Event: The Lost and Found (Plotting)

[thelostmods]

Greetings, residents of the Meadous and vistors! Our next event will be a 4th Wall Event! For this event, We the Lost will be allowing:

• CRAU
  
• Characters previously CRAU'd into other godling realms
  
• Straight from Canon Characters

THE LOST AND FOUND

The Events Calendar post for the plot is HERE

First and foremost, what is this event? We the Lost is a CRAU Fantasy game set in the realm of a young godling. Every young godling in the WtL-verse develops a world unique to them and pulls people in to populate it and help them grow. Each godling is influenced by their ‘flock,’ although they all have some basic personality traits that help them make their initial flock selection. The characters in WtL have so far given their godling a name: Zephyr, and a form that changes with the seasons.

However, Zephyr's aspect has yet to be realized. This is the fundamental force or piece of the world that a god has power over. Zephyr's grandmother, Xun, has informed the residents of the Meadous that Zephyr had yet to develop an aspect and they are lagging well behind their peers in this particular area, even as they excel in every other.

Unfortunately, her concern that something bad may well come of this is not unfounded. Zephyr will find their ability to pull the lost to their realm running out of control. While this is only a day or two for the godling in their realm, it will be substantially longer for the people in the Meadous, itself, with the event starting on February 11th and continuing for two weeks (until February 25th).

In that time, visitors will simply appear in the houses of the existing residents of the Meadous with nothing for them except what's there. Hope you're feeling neighborly. It's the middle of winter, so supplies in the Meadous aren't as abundant as they might otherwise be.

WtL DOES NOT have a network comm. To facilitate communication for this event, an event-based Bulletin Board will be put up. Please bear in mind that these communications are not instant, but that the Meadous is fairly small. It's not hard to run into people!

Check the comments below for a description of the Meadous, a brief FAQ, plotting, and a house arrival matching service!

Comments

BRIEF MEADOUS DESCRIPTION

[thelostmods]

Full Description: Located Here
Name: Zephyr, Lil Z, Zeph
Selection Criteria: The Lost
World Age: 3.5 Years
World Size: 5 Square Miles
Level of Technology: Varies (mostly mid-level)
Weather: Currently winter with heavy snow in the Village and Mountains. It is cool in the Dunes and along the Seaside; however, the Jungle remains lush and warm.
Dwellings: Hobbit-like hill houses designed to the specifications of each resident. They are connected by dirt (and some paved) paths that are kept plowed from the snow.
Godling Demeanor: When they are not frantically dealing with their powers running out of control, Zephyr is a kind, adventurous, and curious godling. They are also an overachiever who tends to believe that they have to be everything to everyone, not to mention they can't show too much weakness. As a result, they stretch themself thin and can become ill or lose control of their abilities.
Godling Appearance: Zephyr is a chimera with multiple (some would say too many) limbs that include two sets of wings, a giant fluffy tail, antlers, large rabbit ears, cloven hoofed feet, and clawed hands. Their coat changes with the season. At present they have dark brown skin with a dark green ruff that's spattered with white, giving the appearance of a snow-capped tree.

Setting:
The Meadous has five main areas:

• The Village;
  
• The Forest;
  
• The Jungle;
  
• The Mountains; and
  
• The Seaside.

The Village is where characters will arrive in a house. It's covered in snow. This is where the communications Bulletin Board is located, along with all of the major buildings, which include a Library, the Rec Center, an Observatory, a Watchtower, a Windmill, and a Meeting Tent. The paths are lined with electric lights that come on at night.

West of the Village is the Forest, which is a mix of evergreen and deciduous trees. There is a large frozen lake in this area where characters could theoretically go ice skating. There is snow here.

West of the Forest is the Jungle, which is warm and lush, even in the winter time. It looks like a cross between every rain forest you might imagine, including alien ones. All manner of interesting flora can be found here; though, none of it is dangerous. The Jungle is also home to a tribe of giant (about the size of a human female) sentient wasps. They're not particularly friendly, but they'll leave people alone if they're left alone. The wasps will chase and attack with wooden spears, but they won't kill. Their stingers possess a sleeping agent and will knock a character out if said character is very much annoying them. Knocked out characters will find themselves placed at the edge of the Jungle when they wake.

North of the Jungle are the Mountains, which are foothills and snow-capped peaks that stretch impossibly large once you're in them. This part of the Meadous exists in a sort of pocket space. It would take three days on-foot to cross the Mountains, whatever direction you're going. There is a lodge in the Mountains that's equipped with food, a sauna/jacuzzi, and fireplaces. No indoor heating, though. There are also caves with glowing spiders that wear high heels. Blame the Disciple.

