced self to others from the book (ie Henry would appear as Henry to himself and Castiel, but as Watson to Sherlock and the Police Chief); mirrors will reflect the book's character/replaced self. Characters will also take on slight characteristics of whomever they have replaced, but will primarily maintain their own personalities.
The books:
Wizard of Oz
A little girl, Dorothy, is lost. Accompanied by a scarecrow, a tin man, and a lion, she is trying to find her way around Oz, a magical and bizarre land, in order to speak to the Wizard to find her way back to Kansas. A place of the “lollipop guild”, yellow brick roads, Emerald cities, and flying monkeys, the characters here will never be bored.
NPCs: The Lollipop Guild, the residents of the Emerald City, flying monkeys (minions of the Wicked Witch), the Wicked Witch, and (can be MOD-run) the Wizard himself.
The goal: Defeat the Wicked Witch of the West and find the Wizard in order to escape.
Characters:
- Dorothy : a young girl, trying to get home. (Brooke Davis)
- Scarecrow : a smart guy, he's just a bit forgetful. (Maxwell Smart)
- Tin Man : a stiff but caring man. (Castiel)
- Lion : a non-confrontational yet courageous guy. (Rose Tyler)
Northern Lights (better known as "The Golden Compass")
Lyra is a schoolgirl whose uncle, Lord Asriel, has discovered something amazing. After her best friend, Roger, is kidnapped by "the Gobblers", Lyra accepts an apprenticeship with the glamorous Mrs Coulter (not knowing Coulter is the leader of the Gobblers). The headmaster entrusts Lyra with an alethiometer before she leaves. After eavesdropping to learn the truth and escaping, she is rescued by Gyptians and speaks with Serafina Pekkala. She then later meets Lee Scoresby, a cowboy of sorts, with his airship and Iorek Byrnison, a polar bear. They all travel to the north in order to save Roger and kids like him from the horrible experiments the Gobblers are performing on them (in which the children are cut off from their daemons and thus inevitably die).
NPCs: Lord Asriel, Roger, the Gyptians, Iorek Byrnison, all daemons, the Gobblers, and (option of MOD-run) Mrs Coulter.
The goal: Meet up with Lee, Iorek, and Serafina and head north to battle Gobblers and rescue the kids from losing their daemons. Also, stop Mrs Coulter.
Characters:
- Lyra : a young and rambunctious girl that's not afraid of anything. (unclaimed)
- Lee Scoresby : a nonchalant western badass. (unclaimed)
- Serafina Pekkala : the cool-headed and wise queen of the witches. (unclaimed)
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe
Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are sent to live with an older gentleman in his mansion. While playing hide-and-seek, Lucy, the youngest, discovers the wardrobe and goes to visit Tumnus. Edmund follows her in and, instead, runs into the White Witch, who is the cruel ruler of Narnia and has turned the kingdom into a frozen wasteland. They return. Some days later, the four all hide in the wardrobe and stumble into Narnia to find that Tumnus has been arrested. Edmund escapes to go find the Witch, whom treats him poorly when he returns without his siblings (there's a prophecy about them, see). The three remaining siblings find the lion, Aslan, the true ruler of Narnia. Together with Aslan, the three confront the Witch.
NPCs: Aslan, Edmund, Mr. and Mrs. Beaver who helped the kids find Aslan, the wolves that work for the Witch, and (option of MOD-run) the White Witch.
The goal: The three must find Aslan, then away to the White Witch's castle where they must defeat the White Witch, rescue Edmund, and restore the creatures who have been turned to stone back to their original form.
Characters:
- Peter : the oldest, protective, courageous and a hero. (unclaimed)
- Susan : gentle but determined, a girl with gusto; skeptical. (unclaimed)
- Lucy : the youngest and most believing. (unclaimed)
The Three Musketeers
D'Artagnan travels to Paris because he wants to become a Musketeer, the king's elite guard and the kingdom's protectors. He runs into three Musketeers of note: Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Together, the four help the French queen. Eventually, they meet Milady de Winter, ex-wife of Athos, only to discover a plot where she is meant to kill the Duke of Buckingham (as ordered by the Cardinal). The Musketeers send word to her husband, who imprisons her, but she escapes. They must track her down in France and put an end to her crimes.
NPCs: The Cardinal Richelieu, the Duke of Buckingham, various townspeople and Musketeers, the Lord de Winter, D'Artagnan, and (option of MOD-run) Milady de Winter.
The goal: The three Musketeers and the NPC D'Artagnan must first meet and recognize Milady de Winter, then hunt her down and stop her. Optional: Confronting the Cardinal and/or saving the Duke.
Characters:
- Athos : a secretive, protective, and fatherly sort of man. (unclaimed)
- Porthos : the extrovert who enjoys wine, women, and fun. (Dean Winchester)
- Aramis : an ambitious and unsatisfied but loyal man. (Amy Pond)
THINGS TO NOTE: Two characters may also remain outside of the books to attempt to figure out why this is happening and to put a stop to it.
SO WHAT CAN I DO?
- Get lost in reading: Fall into one of the stories and attempt to work out its plot and goals with your companions.
- Don't judge a book by its cover: People are disappearing. It's your job to figure out why and how to fix it.
- I'll see the movie: Not feeling it? Your character is welcome to carry on with their lives and ignore what's going on around them.
TL;DR
You get pulled into a book with some other people and have to act out its plot. If you have any ideas to add, please don't hesitate to give them.
TRYING SOMETHING NEW:
Comments to this post will be screened. Please reply with your first, second, and third choices for ideal character (at least one from a different book). Roles will be assigned and revealed as soon as I have enough people to do so; I will attempt to put people together based on activity levels. This is to encourage players to play with others they might not have interacted with before. :]
Roles will be assigned in a new post, where people can then plot together by comments. Have fun!