A small white and blue house sits on the edge of a cliff, overlooking crashing waves. A witch’s son has taken over the family business and operates out of this small house. Pressured to take over the trade, the boy grows up having never known anything else. Although he has taken over the business, everyone avoids him because witches are supposedly bad luck, and so he spends most of his days alone with his herbs and books.Â
In a forest near the cliff, a small wooden house stands in the middle of a small clearing. A book collector’s son lives here on his own with his father’s old belongings. He has lived a happy life but his father grew sick and died and he now spends most of his days alone, looking for his father in his books and researching, occasionally going out to help his cousin who lives nearby.
His cousin regularly goes deep into the mountains late at night with wax figures that she has created herself. She arranges them in a circle before lighting them, one by one, and sitting and staring at them until they go out. Her cousin thinks it is all a little strange but he often helps her to set them up or he watches her for a little while before going back to his house in the forest.Â
By chance, the book collector’s son and the witch’s son meet. Initially, they are both wary of each other since they have both been alone for so long. Slowly and carefully, the start to become friends, although they keep many details of their life secret from the other. The witch’s son does not want to let on that he is a witch because he is afraid that the book collector’s son will think that he is bad luck. The book collector’s son does not tell him of his cousin because he doesn’t think of it.Â
Unbeknownst to the book collector’s son or his cousin, her rituals are gradually making the mountain start to come alive and this magic makes inanimate objects come to life as well. As his cousin continues her work, her wax figures eventually melt together to form a strange melted creature with a still-lit wick. The creature escapes into the forest while the boy’s cousin calls frantically after it.Â
The book collector’s son hears the commotion outside and gets ready to go out to explore. As he opens the door, his books start to come alive as well and they band together to form a hideous face (somewhat like a Picasso painting).Â
The monster flies at him and the book collector’s son swats at it, accidentally slashing one of the books in the process. The books return to their original form and fall to the ground with a heavy thud but they soon begin to regroup into the painting-like thing. Without thinking, he grabs whatever books he can and runs blindly out into the forest.
As he runs through the woods, he meets the witch’s son, who has been frantically searching for him in order to warn him of the mountain animating itself. Although the witch’s son had been aware of the possibility of the mountain coming alive, he had not known that anyone lived on the mountain or in the forest and did not truly believe that it would happen in the first place.Â
The witch’s son brings his friend back to his house on the cliff and they decide that they will work together to find the boy’s cousin the next day.Â
As the book collector’s son sleeps, he dreams that he is in a dim red room with high ceilings, held up by black pillars, and yellow lights hanging down from the rafters. He dreams that he is being chased by lizard-like creatures through this strange room and he eventually arrives at a memory of his father.Â
He dreams of the time that his father was first diagnosed with his illness. They had initially thought it might be curable but as time went on, they realised that it was only getting worse. His father started up a fund and, thinking that it was to help pay for treatment, the book collector’s son rallies the people and raises a significant sum of money for his father. However, anticipating that he did not have long to live, his father had actually set up the fund in order to support his son after he died.Â
Notes & Impressions:
This ends at an extremely awkward place, at the end of a dream within a dream...
Presumably the boys go out and succeed in finding the boy’s cousin and calming/putting the mountain to rest
What happens to their way of life after this event is over?
Would perception toward witches ever change? Somewhat doubtful, since it doesn’t seem like this is touched on at all
What exactly is the purpose of the cousin’s ritual? Does she realise what she is doing? If so, why? If not, why get involved with such a strange thing in the first place?
The dream itself was quiet and cautious, melancholy and gentle; like a mood expressed by I Giorni.
A party is being held for the rich and influential (at a location that looks very much like the Paris opera house). Among those in attendance are a wealthy businessman, a shrewd self-made man, and his son, who is expected to inherit the business even though it does not seem he has a similar aptitude. Also present is an unknown gentleman (technically the narrator or PoV?)
At the party, the son meets a girl named Octavia whom he instantly falls in love with. She is seemingly the perfect girl: well-dressed, beautiful and sweet. He introduces her to his father and announces his intentions to marry her but his father instantly disapproves.Â
Tension mounts between the man and his son before the unknown gentleman, who has overheard the conversation, drops in and advises against it as he suspects that Octavia is a vampire.
The son is annoyed and offended, while Octavia looks hurt at the accusation. However, the businessman sees this as an opportunity even though he does not believe it and he tells his son that it is at least worth investigating before making a decision. The son leaves in disgust while Octavia follows to comfort him.Â
As the party winds down, the guests slowly begin to leave. The unknown gentleman notices that, although certain guests have left, their carriages are still waiting outside. He realises that all these people have actually gone missing and he goes in search of the businessman to warn him. Unable to find him, the unknown gentleman arrives at the library and comes to the conclusion that it must be the vampire who is responsible for the kidnappings. Just as he figures this out, there is a knock at the door.
