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hugtopia_ooc2020-10-11 05:24 pm
hugtopiamods) wrote in hugtopia_ooc2020-10-11 05:24 pm
Entry tags:
October Event Plotting Post
October Event Plotting Post
Feel free to use this entry for plotting purposes as you please, and use the Mod Question thread below for any questions.
A log will be posted on the day the event begins, but characters are welcome to create their own entries as well.
❥ PROMPT I: Friends on the Other Side
Early in the month, a new broadcast is transmitted to every communicator in the city, announcing that due to an unexpected explosion and a breach in the mine's deep barrier, an unpleasant, odorous gas has filtered into the metal processing factory, so for several days the entire facility is on lockdown. The gas is deemed to be harmless to the robotic population, but effects on the living are as yet undetermined, so to protect the people of the city, they are requesting all offworlders stay away for a while. They don't anticipate needing any help, but concerns of a larger breach happening in the future are understandable considering last year, so they ask that everyone keep watch for further announcements on the network.
A few days later, it is announced that the breach has been contained, the gas neutralized or dispersed, and the factory is back up and running as normal. Isn't that lovely, you've no need to worry about a repeat of last year's disaster! That means everything is fine, right?
Everything seems fine… at first. However, within a few days of the announcement, residents may notice some very odd changes crop up around town. Something about the shadows seem wrong, silhouettes shifting and duplicating seemingly at random. You may look down at your shadow and think, "hang on, why are there two of me?" Surely it's just a trick of the light. That belief may grow less certain as things continue to escalate: walking down the hallway at night seeking a snack, you might notice an ethereal figure staring at you, featureless and unmoving. Waking up in the morning, you might find your communicator has been moved from a desk to the floor, and what is your favourite coffee mug doing in the bathroom sink? Looking into the mirror, you find someone else's face staring back at you…!
That's right, folks. It's a good old fashioned haunting.
The "ghosts" that characters can encounter are for the most part harmless, but as time passes they grow better at interacting with the world around them in a more physical sense, including but not limited to:
Unlike many unusual occurrences in Havenwell, making physical contact with one another has no effect on the ghostly visitors, and making contact with the ghosts themselves is… unpleasant, to say the least! Very chilly, very spooky. Maybe don't do that so much. Attacking them or using magic on them can occasionally chase them off, but it's more likely to cause collateral damage around you than actually hurt the spectrals. (Besides maybe their feelings. Ghosts have those too!) Some of the ghosts may try to request something of you, such as acquiring a certain item, finding a particular resident, or guiding them to a specific location. There are a variety of ways they may communicate this with you, and not all of them will be effective or coherent, so you may want to recruit a friend to help you puzzle through it. Appeasing the ghost in this method can help alleviate their haunting troubles. ...Of course, you may also gain a reputation amongst the spectral beings as someone who can help them with their problem, so it can also escalate. How generous are you feeling this month?
The robotic residents are baffled and very concerned by the whole situation, and will be looking into it, but for the time being will advise residents to avoid contact if possible and just… put up with it for now. But if your character wants to put together a ghostbusting crew, they won't stop you.
Please let us know in the comments below if your character will intentionally make physical contact with the ghosts at least 4 times. We will be tracking this for... no particular reason, really.
A few days later, it is announced that the breach has been contained, the gas neutralized or dispersed, and the factory is back up and running as normal. Isn't that lovely, you've no need to worry about a repeat of last year's disaster! That means everything is fine, right?
Everything seems fine… at first. However, within a few days of the announcement, residents may notice some very odd changes crop up around town. Something about the shadows seem wrong, silhouettes shifting and duplicating seemingly at random. You may look down at your shadow and think, "hang on, why are there two of me?" Surely it's just a trick of the light. That belief may grow less certain as things continue to escalate: walking down the hallway at night seeking a snack, you might notice an ethereal figure staring at you, featureless and unmoving. Waking up in the morning, you might find your communicator has been moved from a desk to the floor, and what is your favourite coffee mug doing in the bathroom sink? Looking into the mirror, you find someone else's face staring back at you…!
That's right, folks. It's a good old fashioned haunting.
