Event: The Leopard's Spots (Update #6)

[thelostmods]

With the shapeshifter captured, we have reached the home stretch! Please check out the new Part 4 starter for speaking with a very angry (but currently cooperative) cat. Time to clear up what's been going on!

Additionally, once your character has had a chance to get answers to their burning questions, please use this post for discussion of how your character(s) would like to resolve this situation. The two main questions to keep in mind are:

1. What does your character think should be done with the totem?

2. What does your character think should be done with the captured shapeshifter?

Please take your time finding out all the information you need to know in order to make those decisions. I'll keep an eye on this post and answer any logistical questions that come up. Thank you!


General Status Updates, July 25:

After the people of the Meadous have talked with Okota and the other NPCs, the general attitude of the NPCs is as follows:

1. Okota is becoming grudgingly willing to at least consider foregoing their attempt to revert their people to total savagery in favor of influencing the world in smaller ways, but they're clearly not thrilled about it and there's a clear risk that they'll go back to their old ways if left to their own devices.

2. Tawnya and Mitch are willing to take guardianship of Okota, but only if they have some way to keep a god in check. Summer is on board with a rehabilitation effort and will also assist. They acknowledge that a few of the points Okota has made about the negative effects of conformity and a move away from instinctive behavior are true, but on the whole they find her views extreme and are strongly opposed to her original plan.

3. Wyatt just wants to hide the totem, and can be persuaded to leave it in the Meadous.

4. Several players have suggested devices to help Mitch and Tawnya keep Okota in check. Currently those suggestions include a cage that can contain Okota in any form and a tracking device Okota can't remove. Each device would cost 1,000 wishing points; there will be another update on Saturday to gather points from any characters who want to contribute to one or more wishes.


The deadline for voting on solutions is Sunday, July 28, at 11:59 PST.

Update, July 29: Voting is now closed. Thank you all for your input!

Comments

[rubikscomplex]

1. House wants the Meadous to keep the totem so they can study it.

2. He doesn't care what happens to the shapeshifter as long as she gets shoved back in to her world.

[sleight_of_fate]

Rhys is very wary about sending the totems back to Harmony City and thinks that maybe putting them somewhere else, even the Meadous, might be a better idea. Keeping the shapeshifter hostage might be a difficult idea, however, and he's not sure what the right answer for that is.

He's also worried about whatever magic remains in the ruins and will likely go back and give them a thorough combing-over before deciding what he recommends.

[harmony_city]

When does he visit the ruins in relation to when they captured Okota? He would probably have access to the information that there’s a grand opening planned for Black Rock Park the afternoon of that same day.

[sleight_of_fate]

Ho boy. Probably after he treats Brian's wounds, so probably just before or during while they catch Okota? Grand opening does not sound like a good thing to Rhys and if he's aware of the date he'll do his best to get in there before the mayhem starts. He can sneak in at night and use a stealth spell to avoid notice from the security guard.

[harmony_city]

They captured Okota in the morning and the grand opening of the park is the afternoon of that same day, so there's no more time for sneaking in at night before the event. The stealth spell will work if he wants to sneak in midday while they're setting up for the event. He'll find the ruins still giving off the same feeling of power as before, perhaps a bit more sharp now. It feels like there's a lot of stored up energy there, but it's lacking a catalyst to release it. If left alone, the ruins don't seem like they'll do anything to the crowd on their own (if someone touches it they'll probably suffer the same effects as before, but there's a fence in place now so...it's probably fine?). Also, there's a lot of worried chatter among the event organizers about Reggie Trembly having suddenly gone missing, as he was supposed to preside over the unveiling of the ruins.

[jumpthegun]

1. John thinks they should let Wyatt decide what to do with the totem... unless that decision involves giving the totem to Okota. In which case, he's a hormonal, confused teenager and they should destroy that totem or keep it out of reach of Okota some other way. He would go to solicit Wyatt's opinion on it after letting him know they caught Okota.

2. Mostly, he wants to hand Okota over to Officer Wagner and Officer Grayson-Bones to deal with. Realistically, he's not sure they're equipped to contain something like her. He'd suggest some sort of magic cage wished for by Zephyr that could hold Okota in whatever form she chooses. And then some sort of... attempted rehabilitation of the god? Or bringing Okota into the modern century.

[harmony_city]

1. Wyatt wants to hide the totem. He's not sure where or how or if that'll actually help, and he has clearly failed at doing this himself already. It's probably worth remembering that we know a.) a paradigm shift occurred when Summer and Wyatt's ancestor removed the totem from the temple and b.) Sir Walter Hoofmann rediscovered the totem at an archaeological site on a completely different continent from Harmony City.

2. Mitch and Tawnya feel very unequipped to hold a god captive, but are cautiously willing to commit to this plan if they have some way of keeping Okota in check. After speaking with Okota, Summer is (maybe surprisingly) the most enthusiastic of the NPCs regarding a plan to attempt rehabilitation.

