✿ CITRINE

[dramatispersonae]

You find yourself in a musty rectangular room floored with tatami. The room is not large, but luckily fits your team without seeming too claustrophobic. It seems to have been set up as a sort of study. There is a low desk against one wall, covered in stacks of paper cards and writing utensils. Near the desk are, of course, cushions for everyone to sit on. A circular latticed window is set into the wall perpendicular to the desk. Bright moonlight filters through, enough to provide illumination for your task. If you look through the window, you can just barely make out the shapes of a shadowy garden beyond and below… you must be at least on the second floor.

The other end of the room is dominated by a large apothecary's chest. There are many, many drawers, but none of them open save for the fourteen in the middle that have been painted with team colors. A hand-lettered sign has been placed on top of the chest: "Please turn in your stories here."

Comments

Round One

[dramatispersonae]

(Game instructions are here!)

Please discuss these answers with your team and submit using the textarea. You can choose the same team more than once in the team selection. Answers are due at 5PST

Where does your character live?
What is your character's backstory?
What do they do every day?
How does this make them feel?
What are three things that would make their life worse?
What are three things that would make their life better?

Choose 1-3 teams whose lives you would like to improve.
Choose 1 team that you think has a good idea of how to make someone miserable.
Choose 1 team to take some of their sadness on yourselves.

[your team]'s character lives [____] When they were a child, they [____]. Now that they are older, every day, they [____]. This makes them feel [____]. Three things that would make their life worse: <li> <li> <li> Three things that would make their life better: <li> <li> <li> <b>Team Selections:</b> Improve their lives (1-3): Good at making someone miserable (1): Take their sadness (1):

Discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Discussion

[trope_attack]

Let's see. We should start with 'once upon a time...'

Re: Discussion

[banded]

That won't be bad, but we need the questions first, I think.

Re: Discussion

[banded]

Hey, Citrine.

Re: Discussion

[trope_attack]

Hi!

Re: Discussion

[madeofsilver]

[looking a little surprised]

Scott.

Re: Discussion

[madeofsilver]

[looking around the room]

So, this is it.

Submission

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Submission

[banded]

Citrine's character lives in a dark room filled with monsters, locked away from the outside for good. There was no one else there. When they were a child, they had a rivalry with their brother, and eventually, their brother, evil, locked them in that room. Now that they are older, every day, they fight with the monsters that force them into hiding in the room. Sometimes they have to fight for food. This makes them feel sad and scared all of the time.

Three things that would make their life worse:

Weapons that they can't use

Food that goes bad quickly, and they have no means of cooking it

No clothing

Three things that would make their life better:

Light and warmth

A better relationship with their evil brother

Someone coming to save them from the room

Team Selections:
Improve their lives (1-3): Ruby and Sapphire
Good at making someone miserable (1): Iolite
Take their sadness (1): Carnelian

Round Two

[dramatispersonae]

Please discuss these answers with your team and submit using the textarea. You can choose the same team more than once in the team selection. [Answers are due at 6PM PST]

What is the worst feeling in the world?
What is the best feeling to have?
What is the worst thing to lose?
What is the best thing to find?

Choose 1-2 teams whose life you would like to improve.
Choose 1 team that you think has a good idea of how to make someone miserable.
Choose 1 team to take some of their sadness on yourselves.
Choose 1 team and come up with a creative way to terrorize them with kindness.

<b>Worst feeling:</b> <b>Best feeling:</b> <b>Worst thing to lose:</b> <b>Best thing to find:</b> <b>Team Selections:</b> Improve their life (2): Good at making someone miserable (1): Take their sadness (1): Creative happiness (1): . . . what do you want to do to them?:

Discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Discussion

[madeofsilver]

Not being able to do anything to help yourself is a pretty bad feeling.

Submission

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Submission

[madeofsilver]

Worst feeling: Not having the strength to protect someone else.
Best feeling: Being in love.
Worst thing to lose: Someone's trust.
Best thing to find: Yourself.

Team Selections:
Improve their life (2): Ruby and Sapphire
Good at making someone miserable (1): Iolite
Take their sadness (1): Carnelian
Creative happiness (1): Carnelian
. . . what do you want to do to them?: Give them puppies, kittens and ducklings.

Round Three

[dramatispersonae]

Citrine's character lives in a dark room filled with monsters, locked away from the outside for good. There was no one else there. When they were a child, they had a rivalry with their brother, and eventually, their brother, evil, locked them in that room. Now that they are older, every day, they fight with the monsters that force them into hiding in the room. Sometimes they have to fight for food. This makes them feel sad and scared all of the time.

One day, things change quite suddenly . . .! Write a paragraph (or more) of their story to include all of the following elements:

Sobriety

To learn that the world changing was their fault

Their brother would manage to come find them.

A nice, warm coat?

No clothing

You MUST use all of these suggestions, and you cannot ADD any additional events (though you can be creative with how you use them).

The teams that played against you in Round 1 were Jasper, Peridot, Turquoise, Iolite.

Discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Discussion

[banded]

... None of these work for our story ...

