♥ March (Ainir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

March Event Log
Spring has sprung! Or at least, in theory. The month began monthly unremarkably, besides the priests of Ainea's temple prepping for the first month in their deity's season, which tends to be a little sleepy as the city traditionally shakes off those winter woes. The earthquakes still has everyone feeling a strange anticipation for change, but with how long it's gone with no noteworthy shifts yet, excitement has grown somewhat muted. All of that is about to change...

---

❥ PROMPT I: Let the Rain Fall Down

The month begins with something peculiar: a sudden rainfall occurring sporadically, not just in sections of the city the way it does when the weather system is malfunctioning, but rather consistent across the entire city. The natives in town are flummoxed; this rain is natural, passing harmlessly through the barrier, and the water that falls to the ground is clean, unpoisoned by the perpetual storm and toxic air outside. The rain comes in waves, from a light drizzle to a steady stream, and while it is not raining all day every day, it is probably best practice to travel with an umbrella on hand for a while.

Before long, the effects of this natural rainfall will become apparent: the city is undergoing an unexpected period of growth. Flowers, fauna, and all sorts of greenery are sprouting up in all areas of the city where grass or soil exists. It appears that at last your effort is paying off, and life is returning to Havenwell in a big way. The types of plants that grow will range in type, colour, and species- many of them are live versions of the extinct plants that have been on display in the museums, or whatever is already on display in the gardens. Some of the plants that grow might also be familiar to the visitors of this world- a small slice of your home, adopted by the gods that your touch have rejuvenated.

One downside is that since all these changes are happening at once, in such a short span, the botanical community is ill-equipped to make sure all of these new plants have a chance to thrive on their own. Many things that grow can be left where they stand, but the seemingly randomized placement means that certain plants aren't in a good spot. A tree sapling sprouting in the cracks of the sidewalk, or a sunflower tucked away beneath a rooftop, for example.

Thus, the community is asking for volunteers to help relocate plants to the proper areas. Most should be going to the parks, gardens, or temples, areas with clean, existent soil but with nothing yet growing there. These locations have been tested, and have been determined to be safe for planting- it seems that the rain has purified whatever sour ground that the barrier hasn't kept clean, to make way for the new plants. They can also be relocated to personal residences, for those houses that have gardens or a bit of soil if you're willing to install your own. As the rain continues to fall, plants will keep growing, so when the flora and fauna are relocated there will be more growing in its place before long. Lots of work to be done if you're to save the new life in town!

If you wish to include a specific plant from your canon: please request it in the PLANT FROM HOME APPROVAL thread on the plotting post!

Please be aware that much like the rest of the plants growing around town, those from home will begin as seeds and grow gradually over the course of the event. Keep that in mind!

❥ PROMPT II: Hold My Flower

As the days pass, and there seems to be no end to the growth in town, the natives are growing increasingly excited, and when the collection of flowers becomes such a plethora that there are too many, they explain that the timing of this is very on-point: years ago, before the world began to die, they celebrated a Festival of Flowers, to welcome the shift of winter to spring in their corner of the world. In previous years, the tradition lived on in a simpler form, with paper or synthetic flowers, but it isn't really the same without hair so interest waned.

A major part of the festival involves flower weaving, in many intricate patterns and arrangements, all of which have different meanings, like an arranged bouquet might. These flowers are sewn together into crowns, or woven directly into the recipient's hair, a delicate and rather intimate act done between friends, family, or lovers alike. Since the robots of town can't really benefit from this shared experience (of neither physical interaction or hair weaving), instead they happily pass along their knowledge of arrangements and techniques, floral symbolism. You can follow along with their directions, or just make something up/create something new, though certain unwitting combinations are bound to earn some curious (or amused) looks from the locals. For those of you who lack long hair for such acts, despair not! Crowns placed on short hair are just as socially welcome as the weavings, as you'll see from the robots wearing similar designs around town.

However, there is a chance that the rain is also causing something other than plants to grow around town… namely, exposed hair. Those who get caught in the downpour might inexplicably notice that their hair is an inch or two longer the next morning… and then longer… and longer… there is no hard or fast limit to how much it grows, and cutting it may help for a time, but it does not stem the growth either. Maybe you should just relax and enjoy it for a while.