The "ghosts" that characters can encounter are for the most part harmless, but as time passes they grow better at interacting with the world around them in a more physical sense, including but not limited to:
- moving furniture (eg. banging or slamming doors open and shut)
- stealing or misplacing character possessions
- crashing into residents (robotic or offworlders alike) as if they cannot see people in front of them, moving through the city mimicking some sort of normal everyday activity (such as trying to order from a cafe, sitting down at a nonexistent table, drinking invisible coffee)
- making loud, incomprehensible noises trying to communicate with either characters, each other, or some unknown entity
- cause the air around characters to abruptly shift in temperature or scent
- create technological glitches (eg. causing the replicator to produce food unprompted, sending strange messages via communicators, photobombing the camera as strange spectral figures or bright lights
- frightening or even befriending perceptive animals/pets
- following. you. everywhere.
Unlike many unusual occurrences in Havenwell, making physical contact with one another has no effect on the ghostly visitors, and making contact with the ghosts themselves is… unpleasant, to say the least! Very chilly, very spooky. Maybe don't do that so much. Attacking them or using magic on them can occasionally chase them off, but it's more likely to cause collateral damage around you than actually hurt the spectrals. (Besides maybe their feelings. Ghosts have those too!) Some of the ghosts may try to request something of you, such as acquiring a certain item, finding a particular resident, or guiding them to a specific location. There are a variety of ways they may communicate this with you, and not all of them will be effective or coherent, so you may want to recruit a friend to help you puzzle through it. Appeasing the ghost in this method can help alleviate their haunting troubles. ...Of course, you may also gain a reputation amongst the spectral beings as someone who can help them with their problem, so it can also escalate. How generous are you feeling this month?
The robotic residents are baffled and very concerned by the whole situation, and will be looking into it, but for the time being will advise residents to avoid contact if possible and just… put up with it for now. But if your character wants to put together a ghostbusting crew, they won't stop you.
Please let us know in the comments below if your character will intentionally make physical contact with the ghosts at least 4 times. We will be tracking this for... no particular reason, really.
❥ PROMPT II: Mirror, Mirror, Through the Wall
All these ghosts wandering around are bound to set a lot of people on edge, whether you've a flesh or metal body, so if you notice folks acting a little out of character once in a while, it's understandable. Unfortunately, for some it might become a little too much, the longer the month goes on. As time passes, the feeling grows stronger: a rising temper, an urge to say or do something that does not feel in line with one's normal personality. Fight it all you want, but it's there under the surface… the urge to be darker. Dare we say, to be a little… EVIL?
Of course, the concept of "evil" is arbitrary. Some have greater limits and potential for it than others, and many will find their instincts affected by the alignment of their particular god. This strange tweak in personality and behaviour will bring to the surface the darker, opposing traits of the gods, and this can manifest in a number of ways, including but not limited to:
Rawna: passionate, illogical, obsessive
Ainea: active cruelty, a lack of empathy, poor manners or behaviour
Diacht: dishonesty, an absence of loyal or honourable behaviour
Ohma: willful ignorance, bad or malicious advice, spreading misinformation, gossip
For some, the experience may only last for a few minutes at a time; for others, it will linger for days, much to the discomfort of those around them. And if those nearby are also affected, well… maybe this won't be such a good month for hugging out your problems. On the other hand, in the aftermath you can practice your skills at apologizing. Go on, kiss and make up! How far and how dark this event becomes is up to the player, so be sure to recognize your limits and the limits of those around you before committing to something with them, and tag your content accordingly! Character behaviour can be malicious and traditionally "evil", or it could simply be whimsical misbehaviour.
Perhaps the strangest part about this particular month is that while more often than not in Havenwell characters can dispel strange effects through physical interaction, those who attempt it to avoid further conflict will find that instead of curing these changes, it has a likely chance of exacerbating them. Holding hands with an angered friend might incise them further, hugging someone who won't stop gossiping about you can cause them to spread even uglier rumours. Characters who have fallen into the (understandable) habit of attempting this method first will be in for a nasty surprise!