Submission

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Submission

[banded]

The thing they want most while stuck in this room is alcohol, because they once drank to forget their rivalry with their brother, but their brother forces sobriety on them. Alcohol would help them forget, especially since the monsters talk; they tell him that this is all their fault, that they did this to themselves, that they shouldn't have continued the rivalry with their evil brother. They want to kill one of the monsters for a warm coat made from their fur because they're forced to live naked in the room, but they're afraid that their brother would come find them afterward and take the coat away, so they don't bother.

Final Round

[dramatispersonae]

Citrine's character lives in a dark room filled with monsters, locked away from the outside for good. There was no one else there. When they were a child, they had a rivalry with their brother, and eventually, their brother, evil, locked them in that room. Now that they are older, every day, they fight with the monsters that force them into hiding in the room. Sometimes they have to fight for food. This makes them feel sad and scared all of the time.

The thing they want most while stuck in this room is alcohol, because they once drank to forget their rivalry with their brother, but their brother forces sobriety on them. Alcohol would help them forget, especially since the monsters talk; they tell him that this is all their fault, that they did this to themselves, that they shouldn't have continued the rivalry with their evil brother. They want to kill one of the monsters for a warm coat made from their fur because they're forced to live naked in the room, but they're afraid that their brother would come find them afterward and take the coat away, so they don't bother.

But the story doesn't end here. A friendly team, Peridot, wishes to help cheer your character up with the following story element:

A tall and handsome stranger falls in love with their character and tries to help them out and share their burdens ♥

Continue the story by writing a paragraph (or more) including the gift of kindness, as well as the following elements:

Watching something terrible happen to someone close to you

The feeling of betrayal

A chance from someone you love ♥

Finding new friends

You MUST use all of these suggestions, and you cannot ADD any additional events (though you can be creative with how you use them).

THEN:
Write a happy ending.
Write a bad end.
Which do you prefer, and why?

After you're done, you may proceed to endgame.

<b>Story:</b> <b>Happy Ending:</b> <b>Bad end:</b> <b>Which do you prefer, and why?</b>

Discussion

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Discussion

[banded]

Well ... obviously, the stranger dies.

Submission

[dramatispersonae]

Re: Submission

[banded]

Story: Citrine's character lives in a dark room filled with monsters, locked away from the outside for good. There was no one else there. When they were a child, they had a rivalry with their brother, and eventually, their brother, evil, locked them in that room. Now that they are older, every day, they fight with the monsters that force them into hiding in the room. Sometimes they have to fight for food. This makes them feel sad and scared all of the time.

The thing they want most while stuck in this room is alcohol, because they once drank to forget their rivalry with their brother, but their brother forces sobriety on them. Alcohol would help them forget, especially since the monsters talk; they tell him that this is all their fault, that they did this to themselves, that they shouldn't have continued the rivalry with their evil brother. They want to kill one of the monsters for a warm coat made from their fur because they're forced to live naked in the room, but they're afraid that their brother would come find them afterward and take the coat away, so they don't bother.

One day, a tall and handsome stranger shows up to visit the character and give them warmth. They claim to fall in love immediately, seeing them through a hole in the wall and seeking a way in. This stranger gives them a chance at a better life by speaking to the monsters with a special gift and ensuring that things don't go badly. Through this, the character found love (for they fell in love with the tall and handsome stranger) and they found new friends.

Except ... nothing is ever good. Perhaps the worst things in life are when you find hope again, and you have it stripped away. Irritated by the show of romance, the character's brother steps in one day and proclaims that it was all a charade. They had paid the handsome stranger to come out of nowhere and trick them; it was all a ruse meant to give false hope. Swiftly, the evil brother killed the handsome suitor, knowing that he had to act quickly. So at the same time, the character could not convince themselves they loved someone even if they were never loved back. (And the character did, because they had nothing else in their long, miserable life.) The monsters return to their torment.

Happy Ending: In the happy ending, the suitor doesn't actually die, but pretends to die. Once the brother leaves, the character nurses them back to health, and working to actually convince the monsters of doing good, and that they deserve more than being stuck in a room taunting a poor soul. The suitor did mean to betray them, but over time, had come to love them and understood after living naked with very little food and only the warmth of the character's body.

Eventually, they break free and kick the brother out of the house where the character had originally grown up. He is given a chance at redemption, but he leaves.

Some of the monsters roam free ... but many remain, and they hope to help the character in the event the brothers ever returns. They know their inner strength and how they were never completely broken, and it gives them hope.

Bad end: Before long, the brother makes it worse, taunting and taunting, waving the fact that no one would ever love the character in their face. Eventually, they try to break free ... but the monsters don't let it happen. The conditions worsen, and the room ... magically, because magic exists in this world if there are monsters, becomes smaller and more cramped.

Even with the conditions worsened, they are never allowed to die, and they're only meant to live this way.

Which do you prefer, and why? The good ending, because it ends well and with the character in love. The character has found hope and has still found the strength to give someone terrible a chance ... even if they might not deserve it.