asgardchrysalis | AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

Who: EVERYONE
What: the August intro log and first god house competition, More Than Meets the Eye
When: August 8
Where: Gladsheim Palace for breakfast, around Asgard for the game/curse
Rating: PG-13; please take anything higher than this to a private log!

morning: a warm invitation

Everyone wakes up to a friendly invitation to breakfast at the castle with the gods. For most of you, this comes as a message on your bracelet, reading:

Join us at the castle today to welcome some new Wanderers into our midst. Breakfast will be served and a lively game will be available to all of our guests, both new and old.

New Wanderers are curious on their own, and this is the first there's ever been mention of a game. Perhaps it's enough for you to make the trek to the castle, to see what all the fuss is about, or maybe even to see if there's someone you know. Perhaps you want to learn more about the game, or maybe you just want the food.

For our new guests, this comes as a bit more of a surprise. Wherever you were before in your world, without even realizing it, you wake up in a strange new place. No time or space inbetween, just an awareness of There and then Here. A matronly figure tries to explain your circumstances with a sympathetic smile, but ultimately invites you meet them all for yourselves: the Gods of Asgard, and the Wanderers that arrived before you.

The sight that greets you on the castle grounds is a rather festive one, regardless of where you're coming from. Colorful streamers and flags are draped above large tables with room for several guests. Natives bustle about, cheerfully offering food and drinks to anyone that wants some. Everyone is welcomed to mingle and greet the new Wanderers on this bright summer morning.

the game: a friendly competition

Among the brightly decorated tables are ones highlighted in a specific color for a specific god house, and most of the gods themselves can be found sitting behind it with a few of their district's natives. They are here to welcome the new Wanderers into Asgard - but they're also here to explain the rules of today's game. There are coins hidden throughout the city and disguised as mundane items, and the god house that returns the most of their coins will win an upgrade to their god housing! No hints will be given, but the natives are excited to help facilitate the activity and happily invite you to wander through their districts to find what you can.

But you don't have to know about the rules to be playing the game! The coins are already hidden throughout the city, and no one knows what they are until they've been picked up. Whether you're banding together with friends to find as many coins as you can or blindly stumbling over an unpleasant surprise, the game and the curse are in full swing!

evening: a fair prize

At sundown, all of the coins in the city disappear at once, whether they're in your pocket or still disguised as a bowl. Points will be tallied and a winner will be announced (OOCly, on August 17) - but Asgardians are keen to celebrate regardless of who wins a rather inconsequential game. The same colorful display of tables and chairs is still spread across the castle grounds, although now they twinkle with fairy lights haphazardly blinking throughout the air. Snacks and drinks are made available, as well as more dinner-shaped meals for those that request it. Mostly the natives simply want to bask in the strangeness of these Wanderers from other worlds for a moment longer - but they're also eagerly listening to any stories from the day's mischievous game. Relax, enjoy yourself, or again, just stock up on some freely served food. Whatever suits your needs today. Welcome to Asgard, dear Wanderers.

[ OOC NOTE: This is the intro log for August, as well as our first god house competition/curse: More Than Meets the Eye. You are free to play with the curse prompts and searching the city in any way you want! If you would like to submit a map to earn points for your god house, please check out the rules to learn what to do. We will accept maps until August 17, at which point a winner will be announced and members of that god house will be allowed to vote for an upgrade to their god housing. As always, please let us know if you have any questions or need any help on the mod contact page. Enjoy, friends! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She heard that voice, and more importantly she heard a lot of splashing and thrashing. There was a momentary alarm there, fueled in part by the Heimdall coin, but just the fact that she didn't like the idea of this one drowning on her watch, or in general. She fussed at the side of the water for a split second, sighed and wrenched her blindfold off, leaving it and her staff by the side of the water.

Ugh, blinding, blurry... wait, she saw something blonde. that had to be her. Wading into the water quickly, she dove in the rest of the rest of the way once it was deep enough to actually start swimming. She was not a great swimmer, but when you roleplayed for years with a wannabe pirate, you learned.

Wading out as Naminé sank again, she grabbed for what she presumed were the girl's shoulders to try and haul her up and start dragging her back. Of course, she had no clue, since her eyesight was taking a minute to adjust.]