❥ PROMPT III: Scheme of the Wyrm Queen

Developed by Noctis and Pyra, in collaboration with the VR cafes, Havenwell officially presents: King's Knight 2.0: Scheme of the Wyrm Queen, a game that will be available going forward and premieres this month.

This game is designed to be like an MMO/mobile game, except in VR- every player gets an account, and to an extent their avatars are customizable. There are a set number of levels per playthrough, you can stop and pick up any time after a level ends, and you can re-arrange your party members at the start of each play session.

You can charge through levels just smashing away at enemies, but part of the game mechanic is that physical contact between characters in-game will provide stat boosts, enhancements, occasional heals or buffs, soft revives at 0HP, etc. The effect can vary depending on the nature of contact, but is also randomized to an extent, to allow for player freedom. Let's just say that intent plays a part... so touch someone and wish with your heart, and maybe something nice will happen. Or at least something kind of cheesy. (Noctis would like to establish that he did not program in that part.)

Noteworthy features:

• The plot: The evil dragon queen Nebula has kidnapped the prince of Oriens and absconded to the realm of monsters with him for some nefarious purpose. The gods of Totally Not Aellyn bless a group of heroes with the power to travel through that realm in order to rescue the prince! ...That's it. What, do you think you're here for plot? Nah. You're here to fight monsters and collect treasure.


• A party can consist of 2-4 characters of any class arrangement, though a somewhat balanced party is encouraged to survive each level. Repeated training (or grinding) can help characters acquire better gear drops or level up if they get stuck, but there is an emphasis on teamwork to get you through it!


• "Death" in-game causes a character to become translucent and unable to interact with the game until healed or revived, or until the level ends. If all characters reach this status, they fail the level and the game is over. All characters are healed to full once a level is beaten.


• Levels are randomly generated based on a set amount of algorithms, to shake up the experience and make each game a little bit different. There is a plot as noted above, with some dialogue and programmed NPCs, but interaction with either is simple and can be ignored or skipped after the first run-through if you so choose.


• Certain accounts of people who were a part of the development (AKA those who Noctis pestered about designing things) will gain access to unique costume options upon initial log-in, like a pre-order bonus. These items are cosmetic only, but look pretty nifty.


• The difficulty setting can be adjusted according to player skill, so if anyone feels like Normal is beyond their ability, don't be ashamed to turn it down a notch! Player accessibility is more important. There are leaderboards for each difficulty, but it's mostly for bragging rights and don't earn you anything special.

Available Classes:

• Knight - a well-rounded swordsman with a shield, built tough for the front line and defense


• Thief - master of finding hidden objects, detecting traps, disarming foes, the fastest class


• Sorcerer - commanding the elements, attack from a distance and overwhelm your enemies; glass cannon


• Battle Cleric - wielder of a magic weapon that recognizes friends from foes; striking an ally will heal them without injury, striking a foe will tear them down


• Dragoon - specializes in aerial assault, heavy hits and safe retreats, can reach high areas


• Archer - speedy attacks at long distance; inexplicably great at parkour and glitching out of bounds for treasure

Enemies:

Monsters in-game vary between generic beasts of lore, parody versions of creatures found in Final Fantasy XV, and some monsters based on descriptions that Noctis or Pyra acquired from asking people. These are subject to change on request, as the game will be developing gradually to improve itself.

If you have suggestions or requests for monsters, treasures, or equipment, please submit them to the additional information page on King's Knight, where such updates will be tracked!

❥ PROMPT IVish: A Final Reminder

The soft earthquakes in effect since last month are still ongoing, however they have spread out more and are no longer occurring every day, but instead with a handful of gaps in between. As noted in the Intro Mingle log, there are new messages that characters can receive:

1) "Change is coming." this message is passive, almost like a greeting.
2) "We thank you for all you have done." this message is softer, almost apologetic.
3) "We shall do all we can to keep you safe." this message is gentle, almost parental in its affection.
4) "Share your bounty and your joy." this message is kind and encouraging, tugging you toward people you may not have met yet.
5) "Remember to keep the balance." this message is plaintive, but without urgency.
6) "Do not approach the walls." this message is LOUD, insistent, and the most frequently transmitted.
7) "Soon, change." this message is a gentle reminder.
8) "We welcome you to our home." This message is sent most frequently to newcomers.
9) "Be not afraid. You are safe." this message is polite and reassuring.
10) "Keep your footing and watch your step." this message is cautious, a firm warning.

