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! ]

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[ Here's a realisation for Vanitas: Chizuru, she reminds him of Amelia after her recovery. Gentle, pretty, and sweetly harmless. Starry-eyed at odd moments.

It's amusing because he'd met Murr and her on the same day. And this new Murr, this phantom cat that he summoned, was now jumping onto Chizuru's shoulder as if he belonged there.

It was interesting too because Vanitas had been nearly convinced that the phantom cat would vanish upon contact. A pleasant surprise, really. ]

There's nothing to worry about, Miss. [ he isn't even trying to make that smile look sincere. ] Seems he's got a soft spot for you, but it's best to be careful. Everything in this place is a bit unusual after all.

[ Chizuru doesn't have a single problem with the cat taking up her shoulder like it's free real estate. Quite the opposite - although there's a bit of surprise at first, she quickly starts smiling again once she realises all the creature was doing was jumping up on her shoulder. ]

Well, last time the danger was a little bigger than just a single cat.. [ Let alone such a cute one!

But she does get it. A lot of strange things can happen in this place, and it's good to be a little wary.. But everything seems fine for now, right?

Although something is a little odd about his smile. So much so that even Chizuru can't help but ask-- ]

Or is there something you know that I don't?

The local horses here have eight legs. You wouldn't consider this normal, would you, Miss?

[ He's not going to explain that the cat is not really a cat; for one, Vanitas really does like his secrets. And, well, the power is really rather embarrassing.

It's very likely that he was hoping the cat would implode upon contact. That, at least, would have been useful in a fight. ]

It looks like a cat from the world I come from. [ That's the truth for once. ] It makes the entire thing a bit eerie, doesn't it? The similarity is quite distinct.

[ Chizuru laughs with a hint of awkwardness. Yes, she does think the horses with eight legs aren't really normal, but.. ]

At least the horses still are cute though... [ She may or may not have visited them already after someone informed her of that much. ] And so is this cat. Look how friendly it is for a cat.

[ She sure is appreciating that friendliness. ]

I'm sure it'd like for you to pet it as well if it's this friendly.

I wouldn't call them cute [ in fact, he feels baffled enough by the concept that it shows on his face. Talk about not exactly being an animal person. ] but I believe beauty is quite a subjective thing.

Now [ and he's clearly intrigued by this...for...some...reason.] do you think the local horses are faster or slower than regular ones? [ He moves to straighten his gloves ]

Don't be ridiculous. Nothing about that face appears friendly. Its using you as a stepping stone to level a judgmental gaze upon humanity.

[ Geez, seriously. Really talk about not being an animal person. And being pretty pessimistic on top of it. How could anyone see a cute fluffy cat like this and not love it? Maybe that's why the cat was only having a staring contest with this guy and didn't jump up on shoulders until she arrived. Animals can sense that sort of thing, Chizuru thinks.

But his question seems to make her think about something else entirely for a moment. ]

The horses? I haven't seen them run yet. [ She's just visited the stables when they were standing around.. ] You'd assume they would run faster though, right? Since they have more legs to use for running.

[ the standoff is quite severe. By now, both the cat and Vanitas have turned their heads away from each other - only to keep on staring from the corner of their eyes.

It's more than a little bit alienating to summon up a creature and have no control over it. Alienating enough that Vanitas is slow to grin at Chizuru. But, well, the grin is still as wide as ever. ]

Do you reckon you'd be faster with four legs? Or stronger with four arms? I think it sounds cumbersome.

Might be that the horses trip over their own hooves, no?

If they have that many, they're probably used to it..

[ .. That is assuming they were born that way though. Which is probably the case, but this place can be strange enough at times that Chizuru wouldn't be surprised if they didn't grow the extra legs until later on, somehow..

She tilts her head as she thinks about it, looking at Vanitas. ]

It seems you think pretty deeply about things. [ And don't like cats? These are clearly the two of Vanitas' traits she's got figured out so far. ]

It helps pass the time in this place [ the tone, here, is a little bit scathing. A little bit agitated. There's a distinct lack of love he feels for Asgard and, well, it's rearing its head it seems. ]

The unusual is worth thinking about regardless. [ he's fiddling with the items on the table - shredding a table cloth, idly turning a piece of cutlery. ] Horses with eight legs, gods, random abilities... It's best to understand them as soon as possible.

You seemingly enjoy -that. You're good at handling animals? [ the cat, it seems, is purring and potentially kneading Chizuru's shoulder. ]

I'm not sure.. [ She moves a hand up to gently pat the cat a little bit, calmly stroking her fingers through its hair the best she can in their current position. ] I haven't had the chance to do so much yet. I just like them.

[ Then again, Chizuru easily likes people too. Maybe she just has too much affection in her heart. ]

And it's nice to see a cat around here now with how few there usually are. [ Aka pretty much none at all. ]

What have you been doing then? This place is rather dull but it does leave you with near limitless free time.

[ it is dull, too, to have to ask young ladies about their hobbies. That is, it's dull if you're socially inept and prefer to spend your chasing vampires across rooftops ...if your name is Vanitas, in short. For him, Chizuru appears sweet, and pleasant, and green. Someone, even, who has no second thoughts about approaching strangers.

Unusual, that. Nearly as unusual as his new powers - and that stray thought leads to an idea. ]

I'd like to test something. Will you help me? [ v a g u e ? ]

[ Oh please, Vanitas, Chizuru totally isn't the type to approach strangers and get herself into trouble with it!

.. no, wait, that's exactly what her life is. That's exactly why she herself is involved with a whole group of Ye-Olde-Japan-brand vampires back home..

Still, she mostly looks curious when he says that. ]

Hmm? What do you want to test? [ She's not accepting it right away, but at least she's also not rejecting it full on. ]

Nothing too important, really. [ and that's the grin of the wolf saying he has big eyes to see you better ] It will be quite safe for all parties involved.

I just thought that the cat looks clever [ both eyebrows quirk up ] as far as cats go, that is.

For example, if I tell the cat to perch on your head, do you think it will listen?

[ Hmm, she's a liiittle suspicious of this when he's asking it while making that sort of face. She's seen it plenty of times on Okita when he was trying to pull some mischief, after all.

But on the other hand, Chizuru kind of feels rude making an assumption about a stranger like that. And his request does seem fairly innocent, so maybe it really can't hurt to go along with it. ]

I'm.. not sure? Not because the cat isn't clever, but more since you two didn't seem to get along very well just now.. [ That's not even her trying to be rude, it's just an objective fact. ]

I care about vampires not pets. [ his tone is quite blunt at this and there's an echo of it on his face, an unimpressed twist to his.mouth. ]

Doesn't mean I can't have a little bit of fun [ maybe, potentially, if his powers actually work as expected ] Cat, do sit on the top if her head. [ a noticeable pause, and then: ] please.

[ and- lo and behold, the cat will move. Vanitas is eyeing both of them with equal interest. Could be, even, that he chose an uncomfortable spot on purpose ]

[ Clearly the power of saying please is working wonders here, she can't help but think. Not that she's too sure if cats can even understand what please means, but this one seems pretty intelligent? That's the last thing Chizuru thinks about it though, since her thoughts are kind of interrupted by the sudden realisation of just how heavy it feels when the cat is sitting directly on top of her head like now. ]

Ah.. wait!

[ She moves a hand up, trying to nudge the cat off her head very gently.. She doesn't want to hurt it. ]

Please move..

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AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

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