[ Somewhere in the back of her mind was this chiding voice that told her not to panic, panicking would only make it worse. But every time her foot slipped on the bottom or she couldn't quite make it to the surface for air she could feel the fear rising in her chest, threatening to consume her. It was mainly by force of her own not inconsiderable will that she managed to keep it together well enough to at least maneuver herself around to face back toward where the shore sloped upward.

But it felt like it was going on forever, the awkward attempts to get her footing, to get air, to kick herself a bit closer to shore - or for Terezi to reach her, as Naminé saw her approaching the times when she surfaced. It was all the blonde could do to gradually move herself closer to the edge of the water and toward rescue. It was hard for Naminé to think of any time when she'd been more relieved than the moment the troll finally got ahold of her, though surely there had been one.

In any case, the girl's fingers caught hold of the nearest part of the troll's clothing, but even in her distress she didn't pull. (There was that same voice again, urging her not to drag Terezi down with her.) Coughing as they finally reached a shallow enough depth for her to plant her feet, she only barely restrained herself 'til the majority of her dress was above water before slowing her now-possible steps, trying to catch her breath with her arm propping her weight on one leg. ]

Edited 2019-08-13 04:20 (UTC)

[Glob, she hated water. Most trolls who weren't fin-brained idiots weren't huge fans, but she did at least know how to swim which was a damned sight better than many of her race. She was hauling at Naminé as soon as she could get her claws into her, doing an underarm carriage and grateful that the little voice in the girl's head wasn't trying to convince her to thrash about or push. That'd be bad for both of them.

In the shallows, she finally got up, drenched like a wet cat and coughing a little herself before she flopped onto her rear on a particularly shallow rock. No point pretending she wasn't soaked to the bone right now. She chuckled and then laughed before shaking her head.]

I...If you wanted me to play white knight and rescue ya, there were easier ways than that, you know, hehehe. [Wheeze, hah.] No drowning, Nilla. Not allowed.

[ No matter the discomfort of being hauled along like that, Naminé couldn't have been more grateful. As she finally stood in the shallow water along with Terezi, Naminé could feel her limbs trembling slightly from the adrenaline. Her legs stayed strong enough, however, that she felt safe looking up at Terezi without moving to try to share the rock with her. (It may, however, have been a pretty close thing.)

And yet somehow the troll still managed to get a laugh out of her. A watery laugh, hardly more than a puff of air Naminé didn't really have to spare, but a laugh all the same. ]

Well-- next time-- [ Her voice was weak, but gaining strength. Straightening up, she managed to cough against her arm this time. ] I'll choose something-- better, then.

[ Goodness, having air was nice. Was it always so nice? Naminé had a much greater appreciation for it than she usually did at the moment. ]

Shall I tell you-- a few days in advance?

[She was panting, soaked and laughing pretty hard when Naminé said that, shaking her head and looking up at her with pale, iris and pupil-less eyes. Expression could be hard to detect in them, other than the way that the eyebrows would knit and the way her cheeks moved when she spoke. It could be hard to tell if she was even looking at someone right then.

She cocked her head and snickered up at her, coughing once and sighing.]

Mmm, what is this? Setting dates to rescue you from peril? Hahahaha, that'd be one hell of a pastime, but then you wouldn't want me to call in sick all of a sudden. That'd be bad. [Terrible humor as always.]

But man, yeaaah. Let's do this without so much soaking next time, ok? You alright there? Why'd you do it?

[ As difficult as it might have been to tell where Terezi was looking, Naminé didn't have much trouble at least processing the troll's expressions. No more trouble than a blindfold caused, anyhow, and Naminé was quite perceptive when she wasn't distracted. Which might have been why, now that she'd gotten enough of her breath back to focus on something else, she let her eyes search briefly over Terezi's features as the troll spoke. It was weird, seeing the other girl without her usual accoutrement. ]

I figure giving you some warning is-- the least I can do. [ Properly upright now, Naminé finally saw fit to covet Terezi's rock. Or rather the Nobody gave it a brief look before stepping closer and a bit farther into the shallows, though she made no move to urge the troll to give her room to share the makeshift chair. ] Since we've got a network now, you can return the favor. If you're sick, that is - I'll need to know not to depend on you.

