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

[thequitecontrary]

"You're right," Mary admits. She's tried to forgive herself for not being a great mother to George the first six months of his life. She just hopes he can forgive her too. Hopefully she's also making up for it.

"Do you have children?" she asks. The woman looks a bit young, but not so young that she might still be a child herself.

[polydeukes]

There's a brief burst of a laugh, mostly because of the question, not because of Mary herself. Maybe in some places people were having kids at sixteen but Josie is definitely not.

"What? No, I'm only sixteen." She shakes her head, as before she realizes how rude that sounds. "Sorry. I didn't mean ... I guess I look older than I am?"

Which isn't a bad thing in her opinion.

[thequitecontrary]

"Oh," Mary replies. "Yes, you do look older."

Some sixteen year old girls in her time had children, but in general women were waiting a bit longer to get married and have babies.

"My family has always been a very important part of my life," she muses, "but I wonder if while I'm here I shouldn't do something for myself." It's the first time in her life that she's really been without them. It might be a good time for her to branch out and explore other parts of herself.

"Which god house have you chosen?"

[polydeukes]

" ... I know it probably doesn't sound like I should, but I get that." The part about doing something for yourself, despite being devoted to your family. She's been struggling to find her own person, separate from her twin, and it's harder than it sounds.

But enough about that.

"Sigyn. We really seemed to ... click, I guess."

[thequitecontrary]

"She is... kindness? And the harvest, right?" Mary felt that kindness ruled her out right away. She has never seen herself as a kind person and didn't think she'd fit in that house. Honestly, Mary was able to eliminate most of the houses fairly quickly. It's deciding between the last two that's taking so long.

"I ought to introduce myself," she says. "Lady Mary Crawley." She holds out her hand for the other woman.

[polydeukes]

"She is. Compassion is her thing."

Josie smiles as she reaches out to shake her hand. "Josette Saltzman." Then she wrinkles her nose as that feels a little too formal, even when she's introducing herself to a lady. "Josie. Most people call me Josie."

[thequitecontrary]

It might be difficult for Mary to call her 'Josie'. It takes her a while to be on a first name basis with someone. Even her beloved butler she still calls 'Mr. Carson', though that may be more out of respect for him.

"That's lovely that you felt drawn to her house," Mary says. "Compassionate people are necessary." That probably would have been a good house for her sister Sybil. That thought makes her smile slightly.

[polydeukes]

That's entirely fair. But "Ms. Saltzman" is such a mouthful, and is usually saved for when she's in trouble with a teacher, so please forgive her in advance if she cringes when she hears it.

Josette she can probably work with though.

"So I've been told." Usually by people trying to make her feel better when she got upset about something, but even now that she's older, she doesn't necessarily think they're wrong. "Doesn't always feel like it's mine, sometimes? But I would rather be a compassionate person than not."