intro log: august

[faileas]

Intro Log: August

I. ARRIVAL Out of nowhere, a glint of light catches your eye; your heart thunders in your ears as your body moves on its own, your mind consumed with inspecting the source. Your reflection stares back at you, just as curious from the surface - a mirror, a pool of water, your most trusted sword, something fleeting that your mind can barely remember - then ripples at your touch. A moment later, you feel a tug, and you find yourself stumbling into a dark, musty room. Behind you, a mirror stands ornately decorated with reminders of home wrought in brass and wood: the faces of people you know, and symbols important to you; all things that send a pang through your chest with the desire to return to them. Touching the mirror's surface does nothing but leave the stain of your fingerprints. When you turn to survey the room, you find there are hundreds of other mirrors. None of them are as decorated as yours - they're plain and dusty, speckled with age. Then you realize a second thing: You're not alone. Distantly, the ringing bell of a clocktower can be heard. But no matter its distance, the time is clear to make out: it chimes three times, stark, resonating like a pulse of something in this mirrored hall that you and many others have found yourselves in. For those familiar with magic, they might feel the power of the witching hour upon them, though it will feel different from what they're used to - in fact, everything does. You're certainly not the only ones here, however. On the first floor, with the doors wide open behind them in the foyer, is a small group headed by two individuals. As people begin to arrive, to come from the higher floor, they're waiting - and they're waiting for you, and your questions. Explore the rest of the mirrored halls you've now found yourselves in, or proceed to the foyer? Leaving the Looking-Glass House makes it obvious that the clock striking three was for 3 AM - the night sky is faintly cloudy, but the stars are brighter with the absence of the sister moons in the sky - it's the new moon, after all. The Looking-Glass House is rather nondescript two-story cottage made of grey brick, sitting at the edge of The Coven's courtyard; stones which glow as you step on them mark the path to and from the two buildings. While fairly small and plain on the outside, the inside has been enchanted to be the size of a large library, with hundreds upon hundreds of mirrors hanging, standing, and resting inside its walls. Some are broken, some are cracked, and some seem completely uninjured - but all of them are just as plain as the cottage itself, showing age in the silver beneath their glass and in the greening of their metals... Well, all except a character's personal mirror; to characters, one mirror - the one they came through - will be decorated lavishly with metal-and-wood-wrought reminders of home, and the surface will be as clear as a brand-new mirror.

II. THE WELCOME PARTY Whether you've decided to find a way out of the building you've arrived in, or decided to explore the rest of the Looking-Glass House - and perhaps finding a few familiar faces among the crowd - you feel a pull towards the foyer of the first floor. It's like a firm suggestion, as if to take you by the hand and draw you to where it begins, and the source of it becomes quite apparent upon finding one's way to the front room: a tall, comfortably-dressed older woman and her even taller wolfish companion. "There's always a right lot of you coming in, aren't there." The woman sets her hands on her hips, with her Bonded casting a glance at those looking confused - newly arrived - and those who may have followed them in to talk to the newest addition of their mirrorbound bunch. "About time for introductions though- this here's Mhairi Ainsley, ambassador to the Parliament and my Bonded, and I'm Nerissa Bell, Head Witch of the Coven - but you can just call me Miss Nessie, you can," she adds, winking. "The lot of you must be as tired and confused as the last batch - hullo to those who've joined us, too! - so just a moment, dearests, I'll set all you right up—" With nothing more than a wave of her hand, rows of insanely colorful seats are summoned; half of them are wooden (sturdy and comfortable besides that), with the rest being misshapen and bag-like. Regardless, the seats fill the foyer and spread out a ways into the lawn behind them, making room for all of the new arrivals as well as the previous batch, should they have come to check on things. The Witches and Monsters that accompanied Nessie and Mhairi move to make room, and some disperse into the building itself to see if there's anyone who needs tending to. Mhairi steps forward as the chairs materialize. "Please, those who are able, join us for a moment. There are many questions that I'm sure you have - we will do our utmost best to answer them, and you may take any that we can't as a promise to find some sort of solution or answer." NOTE: If you wish to interact with Nessie and Mhairi, please comment here. You have the option of handwaving the IC interaction to OOCly ask what questions your character might have for them, for us to summarize an answer for, or you can request an IC thread. Simply specify in your comment's subject and we'll respond accordingly. Additionally, those with notable injuries or sickness will be attended to ASAP by Coven-based witches, and should anyone be curious about what they are - if they have magic potential, or if they swing a different way - then this can be done during this and the general hour or so the new arrivals are within the Coven's grounds. There are ongoing classes on magic, monsters, and Bonding as well, though they take place more during the day than at night - feel free to have your characters attend them at any time!