If hugs and hands don't fix the problem, what will? The city is naturally investigating the situation, but it does take a bit of time. It seems that something has truly flung the city's equilibrium out of balance, to the extent that the gods are attempting to realign themselves with the unfortunate attached side effect of unaligning everyone else. After some consultation of old lore and a lot of religious bickering amongst themselves (the effects are not helping anyone come to a consensus, shockingly) eventually they will recommend that residents visit their respective temples and unburden themselves of the negative effects, by way of making some kind of behavioural offering, as a way to trigger a reversal of personality. At first, it is suggested to visit your aligned temple, however as more people experiment with this theory, characters will learn that it is in fact the opposite temple that requires said offering to reverse the effects- that is, the god that acts as the affinity partner of your own. Characters will have to offer some kind of act or confession that supports the opposing god's strengths, such as a follower of Diacht performing an act of kindness and visiting Ainea's temple to apply a blessing of sorts in exchange. Mind you, doing these opposing acts might be a challenge to those who are struggling a great deal with these changes… so you'd better get your act in gear quick in the moments where clarity returns to you!
As a quick reference, these are the aligned and opposing gods:
Rawna <=> Ohma
Diacht <=> Ainea
Of course, the concept of "evil" is arbitrary. Some have greater limits and potential for it than others, and many will find their instincts affected by the alignment of their particular god. This strange tweak in personality and behaviour will bring to the surface the darker, opposing traits of the gods, and this can manifest in a number of ways, including but not limited to:
Rawna: passionate, illogical, obsessive
- Followers of Rawna will range from annoying to actively dangerous. Nothing is too much for them. No step is too far. Whatever goal they're trying to accomplish, it must be done.
- If a Rawna adherent is connected to someone in some way, positively or negatively, expect them to become a fixation practically overnight. This is an obsession now. Maybe you belong to them, maybe they wish you no longer existed, maybe they want to frighten you into leaving them alone. Stalker tendencies begin to exhibit themselves in these characters.
- On the more annoying rather than creepy range of behaviour, followers may become obnoxiously fixated on something they're passionate about, a hobby or someone they love, and they will talk. So. Much. About this thing, incessantly rambling about this aspect of their lives. If others try to avoid, interrupt, or walk away from them, they're likely to follow and continue where they left off. This thing is so interesting! You should be interested in it, too! Have you heard about the new VR game!? They could talk your ear off about it! ...Wait, they might actually literally be trying to do that- oh dear.
Ainea: active cruelty, a lack of empathy, poor manners or behaviour
- the mice of Ainea are soft and cuddly no longer. Now they are dirty, dirty rats. They'll trip you as you're walking past them, they'll dispassionately ignore your tales of strife, they might stab you in the back (metaphorically… or perhaps even literally!? uh-oh) or share whatever unwelcome opinions they have about you.
- Some behaviour will be less cruel and more… uncomfortable. All those elegant table manners you've cultivated over the years? Yeah, that's out the window. What do you care if people think you're being rude? Lick that plate, drink milk out of the carton, dip that chip twice. You're allowed to be gross and weird and no one else gets to tell you what to do. You've been good your whole life! Are you tired of being nice? Don't you just want to go apeshit!?
Diacht: dishonesty, an absence of loyal or honourable behaviour
- Followers of Diacht are thieves on a multitude of levels. Thieves of possessions, obviously- they'll take your belongings when they visit you, lift from shops, borrow things and refuse to return them. That library book? Mine forever, now! The really adventurous ones will even try to steal from the research towers, though good luck with that.
- Worse than the above, however: what they might end up stealing is your trust. Let's say you've confided in them, and they promised never to share your secret. Turns out you chose poorly, and the cat's out of the bag! They could tell someone you'd most wish never to know, they could spread it on the network and leave you to fix the mess. Some may become such pathological liars that they will try and deceive you about something that is literally right in front of you. Yeah, that sky is definitely green... you're obviously colourblind.
Ohma: willful ignorance, bad or malicious advice, spreading misinformation, gossip
- followers of Ohma may find themselves drawn to sharing unkind, unverified information about anything and everything. They could spot someone innocently making their way down the street and loudly proclaim some terrible secret they are surely hiding from the world. Is it true? Who cares! Certainly not you. You're just saying what everyone else is clearly thinking.
