NO EXITS

On the seventh day at precisely 1:32 AM, the campus once more resets. Everyone trapped in the experiment falls unconscious (if not sleeping already) only to wake up sometime afterward in their assigned bed, in their assigned room, in their assigned dorm…

As yourselves?

Some of you are your normal selves, albeit in clothing appropriate to 1945. Think Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep, etc. At least you won’t stand out.

But some of you? Some of you wake up as Toons.

As in cartoon. As in, you’re a walking, seemingly two-dimensional animated person or creature. Even stranger is that on this world? You don’t stand out either.

Welcome to Toon Town, Los Angeles, 1945, where your favorite classic cartoons are filmed in the exact same fashion as live action pictures, with the exact same sordid behind-the-scenes tales.

MAKING YOUR CHARACTER A TOON

• First off, you can decide which of your characters wake up as toons and which ones don’t. It doesn’t have to be based on which cartoons have animated versions of them or not. It’s entirely up to what you want to do with each of your characters.

• Secondly, you can use any style of animation you want. It doesn’t have to be a 1940s or earlier style of cartoon. You just might end up that new look a director wants for their movie if you’re “something special”.

TOON RULES

• Toons can’t be killed. At least not by anvils, explosives, or anything that should kill a normal person. They might have literal stars or birds dancing around their head, or any other effect you see in animation, but they can shake it right off.

• Well, that’s not entirely true. Toons can die.
  • There’s something called dip. It’s basically glorified paint thinner. Dip will essentially melt a cartoon that’s dipped in it. There are certain members of the law all too willing to use it against cartoon criminal elements.

  • Laughing to death. Sometimes even toons get carried away, but at least this way their little laughing souls get a more heavenly send off.

• Toon hilarity. A toon can do all kinds of things, but only at the moment when it’s funny.
  • A single shot of alcohol can have wild but comical, unpredictable effects on toons, depending upon how they’re drawn. At least it makes them a cheap date.

  • Feel free to play with other animated effects your character might display to various comic effects.

• Toons are regularly discriminated against in most areas of LA outside of Toon Town due to their wild and unpredictable natures. Plenty of places just don’t serve toons, insurance doesn’t like to cover the property damage they regularly cause.

• Speaking of Toon antics, you’re likely to see them around the movie studios, but most especially Toon Town. Be careful if you’re not a toon. How likely are you to survive a piano being dropped on your head?

• How bad is discrimination against Toons? It’s not exactly considered murder to use dip on a Toon. Toons are funny, but destructive. Piss off the wrong person and you’ll be lucky if you even get a trial when Judge Doom and his Weasels roll up.

SETTING NOTES

• Yes, this is the same world as neo-noir cartoon, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. The movie is available to stream on disney plus. The movie takes place two years after this plot so you can bump into characters seen in this movie.

• A collection of photos from the 1940s of LA, which might give you some ideas of the fashion, the cars, places to go and things to see.

• A bit of a dry read, but here’s some info on the culture of LA 1940-1950. TL;DR, a lot of European filmmakers fled to Hollywood in the 40s due to the war and influenced film, giving birth to the Noir genre.

PLACES & PEOPLE

• Toon Town; section of LA that is completely animated, where most of your favorite cartoon stars live. Also completely insane. No normal human goes there for long unless they have to. Even the sky is animated in Toon Town.

• Maroon Cartoon Studios; one of the biggest movie studios in LA that has produced some of the most popular animated pictures. Some of their big stars include Baby Herman and Roger Rabbit.

• Ink and Paint Club; a toon revue with a strict human clients only policy. In addition to the entertainment, the servers and bouncers are all toons, many of them waiting for their big break. The password to get in the door? Walt sent me.

• The Terminal Station Bar; kind of a dive, shakes like an earthquake every time one of the trains or larger buses roll in. Perfect place to go if you’re not looking for something fancy and just want a cheap drink.

• The Red Bus; believe it or not, LA used to have a really great public transportation system. Buses, electric trolleys, you name it. You can get around the city easily & affordably without needing a car.

• R. K. Maroon, studio head and founder of Maroon Cartoons.

• Marvin Acme, owner of the Acme Company and most of Toon Town.

• Valiant & Valiant, a small detective agency run by two brothers, Eddie and Teddy, known to be Toon friendly. Famously cleared Goofy of spy charges. Need them to look into something for you? Maybe slip some work your way? They're good people to know.

• Judge Doom and his Weasel Enforcers; having bought himself a judgeship, you don’t want to run afoul of this man. Look at him wrong and you’ll get the dip. (RIP, Shoe.)

• Every Classic Cartoon Under the Sun; Bugs, Daffy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Betty Boop, Dumbo, all of them. You can meet all your childhood favorites in Toon Town. To make things easier, here’s a list.

FAQ

Are there any AU memories or anything of that nature?

Nope! You have all your memories. No AU personas. Some of you just might be more animated this week than normal.

For the low, low price of 1 AC per item, you can take a cartoon item with you for future adventures. Cartoon holes, hammers, anvils, dynamite, animated shoes, etc. Just get permission from the mod.

So canon puncturing will look slightly differently in this setting. You know Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck on your own worlds, if appropriate. But on this plane of reality, they aren’t just drawings, they’re people. So for this plot only, you can be aware of cartoons your character may be ICly familiar with, just unaware there is a world where they could be actual people.

Nope! You can absolutely look like a modern era cartoon. Whatever inspires you, go with it.

Yep! You can absolutely look like an old timey cartoon. Whatever inspires you, go with it.

Yep, just like in previous worlds where you’ve woken up in D&D attire or 1950s party dresses, you’ll get one more outfit for your trunk. Sorry, you still don’t have a closet. That trunk might be getting a bit full by now.

You can have a set of toon clothing. But it might be really weird to put on once you are yourself and be prone to comical animated effects. What the heck will you do with that? Who knows. Maybe you’ll think of something.

Explore, stock up on supplies, get into some animated antics. Run afoul of an animated mob? Become a movie star? Have fun!