AUGUST INTRO LOG: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

[asgardmods]

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! ]

Comments

[asgardsflight]

[ Oh, wow! She got it in one with the purpose of the game, and she's being so nice! Honir's eyes widen with his own surprise, and he tries to copy her bow to the best of his ability, assuming this is just the polite thing to do for her??

(For all that she's trying not to look dumb in front of him, he does not seem to have the same concerns in reverse.) ]

Thank you! We were hoping some of you might see it that way.

[ Even if parts of it got a little carried away from that core motivation… ]

[tealeafs]

[ It's probably a good thing in this case then that Chizuru is extremely great at seeing the good in any situation. Not that it's too hard to do so in this case, anyway - it's a game, it's supposed to be fun! There must be a natural kind and good reason for it. ]

I'm glad that I was able to understand the reason for it then, sir. [ Did she even notice him concerned about the way he comes across? Probably not, since Chizuru seems just as polite as a moment ago. ] I.. understand that it might be difficult, since there are still people sceptical of you, but I believe you want to help us..

[ Or, at the very least, they haven't shown anything that points to the gods not exactly having the best interest of the people now stuck here in mind. ]

[asgardsflight]

[ He smiles bright and happy at her, always so woefully endeared by any Wanderer's kindness. It makes perfect sense to him, that she might be in his sister's house! ]

We're trying our hardest to get you all home, but we thought it might be nice to have some fun together while you wait. I don't know if it'll get any of you to trust us more, but it's a way to pass the time!

[ Which he says with the smallest little giggle of humor, because the idea of "passing time" is still incredibly foreign to them. ]

[tealeafs]

[ What's so funny about that statement seems to go way over Chizuru's head - it's not like she can think the way a god does, after all. But at the very least she nods along to what he's saying. The rest of it does make sense!

There's even some relief in her face when she speaks up. ]

Thank you for still finding time to organise this when you're already working so hard. [ Or.. well, he said they are, and she's willing to believe it without needing proof. Chizuru isn't the sceptical kind. ] I know there's probably nothing any of us can do if gods can't do it themselves, but.. still, if there's anything at all we can do to help you find a way home for us, please let us know. A lot of us would gladly help.

[ Chizuru included. She really has to go home. The full extent of that desperation doesn't show up in her tone, wanting to remain polite, but there's a hint of it in her eyes. ]

[asgardsflight]

[ Honir isn't the best at the subtle things; he just breezes through it all with a bright grin and a not inconsiderable amount of naivety. Her desperation may go unnoticed but her kindness spurs on more of his blind optimism. ]

Well, I don't know about that. There's probably a lot of things you can do that I can't!

[ Said with the excitement of an implied but I'd sure like to try. ]

And there's a magic in you that we've never seen before, so I'll bet there's a way you can help! Somehow.

[ But that leads into the realm of Important Research, which goes a little above Honir's head, so he scrunches his nose as he ponders what that might be. ]

I'm sure of it.

[tealeafs]

[ She seems a little surprised for a moment, but that quickly changes into a smile. ]

You're very kind. [ And unlike any way she's ever imagined the way a god would be before. Not in a bad way though! She just expected them to be a whole lot scarier and strict. ]

Honestly, I was a little worried [ more like "scared", but sshh! ] about talking much to the gods here, but now I'm talking to you, I actually feel a little relieved.

[asgardsflight]

Oh wow, really?

[ He looks genuinely surprised; he's still getting used to the idea that interacting with mortals might be strange to them. It makes him laugh a bit sheepishly. ]

Well, I'm really glad then! I know some of my siblings can be less -

[ There's a long pause. Like, staring off into space for just a second too long to think of an appropriate (or polite) word here, before he snaps back with a lackluster: ]

- playful, than I am. But I love hearing what you Wanderers have to say, you can talk to me however much you want!

[ He wants to hear about all the things. ]

[tealeafs]

It's alright, I'm sure they still mean well. [ Because he seems so nice right now. If that's the way these gods think, then surely at least most of the others, if not all of them, must be good when it comes down to it as well, she thinks.

The latter sentiment is something she hadn't expected as much though, and she blinks while thinking for a moment. ]

What kind of things would you like to hear about? [ Because she'll sure tell him something if he wants in return for organising a game for all of them. ]

[asgardsflight]

Anything!

[ He answers immediately, with a cheery enthusiasm. ]

You come from worlds far out in the branches where I could never reach them. But now you're here! Anything you want to share with me is exciting and fun!

[tealeafs]

[ He seems so excited about it all! Which.. she can kind of understand? It's harder for her to get excited since she mostly misses the place she comes from, but she does know it's very new and surprising to learn about all the other places out there. ]

Well, I couldn't deny you the stories if you want them so badly. [ His enthusiasm is kind of adorable. ] Although I'm not sure if they're nice stories. There was a war where I come from.. Compared to that, it's a lot more peaceful here.

[asgardsflight]

[ He thinks about that for a second, teetering back and forth on the balls of his feet. ]

Asgard is special. We built it to be safe, a - I think you would call it a paradise?

[ He smiles sadly. ]

But this world was built out of violence. Creation and destruction go hand in hand, and everything that ever could be in this world gets passed on to yours - the leaves of Yggdrasil's Tree.

[ If war exists, it's because the idea of it began here. Honir is sad for her, knowing a life of war, but he isn't surprised by it. ]

I'd still like to hear your story anyway, if you ever want to share it. You're the only one that can tell it after all!

[ And he'd consider himself very lucky to hear it. ]

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru quietly listens to him as he speaks, trying to wrap her head around what he's saying. Everything in this world.. gets passed on to other worlds? It's a little confusing, but Chizuru assumes it just goes over her head.

But she smiles once he's done talking. ]

Thank you for the explanation. [ He's a god, after all. He's practically not obligated to share anything, especially with a regular mortal! ]

This might not be the right time to tell the whole story.. There's a game about to start, after all. [ And she could never hold that up for everyone without feeling incredibly guilty about it. ] But I promise you that I'll you it someday, sir. See it as me oweing you it.

[asgardsflight]

Oh, wow! I've never been owed something before!

[ At least, not in as many words. All words are still very new to him, as is the concept of an extended period of time to interact with a being, or "owing" someone something. He thinks on it for a moment before being struck with an idea. ]

Okay, if you owe me a story, then I can owe you one too! Any story you want! Or…

[ Hmm. How does this work? ]

Or something else, maybe. Whatever you want!

[ :) ??? ]

[tealeafs]

.. Okay. [ It's followed by a very slight laugh, but it's the kind of laugh where she's laughing with him, not at him. It's just that these gods are so much more endearing than she imagined! ]

I'll make sure to not forget that kindness then, sir.