FEBRUARY INTRO LOG( FEB 16TH & 17TH )
february 16 ↴ INTRO: NEW WANDERERS' ARRIVAL! Our batch of new Wanderers wake this morning, as all new Wanderers have before, on a plush bed with a mild but lingering sense of recent disorientation. Frigg greets them as per normal, though rather than outright escorting Wanderers to the front doors this time, she and Sigyn allow the Wanderers time and space to leave their bed, meet the pantheon, and even depart the palace at their own pace - but not without a warning. All Wanderers must choose a deity to tether to before dawn the next day, or else one of the gods will choose them. This is of grave importance, as that's precisely how long the magic giving them form is able to last untethered before the Mother's own magic overwhelms it.
(Though the gods are more than willing to allow Wanderers to leave, it's worth noting that many a castle servant - natives, born in this land - might see fit to intercede and insist on the choosing of a god before Wanderers step off the Gladsheim Palace grounds.)
Stepping outside, you're greeted by an almost bright and sunny day... Undermined thoroughly by a sharp, biting wind that permeates any small gap in your clothing. I bet the gods might give you a sweater, if you ask. It probably won't even look that absurd, depending on which one you ask. A trail of what seems like stringless balloons float at eye level from just outside the palace door, guiding Wanderers down the path to a notice board just outside the palace grounds. On this notice board, Wanderers find a brief handwritten guide to accessing the city map on their cuffs, specifically denoting the little colored house icons ( ⌂ ) to help Wanderers make their way to each god's housing.
Also on this board appear to be a variety of job listings, for those who want to get more involved in Asgard as a whole. But let's not get ahead of ourselves, shall we? There's more than enough time for that once you've chosen a god to tether to in the first place. february 17 ↴ GOD CURSE: CHARACTER-BUILDING WITH SKADI. The storm brewing within Skadi is hardly a secret. She was impatient during the gods' supposedly unanimous address, and in the days to follow, Sigyn (with all her desperately good intentions) tried to balm the irritation but only abraded the goddess further still. She attended the Wanderers' arrival purely by the letter of her duty and swept back out the doors as soon as that duty released her, and since then she's been holed up in her temple, her pointy-faced statues positioned just outside as sentinels meant to intimidate mortals away.
They dared to tell her that she does nothing. Nothing for the Wanderers, that is. Nothing to help them grow and self-actualize, as if these 'Wanderers' are so much more important than Asgard itself, which weakens by the day as her fellow gods fling their magic about to overprotect the Wanderers, or even to satisfy their whims. The consensus to draw back some of that wasteful protection would have pleased her, if she weren't so thoroughly fixated on the slight that preceded it.
They want her to help the Wanderers self-actualize? So be it. There's no better way, truly, than to confront and overcome the ways in which you're flawed.
So the morning after arrival day, many Wanderers wake up with a stinging, itching spot somewhere on their body. Maybe their arm, maybe their back, maybe their throat. In that spot, as it turns out, is a set of words in a deep ruddy brown (almost like old blood) under their skin as if tattooed in place. But these aren't just any words - they prey directly into the Wanderer's fears, their regrets, their insecurities, and their mistakes. They're facing down some of the worst things they've ever thought or feared about themselves.
The other gods, of course, are eager and willing to try to relieve the poor Wanderers of these cursed marks... but they find that it's not quite so easy. Wanderers who seek a god's removal of the words find that not only do the words remain, but a new set appears: Flees the truth.
But that's fine = For most Wanderers, these words disappear on their own in a day or two. A handful of unlucky souls find that their marks linger indefinitely, or seem to disappear but return at truly inopportune occasions down the line.
MOD NOTES This is the February intro log and Skadi's curse, our mini-event for this month! Skadi's curse is is entirely opt-in - not all Wanderers are affected - and is detailed more fully in the 'This Month's Events' section of the February Bulletin, and you're welcome to direct any follow-up questions to the Bulletin's mod questions top-level. You've also likely noticed that god jobs are now live! The listings themselves can be found here (same link as within the 'arrival' prompt), with a brief FAQ featured over here. |
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asgardchrysalis2020-02-16 10:08 pm
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I know, and I am very grateful for that.
( Her words makes him wonder who would have such power. It’s pretty obvious the Gods would have enough power to mark them, but did they really know everything about them to know exactly what to mark? He cups his chin between two fingers, taking a position of thinking unconsciously. It is as if he has momentarily forgotten her presence, that she is there, probably waiting for him to speak again. Yet nothing leaves his lips until his eyes falls again on her mark. Brows furrowed as he places his hand over his waist. )
Maybe, whoever did all this, doesn’t know everything. You have the total right not to answer me but, why that word?
( Deep down he assumes what it means, how she may feel since once he totally made the mistake to say something similar to someone who was born in a very similar way like her. However, his heart refuses to consider her that word, not after all she did. However, Riku knows that probably asking wasn’t the best move. )
You know, I may not have my keyblade with me, but I can still kick whoever dares to hurt you in any way.
no subject
This?
[ Of course, this. Her hand lifts, fingers uncurling to brush lightly against the mark on her cheek, as if to be sure it's still there. She hesitates, and yet when she speaks, she does so matter-of-factly, despite the undercurrent of self-consciousness. ]
It's the truth, isn't it? [ Her hand falls away, coming to grasp her opposite elbow, arm pressed across her midsection. ] I came from Nothing. And I am-- [ Faltering, she find she can't quite finish that sentence the way she would have before. With the beginnings of a frown, she amends, ] Well, maybe I'm... not quite Nothing the way that I was before, but...
[ The word might still apply, depending on how one looks at it. His offer, however, draws her out of her other thoughts. Glancing up at him, her eyes round. Despite herself, she feels a smile tugging more strongly at her lips this time, even as she shakes her head. ]
I don't doubt it. But-- I don't think you should be picking fights here, not with... anyone who could do something like this. And especially not because of me...! I wouldn't want to get you into any trouble.
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His lips parts as if to quickly interrupt her, but stays silent. Eyes wide again at her words, unable to understand why it would make a difference if he fights for her or for anyone else. Shaking his head he relaxes his features just to fix his eyes at her, probably more serious than intended. )
To be honest, you and Sora are my only two reasons to fight here.
( His own safety should be on that list, and probably everyone's else. He knows that, and of course if needed he would fight to save anyone. But there is always a priority list, righ? )
You aren't, and never was, nothing. You are a lot of things. All of them good.
Aaaaand that's what happens when you accidentally hit the post button early
You can still say that, even after all the trouble I've caused the both of you...?
[ In the past, certainly, and never because she wanted to do it, but the fact of the matter remains. She exhales a breath almost like a laugh, chin tucking as she shakes her head - and yet her smile remains, sincere in its entirety. ]
I should have known. You've-- always been too kind to me. [ He and Sora are cut from the same cloth that way, though she doesn't say that part aloud. No need to embarrass the poor fellow. Though she says the first part with some amusement, as she continues she grows more sober. ]
But you have to look after yourself, just like you look after us. If something happens to you, then... [ She falters; even imagining that possibility is unpleasant. After a beat she stops, readjusts - musters another smile, this one more deliberate. ] … Who'll make sure we don't slack off?