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

[ 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?

That's a good idea.

[ Although she was already in the process of getting her bearings enough to start leading them back to her house, she still paused in that to observe, ]

If he'll cooperate, that is. [ Then, as an afterthought; ] And we can find another god who will, too.

[ Funny how that was the more likely option - although there did certainly seem to be a disproportionate number of deities hanging around Asgard as it was, so perhaps Naminé could be forgiven for not thinking of that first. Turning to regard Terezi sidelong, the blonde couldn't quite keep her smile down. ]

No, you don't. But you did say you liked trouble, didn't you?

[ Naminé should probably have been at least attempting a stern look, but never managed it. Body shifting to face the direction she intended to go, ]

It should be this way, I think.

Might take a little work. We can leave it on the back burner as an idea one way or another. Might be interesting if we can find them to test what makes them tick.

[She snickered as she was following the other on their way towards Naminé's place, shaking her head and giving the most cherubic smile that she could manage. She was pretty awful at that, though, so it looked a bit more shark like.]

I did I did, but I'll behave for the moment. I think I can manage for just a little while without starting something.

Test them? [ Head tipping back to regard Terezi, ] What kind of test would it be?

[ Naminé knew just enough about gods to know one of their main traits tended to be immortality, and that certainly wasn't the sort of thing one wanted to have put through its paces. In the face of Terezi's smile, Naminé found one of her own rising; slightly crooked though it was, it probably did a better job of looking innocent than the troll's did. Way too many teeth on that girl. With a hint of playfulness, ]

Well - I guess I have no choice but to trust you. [ Considering, you know, moirails. ] You haven't been arrested yet, after all. I'm sure you can keep it up a little while longer.

That'll depend. I mean, we probably don't want to do the 'survival' test. I'm not sure it works here right, but where I come from a god doesn't just die. Well, they do, but they come right back.

Unless it's a certain kind of death, you can't hope to kill one of them. It's gotta be really specific. Obviously Just, obviously Heroic. Anything else's just going to have them back up to full, laughing at you. Amazing it didn't make them all masochists, honestly Hehe.

[She smirked and shrugged. no, that test was a little risky, if you asked her. Naminé could definitely trust her to be on her 'best behavior' while she was there at least.]

Hahaha, arrested, me? Oh man we still don't even have a prison or police. I totally have to get started on that one of these days soon. I just know we're going to need it.

No - I don't think so either.

[ Said softly, because - well, even if she were considerably more sure than she was that the subjects would survive, the trial in and of itself would be unpleasant to her. Quieting for the rest of it, Naminé waited 'til the end to add, ]

Things don't seem to work right here at all, not for anyone. I don't think even gods from other worlds would be an exception. [ Not as far as she was informed, anyway, and if anyone knew otherwise they were certainly keeping it nicely under wraps. ] But I don't know what being Just or Heroic would have to do with killing them. That's... another one of those strange things about the way your worlds work, isn't it?

[ In spite of the relatively serious topic, Naminé quirked a smile at that last bit. ]

You haven't already? [ she asked innocently, the teasing in her voice subtle. Turning to study the way before them, just to be sure they were on the right track, ] Well, you're probably right. At least - I've always heard that things like that are important.

[ Not really applicable in her own life, but important. Honestly her worlds could have used a proper (non-extinct) justice system, it was like the wild west out there. ]

It... was just a game mechanic. Kind of a weird one. And like you're guessing there? I'm not sure it works here, so it's better not to try it on anyone who I don't mind being dead...

...

And come to think of it, I mostly liked our gods back home, so we'll save that test. You know, for a special occasion, eheh.

[She shook her head a little. The state of law in this place was starting to get to her. On the one hand, nobody ever broke it, but on the other, it was only a matter of time, and the longer that they waited. The irony that she was a little trouble maker who wanted to start the legal system up wasn't entirely lost on her.]

Yeah... for now? Everyone seems to be taking it as a low priority. The town's small and the locals are quiet and docile. It might take something going wrong first...

[ It wasn't a surprise to hear the infamous 'game' was responsible, since that seemed predictable enough based on their past conversations. The part that made her frown, head turning toward Terezi, was the bit about not minding someone being dead - but the blonde let it slide for the moment, choosing in favor of, ]

'A special occasion?' [ Despite herself, there was a faint hint of humor in the echo. In an attempt at sounding stern that utterly failed, ] And what kind of occasion would that be?

[ Was that the sort of thing a moirail was meant to put the kibosh on? Naminé wasn't sure, but regardless there was also the small matter of Terezi's other observation. An accurate one, unfortunately, which left a noise not unlike a sigh caught in Naminé's throat. ]

You're right. With how things are now, I can't imagine it happening any other way.

[ Her arms folded across her middle, as if to keep in what warmth she still had, considering her state of dress. (Which was to say, her very damp dress.) ]

But it feels inevitable, doesn't it? Sooner or later, something really bad is going to happen, and they won't know what to do.

[ And there was that sense of responsibility again, rearing its ugly head. ]

Oh, I haven't decided yet. But I'm sure we can come up with a good excuse for a terrible experiment one of these days?

[She snickered. Nope. she wasn't planning on actually doing this, probably... hopefully, but she could still enjoy a laugh at the thought. She was just the sort to joke about not minding someone being croaked after all. Really, she just had an awful sense of humor.]

