Event: The Great Snowball Fight

It’s mid-morning in Aether, the roofs of the city are covered in thick layers of snow made higher from last night’s snowfall. The streets are also snow-covered, however, paths have been naturally formed from where ‘mons have been walking around to get to shops and buildings.
In the center of the city square, the prince is standing on the raised platform that Gaius uses to address the city. Behind him is a young Spewpa garbed in a red tunic that covers most of his form, who occasionally peeks out from behind the Umbreon’s legs to glance at the gathering crowd.
: Is, uh, is it really okay for me to be up here with you? I’m not used to this sort of thing…
: You’re fine, Daccy, don’t worry.
: You are sure, sí?
: Sea, ocean, river, puddle, lagoon, and other bodies of waters, little guy! Just go on and tell everyone your idea, I’ll help you out if you want me to.
: Vale! I’ll do it!
The little bug shuffles forward through the snow, but doesn’t get far thanks to how high it is compared to him until Nicholas starts rubbing his foot along the snow-covered wood to make a path for the bug. Once he is far enough up the platform, and the snow obscuring him from the crowd was been brushed away by Nicholas, Dac clears his throats and begins to speak.
: Eh... Hey! I, eh...
: Esto.. hi, everyone. I’m, eh, I’m Dac. Well, no, I’m Didacus, but you can all call me Dac, ehh, if you want to, eh... yeah…
: Nicolásssssss, I’m not doing a good job. Can you take over, por fa- please?
: Take a breath, Daccy, you can do this. Just try to avoid looking directly at everyone, look above and around them, change the direction you're speaking in every few seconds, and you’ll be fine.
: Vale…
: Eh, sí, I’m Dac, I work at the castle, for those you who don’t know me, ehh, which I think is most of you.
: But I’m not here to talk about the castle! I want to talk about something fun that everyone can do that I came up with.
: That is, eh, a snowball fight!
: I’ve, eh, never seen snow before coming here, and I bet a lot of you are the same, but I was outside cleaning one day and bumped into a tree and caused some snow to fall down on Anna.
: She wasn’t happy with me…
: But it was pretty funny, and it didn’t do any real harm, so I did it a few more times to Darwing.
: He was even more unhappy with me…
: But Príncipe Nicolás saw one of the times, and he thought it was funny too, so he started knocking snow down and we began throwing it at each other. So then we came up with the idea of having a big game of snowballs!
: We asked the Re- eh, king and queen if we could invite everyone in the city to play with us, and they said sí! The r- queen herself was so interested in the idea that she suggested that we make teams for the game, green and gold, to represent the king and queen!
: So, with the royals agreeing, we are happy to invite you to play with us! Nicolás and I are the, eh, team capitáns in this, so we hope lots of you join our teams and play with us!
: Nicolás, is that enough?
: Yep, that’ll do for now, Daccy, you did a great job.
: In fact, you did so well, that’s kinda a shame.
: Qué? Why?
: Because the green team is going to win so hard, that it’ll make your great speech the last bit of pride you have to hold onto!
: Ah! Dale! Bring it on, Nicolás!
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Rules
: I am still questioning the logic of allowing the prince and Didacus to host a city-wide snowball fight.
: Relaxss, Gaiusss, it’s all in good fun.
: For you, perhaps, but I still occasionally have ‘mons coming to me and trying to arrest me for being “Waluigi” from that stunt those bears pulled in April. 
: Still? I would have thought the city watch would have removed all of those crude posters by now.
: Apparently not.
: Well, it cannot be helped. I was looking for a reason to find more private time so I continue writing in the library without disturbance, and I suppose this would be the reason I was looking for.
: Jussst remember to come out and eat thisss time. We don’t want another incssident from you, your last one nearly gave poor Dac a heart attack.
: Duly noted, your highness.
: Well, I suppose if this must take place, then I should at least put down some rules for it.
: Citizens of Aether, as you’ve probably heard by now, the prince and Didacus have invited you to take place in their grand snowball fight.
: Because I’m sure plenty of you haven't had enough fighting in recent months.
: Are you sssure it’sss them who’ve had enough with rogue actorsss assaulting them, Gaiusss~?
: Ahem. Anyway-
: I sssee the cold doesssn’t do much to warm your buggy heart, doesss it?
: I cannot say it does, no.
: What will warm my heart, though, will be sitting in the fire-lit library in peace.
: But, before I can even think of living that fantasy, I must ensure that everyone knows and will follow the rules of the game.
