Book Five, Chapter 66: An Invitation

Riley Lawrence is The Film Buff

His aspect is Filmmaker.

Filmmaker: The Filmmaker has a comprehensive understanding of the filmmaking process. They can manipulate the game environment effectively, altering the game’s dynamics in subtle but impactful ways. Their abilities are a mixture of meta-Insight and meta-Rule tropes. They have higher Hustle, reflecting their ability to stay out of the way, stay alive, and remain unseen as they manipulate meta-movie elements.

Riley has a Plot Armor score of 30, Mettle of 4, Moxie of 7, Hustle of 7, Savvy of 8, and Grit of 4.

Free Background Trope: “My Grandmother Had the Gift…” A background trope that gives Riley’s character some ambiguous connection to “The Gift” through his heritage.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Trope Master” grants him the ability to perceive enemy tropes, but at the cost of sacrificing half of his Plot Armor.

As an “Oblivious Bystander,” Riley remains untargeted by enemies as he convincingly acts oblivious to their presence.

“Cutaway Death” sends him Off-Screen before the moment of his character’s implied demise and allows him to exist behind the scenes Written Off if he survives the encounter.

“The Dailies” allows him to see a selection of raw footage from the day’s shoot.

“Just Out of Shot” allows him to see ‘cameras’ when sneaking near an enemy to avoid being seen.

“Quiet on Set” allows the user to listen to the audio of the current On-Screen scene while Off-Screen, depending on Savvy and the information’s value.

“Raised by Television” buffs the user to do one big meaningful action if they establish their inspiration from film and television to establish it.

“The Insert Shot” makes allies aware of an object the player chooses. The object will be shown to the audience and its use will be buffed in the Finale.

“Director’s Monitor” Grants the user Deathwatch upon their character’s death.

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Kimberly Madison is The Eye Candy

Her aspect is Celebrity

Celebrity: The Celebrity aspect treats the player like an actor and the storylines like films they sign on to. Using meta tropes to create hype, fan favoritism, and larger than life roles, the Celebrity is the most versatile of the Eye Candy aspects. Using past roles to help their “career”, the Celebrity can specialize in virtually anything if they have long enough to build a career.

Kimberly has a Plot Armor score of 27, Mettle of 5, Moxie of 10, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 1, and Grit of 6.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Convenient Backstory” allows her to believably change her backstory to assist with the current task, buffing the relevant stat.

“Does anyone have a scrunchie?” allows her to shift Moxie’s points into another stat by putting her hair up.

“The Penthouse” The character will get the nicest, safest accommodations in a multiday storyline.

“The Hall of Fame” The user gains Center of Attention and will have a heightened role in the story regardless of casting. Meta story elements are more central.

“Get a Room!” boosts the odds of important discoveries when exploring with a love interest during the party.

“When in Rome” buffs her Grit until Rebirth if her performance matches the tone of the movie.

“Social Awareness” allows her to see the Moxie stat of all enemies and NPCs and intuit relationship dynamics.

“Contract Negotiations” the user will get a buff to an Improvisation after “discussing” an improvisation with Carousel.

“Breaking the Veil of Silence” the user will get warnings from knowledgeable NPCs. Outside of storylines, NPCs will warn of dangers to women and hint at storyline rewards.

~

Antoine Stone is The Athlete

No aspect has been chosen.

Antoine has a Plot Armor score of 27, Mettle of 8, Moxie of 4, Hustle of 5, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 7.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Gym Rat” buffs Mettle and Hustle by revealing athletic backstory.

Brandishing a weapon is “Like a Security Blanket,” buffing his Grit and soothing his and his allies’ fear.

“Everyone Loves a Winner” the user’s character will have some previous success that endears them to NPCs. Failure reverses this.

“Stronger Together” buffs mental health and healing when the user and allies are together in a group.

“A Race Against Time” creates a rescue with a time clock that must be beaten.

“You were having a nightmare…” reduces traumatic memories to nothing but a lingering dream and can undo much of a storyline at a very high level.

“Knight in Shining Armor” buffs Mettle and Grit when defending a romantic interest.

“The Playbook” The user will be able to see when it is their turn to act in an established plan.

“Better Make it Count” greatly buffs the last round of ammunition the player has available in a fight.

~

Dr. Andrew Hughes is The Doctor

No aspect has been chosen.

Andrew has a Plot Armor score of 28, Mettle of 1, Moxie of 5, Hustle of 8, Savvy of 9, and Grit of 5.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Step Into My Office” Sanctuary is granted while treating allies in a private scene, safeguarding all until treatment is complete based on the user’s Savvy.

“The Oath” By referencing their personal healer’s oath, the user’s Grit is buffed while treating a wounded ally.

“Observational Analysis” Observing characters before critical scenes lets the user discern their fixed personality traits, making it easier to predict their reactions if provoked.

