Theater of Flesh: Magic Items (OOC)

[Zagreus_D]

I decided to move the PM conversation to an OOC thread since authorminx doesn't have the ability to send PMs to multiple users and this will also prevent us from overloading everyone's Inbox.

***My Original Group PM***

authorminx's last post inspired a major plot idea that I'm feeling really excited about. I thought I would share and see if it's something that the rest of you would like to explore.

I didn't really have much of a plot in mind when I sent my original PM to authorminx asking if she wanted to find a magical object in the heap of Orsino's belongings, mostly I was just looking for a way to keep her involved rather than making the whole gifting event exclusively about introducing Perizada's character.

But of course it started feeling more and more weird to me, because Mr. D was making a huge fuss about the box, even though Zach and Perizada seem to be in a really groovy place, apparently free of danger, while Stella's jacket is acting evil as hell without D noticing at all. While I'm not opposed to just playing it that D is clueless and misreading the situation... I see a much more intriguing story angle, but it would involve everyone's consent and participation.

Consider:

Mr. D and Perizada have not yet resolved all of the circumstances surrounding the decision to isloate Perizada in her vessel. I know that D put her away with the eventual goal of either setting her free, or find a human master for her, who would be decent enough to allow Perizada a fair amount of freedom. I know that D made a choice to forget Perizada's existence because he was experiencing addiction like withdrawal from Perizada and/or her magic after she was back in her vessel.

What has been established:

The magic of Perizada's vessel is not passive. It has a powerful will which is directed toward the purpose of attracting, corrupting, and destroying the human men who possess it. It actively attempts to draw men of power and influence who are greedy, lustful, violent and easy to corrupt. The last time D encountered this vessel it very nearly ensnared him, because despite his external appearances of being good natured and fun, at his core he really does have some very dark and nasty impulses.

What if:

Before forgetting Perizada and her vessel, Mr. D performed an act of ritual magic to neutralize the malevolent magical force inside the vessel, preventing it from seeking a new, easily corruptible master for Perizada. He could have done this by binding the vessel and overlaying a new spell pattern that would attract a kind and gentle master for her.

The vessel didn't simply submit to this new interfering magic, but has been (over the past 80 years) seeking a way to override D's interference, refusing to establish any new master until it has figured out a way to eliminate or ensnare D, while still keeping its hold on Perizada, and maintaining it's original function to corrupt and destroy men with its magic.

How this might work:

The vessel began a process of replicating itself (its will, purpose, and magic) and transposing that secondary will into another object, something packed away close to the original vessel, something like Orsino's jacket. The jacket would have all of the same abilities and functions as Perizada's vessel, but would lack the Djinn slave component necessary to complete it's function of enslaving men, however it could easily find an entrap a human woman to fulfill that role once it was brought out of storage. Once it has its slave, it would not have to remain in the form of the jacket, but could transform itself into a new vessel appropriate for housing a new slave.

The plot thickens:

So I'm suggesting that the jacket, which contains an identical type of magic to Perizada's vessel, has targeted Stella with the intention of turning her into another Djinn slave. The jacket hates and fears D, and is quite intentionally attempting to pass below D's magical radar and to persuade Stella to avoid and distrust D. This opens up the of possibility for Zach to take on a heroic role in relation to Stella, as her confidant and protector. This also puts Perizada in a unique position to help solve the mystery since she has been more intimate with the vessel's magic than any of the rest of the characters, and I imagine she would be quite motivated to help save a human woman from sharing in her fate.

D's lack of awareness:

Even after D's self imposed amnesia is lifted (which will happen after he encounters Perizada again) he may not trust that his magical intervention has worked, Zach does seem to be exactly what D was hoping to attract, but the magic of the vessel is capable of strategizing in order to get what it wants, and D could become paranoid suspecting that Zach is nowhere near as good as he seems on the surface.

I also suspect that the magic of the vessel may have tried even harder to ensnare D after the intervention spell was in place, because at that point it lacked the ability to draw in a new master of its own choosing. It already had it's finger's in D's mind, and so lacking any alternatives it beset him with temptation, until D couldn't take it anymore and decided to forget, rather than risking a relapse into addictive behaviors. This would give D a good reason to suspect that his attempt to bind the vessel had failed entirely.