Most of the residents have stopped linking up, since the messages are mostly on repeat, but the local temple priests still do it every time… just in case. Otherwise, it's easy enough to ignore for most people. The anticipation hasn't faded, but they're simply waiting for whatever comes next.

---

This event will run from March 13th to 29th. 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 on the plotting post.

Comments

Zenitsu Agatsuma | Kimetsu no Yaiba | Diacht

[zapdope]

[ I ]

[ Plants were probably one of the few things that Zenitsu wouldn't get so scared as easily. They don't necessarily suddenly move and try to kill you, per say, at least not in the world he's from.

But yes, "were." No matter what, plants shouldn't be growing as fast as they are currently. So when Zenitsu sees the plants sprout all of the sudden he gets super wary about everything around him, and almost considers just shutting himself in his own room at home when the robots started requesting assistance to relocate the plants.

But in the end, Zenitsu ends up helping out and he's found in various places in the city trying to relocate plants growing in the weirdest places while whining (and maybe even crying) about it. ]

Ugh, how are these plants growing here of all places?! Did someone go around town throwing seeds everywhere or something?!

[ II ]

[ Zenitsu likes flowers. They're pretty to look at and there's so many different variations, and he always enjoyed picking flowers for Nezuko during days where neither him or his friends had missions back at home. Remembering things about Nezuko always put Zenitsu into a cheerful(?) mood, and he'd be giggling to himself as he works on the flower weaving.

With helping out the flower relocation, Zenitsu's uneven blond hair's been growing out rapidly as well. If he's not distracted thinking about "the love of his life" (it's one-sided), he'd be freaking out about his own hair. He's a busy man with having a storm of emotions. ]

[ III ]

[ Zenitsu's a lonely kid. Any chance he can get where he's interacting with other people and new friends(?) he's made, he will take the opportunity. However, video games haven't been invented in his time. At most it would be either card or board games, and it would also be particular ones at that.

Zenitsu's at the VR cafe, curiously (with some usual taste of fear) looking at the new game. A game where you can actually become a hero? Sign him up! But he had no clue where to even start.

If he notices you, he'll edge towards you awkwardly. ]

Uhm, do you wanna play the new game with me? I wanna try but I dunno how this works...

[ Wildcard! ]

[ Or anything else! PM me or ping me at karasalis! If you don't want Zenitsu picking up your character's emotions via sounds, please let me know! ]

III

[gatescostmoney]

[ While not a kid, there is another lonely individual who also doesn't know what this new technology does. Clearly this means the two of them should give it a go for potential chaos. ]

People play games here?

[ Mr. Tori is stunned by all the lights and shiny things, like a crow is wont to do. He flaps over to a table and nips at one of the VR headsets. ]

Like Go?

[zapdope]

Hu—IYAHHHHH WHY IS THAT CROW SO STUPID-HUGE?!

[ That little tidbit at the beginning was his confusion of Go being mentioned, but as soon as he saw the crow he fell into his usual screaming.

You'd think for a kid that has keen hearing, he wouldn't be surprised but he doesn't depend on his hearing as much as he should. ]

AUGH!! Even without the size crows are so scary!! Is it a demon!? Is it going to peck my eyes out?! I'm going to die!!!

[ He's screaming his head off with his high pitched, disgusting voice as well as crying already. ]

[gatescostmoney]

[ Mr. Tori drops the headset to tilt his head at the yelling young man. Any other crow might have cawed in protest to the noise, but Mr. Tori worked alongside Yukimura and Shingen. Loud yells were a daily occurrence.

Sasuke is similarly unfazed. He gives a sharp, brief whistle, and holds out his arm. Mr. Tori flies over and perches on it. ]

Mr. Tori is harmless.