[ Okay, no, this was just plain silly. Giving the first audible sigh she had air for to further clear her throat, Naminé sobered partially before she shook her head. ]

I didn't do it. Not exactly, anyway. It was one of those coins. [ Clearly not one of Sigyn's. ] I wasn't hoping to go for a swim today, either.

[ Although it was definitely something that had been on her mind at least occasionally the past few months; she'd meant to get lessons from Sora, not go diving in by herself. ]

Edited 2019-08-16 05:55 (UTC)

[They were already soaked, so she was patting the rock next to her, offering Naminé space there while they decided if they were going to dry off or just shiver in the summer heat, wet as bark beasts. She was pretty good with either option after all.]/small>

I like to think of myself as an extremely dependable rescuer. I came today without even being asked right? [True, she'd had a coin too, so...] But I won't say no to advance warning of needing to save you from the lake or some monster!

Ahhhhhh... so funny story. I think I was coming out here because of a coin, though I don't think mine had anything to do with swimming. Weird huh?

[ Naminé sank gratefully into the space beside Terezi without much delay, still jittery from the ordeal. Oh, they'd make it back to the shore proper eventually, but Naminé was busy enough enjoying having her feet on solid... sand? Dirt? Again. ]

That's true. You do have a good record so far.

[ One out of a resounding one. Although really, given the troll's past successes - admittedly as told by the girl herself - Naminé was inclined to believe Terezi made a reasonably competent ally, no matter what happened to her own timeline. ]

Although I'm not sure either of us would like it very much if you had to fight a monster.

[ That seemed like a more difficult problem to solve than a lack of talent for swimming. As Terezi explained, Naminé's head tilted; her hands were busy trying to squeeze some of the wetness out of the parts of her dress that were above the water level, but it was quickly beginning to seem like she was better off waiting. ]

Pretty weird, [ she agreed, giving up on the whole drying effort for now. ] But if it wasn't because of the water, what would you have come here for?

[She'd find an arm around her shoulder the first time she shivered. Terezi wasn't as warm blooded as human, but she wasn't some cold-blooded sea troll, so she'd offer the body heat she had.]

Hehe, I have a great record. No losses. Let's keep it up... and speak for yourself. I could totally go for saving you from a monster. Kicking monster butts is always fun and rescuing folks can be fun too when I'm not pranking them by making them fight the monsters.

....

Which I wouldn't do to you! Promise! [Pinky swear! Yeah, she'd done that to Dave even after promising. Hadn't she gotten his dumb ass into a cookpot once?]

Oh, I was trying to catch up with you. It felt important at the time, like I had to touch base but the network wouldn't do.

[ The arm in question, though unexpected, did not meet with rejection. Naminé stilled under it for a moment, shoulders ceasing their brief shiver almost as if in surprise, but-- what was the harm? They could both use the warmth. The blonde was not well-insulated, as it were, either physically or in her state of dress, but she at least had the benefit of what would be a fairly normal amount of body heat for a human, if slightly on the low end. Nothing wrong with sharing it between them if it was to their benefit, and though Naminé wasn't overly used to touch, she didn't feel worried about sharing the space with Terezi. ]

Oh?

[ said to the bit about kicking monster butts, before the rest of the sentence sorted itself out in Naminé's head and she straightened a little, blinking. Rude, Terezi. ]

I don't think that would work on me...! I'd just lose, and then you'd have to save me anyway.

[ Naminé had no illusions about her own martial prowess, that was for sure. Nevermind her gentle nature; she had no actual experience fighting back. If she fought her way out of a wet paper bag she'd count herself lucky. As for that last part, ]

Huh? Me?

[ She shifted slightly, lips pursing contemplatively. One of her legs moved, making the water move; it caught her attention for long enough for her to lift the same leg slightly and then put it back down again with a faint slosh, just before she reminded herself not to get distracted. ]

Hm. I don't think I've had a coin like that yet. Do you have any idea whose it was?

Heheh, that was kind of part of my thought process, no offense. You're not the 'fighty' type, though we should teach you how to protect yourself, just in case nobody can get to you in time.

