crescentview | jan mid-month event.

jan mid-month event.

midsummer storms

The unrelenting summer heat has begun to let up as of late and those who make a habit of reading the news will know why: a hurricane is set to make landfall on Summer 16th. Spread the word to your neighbors and keep your loved ones and animals indoors. Expect that there may be some damage to your property, field and trees!

Fortunately, the hurricane brings with it only moderate wind and rain. Once the storm subsides and the whipping winds calm, you’ll be handed a letter by one of the Goddess’ many sprightly fairies who look quite a bit healthier and happier than they used to. Some of them look like they’ve been hitting the gym while others have a nice set of shiny new acrylic nails on their fingertips. Good for them.

Anyway, the letter details an upcoming event hosted by the Goddess: the first annual date auction. She has considerately included a form with her letter inviting islanders to volunteer as dates to be auctioned away while others have been voluntold. Oof. With the promise of a fabulous and extravagant vacation for those participating, the reward may very well be worth the price of entry.

With more news to announce, she requests that everyone meet up in the Town Plaza. The task board hasn’t seen any mid-season additions, but the upcoming date auction and the recently opened mines promise to keep islanders well occupied through the rest of the season.

This season’s crops are corn, onion, pumpkin, watermelon, and pineapple. Summer’s seasonal flowers are poppy, rose, sunflower, lily, and hydrangea. As for mushrooms, shimeji, trumpet, and common brown spores are available for the summer.

and... sold! first annual date auction

It’s time to d-d-d-date auction! Participation is highly encouraged by both the Goddess and her pushy little helpers. Every islander received a form delivered to them by said pushy fairies that contains the following application:

Describe yourself in three sentences or less:
List three of your best and worst qualities:
If you were a fruit, which fruit would you be and why?
Describe your ideal romantic partner:
Why should the auction attendees bid on you?

...You may have noticed that the form does not include a section for your name. That’s because this is a blind auction in which bidders must place their bids based only on the information provided in their application. Love is blind, as they say!

While some people may eagerly volunteer themselves to be auctioned away, those who are less bold may have been signed up to participate by a friend, neighbor, or the Goddess herself. In so many words, if you’d like to sign your character up but don’t believe they’d willingly volunteer to be auctioned, worry not! You may use the Goddess (or another character) as your convenient excuse so sign them up anyway.

Submit your applications here by the 20th at 12pm EST. The date auction will go live on the 21st at 12pm EST.

As mentioned in the overview, all auctioned off parties and their winning bidders will win an all expenses paid trip... somewhere. The Goddess’ lips are sealed as to the destination, but you get the feeling this trip will be quite a bit more than you bargained for.

task board

The task board is located in Town Square and changes from season to season. In real time, a season is one month long. The following tasks are available from January 1st to February 1st and more tasks may be added mid-month.

Certain rewards are only available through event participation, so please keep this in mind when planning your threads. Multiple tasks may be completed within a single thread, but when turning in, please link to the individual tags in which each task was completed.

Finally, rewards are per character, not per farm, so those with housemates may want to coordinate with one another with regard to what animals you’re bringing home to your farm.

---

This month’s tasks are centered around getting to know your fellow neighbors on a deeper level. As such, the Goddess has put together a small human scavenger hunt to encourage people to learn more about the people they are living with — and hopefully falling in love with.

Find someone who...

1. Was born in the summer
2. Pours milk into their bowl before the cereal
3. Plays a musical instrument
4. Has more than 3 siblings
5. Works out 5 times a week or more
6. Doesn’t like animals
7. Would like to date the Harvest Goddess
8. Has traveled around the world
9. Speaks two or more languages
10. Is wearing socks that aren’t black or white

Each submission will earn you two random bags of summer seeds. Specify whether you want crop, flower, or mushroom spores in your submission. This task can be completed a total of 10 times.

---

Many ingredients used in wine production grow in the summer, but so do a variety of tea plants and grains. Grapes, tea shrubs and grains like wheat and barley can all be grown on your farm or in your greenhouse, if you have one.

