OPT-OUT EVENT LOG: SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT, WEEKS ONE AND TWO

[asgardmods]

The volunteers from the LOCUSTS! event last month found in Odin's office endless research into Ginnungagap and a handwritten note from the King prior to his collapse. All arrows are pointing in the direction of the sacred canyon, and so it is that the Travellers will be initiating their own investigation into whatever Odin believes may be down there. It will be done without the eyes of the gods, however, so the trip will be a dangerous one without a map to lead the way and there may be many unforeseen obstacles along the way.

Week One: Day 441 / May 1-3

Day 441 ( April 30/May 1 )
As per the whispers on the street, the Travellers that've decided to go on this trip will meet up in the earliest hours of Day 441 at the Gate of Fire. Pack and prepare for a long haul, as this one will be a difficult journey. Any of those that went on the Down This Road opt-out event may want to offer up their memories as a vague guide into the canyon, but either way - without the guidance of the gods, making it to Ginnungagap safely will be nigh impossible.

After the Travellers sneak their way out of Asgard, they will make way towards the canyon to the east. Travel will be slow and difficult, particularly in moving through the forests that have been ravaged by the recent flooding. When they make camp for the evening, they will suffer the same strange sensations as those in Asgard just before 11PM: they will simultaneously feel a flicker in their bodies, like a missed heartbeat or a cut-off breath. Those in Freyr house that were present for the god's death and those that were present for the Friendly Fire event will recognise the sensation; it will happen twice more before one final blip. In that moment, everyone will essentially have a minor blackout: their vision will fade, their bodies will freeze, and there will be an internal sensation of dropping.

After this, the Travellers outside of the city will feel something of a drag towards Ginnungagap. It will feel like an outside force beckoning them inward, to someplace they belong. The compulsion will be relatively easy to overcome, but it will linger all throughout their journey through the depths of Yggdrasil.

Week Two: Days 443-445 / May 4-9

Day 443 ( May 4/5 )
Approaching the border between Asgard and Ginnungagap will bring the Travellers closer to the Fire Giants' kingdom of Muspellheim. From this distance, they will just barely be able to make out the great volcano, still lit at its peak, and a heavy black cloud that lingers over most of the kingdom. In this area, it may behoove them to keep an eye out for Giant patrols and pockets of defects from Surt's ranks, all seeking safe ground somewhere in the relatively neutral territory of Ginnungagap. They will be volatile and attack upon sight, but no groups will be any larger than five, maybe six at most.

As they sneak and fight their way across the plains, they will find that Ginnungagap is sparsely littered with old trees and short, soft grass on the outskirts of the canyon, streams flowing from varying mountain peaks into the vast space below; deeper within, it is sheer rock and sharp edges that are harsh and unyielding. If one were to look at it from above, they might think someone stabbed a knife into solid stone and carved out a jagged wound, and so it is moving through the canyon itself, where one false step can lead to certain and painful death.

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle log for WEEKS ONE AND TWO of the Something Significant plot event! Remember that your only characters who signed up for this opt-out event by the deadline will be able to participate. Please put your character's location in the title, as well as either OPEN or CLOSED and the DATE. For more details, please head on over to the full rundown HERE. If you have any questions, please let us know, and have fun! The event log for the SOMETHING OMINOUS opt-out plot log can be found HERE.

SPECIAL NOTE: As of the power expansion plot, bracelets will work outside of the city along with god powers. Characters WILL be able to communicate with those inside of the city of Asgard, as long as the party has his or her bracelet on him. ]

Comments

[notsogrimreaper]

“I think it’s that clear stuff you put over food to stop it from going bad. Either way, it’s a pretty bad fashion statement.”

He smirks.

“You’re lucky my taste is better than that.”

Because the image of Ryoji in cling wrap is terrible for everyone.

[tonsofpun]

"I'm gonna just take your word for it," Ellie decides, still cracking up.

"I don't understand anything about fashion anyway, but holy shit."

[notsogrimreaper]

“Heh, I don’t pay much attention to that stuff. Whatever I like to wear that’s fun and comfortable is good enough.” Ryoji grins and takes the pun book from her, flipping through it.

[tonsofpun]

"Careful with it, it's kinda old," Ellie tells him, trying not to look as anxious as she suddenly feels.

It's just a fucking book. Calm down, kid.

[notsogrimreaper]

“Don’t worry. I just wanted to look. You’ve gone through it a lot, haven’t you?”

There’s something appealing about having a book that you’ve thumbed through so many times it’s falling apart. It’s almost romantic. Ryoji wants to find more books like that.

[tonsofpun]

"Yeah, all the time."

A heartbeat, before she shrugs. "It was a present."

[notsogrimreaper]

“That’s cool. Who did you get it from?”

He passes it back over, carefully.

[tonsofpun]

Ellie hesitates for a heartbeat, then gives him a smile that's both radiantly happy and a touch unsure.

"My girlfriend."

[notsogrimreaper]

If Ellie was expecting discomfort, she may be surprised to find that Ryoji is instead overjoyed, beaming excitedly as a hundred questions start bursting forth.

“Really? That’s so cute! What’s her name? Did you meet her at school? How long have you gone out? What’s she like?”