III. THE HAVEN After an hour or two of general chaos, questions that the natives attempt to help with, and injuries tended to for those who arrive in poor condition, it's time to make a trek through a bit of leftover ice and snow to where you'll be staying while Nessie and Mhairi continue to search for a solution to the situation. As you're leaving with a few Bonded for guides, peculiar-looking devices - watches, the native Witches explain, compliments of Parliament - are passed around to all the new arrivals; they're given a quick rundown on their functions and bid to test them out when they can. They can even do it as they make their way out of the Coven's courtyard and to the Haven. Formerly part of the Aristocratic District, The Haven is just as well-kept and brightly-lit as the district it hails from. The houses err on the tall and ornamental-side, large enough to fit several families (or, according to the upper class, their one family, several dozen servants, and guests), especially closest to the Aristocratic District. They become a little more modest and smaller as one gets away from the realm of high society and nearer to the Residential District proper. Newcomers are shuffled here and invited to find somewhere to live - the Coven is currently handling expenses for the houses themselves in a program implemented by the Parliament, though if your character wishes to have anything extra - like maids, chefs, and so on - they'll have to pay for them themselves with their own earned money. Much of the landscape and fixtures are the same as in the Aristocratic Districts, though it lacks formal emergency services due to its roots as part of a district that already did. Much of the housing already has furnishing due to the speed at which homeowners were relocated; they were given enough time to collect their valuables, but standard furniture such as kitchenware, couches, beds, etc. were left behind for those moving in. Other houses appear the same, but the dust on the floors suggest these houses were left before the new arrivals even showed up - a reminder that the Cwyld can strike just about anyone, regardless of standing. Another portion of this district has been opened up to the new arrivals: the barracks, the row of buildings pressed against the very edge of the Bright Wall. As the city's military force no longer has the same presence it previously did, the barracks have gone into disuse, and a cleanup effort has been in place since before the new arrivals came through the Looking-Glass House. For those who desire something a little less opulent, the barracks might just be the answer. The barracks can also be used for business, for a welcome center, a communal space, for anything that the residents of the Haven see fit to use it for - so long as the legality isn't questionable, on the surface. To help with filling up the larger houses - and even some of the smaller ones, and the shared rooms in the barracks - the Witches put together a little roommate finding service, on a smaller scale from the grand opening of the Haven. For those who aren't entirely sure who they want to shack up with, they have a small survey for them to fill out and post on the board they've magicked up in the center of The Haven. The board also very helpfully reads aloud each form for everyone to hear in a cheerful, monotone voice. It isn't able to be shut up, nor is it easy to ignore, being imbued with a kind of amplification magic. It reads simply the information you've offered up yourself, or that someone might have written up for you, should that be their idea of fun.