North of the Mountains and spreading east along the entire northern portion of the Meadous map is the Seaside. The Seaside contains a complex of dunes and an expansive seashore. In the evening, the Northern Lights can be seen stretching out across the waters here, rainbow colors against the red-star sky.

QUESTIONS

[thelostmods]

General FAQ

What is CRAU?
Character Relations Alternate Universe (CRAU) is any character that has participated in events outside of canon that have influenced them in such a way as to make them distinct from a straight from canon counterpart. Basically this just covers anyone who’s been in a game or on-going musebox before.

Can we play CRAUs from other realms?
EDIT: Yes. If you have a previously-existing CRAU from one of the last 4th Wall events, you can bring them in.

So, where does my character arrive?
In a random house! You can coordinate here for which house or leave it up to the vagaries of chance. For those who simply cannot find someone's house to wake up in, they'll wake in 1106 Sweet Cream Street, which is an unoccupied workshop area, or the Rec Center, which is home to the Peter Vincent's Coffee House. This fine establishment sells, as you might guess, coffee for some sick poetry beats. It is manned by a coffee monster called the Stain. The Stain is very friendly, but also very dangerous if you touch him as he's made of boiling coffee.

If my character dies in this event, what happens?
They will be revived within a day and find themselves in a random home.

If my character hurts/kills someone during the event will there be consequences from the gods?
Yes. Please let the mods know if your character injures or kills someone. While Zephyr will be occupied, their family will be keeping an eye on the Meadous and doling out punishments. Be aware that adult punishments may be more severe than Zephyr's punishments.

What happens if I try to fly straight up, right into space?
You know the pigeons in those Windex commercials? While space is developed in the Meadous, there is a hard stop on anyone flying up and out. Your character will simply hit a point where they can’t go any further out. It’s maybe 20 miles beyond where the moon sits above the Meadous. Sorry friends, but you're trapped.

For Visitors

Do characters retain their canon abilities?
Yes! To a point. Anything game-breaking would need to be nerfed or removed completely.

Example 1: Your character can teleport anywhere. They can now only teleport between points within the Meadous.
Example 2: Your character can read minds. They might now experience some interference. Please check with the other muns before making use of this ability.
Example 3: Your character has the power to destroy a planet. They can now maybe destroy a building. Please note there WILL be consequences for destroying anything within the Meadous. The mods should be contacted if this is something you’re going to have happen.

FAQ for Meadous Residents

May I opt out?
You may, to an extent. Characters don't have to have visitors turn up in their houses. But they will still be in the Meadous and it will be hard to ignore.

What are the gods doing during this?
Zephyr is frantically trying to get their abilities under control with the help of their family and Teacher. The rest of the gods are keeping an eye on their own realms or watching over Zephyr's while they're occupied.

Do we tally our points the same way as usual with this event? Even when we’re tagging people not usually in the game?
You do, indeed! Tagging a new character participating in the event will net you those sweet 20 points for new CR. Threads at 10+ comments will get you the usual. You may use any points earned for this event for AC points or for wishing points.

[petrock]

Is it safe to assume that WTL has the same translation features that most games have, where the spoken word is understood by all characters?

What about languages that don't require words? My character Kouji doesn't speak, but instead depends on Japanese Sign Language to communicate. Would other characters understand him by default, or would only characters who already know JSL understand him?

Questions from Plurk (please do not respond)

[thelostmods]

Over in Snowblind, it's been stated by an NPC that characters would regain their powers in about a week if they left the town the game takes place in. Would this work the same in the Meadous?
Yes. Given that this is a short duration event and there is an in-game mod NPC who established this fact, rather than players, characters from Snowblind would regain their abilities naturally over the course of the 4th Wall event. All abilities regained are subject to the same nerfing as other abilities.

What are the punishments we can expect from adult gods for infractions?
As a note for visitors, in order for a character to be relieved of their punishment, they must make a verbal (praying) or written (on the Bulletin Board) apology directly to the gods and to anyone they harmed with their actions.

Punishments will vary based on the level of the infraction (minor injuries/property damage will result in mild punishments), and the god doling them out. There are four gods characters may receive punishments from:

Xun's Punishments

• Air Stranded: You're stuck in the air with no way to propel yourself and no way to touch the ground. You can move, but it's like being in space, you get no traction. You can be moved, but you'll gravitate back to a predetermined spot--somewhere public, usually.
  
• Ghost Writing: Everywhere you go, a description of your misdeed will follow you, scribbled on the surfaced that you look at. The writing will not vanish until you apologize, no matter how the surfaces are scrubbed or painted over.
  
