mythmaking | Once upon a time...

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Once upon a time...

[ For the residents of Märchenstraße, and all the land surrounding it, the eighth of December was a day to look forward to. Looking at it from an outside perspective, strangers and travelers could easily assume it to be a holiday. At the very least, a day for a festival, if a modest one. A day that shopkeeps spent all morning preparing for, that all manner of creatures spent days traveling to the city to witness. They'd heard the talk that passed around, the rumors from those still left. But would it work? No one knew for sure, no matter how confident the stories seemed to be. But hope was very quickly becoming all they had left.

They had decorated the whole town. Streamers, banners, wreathes and garland made of autumn flowers, plus whatever the Fairy Godmother had cooked up. Oh, she was just giddy. No skepticism could be spoken around her, not if you wanted to escape the wrath of her wand! Rumor had it that she had caught wind of a few piglets squealing about the likelihood that their magic would fail, and that they were subsequently transformed into the band of musicians who could be found performing in the park.

Well, at least the music was festive.

Of course, the decorations weren't for the newcomers alone. Autumn was coming to a close in just a few weeks, and Old Man Winter would take the reigns like he did every year, and their weather would turn cold and harsh. The chill was already there, cool and biting when the wind picked up speed. Lady Autumn was much preferred to the citizens of the city with her gentle nature, even if she failed to show up, finishing her work in the orchards instead. That was what they liked about her.

It was mid-morning when Father Time was found outside of his tower, checking one of the numerous pocket watches he kept on his person. "Unnecessary, but comfortable," he called them, and closed the watch again. It was twelve o'clock in the afternoon, and where empty space had been just seconds before, now they were. Sitting on benches, lying in flower patches, scattered about the city and outside of the gates in peaceful slumber. They would awaken to the bells of the clock tower. Some, to many friendly and relieved faces all around them, some to grateful ones carrying gifts of food and clothing and magic, and some to fearful, cautious faces. Regardless of how the town treated them, they would awaken to a celebration of their arrival, and choices to be made, and the books. Each and every one. ]

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[ Father Time, as he's most often called, could be found sitting on a bench, feeding a flock of (non-speaking) ducks. He can also be found in the market, shopping for chestnuts and sweet potatoes. Once again, he can be found exiting the bank, counting a handful of silver coins. In fact, he can be found in each of these places at the exact same moment of time, or perhaps in reverse order. There's a lot to be done in a single day, after all. ]

[The bells woke him up, and he had lay still for a few minutes before getting up. He wasn't much for lying in anyway. Now, Gavroche can be found wandering around this strange place, looking confused at everything. This certain aen't Saint Michel, an' it aen't like he knows his way around this place. Every so often, he floats a little in the air, an' seems surprised by doing this, so he's trying hard to keep his feet on the ground]

[There's a young girl drifting (metaphorically; her feet are quite on the ground) about around the town, wandering curiously from person to person. She's bundled up perhaps a little too much for what one may expect for the weather and temperature, and a crown of out-of-season flowers sits atop her head.

If someone happens to come across her, or wakes when she's nearby, she'll be more than happy to greet them!]

[The bells rouse Eponine from her slumber, but she groans and rolls over, quite expecting to feel her cheek meeting packed mud from the ditch where she had fallen asleep in Paris. But no - beneath her cheek, something tickles her. Grass.

She opens her eyes and sits up, slowly taking in her surroundings. Never, ever has she seen such a place.]

Do I dream? But oh, how funny Paris looks this morning.

[As of yet, she hasn't even noticed her book]

[Naoto doesn't know what to make of this. She had come around at the bells, but then heard a giggle. Seeing the Fairy Godmother drift past, she snapped up, journal and quill clattering. Her head turned around and she rolled over, staring up.]

