+ Want to tear it right down and start all over! +

[vitaelamorte]

Good morning, Wonderland Storybrooke!

Bill has announced his latest building project, and now it's time to take everyone on an exciting journey to a whole new world! The bulletin board has the prelude, and this post will give you all the information you need about the two-for-one curse/event deal your characters will unhappily be suffering from between October 24 and October 28!

Day 0: October 23

At 8:14 PM a magical curse is cast, and thick purple fog will roll over Wonderland. There's no stopping it, and it will cover every last inch of the place. It lasts for exactly one minute, and everybody in Wonderland will fall asleep under its power.

Welcome to Storybrooke

The next day all of Wonderland has become a small town in Maine, governed by their not entirely trusty mayor, Regina Mills. Nobody knows how she came to power, or just how long she's had her job. It's just the way things have been, just like how the town's clock tower has always been stuck at 8:15.

The inhabitants of Wonderland have had their memories and abilities (be they magic or otherwise) ripped away from them. Names may be changed, and people who weren't quite human will find themselves human for the duration of the event. In short, everybody has been given an entirely new life: A job, a home; all the important details necessary to keep a small town running.

And while a character's new life may have echoes of their old one, nobody actually remembers Wonderland, let alone their existence before it. As far as they're concerned, they were born in Storybrooke, and will spend their entire lives here. Nobody new ever arrives, nobody old ever leaves; any attempt to go over the town line will end badly, so best not to try at all.

Day 1: October 24

Quaint as the small town may look at first glance, life in Storybrooke is a far cry from idyllic. In fact, it almost seems as if everybody's personality or circumstances have been adjusted a little to prevent them from getting their happy endings (Whatever that might mean to each individual character). A few particularly unlucky individuals might even spend their days locked away in the Storybrooke Asylum beneath the hospital.

Yet on the night of the first day, after living out what seems to be the latest in a line of unhappy days that never change, the clock tower will strike 8:16. Have the rusted old innards worked themselves out, or is something else happening?

Day 2-3: October 25-26

Over the next days, things will suddenly improve. After having been stuck in a rut for so long, people will now find themselves with new confidence, and will finally be able to make a change in their lives.

In addition any passive abilities (enhanced senses, fighting skills, etc) of their forgotten lives will begin to return, though the knowledge necessary to use them to their full extent won't.

Day 4-5: October 27-28

At 8:15 PM on the fourth day, a pulse of energy will eminate from seemingly nowhere. It will continue to spread until it reaches the boundaries of the town. The curse has been broken, and everybody's memories of Wonderland and their true homes have been restored.

There is still a catch, however: All those years in Storybrooke won't fade easily, and characters will be stuck with two sets of memories. So who are they really? Snow White, or Mary Margaret? Their Storybrooke self, or whoever came before? Or are they both?

Aftermath: October 29

By October 29 Storybrooke has turned back into Wonderland. Any fake memories implanted by the curse will lose their prominence. They will be like every other memory of an event, and no longer cause confusion.

Annnd that's it, that's the schedule! You'll find a comment for further questions below, as always. Please also consider adding your character to the TOWN REGISTRY for the sake of a better overview.

That is all, have fun ruining your characters' happiness in new and refreshing ways, and enjoy your day!

~Mouette

Comments

QUESTIONS...

[vitaelamorte]

...and answers!

[cinnamonie]

I'm assuming that all the actual Storybrooke characters go back to season 1 situations and memories! For that sake, do they go back to pre-first episode of the TV show before Emma came to town, or somewhere in the timeline of the first season?

Or is it an au entirely where they're just cursed into lives like they've always been there? (I'm asking more so based on what MM would know about Emma, and Henry's relationship to Emma and Regina, etc.)

[vitaelamorte]

Since the event largely mirrors the development in season one I would say that canon OUaT characters likely suffer from a complete reset, and start out at their pre!Emma unhappiest on day one.

[doesnotplay]

Would a character like Panne, who is clearly not human, still have her non-human features?

[vitaelamorte]

No, they wouldn't. Their new identity may contain references to their original non-human persona, but physically they would be completely human.

[avoirfaim]

Can I, in this situation, create an NPC even if it just means her being mentioned in conversation? She doesn't need to be played or anything.

Since Storybrooke is, at least in season 1, the best ending for villains and the worst for the heroes, I wanted Mischa to be alive in Storybrooke.

Possible?

[vitaelamorte]

Yes-ish. The curse would not actually bring dead people back to life that way, so she could not be physically present. However, what you could do is create the illusion that she is still alive, without him (or anybody else) ever actually physically interacting with her.

She would "spend" the first days of the event visiting friends, working late, having to run a quick errand, or absolutely anything else that would result in PCs not meeting or "just missing" her. However, until the evening of the fourth day nobody would doubt that she is actually alive and in town. Only afterwards would Hannibal realise that he doesn't actually remember the last time he genuinely saw her in person.

Alternatively she might be alive, but not actually living in Storybrooke. So in short, the idea of her being alive is possible, but she can't genuinely be alive and physically present.

[everythingisvegetarian]

Awesome, that's perfect. We'll go with the first one. Thank you!

[madehervows]

Canonically uncursed characters (So Regina, Emma, etc)! Are they still uncursed per the discussion I had with Mouette, or is everybody cursed?

[belovedson]

Was wondering this also, since Neal was unaffected by the curse.

[vitaelamorte]

Hey there, and sorry about that. I had a paragraph about that in my first draft, but I accidentally forgot to add it back in when I re-wrote the whole thing.

Yes, canonically uncursed characters have the option to remain as uncursed as they were in canon, though they may also opt to have the curse/event take this time.

[madehervows]

omg no it's okay I FELT SO BAD WHEN I SAW THAT HAD HAPPENED.

Thank you!

[halfwinchester]

So let's say we're thinking about shoving one of those unlucky individuals in the asylum... :'D

Are we talking Belle-levels of isolation where they have little to no contact with others, or is that scenario a little more flexible here?

[vitaelamorte]

For the purpose of the event I'm going to go ahead and say that there's probably an asylum wing that's open to regular visitors as well; so yes, the scenario is a bit more flexible in this case.

Re: QUESTIONS...

[goodwoofjames]

Is there a Storybrooke network?

[vitaelamorte]

Not specifically, no. Phones and internet are a thing, and I could see a Storybrooke town website featuring a message board, but there is no exact equivalent to Wonderland's network.

[goodwoofjames]

storybrooke(dot)craigslist(dot)com

reddit(dot)com/r/storybrooke

yes good

Re: QUESTIONS...

[dissemble]

As a politician, can Lucifer make mention of running against the current mayor? Can he also draw attention to the fact that she has been in office forever and that everyone should vote for him next election?

[vitaelamorte]

He can, but keep in mind that the curse is designed for Regina's rule to be essentially unquestioned and absolute; as such it is very likely that Lucifer's Storybrooke persona has either run against her several times before and so far always lost by a mile, or that it never even occurred to him to run against the current mayor until the second day of the event, when people's lives start to change.

[hyperkinesia]

Quick question, as I'm not sure-- characters with powers, are they powerless throughout the whole event, or when memories of Wonderland and their true homes are restored (basically during days 4 and 5) do they get those powers back as well?

[thepointisdolphins]

Wondering this as well.

[vitaelamorte]

Voila, answer below!

[vitaelamorte]

Since Wonderland is a far cry from the canon's "land without magic" I'll go ahead and say that that's for the individual player to decide. Starting from the evening of the fourth day you can have their powers return, or opt to keep them passive/diminished/absent, on account of the curse and identity confusion causing some interference.

[hyperkinesia]

Alright, thanks! ♥