[October] State of the City

[rubycitymods]

STATE OF THE CITY
October 2016

GENERAL OOC INFO:

Hi all, and welcome to Spooptober! We have some neat things planned for this month and we hope that you will be able to take the time to enjoy as much as possible.

Please note that we are always open to suggestions on how we can make this game better for you. Comments here are screened, so there need not be any concerns about raising something that another player may not agree with and we will address anything that you feel needs to be brought up. There is also a plot submissions page with a new addition to make it easier for everyone to submit the kinds of events that they would like to see. We certainly encourage this, and are happy to work with you to make your event fit into the city setting. If you have an idea that you are happy to let us take the reigns of, we would like to hear that, too!

Our general CR meme is up again this month, slightly late (as is this bulletin). Please make some good use of it! You never know what great new CR might come out it. Tag around and let people know that you would like to play with them!

Finally, the test drive is up! If you are able, please take a look and make any potential newcomers feel welcome.

GAME INFO:

NPC Profiles

WHAT'S HAPPENING
☆ The game history page is still in progress. We hope to have it fully up to speed by the end of the year, as it is taking more time than we anticipated!
☆ Following up on some advice received from one of our players, we are going to look into ways to make venturing outside of the city walls more appealing.
☆ Additionally, we are doing further work into the background to add more of a sense of grounding to the overall ‘plot’ of the game. This will be reflected in future events and bring better cohesion overall. We hope that it will be something that you all enjoy!
☆ The events page has a counter added so that you will always know how many player events are in our queue - this will be updated soon.
☆ We are bringing the calendar up to date and planning out events in advance to add some more excitement and anticipation!
☆ Over the next month, we may be making changes to the tagging system and adding canons to our tags.
☆ We are intending to take an active role in the enableme meme going forwards and we hope that you will join us and help us out by letting us know who you would like to see in the game!

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We had a small win for Diligence in last month’s activity check, though the kind-hearted nature of the population overall is still winning out. Naturally, it’s only a matter of time before that kind of thing begins to turn.. but for now, it is proving to be an advantage.

Diligence is defined by careful and persistent work and effort, and manifests itself in a certain need to be more detail-aware in day to day activities. In those people who already operate in this fashion, their level of focus may sharpen to something like an obsession, leading them to forego sleep and other essential daily things simply to work on whatever project is in their mind.

Please continue to give examples of your characters aligning to certain vices and virtues when you post your AC! As the numbers build, so will the potential for different effects.

EVENT LIST FOR THE MONTH:
October 1st - October 31st This is Halloween, this is Halloween...

Regardless of what else happens during the month, the city reacts to the upcoming Halloween date as it usually does - by providing themed items and foodstuffs to try if you dare.

In the shops, sometimes where one might not expect to find them, are items which may prove too tempting for some to ignore. While some are completely innocent, all have the potential to have specific effects on the brave soul deciding to use, wear or eat them. These items can be divided into three categories - edibles, costumes and miscellaneous. All effects are temporary and will last twenty-four hours maximum.

Edibles
Note: All edibles have the potential side effect of making the person who eats them feel a little sick. This is your own fault - don’t eat so many sweets.
Atomic Fireballs are a ‘spicy’ cinnamon candy that makes your mouth feel hot! Perhaps a little too hot. Goodness gracious, are you breathing fire?
Black Jack Gum is an aniseed-flavoured gum known for turning your tongue black! And your.. teeth… and.. ew…
Bubble Tape comes in several mild fruit flavours and unfortunately starts tasting of nothing very quickly. So.. why does everything suddenly taste like fruit? Weird.
Chuckles are jelly candies coated with a layer of sugar and come in assorted flavours. Just the name makes you want to smile, and.. laugh.. and not stop laughing! Oh dear.
Gobstoppers, also known as jawbreakers, are (as the name implies) a very hard candy consisting of a number of layers, up to 8cm in diameter! You could lose your voice eating one of these, if you don’t break your teeth first.
Junior Mints are a classic candy with a peppermint fondant centre covered in dark chocolate. Eating one of these might bring on some age regression… temporarily of course.
Marathon bars are chocolate covered knots of semi-hard caramel, perfect for a quick energy boost. Too much energy? Better run that off, pronto.
Peeps. Peep. Peep peep. Peep? Peep!
Pixy Stix, full of sugar (or, entirely sugar) are bound to give you a rush. You’ll talk to anyone! Everyone! Don’t want to talk? Too bad, look at this awesome thing.
York Peppermint Patties. Get the Sensation! Biting into one of these will take you… somewhere cold, that’s for sure.