: Really, Gaiusss? You’re adding rulesss to a sssnowball fight? That’sss pretty boring, even for you.
: Rules are not always boring, your highness, and many of them lay down important standards that make the game safer and more pleasant for everyone.
: Sssuch as?
: Things like “show sportsmanship” or “avoid yellow snow” or “don’t put rocks into your snowballs,” for instance.
: Those are rather important rules, my dear.
: I sssuppossse they are. Oh well, I exsspect it’ll be of little matter, my team’sss ssstill going to win thisss thing.
: Oh? How can you be so sure?
: Call it a premonitssion.
: And don’t think I’ll forget the bet anytime sssoon~
: What? You two made a bet over this competition?
: It’s best we don’t linger on that subject for too long, we’ll lose everyone’s attention. 
: More like sssomeone’sss embarrassssed.
: Those rules, Gaius, if you please.
: Uh… anything you say, sire.
: Well, as her highness points out, I cannot simply slap rules heedlessly onto a game without taking the fun out of it. However, there are a few guidelines I wish to instigate so that game is played fairly and without malice.
: Firstly, your aim of this game is not to hurt to others. You should not be aiming directly for eyes, throats, and other sensitive areas, and neither should you be altering your snowballs to make them hurt their target - and please do not throw yellow snow.
: Secondly, prince Nicholas and Didacus have stated -
: - much to my great concern -
: -that there are no “off-hours” in this fight. Meaning, you can be playing at any time of the day - dawn, dusk, the middle of the night, they have agreed that any time of day is fair play.
: That being said, no matter when you are playing the game, you should be playing in a legal manner. I know for certain that Gawain will give no quarter to anyone who is arrested because of their actions during this game, so do not break into people’s houses and businesses at night to catch them unawares, or anything of a similar - or more extreme - caliber.
: Thirdly, the game only takes place inside the city of Aether itself. If you see someone on the other team while you are outside of the city, you can throw snowballs at them, but they will not count towards your team’s total points. Only if you are within in the city and -
: - again, much to my great concern -
: - any of its buildings may you score points for your team.
: Next, I would like to point out that, while many of us are taking part in the game, some of us are not, and throwing snowballs at them will not earn your team any points.
: Specifically, both the King and Queen are off limits, as well as Dracul, who declined in taking part, but did offer some of his bat servants to help with keeping score of the points, and Boris, who had the same amount of enthusiasm to take part in this game as I did.
: We couldn’t decide which of us would have to help pad out the teams, so we drew straws....
: I can’t say the two of us are currently on good terms.
: Well, you get the idea, there are some off-limits ‘mons that will not earn you points, you should focus on those who have agreed to play the game.
: From what Dadicus has told me, he had Maeva, Gawain, and Jackson all agree to play on the gold team, so you are all welcome to treat them as you would any other player and try to hit them.
: Though, I’m not really sure how one would even hit Jackson, he is a ghost after all…
: Aah, anyway, the prince has managed to…
: ...well, I’d LIKE to say “convince,” but that’s not exactly truthful…
: The prince has a few ‘mons on his team already as well. Firstly, he has Darwing, who is more likely to just scream at the opposing team then throw snow at them, but I digress. Next, he has me on his team.
: Thank you, Boris.
: And, finally, he convinced young Reilly to join his team. The pony was incredibly eager, the last I saw him, he was so excited that he launched himself about ten meters into the air with water…
: I have a feeling that Reilly will be one of the hardest ‘mons to hit, given his…everything, but I’m sure some of you will manage.
: The final rule of the game is that moves are strictly off limits, so we don’t want to see anyone using a move like Telekinesis to drop snow on others, as that is an illegal action during the game and will cost your team points. As an addition, ice type moves are completely banned from this game, and using them will also cost you double the points. 
: Aah, one last thing I should mention is that Dadicus has requested a “house rule” for this game, which is that the fight not need be done by using balls of snow.
: It sounds like a strange rule to have in a snowball fight, yes, but it makes sense when you consider both what it means and who requested it.
: Many of you, including Dadicus themselves, don’t have the capability to make a snowball yourself, thus Dadicus as requested, and Prince Nicholas agreed, that other means of hitting people with snow are legitimate.
: Because of this, if you lack the means to make a snowball yourself, you may use other methods, such as brushing your tail across a snow pile to throw snow that way, or bumping into a tree to knock snow off of the branches, or anything you can manage.