Notes & Impressions:
It makes absolutely no sense that the narrator should know/figure out so much without any line of logic behind it at all...Â
The one responsible for the kidnappings was actually the businessman’s son, but for what reason?
A sick child sits in bed by the window while sunlight filters in. It is a quiet day and the child stares out of the window into an empty street.
A bird with green feathers lands on the window sill. To the boy’s surprise, it opens its mouth and starts to sing in a sweet tone: “I am the Patheticbird and in life, I drank and drank until one day I fell into a river.”
The Patheticbird then flies away and another, a golden bird, lands on the sill and sings: “I am the Sicklybird and in life, I was loved by all until my illness took me.”
The bird flies away and more birds come, one after the other, and continue to sing of their past lives.
A party of three are exploring the ruins of an old city. The third, a girl, gets separated from the others and they agree to meet later at an appointed location.Â
She wanders the ruins on her own and finds herself in a dark hallway with intricate, faded designs on the wall. As she goes deeper into the ruins, the ground becomes less. She soon comes to a section where water has submerged part of a hallway, although it is still shallow enough to walk in.Â
She makes her way up a dark set of stone stairs and through a dark hall. At the top of the staircase is a square of bright sunlight, the only source of light in the corridor. In the dim light, she hears only the sound of her feet in the water and realises that she is surrounded by the bodies of dead soldiers who lie where they fell, tumbling down the stairs.
She reaches the top of the staircase and is momentarily blinded. Despite having been in crumbling ruins only a few moments ago, she finds herself in the palace of a vast golden city that is perfectly intact, with light glinting off the tops of the tall towers in the distance. Despite the largeness of the city and the distinct feeling that it should be bustling with activity, the city is completely deserted except for two solitary figures, dressed all in gold, standing between two pillars.Â
The man and woman stand side by side, dressed in regal clothing (reminiscent of imperial Chinese robes), whispering to one another. Upon noticing the intruder, a look of alarm crosses the woman’s face and she speaks urgently to the man in a low tone before they both hurry off in different directions.Â
The girl takes off after the man, intending to inquire after her friends, but she is led to a hall full of doors and the man is nowhere to be seen. She searches each of the rooms but finds nothing until she reaches the final room. Inside the dark room, there is hi-tech machinery that look like amplifiers and television screens. It is an oddly modern setting in such an ancient place. There is a short stage some distance away and high stacks of plastic chairs sitting on top of each other.
Suddenly the man in gold jumps out at her from the shadows. His handsome face has become sunken and his eyes shine brightly as they stare, unseeing. Out of reflex, she dodges his grip and hits him at the back of his neck. He utters an unearthly groan and crumples to the floor, where he lies dead until his body slowly withers to dust.Â
Shocked at herself, the girl quits the room and begins to look for the woman. On the opposite side, she finds an identical hallway with just as many doors. She searches them and finds nothing. She throws open the final door and her eyes are stung by a dazzlingly well-lit room.Â
This room also contains a low stage but does not include any of the machinery from the previous room. A red diamond-shaped sheet of paper hangs on the center of the stage featuring the double happiness character ( 囍), indicating a wedding has been finished or is waiting to happen. Numerous tables around the room are set with tablecloths and chairs but there is not a soul in sight.Â
The girl examines her surroundings but a golden blur flashes suddenly before her eyes and she finds herself gasping for breath as a hand closes around her throat. She feels her feet lift off the ground as she stares into the wild, angry eyes of the woman in gold, lifting her easily with one hand.Â
As she fights for air, she hears snatches of the woman’s words as she mutters to herself. “They always leave,” she laments under her breath. “Even he, who promised we would always be together, has left.”Â
She glares up at the girl and screams in her face. As her rage builds, blue electricity shoots up her arms and coils around the girl and she finally kicks the woman in the chest and saves herself. They fight, the woman screaming and crying her rage at her abandonment, but the girl finally wins and the woman falls to her knees and crumbles to dust as she weeps softly.Â
As the woman fades to dust, so too does the golden city. The girl finds herself alone in an empty, moss-covered room with crumbled walls. From the room, she watches the light glint off the now-dull spire of the once-golden building in the center of the city.
Notes & Impressions:
What are the circumstances behind the man and woman in gold?
Was it a star-crossed love? Had they planned to elope? If so, what happened?
The man was ambushed and killed while going to meet the woman?