[Not that she was saying no to saving her. Just seemed like a good idea to give Naminé some pointers. Maybe aikido? That was supposed to be a non-violent human thingee, right? Yeah, that was definitely something she remembered smelling in a book somewhere along the line. She liked the various martial arts.]

Yeah, you silly. Think someone said it looked like Heimdall maybe? Probably some weird dare thingee, though glad it sent me here!

It wouldn't be much of a prank, [ she accused without malice. Honestly it would have just been a Terezi-sanctioned beatdown more than anything, which would probably have wound up more mean than humorous. No, Naminé was definitely not the fighty type, and as that was brought up she seemed to give it some thought. ]

That might be a good idea. After what happened with that dragon - I suppose all of us should be able to defend ourselves, if we can.

[ Because she could certainly picture all manner of other, less centralized threats. Heartless came to mind, of course - but she took some comfort in the lack of their appearance so far. And sure, there were still questions she had about Terezi's coin-related experience, but Naminé couldn't deny, ]

Well, whatever it was, I'm glad, too. Not-- that I'm glad you had to go swimming, but... that could have ended very badly.

[ The thought was unpleasant enough that she decided not to linger on it. Now that she was fully recovered - or as much so as she felt she'd get - Naminé finally took a glance at the water still around them, then said, ]

We should probably get back on dry land soon.

[ At some point, anyway. ]

I can look into asking around, but you should see who's around and willing to help train. My style of fighting's ind of ... how do I put this? Not for people with eyes? [or sense. Don't forget the lack of sense, terezi.]

Yeah, let's get out of the wet. I'm really not a swimming type of person.

[She got up gradually and offered Naminé her hand while the two walked out. When she got to the coast, though there were a pair of staffs there. That was weird. She'd only dropped one off.]

Huh... which one's mine?

[She reached for it, and as she started to pick it up, there was a flash of it transforming into a coin that ... was definitely not Mimir's color.]

Oh... buckets. [Poof it was gone!]

[ Naminé nodded, then edged to the side to give Terezi room to stand as she asked, ]

I know a few people who can fight. I could ask one of them? [ Although using a Keyblade was a bit of a different animal, especially without the benefit of their normal properties. Here they were probably even more unwieldy than giant blades shaped like keys already were. ] But what do you mean, not for people with eyes?

[ Without thinking about it, the blonde took the offered hand, accepting the assistance until they managed to slosh their way to the shore. The girl paused just beyond the edge of the water, letting go of Terezi again to finally begin wringing the dampness out of her dress. ]

Hm?

[ Naminé looked up just in time to see the additional staff, have half a thought about warning the troll not to touch it, and then not even get fully through forming the idea in her mind before there went the coin. Oh boy. Concern immediately taking over her expression, Naminé paused with her fingers still tangled in one side of her skirt. ]

Terezi--? Are you okay?

[So, funny story. One of those different coins came with a dareto hug or kiss someone important to you, and Terezi had recently decided that Naminé was important to her in her own way. So, the effect of that coin disappearing in her hand was nearly immediate. She felt the compulsion come over her, and even as the nobody was speaking, she was turning and moving like a dart.

She hadn't gotten her blindfold back on yet, so she could see her clearly. her arms went to circle Naminé at the elbow, and she blinked, more than a little shocked at what she was doing.

Hugging was not a troll thing.]

Uh...I think so? This is a little weird.

[ To Naminé's credit, she only flinched half as noticeably as she would have when she first arrived in Asgard. Still, the way her words ended up turning into a strangled little noise of surprise as Terezi unexpectedly darted toward her was telling, and the blonde was stiff as a board as the other girls wrapped her arms around her. Hugging was not exactly a Naminé thing, either. ]

-- Um.

[ But it was clearly not Terezi's doing - voluntarily at least - and in any case it was Terezi, so presently the blonde's shoulders began to sink again, albeit in small measures. One arm lifted, paused, sort of hovered for a moment, and then... set... a hand on Terezi's shoulder? As if stuck somewhere between reciprocating the hug out of duty despite its peculiarity and going 'there, there' instead. ]

Pretty weird, [ she agreed, then seemed to feel as though she ought to find some way to make this easier on Terezi. ] But it's better than going swimming again, isn't it?

