Asgard. I hope you've not yet tired of what I'm told are "long-winded" speeches, as I've yet another for you on this bright morning.

[ He's trying to stay light-hearted, calm, but Arthur is angry and sick like all the rest; sick of this war and the trials it's brought them. ]

Recent affairs have caused a schism between the people of this city, in regards to both the Utgardian spy and the manner in which we would conduct ourselves, and it is in that space between each other that we find ourselves poisoned. Whether you think it justice or cruelty, there is blood in our streets and some of it is that of our own. We cannot afford to remain divided now; we cannot afford to grow so comfortable and complacent in this war that we find enemies in each other. The Giants win this war when they fill our veins with venom so that we might hold nothing but spite in our hearts. It is imperative now more than ever that we stand together - or not at all.

[ Getting to the point. Arthur straightens a bit, sparing only a moment for the people lost between now and the last time he made a very similar broadcast. ]

For those of you new to the city since the Battle of Ragnarok, I would introduce myself once again. I am Arthur Pendragon, King of Camelot, and I come before you today to remind you of that which we fight for: our homes, our futures, our lives. We fight for each other, and it is for each other that I would see this city united once more.

Shortly before that fated battle, I'd coordinated some of the finest and bravest men and women of this city into a body of defence, to stand guard at the frontlines between the Giants and the countless lives both within these walls and in the realms beyond them. Many of them have since departed from this world to the next, be it their own or the Otherworld, but as their sacrifices will not go forgotten, so too do their spirits remain. I see them daily in all of you, in your stubborn refusal to take these assaults lying down. We refuse to be beaten, and it is in this that I know we will win this war.

Stand with me again, my friends. Forget these petty quarrels that bring us closer to the brink; stand together, and show them we are not yet broken. If any of you would join me, I aim to revive the Guard in a meeting of the Round in three days' time. We have time now to prepare, so that we might stand ever stronger against the Giants. Let them know we are not to be underestimated again.

And to those of you not yet learned in the combative artes, the Citadel doors are always open to those willing to train hard and find their own strengths. We have courses available in a wide array of weaponry, as well as basic hand-to-hand combat for all ages and weights. There are also the Teachers' Council for learning the use of our god-given abilities and Aladdin's magic guild for learning of both Asgard's runic arrays and other magicks across the realms. Our options are countless, our strengths limitless.

We are far from defeated, Asgard. Do not forget: we have achieved the unthinkable, the impossible. Fates be damned. We will carry our destinies in our own hands and share this burden together. Joined as one, there is nothing that can stand in our way.

[ ooc; Holy crap is this long the important bits are all outlined in an OOC post over here. There's a reason I am called the loquacious one. ;; Links are not IC, just for OOC reference! ]

There are no gods, only men with delusions of grandeur.

<sub>[ he laughs a bitter little thing. he would be stuck in some strange, european world with gods and magic and other such ridiculous things.

even jesus would be wary. ]</sub>

And we're supposedly blessed with sudden powers. Pardon me if I don't leap at trusting the word of a faceless chamber maid and her trinkets.

_{[ the story he's told to believe is hard to take, simply put. judas would rather watch and wait before actively making a decision - but it can't be denied that his mind is leading him towards believing this whole thing is some strange, large and elaborate prank. because being telekinetic is ridiculous, and believing in gods is downright ludicrous. ]}

I'd like to reserve judgement, but this is all incredibly bizarre.

_{[ there's a pause, a quiet inhale of a cigarette, and then there's silence. ]}

What do people do for work around here? Especially those who have never had a job before. [ Penelope's got plenty of skills, but none of them are really work related at all and being stuck in a house her entire life means she's never had the chance to even think about getting experience. ] I understand it's not entirely necessary if I stay in the room I was given in Odin's house, but it would be nice to have some extra spending money. And something to keep me busy when things are relatively calm here.

[ There's a bit of a pause, as if Penelope's hung up, before she adds something more. ] I'm also looking for someone to play chess with, or someone I can teach if chess isn't something most worlds have. It's one of my favorite games and it would be nice to play it again.

[The network is graced with a video feed that rather suddenly cuts in. On the feed is just someone's eye, right up against the camera, and it's a rather dull or lifeless eye at that. It blinks only once before the rest of this person's face is visible as they draw their head back.

She's a rather strange-looking one, maybe alien-like in appearance, what with her snow white skin and dark green hair. Clearly a newcomer, as she doesn't seem to know what she's doing with this whole bracelet thing.

Well, she doesn't seem very impressed anyway.]

... I am not the only one who has been captured, correct? Or is everyone here a native to this realm?

[Leo frowns, ignoring his dark hair that has gotten free of his protective goggles and inspects his latest work. The screen only shows him, some teenage kid working in the forge. The forge is somewhat grey, but the fire and the anvil are normal colored.

He steps away, giving the folks watching a good view of the sword blade waiting to be turned into a complete weapon. The craftsmanship is impressive, something that someone years his senior should be able to produce. He pushes his goggles up with a sigh.]

Okay, so, question time. This 'coloring' process. [He uses finger quotes before he starts bustling about, stirring up the fire in the forge with an expert's touch.] Can someone narrow their focus down and concentrate on one place?

Or is it one of those mysterious things that hasn't been explained?

[ Beleaguered King of Asgard here with a few short words for you: ]

You have one hour. Make it quick.

