It probably would have helped tremendously if the gnafia was named something other than... the gnafia.

I have never developed an ability to take them seriously IC, and I think this is at least an extension of them always being a part of events where dingbats are a prize to be claimed, and is just skirting the fourth-wall in terms of OOCness. This is fine for a big, yet still random event, like Earth Day. But for a potential world ending event that will kick off another ascension? Meh.

I'm still hoping for something more inspiring to be involved as well, and that the gnafia are just a part of several other factors contributing to the same whole (which is what it looks like it is).

Gnafia still look like a small part anyways. Giant crisis means they have a chance to get something. They're taking advantage of the situation, they're probably not the reason.

We just destroyed a weather machine.

Punch one: Gnafia probably are behind everything.

Punch two: Aeromancers just destroyed a weather machine. :/

Sigh. Or Gnafia are behind everything. They're a cool funny enemy, great for earth day events, but they're just not amazing big evils.

I have a feeling the Gnodfather is going to be dead by the end of all this.

I really hate the family system. It is impossible to enjoy anything if you want any hope of your family making it past a state of barely hanging on to existance. Guess what? In real life if someone in your family marries someone else, they don't cease to exist. -rants-

I wish I was in a real family (in the game).

Yeah, this. I might sound like I'm bashing the event, and I'm sorry if I do! Fun has been had.

They're really cool but contextual. This is Lusternia. We're all trapped within the Basin of Life and, for all we know, eldritch horrors from beyond the stars lurk in the lifeless lands beyond the Basin. Lusternia is a dark place. It's full of shattered empires, betrayals and a lot of shady history. I like it that way. I like it when the world is serious.

Gnomes are whimsy. Every serious place needs its whimsy, I guess. The entire backstory of the Gnomes in general - their technology, their names, the introduction of dingbats and dingbat artifacts - are all whimsical. That's fine. But suspension of disbelief is pushed a bit when, say, I see Xenthos moving around the Skarch on a dingbat surfboard, or people hopping around on mechanical pogo sticks.

When I saw the whole elemental balance and the subsequent weather disasters, my first thought was - cool, this has to be something related to the Elemental Planes, so maybe the Mage guilds will learn something in the process, be it skills/backstory/what have you. Except this whole thing was caused by ... those dastardly, dastardly gnomes. They're That One Boss from That One Stage that reek of the Scrappy. When you pit us against the King of the Hidden Hands, the one that masterminds these pain-in-the-ass sand creatures, a plague that will liquefy our insides, several wars, elemental disasters... I was thinking, I don't know, Crazen. Maybe some as-of-yet-unseen Traitor desiring our utmost destruction. If the Gnafia are in it, surely they're just here to take advantage of a disaster that's someone else's doing, right? I mean, all of these seemingly unconnected events have to have some grand, amazing mastermind. Why kidnap NPCs and start wars? Why drop a plague on the world? Why break the Basin's weather?

'Because we're the GNAFIA! Nyahahahahaha~'

The Gnafia just can't be a serious Big Bad. They're the Scrappies. They show up to smuggle illegal substances, maybe blow a few places up, engage in various criminal activities. But it's just not cool when they threaten the world or pit us against annoying event NPCs. We have Kethuru, Muud, Crazen, Zenos, and Illith to do that. And for all we know, there's something just as bad or worse than them out there.

I used to love having my family, but these days it's honestly just depressing. Everyone's gone and the few people who are around are probably leaving. I wish I was able to enjoy people in my family doing things, instead of feeling abandoned. That's so stupid. I shouldn't feel that way, and I shouldn't have to feel that way! People's characters interacting in in a meaningful nature should be encouraged, not end up in some idiotic "how dare you leave the family omg" situation. Why does the family system have to be set up in some poorly-thought-out conflict thing? There's not really any competition or anything at all. Why should I have to feel like I'm at war with every other family? Here's an idea: make it so that families exist as a nice flavor thing that is a mechanical reinforcement of RP that doesn't have all of this superfluous conflict nonsense unless someone wants to roleplay it being there.

The rare and unsightly beast known as ranty, unhappy Phoebus has been unleashed.

You know, you do bring up one good point. This could be something even bigger behind it. What if the gnodfather isn't a gnome? Turns out to be some sort of shape-shifting eldricht horror. Now that would be cool. Tiny little gnome mafia is controlled from the shadows, goes big time, and then has this big evil show up and try to devour them and everyone else. I'd applaud the idea of the gnafia being used and most of this year really being a story about how they got used.

Know what else would be neat? An Ascension event not tied to the seals. What if we didn't need to repair them one year? Kethuru wasn't escaping, Avechna wasn't in danger, everything related to the seals was fine. Instead something completely different shows up and starts offering us vernal ascension. Pfff, for example we could find an old edifice of power and have to restore it. We could even restore it with domoth energies and have to do the seal events. It just keeps the event being exactly the same everytime. Repetition is dangerous for any game, extra dangerous for a game with a strong storyline.

Yeah, my money's on the actual cause of the ascension event definitely being something other than the Gnafia and probably something other than a Soulless God.

I'm hoping that's the case! And that it won't involve something like spreading Solstice cheer. :|

Well, we're going to go ahead and stop discussing the event on the forums - but already I see complaints of 'they just did all of it to be evil', which isn't true at all (and Fritz even mentioned/suggested why everything that's been done, has been done). Roxie didn't erect a weather machine 'just to cause trouble' - there was a reason behind it. And there's a lot more underlying the whole story than just 'lolteamrocketisblastingoffagain' - which I'm sure will come to the fore soon enough (though, like many things, I'm sure will be brushed over/ignored by some! I've seen it before, and even now people tend to think whatever they want to validate their point (where did people get the idea they needed raise Sarye/Terae last week, anyways?)).

And remember, whereas Lusternia has been wracked by the Soulless for countless ages, Aetherspace has been relatively trouble-free. Heck, until they came across the Basin of Life, gnomes probably hadn't had much of a threat besides critters they blast past.

Like I said. Relax, see where it goes.

(And you can't have an True Ascendant without a restoring of the fractured Seals (or their initial forging, a la Avechna)!)

No Basin, I am the Gnodfather. Muhahahahahaha.

Meh, none of us in tweets are discussing any of that Eventru. No one is hating on the event. Just curious where it is going and talking about it. The work is appreciated, trust me.

I lol'd.
<-- see?

I know! Don't misunderstand - I've been an admin for more than three years now, and have been on all sides of the table of events. I'm a big boy, and can handle it. That said, I do think when people are (at least perceived as) 'ragging' on an event, it propagates a negative atmosphere for everyone else (particularly players) - and even yourselves. I'm of the distinct opinion everyone should just relax and go with the flow for a bit - if, by the end, you still feel upset (or otherwise!) with it, I'll happily let you enjoy a thread to offer your (well-thought out) opinions about the event. But I'd hate to see people be bitter about the event because of their own misunderstanding (again, pointing at the griping over Sarye/Terae and the telephone game that seems to have gone on with that!) and thus not participate, or participate begrudgingly. I'm sure, in comparison to some other games (or even points in our past), you're just happy 'for something different', ie an event. I promise though there's some stuff ahead, that draws everything together.

And as an aside, it's funny - "Where's the big bad evil?!" today, but every time a soulless is involved it's "*yawn* oh look, end of the world because of the Soulless. Shocking." It's difficult trying to come up with something 'different'! Then again, the last two years, it's not been the Soulless' fault at all... Hmm... What does that tell you?

Next year, it should be me. No one and everyone would expect that one.

Estarra should come down with rabies for an event.

I miss Nexus World weakenings. Those were easy karmazzzzz.