TakeMeT0TheFae

I have sadly reached my 9 year anniversary on the server, please ask me stuff to make the time worth something.

*A missive is sent out to the various corners of Almaris*

A Home For Gnomes

Hello Friends, many of you will not know but be assured I have nothing but the purest intentions at heart.  My name is Tulip Noornell, a gnome who found themself without a home earlier this year.  However, during this time the Halflings of Honeyhill found and took me in.  They made sure I had everything I needed to thrive as well as setting aside an allotment of land to be used by us gnomes in case any others happen to find themselves in a similar predicament.

In light of these events I wanted to reach out to any who may be interested in this opportunity.  If any gnomes happen to find themselves in need of a stable settlement to call home we welcome you with open arms within the village of Honeyhill.

I look forward to meeting you all.

Tulip Noornell, The Gnome Queen

"Nice." Dolly would say after tracking down someone to read the missive for her.

The Ballot:

((MC Name:)) TakeMeT0TheFae

Name: Dolly Peregrin (she's 18 now count my vote)

Vote for Thain:
King Cyris Collingwood (x)
Lily Peregrin ()

Vote for Mayor:
Mimosa Applefoot (x)

Magnolia Fiddleberry ()

Vote for Sheriff:

Breasal Nimblefoot ()
Hob the Beast Slayer (x)

The Ballot:

((MC Name:)) TakeMeT0TheFae

Name: Dolly Peregrin
Vote for Proposals:
Proposal I (Hal’s Proposal) ()

Proposal II (Cyris’ Proposal) (x)
Neither ()

((OOCly, as someone whose been thain. There being less than 3 or more than 4 ppl in leadership makes things a lot more difficult for our playbases size.))

There is literally no road rp, there is no reason to force people to take their time to trek places when it offers nothing rp wise.  I have a maxed out horse and I still get annoyed to the point I rarely leave my settlement. 

*A missive has been hastily posted to the village notice board, written in a neat little scrawl despite the message within*

TO THE PEOPLE OF THE VILLAGE! I HAVE A VERY VERY IMPORTANT MESSAGE!

I, Dolly Peregrin, will be hosting a cherry cheesecake baking competition of which I, Dolly Peregrin, will be the sole judge!  Please bring all cheesecakes to the docks in a few pumpkin days for me to try and I, Dolly Peregrin, will choose the best cheesecake in the village!

Thank you!

Me - Dolly Peregrin.

P.S: Don’t tell ma, she doesn’t like when I eat a lot of sugar cause I, Dolly Peregrin, become a ‘mini hurricane’ and a ‘heathen’ whatever that means.

*A small drawing of a Halfling child and a blonde monkey looking thing has been scribbled at the bottom, a cheesecake held between them.*

((Event on Saturday the 30th at 6pm EST/11pm GMT on the Honeyhill docks!))

21 hours ago, Treshure said:

LotC has been suffering crab mentality surrounding Discord for a very long time. We continuously thought that it couldn't get worse after everyone shuttled into their Teamspeaks circa 2013, but that has been proven against again and again since then. Discord has got to go.

I mean... these problems have existed on every communication platform we as a server have used, I still remember atrocious things going down on skype 

Hello, pls meme me

5 minutes ago, Laeonathan said:

I know these numbers aren't perfect, but just to give you a rough idea, how much love goes into LOTC...

Oh I know, I was on staff at one point believe it or not.  But my statement still stands in regards to this post, instead of working with the communities to find something that worked they simply dumbed down the lore to make it easier for them despite the opinions of the players. 

This also isn't helping the growing rift between staff and players, knowing those in the upper echelon can just come and in take stuff from us without as much as a DM to their respective leaders.

4 minutes ago, func_Soap said:

If handling such simple lore breaches is a task too complex for current LT, that's a problem with LT, not the lore.

This part, staff is a volunteer position. You went into this knowing it was complex,  if you don't want to moderate complex lore step down and let someone who is willing to do it instead of just dumbing down lore to make it easier for you.

I tend to not have strong opinions on rule changes but this is... silly? You removed a large part of Halfling lore without consulting anyone in the player base or even asking our opinions on it, it's also left more room for bad-faith actors to come in because when before you literally couldn't do romance RP with a Halfling under the age of 33 now you can while the rest of the community is looking at you like a cradle snatcher for going after someone we consider children. 