At this point D is so focused on the possible danger to Zach and to himself, and so distracted by his complicated feelings for Perizada, that it would be easy for him to overlook the greater threat to Stella, missing even the most obvious signs of a problem.

For authorminx:

This plot idea would impact Stella more directly than any of the other characters, and I imagine you may have completely different ideas in mind for how and why the jacket is behaving the way that it is. I'm really cool with it if you don't want to play this idea, and choose to stick close with whatever story you were originally envisioning. But this idea just seemed too juicy not to share it with everyone.

If you are interested in doing this story I think it would be very easy to interweave this plot concept with the other character ideas that we've discussed for Stella in PM.

For everyone:

There may still be some major holes in this plot idea, and I'd welcome any and all suggestions to make this idea more solid, or shape it to better fit each character's individual needs and goals. Let's discuss it!

 

[Zagreus_D]

I'm glad to have heard back from Harem and Minx about the story idea, just waiting to hear back from Silver before I think we can call it a go officially.

My biggest question right now is whether or not Minx should continue playing the jacket as a character. Minx is doing a great job of it, but I don't want her to be stuck having to write both sides of such an important interaction all by herself. I think if any of the rest of us took this character over it would give Minx more opportunity for dynamic interaction. If she is writing that alone, it isn't going to hurt the story at all, but it might get a little lonely for her.

I don't mind taking that character over myself, but I also don't want to dominate the story too heavily. I'd really like to see Silver or Harem take it. I've seen Silver write some really cool villains, and I think he could bring a really sinister voice to the jacket character... And Harem has a very solid idea of what the original Orsino was like, so she could do very well with the character also, especially if he is created in the image of the late Orsino. But don't let me pressure anyone into doing more than they want to. I'm happy to write the character myself, and I'm not really that concerned about the extra work, if it comes down to it.

If Perizada did create the jacket at the request of Orsino, I think that would just make it easier for the vessel to transfer itself to that medium, and would also explain why the magical persona of the jacket might resemble and behave like Orsino did in life.

Please don't let my enthusiasm translate into pushiness. I really do want to incorporate everyone's input and create a story that feels fulfilling and meaningful for all of us. I don't want the thread to be all about D. I want each character to get a fair share of the drama, disappointment, danger, and reward (dammit I ran out of d's... I have a thing for alliteration). So please don't hold back your ideas, or any concerns that might come up.

I'm loving this story, and all of the really great writers who are playing with me.

 

[KINKYCanada]

I just got back and have been spending time reading all the great plot building between the chars. I personally like the idea of magical items possessing people I.E. the jacket on Stella. I think it should be a char all on it's own. I have no interest in writing it but would love to see where it takes people. I am concerned with the story slipping really far into the supernatural though But that might just be me. I think we should still keep a level of the human component! Unless I read it wrong then I will refocus my efforts to writing a more supernatural point of view.

KC

 

[Zagreus_D]

The supernatural thing is becoming much more prominent than I had originally anticipated, but then I think that is really just a natural factor from having multiple contributors, with different visions. I try to never negate any creative suggestion. The scene between Silenus and Ivy isn't something that I expect everyone to aim for... I had always had in mind for Silenus to be a secret Satyr, but I decided to out him early, and in this very supernatural manner in order to try to fit Ivy into flow of things.

At the other end of the spectrum Korey and Seth seem to be having a very human interaction free of any supernatural elements at all.

It could all end up becoming very schizophrenic and disjointed, but I think it's holding together okay so far, and may continue to do so if the more exaggeratedly supernatural characters keep their interactions separate from the true humans, and more human-like characters.

D would knock Silenus upside the head, if he knew that he was exposing himself to Ivy... but then it was Ivy's writer who really set the tone for that scene, when she introduced the disappearing door, something that I (as world creator) had no reasonable explanation for, until I established Silenus as a very overt supernatural element. I aim to make everything work, regardless of how well it fits with my original concept.

The whole Djinn/Magical Items story arch really just started as a way to introduce the Perizada character, and is now taking on a life of its own. I'd still like to keep that as just one of many different story themes running in the theater.

I see this rp running like a big soap opera, with some story elements being resolved quickly between a few characters (single episode stories), while others may take longer and effect all of the characters on some level (season long stories). I've got some ideas setting off on the sideline to bring in if things start to get quiet, but everything running so far has developed pretty naturally just from incidental character interaction.