He fell in love with another woman or was engaged to another and the woman killed herself?
He fell in love with another woman or was engaged to another and the woman killed him?
The woman is in denial about his love but did not kill him?
The man gets sent to war and dies and the woman goes mad with grief?
IV: The Enchantress Who Fell in Love With Death and What It Brought
A little girl, about seven or eight, is at a funeral in a large, dark house. She has thick blonde hair, large dark eyes in a quiet face and is dressed in a stiff formal dark brown dress that is not entirely comfortable. She is an Enchantress, and a very good one at that, but she is young.Â
At the funeral, she meets a man with silver hair. He is tall and thin with very good cheekbones and seems to have a permanent shadow across his face, always preventing her from seeing his features clearly. However, she cannot be sure.Â
She thinks he looks sad and she asks him if he was closed to the deceased. The man seems amused and answers that no, he is not a relative of the deceased. She asks him why he seems sad and he sighs and replies that he is merely tired. They converse amiably as the funeral reception carries on and the Enchantress grows more and more fond of him.Â
(Somehow) It is reveleaed to her that the man is Death (just as it is somehow revealed to him that the girl is an Enchantress), who had just happened to be passing in the area and decided to pay his respects. The Enchantress asks him does he not have to be everywhere in the world since so many people die every second? He answers somewhat snidely that this is an incorrect assessment. He tells her that, in fact, every word (or sentence?) he speaks results in the deaths of those whose souls are ready to depart.
The funeral ends and the Enchantress and Death go their separate ways. She thinks she has fallen in love with him. She returns home and reflects on how sad Death looks and tells herself that it must be because what he does depresses him. She decides to save him and, unbeknownst to Death, she casts a spell on him that stops his words from killing people.Â
Later in the day, Death is required to be present to be present at a meeting with other entities. Death arrives feeling curiously tired and as the meeting continues, he finds himself becoming drowsier and drowsier. By the time it is his turn to speak, he is struggling to stay upright and his words are incoherent and slurred together so that none can understand him.
In the meantime, around the world, death has passed over all those it should have taken. Instead of death, the world becomes covered in soft, white dandelion-like fluff with each word that Death speaks. The fluff settles on the ground like thick snow, disrupting operations worldwide.Â
The meeting adjourns and Death is extremely irked with himself for his undignified behaviour. Hearing of the uproar in the world, he quickly comes to the conclusion that a spell has been cast upon him and, with a rush of annoyance, breaks the enchantment over him easily.Â
He quickly realises that it was the little girl he had met at the funeral who had put the spell on him (she being the only enchantress he has met recently) and he appears in her bedroom in a towering billow of smoke and shadows. He admonishes her for interfering with the balance of the world and tells her that it is not her place to meddle in his affairs. To teach her a lesson, he places a curse on her.
Notes & Impressions:
In the way of dreams, the story isn’t finished
I don’t know what curse Death placed on the Enchantress and I don’t know how she is to break it
Several points in the story are also eerily similar to Diana Wynne Jones’ Fire and Hemlock, including a little girl at a funeral who meets a man older than herself whom she eventually falls in love with.Â
In a kingdom far away, a castle sits in the middle of a forest. The kingdom is prosperous and the people are happy but they live in fear of magic and witches since it was banned by a long-ago king.Â
The king’s daughter (heavy black hair, large eyes like sparkling glass, fragile), however, has secretly developed an interest in magic and spends hours in the castle library reading anything she can on the subject. Her maid (gentle red hair, soft, pale, like a ghost) helps her transport books from the library to the decrepit east tower where she can read in peace and occasionally attempt magic to no avail.
On finding out her daughter is playing in the tower, the queen, unaware of her daughter’s books, bans her from visiting the tower and proceeds to keep a vigilant watch over her. Much to her dismay, the princess finds she can no longer find an opportunity to run off to her tower.Â
During an event (a tournament?) the princess takes advantage of the excitement and slips away to the east tower. She casts a spell but it goes wrong and her castle begins to crumble around her family. As she hears the screams from below, she frantically tries to fix it, but a witch suddenly appears and plucks out her right eye. Her maid arrives in the tower and they try to set the spell right but are thrown back in time before they get a chance.
In an earlier time, they land in a deep forest. While they explore the dense woods, they see flashes of a beautiful girl, tall and fair, with red hair and a cream coloured dress and they hear her bell-like laughter echo throughout the forest. The princess’s maid reveals that she is secretly a witch herself and promises her that she will make everything right, but it will not be possible as long as the princess’s eye remains missing.