This seems like a cop-out instead of just adding a note that says, "You cannot romance RP someone under their racial age of maturity, check wiki to know what it is." Instead you have removed a huge element of our culture, and once again, did it without consulting anyone in the community while forcibly aging many of our characters up. Halflings having a long time between generations was important to us, us having the long time as children to mature and learn about the world was important to us, there were cultural nuances here that you didn't stop to consider and now we have to figure out how our community is going to treat this moving forward because the staff decided to once again make a decision that would effect our community without giving us any warning or communicating with us.

7 hours ago, 1_Language_1 said:

I had another idea I shared with Unwillingly, that I think it would be easy for tech team to implement:



See this persona card? You see how at the top, it says ((Please remember not to meta-game this information))?
Well, my persona is over 18... but if he had been under 18, maybe there should be a ((This human is under 18 and is not yet an adult)) underneath the metagaming sentence. This could be done for Halflings Under 36, Elves Under 50, and so on.

 

((This elf is under 50 and is not yet an adult))

((This halfling is under 36 and is not yet an adult))

((This [X] is under [Y] and is not yet an adult))

 

That way, there is always a constant reminder staring players right in the face when there is an underaged persona.

The age warning would go away once the persona hit their respective Adult Age, and would return to looking like the normal persona card.

The age warning would be reactivated if someone changed the age on the persona slot to be under 18/50/36.

I like this, it would be an easy fix tbh

Anthos gang 

Can't wait for someone to rule lawyer in order to date a Halfling child because we don't mature until 33 but 'hey! the rule says no one under 18!'

We've already had to police ourselves for years, and people outside the core group of Halflings often don't even RP the maturity part.  Just this week I had explain to a Halfling that even though he was 18 he was still a child.  

Iris would laugh as she reads the missive in her burrow, "Imagine asking a leader to respec' criminals. Oi will no' bend ter teh will of teh lawless.  An' ter continue wit' t'is na'ural righ's nonsense is asinine." she says before crumpling the missive and throwing it into the fire.

*A note is pinned up on the village noticeboard.*

After many warnings and attempts to show them the error of their ways it seems that the Riverwing family is intent on not complying with the village laws.  Because of the blatant disregard of the no lock law I must sadly put out a warrant for the arrest and questioning of the Halflings known as Julie & Elsie Riverwing.  If seen please reach out to the Thain or Sheriff to let them know their whereabouts.

If you happen to be either Julie or Elsie, please turn yourselves into the sheriffs office at your earliest convenience. No reason to make this harder than it has to be.

*Rough recreations of the two wanted women*
 

Signed:

 Thain Iris Peregrin

Sheriff Sorrel Peregrin

The 14th of Snow’s Maiden, Year 63 of the Second Age

While properness has always been a big part of Halfling culture it has never, to my knowledge, been fully written out to make it easier for newcomers to understand, which is where this guide comes in.  I’ve noticed overtime that there are certain areas that seem to confuse people, so I simply wish to clarify.

What is Properness

Properness is the code of ethics that most Halflings do their best to uphold and much of our culture centers around.  It determines how we interact with the world around us and creates opportunities for us to RP in a way that differs from many other communities on the server.  While some things may seem silly or like they are simply there to control Halfling RP that is simply not the case, these rules help curate a unique culture that helps separate us from others on the server and offers us ways to RP that don’t feel like simply playing tiny humans.  The rules listed below help to create unique scenarios and offer players a way to think outside the box in how they approach things while also serving to push narratives forward when conflict arises due to it.

The Code

There is really not much that goes into being a proper Halfling, really just a set of 5 different rules that have been a part of Halfling culture for years now.  However, there are also some things that start to border on improperness even if they are not explicitly so.

Hard-Lines

• Locks are to be avoided at all costs, both on storage containers and doors.  Halflings are community driven, and by not locking our things we show our trust for our neighbors.  Instead, many Halflings will opt to hide their valuables in hidden rooms or secret areas they have created.

  • The one exception to this is the storage burrow, being the community storage area where the entire village keeps their goods it is allowed to be locked with a key given out to all villagers.  This is simply done to keep outsiders out of our things.

  • While donation locks are technically okay as they allow players to see inside chests, they should still try to be avoided.  Hiding your things has always been a large part of our culture and thinking of ways to do so is a fun part of RP that many players enjoy.

• Biggun weapons are not to be used under any circumstances.  These include things such as: swords, daggers, spears, pikes, etc.  Instead Halflings have opted to use mostly farming equipment in their battles, with the shovel being the most popular; however, things like hoes, trowels, kitchen equipment, rolling pins, and other various things that can be found around almost any house can be used.

