Bluebird world
Originally an idea I came up with when I was planning to play around with NDS homebrew...clearly I was too ambitious!
The following is for the most part copied from the original (incomplete) plan I made:
I probably need a better name than "shapeshifter"
Storyline
1. Beginning
(Open with Benjamin's random fic ideas.) <- may change this.
Benjamin is daydreaming during breaktime in class.
Danielle comes over to annoy him with some urban legends.
(Insert some actual urban legends.)
Her current obsession is shapeshifters.
This is in relation to reports of recent sightings of unnatural creatures in the area and the discovery of mangled carcasses of small animals.
She looked it up on the Internet and even has information on a group of self-proclaimed shapeshifters.
Benjamin doesn't believe her, as any sane person would, and brushes her off. Those witnesses were drunk.
Danielle leaves in a huff as always. "She'll be back tomorrow, anyway."
Benjamin heads home after school.
(allow player to wander around the streets, target being home)
Greets his sister, who announces that she just beat his high score on (insert game).
(Show interaction indicating they're close.)
(Also show daily rituals indicating he enjoys the comforts of home.)
At night he lies awake thinking of what Danielle said, not taking it seriously but rather considering it as possible fic material.
The next day is Saturday, so sometime in the morning he goes out for a walk.
(allow player to wander around the house and the streets until they reach the event area)
On the way, on near-deserted streets policemen are cordoning off a destroyed section of a building.
Curious, he walks over to have a closer look.
(CG of destroyed area)
Before the police shoo him off, he sees that the cement and brick wall has been knocked down and there are marks that look like claw and bite marks all over, and they're huge. Perhaps something the size of a bear, but..bears don't have claws and teeth like that, right..?
Most disturbingly, it's covered in blood. Someone was killed. The body itself has thankfully been removed, but the bloodstains are still on the walls and floor.
The sight is incredibly surreal, as if it were out of a movie..but no one's filming a movie. It's all real.
Benjamin continues on his way, but the scene continues to haunt him. Even though he tells himself they'll find out what it was soon.
"I'm pretty sure it won't happen again."
Days pass.
The case isn't solved, and more disturbingly, there have been more attacks.
Danielle reports to him after another occasion in the next week, the third so far, supplemented with further "evidence" that this was the doing of shapeshifters.
Benjamin is slightly unsettled, but doesn't feel extremely worried. Again, he dismisses Danielle's theory.
Other people are worrying though, because they are apparently unsafe even in their homes..walls seem to be torn down easily, and always, there are strong hints that an animal of some sort did it.
(allow player to wander around the streets, target being home)
Benjamin's parents are worried and suggests that both Benjamin and Camille be careful. "Yeah, I know."
At night, lying awake again, he toys with the possibility of the idea- the attacker is intelligent enough to avoid capture. So far, no witnesses have lived. It's as though each attack was planned. But the sample size isn't large enough, so it could have been entirely coincidental.
Yes, it's unnerving, but it doesn't feel like I'm in any danger. I don't know any of the victims. There has to be a pattern to the killings, and I'm not related to it. No one I care about is related.
It won't happen to me.
2. Attack
(Opens with ambulance at scene of a new attack)
Camille is the newest victim of an attack.
She's barely alive, but at least she's alive.
She was attacked on an empty street in broad daylight. Badly injured, but she had the sense to pull out a pair of scissors (after the first few incidents she decided to be more careful) and attack back.
Benjamin is stunned.
Why her, of all people?
(show Benjamin's anguish)
Benjamin is now determined to get back at her attacker in any way he can.
Meanwhile Camille is still knocked out.
After some days, Camille finally comes round and is in a stable situation.
(allow player to wander around, target is the hospital)
When he arrives, someone is already there. He introduces himself as Eugene, a police officer.
Asks about what happened during the attack.
Camille was attacked silently from behind by something resembling a big cat (puma..lion..). It pinned her down and clawed her badly, but she had a free hand with which she withdrew the pair of scissors and randomly jabbed at its face. She happened to hit its eye, and it escaped when people came running in the direction of her yells.
After the required questions, he asks (quietly) if any of them knows anything about shapeshifters.
Benjamin's jaw drops.
Eugene infers that he doesn't, there is no connection there and turns to leave.
Benjamin presses him for more information, but Eugene refuses to say any more. Benjamin chases him down as he leaves and finally breaks down, begging for him to help- he doesn't want anything like this to happen anymore. (he now believes whatever's thrown at him because he's desperate, anything at all, even a small lead will do.)
Eugene considers this for a moment, thinking his resolve might be useful, plus his sister is the only surviving witness, so it could be a good idea to have him around. He relents and gives him his contacts, asking him to meet him another day. For the moment at least, don't mention any of this to anyone else.
On the weekend in the morning, Benjamin heads to the given address.
(allow player to wander around, target is the building (direct player to building next to a given landmark))
(allow player to wander around the building with specific directions to the correct room)
Eugene meets him in an office room. He asks if Benjamin is still just as determined as before, and he is.
Before anything else, he gives Benjamin an impromptu test of his mental ability, which Benjamin passes with flying colours. (minigame!)
From this point on, there is no turning back- even if Benjamin doesn't like what he hears, he cannot back out because he is now a part of this, and the information should not be spread outside the community that already knows this information.
Benjamin (who obviously doesn't know what he's getting into) wants in anyway.
Eugene proceeds to educate Benjamin on shapeshifters. (background info)
Danielle has already shoved this information under Benjamin's nose, although the information she has is not exactly accurate.
In addition, revealing that he is the head of the local branch of an organisation of shapeshifters. (which is what this building is for.
They're currently investigating the attacks. (info on the organisation)
Theory that this was the doing of shapeshifters is not a theory anymore, it's the fact.
Benjamin absorbs this, but is still a little skeptical.
Eugene offers a demonstration, and they move to a larger, empty room. (much of the building is underground.)
Insert flashy demo! Eugene is a pretty strong-looking stag-thing. What was it called? Ah yes, a kirin.
Benjamin is in awe- this is the sort of stuff people write about. (plotbunnies spawn, but are squashed when he remembers he shouldn't say anything about this. Um, is it okay if I exaggerate? It's not like there isn't already any of this on the Internet..)
Benjamin is forced to believe this now.
His own turn comes- to be properly accepted into the ranks he should be a shapeshifter himself. There's a medicine for this purpose, which after an initial bout of agony grants the user the ability to shapeshift into a form which they can't decide on their own.
Cue initial bout of agony as Benjamin's body shifts and adjusts into his shapeshifter form for the first time.
And when everything clears, it seems he's gone missing..or not.
There's a small shape, passed out on the floor.
A..bluebird?
3. Bluebird
Benjamin wakes up a few hours later in the evening, somehow he was returned to human form.
The exertion was pretty large, so he's tired. Eugene says he'll adjust to it, and suggests he go back to rest and return the next day. And once again, keep mum about it- when people start asking questions there'll be no end to it.
(allow player to wander around, target being home)
consider- random attacks don't have much impact. perhaps there really is a pattern- attacking important people, a conspiracy, etc.
---
Some changes have been made here and there.
Arissa is the big bad. Faris (who doesn't appear here) is her helper and the mysterious popular kid at school who's always hanging around Ben.
I'll dig up and organise this information sometime.