Complete the following tasks to earn yourself some nice beverage-producing crops for the farm:

1. Take something from last month’s harvest and gift it to a neighbor. You can give it to them directly, cook it into a meal, etc. Alternatively, craft them a bouquet, flower crown, or another gift from the flowers you grew last season. Complete 3 times for a total of 6 grape starters.

2. Share a piece of hot gossip with a neighbor or exchange secrets with them. It doesn’t have to be your secret! Complete 3 times for a total of 6 tea starters.

3. Exercise with someone. Go on a run, swim in the ocean, help them stretch out! Complete 3 times for a total of 6 grain crops. You may choose from wheat, barley, rye, or rice.

---

Summer is the perfect time to hang out on the beach and splash around in the ocean. Participate in some summer fun at the beach and earn more animals for your barn and coop.

1. Swim in the ocean, build a sandcastle, or bury someone in the sand. Do any of the following for one of the following animals: cow, sheep, alpaca, or goat. This task can be completed once.

2. Participate in Hot or Not. It’s an annual tradition! Submit yourself or comment on someone else for a single chicken or rabbit. This task can be completed once.

to the mines!

The once abandoned mines have been reopened and are now accessible to any brave islanders who wish to explore their depths! But be warned: doing so may come at a cost. Will you take the risk and come out on top with rare and otherworldly treasures, or will you trip and sprain your ankle after stumbling over a small rock? Only one way to find out!

OOCly, the mines can be explored once per week and exploration is undertaken in a cyoa-style thread. The mines are a permanent feature and can be accessed now until the end of the game. Have fun!

mod notes

⬥ Welcome to our mid-season event for month 2! We hope you have all been having fun and enjoying yourselves. As always, if you have any feedback or concerns, feel free to reach out to us on the mod contact page.
⬥ The next event (and the season of fall!) will go live on February 1st.
⬥ Please plot over at the Event 2.5 Plotting Post.
⬥ As a reminder, please keep all plotting on the OOC post as not everyone uses Discord or Plurk.
⬥ Please submit your completed tasks at the top-level below.
⬥ Have fun!

navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Ellis tilts his head one way and then the other way.

Then he simply nods and looks at Mishka as if ask why did he ask. ]

( Huh, seems impressed. )

... It's just hard to imagine two people's hearts meeting so easily. Certainly, the jagged edges of each must scrape more often than mesh.

[ Truthfully, it wasn't as clean and so neat in slot. It was pretty messy, but if he had to compare it to the difficulty that some people are having, he'd definitely say it's easy in comparison. ]

Relationships don't mean you have to agree with the other for everything. Don't need to be a yes man, but both sides need to learn how to compromise and communicate.

[ At least, that's what he thinks, anyway. He's still new to this. ]

( The messy couples of Crescent View are hard at work making everyone else feel better about themselves. You're welcome!

But, hmm. Seems legit, he supposes. The sort of thing he'd hear and agree with, but finds harder to implement in practice. )

I suppose that makes sense, in theory. ( He killed people for a living. He has no better frame of reference for genuine relationships and romance. ) My profession asks me to work solo much of the time - on occasion, with other professionals - and it is only quite recently that I began to appreciate the value in a diverse portfolio of company.

I would not suggest I have learned empathy as you have, ( he says this kind of like, he doesn't think it's that important? Like, it'd be good to have, but he doesn't see how it's a big deal to fail in this regard? ) but I appreciate the idea of relationships in concept. They are quite important, despite the difficulty behind maintaining them.

[ Honestly though? Mood. It's good to have, but it also sucks having it. He already kinda hates empathy, but what can you do after you've let yourself feel it? ]

It's always a lot easier to be alone, because then you don't have to think about anyone else.

[ But still, relationships are important. It's what Ellis built his entire fake ass bitch persona off of when he first got here. If anything, being on the good side of other people make it easier to survive. All he needed was them, their resources, and their company to serve as even more distractions. Use them all like the tools and drop it once it stops being novel.