: And, with that, I do believe that is everything.
: Are there any questions?
There is a short silence.
: GOLD TEAM RULESSS!
: …...Sire, if you need me any point during the duration of this fight, I implore you to reconsider.
: Haha, I’ll see what I can do, Gaius~
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Event Rundown, Rules, and Point System:
Well, it’s not quite as crazy as the political discourse and whale fighting of Mission 10, but we’re happy to present you all with a new group event! From December 26th to March 1st, we’ll be holding the Green versus Gold Snowball Fight, otherwise know as "GG".
This event is unique in that it’s the group’s first friendly competition between members. The point of the competition is to get as many points for your team as possible by either drawing or writing out how your character would take part in the snowball fight - ideally we’d assume that that would be through throwing snowballs, but we’re open to new ideas and interpretation, so long as they stay within the rules of the games.
Just as a reminder, here are the in-world rules that Gaius laid out in the journal:
* 1. You shouldn’t be trying to hurt others during the game or cause your snowballs to be unnecessarily unpleasant. Foul play, such as making your snowballs hurt more when they hit someone, will not be tolerated by the S.NPCs and will lose your team points.
* 2. The game takes place at all times of day, but you should not be breaking the law when you play it; for example, don’t go breaking in the bar to start a fight just because there’s some guy on the team in their and you want to get them when they least expect it.
* 3. You can only earn points if you hit someone from the other team while they are inside of the city. You can hit anyone you like anywhere and at any point in time, but to earn points for the competition, you must have hit them while both of you are inside of the city or any of its buildings.
*8 4. Moves are not allowed during this competition, and using them loses your team the points that you would have earned from your submission. Moreover, using ice type moves to help you during the competition in any way will lose your team double the points that you would have earned from your submission.
* 5. Just because you don’t have hands to make a snowball with doesn’t mean you can’t take part. Bump into trees and make the branches shake, knock over snow-covered objects near people, swallow a bunch of snow and spit it at someone (gross, maybe don’t do that one); point is, get creative!
* 6. All S.NPCs -not just the ones listed in this journal - that were not listed as being on either team cannot earn you points if you hit them.
* 7. The S.NPCs that joined Dac and Nicholas’ teams for the fight and can earn you points are:
* Darwing, Gaius, and Reilly, who are on the Green Team.
Darwing isn’t exactly equipped to throw snowballs on his own, but he is very fast, very small, and very loud, which makes him a hard to hit distraction for the rest of his team - mainly Prince Nicholas, who he will be following everywhere.
Gauis, similar to Darwing, isn’t the ideal ‘mon to have on your team, especially since he plans on hiding in the castle library during the entire thing. That being said, if you do get him out of the castle and mess up his sweet mustache, you might find that his rage isn’t something to scoff at.
Reilly is fast, and can use the water from his hooves to launch himself into the air. He is the most evasive player in the game, but he is easily distracted, show him something pretty and he’ll stand still for a while.
* Maeva, Gawain, and Jackson, who are on the Gold Team. 
Maeva is just too small to really be able to move well through the snow, so she’s at a disadvantage when it comes to movement and dodging, but this panda is a slippery thing, so, if you don’t keep your eye on her, she’ll disappearing and you won’t know where she is until a snowball hits you square in the chest and you here uncontrollable laughter.
Gawain is, for obvious reasons, one of more ideal pokemon to have on your team. However, much like Gaius, he isn’t interested in taking part in the game and will try to go about business as usual or try to ditch the other team by hiding in bars. To your benefit, he will be an unsuspecting target most of the time, but if you get his attention, you should consider running. Fast.
Jackson is a ghost, and thus can phase through walls AND snowballs thrown at him. He is the most confusing player in the game, but he must be tangible to hold snowballs, so he cannot throw and dodge snowballs at the same time.
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This should be noted that many of these rules are in-world rules made by Gaius - specifically rules 1 and 2 - that are meant to keep the game friendly for everyone. As these rules are purely story-based rules, your character may break them - you’ll lose points for doing so, but it’ll be funny.
Rules 3 - 7, however, are not optional. Breaking them once will get you a warning, and breaking them after that will see you banned from the competition, and unable to claim any of the rewards given out.
“What’s that”, I pretend I hear you say, “Rewards?” Yes, rewards! You didn’t think we’d make you all ruin your character’s friendships for nothing, did you? Of course there are rewards on the line here, the team with most points will get a special reward at the end of the Festival of Lights - and the losing team will get something too, don’t worry.