- "DID YOU KNOW BEANS CAN MAKE YOU GREEN? THAT'S WHY THEY'RE CALLED GREEN BEANS. WAKE UP SHEEPLE". Conspiracy-theorist Auntie Karens on Facebook ain't got nothing on an Ohman this month!
- information shared could be fairly benign… or it could ruin someone's life. It's one thing to idly tell a neighbour that you think a resident pets their cat's fur the wrong way. It's another thing entirely to tell the local police that you witnessed them murdering someone...
For some, the experience may only last for a few minutes at a time; for others, it will linger for days, much to the discomfort of those around them. And if those nearby are also affected, well… maybe this won't be such a good month for hugging out your problems. On the other hand, in the aftermath you can practice your skills at apologizing. Go on, kiss and make up! How far and how dark this event becomes is up to the player, so be sure to recognize your limits and the limits of those around you before committing to something with them, and tag your content accordingly! Character behaviour can be malicious and traditionally "evil", or it could simply be whimsical misbehaviour.
Perhaps the strangest part about this particular month is that while more often than not in Havenwell characters can dispel strange effects through physical interaction, those who attempt it to avoid further conflict will find that instead of curing these changes, it has a likely chance of exacerbating them. Holding hands with an angered friend might incise them further, hugging someone who won't stop gossiping about you can cause them to spread even uglier rumours. Characters who have fallen into the (understandable) habit of attempting this method first will be in for a nasty surprise!
If hugs and hands don't fix the problem, what will? The city is naturally investigating the situation, but it does take a bit of time. It seems that something has truly flung the city's equilibrium out of balance, to the extent that the gods are attempting to realign themselves with the unfortunate attached side effect of unaligning everyone else. After some consultation of old lore and a lot of religious bickering amongst themselves (the effects are not helping anyone come to a consensus, shockingly) eventually they will recommend that residents visit their respective temples and unburden themselves of the negative effects, by way of making some kind of behavioural offering, as a way to trigger a reversal of personality. At first, it is suggested to visit your aligned temple, however as more people experiment with this theory, characters will learn that it is in fact the opposite temple that requires said offering to reverse the effects- that is, the god that acts as the affinity partner of your own. Characters will have to offer some kind of act or confession that supports the opposing god's strengths, such as a follower of Diacht performing an act of kindness and visiting Ainea's temple to apply a blessing of sorts in exchange. Mind you, doing these opposing acts might be a challenge to those who are struggling a great deal with these changes… so you'd better get your act in gear quick in the moments where clarity returns to you!
As a quick reference, these are the aligned and opposing gods:
Rawna <=> Ohma
Diacht <=> Ainea
❥ PROMPT III: Speaking of Wall Breaking...
Those ghosts sure are weird, huh? But they're settling down, as the month draws to a close. They're becoming less anxious and random, their behaviour growing sort of… focused. As time passes some of them begin to develop features. They can interact with the world more consistently. You can… hear their voice.
And then suddenly they are people, real and physical and just as confused to be here as you are. They could be anyone, from your world, someone else's world, a place you've never heard of… some of them could even be you, from a different universe, a different timeline, an unknown reality. What does all this mean?
IT'S FOURTH WALL, Y'ALL. Tell your friends, people interested in apping or just playing around in the setting, anybody! Time to break the wall down and have some fun.
There will be a separate post for this section of the event, which will go up on October 20th, as a replacement for the usual Test Drive Meme in order to consolidate the chaos a bit. Timeline-wise, this shift will occur ONLY during the weekend prior to applications opening: October 30th to November 2nd, after which point characters will either disappear or become permanent residents via the application process. This also means that the rest of the event effects will have worn off, and characters will be their normal selves through the duration of this prompt.
Some ground rules for the 4th Wall event:
For characters/accounts not in-game:
For characters/accounts currently in-game:
And then suddenly they are people, real and physical and just as confused to be here as you are. They could be anyone, from your world, someone else's world, a place you've never heard of… some of them could even be you, from a different universe, a different timeline, an unknown reality. What does all this mean?