• Into the Darkness, An Eye for An Eye: The world around you will steadily appear darker as time progresses, no matter the time of day or how many lights you have around you. This will not affect anyone else around you. If no apology is made within two days, you'll be rendered completely blind. The effect will remove completely once the apology is made.

Horta's Punishments

• Any clothing you wear turns into foliage. Once you apologize, it'll turn back, but until then... that grass skirt/pants? The leaf shirt? Gonna be really cold, until you apologize.
  
• You can only speak in animal noises. Unfortunately this means you need to make a written apology for it to go away, since no one can understand you.
  
• Severe Punishments: You repel water. Caught in a rainshower? It falls around you like an umbrella. Go in the ocean? Surprise air bubble. Try to take a drink? That's a problem. (Note that this will relent enough for a character not to die of thirst, but only just enough for that. They will be constantly parched.)

Kelt's Punishments

• Glued Hands: Your hands are glued together. Anything you touch is now stuck to you until you apologize. Any attempts to touch anyone else or try to unstick yourself only makes it worse.
  
• Forbitten Tongue: Anything forbidden/taboo you’ve ever thought will now fall from your lips. It will take biting your tongue to stop it.
  
• On Point: You can only walk on the tips of your toes. Standing on the flat of your feet feels like someone is jabbing you roughly with a hot iron.
  
• That Look on Your Face: Your character has a mask on. A mask they cannot remove no matter how hard they try. Any attempt to remove the mask makes the characters 'crime' appear in red letters across the front. The mask is player choice, but something embarrassing and weird.
  
• Sweating the Hard Truths: Your character is constantly sweating. They are just sweating through any article of clothing and smell awful. Any attempts to cool down are met with heavier sweating. There is no reprieve until your character has apologized.

Deei's Punishments

• Memories Like Leaves Fall: Your character's short term memory is completely shot. What did you come into this room for? How did this conversation start? Anything beyond 5 to 10 minutes in the past is lost to you. There is one memory that remains clear and harsh, though, that of your crime. (Note that characters will recover all memories when they apologize.)
  
• Scaled Up: Angry, itchy, somewhat painful red scales begin appearing along your arms and legs. They'll continue to spread until the character is either a mass of them or they apologize.
  
• Treed: The character will slowly begin to transform into a tree. Granted, this might seem rather novel! But it becomes a lot less fun when they find themselves beginning to take root and can't move anymore as they're slowly paralyzed. Their face will remain, as will their ability to talk, so they can always apologize, even if the punishment takes full effect.

PLOTTING

[thelostmods]

Moana Waialiki | Moana

[chocean]

Moana will be turning up in the Meadous very unprepared for freezing temperatures. She's never even seen snow in her life! If anyone would like a newly minted chieftain who will be eyeing that seaside with great interest, let me know.

Toriel | Undertale | CRAU Snowblind

[inruins]

who wants a goat woman to end up in yo house? She might make you a pie in apology. Toriel is a monster from the video game Undertale. She's just... everyone's mom ever. Toriel takes in kids in need without much of a plan of what to do beyond raise them as her own. She's the kind of character who strongly believes in mercy over violence and is prone to telling terrible jokes.

Toriel is going to be a Snowblind CRAU. So a straggling goat woman with a terrible cough looking for her child.

Captain Jack Harkness | The Station CRAU

[theendiswherewestartfrom]

Captain Jack Harkness, and WHO are you? /ahem. Hi! Bringing you Jack Harkness, fresh off of a three-year stay on a mostly-abandoned Space Station. He thinks he knows Bertie (but oh boy is he gonna be surprised at how he's changed here). He's going to be a little cranky that he got separated from his friends, but is going to be marveling over How Cool This All Is to be upset for long.

I'm debating also bringing a Shepherd. Hmm.

Milla Vodello | Psychonauts

[belongsontv]

Adding to the mom pile (hi i also play Toriel). I bring you Milla Vodello from Psychonauts! Be it a straight up canon Milla for once. Milla Vodello is a psychic secret agent with a love for disco, fondness for mentoring children, loud parties and onion dip. She's famous and she flaunts it without ever losing her natural charm and kindness.

She's going to be more than a little confused by suddenly appearing somewhere new. Knowing Milla she'll take it in stride and drift around casually trying to see who she can help.

