Zurnt

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Anybody waiting on someone?

Season 23 - Interest Check

Reincarnate - Season 23 Box set Now Available!

The year is 1991, and it Smells Like Teen Spirit and flannel in here. Oh look, a new show is coming out next year!

In 1992, a television show about a group of people who discover that they are reincarnated versions of mythical creatures airs on your local schlock television network and gains a sudden and vibrant response. The plots and characters are a little cheesy, but the special effects are amazing! The critics could have sworn that goblin-shaped puppet was actually real! Welcome to your very own 20+ year long television show! Characters will be killed off and replaced, the villains will eventually be your love interests or reluctant allies, and one of you will probably get your own spin-off show and receive lukewarm reviews. Oh wait. All of that already happened? It's 2015 and the show has yet to be cancelled. All of the original characters - the ones that didn't die or ascend or go into life-long comas - have grown up. They have kids who are young adults and even some of those young adults are already having kids! How scandalous! The plots are still just as dramatic as ever, but the inclusion of hip lingo and all sorts of cool techno gadgets are making sure the show always keeps up with the times. There's even one guy who is a nerdy computer hacker! Tina from Minnesota writes in that he's her favorite character, and she has, like, 20 slashfics written about him. Whatever that means... You will be playing the characters in this show. Not the actors, the characters. You have no idea that you're in a television show, and the very idea is preposterous to you. So what if a new bad guy shows up every other year? So what if you've already died like, five times? So what if that guy suddenly changes appearance, voice, and habits, he was reincarnated! Just ignore the plot holes in your own life and live the way you are suddenly and inexplicably compelled to! This concept isn't one I've had buzzing around in my head for very long, so it's not all-inclusive or especially well thought-out at the moment. That said, this is an interest check before anything else. I'll require the help of the players to establish the 20+ year long character relationships and history of the show. You'll also need to feel comfortable with all varieties of plot holes and cheap excuses for things. This is a roleplay using TV drama logic. There will be a lot of opportunities for players to take on multiple characters, or at least the occasional one-off characters, and it won't be odd for characters to die or change allegiances and personalities. If you grew up watching shows like this then you should know what I mean. I would post a CS skeleton or something like that, but right now I just want to see who - if anyone - is interested and what KIND of character they would be looking to play. Like I said, almost everyone will have SOME relation to another character. They could be a son, daughter, mother, father, best friend, niece, nephew, rival, archenemy, etc... And I want everyone to be on the same page when they start putting these bonds together. New characters (characters new to the show) will be kept to a minimum, and they won't stay on long unless they're popular (ie. They become important to the story or everyone really likes them). They will most likely be villains or plot devices at first, and if nobody wants to play them I as the GM will happily oblige. For the time being just let me know if you are interested. If I think there are enough people available I'll create an official OOC and we can post more comfortably about characters and plot lines there. If anybody wants to ask questions or discuss things relevant to the outline in this thread I don't have a problem with it, but please keep it to a mild roar so that things don't get too spammed. Thank you, and Welcome!

Something Wicked This Way Comes

I imagine Hector is usually a bit more confident and collected, he's just really out of his element right now.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Ah. I finally managed to post. Sorry for the delay, things got busy for a bit. Wait, what? When did Hector get popular?

