IOLITE

[dramatispersonae]

[You are standing in an amphitheatre constructed of off-white marble with several rows of seats surrounding you on all sides; in the performance space at the bottom is another banquet table, with fourteen different crowns placed upon it. They are, in no particular order:

A jeweled tiara lined with diamonds
A crown of wheat
A faded kokoshnik
A coronet with its jewels missing
A gold diadem
A civic crown made out of oak leaves
A mural crown
A naval crown missing a sail
A hoop crown missing the top insignia
A crown of thorns
A striped nemes
A crown of dandelions
A plain modius
A coronation crown with beading on the side falling off]

Comments

PART ONE

[dramatispersonae]

[Mr. Right's voice echoes quietly off the amphitheatre walls, sounding closer than normal.]

Ladies and jellybeans, it's my pleasure to inform you that you've all been chosen as potential heirs to the throne of your own little kingdom. Isn't that something? Ah, but there's only room for one at the top, so you'll have to make sure you impress me enough to earn that title. We'll find out later on how much potential is really in you. Now I know most of you don't got experience with this sort of thing, so I'll guide you through the process. Think hard about what kinda ruler you'd like to be. King, queen, prince, princess, duke, duchess, marquis, marquise--pick whichever title suits you. I'm fond of "emperor" myself. Regardless, every monarch's gotta have a mark of their autonomy, so your first task is to pick a crown--any crown. Make sure it's one you can hold onto, though--once it's on your head, it won't be easy to keep it. And if you do, make sure you're prepared to carry its weight.

((Each team member present picks a crown from the pile to wear; one team member per crown, please. ONCE YOUR CHARACTER HAS DECIDED ON A CROWN, IT WILL NOT COME OFF. If you arrive past part one, make sure whatever crown you choose is not one that's already been chosen by your teammates.))

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[shipwithwings]

[JEWELRY!!!!!]

Oh!

Re: DISCUSSION

[arbiterary]

[picks up the crown of wheat]

Oh...?

Re: DISCUSSION

[sticksofthejedi]

[eying the civic crown]

I suppose politics could run in the family.

Re: DISCUSSION

[playfreebird]

...Somehow it seems unlikely, but I'll play along.

Re: DISCUSSION

[uroboric]

[eying the crown of thorns]

Mixing some religion in now. . .?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[shipwithwings]

[ A jeweled tiara lined with diamonds ]

Re: DECISION

[sticksofthejedi]

[Jaina's taking up the civic crown.]

Re: DECISION

[uroboric]

[Kyouko - diadem]

Re: DECISION

[arbiterary]

[crown of wheat]

Re: DECISION

[playfreebird]

[takes the coronet, whatever]

PART TWO

[dramatispersonae]

[Mr. Right's voice comes echoing through again, sounding amused]

Ain't you all looking fancy. But good looks and a winning smile aren't enough--trust me, I know. Question is, do you think you deserve that kind of title? Regal-looking or not, you've got to walk the walk and talk the talk. And a ruler's just a nobody if they can't reach deep into the hearts of their subjects. What makes you so special? You got to think about what being a leader really means to you, and how you'd handle it in particular. The first thing every ruler needs to address is what kinda rules they're laying down. So here's your second task: figure out how you'd pluck the heartstrings of your vassals--in this case, your teammates--and play me a sweet tune.

Sounds pretty open-ended, right? Well, like everything in life, there's a catch: those crowns aren't just shiny little decorations. They've been worn before, and inherited certain... traits from all those past generations. And there's one piece of advice all those old dead guys can agree on: if you want to avoid being usurped, you'd better live up to your predecessors.

[If you chose the jeweled tiara, your trait is: HATEFUL.
If you chose the crown of wheat, your trait is: SORROWFUL.
If you chose the kokoshnik, your trait is: LYING.
If you chose the coronet, your trait is: CHARISMATIC.
If you chose the diadem, your trait is: PESSIMISTIC.
If you chose the civic crown, your trait is: OPTIMISTIC.
If you chose the mural crown, your trait is: BRAVE.
If you chose the naval crown, your trait is: MOURNFUL.
If you chose the hoop crown, your trait is: FLIRTATIOUS.
If you chose the crown of thorns, your trait is: RECKLESS.
If you chose the nemes, your trait is: ANXIOUS.
If you chose the crown of dandelions, your trait is: WHIMSICAL.
If you chose the modius, your trait is: SERIOUS.
If you chose the coronation crown, your trait is: IGNORANT.