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But being alone means your thoughts get more intrusive without distractions, so you need to weigh your options!

[ He smiles. ]

( The pause makes him go, "?" - but it's only a pause. If only Mishka knew what was going on in some people's brackets today. )

Oh, yes. Things only grow worse when you're alone. I had not understood this so acutely until I began to travel with company of my own.

( A beat. )

But I feel I've occupied your company long enough, if you need a moment to yourself.

[ If only... Ellis tilts his head, confused. ]

Do I look sick?

You seemed a little distracted for a moment, is all.

[ Distracted? Ellis tries to think, but then he looks like he has a flash of realization, then a scowl. It's followed by a deep sigh and a scribble on the notepad. ]

I think I'm getting too ahead of myself. Thanks for letting me know. I should take a break.

[ In doing what? Gathering gossip? It's fine. ]

Edited 2023-01-25 02:20 (UTC)

( Raises eyebrow. )

A coin for your thoughts?

( Yeah, he did ask if Ellis needed a minute, but he is still asking if he wants to share despite that. It's the little bits of failing empathy, sometimes. )

[ The funny thing is, Ellis regards this as normal and doesn't see anything wrong with what Mishka is asking. A coin for his thoughts. A coin... thoughts...

...

He'll write anyway. ]

It's just when you think you're having fun, you get small reminders that no, you're not allowed to have fun.

( Oh? )

Anxiety? Or something tied to the thing you are?

[ He holds up two fingers. Peace? He'd like that, sure. But then he waves his hand a little as if to say "it's not a big deal". ]

( Hmmmm... )

It certainly seems like one.

( He prods, but won't exactly wrestle it out of him at present. )

I've been meaning to ask, by the by. Is there a sign language you use? I know one of some kind, but it's tailored to my work, so I've doubted its use here.

[ Ellis just stares at Mishka, like.

Bruh.

You could have said this a lot sooner?! ]

[ Ellis nods after that look of quick disbelief and immediately signs: ]

"Show me."

[ Crescentview has magic language shenanigans where even sign language is affected, so Mishka should be able to understand to the level of how much he understands his own tailored sign language. ]

( THIS ACTUALLY GIVES HIM PAUSE? Conversations with Ellis gives him pause a lot, apparently.

Spoken language being affected makes sense to him as some kind of (handwaves) magic, but sign language is visual. He can believe this, too, is the Goddess (question mark)'s magic, but it's surreal to quite literally see it in action. What being from a low magic fantasy world does to a guy, I guess.

Compared to sign language meant for conversation, Mishka's signing is incredibly subtle in scope, as if someone were speaking in a whisper. The meaning is derived from slight changes in gesture - millimeter shifts in the fingers - the angle of the chin, the body - the minute degree of the arms. It may feel almost slightly muffled at present, because the loose clothing he's wearing covers the curve of his arms and chest.

This is, quite specifically, signing meant for coordinating with a team on assassinations, where expressive signing could not find place. )

"How unusual."

( He pauses, considering his next signs. Because of its purpose, the vocabulary is slanted toward words useful for missions, and repurposing some more technical vocabulary for conversation is doable, but takes him a moment to map it. )

"I hadn't mentioned it because it's so specialized. You understand this?"

"I can."

[ It's pretty surreal to Ellis too, because he knows he hasn't seen Mishka's version of sign language anywhere, and yet, he knows. ]

"You said it was tailored to your work. What work is it?"

[ For Mishka to doubt its usage here... Ellis can only wonder. ]

( He considers this. His usual answer on the matter of his occupation is that he's an accountant, which isn't entirely untrue, but he's also not ashamed of what he does, either. He's just mostly (mostly) out of a job in a place like Crescent View, with no Syndicate to employ him and no one in need of independent killings. )

"Can you keep a secret?"

[ The biggest irony in asking Ellis of this is that he's the biggest gossip hoarder on this entire island apart from the goddess, because she literally sees everything. However, he only shares the gossip with Gaku, and even then, Ellis still doesn't speak of the more heinous secrets of Crescentview that normies shouldn't be privy to. He even continues to keep a secret for someone he respects. So, in that case, is Mishka someone he respects to keep a secret for?