“Let it Out” During mental trauma treatment, the patient reveals deep-seated feelings, aiding in their mental recovery but risking emotional breakdowns.

“Professional Courtesy” Characters in related professions recognize the user’s professional status, offering them helpful insights and special access.

“Absolute Focus” The user’s Hustle is enhanced when performing tasks requiring dexterity and precision, thanks to their meticulous focus.

“Critical Anatomy” Studying a creature reveals weak spots, increasing the user’s Mettle when targeting these vulnerabilities.

“The Slab” Performing a post-mortem on a corpse yields increasing information over time, with a countdown until the scene’s end.

“Study Session” If the user has the highest Savvy, they designate a “Stacks” research location where allies are safe during certain scenes and can access valuable knowledge.

~

Michael Brooks is The Soldier

No aspect has been chosen.

Michael has a Plot Armor score of 26, Mettle of 8, Moxie of 2, Hustle of 6, Savvy of 3, and Grit of 7.

Free Background Trope: “Born and Raised” A background trope that makes it so he is a local to the setting and is familiar with it, granting several equipable tropes.

Current Trope Limit: 9

“Back of My Hand” Familiarity with the setting allows the user to navigate known locations easily, with a map of key areas available.

“Live off the Land” The user knows where to find food, water, and shelter in the wild and can locate ingredients for rituals or spells if appropriate.

“Knife Rush” Rushing an enemy who has a bladed weapon gives the user a brief window of invulnerability, thanks to their Hustle.

“Nighty Night” A stealthy strike on an unaware target renders them unconscious, provided their Plot Armor is weak enough and their character wouldn’t go for the kill.

“Half a World Away” Demonstrating yearning for a distant lover bolsters the user’s Grit.

“Sold a Lie” The user can detect deceptions too good to be true and sense manipulators, even if the details are unclear.

“Basic Training” The lowest of the user’s Mettle, Hustle, and Grit stats receive a slight buff and the user may equip standard-issue soldier gear when relevant.

“You’re Wasting Your Bullets” Upon hitting an enemy without damaging them, the user gains insight into the enemy’s defenses.

“Conservation of Lead” Ammo automatically adjusts to match the user’s current firearm, converting based on weight.

~

Lila White is The Wallflower

No aspect has been chosen.

Lila has a Plot Armor score of 23, Mettle of 1, Moxie of 3, Hustle of 10, Savvy of 4, and Grit of 5.

Current Trope Limit: 8

“Bad Luck Magnet” All rolls will fail, and the user will be targeted. Allies will have the opposite happen. (borrowed from Antoine)

“A Hopeless Plea” Begging for release forces the captor to verbally deny it; if they don’t, persuasion might succeed.

“A Scream in the Distance…” A loud scream sends the user Off-Screen, allowing an ally who hears it to appear On-Screen.

“There’s Been a Murder!” Discovering a gruesome scene lets the user scream, initiating an investigative scene with applicable characters.

“Not Important Enough” Staying out of plot-critical actions keeps the user safe from intelligent enemies until the Midpoint, where they are Written-Off. Grants limited access to the script.

“Dying Last Scream” A realistic death scream sends the user Off-Screen, allowing enemies to ignore them while gaining Deathwatch and the Dead status.

“The Killer’s Wake” Playing dead during a massacre allows the user to escape safely after the scene and provides knowledge of the complete script for that scene.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“A Cry in the Dark” A cry during peril alerts nearby allies to the user’s location and status.

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The Omen trigger for Stray Dawn was simply to bring the painting to southeastern Carousel.

It meant exactly that.

Because while we left in a group and walked in a group, as soon as we crossed the invisible barrier between Central Carousel and Southeastern Carousel, I found myself instantly transported into the driver’s seat of a 1981 Comstock Overlander, careening down the highway at 60 miles an hour.

The shock and surprise of it all almost sent me off the road into a tree.

Luckily, I wasn’t On-Screen because I cussed from sheer surprise and slammed on the brakes, leaving my car—a very long, four-door vehicle that reminded me of a Crown Victoria—spread out on the narrow road, covering both lanes.

My heart raced as I put two and two together and realized what had happened.

Then, I got distracted by something else.

Carousel took my hoodie again.

That was the first thing I noticed, and I didn’t quite mind. Instead of some generic jacket, it gave me a classy trench coat, like some noir detective. I looked around the car and saw that a folder of papers had been scattered all over the passenger seat floor from my harsh braking.

This little jump scare had stirred up a great deal of anxiety in me.

All I could do was take a deep breath and send out a silent prayer to the universe that we’d succeed on our first shot.

We had run Itch so many times that I worried it had rewired my brain to believe that these storylines were somewhat safe. But all of my instincts told me this one would be difficult. We had prepped as well as we could, but at the end of the day, werewolves were icons for a reason.

It would be a struggle.