[ Clearly that was meant to be encouraging. ]

[When she felt the hand on her shoulder, she froze for just a fraction of a second. One pat, and she started to relax again, making a sound that was almost like a mewling sigh. Her body sagged into the hug and she smiled to herself. Ok, this... this wasn't so bad. It was really close to seeing someone 'shush pap' another. It'd been a while. She giggled a little, right before resting her head on Naminé's shoulder, pulling her in a little tighter.]

Yeah, it's a lot better'n swimming, trust me. Sorry, didn't expect that to happen, but at least nothing crazy's going on. Eheh. You don't hug too much do you?

[Actually, she thought about that as she started to relax and lean back just a fraction so that she was able to see Naminé more clearly while the two of them talked. One thing she'd picked up about her so far was that physical contact? It wasn't something she was used to. She always seemed stiff and nervous at first with it, but considering all that she'd said...]

Guess the coin's supposed to make people hug each other? [Or in a few cases more. She'd felt a tinge in her lips too, but the hugging had gotten all of that out of her system.] Watcha wanna bet it's Honir's coin? Well, at least you don't mind, right?

[ Naminé stilled as Terezi made that odd noise, slightly startled by it. It certainly wasn't the sort the blonde was used to hearing, but it didn't seem like a sign of distress, and so after a moment Naminé let her hand come to rest again, head tilting slightly. With Terezi resting on her shoulder that meant her cheek brushed the troll's hair, but so long as nobody got an eye poked out by anyone's horns Naminé supposed it wouldn't be any harm. That was part of hugging anyway, wasn't it? ]

It's alright, [ Naminé answered peaceably, though even the verbal acknowledgement of her inexperience with physical contact did not help her to relax by much. Her shoulders, however, might have lowered slightly. ] Um-- no. Not at all, really.

[ In that she could count on one hand the number of times hugs had happened to her, and of those she'd never initiated one by herself. But she was endeavoring, at least, not to make the embrace a wholly unpleasant one, and as such very carefully angled her body a bit more Terezi's way. This would have been easier if she'd had time to figure the mechanics of it all out first. ]

I don't mind. It's not as though you have a choice, anyway. And-- I suppose it could be Honir. He seemed... sweet, when I met him.

[ Which meant he was therefore potentially encouraging of hugs in a general sense? ]

[She was a little more relaxed as the two of them weren't quite so compelled. She didn't let go, enjoying the physical contact ... not to mention feeling that she kind of wanted Naminé to get used to it a little more. One hand reached up to pap her on the head and she chuckled.]

I should get you a little more used to that sort of thing. Trolls don't usually do it that much, unless it's a moirail. Hugging's totally a good way to do it.

[This was, honestly, because hugging was a close step away from grappling a raging troll and bringing them to the ground before they got in a dumb fight so you could pap and calm them down slowly, buuuut she wasn't going to mention the whole 'it's totally a wrestling move with us' part of the equation.]

Yeaaah, Honir's kind of a big, dumb goofball who's curious about everything. He's kind of hard to talk to sometimes isn't he, or maybe that's just cause he knows nothing about trolls, so he's always curious around me.

[She stooped down and fetched her blindfold and walking stick, this time neither of them turning into coins.]

We... should really get dried off, shouldn't we heheh?

[ Naminé wasn't certain whether or not Terezi's imperative had worn off completely, but she made no move to discourage the troll from holding onto her. It seemed harmless enough - even nice, if one were inclined to think that way. Naminé certainly didn't mind it, as unused to all this as she was, and though she blinked at the papping she accepted it without distress, head tipping down slightly under it and more toward Terezi. ]

You would know better than I would, [ she said, as if by way of agreement. ] Nobodies don't hug either.

[ Not that they were the best example to follow, even though she was one. Besides, it wasn't as if most of the others of her demographic were the type for physical affection anyway even when they did have hearts. At the description of Honir, Naminé had to stifle a laugh. ]

Well, he does seem to get... distracted. [ Like, all the time. ] And so excited about everything. But-- I like that. It seems like it's never hard to tell what he's thinking.