Donna Noble | Doctor Who

[thedoctorsmate]

Donna will be arriving fresh from canon and she'll be having none of this, thank you very much. You need to get her back to the Doctor. She had Things she was Doing. 8T

Davesprite | Homestuck | Snowblind CRAU

[mrcreamsicles]

Heyyyy who wants a depressed, feathery cheeto? I mean Davesprite. This dude right here. I'm not 100% on doing this yet, but if I do—

Davesprite would be arriving after about 50 days spent in an irradiated, ruined town called Norfinbury in Alaska, subjected to psychological horror, a couple deaths, and a whole lot of existential questions. "My friends keep dying and I'm tired" is basically the theme of his stay there. He would be pretty depressed and generally freaked out for whoever gets him. (Where is he and why? What about his friends? Should he be relieved that he's somewhere instead of Norfinbury, or guilty/upset that he can't be helping the people there survive and escape?) He's also got a case of something called MN poisoning, which effectively means he's got paranoia! It would wear off in about a week, though, and he's aware of his condition so he'd try to trust more once he gets a sense of what's going on.

Aaaalso because Snowblind is, like, hobo-chic the game, Davesprite would:
1. need a bath (hot water let alone running water in general is in short supply)
2. need some clothes laundering (no washing machines either)
3. look completely ridiculous (he's got a curtain wrapped around his tail, for starters)

Also, snow is the worst, who decided it gets to be winter? So rude.

Frisk | Undertale | Snowblind CRAU (cw for mentions of moderate to severe illness)

[despiteeverything]

Like. A good 50% of you know who I am already anyway but anyway

Frisk is a small, very determined protagonist from that game Undertale. Unfortunately they're going to be brought from shortly before their current point in Snowblind which means they're going to be very upset and tired and very fed up with a lot of things but trying to ignore them and truck on anyway. Fair warning that they will be also be pretty sick with an illness that has symptoms a lot like tuberculosis (fever, coughing blood, etc. that resist treatment).

They might collapse in whoever's house they end up in, fair warning. They will be prepared for the snow at least, though not for how much safer Meadous is.

John Watson | Sherlock | Snowblind CRAU

[jumpthegun]

John, like Toriel and Davesprite, will be coming from a post-apocalyptic hellscape where he's spent roughly 100 days being psychologically traumatized, physically injured, and left without hot water to bathe in. Except very recently. And he was sort of in the middle of going to help people who were severely injured.

He's dressed like a hobo, and has the current list of injuries: missing his right eye, sprained right wrist, a large cut down his cheek that's been stitched closed with sewing thread, a black eye, significant bruising on his jaw and around his neck, and he's missing three teeth, but that's less immediately visible.

Anyway, he could use a place to wake up.

The (Eleventh) Doctor | Doctor Who

[spacepeterpan]

I blame that Donna+Watson player for enabling me. :X Torn on whether I'd want to throw him in straight from canon (probably right after The Doctor, the Widow, and the Wardrobe or right after Day of the Doctor, depending on how nice I want to be to him) or CRAU from The Station.

Winter Hayle-Blackburn | The Lunar Chronicles

[iceandglass]

Winter is going to be ecstatic about snow, less so about not being able to share it with all her friends at home. She's coming straight from canon.

Canon involves her being snow white but on the moon and with powers she doesn't use because of Tragic Backstory. Not using her powers causes her to hallucinate a little. A lot. Don't worry about it, none of you are probably real anyways. In less tragic and more explanatory backstory, her dad married the evil queen (under duress) and so she became a princess pretty much from birth.

She is polite, kind to a fault, loves animals and they love her. She will be paying you back for being a houseguest with her cleaning and cooking abilities. She's a princess, how does she know how to do that? We just don't know. But she's good at them.

Goat-Clown Brigade | Homestuck | The Games CRAU

[bard_of_fuckiforgot]

So, hey! I play 2.5 flavors of clown here, Gamzee Makara and a young GHB with some pre-stitch Kurloz memories and a redemption arc under the belt (he's a pretty different dude at this point). I know those folks tend to be pretty controversial folks so I'll probably avoid tagging out unless anyone for sure wants one or the other.

If you DO want a thing, i'm pretty down for anything. Gamzee's pretty much just as new as these folks will be, having arrived this month. But he's got a house and if anyone wants to wake up in it, they are welcome to.

If you got any questions about current clown-states or whatever else, I'm open.

yarny; unravel

[mnestis]

Would anyone like a tiny little yarn creature mysteriously appearing in their house and decorating their kitchen with flower and fish patches? Yarny can't speak, but he's a brave and adventurous soul who just wants to help where he can, so even though he'll be a bit confused suddenly being somewhere else he's eager to make friends and go exploring!

Alice Cullen | Twilight | Jarjammed

[pythianpixie]

Alice was here once before, but she's going to be coming back for this event! And be very confused for it, since it wasn't the middle of February when she was last around... Also winter didn't have super long days for some reason??? It's supposed to get dark quickly in the winter, what did you kids do.