((The second task is a speech! Your character must perform as a monarch giving orders with the trait listed to their chosen crown. Their purpose is to address rules and regulations with your teammates as your subjects, but feel free to interpret this however you like! You can go full-on monologue or soliloquy, or do a simple list, or whatever. Be ~creative~! If you arrive late, please specify which crown you're wearing in your comment.))

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[shipwithwings]

Oh, that is easy enough.

Re: DISCUSSION

[uroboric]

Pessimistic?

Re: DISCUSSION

[arbiterary]

What would I have to be sorrowful about.

Re: DISCUSSION

[sticksofthejedi]

Odd arrangement.

Re: DISCUSSION

[playfreebird]

[lol no]

SPEECHES

[dramatispersonae]

Re: SPEECHES

[shipwithwings]

[sits neatly with his tail looped over his feet and wings folded to his back. but his neck is arched and his ruff is flared out wide.]

I am Commodore Temeraire as elevated by Admiral Jane Roland in the year 1807. I am Lung Tien Xiang, second egg of Lung Tien Quan and brother to Lung Tien Chuan. I am Obsidian of Iolite as so named by Yuta.

I am the dragon and my will is law. Those who please me shall be praised and rewarded, while those that raise my ire shall suffer most severely, with the most wretched offenders torn and fed to the rockziles.

That is all. If you must ask what my expectations are, then you've no hope of meeting them to begin with.

Re: SPEECHES

[sticksofthejedi]

[Taking a moment for a deep breath, composing herself.]

The galaxy has problems. We've all lost and suffered in some way -- and we can all deal with it in our own manner. The important thing is to keep moving forward. We know what problems there are -- so we need to act. And that includes remembering that nothing is perfect. There's no one thing that will make everything absolutely right. We can, however, start with something and build on it as things go and we see what is working and isn't.

I've told others before, and I'll say it again. I'm not interested in measures of retribution. As Chief of State, I have a responsibility to look to the future, not the past.

To my knowledge, trade interests are nearly self-regulating, so we can look at that when a problem does come to light. More important is establishing relief efforts for those that have particular needs above and beyond or whose circumstances have them worse off, as well as the establishment of deterrents to inflicting unnecessary harm. Again, not with a mind to retribution -- deterrents.

The Chief of State's office will take all input on these topics, and from the advice, we can, in fact, find a productive course of action. We will build a better system.

Re: SPEECHES

[uroboric]

Pessimism, huh. . . fine, whatever.

There's no point in even making this speech, 'cause we're just gonna lose anyway. I dunno why Iolite even bothers coming out, when we just rank last over and over again. I'd order all you guys to just stay home and save us the effort but I know you'd never listen to me anyway.

So just pass the time or whatever 'til the game's done and we can go home empty-handed. If we even make it back, 'cause this game's taking so long it's probably gonna be dusk and we'll just be slaughtered anyway. Whoever actually does make it back can just not bother to get out of bed tomorrow morning, there's no point.

That's all. Don't bother with question, just accept your shitty fates and move on.

PART THREE...?

[dramatispersonae]

[Mr. Right's voice can be heard, low and reverberating as though coming from inside your own chest--but he only laughs... and then, abruptly, the crowns you are all wearing trigger an effect.

If you are wearing the tiara or the crown of wheat, you are suddenly overcome with the urge to cry.
If you are wearing the kokoshnik or the coronet, you lose your voice completely.
If you are wearing the diadem or the civic crown, you are suddenly overcome with lust.
If you are wearing the mural crown or the naval crown, you suddenly feel incredibly clingy or in need of physical affection.
If you are wearing the hoop crown or the crown of thorns, you suddenly recall your worst memory and are unable to put it out of your mind.
If you are wearing the nemes or the crown of dandelions, you are suddenly overcome with violent urges.
If you are wearing the modius or the coronation crown, you are suddenly overcome with the urge to scream.

Mr. Right speaks, sounding darkly amused.]

I told you, didn't I? A crown's a weighty thing. Too bad--guess I'll have to keep looking for someone better.

[With a sudden jerk, you are brought back to the Ring.]