Now, we’ve mentioned points a few times throughout this journal, but have yet to explain how one earns points and how much one can earn from their submissions, so we’re going to lay down the system here so you all have an idea of how that works.
The only way to earn points for this competition is to submit works to the group that depict your character hitting a legitimate member of the other team. You can do this by drawing your character doing so, writing about your character doing so, or doing both. You may also collab with other people to earn extra points.
Points work in a tiered system based on how much effort you put into your submissions with bonuses based on additional efforts. Save for a few exceptions, this is how points will be treated during the competition:
* Anything uncoloured = 1 point
* Anything with flat colours = 2 points
* Anything fully coloured (shade, highlights, etc) = 3
* Any written work that is below or exactly 250 words = 1 point
* Any written work that is within 50 words 500 words (450 to 550) = 2 points
* Any written work that is with 50 words of 750 (700 to 750 and up) = 3 points
* Any combination of these drawn and written entries above can be made to add the point totals together, example, a flat coloured picture with 500 words would get you 4 points.
* Two or more artists collabing will earn them points based on what each person does added together, example, one person does the flats and the other shades and highlights (2 points plus 3 points) would be worth 5 points.
* Two or more writers collabing will earn them points based on each person’s effort in the collab, example, if writers each wrote about 500 words (2 points plus 2 points) then the entry would worth 4 points.
* Two or more artists and writers collabing will earn them double the points of the combined effort, example, an artist drawing a fully coloured picture who collabed with a writer to make a 700 word story (3 points plus 3 points times 2) would earn 12 points.
* For collabs done with 3 or more people, 1 point will be added to the points earned based on the number of participants above 2, example, 4 people collabing would get 2 bonus points.
* Extra additions to your submissions, such as comic panels, animations and .gifs, etc, can earn you an extra 1 point.
* Collabs may be done with members of both teams, in which case both teams will get points for the collaborative effort.
* Solo points without bonuses cap off at 6. Collaborative points without bonuses cap off at up to 15, depending on your collab type.
* Exceptions that do not follow these guidelines, such as a sketch or line work that has shading on it, will be given points based on effort, example, a sketch that has shading on it but no colour would get 2 points because the time and effort it took to shade the sketch is about as much as it would taken to colour it.
We like to think that the system is pretty clear, and that everyone should be able to use to have an idea of how many points they earn for their submissions, but if it isn’t, don’t worry about it, the group treasurer understands the system, and she’s the only person who really has to, so the points will be tallied either way.
That being said, we ask that you do not try to put your point total on your submissions. The only thing you should be putting on your submissions for this competition is a word count total if you have one, otherwise. Again, please do not try to put your point total on your submissions for this contest.
If you just gotta know how many points you earned on a submissions and aren’t 100% sure yourself, you can leave a comment on your submission asking the treasurer to tell what you earned, or send in a group note titled “Submission Point Value” and link us the submission(s) you want the treasurer to clarify for you.
The last thing you guys need to know is how you can join a team. The event may not start until the 26th, but you can still put your character’s name early so that we know that you want to take part - you may also join the event later on if you wish.
You should note that by joining this event, you are consenting to your character being cameo’d by anyone participating in the event, as you are both a teammate or an opponent to everyone who takes part.
To join the event, please send us a group note titled “Green versus Gold Snowball Fight” and let us know that your character will be joining the event. A list of the teams will be made and updated as people join so you know who to target what you’re up against. Note, this event is primarily for member characters, not NPCs.
You may have your NPCs around your character in your drawings and stories as they will be understood to be helping your main character, but only using them will not earn you points on your submissions. If you want to use or mention your NPCs in your drawings and stories, you may do so, but please remember that the focus of the event is your main character.
That’s all we need to cover, so get out there, have a good time, and win this thing for your team!
Green Team	Gold Team	Gold Team
Nicholas
Darwing
Gaius
Reilly
Jay Nighteyes
Subject
Erika Pax
Alistair
Isaac
Sunny
Yuri
Vrikrar
Quoise
Shinrai
Sixtus
Fuego	Didacus
Maeva
Gawain
Jackson
Chelsea
Orion
Skipper
Akiyama Tsukiko
Milly
Zork
Azalea
Anne
Gwyn
Wynonna
Arlo	
Category:Events
Category:Arc 1
Category:Aether
Category:Branching Objective