What's... ah?! [She jumped as plants rose beneath her fingers and stumbled to her feet. She just managed to snatch up the journal, her breathing harder. This couldn't be... or could it? The television world had simulated her school before, but this was outrageous. Slowly, she began to walk forward, slipping the journal away into her jacket. Naoto didn't even bother checking the binding; she wanted to know where she was.]

Edited 2013-12-08 21:21 (UTC)

[ Grantaire wakes to the bells but does not bother to open his eyes. It is much too bright and much too cold, so he places his book over his face and tries to fall back asleep in the midst of a field. He has a terrible headache, and cannot care about where he has passed out. ]

Quiet down, would you? [ He grumbles it every so often, to tweeting birds or someone walking a little too loudly. ]

[Mogget awakens in cat form, nestled among a pile of autumn leaves under a tree. The sound of the bells fades and Mogget sits perfectly still, tail lashing from side to side. His claws are pricking into a book lying by his front paws. Not only that, there's also a tarnished old lamp half-buried in the leaf litter. For some reason, he's curled around it, almost like he's guarding it.

People are staring at him. Some of them curious, some wary. Several seem to have their eye on the lamp, but when the first dares to approach him, Mogget hisses, raising his hackles, and they beat a hasty retreat.

He doesn't know where he is or why he's woken up here, but the Abhorsen is not here and if he's going to take these items with him, he's going to need hands. There has to be a reason he woke up with them. So he transforms into a human form: a pale-skinned man with bright green eyes, wearing a simple white robe with a red sash. Snatching up the book and lamp, Mogget goes in search of - he doesn't know what yet, but a bag and some food will do for a start. Shelter, eventually. Answers, he hopes.]

[ Dick was alert the moment he opened his eyes to a strange place, and he rolled off the bench he'd showed up on to a crouch behind it, taking in everything he could from behind the black shades. ]

[ It took him a couple of breaths to register what'd been wrong with his body on that motion, and he looked, oh so slowly, over his shoulder. ]

[ The wings were rather large. They moved when he willed them to, and they reflected the autumn light beautifully. He thought they might be able to carry him to the air. ]

[ Dick Grayson wanted to scream in horror. ]

[ Quickly, he reached to take the book that had dropped from his lap, and darted off to the nearest semi-private alleyway. ]

[ He came out with the wings imperfectly, but at least efficiently stuffed inside his jacket, its hood firmly up over his head. He looked hunched, and there might be feathers peeking out from under the hem of the hoodie, but at least they were not... obvious. And he had some information to find. ]

[Though he had slept for several months, he was still exhausted. The bells roused, but didn't fully awaken him. He grunted and turned, tugging his beanie down. He just had a shit time with Graduation; frankly, he doesn't want to get up.]

[It's the licking that got him, making him finally move to bat a hand.] Koromaru, stop... [It does stop, but then there's a tug at his coat and someone pulled off his beanie. He brought a hand to his forehead and sat up, grunting.] If you don't stop...

[Drawing his hand over his eyes and to his chin, he scowled at the horde of animals and people surrounding him. That was a mess to get away from; now he wandered about the festivities, unable to lose the six animals trailing after him. He was a bit distracted; running into someone was only a matter of time.]

[At first he thinks he's fallen asleep at his desk again, because the last thing he remembers doing is double-checking a stack of scrolls from Sin to make sure they were actually finished, but when he opens his eyes, he finds that can't be true. Even if he did fall asleep at his desk, he's certainly not there anymore. What's more, he doesn't even seem to be in Sindria anymore. He's sitting propped up against a tree with a book and quill in his lap, surrounded by a group of children, the boldest of which has decided to tug at his keffiyeh for some reason, apparently trying to pull it off. When they realize he's awake, the children laugh and scatter, leaving him more perplexed than ever.

He pulls himself to his feet and brushes the grass off his robes. He tucks the book and quill away to consider later and tries to take stock of the situation. There doesn't seem to be any sort of threat, on the contrary, there's the sort of atmosphere he's come to expect from festivals in Sindria, but he's on his guard nonetheless. There's no one who should have been able to spirit him away out of his country and yet that seems to be exactly what's happened. Well, he's not without a few suspects...]