...

If Mishka tells Ellis, a "university student with an accounting major" who has done the goddess's taxes twice so far, he might give him a look of pity. But he'd call him out on that so hard.

That said, he just might keep it because he feels that he can freely enjoy Mishka's company compared to others in a way that doesn't have to keep his nice face on all the time. So he nods. ]

Edited 2023-01-26 02:01 (UTC)

"Then, I'll trust you."

( Does he trust him? Not really. Not that it's personal; but there is some value in knowing whether a person will claim they're trustworthy or not, and whether they'll follow through. )

"I kill people for a living, as Master Assassin of the Ebon Syndicate."

( In English, one cannot simply say a verb like run without specifying the subject of the verb and conjugating appropriately (I run, he runs, they run...); in Mishka's signage, too, while generally efficient and direct— certain sentences, like this one, require grammatical nuance.

I kill people is not a grammatically valid sentence on its own, and must be propped up with certain units of meaning, the same way run cannot exist without I. When he signs this sentence, his signing supplements the nuance:

When he says "I," does he kill people alone? Usually, but not always. How does he kill people? Poison. As a job, how much will he do it for? Only a large amount of money. )

"I sometimes need to coordinate with other actors on the scene, so we can't be all that expressive. Is yours for conversation? Watching yours is much more..."

( A beat, and, finding no word for what he's looking for, he supplies the sign for frenzy, like a person lost to the rush of a killing spree or a beast gone beyond its senses engorging, and uses it as: )

"... fun."

Edited 2023-01-26 02:19 (UTC)

[ Honestly, with the way Ellis signs to Mishka right now, "frenzy" would actually be a more accurate word. He looks like he's absolutely enthralled that someone else knows sign language. His eyes seem to sparkle like he's laid his eyes on the most wanted thing in the world--which is, really, not that far from the truth. Signing with other people is a luxury that Ellis doesn't take for granted. It really helps rest his hands despite calligraphy being his main hobby and that he goes through notepads and stationary like paper shredders. Other than convenience, he's just always excited to see someone who can sign.

Perhaps if he looked into it deep enough, he could pull out a fleeting psychological meaning that he doesn't feel as alone in the world, but it's simple enjoyment at its purest form.

But also, holy shit. "Master Assassin of the Ebon Syndicate" usually doesn't mean anything to most people, Ellis would assume. However, he can put two and two together. A syndicate with the name for the black that would appear to be dark brown with splattered of red blood mixed into it sounds pretty exciting on its own. Though, he figures that with the title of "Master Assassin", it makes the fact that Mishka bears a curse a little more understandable. ]

"Yes, mine is for the purpose of conversation. I don't really have any other need for it like you do. I'm just Some Character."

( Ellis so cute...

Always nice to see someone normal about his job. While it wasn't exactly a thing Mishka advertised (an assassin identifiable by face is not a very good assassin), he was so often in the company of other Syndicate members, he was more usually in company of those who knew than not.

However, he does get the sense that Ellis's excitement about the signing in and of itself overshadows the novelty (or perhaps lack thereof, given the bunch in Crescent View?) of being an assassin, and to that extent he understands it, if only from an outsider's perspective. It must be a little lonely, being fluent in a language no one else can understand— even in a place where all languages are otherwise translated. The flurry of his signs is a little endearing.

"Some Character," huh. )

"I may have a particular title, but it doesn't make me that much more important. I've heard more tales of hapless wanderers than I have of those of my station."

( He may not know he's just a NPC, but he's long since understood that, as one band he's never heard of so succinctly put it, he's just another cog in the murder machine. )

"Must a language exist for more than connection? Creating a language for killing seems a little perverse to me." ( A beat. ) "Not that I argue with it. This has made life much easier."

( When no one can use Message in your murder party, you take what you can get. )

Edited 2023-01-26 02:54 (UTC)

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