IV. LÙNASA Just like three months ago, those new to Aefenglom have found themselves brought to the city in the middle of a celebration. From dusk of Aguril 1st to the dusk of Aguril 3rd, Aefenglom celebrates something fairly special: Lùnasa. Traditionally, Lùnasa celebrates all kinds of traditional marriages sanctioned by Parliament, generally of the arranged kind, and handfastings, a ceremony based more on love and how long it lasts. The Coven's Bonds err on this side of things, though some Witches do have official spouses - Miss Nessie and Mhairi are an example of this, though not everyone marries their Bonded, either. Many of them are made during this festival, prompting the city to dress for the occasion just in case they find themselves in the middle of a ceremony, and just as many of them are formally renewed. Like during Litha, shops offer lovemaking potions, but only to those renewing vows or taking them; smaller fireworks, like sparklers and fountains, are also a common sight. Lùnasa is also home to the city's largest fashion show, showcasing fun and upcoming trends in the city. No experience is required to sign up to show off designs or to model them, and hundreds of tailors and needlework experts come together to quickly make dreams into reality for the end of the festival, when the show happens in genuine. The clothing is often wild and sorted into three categories: children, where those 14 and younger can submit their designs and model them as well; popular, where those 15 and older can do the same to try and vie for the judges' vote on what's in and what's out; and bonding, where all ages aspire to modify and make personal the traditional garbs of marriage and handfasting. While circumstances might be a little weird - and the month is a little cold coming in, given the snowstorm that happened at the end of last month - there's plenty to do, plenty to see, and plenty to take your mind off of just what a weird experience this all might be. Though those who have been in Aefenglom for a while now might notice something different over the course of the festival: they're a little more powerful than before, almost similar to the free-feeling that Boaltinn encouraged. Spells can still go awry, but the results will be much bigger - but it's frowned upon to use magic during festivals. Then again, characters will feel as if they're about to burn up if they don't use it a little... Well, just one spell beneath the shadow of the new moons wouldn't hurt, would it? a. JUST IN CASE While the city is dressed up on the off chance they might be roped into an impromptu wedding ceremony - it's likely that those who aren't native to Aefenglom don't have such luck. Thankfully, the tailors of city are offering free clothes on the caveat they advertise for them by wearing them around the festivities - they're long yet breathable garments, with colors that are fairly muted oranges and reds, not unlike the coming fall. It'd seem the fear of red skies from Litha has started to fade as nothing else too terrible has happened to the city at large, at least on the surface. And as it turns out, those offers might be better timed than they think: characters will be pulled into ceremonies at random to act as witnesses, to serve as dance partners for lonely folk, or just because they really needed someone to even out the numbers. b. ON THE CATWALK An annual occasion, the Aefenglom Fashion Show is always a bustling, bright time for those young and old to strut their stuff and try their best to either follow the latest trends, or spark them into being. Unfortunately, they're running a little low on models this year - many of their other ones decided to try their hand at sewing themselves - and so they're accepting volunteers! Willing or not; many of the more aggressive youths aren't above dragging those they deem perfect enough to wear their clothing to the back of the stage set up in the center of the Shopping District and pushing them out onto the catwalk dressed to the nines in all sorts of ridiculous-looking styles. c. EYE-CATCHING A few of the newest fashionistas in town have tried their hand at some rather... peculiar-looking clothing - but none so peculiar as those found in Precogstitchin' or Arwel's Tailory, in two completely different ways. While those who try on a piece or two of Precogstichin's wares will find themselves the center of attention due to their rather avant-garde shape, color, and pattern choices - not to mention accessories and rumor of being made of arachne silk! - those who try on Arwel's wares will find themselves being stopped quite frequently in the street despite the rather plain and dull colors and formless shapes the tailory provides as free samples. d. NEW MOON RITES While native Witches bemoan their weakened magics - some even expressing relief the new moon happens to land on a festival this year so they don't have to notice just how weak they are, mirrorbound Witches will find themselves feeling just the opposite: they're stronger. For those that chance a little magic despite the unspoken rules of the festivals in Aefenglom, they'll find the expelling of energy to be very relieving, as if a weight lifts off their shoulders. For those that refuse the siren's song of release, however, sparks of magical energy will fly from them, with a myriad of results - enchanting inanimate objects, transforming animals from one thing to another, starting small fires, creating illusions of the person or creature they fear the most... and so on.

Welcome to the intro log! While mingling on the log itself is highly encouraged, feel free to make your own logs; take the prompts offered and go wild, go crazy, go stupid, have fun. The network system is free to use once characters have their watches as well; information on that can be found at the bottom of the Setting page, while any extra questions about it can be found in the FAQ index. Quests can be picked up now as well! While new characters will have to get settled in, you can go ahead and put your name on some by replying to the August's Quest Pickup thread on the Quest Board. Finally, if your character is getting into any Shenanigans, let the mods know, and if you have any questions about the log, ask them here!