Something Wicked This Way Comes

To put it bluntly, it felt awkward. Hector wasn't the type to rebuff a young woman for grabbing onto him, probably because it had never before happened in his short, sad life. Grown women were an uncommon lot in Hector's tiny world, though he had had all but raised three young girls before this. Teo, Sophie, and Grace. He wished briefly that he could have done more for them. Hector shook the sudden surge of melancholy from his thoughts and finally took notice of the bizarrely firm grip and seemingly explosive vigor the young woman possessed. "Weren't women supposed to be weak in the arms?" he mused. True, she may have been strong, but some part of Hector was still confident that he could hold his ground if he tried. He wasn't just getting dragged along at somebody else's pace, was he? "Hua - What?" he blurted out quietly. Hector didn't have the luxury to think through what he was going to say next, and the thought paralyzed his tongue with indecision. It was not an unusual feeling for the day, and the circumstances were quickly working to change it to his default demeanor. He was going to introduce himself to the emperor? The massive man and his - wife - that Hector would have felt far more comfortable not getting to know better at this point. He almost dug his feet into the ground, but something like common sense told him that would have simply made matters worse. Rather, it was no action that was the poignant choice if he wanted to save face. This woman was just trying to help him, that's all. That's all. "G'davening yer majesty, n-name's Hector. C-cook..." Hector muttered through the corner of his mouth, bowing with a back as straight as a board and hands nervously tucked into his pockets. It would have been barely audible even if the mysterious girl hadn't popped forward and spoken up on her own, but in this case he was certain that the emperor hadn't heard him. He was more grateful for it than not. "G'davening!? G'davening!?" What in the world was that supposed to mean? His tongue had gotten tied. He had literally gotten night and day mixed up! Rather... he had mixed them together? Hector felt like he was going to go as red as a pot of beet stew, but the Emperor had already dismissed him with a nonchalant greeting. At once the feeling dispersed and Hector felt a weight slip off his shoulders. That's right. He was a poor person. There was no need for the emperor to bother with a poor person. There wasn't one reason Hector could think of for anyone who was anyone to pay attention to him. It was the way of the world that he already knew too well, and it brought him back to his tiny shack far away from adventures and knights and palace gardens... Finally. There was nothing like the stinging blade of prejudice to make him feel at ease. He only wished his pride could have survived the trip. Oh right, there was the woman? lady? girl? that had forced him over here in the first place. He might not have remembered his place if not for her help. Looking at her prodded his feelings of gratitude to the point of mild thanks, and Hector set out to immediately repay his debt. That was to say, he would give her a pull in return for her push. He grabbed her by the upper arm and dragged her from behind, his mouth opening instinctively as the memories from his years of childcare came flooding back to him, "It's not good to point out other people's appearances," he said, "you'll embarrass them." The words came out of his mouth as a firm yet sincere admonishment. At no point did any of those red-colored feelings cloud his thoughts. It seemed as if they were completely overpowered by his instinct to lecture. Hector hadn't gone but a few feet with the words just barely passing his lips before the emperor's royal pipes called from behind him. The sound of the man's voice made him stop in his tracks, and his heart buzzed a little with excitement. It was a nice feeling. Was this what they called charisma? And then the horses came. Oh boy... Horses. Hector had a strange relationship with the beasts of burden that carried the weight of mankind on their sturdy shoulders. If you were to say, introduce the young cook to a skilled stable master, he would praise him as a savant. It was as if he could understand what they wanted, how they thought and felt, and they trusted him like they would their oldest companions. He wasn't skilled, but he was talented, and it wasn't limited to just horses. There were too many times when Hector had to resist eating the occasional stray that came to him seeking a new friend. Simply put, he was good with animals. The only problem was that Hector had never actually ridden before. He'd never had the chance, and even if he had he wouldn't have been able to. The very thought of it terrified him. Entrusting his body to another... even an animal. It was something that made his insides squirm without relent. Hector was very much the type destined to keep his feet firmly on the ground. "I'm walking... I'm definitely walking..." Hector thought to himself, his face painted with a sour expression as the horses approached. The arrival of the beasts came with a frenzy of activity as the others picked out their mounts for the journey ahead. It seemed like the daffodil and the caterpillar could both ride. That was a bit disheartening... Wait, what was that? Someone was talking to him. A women he had let go completely unnoticed until now. Definitely a first for him. Hector was proud of his body, his eyes included, and he had trained himself to be wary of strangers. Something immediately set off an alarm in in his head, a flash of discomfort showed in his eyes, and then it was gone. It was as if the woman was just - normal. Well, as normal as any soldier or mercenary anyways. This was definitely the type he was used to seeing in the Spotted Trout. "You think... I should ask for a weapon?" Hector repeated carefully. He thought, "Maybe in exchange for leaving the horse..." Already the woman's chosen mount, the big grayish one, was bumping him with its snout. It was, to say the least, uncharacteristic behavior for a trained warhorse. Not that Hector could tell that it was trained for anything other than being a horse. Of course, by this point Hector had completely forgotten that he was still holding onto the arm of the young woman, and his hand was slowly growing warmer.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Got mine coming tomorrow.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Hmm. Now I'm having trouble figuring out what Hector is going to do next...