[ Mr. Tori is rewarded with some headpats. ]

||

[thekingsshield]

[Zenitsu's hair has grown so long, at this point... that a certain someone just tripped and fell on his face.]

Wha-how!

[zapdope]

[ If it's a gradual effect, Zenitsu wouldn't be struggling with his hair as much.
But with it growing all of the sudden, he's barely able to keep his head up with the weight.
He hears the sound he's able to get familiar with over the last month so he knows who tripped, but the tripping part is where he freaks out at. ]

G-Goofy!? Sorry my hair's in the way! Are you okay?!

[ He's struggling to even move and look properly because hair ]

[thekingsshield]

[Goofy shakes his head, and begins trying to get up without stepping on the hair - which is difficult.]

Aw, I'm okay. Takes more than that to knock me out!

[It takes an actual boulder.]

... You might need a haircut?

III

[wakemelater]

[Since arriving here, Nico's interest in the VR cafes has been middling, at best. Card games were more the fashion from his original time period, and emerging from the Lotus Casino seventy years later, virtual reality still wasn't a big thing. Not that he would have been interested, anyway - too busy trying to survive.

He had been curious enough to poke his head in, but nothing had piqued his interest before now. This, at least, had some potential. He knew all about slaying monsters.]

I'm not sure how it works either... We don't have stuff like this back home. But I've seen other people here before. I think we just put on those helmets?

[zapdope]

Oh, I've tried the VR thing back in January when they were doing the early morning mountain trip in January. It was super scary with how real it was.

[ Especially when the system decided it was okay for people around him to see his memories. That was fun. ]

I'm not sure how a game would work with this though? Games from my times are board games or card games. We get different roles?

[wakemelater]

Really.

[He'd be more concerned, but also... wasn't Zenitsu scared of everything?]

I played a card game back home that was ... not really like this? But you battled monsters and gods and things. And there were stats and powers you could use. I'm not sure I understand levels, though.

But maybe it will make more sense once we're in there.

II

[fantasykiller]

Sure, I don't mind. I've played RPGs like this one before in my world so I'll be happy to teach you everything you need to know.

[Although this will be his first time playing a game in VR, he's fairly certain this particular game follows similar rules to the ones back home. He puts on the helmet and gives his new pupil a thumbs up.]

Ready whenever you are!

[zapdope]

[ Here's a friendly, very outgoing guy! Zenitsu actually thought his request might be rejected, since that happened almost all the time, so he blinks in surprise before following suit with putting the helmet on too. ]

O-okay...! Um... Why are there different classes?

[fantasykiller]

Game balance. It would be boring if everyone could do everything so the game limits what you can do by placing different abilities into each class. This means each class has its own set of strengths and weaknesses that prevent any one player from becoming a ridiculously overpowered shounen protagonist.

There's no wrong answer when it comes to choosing a class. Pick whatever you like.

[What he said wasn't completely true, but his pupil doesn't need to know that yet. Touma wants him to be able to enjoy the game without having to worry too much about the more technical stuff.]

I

[breathoflove]

[Mitsuri happens to be helping out right now as well, so when she hears a familiar voice, she looks up from where she's gently extricating a particularly stubborn plant to see a very distraught Zenitsu!

Immediately she's worried! Soaking wet and covered in dirt, she gets up to rush to the boy.]

Oh, Zenitsu-kun! Are you alright? You sounded really upset!

[She ... didn't really hear what he said, but he sounded like he was struggling and on the verge of tears, so... she wants to make sure!]

[zapdope]

[ Mitsuri's officially Zenitsu's hero of the day now. As soon as he hears her approach, he lightens up a little, although he's still in tears and scared shitless. ]

Kanroji-san!! The robot people here wanted me to help out with getting plants moved, but they're all growing in the weirdest places!

[ He points at a tree starting to grow on top of a roof. ]

How would a tree even start growing on that?? The robot people wouldn't explain and just pushed me to go collect plants!

[ An overflow of stress and whining. Sorry Mitsuri. ]

[breathoflove]

[Oh no! Poor Zenitsu! This must be so hard on him! She frowns up at the tree for a moment and then turns a soft smile to Zenitsu.]

I think maybe things must not have been where they are now when the seeds last grew?