Hand in hand, they search the forest for the princess’s eye. They come across a timid man (shaggy blond hair, stocky, thick) in a tree with a bow and arrow who tells them that his name is Gilbard and he has come into the forest to shoot game to bring home to his love, Evelina. As they leave, the princess and her maid catch sight of something flashing in the grass. The princess at first thinks it is a marble but her maid jumps on it and reveals that it is the princess’s eye.Â
Gilbard warns them tremulously that they should not touch things that do not belong to them. The princess beings to explain that it is actually her eye when Evelina (exquisite, gentle but hard, a smile like a beautiful knife), the girl in the cream dress they had seen flashes of in the woods, appears, carrying an arm full of flowers. She is radiant and she smiles at them but there is an air of cold fury around her. She sweetly tells the girls that they should put the eye back where they found it, but the maid defiantly takes the princess’s hand and begins to run.
Evelina drops her flowers on the ground and gives chase. Gilbard, taken aback by the turn of events, remains in his tree, sputtering and trying not to lose his balance. As they run, branches whipping at their faces, the princess and her maid hear Evelina calling to them breathlessly, telling them to stop running—she only wants the marble they have stolen.Â
They stumble into a wide clearing and, with nowhere to hide, Evelina catches up to them. They circle one another cautiously before Evelina pounches and clutches at the princess’s dress. The princess pulls away and the witch falls onto the ground, covered by a blanket of fallen autumn leaves. As she attempts to lunge again, she finds that she cannot move. The maid begins to chant and Evelina shrieks in anger and fear.Â
Around the screaming witch, hard cold walls begin to form like a tomb. She continues to scream and curse while the walls begin to take shape. As the magic weaves its forms, the red begins to drain out of the maid’s hair until nothing is left but pure white. Turrets, towers, doors and windows slowly appear until finally there stands a whole castle in the clearing, cold and silent.
The maid, clearly tired, turns to the princess and tells her that she will not be bothered by the witch again in this time. However, when they return to their own time, she will reappear as it was Evelina that cursed them in the future. The princess points out the change in her maid’s hair and she explains that she has given up the colour of her hair in order to cast the spell.Â
They leave the clearing and the eerie castle, determined to find a way back to their present time, but the princess’s maid is shot deep in the shoulder with an arrow. Gilbard, trembling in his tree, has seen everything as it happened, watching his love imprisoned under the castle.Â
Notes & Impressions:
Evelina is the witch in the present who snatches the princess’s eye and throws her and her maid back in time. Presumably, she has cursed the princess because of past events, but time travel stories are complicated...
Why does the princess cast her spell? Pure experimentation or to change something in her life? The former seems more likely as she doesn’t appear to have any overt strife with her family.
What happens to the maid after she gets shot?
How do the princess and her maid manage to get back to the present?
Is the castle the maid conjured the same castle the princess lives in now? It makes sense that it would be since Evelina suddenly appears in the east tower, but would one inhabit a castle with such an ill-fated story behind it?
Is it possible Gilbard eventually becomes the king of the realm and takes up residence in the castle his love was imprisoned in? It would make sense if he is the long-ago king who banned magic. However, Gilbard seems too weak to be able to lead.
Current Development:
(Post-dream conclusion; still not concrete)
The princess and her maid eventually return to their own time but soon realise that events are doomed to repeat themselves. With a heavy heart, the princess sacrifices her life, her family as she knows them and her eye and remains in the past so that her future family will live.
With her maid (who eventually becomes her lover), they remain in the past and begin to build a new life for themselves without the use of magic, as they decide that it is for the best if the maid has to sacrifice something every time she uses it
With new life experiences, the princess becomes a captain of her own ship (a pirate?)
Peregrin Hall
Info:Â Peregrin was born an only child to extremely loving parents, both powerful, compassionate and well-respected guild leaders. Due to their continuous conquests, Alaric and Ariadne Hall were constantly forced to be away from their guild headquarters and away from their son. However, any time they had to spare, they spent almost entirely with Peregrin and he grew into a conscientious, precocious boy who loved and missed his parents but understood their position.Â
Leaving for another of their conquests, Alaric and Ariadne left Peregrin, then 10 years old, in charge of their guild as always and under the guardianship of Arai Susumu (though Peregrin is not aware of this). The ensuing long period of absence of Alaric and Ariadne Hall led to many members of the guild feeling dissatisfied and they eventually left, including the enigmatic, long-time acquaintance of Peregrin, Mitsuhide Akinari.
Peregrin continues to look after the affairs of the guild and remains waiting for his parents to return and take up the reins once again. (Peregrin does not realise/does not want to realise that they are in fact dead and this is not possible. Susumu is fully aware but chooses not to tell him for, supposedly, the boy's sake.)