[tonsofpun]

His reaction is everything she could have hoped for. Most people have been happy for her, some have been a bit unsure. Others have been surprised, but supportive. But the more she hears about people being jerks -- she can't be too careful, she guesses.

Instead, she grins, shoulders relaxing. "Her name's Riley, and we've been best friends practically since we met- we did, we met at school, and- we started this thing after we got here, sort of."

Ellie laughs out loud, reaching up to rub her nose. "She's, uh. She's a hell of a troublemaker. And a lousy thief, and she has a really dumb sense of humor, and she sucks at poker-"

[notsogrimreaper]

He wouldn’t judge her for her preferences. He already talked to Akihiko about that sort of thing, and it helped him realize that though he flirted with girls, he was the most romantically attached to Minato, after spending all that time with him and being given life through him. Still, he knows there are some people out there who would judge them… Minato is making him keep their relationship mainly a secret until he finds someone they can trust to tell.

He smiles happily as he listens.

“She sounds wonderful. I’m glad you have someone so close to you here. I guess that’s where you got your sense of humour from, huh?”

He laughs, nudging her slightly. He can’t help but tease her a little.

[tonsofpun]

It makes her laugh. Ryoji's nailed her. Even if Ellie talks endless shit about Riley, she loves her. Deeply, in a way that has nothing to do with age.

"No way. I came up with my own dumb sense of humor, Ryoji. She just helped make it a little dumber, I guess."

[notsogrimreaper]

“Really? I wouldn’t think it possible for your humour to get any dumber.”

He’s already looking ready to dodge any annoyed punches. Ellie’s sweet, but he’s used to girls getting pretty frustrated with his mischief.

[tonsofpun]

"Mother fucker," Ellie tells him, closing the book to smack him lightly in the back of the head with it, before she breaks into giggles.

Oh god, laughing feels amazing. She's needed it.

[notsogrimreaper]

Ryoji winces softly, but laughs as well. He can take a little abuse as long as his friend is happy, he thinks.

“Seriously, though. I’m happy for you. I may have to introduce you to… heh, I don’t even know what to call him yet.”

[tonsofpun]

"Him?"

Okay, Ryoji, you've got her now. She grins and leans in expectantly, all of a sudden looking very, very much like a typical teenager.

"Go on."

[notsogrimreaper]

“W-Well, as long as it stays between us. He’s pretty embarrassed about it.”

Surely it’s okay if he just tells Ellie… though he’s blushing the entire time.

“One of my friends from back home… Minato Arisato… showed up. I don’t know if you remember when I told you about him, but he’s responsible for me even being able to live… so I ended up with some strong feelings about him. But I guess I wasn’t the only one. When there was that post about the runes, we both tried it, and we were so exhausted when we found each other that we ended up confessing.

“So… y-yeah! It’s not really that exciting, but he’s a nice guy. It’d be cool if you met him…”

[tonsofpun]

She just ended up laughing, hugging her arms around herself as she smiled at him. It really was cute, like something out of a comic book, and honestly, he was delighted to find out how accepting the people were out here. Not that anyone back home had been a huge asshole about who was dating who, but she'd heard enough horror stories to worry a little.

"I'd like to meet him. He sounds like he's a good guy. And if he's ever a jerk to you, just let him know I'll beat his ass."

[notsogrimreaper]

Ryoji keeps blushing darkly, laughing nervously and looking away. He knows Minato was a bit unsure about their relationship, and though Ryoji doesn’t know much about it, he knows there are some people who don’t accept relationships like his so easily. He’s thankful that Ellie seems to be alright with it.

“Heh, I don’t think he’ll be a jerk to me. I’d probably deserve it if he was. I can be kind of annoying…”

[tonsofpun]

"Don't buy into that shit."

Ellie shakes her head sharply, gently knocks him in the arm. "If you're annoying, so what. Get called out. But don't ever let someone get away with being an asshole. You don't need that, and there's no reason to take it."

Shaking her head again, she hunches her shoulders. "Riley was the only one that ever got that, back when we... were in school. She had no problem standing her ground either. And if she saw somebody else standing up for themselves, she'd help them. That was how we met. She saw me dealing with some assholes, and she decided to help."

[notsogrimreaper]

“Huh? I…”

Ryoji seems surprised by the protest, and winces at the punch. He hardly even realized that he was putting himself down.

“S-Sorry. I’ll try not to let anyone get away with it. It’s just… Minato is important to me, and I know he has a funny way of showing he cares. I didn’t want you to worry.”

He smiles softly at her story.

“That’s really nice of her. I’m glad she helps you deal with people like that. If you ever get in trouble, I’ll help too, don’t worry.”

[tonsofpun]

"Apologizing again," Ellie points out, with significantly more gentleness, and softens it with a grin.

"Okay, I get that. Joel can kinda be like that, too."

[notsogrimreaper]

“O-Oh, um…”

Ryoji panics for a split second, and then grins sheepishly.

“How would I say sorry for apologizing so much… without saying sorry?”

[tonsofpun]

Ellie grins back, broadly.

"I know what you're trying to say. It's cool."

[notsogrimreaper]

“I’m glad you do. Thanks for putting up with me.”

Like Minato and his other friends have.