Arc II, Chapter 23.5: The Late Check Out
I examined the License until it was time for me to get my tickets. This laminated slip of paper allowed us to contact ghosts related to the Throughline. That would explain some things. Why had this story, which did not appear to be related to the plot of the Throughline, come first in the Throughline.
“You think maybe this is the whole reason we were sent here?” I asked.
“I don’t have a guess better than that,” Antoine said. He seemed distracted.
I handed the ticket back to him. While I had been reading the License, he had been reading one of his tropes. It wasn’t equipped so I couldn’t see it on the red wallpaper. I couldn’t say what upset him about it. Carousel was known to reward mocking tickets to those who performed poorly. Perhaps he had gotten one.
I decided not to press the issue.
When it was my turn to press the button, I did so and received one stat ticket, one License identical to Antoine’s, and two tropes.
Cutaway Death
Type: Rule
Archetype: Film Buff
Aspect: Filmmaker
Stat Used: --
The enemy is ready to pounce, their weapon at the ready. Their victim is helpless. Everyone knows what’s about to happen. Right as the death blow is about to be struck, the screen cuts away. The enemy’s true savagery will be shown later, it seems.
Off-Screen Death: The Player’s death can now occur Off-Screen.
When equipped, the scene will cut to Off-Screen in the moments leading up to a character’s apparent death. The enemy will still try to kill the player, however, Off-Screen. If the Player survives, their status will be Written-Off instead of Dead.
Be warned: unless you have a trope or powerful narrative support for your miraculous recovery, you might want to avoid being caught On-Screen during a final take.
Many a bit actor survived because their character’s death ended up on the cutting room floor.
What Doesn’t Kill Them Makes Them Angry
Type: Debuff
Archetype: Any
Aspect: --
Stat Used: Savvy
If you take a swing at a monster, you better kill it because some injuries just make a monster more dangerous. Maybe you can use that to your advantage.
When equipped, this trope increases the likelihood for success of plans of attack that antagonize the enemy, even if they are not enough for the kill. Upon successful activation, the enemy will predictably become enraged and lash out, but their Savvy will be debuffed proportionately.
If used by a Strategist-Scholar, the enemy will reliably be drawn into a preplanned Chase Scene if plausible.
You think you’re smart, huh? Well you had better be right.
Kimberly was drained from getting killed for the second time. Even though her body was healed, she still moved her hand to her throat as if subconsciously assuring herself that a ghostly hand wasn’t grasping it.
When we all circled around and showed off our new tickets, Kimberly had two stat tickets, two tropes, and the same License as the rest of us. She did well with the limited amount of time she had before dying.
Typecast
Type: Buff
Archetype: Eye Candy
Aspect: Celebrity
Stat Used: Moxie
Some actors play the same character over and over again so often that the fans will come just to see them play that same character in a new way. The creepy neighbor, the desperate lover, the guy down on his luck, all of these and more can be expected, nay, demanded when certain actors are cast in a movie.
When using this trope, the Player will be able to get away with certain actions or situations with less set-up than they normally require because the audience has come to expect the performance. Buffs set-ups that the Player has a pattern of doing from storyline to storyline.
Better hope you aren’t typecast for dying.
This was a potentially game saving trope. For storylines like the one we had just completed where there wasn’t much time for organic set-up, it would be useful to use the audience’s expectations to help us. Kimberly played the slain lover. I had a feeling that the audience would see that a lot.
A Lip Cease
Type: Perk/Action
Archetype: Any
Aspect: --
Stat Used: --
In many movies and television shows, characters will have a conversation that only includes a few lines of dialogue, but it appears they are pausing in between those lines to get to a new location before continuing.
When this trope is equipped, the Player will be able to send the entire film Off-Screen during the Party Phase and temporarily prevent continuity from moving forward by simply stopping an expositional conversation and not continuing it until in a different setting. This can create time for collaboration, planning, or rest.
Be warned: Players ought not move the story forward or do non-incidental exploration while Off-Screen or the story will start back up.
Remember, we won’t finish this conversation until we get to school.
This could help stretch the Party Phase out a bit and give us some breathing room. I liked it.
Dina got one stat ticket, but three tropes. Her performance was likely lacking, given that the subplot with her son was just dropped. She also got the License.
They ruined in the shot...
Type: Rule/PerkThe inaugural upload of this chapter took place via N0v3l-B1n.
Archetype: Outsider
Aspect: Stranger
Stat Used: Hustle
It can be difficult to stay out of view of the camera. Sometimes, an entire shot gets ruined because someone who wasn’t supposed to be in frame accidentally was.
When this trope is equipped, if the Player is visible in shot when they are attempting to hide Off-Screen, they will get a notification on the red wallpaper. Once they are out of frame, the original scene will be reshot.
While characters in the scene will not realize they are repeating the scene, those outside of it will.
The content of the scene cannot be changed, however, those outside of it can act differently than they originally did.