(This was/is [?] originally an RO story set in Amatsu.)
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Peregrin's parents "retire" and do not go to war
they spend the remainder of their days as a family
as Alaric and Ariadne had never left, the guild retains its members and flourishes
they eventually pass on leadership to either Susumu or Mitsuhide (god forbid...) before relocating to a new home
as a result of the above, Peregrin's relations with Susumu are not as strong but he maintains a good relationship with Mitsuhide
Arai Susumu
Info: Susumu was born into a rich and somewhat rigid family with an old family reputation. Rather than following in the footsteps of his brothers and specializing in swordplay, Susumu eventually becomes an academic-- a strange phenomenon in his family, but one they accept. At the request of his family, he continues to practice the art of stealth and excels at it.Â
He joins the Baku guild as accountant/administrator and attempts to fix the damage of past administrations, which proves impossible. He refuses to take the fall of a crisis caused by senior members and he is cut severely in the ensuing fight (this leaves a scar). He is eventually framed for causing the crisis and is going to be executed when Alaric and Ariadne Hall storm the guild. He pledges his service to them as repayment for saving his life and joins them, refusing to let his family know he is alive and preferring they think him dead.Â
He meets and makes the acquaintance of Alaric and Ariadne's son, Peregrin, as well as Mitsuhide Akinari, whom he instantly dislikes. After the departure of many of the guild members, Susumu is one of the few who stay. He continues to take care of and support Peregrin as he promised his parents.Â
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Susumu joins a guild with less disreputable/questionable records
continues quite happily with administration work
maintains cordial though somewhat distant contact with his family
never gains his scar
never meets Alaric and Ariadne, Peregrin or Mitsuhide (the latter of which he would probably be quite thankful for)
would possibly find someone to be wholly comfortable withÂ
2. Circumstances the same; Alaric and Ariadne retire
maintains good relations with Alaric, Ariadne and Peregrin
continues to be pestered by and to despise Mitsuhide (Susumu is possibly the only one who has a downside in his "good ending"...)
possibly takes over leadership of the guild OR
leaves the guild entirely because Mitsuhide becomes leader (.....)
possibly goes home to visit his family and let them know he is alive
Mitsuhide Akinari
Info: Mitsuhide was born as an only child into a very rich, old family with a highly respected business. His parents died when he was a child and as he was too young to inherit their assets, they were transferred to his uncle to manage until he came of age. Mitsuhide himself also lived with his uncle's family.
On a rainy day, Mitsuhide's uncle requested he be present while he received two servants (slaves?), a woman and her daughter. The woman died shortly after arriving but her daughter, Altantsetseg, and Mitsuhide eventually became extremely good friends with Altantsetseg being the only one to whom Mitsuhide was not as completely insufferable and she being the only one who dared to call him out. They grew to be very close and supported one another.Â
At the time, Altantsetseg displayed great ability with weapons and was eventually charged with being a bodyguard for both the household and for the transport of goods. She built up a reputation for herself as being particularly fearsome and was finally sent to protect cargo on a seemingly-impossible mission, during which she died.Â
Mitsuhide, on hearing of her death, and realizing how reckless it was to send her alone, stormed into his uncle's study to demand why he had done so regardless of the risks. His uncle flippantly informed him that he felt that they could afford the casualty and that a bodyguard was easily replaceable.Â
Official records are quite vague on what happened afterwards but only a few days after the confrontation, the house was burnt to the ground with not a single survivor. The whereabouts of Mitsuhide Akinari were never ascertained.Â
During his travels after having left the town, he came across and saved Alaric Hall from death. They got along so well that Mitsuhide decided to stay and join the guild. Mitsuhide made the acquaintance of Peregrin Hall, who admired him, and later of Arai Susumu, who amused him.
He left the guild several weeks after Alaric and Ariadne departed and it is currently unknown why he left (Mitsuhide is actually aware of the deaths of Alaric and Ariadne Hall but that is not likely the reason he left) or what he is doing though he continues to visit the old guild without the knowledge of Peregrin and to the annoyance of Susumu.