[She reaches out to pat his head gently.]

Maybe the plants are just confused and lost. That's why we're helping them, right?

Say goodbye to your door again (II)

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[To see the normally skittish Zenitsu cheerfully giggling away while weaving together a bunch of flowers is kind of a lot to take in. That's nothing like what Shinji's seen out of him so far, outside of that initial encounter where he was gleefully relaying all sorts of information about his beloved Nezuko to Shinji... Ah. Perhaps he's found her favorite flowers among the plethora of plants that have sprouted up, he thinks? If he's in such a good mood, it wouldn't surprise him to learn as much, anyway.

The length added to his hair is a lot to take in as well, but it's not like Shinji's escaped an extra inch or so on his own after helping out i the rain as much as he has. That's probably not the kind of thing to be calling attention to right now, either way.]

You look like you're having a good time.

[He offers the comment in good spirits, approaching Zenitsu with an armful of his own collected flowers. Want some company while you work?]

what if i just take the door off

[zapdope]

[ Zenitsu knows jack shit about flowers. Well, probably only certain ones with flower meanings so he can use them as a means of getting a girl to talk to him, but he certainly isn't an expert at it.

As Shinji approaches him, Zenitsu will give his goofy smile back, since he still has Nezuko in his mind. ]

Oh, hi Shinji! I was just remembering how I'd go find a bouquet of flowers to give as a present to Nezuko-chan! She'd always brighten up when she sees all the pretty flowers.

I'll find another door.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Ah, his hunch was right. This is not at all surprising.]

Yeah? [Gathering up flowers for someone who doesn't even remember his name... But, ah, he seems so pleased about it, Shinji isn't about to bring up how honestly tragic this fact is. Let Zenitsu have this scrap of happiness.] She'd probably really love seeing everything blooming the way it is now, huh?

[Not... that he'd necessarily wish anyone get trapped here in Havenwell along with the rest of them, but it would be pretty novel.]

I

[snyaiper]

[Ogata is a soldier, but he grew up in the country, so he knows Some Things about plants. He'd been keeping to himself, working on some of the plants nearby, but when Zenitsu bemoans the state of things out loud, Ogata can't help but scoff.]

Most plants won't just sprout up wherever their seeds are scattered. The require the right conditions to grow, which usually requires dirt.

[He says, without pausing from removing a particularly stubborn thistle plant from a postbox.]

Presumably, magic is involved in all this nonsense happening.
[As someone who is still only vaguely aquainted with it, Ogata tends to assume anything impossible to explain is Magic, At It Again.]

[zapdope]

[ The most Zenitsu would know is certain flowers' flower meanings and that's mostly from whatever chance he got talking to girls before.

But magic, though... The only magic stuff he's familiar with are demons. So when that's mentioned, his usual complaining quiets down to fear. ]

D-does this mean, these flowers are made of magic...?

[snyaiper]

[Ogata isn't from a world with magic, and he hadn't had much truck with it in the last place he was either. Still, he'd been exposed to it, so he has... some concept of it. Mostly he has the haughty confidence required to make estimations based on his limited experience.]

No. It's just that magic might've stimulated their growth that allowed them to sprout unusually.

[And, honestly,]
What are you, afraid of magic?

III

[nyani]

[ Cyan always needed to get out and have some fun, and she was craving something a bit more focus intensive and cooperative. A band was one thing, but she remembered the VR experience she had with Zenitsu before - and speaking of which!!!!!!! ]

Zenitsu-san! You're here to play games, too? [ She didn't expect it, honestly. She thought he might be, idk, wary of the technology. He seems to be embracing things, though! ]

[zapdope]

Cyan-chan! You look just as pretty and cute today!

[ Yes, he has to blurt that out every time he sees her. Yes, he's got Nezuko as the love of his life, but Cyan's also cute, okay!? ]

Y-yeah! VR sounds a little scary, but I'm also curious to play a game you can play with other people! Is Cyan-chan familiar with this game?

[nyani]

No, I've never heard of it... [ She claps her hands together. ] But it'll be more fun with a friend! [ She takes his hand and starts to drag him along. she's really excited!!!!! Her tail might be vibrating a little ]