Clothing
Note: All clothing items come in various sizes, and some will change to fit.
Clown: Putting on any part of a clown costume - wig, nose, makeup and various items of clothing are provided - compels you to have some fun at someone else’s expense. Whether this fun is harmless or not may depend entirely on the original personality of the wearer…
Witch/Wizard: Dressing up as a witch or wizard grants some rudimentary and somewhat unreliable magical powers running along the vein of your classic fairy tale. Now, where’s that one person you always wanted to turn into a frog?
Policeman/Fireman/Paramedic: Wearing any part of one of these costumes instills you with bravery and confidence…! And the sudden drive to bring people to justice/teach people about fire safety/save all the lives. Sexy versions of these costumes are also available.
Ghost: It might just be a sheet with eyeholes cut into it, but trying to phase through a wall suddenly seems like a really good thing to try. Mind you don’t get stuck!
Animal: Multiple animals from cats to lizards are available in the form of fun costumes! Put some dog ears on! Have dog ears! Wait, what?
Create Your Own!: Got an idea for a fun costume and side-effect combo? Let us know in the comments so we can add it here!

Miscellaneous
Pumpkins are fun to carve, aren’t they? Sure they are. Except when the insides are suspiciously scarlet. It’s a good thing those pumpkins don’t have mouths, isn’t it--- oh.
Aren’t Halloween lights fun? They’re not watching you. Of course not. That would be silly.
Interesting and spooky cutouts can be put up in your windows! From the outside, it almost looks like they’re moving…
Along with the peculiar cards mentioned below left by trick or treaters who don’t stay to see you answer the door, a different scenario may sometimes arise. On answering the door, individuals may find a group of three or four children standing on their doorstep with small plastic buckets extended. They will only speak the words ‘trick or treat?’ until they get a treat, you ask for a trick, or you close the door. Closing the door will yield another knock, which, if unanswered, will default to ‘trick’. This will result in the playing of several harmless pranks on the household, potentially involving toilet roll, fake spiders, or the classic knock and run. While the children don’t say anything other than ‘trick or treat’, they certainly know how to giggle.

October 1st - October 8th PLAYER PLOT: Jane Foster

Jane Foster has previously been missing as her player took a short hiatus, but her dramatic re-entry may have been noticed. Mjolnir stops for no man, and its sudden journey through the city easily caused minor to moderate damage of several buildings.

Possessed by the Aether, the evil, glowing red Kool-Aid of the universe, and with no Loki and Thor in the city to help get it out of her, Jane is literally a ticking time bomb of destruction and doom. Along with the personal physical effects that come along with carrying an Infinity Stone inside you, the Aether might also violently blast away anyone who attempts to get too close to its host, potentially interpreting it as a threat.

Unless someone can get this thing out of her, Jane is looking at certain death. Unfortunately, one does not simply remove the Aether from someone’s body, it also needs to be defeated/destroyed on its own terms. While Diarmuid has been picked out to be the one who eventually succeeds in removing the Aether, this does not preclude others from trying beforehand!

As for the eventual defeat of the Aether, there are other options - be it player character intervention or NPC intervention. The possibility is also open for the Aether (and Jane) to be examined. For science.

Full information on how things will progress can be found here and also here, and we are hoping that a few of you will decide to get involved!

October 24th - October 31st Trick or Treat? Trick or Treat?

Over the course of the month, people may have been getting knocks at their doors in the middle of the day, the middle of the night, and at the most inconvenient times possible for whatever they happened to be doing. When they open the door, there will be no one there, but a folded note will be left on their doorstep (or stuck to the door, or pushed halfway through the letter box). On this note are the words ‘Trick or Treat?’ written in red cursive letters, diagonally from one corner to another.

Whether you keep this note or not, you have now been marked.

This is going to be an event with riddles and puzzles, which we can’t give you more detail on until much closer to the event itself without ruining the surprise! However, we can give you enough to think on, and we hope that you will enjoy the event in full when we reveal all of the details.