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Alright, I positioned Hector for maximum self-esteem issues.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Hector felt like he was standing out no matter how hard he tried to appear small. Why would people who had never been interested in paupers in their life now pass him one of those dull appraising looks? Was it because he stood out too much in the garden in his ratty shirt and pants? Even his shoes that he had proudly patched together brought him no comfort. Was this journey going to be possible if they kept giving him those guarded looks of disappointment? The dawning of realization in Hector's body had a more significant impact on him than the one on his mind. It was as if a massive chain had been draped around his shoulders, squeezing the air out of his lungs. The distance between him and the other volunteers all at once seemed like an impossible gap to bridge. As if he were about to collapse from the strain his mind pulled straws left and right, desperately searching for some semblance of value that he could hold on to. Hector gave his thumb a quick, sharp bite. Immediately the pain flooded out the irrational thoughts and brought him back to a more alert state. "That's right," Hector mentally firmed his resolve, "I already left everything behind. It's too late to go back now. I just gotta work twice as hard to make up for the difference. Introductions... Introductions are important." Hector cooled his head and quickly scanned the gardens for an opportunity to make himself known, but the scene had become altogether more chaotic than the one he remembered from moments ago. The garden's numbers had swelled, at least in comparison to the previous lot. Four armored combatants, two of them even astride horses, stood circled near the entrance of the garden. Ah... One of them was another beautiful woman. Hector had just inoculated himself to the foreign feelings from earlier, partly by keeping his line of sight to the Empress as far from direct as possible, but he would be lying if he said there wasn't another thump in his chest. If the Empress was a jewel then this woman was probably... a flower? Daisy. She was definitely a daisy. It was as if his mind had adamantly omitted the gilded armor and the smoldering lance that seemed to threaten the imminent skewering of anyone who dared cross her. Nope. In Hector's mind he perfectly pictured the woman as a flower and the other three as... a bumble bee. The one just to the right of the daisy was definitely like a brightly colored bee, obstinately buzzing around the flower and making a racket. The woman in front was was with the Emperor earlier, that was a woman wasn't it? She certainly didn't give off the air of a flower. That one was more like a little kitchen spider, busily spinning her web and catching any stray flies that wandered in. Hector had always liked spiders, they kept to themselves and ate the more annoying bugs. It was the last one that sent a chill up Hector's spine. Snake. There was no other word for the paralyzing gaze that hid itself behind the man's face mask. The peaceful garden scene felt overcast by the presence of a great, steely-eyed serpent, and Hector quickly decided he wanted nothing more to do with the events in that direction. That was definitely not a place where his current self could stand. On the other hand, there was yet another small group forming. Hector's mental image of the garden breached the surface of his mind with renewed vigor at this seemingly more peaceful scene. This group didn't really seem all that different than the one before, but it had a significantly tamer aura. What Hector saw was a pair of daffodils, pretty yellow flowers swaying in a gentle breeze, and around them was coiled a long, greasy caterpillar. The older of the two girls was probably around his age, maybe a bit younger? It was really difficult to tell with girls, since he hadn't seen too many of them that weren't children. The little one looked like she was someone important given the caterpillar's reaction to her, but that just made Hector all the more uncomfortable. In truth it was mostly the caterpillar that bothered him. Hector was never very good with the dandy, book carrying type that hung around certain parts of the city. Unlike the nobles who simply didn't care or didn't know about the affairs of the poor, these ones always regarded him as some kind of naturally occurring city-dwelling fungus. It sent a shiver up his spine in a totally different sense. "No good over there either huh..." he gave off the clear vibe of a young man deep in thought, and despite his best efforts, ended up standing by himself again. The gap had literally become wider.

Something Wicked This Way Comes

I still need to get around to reading that. I just reread the whole original series myself, so I'm also to blame for exacerbating the subject matter. Edit: My apologies Sana.