Carousel gets a better shot, you get a Mulligan. Everyone wins. Just don’t take advantage, Okay?
When Dina showed us this trope, I could see a flash of embarrassment on her face. She had accidentally slipped up and found herself in a shot. She didn’t say much about it, but later as I watch the storyline over again on the red wallpaper, I noticed that in the scene where Isaac was getting his scalp almost ripped off, Dina was casually leaning against a tree in the background watching.
Her “character” was supposed to have been lost in the woods at that moment.
Dark Secret
Type: Rule/Insight
With this trope equipped, the Player can promote themselves from a nameless background character to a proper part of the main cast before Second Blood. If successful, the Player can be treated as more significant by the story even if they have been recast into a less significant role.
Be warned, this will inhibit many useful Wallflower tropes that rely on being ignored by the narrative in exchange for greater agency within the plot.
Remember me?
...
From Carousel High? We sat next to each other in biology class?
...
In case we needed Bobby to be more than some guy who happens to show up, he could now be a full player even when cast as a background character. I needed to read up on what the nuances were of how different character classifications were treated in the story.
Isaac was hesitant to press the big red button. He probably regretted pushing it the first time, as we all did.
When he pressed it, he got two stat tickets, two tropes, and, of course, the License. His first storyline was way over leveled for him. He didn’t do much but get injured and dragged to the world of the dead, but his contribution was enough.
Blood Loss Delirium
Type: Perk
Archetype: Comedian
Aspect: Stooge
Stat Used: Moxie
It can be hard to lighten the mood when people start dying. You just can’t make jokes when people are dying... But maybe if the character is a little woozy, a little lightheaded from blood loss, that could give them the cover they need to cut through the tension.
When this trope is equipped, the Player will feel the positive effects of blood loss (the drunken-like stupor and lightheadedness) instead of pain. This trope also provides cover to allow jokes in scenes that might otherwise not allow them because of the seriousness of the situation.
The symptoms will get more severe the closer the Player is to death.
“Oh god, he’s lost a lot of blood.”
“No... he’s always like this.”
He sure earned this one.
Gallows Humor
Type: Perk/Healing
Archetype: Comedian
Aspect: Cynic
Stat Used: Savvy
Sometimes it is difficult to deal with dark subjects. Making light of it may be the only way through.
When equipped, the Player can make dark jokes to ease their own mental pain after a terrible event and clear their head so they can think. If done well, they can ease the mental pain of present allies as well. This trope can also temporarily ease physical pain or even heal unseen injuries, but effects will vary. The cleverness of the joke will determine effectiveness.
They say laughter is the best medicine. How good of medicine is an inappropriate chuckle?
If we could get him comfortable doing his job as Comedian, he might do us a lot of good.
Cassie was in bad shape from her first death, but with encouragement from Isaac, she pushed the button and reaped her rewards. She got three stat tickets and two tropes. Not bad at all. Helping Kimberly debuff Strander Blake was no small feat.
Reflective Jump Scare
Type: Insight
Archetype: Psychic
Aspect: Seer
Stat Used: Moxie
The character walks into the bathroom and glances up at the mirror. Ah! Someone is in the reflection, but when they turn to look, no one is there. Spooky!
With this trope equipped, the Player will be able to get a quick glimpse of the enemy when they glance into a mirror or other reflective surface. They will not have identities revealed but can still see important information. Be prepared because it will be gone in a flash. In non-supernatural stories, this ability might manifest in less useful ways.
He’s standing right behind you.
Useful. I hoped Cassie was okay with jump scares.
Foreboding Signs
Type: Insight
Archetype: Psychic
Aspect: Occultist
Stat Used: Savvy
Death leaves its fingerprints that can only be seen by characters who look closely.
The player will be alerted to supernatural signs of who is going to die next. Drawing attention to these signs On-Screen will seal the target’s fate in a supernatural storyline. Pointing these signs out can create great narrative footing for character arcs for highly skilled characters.
“You’re just superstitious, reading into things.”
Psychics really did bring the hits.
Finally, it was Antoine’s turn to show us what he had earned. One stat ticket, the License, and two tropes.
He held one trope in his hand for a moment before Kimberly took it from him and read it to herself. She handed it back to him and said, “It’s a trope to help him suppress his fear and stress.”
She handed it back to him. He quickly pocketed it.
His other trope wasn’t as controversial.
Off the Bench
Type: Perk/Buff
Archetype: Athlete
Aspect: Sport
Stat Used: Grit
When a character has missed scenes that involved trauma or injury, they can enter future scenes untarnished by what came before.
When equipped, the Player will feel rested for every consecutive scene that they are not in. If they are Off-Screen long enough while the film continues elsewhere, they can even get Buffed in Hustle and Moxie.
The enemy just chewed through the other characters. Now it’s your turn.
It looked like Antoine was getting lots of perks.
And what else?