  • The use of biggun weapons is often seen as a cowardly or selfish act amongst proper Halflings, viewed as a sign of weakness as the person wielding a sword or dagger does not trust in themselves and their community to work together to overcome challenges.

• Mina is not to be used, instead trade for things you need.  Halflings are descended from Dwarves and as such are prone to the curse of greed that the Dwarves have.  In an effort to avoid this curse Halflings have opted to shun the use of mina or currency in general, instead trading the various crafts that Halflings are known for like culinary goods and crops.

  • Though we shun currency to avoid the curse of greed this often manifests in the form of gluttony, most Halflings being prone to gorge themselves on pleasurable activities like eating, drinking, and smoking.

• Halflings are to never wear shoes, and this is usually even followed by Impropers as well.  This is largely due to Halfling’s feet having evolved to a point that shoes physically hurt the Halfling.  Even if wearing multiple pairs of socks, the use of shoes will cause Halflings physical pain as we simply are not built to wear them.

  • Wearing socks by themselves however is not considered Improper even if they are often quite uncomfortable due to our copious amounts of foot-hair. Some Halflings opt to wear them during the winter or when visiting cold climates to keep warm.

• Voidal magics are to be shunned by Halflings.  This rule has come and gone throughout Halfling history; however, at the current point in time these arts are considered improper by the Halfling populace due to constant harassment and violence from the mage community.  The violence combined with the common belief voidal magics hurt nature itself have caused Halflings to turn their back on them, shunning those who partake in these activities. 

  • Other magics like Druidry, Shamanism, Golemancy, alchemy, etc are okay however.  Voidal magics being the only ones that are looked down upon.

Things that Border on Being Improper but are Technically Okay

• The use of armor.  While armor itself is not deemed improper, many Halflings look down on the use of it as it symbolizes looking for conflict in many people's eyes.

• Being violent.  Halflings value peace, violent people threaten this peace.  Many Halflings will do their best to at least hear out those they disagree with, even if they have strongly held beliefs.  This is not to say that Halflings will not fight to protect what they have, but they will often seek out alternatives to conflict if they are available.

• Adventuring.  It is no secret that a lot of Halfling RP is centered around slice-of-life.  We value our home and our community, and while people are allowed to travel about and visit other places most of us are home-bodies and tend to stay close to the village.

Roleplaying an Improper Halfling

Now, just because these rules exist does not necessarily mean everyone follows them… and that’s okay!  While some of these rules are put into the law, not all of them are considered ‘illegal’ and as such Impropers are able to exist within the village.  Impropers bring conflict to the community and conflict helps to drive RP forward, a well rounded village needs both Propers and Impropers to be an interesting place.  However, with playing someone who goes against these traditions comes the knowledge that if found out the Improper will face all sorts of consequences from those around them. 

As such, many Impropers will operate in secret, forming groups amongst themselves and working underground to push their own agenda.  Most impropers will do their best to hide their improperness until they deem the time right; afterall, the chances of you getting into leadership as an Improper is extremely low and you won’t be able to push the Improper agenda forward without having some sort of say in how the village is run.  It is very common for Impropers to keep this a secret and make friends with the villagers before trying to sway opinions in their direction subtly and overtime.

Consequences of Being Improper

While a village needs both Improper and Proper Halflings to be a dynamic place this does not mean that there will not be pushback in RP for playing one.  If it is revealed that one is not following the traditions there is a plethora of things that could end up happening.

The first and most common is social rejection, many Halflings refusing to invite those they deem improper to their gatherings, parties, or events.  Essentially being dead in the eyes of the main populace.  With this comes another aspect, harassment.  While Halflings are not violent people and will likely not simply choose to fight those they disagree with in a duel, they will see to it that those they do not agree with don’t know a day of peace until they repent their ways.  Pranks are extremely common with people simply doing what they can to make Impropers uncomfortable and very aware of the peoples displeasure with them.  Eggings, vandalism, theft, and a plethora of other things are to be expected.

Another thing that is very commonplace is the lack of any social mobility.  In order to rise through the ranks of Halfling culture one must be seen as trying to uphold the values of the people, Impropers do not do this and as such many will refuse to support them in their goals unless something dramatic happens. 

Lastly there is always the chance of being banished from the village.  While this is the least common consequence some of these rules are enshrined in our laws and continuing to break them openly can result in the character being removed from Halfling society entirely.  This is another reason many Impropers will choose to keep their ways secret for as long as possible.