In a classically Halloween way, the week following the 24th will be one of gloomy, grim weather and scattered thunderstorms. Even in the middle of the day, it might seem like close to night time, and the lightning (for once) has nothing to do with a certain demon. The city’s hotel, mostly - if not entirely - uninhabited will become the setting for an elaborate “haunted house” which will draw people who have previously been marked with a Trick or Treat card into it with an almost irresistible call. Once inside, the fun begins.

Amongst the typical trappings of a haunted house, certain rooms will also be included that will place small groups or individuals into dangerous and potentially deadly situations that will require quick thinking and problem solving skills to escape. What’s the prize, you ask?

Well, you’ll have to play the game to find out.

More information on this event will be available on October 17th, to give you plenty of time to plot! In the meantime, feel free to have your characters receive the cards - participation will not be mandatory.

STATE OF THE CITY:

Weather Report

WEATHER:

Things are starting to cool down, though certainly not as much as one might expect for this late in the year. The late evenings and nights bring a small nip that might redden the cheeks of those not properly attired for it, but during the day the temperatures are still in double figures and at times could still be mistaken for late summer.

In the mornings, after a particularly cold night, those waking early enough may find frost on their windows in a variety of different patterns. Though pretty enough to look at, if they are observed for an extended period of time the patterns begin to cause a sensation of unease as they begin to appear to shift and coil along the surface they cover. It can be easily dismissed as a trick of the light - dawn can play some silly games with your eyes - and once the frost has been taken by the early morning sun no trace of it remains.

When it rains - and it occasionally does - it is in deluges which only give a warning of a few moments of light spotting before the heavens open. Minutes after the downpour ceases, you could be forgiven for believing that it never rained at all, save for the soaked ground and black clouds retreating across the horizon.

FLORA AND FAUNA:

Though it isn’t quite winter yet, the cooling weather is prompting several of the creatures more inclined to spend the colder months either hibernating or in a similar torpor to begin making their preparations. The fire lizards have ceased breeding now, leaving only empty nests filled with broken egg shells, and though they can still be found in large numbers along certain parts of the coast they will take any food offered to them without being bound to the person offering it.

The fog and cooler evenings are being utilised by intelligent and unintelligent creatures alike. While red caps keep mostly to their territory in the plains, a few of the braver ones have begun to venture into the park and casually prey on the people who wander through the gates. Aided by wisps, they attempt to draw people into traps.

If wandering the streets late at night, people who are either in groups or alone may begin to feel as if they are being watched or followed. Turning, if done quickly, will reveal only a misshapen shadow moving quickly into the first spot of cover. It may not be discovered until its first possession, but a wendigo has grown bold enough to cross the city walls and take to the streets to hunt for fresh prey.

STORES AND SUPPLIES:

Ruby City has always been the kind of place that likes to keep with the seasons and October is no different. In terms of regular supplies, there is an abundance of autumn fruit and veg including sweetcorn, squash, grapes, sweet potatoes, and of course, pumpkins. Most are regular in shape and weight, able to be picked up and moved with relative ease, though there are one or two that are a ridiculous size. They are still up for grabs, but try not to hurt yourself while moving them.

The general store is also offering crafting knives and oversized spoons, along with an oddly high number of pie dishes.

Halloween-related items are available, listed in the events section above.

MOD CONTACT:

Fiona hardtostarboard || AIM@LittleBritTeacup
Kitten GrimmKitty || AIM@SilverCrusnik
Ingrid togamint || SKYPE@Taekotogami
Duck rowaduck || AIM@rowaduck

Moderator Plurk: rubycitymods

PLAYER ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Suggestions Post

Permanent Links
Phoenix Wright’s Records
Spiral Training School Information

Anything you want to let everyone know about? Let us know!

CLOSING STATEMENT:

Short and sweet once again, since we are already late! We hope that you are enjoying the improved focus in the game in general and we intend to continue tightening up loose corners until everything is where it should be. We also hope (and believe!) that, given time and patience, we will begin to see a rise in player numbers. There is still a little way to go, but all of you here make this game what it is, and we appreciate you!

The activity check will go up as usual on the 5th of the month, but do remember that as long as your post or thread was started before the 5th, you can use the activity period to get it up to the length that you need it to be. Please also note that if you are on hiatus, your hiatus period must cover two weeks within the check period (6th - 5th) for you to be considered exempt from the activity check.

Thank you for sticking with us, we appreciate each and every one of you. Until next time!