Whoever's doing this was, it isn't funny.

( So if you're ever walking around town ... you'll find Yui, looking terribly harassed and terribly tired. She's gotten past the initial where-am-I phase with so much composure since it's technically her second time being kidnapped and then dumped into a strange world. She's sort-of getting there to acquiring the necessary information she needs while trying to argue that her name is not "Kaguya".

She's not gotten past one thing however: that small group of guys obviously, pointedly following her wherever she goes. Once in a while, she'll stop, look over her shoulders at them then sighs in exasperation - and then she'll move on.

But after some time ... )

Please stop following me. ( Her expression is a mixture of Zeus-are-you-trolling-me-right now and Don't-yell-don't-yell-don't yell, desperate and very much wanting to get away. ) Is there something that I can help you with? And marrying you isn't a valid answer this time.

( Help her get away/laugh/say something? )

I said get off!

[ Ten minutes in, and there's already a ruckus. The source of it, a teenage boy with silver hair, a bizarre sense of acceptable fashion, and a shadowed look about his entire body that doesn't match the ray of sunlight he's lying in.

He's trying unsuccessfully to push a drowsy pig off of his leg. This would be easier if the pig were not roughly as big as he is, and considerably drunk. The boy looks furious, and would probably be doing much worse than his ineffective shoves and punches if he had something in reach. ]

What the hell?!

[A loud yell shatters the peaceful atmosphere of this particular part of town, stemming from an unusual-looking youth with grey skin and bright, candy-corn-coloured horns atop his head. It was clear enough that the youth was not human, but being an alien being in what appeared to be a human-infested town was the least of his worries. Right now the youth was too busy scrambling on the ground after trying (and failing) to keep his balance.]

[The reason for his clumsiness? Probably the pair of jet-black, feathered wings on his back, which were currently flailing along with the rest of his limbs, kicking up feathers and dirt. By the way he keeps looking at them and flailing around, it's obvious he's not used to them.]

[Well, someone's waking up in a field of flowers, and it's definitely not Mei. Her Serperior was stretched out beside her, alert and awake by the first sound coming from the clock tower. Jolting up in surprise and soon to be irritation, she scans the area quickly, red eyes glaring and blinking at the locals. This isn't Aspertia...

Mei on the other hand, is a little harder to wake up. It takes several nudges from Hibiscus to make her stir, and when she actually does open her eyes, she rubs the sleep from them many times.]

Hibi... I'm up. I'm up. What's so-- [She stops when she finally gets a good look at her unfamiliar surroundings, facial expression rather unreadable. What the heck...?] ...This isn't Aspertia. What happened?!

[The bells make Kiri think of home. The hints of funnel cake and kettle corn on the breeze confuses him even more; the Thanksgiving Festival shouldn't be for a little more than five months from now. It's all dancing in front of him in a haze -- short things with pointed ears are cooing among burly, chattering midgets milling around him in droves lined with confetti and cheer, backs turned and busy among themselves (or whatever entertainment is at hand). It's surreal... And this bench is uncomfortable.

A mildly annoyed groan in the back of his throat starts to form her name as his thumb tries to draw itself along where her knuckles should be.

Kiri wakes up.

Panic begins to settle at his heels. It launches him to his feet when Kiri realizes he isn't sure how long they've been apart. The fairy tale-esque town doesn't even register with him, not the elves or dwarves or talking creatures; that extra weight in his pack from two new books isn't even noticed. Kiri tears through the crowd, searching in a near manic urgency. Whatever locals that didn't care for him before are suddenly paying attention.]

ELLE!!!

[ He wasn't expecting to awake to bells - or to anything - and for a moment he simply lies on his back, watching the absurdly peaceful sky. If this is death, it's nothing like anything he's imagined. But, no; his heart is beating. He can feel it moving against the book resting on his chest.