In the end play your character however you want; this guide is simply here to help clarify the rules of properness and explain what could come from breaking these rules to prevent confusion in the community.

6 hours ago, satinkira said:

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Don't go invisible half way through and send your son on a quest to throw a ring into a volcano please

 

*Letters are sent out all across Almaris, near everyone who has interacted with Iris receiving one.*

A Century of Life!

My friends, it seems as if I have finally turned 100.  In my century of life I have made many friends, many I still have contact with though many have been lost to time.  It is with great pleasure that I would like to invite all my friends, both old and new, to my 100th birthday party to be held in the coming pumpkin year.

I hope to see you all there as we celebrate the time I have spent amongst so many good people, and to look forward to the years that are to come.  There will be lots of good food, lovely people, and amazing drinks!

P.S. I ask you all to respect each other while at the party, I expect there to be people present from all over Almaris. No matter the current political climate I ask you to leave this all at the village borders as you come, we are here to enjoy ourselves.

P.P.S. Presents are encouraged but not required.

-Iris Peregrin, Thain of the Halflings

((Party will be Saturday the 12th, 3pm EST/8pm GMT in the village of Honeyhill))

Iris would be busy in her burrow, preparing various baked goods for the accords soldiers in the coming battle, "Can' figh' teh wigs on ah emp'eh s'omach." she hums as she places some cinnamon rolls on a tray to cool.

17 minutes ago, Zarsies said:

I love your Snaps and I've always been a fan. You're a cool cat. 

 

 

 

What moment caused you to realize LotC would be more to you than a mere game to try out briefly?

 

Do you enjoy the notion of halfling horror through Knox or do think it's incongruous / distasteful? Should it be embraced or forgotten?

 

If you could capture and revive any settlement/group from any map and bring it to the present what would it be? Mine would be Kingston/Salvus from Anthos or Kal'Azgoth from Anthos.

 

What moment from your roleplay has emotionally affected you most?

 

How you doin this year? 2022 has been good to me so far but I am HIGHLY suspicious it is just 2020 part 3...

1. Leanniel in Anthos, it was the first place I got really involved with and even if some questionable people were involved with it the place truly was one of the places that made me stick around on the server in general.  There was a moment that I, another steward, and the leader of the settlement were RPing in the fields and I just felt at home.  It also led me to the Halflings in the end.

2. Love love love, love Knox. I've recently been writing more stuff for the Halflings related to him.  The horror of him with the wholesomeness of the Halflings has always been one of my favorite aspects of the culture.

3. Willow Hollow in Vailor, that place and the community there was what got me hooked on Halfling RP to this day. Though I would also love to bring back Lenfarthing from Anthos, I just miss those guys.

4. At the end of the last map my current character and her son had a really good moment when he was having a mental break, Iris talked him through it and revealed something that she has still not shared with anyone else.  It made a huge impact on how I carried her forward and on me as a person.   Other than that in Vailor there was a moment where a High elf broke my character's sister's arm right in front of her and I still think about that sometimes lmao

5.  I'm good! The Halflings are thriving and seeing as I'm still doing my best to not go out as much with the panini and so I spend so much time online it's been a very rewarding aspect of that.  My social life outside of the server is thriving, I'm about to graduate Uni in may, and overall I'm just getting ready to start my life.

I <3 you Zarsies, come by and RP with us sometime.

30 minutes ago, ImCookiie said:

Who was the best Halfling Sheriff of all time?

1. Def you, though the best in the time I've been back has been Sorrel / Meemaw for various reasons. Sorrel just breaths a lot of life into the office and Meemaw is just a riot to have around.

7 hours ago, satinkira said:

LOTC Question: Who's your favourite staff member

 

Non LOTC Question: Opinions on cheeseborgor

1. @ImCookiiewhen he is staff but @Zarsiesis a close second

2. Love love love love love

14 minutes ago, FoolOfATori said:

LotC Question: Who is your favorite halfling player who also plays your kid (The correct answer is me)

Actual LotC Question: If you could write one event that wouldn't have to abide by the rules (could be the halflings ending the world or some shit) what would it be?

 

Non-Lotc Question: What is your favorite movie?

1. Uhhhh uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

2. A trip back to Anthos in order to revitalize it and it becomes the next map, everyone is attached to their first map and what I would do to be able to go back and explore the ruins of things, clearing out the taint that was left behind, and then us going back to it.

3. The VVitch