You're not wrong. They're preparing, but they're really taking their dear sweet time with it. It almost feels like they're relying on the gods' raw power [She grunted and shook her head, moving in to coil her arms around the folded up little nobody to offer a bit of warmth as they walked.]

Just have to keep prodding them about it, before something happens. At least then we can say we told them so.

Terezi…

[ Though her tone made an attempt at being scolding, Naminé couldn't put her whole heart (hah) into it. By now she felt at least somewhat confident in her ability to tell when the other girl was joking, and as such the blonde tilted her head with a smile rather than a proper frown. ]

Am I going to have to tell Dave you're looking for an excuse to try to kill him?

[ Sobering at the other topic, Naminé quieted thoughtfully, only to startle slightly as Terezi reached for her. That was another of those things she was starting to comprehend, however, and she offered no resistance as she was held, even lifting up an arm to very carefully return the favor. It didn't settle quite the way it ought to have, but there was a certain gratitude in the touch of her hand all the same. ]

… I'd prefer we didn't have to say that at all, but-- I'm not sure there's really another option. I suppose it makes sense, though - if the gods have always been here to protect the people, it must be hard for all of them to imagine what it would be like if they weren't able to anymore.

[She laughed uproariously when Naminé said that, holding her sides and grinning like an absolute fiend. The funny part of all this was that she had absolutely done that in some twisted game with Vriska, who was messing with John at the time. It had been a proxy headgame when they'd flirted with the guys ages ago, and Karkat had gotten soooo pissed off about it.]

Ooooh man. he would laugh so hard, and he might tell you all kinds of stories, though I don't know what he remembers exactly, hehe.

[But yeah, sober topics... She sighed and smiled as she looked off in another direction. It wasn't the most pleasant of topics, was it?]

Based on something Honir said? I'm not sure how long any of them have been here, or the gods have had bodies. Maybe not that long before we arrived. I think they might really be new. Brand new.

[ The girl startled as Terezi began to laugh, and yet soon enough Naminé found herself giggling along, softly but audibly. It was hard not to laugh in the face of such mirth, at such mirth; even not knowing what had Terezi in such a fit, it was funny for Naminé just to watch her. ]

Stories? [ she inquired, calming enough to contain her amusement. Hearing that, though - there were implications, weren't there? ] Do I want to know what kind they'd be?

[ Despite her momentary good humor, it didn't take long for her to calm, or perhaps to go a step beyond that at the troll's description. Breathing out a quiet sigh of her own, she bowed her head slightly toward the path before them. ]

… Mm. Like us coming here. [ Their presence was still a relatively recent development, after all. ] Maybe it's all part of the same thing - the same change.

[ Or the same beginning? It was odd to think about, considering how much longer all of their own worlds seemed to have been around. ]

Oh, probably none that make me look good. [Another laugh and she grinned at Naminé impishly.] But I'd do the same right back at him, ehe. That's part o the fun of being friends as many sweeps as we've been, right? You get all the dirt and the goodies on your friends don'tcha?

Yeah, I think we're all kind of tied up in it. It's sort of all the same thing, the same change, and we're just the latest part of it. Least, that makes sense to me one way or another.

[ Despite being damp and a bit on the tired side, Naminé's mouth stayed curled, rising higher at Terezi's grin. Warmly, ]

Yeah - I guess you do.

[ Somehow there was a certain amount of surety in it; though she'd never had friends before herself, she knew a thing or two secondhand about the nature of lifelong friendships. After all, Sora had known his best friends for a long time, almost longer than Naminé could properly wrap her mind around, considering the short duration of her own life so far. Amused, ]

Well, now I know just who to ask if I want the 'dirt' on you.

[ The blonde hummed her agreement, a little less somber than before as she allowed their mutual observations to sink in. ]

I'm curious, I think, to see what will happen next. If it really is all one thing, I doubt it's going to stop any time soon, and certainly not all at once.

[ Although after that dragon fiasco, 'curious' was about the nicest word she could manage for it. 'Concerned' didn't have the same ring to it. ]

Hehe that you do, that you do.

[Really? She actually didn't mind the idea of Naminé getting the 'dirt' on her from Dave. He'd put it in a way that was a better construction even if he'd likely mess with her in the process. She grinned away and chuckled to herself.]

I'm a little curious too. I mean, we have long quiet periods after all. It's bound to pick up a little, though glob knows when and how. But I'd like to think I'm good at rolling with the punches.

It's nice not having to worry all of the time.

[ She mused it aloud in an agreeable sort of tone, although there was a subtle undercurrent of a relief that suggested she spoke from personal experience. Considering how often her life was at risk in the previous portion of her existence, perhaps it was understandable. In any case, ]

Although maybe we should be. There never seems to be any warning - at least, not one that we're aware of.

[ And the gods have seemed surprised enough in their own way. Giving Terezi a sidelong smile, ]

But I'd like to think so too. If even half of what you've described to me about your worlds was like you've said it was, I'm not sure you'd have survived as long as you did if you couldn't.

[ Which was a figure of speech, really; Naminé hadn't got any reason to think the troll was being dishonest about all of those goings on. Perking slightly as she recognized a nearby landmark, Naminé let out a little, 'oh.' ]

We're almost there...!

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