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Parents never died
never meets Altantsetseg, Alaric/Ariadne, Peregrin or Susumu
as a direct result of first, he likely becomes even more obnoxious than ever
takes over and inherits the business after his father
might have maintained cordial business relations with his uncle and possibly (....) might not have murdered him
2. Altantsetseg remains a bodyguard but lives
never meets Alaric/Ariadne, Peregrin or Susumu
likely would have become less obnoxious over time as a result of Altantsetseg's influence
possibly (very tentative possibly) would have fallen in love with Altantsetseg and possibly married her
takes over and inherits the business when he comes of age/is ready to take over
Tag Game:Â Write about your character's current circumstances/backstory (as briefly as possible not happening with me). Then write what it would be like if their life were better or opposite.Â
For the sake of convenience, I'm going to call this the Better World meme. Because I have so many characters and I think this is really fun, I'm going to do it in parts so this doesn't become the length of a Bible-
Tagged by:Â Nina
This is going to be really tl;dr so I tag: permafall, lostperdue, npcojisan, llyrwyn, ninalyncoco (do another one! if you want) and anyone else who wants to do it!
For convenience's sake, my character page (not updated; some have been fired).
Elizaveta Marconi
Info:Â Elizaveta was born an only child in a well-off family. Her father is a prominent designer and her mother is a prosecutor. Though bad tempered and slightly awkward, Elizaveta leads more or less a normal life.
Eduard Markgraf
Info:Â Eduard's father was married to Celene X (forgot her maiden name...) largely for her family's assets. After several months of marriage, he met and had an affair with Eduard's mother, a flower girl. After her death, he took his son to live with him, much to the disgust of Celene Markgraf.
Eduard grew up fairly happily with his stepsister, Eileen, whom he had a good relationship with despite his stepmother's disdainful eye but eventually he was shipped off to a boarding school overseas as per her wishes. There, he met a boy named Feliciano Benini who later became his best friend.Â
When he went to university, he met and fell in love with Ana Vasilyev. Their relationship was cut short when Ana died in a traffic accident and Eduard dropped out of school and traveled without aim until he met Arnen Hayes, a boy possessed by a demon. (This continues in an RP with my friend Perdue in which Eduard is a professional hobo.)
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Mother lives and supports him by herself
never meets Eileen, Feliciano, Ana or Arnen
probably becomes a baker or florist
has a lower standard of life but a higher quality of life
2. Father divorces Celene and remarries Eduard's mother
likely never meets Eileen, Feliciano, Ana or Arnen
inherits the estate after his father
3. Circumstances the same; Celene accepts Eduard
keeps relations with Eileen
possibly never becomes friends with Feliciano
possibly never meets Ana; never meets Arnen
inherits the estate after his father OR
Eileen inherits the estate after their father
4. Circumstances the same; Ana does not die
keeps relations with Eileen and Feliciano
never meets Arnen
gives up inheritance to Eileen and maintains close relationship
Deng Mei Ling
Info:Â Mei Ling was born as an only child but her parents were both working too much to bring her up and so she spent most of her time in a large, empty house being brought up by her grandmother with a somewhat questionable past.
Partly due to the lack of parental guidance in her life and also due to her grandmother's somewhat questionable influence, Mei Ling developed some delinquent mannerisms and also some great potential unknown to herself. The latter eventually leads to her being scouted by the Collectors where she becomes friends with Kitani, Mielle D'Arcy and Utsumi Katsuhiko.
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Parents work less and can afford to bring her up
likely does not have as close a relationship to her grandmother
as a direct result of the above, becomes more "normal"
as a direct result of the above, is not scouted by the Collectors
as a direct result of the above, never meets Kitani, Mielle or Utsumi
likely graduates from university and later becomes "successful"
Mielle D'Arcy
Info: Mielle's mother was in a cordial but loveless marriage with her father who worked hard and often had no time for his wife. Mielle's mother eventually entered into an affair with a young official and gave birth to Mielle.
She originally brought him up as her husband's son though Mielle did not have much of a relationship with his (step)father because he was always away. His mother died quite young of an illness and on her deathbed, she confessed to her husband that Mielle was not his child and that she hoped this would not change his feelings towards him. Despite this wish, his father only came to resent him as time went by.
He eventually remarried and both he and his new wife were dismissive and cold towards Mielle, particularly after the birth of his stepbrother, Valere who was (approx.) six years younger. He eventually "disowned" his family, much to their fury, and joined a retinue of the travelling religion of the Ivory Bird, becoming a devout member. He was eventually recruited to the Collectors as a Librarian and became friends with Mei Ling, Kitani and Utsumi.