And that's wrong. He sits up gingerly, and then leaps to his feet. He shouldn't be alive, and more than that, he shouldn't be alone. ] Where are you? [ He mutters it to no one in particular, and stoops to check under the bench for his rifle (book clenched unthinkingly under his arm) before starting down the street and looking - intently, even accusingly - into the face of everyone he sees, in search of a familiar one. ]

[A small tongue licking his cheek served as his wake up call, and he finally stirred until he opened his eyes--greeted by the face of one of the town's stray cats. But N did not know this was a cat. He also did not know of the pigeon's identities resting on his torso. Were they Pokémon? If they were, he had never seen them before. Nevertheless, they were friends. He'd heard their voices greeting him.]

Good morning, friends. So if I woke up any later you would have pecked me? Ha ha, that's harsh.

[Feeling something in his hand, he slowly sat up, staring at the case he knew so well. It contained one dormant Light Stone. So Reshiram came with him as well... to this place. His friends here informed him this town went by a different name and that Unova was something they'd never heard of. They also said something strange, the whole time adding a "-kidu" at the end of his name.]

N... kidu? That's almost right, but that is not my name...

[A tall figure draped in a thick, hooded cloak steps soundlessly through the town, seeming to plan a course that places each new arrival within its line of sight at least once. The townsfolk skirt around the figure as it goes, wary but not outright fearful.

Well, some are, but that hardly bothers this being.]

[ When Ranulf wakes up he's lying on a bench, opening his eyes to a troupe of excited people. The first feeling to greet him even before doing this was confusion, understandably this place smelled far different from where he remembered being last. And where was his friend? Still not used to being in open presence among beorc (humans), he's taken aback and jumps behind to a nearby tree defensively--only to find other people there. ]

Welcome! Welcome!

[ Okay, someone just grabbed his hand and was shaking it fervently. Then in the next second put up a pile of miscellaneous things in his hands. What was... happening.

He was so lost. ]

I--

[ Before the guy could protest more, a kid started poking at his tail. And that's what got him to lighten up. After playing with the kid a bit and thanking the locals for their kindness, he went on his way with his pile of things. Don't get him wrong, it was nice to meet a sweet kid, but he wasn't any less confused than when he first arrived. Thinking it would be easier to get around in his transformed state, he shifted and--promptly got himself crushed by his own stuff. ]

Eh?!

[ So if you pass by that sideline pathway, there is, for some reason, frustrated meowing coming from underneath the pile of objects. Truth be told he could carry them himself, but he hasn't realized the extent of his new powers yet. As far as he knows, his transformation just got really... different, like he was a kitten again. ]

[Option A]

[Flowers are all well and nice. Yuuki likes them even, and it's a comfortable bed to wake up in.

But there are a couple of things wrong here. More than a couple.

Panicking for a while now, she flutters around desperately, calling out for help. Any sort of attention. She's a swan. WHY IS SHE A SWAN!? Flapping her wings she flies up to the next nearest individual she can find.]

Excuse me...! Hey, I need a little help!

[Only... why is it that no one can seem to understand her!?]

[Option B]

[All right. She's tried everything she can think of. She's not really sure how else to communicate, though.

Setting the feathered pen down (f-feathered...) with her beak, she stares at the incredibly sloppy writing in the journal before her. Well... it's all she can manage to do. It's not easy writing with her mouth, after all.

Nudging the journal up, she hopes someone will be able to see and read her message.]

Edited 2013-12-09 00:58 (UTC)

[She awakes with a startled gap and quickly sits upright that poor Pascal nearly flies off her shoulder. Though she's mindful enough to catch him and hold him to her chest, while she wildly looks around. Her eyes fall on the book lying beside and she sees the name "Maid Marion" written along the spine.