[ Which was really refreshing, honestly, after most of her previous experiences with adults. The girl facilitated being out of the way of Terezi's stooping down inasmuch as she could, eyes following the movement just in case anything else turned out to be a disguised object. Perhaps understandably, Naminé felt rather comforted by the fact that they didn't. ]

Yeah, we should. [ A touch wryly, ] If we can find anything to use that isn't a coin, that is.

Well, I guess there's a first time for everything? And it isn't bad either, so... yeah. We can do hugging.

[Yeah, most nobodies were also kind of dicks. That definitely impacted a lot of the issues that surrounded them getting involved in lots of physical affection. But, considering that she vaguely remembered Karkat doing that with Gamzee once in a while to shut him up, it seemed at least ok.

She chuckled a little while she was helping Naminé out of the water, walking towards her staff. When she finally let go and picked both it and her blindfold up, she tilted her head to look back at her, laughing some.]

Distracted fits. It's like everything around him is ... new? Like he's never seen any of this stuff and he's goig 'oooooh' all the time. He might be doing that a while if he's as new as his people, even though that sounds weird to say.

Uhhhh, is your place closer or mine? I really kinda wanna dry off.

[ They could do hugging, couldn't they? Nevermind that that was an obvious physical fact - it was just... a unique experience, being presented with the opportunity. Naminé let that sit in the back of her mind as she released her hold on Terezi, then proceeded to take the opportunity to finally finish wringing out her clothes. Carefully swiping the water off of her hands the best she could, ]

It seems like he is, doesn't it? Like he's as young as they are. But aren't gods usually-- older?

[ Admittedly her experience with deities was limited, and Hades wasn't exactly the best example to learn from, even with his personality set aside. But it seemed sensible enough to assume, and though she found Honir's excitability refreshing, it certainly raised a lot of questions. ]

It makes me wonder what the other ones are like. I haven't been able to speak to any of them very much.

[ Head lifting slightly at Terezi's inquiry, Naminé blinked, then cast her eyes thoughtfully to the side, glancing around. ]

… Mine, I think, [ she answered after a moment, though she was a fair bit more certain than her words would imply. ] We can go there if you'd like.

Edited 2019-08-25 03:58 (UTC)

I'm not actually a good person to ask that. We ... gods aren't the same thing where I come from. They were a game mechanic, a thing that was part of the game we were trapped in. You could affect that 'thing' you were a god-tier of, but it was different.

But I get the feeling it isn't so cut and dry for gods?

[She was certainly starting to get the feeling that maybe being a god was more a state of being than the normal way a person got born, aged, and went through life. A god 'was' and maybe Honir would always be a flighty, overly curious... that made her shudder a little bit. That was a weird thought. A forever child like that.

While she listened, she nodded and put her blindfold on, leaning on her cane and smiling over at Naminé.]

Sure. I'll use this as an excuse to get a load of your space. Why not? And we can start to dry all the wet off of us before we go and get sick.]

Ah -- that's right. I remember some of what you mentioned about them.

[ She said that, but technically it was more like all of what Terezi told her. Naminé was a sharp girl with a keen memory, and that still applied no matter how her ability to manipulate those memories had changed. ]

You're probably right. Especially if they're so different from world to world - it's hard to say anything for sure without doing some research about it.

[ And likely securing cooperation enough to get questions answered. Naminé tilted her head as Terezi spoke up, then straightened slightly as if she hadn't thought of that one detail; Terezi hadn't seen her place, had she? And Naminé hadn't considered that being of any significance until that comment. There was a brief moment wherein she wondered if she ought to be shy about it, then decided against it. ]

I suppose I can't stop you, now that I've already offered to let you visit.

[ Although her voice certainly didn't make it sound as though she would attempt to anyway; she was amused instead. ]

As long as you promise not to get me into any trouble with my roommates, that is.

[A full run-down would involve explaining some pretty dumb mechanics, but maybe she'd get around to it eventually. so many things from her world were annoying and stupid in her opinion.]

We could compare Dave with another god who's been brought here and maybe compare with these guys. Not sure how much it would tell us, but it'd be a start.

[A snicker and a giggle and she was grinning away.]

I'll be a positive little saint. you don't have to worry about a thing, Naminé. Besides, I'm just coming over to see you after all. I don't have to give them too much hassle do I?

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