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. Mother never tells his father about his true lineage
has distant but better relations with his father and stepmother
has good relations with Valere
as a direct result of the above, never joins the Fellowship of the Ivory Bird
as a direct result of the above, is never recruited by the Collectors
as a direct result of the above, never meets Mei Ling, Kitani or Utsumi
Utsumi Katsuhiko
Info: Utsumi was born an only child to loving parents in a small village bound to the religion of the Light of Akesato and are largely governed by an oracle, always chosen after the death of the previous one, in the village, said to be possessed by the goddess Akesato who tells the future for all her children.Â
The current oracle dies and the search for the new one begins, with Utsumi's father leading the village in the interim. At the time, the village's livestock is plagued by a giant black bear and his father goes out to hunt it, only to be killed by it during the hunt. Deeply depressed by his father's death, Utsumi trains hard and eventually goes out to look for the bear to take his revenge.Â
He meets the bear, who wounds him in the right eye (this leaves a scar). The bear reveals herself to be the goddess Akesato and she tells him that she has chosen him and, as is traditional, robs him of his sight and possesses him. Bitter at his defeat and at the goddess for killing his father but badly wounded, he returns to the village. His life is drastically altered by the fact that he is the new oracle and he finds it hard to live normally when everyone simultaneously reveres and fears him. He eventually leaves and is recruited by the Collectors where he becomes friends with Mei Ling, Kitani and Mielle (the latter whom he becomes romantically involved with...? Unsure.)
Alternate/Possible Scenarios:
1. His father does not go out hunting
father never encounters Akesato in her bear form and remains healthy and alive
as a direct result of the above, Utsumi never goes out for revenge
as a direct result of the above, he never meets Akesato as a bear
as a direct result of the above, he never receives his scar or loses his sight
lives happily with his family in the village
possibly becomes a scholar or village doctor
as a direct result of the above, is never recruited by the Collectors
as a direct result of the above, never meets Mei Ling, Kitani or Mielle
2. Circumstances the same; is not chosen by Akesato
meets Akesato in her bear form and is injured; bears a permanent scar but keeps his sight and never realises what the bear is
eventually moves on from his father's death and lives relatively happily in the village
possibly becomes a scholar or village doctor
as a direct result of the above, is never recruited by the Collectors
as a direct result of the above, never meets Mei Ling, Kitani or MielleÂ
I had this dream several nights ago but I never got around to writing it down until today. There is also another earlier dream which I haven't written yet which I will probably do so shortly.
This dream is a bit gory and somewhat disturbing (?) I guess so here's a warning. >: It's also long...
A new student is accepted into an exclusive private school that has an extremely good reputation. Hoping to fit in and be accepted, he is constantly extremely eager to please, conform to standards and participate in school activities.
The school has a strict hierarchy that has been in place for many years. Senior students do not interact with those in lower grades than theirs if they can help it. The exclusiveness of this attracts the younger students and thus urges them to worship their seniors and try to gain their attention constantly.
For several weeks now, the entire school has been abuzz over an annual school-wide event that takes place in and throughout the school at night. The event has no supervision apart from that of the student council and senior prefects. Posters advertising the event reveal nothing but the name of the event, the Animal Formal, and the dress code, which is one's school uniform and any type of animal mask that conceals the face completely. For the first time in the year, the senior students converse freely (if patronizingly) with the younger students, which in turn fuels the excitement.
The night of the event, the student walks to the school with his mask in hand (some ambiguous animal; not yet decided what mask). Earlier in the day, all unrelated persons were removed from the school so the council could prepare for the event. As all students are expected first to congregate in the school gym, the rest of the grounds are completely deserted. A cold wind blows through the empty field and basketball courts. A full moon hangs bright in the clear sky. The student puts on his mask before crossing the threshold of the school and makes his way to the gym where most of the students have already gathered.
All the students mull haphazardly around a stage with a podium set up, atop of which the student council members stand. Behind the podium are several large cardboard boxes whose contents are not yet known. As all students were required to wear their masks before passing the gate, no one is recognisable. There are masks of all kinds: rabbits, lizards, dogs, wolves, fish etc. There is an oppressive silence that falls over the congregation, forcing the chatter into fearful whispers.
At length, one of the students on the stage makes a speech. She informs the gathering that the Animal Formal is a traditional event that takes place in the school every year to reinforces what she describes as a vital aspect of the school mandate: survival of the fittest.
After her speech, she arranges the students into groups based on how dangerous their chosen animal is. There are groups of harmless domesticated animals (ex: canaries, rabbits, goldfish), domesticated animals (ex: dogs, cats), animals with no "sharpness" (ex: pigs, horses, cows), miscellaneous animals of dubious nature (ex: foxes, lizards, monkeys) and predators (ex: tigers, wolves, lions).
After the students have been organized into groups, the speech maker, the student council president, calls up the groups of students one by one, starting with the group of animals that are the least dangerous. The student notices that all of the staff members wear ferocious wolf masks but he believes this is to allow them to distinguish themselves as part of the social elite.