[ Really short. That's all. ]

[ OOC NOTES: This is the mingle post for the conclusion of the visitors event! For reference, the event directory is still over here, and everyone is free to continue tagging any relevant posts so long as it's ICly dated within Days 290 - 293 ( July 5 - 11 ). Thank you for joining us for this one, guys, we hope you had a good time! ]

[ The video turns on and Annabeth gives a small wave at the camera; she looks pretty excited for whatever reason. ]

Hi. My name's Annabeth Chase -- and I know I'm not the first, but I'm another person that's been brought here permanently after I arrived for the celebration.

But I was reading the welcome...uh, drawing? And I wasn't really satisfied by the answers. Can anyone tell me a little bit more about this place and the gods? Where I come from, we don't really have these same gods. [ You know, being a daughter of a Greek goddess and how the Greek pantheon is a thing. ] Any help you'd like to give would be really appreciated. Or maybe just tell me where I can go to find out some more -- I looked in the library, but it's so huge. I might have missed something.

Also if I'm going to be living here, I should probably help out. What's there to do around here? Jobs and stuff? I'd offer up my services as an architect, but you usually need some capital before you can build anything...

--Oh and Seaweed Brain, you'd better message me when you see this. Thanks!

[ Greetings, Asgard! Have a pretty blonde with a cheeky grin. ] Well, this is an interesting turn of events. Apparently despite my initial status as "not supposed to be here" [ she drops her voice a little for that, and tosses in a couple of air quotes for good measure ] I've become a somewhat more permanent resident! It's all a bit silly, this gods-and-magic business, but I can't deny what's right in front of my eyes, so I'll simply have to manage.

I thought I should introduce myself properly, since there's so many people I haven't had the chance to meet yet. [ she clears her throat for dramatic pause, then continues ] I am Charlotte Pollard - Charley to my friends - and I'm a friend of the Doctor's. The Eighth one, apparently, if you're keeping score.

[ she grins again ] Coming here wasn't exactly the plan, of course, but it is a bit exciting, I must admit.

[ This post appears on the evening of Day 290, minutes after the first Visitors begin to arrive. Thor is oddly harried, sharp. ]

This is a mistake, and we're working on fixing it. You lot showing up - surprise! Welcome to the city. Don't wander out of the gates, don't die, and enjoy the party until we can figure out a way to send you home.

You travelers - answer their questions, take care of them, whatever. We'll be setting up lodging in Folkvang -- [ He glances off screen, wrinkles his nose in distaste, and then looks back at the feed. ] -- and in my arena too, I guess, even though - [ pointedly, to off-camera: ] -- it's an arena, it's not meant for disaster lodging!

I'll answer what I can, but I'm busy, so Pyro, try not to get your panties in a twist about me being dodgy again. I've just got better things to do than chit-chat today.

[ Thor sighs, shrugs, and then dryly finishes: ]

Hope you're enjoying the fireworks.



[ OOC: Signaling the start of the festival/visitor's event! Fourth wallers and current players alike feel free to comment in here. Thor won't have time to converse for long, but please treat this as a network mingle post and hijack to your hearts' content!

Also, feel free to make fresh comments on this post for the duration of the event - they just don't have to happen on the evening of Day 290. Here is the party mingle log and visiting character directory. Happy playing, and we hope you enjoy your stay, visitors! ]

So, I trust we all had fun with our animal friends a week or so ago?

[Hey Asgardians, long time no see. Jacob smiles, looking amused in his new sweater that was given to him, along with six other sets of winter clothing, due to the fact that he was nice to a sheep. Asgard you sure do surprise him sometimes.]

I've even seen a few sticking around...which makes me wonder, are they appreciated? Animals in human lives, I mean. I know most children nowadays want a cat or dog to keep them company, but parents would probably shirk at the thought of keeping a more unusual animal, like a snake or raccoon.

Which is interesting really...in Egyptian times, animals were great symbols of powerful deities who shaped the world they lived in. Most of them even had animal heads- Anubis, god of the dead and embalming, had the head of a black jackal. Thoth, god of writing and knowledge, had the head of an ibis, which is a type of bird. Horus, the god with the head of a hawk, Bastet, a protective goddess with the head of a cat...I could go on and on.

But it is interesting how animals, on my world, are not held as sacredly as they were back then- except for examples like the Hindu treating the cow with reverence and other such cases, most people would not look at an animal and think "that is something I need to pay respect to."

How is it in your worlds, I wonder? Are some animals held in higher respect than others? And for what reason? I know that even some worlds have mythical creatures like dragons and unicorns...are those even considered special in a place in which a person sees them in their regular habitat.

[A pause, as his smile widens.]

I'm curious, Asgard.

A | VIDEO, DAY 160

[ Alisa opens the feed with a face devoid of emotion. ]

Good afternoon.

All functions except user interface, data storage and retrieval are inaccessible at the moment. Cause of inaccessibility is currently unknown. Earlier attempted troubleshooting resulted in failure. May I request for a check-up?

Thank you.

B | ACTION, DAY 161

[ LOOKING FOR A JOB!!! Alisa is going from shop to shop, begging people to take her in while holding their "wanted" flyers. However, she's always causing trouble, such as accidentally freaking people out with her head, her head falling off, hitting equipment too strongly with her metal arms and legs... People will often find doors closing on Alisa quite literally. ]

I apologize, it will never happen again--

[ Bam. ]

C | VIDEO, DAY 161

[ Afraid of rejection, she looks a little meek when she asks this. ]

To whom must I speak to regarding the city's militia? I would like to assist in the upcoming war. I, too, can fight.