BDE - Finale Info and Sign-Ups!

[needfully-yours.livejournal.com]

It's (almost) finale time! So here's the rough shape of what's going to happen, and then we'll get into the nitty-gritty.

ROUGH SHAPE

The island will be unmistakably sick by the beginning of the finale, aka next week. Researchers can assemble as early as they like, but should be in the library by Monday, March 23rd, trying to discern what's wrong with our beloved home. We'll have false leads in case anyone wants some wrong angles to pursue.

On Tuesday, March 24th, one of the Cursed Item holders will find the strength of will to break the spell. After doing so, this person realizes that all of these cursed items are chock-full of poison and badness. This person will run and notify the Research Team: Leland Gaunt is your man.

As this happens, Leland Gaunt boards himself in. A heavy fog rolls in; from Tuesday to Saturday midday, there won't be any sun. (So vampires are welcome back into the mix.)

From this point forward, people with cursed items will fall into three groups. Group A, Breakers, will also break the spell, smashing their items and freeing themselves from Leland Gaunt's grasp. Group B, Fighters, will form a protective ring around the Needful Things store, so that meanies can't get inside to hurt him. And Group C, Just Plain Sick? He's going to drain their energy as quickly as possible, hoping to kill them off.

The Research team will continue learning more about Leland, while the Recovery team tries to fight through their crazed classmates and arrest Leland Gaunt. What the Research team learns: each holder of a cursed item must choose to destroy his or her item. They can be coaxed into it, but it must be each person's choice. Otherwise, the holders will wither away and die.

On Thursday, there will be an IC Town Hall meeting; the Research team will be handing out lists of names of people who have visited Leland's shop, and thus might still have items. A new team forms: the Negotiators. The job: to hunt the sick Fandomites down and convince them, by whatever means necessary, to destroy their shiny objects.

Friday night, the job will be accomplished, or so you think; Leland Gaunt is arrested, but he seems smug. The island is still sick, the fog is still heavy, and all formerly-cursed Fandomites are accounted for. What gives?

There's going to be a coda on Saturday explaining exactly what gives, as the Research team finds one last piece of the puzzle, with the help of some telepaths and empaths. The Researchers get to face off with Gaunt one last time, and then the day is saved.

Let's break this down day by day!


MONDAY, MARCH 23

• Last full day that Needful Things will be open, and thus, last chance to get a cursed item.


• Researchers can start looking, but they have no useful leads yet -- we've got some fake angles on what could be causing the island's problems that we'll dole out if you guys want.

TUESDAY, MARCH 24

• One brave Fandomite will break the thrall, and destroy his or her cursed item. This person will seek out the Research Team and update them: it's Leland Gaunt.


• Major fog sweeps in.


• Research Team will now dig into Leland Gaunt, looking for clues as to what he's up to.


• From here to Thursday, some cursed item holders (Breakers) can break the spell themselves.


• From here until Thursday/Friday, some cursed item holders (Fighters) will be surrounding the Needful Things store, in an attempt to protect Leland Gaunt. (Whether it's Thursday or Friday depends on when that Negotiator reaches the item holder in question.)


• From here until Friday, some cursed item holders (Just Plain Sick) will be curled up in their rooms, unable to leave. (Whether it's Thursday or Friday depends on when that Negotiator reaches the item holder in question.)


• Recovery Team will head to Needful Things, to stand off against the Fighters and try to reach Leland Gaunt.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25

• More throwdowns outside Leland Gaunt's place.


• Research team collects more intel.


• Research uses radio podcasts to organize a list of who visited Leland Gaunt's store.


• Research decides on an island-wide town meeting.

THURSDAY, MARCH 26

• Research holds an IC Town Hall meeting, to update everyone on their findings.


• Negotiators are enlisted, and given names of Fandomites to rid of their items.


• Negotiators seek out the Fighters and Just Plain Sick people, and convince them to break their items.


• Some Fighters/Just Plain Sick people are taken to the clinic.


• Clinic volunteers hand out warm hugs and soup.

FRIDAY, MARCH 27

• Negotiators finish off their tasks, and all radio-reported visits are accounted for.


• Some Fighters/Just Plain Sick people are taken to the clinic.


• Clinic volunteers hand out warm hugs and soup.


• With the Fighters taken care of, the Recovery Team is able to arrest Leland Gaunt, at sunset, Friday night.


• A Night Watchman Night Watchmen, plural, stay at the jail, monitoring Gaunt, who seems smug.


• The fog is still heavy, and the island still sick. It's not over yet.

SATURDAY, MARCH 28

• Something vital is spotted.


• The research team assembles a group of empaths and telepaths, for an important task.


• Research faces Leland Gaunt.


• Leland Gaunt leaves Fandom forever.


• The fog lifts, the trees are healed, and the deer are normal once again.

QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? CONCERNS?

We may have missed something, in writing this up, or you may have questions about how it all works. Below, you'll find sign-up forms for the various roles in the finale -- some of which can overlap, i.e., anyone can be a Negotiator, or a Clinic Volunteer -- and also space to ask any questions you might have.

Sign-ups will be open until Saturday, March 21st, midnight PST.