The first group of harmless animals is quickly sent to a corner of the gym. The second group is called and they are taken to one of the tall boxes and told to each take one item. The students each draw a plastic utensil (forks and knives) and, puzzled, go to stand against a wall apart from the other group. Each group is then called up and likewise told to take one item from their designated box. As the types of animals become more dangerous, so do their items. The animals lacking in "sharpness" take great blunt objects from their boxes: clubs, baseball bats, metal pipes etc. The others take switchblades, knives, sharpened pieces of metal etc. Once all the students have helped themselves, they are sent to stand with their group against the wall.
When the student council president sees that everyone is ready, she loudly declares that the Animal Formal has begun. She grabs her knife, flashing quickly in the spotlight, and jumps off the stage as music starts to blare.
Instantly, all hell breaks loose. The younger students, many of whom were a part of the first group, look around uncertainly at first but they are soon set upon by wolves and eagles, each with their glinting instruments.
As the first student falls to the ground, the screams of unsuspecting students rise up as they are attacked and, in many cases, killed. Some students try to defend themselves with their dull plastic knives to no avail. The sounds of thuds, of baseball bats and metal pipes, hitting flesh mingle with the cracks of bones and skulls, barely audible over the blasting music. The once-white floors of the gym are now slippery and red with spilled blood. Animals trip over the bodies of students, some joining their ranks as others take advantage of their momentary weakness to twist knives in their backs.
The student, armed with a not-quite-useless weapon, cowers in a corner where he has yet to be found. Naturally distressed at the turn of events, he does not want to be killed and yet feels that he cannot bring himself to kill another student. Finally he decides to leave the Animal Formal and begins to sneak out of the gym when he is caught by one of the staff. They drag him to the middle of the gym and circle him.
Whilst the student is being surrounded by the pack, the other animals momentarily pause to watch the judgment of the boy. The student council president, her head a grey wolf, crosses her arms and asks him where he thinks he's going. Desperately, he begs her to let him leave-- that this is not what he expected. She coldly tells him, her voice oozing with disgust, that no one who takes part in the Animal Formal is allowed to leave. She pauses for a moment and then adds that leaving he Formal is only allowed at the cost of a steep price.
At that moment, as the pack stares coldly at the boy in their circle, another boy in a tiger (lizard?) mask steps forward. "Why not let him leave?" he asks coolly. "The Formal doesn't need weaklings like this. And for that matter, I would like to leave too," he adds. "Attending this for so many years gets boring."
The pack shifts their gaze to him. The grey wolf ponders his words and tells him to get in the middle of the circle as well. He obliges and gets down on his knees before her and she pulls off his mask and throws it on the ground where it slowly dyes red.
"Since you intervene on behalf of this pathetic creature," she announces imperially, "you will pay the price for both of you." She pauses and the tiger boy shrugs his shoulders nonchalantly in assent. The grey wolf declares that henceforth they are the pariahs of the school and are banned from attending any future Animal Formals as well as any other school social events.
Thus saying, with a quick flash of her knife, she takes the tiger boy's eyes. It happens so quickly that he does not even have time to flinch and the cut is so smooth that it does not even bleed. With that, the two are allowed to leave the Formal. The student leads the tiger boy out of the school under the stares of hundreds of eyes.
Continuation?
Notes & Impressions:
The staff of the Animal Formal are all wolves. They are essentially the alpha pack.
Younger students with no experience made up the bulk of the first group though some were likely enough to have worn other masks and been sorted into other groups.
It is unlikely but not impossible that all harmless animals died. Some could have strangled others or somehow found how to survive in their desperation.
The first to die was a first year student who came as a rabbit.
As the Animal Formal begins and progresses, the students stop being addressed as such and become "animals" instead. (Ie: the student council president becomes the grey wolf.) Students that don't lose their humanity (the main character and the tiger boy) are still referred to as humans. All who die and are robbed of their animalistic qualities revert to become anonymous corpses.
The tiger boy is likely a 3rd+ year. The fact that he is referred to as the tiger boy despite sacrificing himself and leaving is because he previously participated over the years and survived? In essence he has become part animal now?
What is the aftermath of the Formal? What are the consequences in the daytime? How are the deaths accepted/explained/covered-up/revealed to teachers and parents? Are they aware of what happens at night? Were they aware of the Formal from the beginning?
Contrast: daytime rationality vs. nighttime insanity.
Note that the unnamed student still regards all the other participants as "students" (humans).
Sketchy character design for the antagonist of a prospective game. Art history notes on the side. Drawing in the lecture hall is like drawing half blind.Â
Potential protagonist design but that might end up being used on Mitsuhide instead. Peregrin on the right.Â