Suddenly completely strangers come by and offer to help her to her feet. While she tries to turn down the kind offers, it's too late, someone lifts her up and then they all bow to her, calling her 'mlady' and Maid Marion.]

Huh? But...

[Alas they don't allow her to explain and it just confuses her all the more.]

[The moment he jars awake, he is looking around surprised. He's not one to randomly fall asleep. In fact, he keeps track of when he decides to get some rest, thus finding himself in a strange world confounds him. Who would even dare? He notes that he still has the staff in his hands, but he also notices a book sitting beside him.

The moment he lifts it up to read the spine, several people that were walking by pause and bow, calling him 'your majesty'. That's...unexpected. He's not in Asgard and he's not on Midgard, yet these people bow.]

You there, what is this place?

[He calls out to a person who happens to be walking by but is not acting like the others.]

[ What. The. Hex.

Proper Fairytale Princesses don't freak out, throw tantrums, or throw their crowns down in frustration - but Apple is seriously considering making an exception. After last night she would've said things couldn't get any worse, but now that she's woken up in a strange village, surrounded by strange people who can't seem to decide whether they're afraid of her or if she's the best thing they've ever seen, and with a book marked 'Evil Queen' in her lap? Oh, and on top of it all, her dress, her mother's beautiful Snow White Legacy dress, has mud on the hem.

Such a fairy-fail.

As she gets less disoriented, Apple is starting to go from angry to scared. This doesn't seem like some kind of nasty rebel prank - 'Evil Queen' makes her think Raven, but Raven is so unfortunately kind that she would never do anything this wicked, even if she did mess up Legacy Day and ruin their story and put them in danger of poofing out of existence entirely and...

Apple freezes. Has she gone poof?! Is this what happens to fairytales that go poof?! No, no panicking; Proper Fairytale Princesses don't panic. If she's going to find out what's going on, then she must conduct herself in a calm, rational manner.

Fear fluttering in her delicate princess heart, she turns to the nearest person she sees, opens her mouth, and... ]

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!

[ ...screams. loudly. ]

[For Faris the welcome is lukewarm, at best, with many of the townspeople casting her suspicious, even disappointed looks. As if they'd been hoping for someone else instead of her. Every now and then she catches mention of a "Prince".

No matter, she had her own problems to deal with (namely: waking up in some mysterious city without her friends or her ship), and without even glancing at the name written on the spine of the journal she found in her lap, she tucks it into her satchel and starts off across the grass, approaching the first stranger who will listen to her.]

Hey! Mind telling me what the hell's going on? Where are we?

[A little abrasive, yes, but it's been a long day and Faris isn't exactly the most gentle person on a good day.]

[Maybe he stood out. Maybe not. But when you had a six-foot tall guy laying in the prettiest little flower patch in his stark black and dark gray ensemble, skull shirt and all you looked like you kind of didn't belong.]

M-mmgh...

[The chime of the bells caused the scarred brow to twitch once, and he sat up. Something instinctual had noted that something was different about that alarm sound, and not the bzz-bzz-bzz that he was accustomed to ignoring before throwing the clock at the wall again. But with his eyes scrunched closed, his brain was still slowly firing up and bringing him out of the dream he was having. Wherever he was was more comfortable than his bed somehow, and the sounds and smells caught by what he didn't know were enhanced senses were enough to bring him around.]

[But when he turned his head, eyes slowly opening, he was face-to-face with a group of wide-eyed people that backed off a step quickly. 'Beast', they whispered in awe. 'Beast', others whispered in disgust. As the hairs rose on the back of his neck, he scrambled to his feet and wound up to ask what the hell was going on, but when he lifted his eyes from the cobblestone, his peeping toms had fled with fearful screams, and others giggling in excitement over the thrill of surviving an encounter with the Beast.]

...What the hell?

[But Kanji was just confused, short-tempered. The hell'd they mean Beast? And - he looked at a book he had clutched in his hand - what's with the book?]

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