RUBY

[dramatispersonae]

[You're in an oval, almost egg-shaped room, with a high dome and clear walls that allow you to see the other team's rooms, although you can't hear them. In the middle of the room is a table, with some of the items from the Ring scattered about. An ornate book lays there as well, open to the first page:]

"There were formerly a king and a queen, who were so sorry that they had no children; so sorry that it cannot be expressed. They went to all the waters in the world; vows, pilgrimages, all ways were tried, and all to no purpose.

At last, however, the Queen had a daughter. There was a very fine christening; and the Princess had for her god-mothers all the fairies they could find in the whole kingdom (they found seven), that every one of them might give her a gift, as was the custom of fairies in those days. By this means the Princess had all the perfections imaginable."

The Princess is already wonderful, isn't she? What more could you want in a princess?

Comments

INSTRUCTIONS

[dramatispersonae]

All characters receive this information as they enter the room.

Your goal is to build the best princess you can imagine! Your starter princess already has the benefit of modifiers like beauty, wit, grace, dance, song, and music. You have 8 units of ??? to decide where she goes from here!

(You can't quite remember what the units you were given are units of. If you try to focus on that word, it feels like it could be something like "struggle" or "effort," but that's not quite right…)

There will be one round to decide your Princess’s outfit and accessories and justify those decisions, a second round with an opportunity for customized input, and a third for wrapping up and adding more details if you like. DO NOT worry if your selections mean you have units left over, as scoring will be based on your reasoning for each choice in Round 1 and on your creativity and reasoning in Rounds 2 and 3, not on units spent. While all rounds have an important effect on the outcome of the game, the later rounds have the potential for the greatest score impact if used wisely. Please manage your time/discussion with that in mind!

You will receive a final outcome for your Princess in a specific situation depending on what you input, and the cumulative effect of everyone’s efforts will be seen at endgame.

ROUND ONE

[dramatispersonae]

[The book opens itself to the next page. Handwriting in a flowing script that is magically comprehensible even to those who can't read appears on the paper, and you know that the book will record your answer even if you can't write it in on the provided lines. There's a strange sensation when you run your eyes over that ???illegible? word...]

Please choose one item from each list (Clothes, Shoes, Hands, and Accessories). You have 8 units of ??? total to spend on your choices. Justify your choice for each item with an explanation of that choice, even if part of your explanation is "I didn't have enough left to get what I wanted and got this instead."

Clothes
Light armor set. | (costs 3 units)
Simple but elegant dress, cut for free movement. | (costs 2 units)
Beautifully rich and luxurious gown, suitable for a palace. | (costs 0 units)

Shoes
Tough, practical boots. | (costs 3 units)
Decorative but sturdy shoes. | (costs 2 units)
Soft, heavily-embroidered thin slippers. | (costs 0 units)

Hands
Sword and shield. | (costs 3 units)
A heavy book. | (costs 2 units)
A spindle. | (costs 0 units)

Accessories
A full-face helmet and gorget, protecting the head and neck. | (costs 3 units)
A sterling silver key necklace. | (costs 2 units)
A lantern. | (costs 0 units)

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[puppy_loves]

[holds out a paw] It is good to be working with you. I see we are going largely for categories that include fighter, leader, and ...symbolic?

Re: DISCUSSION

[primetimehero]

[ squints at the ???? ]

We're raising a kid?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[primetimehero]

Clothes - 0 units, because you can just like, rip off whatever part you don't need in that dress and make it as comfortable as you see fit and really who needs to be fashionable who even NEEDS clothes
Shoes - 3 units, because you need sturdy shoes for all terrain so you can walk a hundred mile journey! sturdy shoes to never fail Beauty so she can tough it out
Hands - 2 units, THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD and she can use the book to hit things with it. But knowledge is power & if she's seeking to change the Story then she can get like a pen to cross stuff out in the Book and rewrite it herself, she has the Power
Accessories - 2 units because Sterling is there for her, to back her up - she's not alone!

ROUND TWO

[dramatispersonae]

[The book turns its own page again. This one looks a little different...]

Design a custom accessory or item for your Princess! You can only give her one item, and the item cannot be a person, but otherwise there is no limitation as to what the item can be. You must explain why you chose to give her this item, and the meaning behind it.

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[puppy_loves]

...Would this be the place to give her a pen, then, as you suggested?

Re: DISCUSSION

[primetimehero]

Dude. Teleportation!!

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[primetimehero]

A MAGICAL PEN THAT GIVES HER THE ABILITY TO BEND AND ALTER REALITY AS SHE WISHES by writing into that book of hers. Or in Shinjiro's words, "a special pen imbued with the power of her will, to make sure that what she writes has a real effect"

ROUND THREE

[dramatispersonae]

[The page turns one more time, revealing a space for a small drawing and quite a lot of text under the instructions.]

Provide a final summary of your Princess! This can include personality and history, or be a simple cumulative description of her appearance and personal style. You can include a drawing, if you like.

((ooc: This is where you can add a Dreamselfy link with your text answer. You know you want to.))

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[puppy_loves]

Do we wish to mention that her personality is recognizable as our Sleeping Beauty or-?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DECISION

[puppy_loves]

I believe the Princess's personality may be recognizable as Sleeping Beauty. She is kind and sensitive, but determined to do what she thinks is right, whether it is protecting the world from darkness, trying to save her prince, or break her own role. Her clothes indicate that she is starting from opulence but willing to make the changes needed, as do both the book and pen, representing the will to change, and her sturdy workboots show that she will walk as far as she must, while her key shows her tie to Aather, the knights, and all who support her. All add to the idea of Sleeping Beauty having her own choices.

[Our drawing]

BONUS ROUND

[dramatispersonae]

[This question appears at the bottom of the page where you've been recording your choices once you're finished. You know without looking at it that answering it won't affect your game results… but maybe someone's reading this.]

If your Princess was separated from her Prince by grave danger, what would you think she should do about it? Do you think she would be well prepared to do that, based on the choices you have made?

DISCUSSION

[dramatispersonae]

Re: DISCUSSION

[primetimehero]

[ mmm ]

. . . I dunno if that's something you can be well-prepared for, but I'm sure she can find him. . . .

Re: DISCUSSION

[puppy_loves]

Ah... I believe that was the goal of this exercise, yes?

DECISION

[dramatispersonae]

FINAL RESULT

[dramatispersonae]

Re: FINAL RESULT

[dramatispersonae]

[You see that your Princess is awake, animated. She stands amid her knights and gives them directions, then watches them ride off over the hill without her to find her Prince and bring him home. She wants to follow… but you're not sure if she will or not.]

((to endgame.))