If anyone wants to meet Alice, let me know!

The Sarahs | Original Character

[bugeater]

Hi I'm Gwiggs and I'm planning on bringing in a sentient potted plant.

Serracenia Minor , or 'The Sarahs' as they enjoy being called, are a pot full of carnivorous plants that live in a magical greenhouse. They... aren't terribly bright, but they are very friendly.

They'll want to be helpful, even if they aren't terribly competent at it. Also they'll be very concerned that their gardener Miss Harriet isn't anywhere to be found.

Also they like to eat bugs. And sing - usually about how much they like to eat bugs. They'll be a terrific houseguest for some lucky Meadous resident.

Sherlock | BBC Sherlock from Snowblind

[howdull]

Sherlock will be turning up from the frozen hellscape of Snowblind. If anyone would like the world's literal worst flatmate to show up in their house, that would be awesome!

Bucky Barnes | MCU from Snowblind

[advanced]

Bucky is also (as with a few others) coming from the frozen wastelands of Snowblind. He is currently missing his prosthetic arm and has lost a lot of weight, but it otherwise clean and in relatively good condition.

He is, however, paranoid, angry, and on a hair trigger with severe trust issues. If anyone would like an ex-Soldier to bunk with, that would be lovely.

MEADOUS MATCHING SERVICE

[thelostmods]

Residents of the Meadous can post their available housing and how many visitors they can take. Visitors can pop in to request lodgings and go from there!

Phil Gray the Phone Guy

[voiceinthephone]

Phil can take in up to two visitors at a time, given the limited space that comes with the hut. Enjoy your complimentary warm plate of food and a baked good of your choosing.

He comes from Eros/Midnight Syndicate but is well aware he has a counterpart in Panem/The Games, with a lot of differences between their experiences. Confusions between the two are welcomed

AN UPDATE

[thelostmods]

Everyone who has posted to the log, at present, should have received at least one mod response denoting the appearance of a random item. These items appear at different times, and seem to have little to no connection with one another. Enjoy! If you need further detail on your item, please respond here and we'll be happy to provide it. Generally speaking, these are flavor items, so you're free to make up what specific details (colors, size, etc.) on your own.

Re: AN UPDATE

[deafscythe]

Were the chewing toys now covering Justin's house obviously owned by another dog? (Hair, slobber, smells?) Sneg is concerned.

AN UPDATE #2

[thelostmods]

Thanks to Ienzo's suggestion, the Meadous will be undergoing a few changes for the duration of the event. There will be small, repetitive changes in the Meadous each day starting on February 21st and ending on February 24th.

21 Feb - All of the snow in the Meadous will melt over a two hour period. This will be followed by a one hour period of intense snowfall. The cycle will repeat for the next 24 hours. The temperature does not actually change throughout this. It's always below freezing in the areas with snow, even when the snow is melting.

22 Feb - Every mailbox in the Meadous will open and close in sequence, following the order of the list available here. Going through the entire cycle will take approximately 30 minutes. Attempting to prevent the mailbox from opening will get whatever you put on it ripped off as if it isn't there. Sticking your hand in the box when the flap closes will get you a nasty bruise, but you won't lose any limbs, thankfully. The more delicate may feel like their fingers have been broken, though. The sequence will start at midnight and continue for 24 hours.

23 Feb - Every deciduous tree in the forest will cycle through the seasons on fifteen-minute intervals, the leaves and blossoms blooming, then fading, then the leaves changing color, and then falling. The leaves that fall seem to disappear at the end of each hour, even if they're carried away by some enterprising leaf-hoarder. The cycle will continue for 24 hours.

24 Feb - The colorful stones around the Wishing Pond will rise up about three feet and chuck themselves into the water in a clockwise order. There always seem to be more stones appearing to replace the ones chucked into the pond, and the pond doesn't seem to be filling up. Should someone try to grab one of the stones from the air before it chucks itself in, they'll be enjoying a dip in the Wishing Pond as they're dragged along. This will continue for 24 hours.

AN UPDATE #3

[thelostmods]

Thanks to Stephen's suggestion, the Meadous will be undergoing event more exciting changes from the 21st to the 24th.

Each day, for those for days, the size of the Meadous will increase by 0.25 square miles. The general habitats will not change, but things will be slightly farther apart as the world simply expands. For those traveling regularly across the Meadous, this change in distance may well be noticeable. It takes longer to get from the village to the forest, from the forest to the jungle, and so on.

By the end of the four days, the Meadous will be 1 square mile larger (6 square miles in total). This effect is permanent. Thanks for expanding the sandbox, Stephen.