It's Curtains Act 3 Test Drive

[stagemanagers]

1) CURTAINS UP

You’ve just woken up in some kind of dorm room, which is certainly not where you went to bed last night. Actually, do you even remember going to sleep…? Regardless, this isn't where you last were, and worse still - there's other people waking up in the same room with you, in the same state.

Talk to your roommates! Go out and meet everyone from the other rooms! Most of these people may be strangers, but you’re gonna all have to get used to one another. And who knows? There may actually be a familiar face in the crowd.

2) THIS PETTY PACE

By now, you're acquainted with everybody here and you're slowly growing bored. Bored enough to kill? Hopefully not. You'd better try to find something else to do. You can always go hang out with your castmates, or maybe try and whip something up in the kitchen! There’s even a band room to keep you busy! I sure hope you like music.

3) BREAK A LEG

Comedies are fun and all, but that’s not quite what we’re about here. You’ve all just been handed this week’s motive. What do you make of it? Is it one that might actually tempt you to kill, or did you get off lightly this time? Either way, maybe you’d better look around the room and see who else is having a rough time.

4) I LOVE PLAY REHEARSAL

It's Club Day! What's Club Day, you ask? Come to the classroom on the poster to find out! It looks like this week's club is Bread Club. Be wary, when you enter the classroom you'll face a shower of various bread slices but be rewarded with a surprisingly fancy layout of spreads and jams to go with them. Don't mind the oddly threatening poster on the far wall. He's just here to supervise.

5) CURTAIN

It was bound to happen eventually. Someone is dead, and now it's time to go off and investigate. Were they close to you? Are you, perhaps, feeling guilty? Either way, it's probably best not to leave anyone alone right now.

6) CUE MUSIC

Feelings in a murder-school can get pretty gosh darn intense. Sometimes you’ve just got to let it out. And hey, if you sing a song about whatever’s going on in your head, maybe someone will hear and come help you? Either way, this is a musical – there’s not really any reason not to sing.

[Mod Note: The song mechanic is meant to be fluid and simple. You do not have to produce your own song lyrics, nor are you required to use show tunes (although we do encourage it!). If you want to rewrite existing lyrics to fit the situation, go for it! Anything goes - if Mumford and Sons expresses your character’s current emotions, then break out the banjos. We want to keep the musical mechanic as fun and simple as we can to encourage our players to use it as much as they like.]

6) WILDCARD

Make up your own prompt!

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Questions, comments, concerned? Reach the mods on plurk at slothbless (Lynny) and lluosogrwydd (Lu) and at our public mod plurk stagemanagers. Our official Act 3 FAQ can also be found here!

Comments

[alchemistake]

Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about. Pies, tarts...things like that.

[Honestly, she's got the better idea, here. Just dunking the bread into the jar is WAY faster.]

But isn't making all that even more work than just putting jam on some bread?

[sugarlumps]

Nah, they come from, like, a factory or something.

[You don't MAKE not-Hostess pies, they just ARE.]

[alchemistake]

[Oh to have modern conveniences in times before the industrial age...]

So you buy them instead? You don't have anything made at your castle?

[Because from Varian's limited experience so far with royalty, you want for nothing. Like, the castle itself has its own chefs and everything.]

[sugarlumps]

Mom makes sandwiches and junk. They're real lumpin' good, but they're not worth all the drama.

[Spoken around a mouthful of bread and jam, we're so sorry Varian.]

[alchemistake]

[It's fine, he's dealt with worse. Honestly, he's more intrigued by just how different LSP is compared to Rapunzel, who is also a Princess...sure, Rapunzel isn't perfect, but her attitude about things is definitely a lot different.

That, and he's never heard anyone call making a sandwich "drama".]

You say that, but you're managing pretty okay by yourself. [He says as he nods towards the bread she's eating.] I mean...I guess that's not exactly a sandwich, but it's close enough?

[sugarlumps]

I mean, I am pretty awesome. I got the lump outta there as soon as I could.

[Finishing off the not-quite-jamwich and beginning another.]

I don't wanna brag too much, but my camp's basically the best.

[alchemistake]

[...Varian almost (key word, almost) chokes on his own bread that he finally took a bite of at the worst moment he could have.

What does she mean, she got out? She left the kingdom? You can do that??

...well, Rapunzel did to come see him, but. She went back, so he's not sure that counts.]

Your...camp?

[sugarlumps]

Yeah. Sometimes I stay in this hotel if I can and it's super nice? But I've been living on my own in the woods and it's super great and independent and I definitely don't miss having plumbing and walls and junk EVER.

[This is all said rather aggressively and quickly, with increasing levels of wavering conviction. At the end of it all she takes a desperate breath and shoves another piece of jam-laden bread into her mouth.]

[alchemistake]

[Oh boy. So she's been craving independence and left her kingdom...but it sounds like living on her own isn't all it's cracked up to be, what with the lack of. Well, civilization and all. Plus all of the comforts that come with being a Princess.

Varian keeps his own independence about him, handling a lot of things on his own...but that doesn't mean he doesn't still live with his father. He knows he's not equipped to actually live entirely on his own, as much as it might seem like he does at times. He can understand being torn between wanting to have your own space versus not being ready for it.]

You said before that your parents smother you, right? Have you tried, like...talking to them about it?

[Maybe if they eased up, she wouldn't have to live in the woods.]

[sugarlumps]

[Varian is approaching this like LSP is in any way a reasonable person and it would be kind of adorable if it weren't so sad.]

Ugh, I've tried but it's always all "oh, you should move back home, you could have sandwiches every day" and "the woods aren't safe, there's wild animals" and "we're totally jealous of your lumping amazing freedom and how much cooler you are than we were at your age."

[A moment of quiet chewing.]

They don't say that last part out loud but I can tell they're thinking it.

[alchemistake]

[LOOK...he wants to give her the benefit of the doubt, he really does.

For better or worse.]

Y-yeah, I uh...I know how overbearing parents can be. And difficult...

[His dad has never been the easiest person to work with, but at least he's had a pretty genuine reason to be exasperated with his son.]

Well, I think it's pretty cool that you're managing to do stuff on your own. I mean, sometimes I think about how great it'd be to have an entire building to myself for my work.