Comments

ROOMMATES AND HOUSEMATES FINDING

[faileas]

Fill out the following form if your character is the type to participate, post it here, and comment around for some ??? profit! Since we know that character desires don't always line up with player desires, we have both an IC and an OOC portion to fill out; the IC portion is what gets read aloud by the board, while the OOC portion is just for plotting among each other - which can be done on this thread!

If your character wouldn't participate, but you'd still like to plot for housemates, just use the OOC portion of it.

• IC Portion (All of this should be filled out as your character (or someone else) would - if that means lying about any of the information asked after, or omitting certain things, go for it.)
Name:
Age:
Three words you'd use to describe yourself:
Favorite color:
Seeking: What they'd like in a roommate/housemate.
Not Seeking: What they wouldn't like.
Preferred living situation: With just a few people, in a house that house multiple groups (like an apartment or twin house situation), etc.
Extra notes: Pets, special circumstances, etc.

• OOC Portion (All of this is just for you, the player!)
Character name:
Character age:
Canon:
Choice: Witch or Monster?
Preferred housemates or plans: What kind of characters/living situations you'd like. Need someone to bully your character into being nicer or less lazy? Want someone to help your character loosen up a little? Put your wishes and plans here.
Extra notes: Anything else, be it ways to contact you, notes about your character, and so on.

• <B>IC Portion</b> <b>Name:</b> <b>Age:</b> <b>Three words you'd use to describe yourself:</b> <B>Favorite color:</b> <B>Seeking:</b> <B>Not Seeking:</b> <b>Preferred living situation:</b> <B>Extra notes:</b> • <b>OOC Portion</b> <b>Character name:</b> <b>Character age:</b> <B>Canon:</b> <B>Choice:</b> <b>Preferred housemates or plans:</b> <B>Extra notes:</b>

[firewalled]

• IC Portion
Name: Rich Goranski
Age: 18
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: Fun, insanely attractive
Favorite color: Purple
Seeking: I guess anyone my age who doesn't mind talking and hanging out! Also if you're single, hit me up! Dudes, girls, doesn't matter to me.
Not Seeking: I don't know, no super old people I guess? And if you're anal about cleaning, we're probably not gonna work out.
Preferred living situation: Wherever there's room, I don't mind!
Extra notes: [At this point, since Rich has discovered that the board is reading all posts aloud, he can't let this go without a little fun, so the rest of the paper is filled with an impressive array of dirty words.]

• OOC Portion
Character name: Rich Goranski
Character age: 18
Canon: Be More Chill
Choice: Dragon
Preferred housemates or plans: I would like Rich to end up with people his age, but I also could see him getting matched up with older people who might end up having to mentor him reluctantly. If there are some kind adults who wouldn't mind dealing with a kid who has pretty bad experiences in the parental figure department, I'd be up for slipping him in there!
Extra notes: I really am sorry for him. If there's consequences for vulgarity on the board, by all means, Rich should be scolded.

[gehennawind]

• IC Portion
Name: Paloma Cecilia Vasquez
Age: 23
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: Quiet, neat, sensitive
Favorite color: gold
Seeking: Someone low-key, who enjoys keeping separate lives and sets boundaries, garden a bonus
Not Seeking: Criminal activity
Preferred living situation: Window and non-window rooms available

• OOC Portion
Character name: Paloma Cecilia Vasquez
Character age: 23
Canon: Vampire: the Masquerade - Bloodlines
Choice: Vampire
Preferred housemates or plans: The kind of Victorian terraced apartments that are built for/prioritize vertical space, crammed between other apartments; a very nice, but unremarkable and easily passed-over exterior is the goal!
Extra notes: As a housemate, Paloma is gonna go balls to the wall keeping her vampirism on the down-low; she'll have odd, noticeable habits like only going outside in daylight with HEAVY fabric coverage and parasols, minor narcolepsy, and (eventually) a bottomless pit of a stomach when it comes to cooked food. She'll refuse to bed down until it's dusk or later once she realizes going out during the day is possible.

[foursakes]

hello!!! four would be interested in this ad!! neat catches her eye and she pm fits the bill (superficially)! would this interest you?