IT'S FOURTH WALL, Y'ALL. Tell your friends, people interested in apping or just playing around in the setting, anybody! Time to break the wall down and have some fun.
There will be a separate post for this section of the event, which will go up on October 20th, as a replacement for the usual Test Drive Meme in order to consolidate the chaos a bit. Timeline-wise, this shift will occur ONLY during the weekend prior to applications opening: October 30th to November 2nd, after which point characters will either disappear or become permanent residents via the application process. This also means that the rest of the event effects will have worn off, and characters will be their normal selves through the duration of this prompt.
Some ground rules for the 4th Wall event:
For characters/accounts not in-game:
- a character does not have to meet application qualifications to post to the 4th Wall Event, except in cases where there is an intent to apply when applications open. Duplicates, CRAU, AU, etc. are permitted for the event.
- we do ask that crack shenanigans are reasonably limited, game rules are followed, and that the event involve characters only, not players or real people.
- anyone can toplevel! It'll be a free for all. Go wild, have fun.
- characters will be given a temporary, low-tech communicator for the duration of the event with limited network access, due to limited availability of the real deal.
- you will not arrive with any items/companions beyond the clothes that you wear
- check out the Setting or FAQ pages for location details!
For characters/accounts currently in-game:
- players can decide for themselves at the event's conclusion whether or not memories of certain visitors remain, and to what extent; memories could become fuzzy, faces or communication obscured, they could disappear entirely, or they can remain fully intact whether the person apps into the game or not.
- network communications with 4th Wall visitors that don't (or can't) app in will be wiped, with the locals citing a data error related to the older communicators being used. Technology can be unpredictable, huh!
- any communication exchanges that you WANT to keep can remain with some discretion; for example, if a spouse visits and you happen to take a selfie with them, and they do not (or cannot) app but having that photo of them would give you comfort, feel free to keep it.
This event will run from OCTOBER 13th to 30th with the third prompt running the weekend following October 30th to November 2nd. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.
QUESTIONS
no subject
How much trouble/chaos will Sasuke get into if he tries to steal not readily available information about Havenwell or the world beyond the walls?
no subject
However, since these effects are in flux, Sasuke may find himself told that he will be locked away for a full week, only to be sheepishly released the next day. ...Aaand then receive a summons delivered to his home that he is to report back to jail immediately for the rest of his sentence! This back-and-forth will probably occur throughout the rest of the month, so if he doesn't cooperate with it, he'll likely be playing tag with the guards for a while.
In other words, the trouble will likely depend on 1) if anything was stolen/broken or anyone hurt in the process, and 2) how affected those who arrested or sentenced him are at any given time. Good luck!
no subject
no subject
If a character needs a cane to help them walk, do we just count that as part of the 'clothes' on their back so it would come with them or would it fall under items and not come with them?
no subject
no subject
And the book. Oh, he's going to be so upset that is gone! ehehehheno subject
Dot would listen to any and everything they have to say but specifically is curious about where they are from, how they died (if they are in fact dead) and what, if anything, they can tell about this place.
Though tbh given the other prompts she might make up her own outlandish stories about them regardless of what she finds out....no subject
Should she be able to overcome these obstacles, there are a number of things she could learn from them. Some may be more elusive than others, some will be forthcoming with information about their past. Some are just straight-up lying or deceiving her; there are people of all sorts in the world after all, both living or dead. When inquiring about their deaths, from one she might receive a gruesome tale of death via an industrial accident at the factory, while another might be horrified to be told that they may have died at all! Many of these "ghosts" are simply acting out their daily lives with no interaction with the physical world, so to them, it is a Sixth Sense situation: they're doing just fine, so hearing that they've died would be quite a shock. Go nuts and get creative with it as you please.
Also, since some of these spectrals are incoming 4th wall visitors: if you and another 4th wall player choose, feel free to have a conversation with one in ghost form before the shift from spectral to physical occurs once the 4th wall event goes live, if that might make for a more interesting thread!
no subject
Since it's just for the 4th Wall event I figure it would probably be all right in the name of more fun times, but just want to be sure!
no subject