[sleight_of_fate]

Something might have to be done in the long term, but with the wheels safely out of the way that's something at least. Hopefully there aren't nearly as many fence-jumpers as there have been with the Meadous arrivals....

Rhys will make notes of all this, put together with all the information he's picked up on his own or from reading the bulletin board, before returning to the Meadous to see if anything more can be done from that end. Starting with listening in on the chats with Okota to see what they have to say for themselves, and possibly having a look at the wheels themselves.

[harmony_city]

1. Most of the NPCs except Okota are pretty okay with this idea, but at present Wyatt is very concerned the totem will be misused somehow if he leaves it with Meadous folks. No one actually has to listen to him, though, and he doesn't have a safer hiding place to suggest.

2. All the NPCs except Okota are a bit alarmed at the suggestion of just putting her back. Okota gets dramatic about how they might as well just kill her and eat her already if they're not going to give the totem back.

[harmony_city]

Wyatt is willing to show people the totem, and Rhys can sense that it gives off the same energy as the ruins. He may also notice that when the appointed time for the park's grand opening has come and gone, Okota looks more tired and drained then before and takes on a more forlorn air (I'm just going to go ahead and assume no one has done a jail break to get her and the totem back in time for the event).

[howdull]

1. Sherlock wants to keep the totem in the Meadous, both for study and because it's harmful to Harmony City.

2. He would suggest that Okota be fitted with a GPS tracker (maybe a sub-dermal implant so it's not easily removed), and then released back into their world with instructions to check in with the police like in a parole program.

[harmony_city]

1. As noted above, most of the NPCs except Okota are pretty okay with this idea, but at present Wyatt is still concerned the totem will be misused somehow if he leaves it with Meadous folks. The word "study" isn't helping. No one actually has to listen to him, though, and he doesn't have a safer hiding place to suggest.

2. This is doable! The police in question would like some kind of safeguard for if Okota decides to just break parole.

[jumpthegun]

1. John's going to be inclined to hide the totem in the Meadous, then. Okota shouldn't be able to get in, as far as he understands it, without an invitation. And they can ask Zephyr to put it somewhere that no one would be able to reach, probably.

2. If they did wish for such a thing, how many points would it be? And would it even be possible?

[rubikscomplex]

1. He'd tell Wyatt that there's not much that thee thing can do once Okota's cut off from it, probably. They're all human and they have their own god and bullshit magical powers to cure people if they need to.

2. House will suggest she turns into something tastier than a big cat. Make yourself a cow, Okota. He'll polish up the cleaver. House will not actually want to kill her, but he'll be dramatic right back at her.

[thelostmods]

It will be 1,000 points for each device they want Zephyr to make to help the police contain Okota--so it would be 1,000 for a cage that can hold them, and another 1,000 points if they also wish to make a tracking device like Sherlock has suggested.

[thelostmods]

Update: It will be 1,000 points for each device they want Zephyr to make to help the police contain Okota--so it would be 1,000 for a tracking device Okota can't remove, and another 1,000 points if they also wish to make a cage that can hold them, as per John's suggestion.

[harmony_city]

1. Wyatt will reluctantly agree without losing his state of perpetual worriedness.

2. Okota will transform into a very dramatic little rabbit instead. Look how easy she's making it. Tasty enough for you, House?

[rubikscomplex]

Nope. He wants more meat than that. He's not wasting the energy on that much of a pipsqueak. He is unmoved by adorable bunny faces.

[harmony_city]

For reasons she doesn't want to explain, Okota will not turn into a cow even in the name of drama. She does, however, turn into a deer. So meaty, House. So very meaty.

[telecosmetic]

1. Eliza thinks keeping the totem in the Meadous is for the best, but she does want Wyatt to have some way to keep in contact, to reassure him more. She'd ask Zephyr how much energy they'd need to keep a channel of communication open between the worlds.

2. She agrees with the parole plan, and thinks a communication channel might also be helpful here.

[harmony_city]

1. In order for letters to be passed between worlds, the gods of both worlds would need to cooperate--so they'd have to get Okota to agree to send them. I apologize for having the kids ask for that and making it seem like a potential condition for leaving the totem; it's not going to be something characters need to arrange in order to be able to keep the totem. If they can get Okota to send/receive letters there's no cost to doing so, and I will say that at present (at least given the general direction of the votes re: what to do with Okota so far) I don't expect communications to be entirely closed off.

2. Noted, thank you!

[telecosmetic]

1. Eliza might point out that Okota does have people sympathetic to her in the Meadous, and she can also keep in contact with them if she keeps the communication lines open.

[harmony_city]

1. Okota points out that having people sympathetic to her in the Meadous hasn't helped her so far, but grudgingly indicates that she thinks it may be useful to communicate with them in future.

[0thingsonmymind]

1) brian wants to let wyatt shoot the wheel into space.

he has no opion on 2 caue gods are idk

[harmony_city]

yeet that shit