Right now Maeve, Seth, Korey, and Zach have no supernatural powers. Mr. D, Cole, Missy and Stella are characters with subtle powers. And Perizada, Silenus and Ivy are shaping up to be magical powerhouses. I find it easy to conceive how being in an environment with so many magical creatures around, might stimulate less powerful characters to manifest more dramatic abilities, so if you want to play with Cole and Missy becoming more powerful as they spend time in the theater I think that would make perfect sense, but don't feel like you have to follow that route. I really enjoy the human style drama; sex, love, jealousy, and revenge. I would hate to see all of that get lost in favor of telling an epic tale of legendary beings.

Welcome back by the way. I'll try to get some response posts up for Cole and Missy soon... probably tomorrow.

 

[KINKYCanada]

This all sounds great, I am enjoying this story very much and will work hard at adding and adapting to the ebb and flow of the story. I like how you made Silenus a satyr and I really do like the idea that a coat is possessed, the Dijinn idea for Harem's char being played out as a human is cool too.

With the power houses and the normal's and the subtle beings all working together there is a chance for imbalance and that could skew things but I do have faith in the collective ability of the writers here that we will make it work.


And thanks. It is good to be back. I missed writing and reading. though it was an awesome trip with the family. My son and I each caught a Shark while deep sea fishing.

KC

 

[haremfaery]

I would think for her own and her master's safety, that Perizada would keep her abilities quiet around the humans. Creatures like D would sense she isn't human but wouldn't know just what she is. She may present herself as a Persian Faery if pressed. They may eventually get the idea that she is a Djinn, but not right away.

Korey I have been playing as a human through and through. She knows that D has some sort of powers, just from being with the show for awhile, but I think she is of the mind, don't ask/don't tell. She also thinks Maeve is similar to D and has some powers, just because the two are associated with each other. She knows magical things happen, she just doesn't delve too deeply. After her childhood, the idea of faery godfathers appeals to her and as far as she's concerned, the magic has all been good. That's why she's so happy and bubbly.

As far as an imbalance goes with magicical v nonmagical chars, if the magicals keep it on the DL that should help.

I am really enjoying this thread a lot. Everyone is writing such great compelling chars.

 

[Zagreus_D]

I wanted to send out an OOC of the basic layout of the theater just for clarification purposes, since it recently came up in a chat between players. This can be subject to some adjustment as necessary. If you notice anything important missing let me know, but I've spent a lot of time in theaters and I think I hit all of the most common features. This isn't meant to be a complete map, just a general guideline of what your characters are likely to find and where.

General theater layout.

Main floor:
Entering the theater, there is a large front lobby with the box office (little glass window booths at the front, but Maeve has a private office beyond that which can be seen into easily from the windows if her door is left open), concessions area, public bathrooms, a stairway that goes up to the balcony and one that goes down to the basement. Several doors provide access from the lobby to the house. There are two small sets of stairs on the far right and far left of the stage, that allow easy movement from house to stage. There is no visible orchestra pit, (but there may be an orchestra area beneath the stage if we feel like we need one). There is a backdoor from the stage into the alley behind the theater, and also a large garage door next to it, to allow for deliveries and movement of large set pieces in and out of the building. There are a few custodial and storage closets in the backstage area, but no separate rooms, although when all of the curtains are down, there are lots of private little nooks and crannies (when the back and side curtains are pulled up, the whole area is wide open and largely visible even from the house).

Second floor:
Balcony access, plus a small secondary concession counter, and the sound and lighting booth. The catwalk would also be on this level above the stage (though there may be some maintenance panels that connect the two areas, there are no doors or easy access ways from the second floor lobby to the catwalk). An unobtrusive stairway leads up to the third floor.

Basement level:
Has dressing rooms, the green room with a small dine in kitchen, and staff bathrooms. Hallways on the basement level connect to the prop and costume rooms through back channels, plus another stairway goes up from the prop room to backstage. Silenus has a room of his own on the basement level beyond the prop room. Access to the under-stage orchestra pit would be on this level also.

Third floor: D's bedroom is on the third floor that is primarily empty office space and a board room. The only direct access to the second and third floor is from the lobby.