[gehennawind]

Hell yeah that works out! Heads up that Paloma is a textbook bi disaster and a FLAGRANT ho, so if that’s fine with you OOC!!

[foursakes]

which is to say, i’m a ho for this, i love it (who cares if four wouldn’t but secretly sort of would at some point)

i can leave something in paloma’s inbox soon, how does that sound?

[gehennawind]

(is all I see)

She's also like the human embodiment of a despondent melodica, luckily, and the only time she flirts outrageously is trying to score a blood snack. We don't eat roommates...!!!

Please feel free to hit up her inbox and I apologize for the total lack of coding IT WILL BE FIXED

[foursakes]

shrieking four voice: make room for jesus!!!!!!!!

im coming for u in five minutes

[spaghettimonster]

• IC Portion
Name: THE GREAT PAPYRUS
Age: UH, WOW, IS THIS A JOB APPLICATION?? THAT'S A LITTLE PERSONAL. I'M... AT LEAST 20?
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: VERY COOL SKELETON
Favorite color: BLUE?
Seeking: A NIGHT OWL, AN EARLY BIRD, AND... WHATEVER KIND OF BIRD IS AWAKE DURING THE DAY?? PEOPLE WHO DON'T MIND A ROOMMATE COMING IN AND OUT AT ANY TIME.
WHO CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELVES!! PRETEND I UNDERLINED THIS A DOZEN TIMES.
Not Seeking: SLOBS, OTHER DOGS, PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID OF SKELETONS.
Preferred living situation: SOMEPLACE THAT I HAVE A ROOM OF MY OWN... AND WITH A GOOD KITCHEN! I NEED TO CONTINUE MY TRAINING.
Extra notes: NYEHFULLY YOURS,
- PAPYRUS

• OOC Portion
Character name: Papyrus
Character age: Unspecified in canon, but: old enough to be electing king, young enough not to know what he's doing with his life, with an eagerness to be liked that strikes me as early 20s
Canon: Undertale
Choice: Monster - Turnskin
Preferred housemates or plans: Ideally a house or larger apartment with several people, the better for multiple sources of cr - and the possibility of housemate drama.
Extra notes: First impressions can be misleading, and the truth is that Papyrus is the sort of guy to hang out in his room reading, chatting online, and playing with action figures. He's used to being the only one who cleans, and living in a decent sized house. The biggest downsides to living with him are that he's a loud skeleton who barely sleeps and might be awake at all hours... and he turns into a skeletal canine on the full moon. The full shebang, four-legged, tired and hungry, with a bad habit of breaking things in a dog-brain fugue because he's lonely and bored on top of being scared and aggressive. And he could shift that far if particularly distraught. If you're interested in accidental hypocrisy from him, he can change unexpectedly at home and make a mess of things.

[firewalled]

((This ad would get Rich's attention, mainly for "very cool skeleton," because how can that not be metal as fuck. He's not super tidy, but he's not an asshole about leaving things around, so if you're cool with it, he and Rich could team up and look for a group to join together?))

[spaghettimonster]

(That sounds interesting to me!

Papyrus isn't quite as metal as some cool skeletons, but he's definitely a walking talking skeleton. If Papyrus sees Rich's own ad - or if Rich admits too much about not being super tidy - he's is going to give him some serious side eye looks... But it sounds like Rich cleans enough not to frazzle him.)

[firewalled]

Rich is a reformed punk, anything is metal to him. Besides, at least they're both friendly and in need of friendships!

Anywhere you'd like them to run into each other so they can go scouting for more roomies?

[spaghettimonster]

Friendly, in need of friendships, and possibly being harassed by SQUIP to be the cooler popular heartless people he knows they should be?

I'm honestly still trying to figure that out! I don't know if Papyrus would've stopped by the Coven in time to learn there's another group fresh from the mirrors, and right in front of the poster seems a little too on the point... Unless we did a thing of, they both went to check on the requests and happened to be there at once?

[firewalled]

Shhhhh. Rich is done with that crap. No more being heartless he's gonna hug first and punch never.

