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

[tealeafs]

[ It takes Chizuru a moment to realise why that voice sounds so familiar.. but then she manages to place it in her memories. Right, this is that man from space! (Clearly the best way to remember someone, right.) ]

What was so bad about those games?

[ She has never heard of that sort of games before, but aren't games supposed to be.. well, fun? So she sounds genuinely curious. ]

[theprezident]

[ Absolutely. He remembers her for the pink trees, so. ]

It's just ... always the same thing. It's either making everyone share something personal about themselves that they maybe don't actually want to share with their coworkers, or work together to do something dumb like ... I don't know, an obstacle course. It just ends with people belittling or frustrated with each other.

[tealeafs]

Well.. If they have one of those games, can't you then just share something personal about yourself that you don't mind being out there?

[ She totally gets wanting to have secrets! She has a huge one herself, so, yes, totally getting that part. But surely that's not the first thing you have to throw out there. ]

Maybe something about your hobbies? Surely people wouldn't make fun of another person's hobby. [ Chizuru, you sweet summer child young lady. ]

[theprezident]

[ He can't stop a bark of wry laughter at that, no matter how sincere she sounds. Wow. What kind of environment has she grown up in? ]

Yeah, maybe there are better things for them to talk about instead.

[tealeafs]

[ She smiles. ]

I guess it might sound slightly odd after you said you didn't like them, but I'm actually looking forward to the game a little if it's like that. I never got to do that sort of thing much back home.

[theprezident]

I don't know, I guess if you've never been subjected to them, I can see why you'd be so foolish.

[ It's not said maliciously at all, so hopefully she doesn't ... take it that way. ]

[tealeafs]

[ Thankfully Chizuru isn't too easily offended. Maybe it's due to living together with men who definitely told her that before in various contexts..

In fact, she actually seems to take in good stride because of that. Chizuru actually smiles at him as she replies. ]

Maybe we'll see who's the foolish one once we've actually played the game. [ Yes, that's some actual teasing in return. Very, very light teasing, but if you dish it out, you got to be prepared to get some back! ] Maybe it'll end up being fun for everyone.

[theprezident]

[ That's the purest teasing ever, and he couldn't possibly be annoyed at it. Instead, he chuckles, and folds his free arm in front of his chest as he takes a sip of his drink. ]

Maybe. If we're lucky I get to eat my words.

[tealeafs]

See? That means you'll have a good outcome now no matter what. Either you were right, or you'll just have a fun time with a game.

[ Her smile grows a little wider at his reaction - if not just since she's glad that he took her slight teasing the right way. It's a small relief. ]

[theprezident]

I was sort of looking at it like an opportunity to complain about something either way. Being wrong, or having to play a game I hate.

[ Complaining is good for the soul? Cathartic? Or something. ]

[tealeafs]

That's no good! [ Those words might be taking as a scolding, sure, but the way Chizuru says them is much too light and playful to fully be meant seriously. ] If you just look at things that way all the time, you'll never have any fun. Sometimes you have to.. how do they say it? See the glass half full!

[theprezident]

What if complaining is fun for me?

[ WHAT THEN. ]

[tealeafs]

[ Chizuru looks surprised. The idea is new to her, but she still believes it instantly anyway. ]

How could that be fun? I thought people did that because they're displeased.. [ That sure is what Hijikata seemed like whenever he complained, anyway. ]

[theprezident]

It can be both. I like to think of it as an art form.

[tealeafs]

[ There's a look from her that's still half surprised, but also maybe slightly doubtful? She's kind of trying to figure out if that's a joke. She's not used to modern humor. Chizuru will just assume it is and go along with it. ]

.. you should make haiku out of it then. Complaining haiku.

[theprezident]

[ Pff. ]

Yeah, maybe I should. Never really tried my hand at poetry.