We could definitely do that! Rich would probably be checking on them pretty often just because the barracks feel too confined for him to deal. Also it's funny to hear his post read out again.

[spaghettimonster]

Not even small, cool-looking punches? Hugs are great, but sometimes hugs come with a punch too.

And oh hey, I missed that Rich is staying in the barracks! Papyrus is also currently in one of the barracks rooms, though he's trying to get out sooner or later. So running into each other as current neighbors is also an option. I'm working on a top level, I can include a prompt or two that'd suit for either of these!

[firewalled]

Welllllll maybe but Rich doesn't exactly trust his own strength. We'll see. Maybe he'll find some way to make his punches cool and non-harmful.

Yeah that would totally work! Let me know when you get it up and I'll scope it out <3

[spaghettimonster]

Where there's a will, and customizable magic, there's a way.

It's up and ready for introducing them and seeing how it goes! o/\o

[textsfromhotland]

• IC Portion
Name: Alphys
Age: 2[the second number is strangely smudged out]
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: Quiet, well-read, introverted
Favorite color: Pink
Seeking: Do you like anime?
Not Seeking: I guess people who are really loud?
Preferred living situation: I'd really prefer to have my own room
Extra notes: I'm not a big talker, but I'm a great listener! I'm very clean!

• OOC Portion
Character name: Alphys
Character age: 20-something
Canon: Undertale
Choice: Monster- Faun
Preferred housemates or plans: I HAVE NO PLANS! I wouldn't mind one roommate or multiple roommates, and she's kind of a pushover so even if some extremely loud party animal approaches her she wouldn't say no.
Extra notes: She's not clean. She leaves clothes and dishes everywhere.

[metalcrusher]

• IC Portion — [Which, by the way, is written in a lovely cursive.]
Name: Mettaton
Age: You should know. I am a robot.
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: Famous, sexy, charming
Favorite color: Pink
Seeking: Offering: The chance to live with Aefenglom's up-and-coming idol - that is, me!! That's right, folks! Take advantage of this LIMITED TIME opportunity to reside with none other than the long-awaited METTATON! But hurry, or else your current roommate might swipe up this generous and magnificent rooming arrangement before you, leaving you with your dull and drab Mettaton-deprived housing. What a pity that would be.
Not Seeking: Lock-pickers. A locked room is locked for a reason, darlings.
Preferred living situation: The larger and more luxurious the house, the better. That means more lucky residents!

• OOC Portion
Character name: Mettaton
Character age: arbitrary, but probably older than you think
Canon: Undertale
Choice: Monster, Puca
Preferred housemates or plans: I WANT CR OPPORTUNITIES so the more, the merrier! Please give me your introverted types so that they can find Mettaton in their room taking up space on their bed to pose sexily with a rose for no reason except because he felt like it. Or maybe your character would like that. I want them, too. Even though Mettaton would love to live with more space to himself, he dead doesn't need it and can equally treat the entire city as his personal haven. In other words, I'd love for Mettaton to have roommates who he can bother.
Extra notes: Mettaton is very excited to meet humans/Monsters with human experiences, but I'm not opposed to having him room with non-humans in the slightest.

[omnicrafter]

• IC Portion
Name: Irhya Pendhula
Age: 26
Three words you'd use to describe yourself: Good with hands!
Favorite color: Blue
Seeking: If you consider yourself fun, then sure, why not. I'm not too fussy. Bonus points for cat people.
Not Seeking: People looking to surrogate parent need not apply.
Preferred living situation: As long as I have one consecrated space to myself, I don't really care.
Extra notes: Said space is going to be in a state of organized chaos. Do not touch it. Don't say I didn't warn you.

• OOC Portion
Character name: Irhya Pendhula
Character age: 26
Canon: Final Fantasy XIV
Choice: Vampire
Preferred housemates or plans: I'd love to pair up with someone she's got the potential for some fireworks with, of either the positive or negative sort. I don't have anything on my plate right now, so let's throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks? C:
Extra notes: She's mostly clean except for her room, and wherever she happens to do her crafting (which is probably going to be her room). Steal her tools and suffer the consequences!