The Thanksgiving Gratitude Challenge!

[Gossamer]

Welcome to The Gratitude Challenge!

Here in the United States (and elsewhere in the world) we are celebrating Thanksgiving. It's currently not PC to actually be a Native and enjoy this holiday because it signaled the end to the long history of indigenous peoples in North American enjoying their lifestyles without being lied to, poisoned, infected with a disease, outright killed, or forcefully moved from their traditional lands. Yea... thats the start of one of the truths that always holds firm when one technologically superior nation meets another.

However, this holiday has evolved over time. In the here and now, Thanksgiving is not about one nation helping another nation get its feet on the ground for a future that could be nothing but bleak. Instead, it is about family gatherings, friends coming together, and it has become somewhere out of all that darkness and misery a holiday of hope and being thankful.

This challenge this week will be hard. Most of you won't opt to join it. Most of you will look at my requirements and say "Oh Hell No!" But to those of you that choose hope, gratitude, and want to push yourself will join in. There will be minimal requirements but as always you can write more.

Minimal Requirements:

1. 5,000K words for the smaller prize.
2. 10,000K words for the main prize.
3. 2 - 4 threads of no longer than around 2.5k words apiece aka break up your storylines into smaller series of threads. No huge singular monstrous threads!
4. The challenge starts now and ends Sunday Dec 1st at 9pm PST.

What must the threads include? Your character must somehow go through a situation and come out on the other side full of gratitude. They must have insightful realizations and learn something about themselves. This challenge will be our first 'series of threads' challenge. Have fun with it. Be creative. Push yourself. This is designed to be part of NaNo and assist in your word count final pushes.

The smaller prize will be a selection of one of the previously awarded quest prizes - artifact level items. The larger main prize for completing this challenge will be a custom item designed for your PC or a wish granted your PC. Wishes are huge! They can encompass a whole host of things in many different ways. You can will a dead family member back to life. You could wish your race changed. You could wish for almost anything. Wishes that are outrageous or completely above and beyond the game rules will result in serious consequences to your PC - as always.

You may work in groups, but all of you must do your minimal separately, thus a 5k word counted thread total done by two people wouldn't qualify while a 10K thread done by two people would count as the bare minimum. 20K threads written by 2 people would get you across the finish line for the main prize so long as each person in the thread contributed equally.

I hope you enjoy.

Sign up below (fill it in when completed):

PC Name:
Abstract of your plotline:
What did your PC learn:
What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?:

Goss

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[Crylon Stonecraft]

I am gonna go for this with Crylon, though not sure I will make it. But will do my best! PC Name: Crylon Stonecraft Abstract of your plotline: Crylon has recently joined a new group, has entered a new land, and will have a good bit of time to be introspective, he has a good bit to be thankful for and of. He also seems to be more inclined, perhaps as an Isur, to show his gratitude and thanks by his actions rather than words. That along with deep introspection about himself and others. -Tends to reflect upon Izurdin, his old master who instructed him in magic, and Kelski quite a bit as different aspects of his life and his growth in magic and the world. What did your PC learn: His own worth, his allies, people he can trust, and the way he personally goes about showing his gratitude of others. What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?: To have my character reflect on where he is, what he is doing, and what/who he has to be thankful for. Threads: Total Words = 10,474 1-Taking a Job >Word Count- 568+778+665+601= 2,612 >Thanks- Crylon shows his thanks by doing something(how else does an Isur show gratitude?), and ponders on his new situation among the Meraki. 2-Taking a Job Part II >Word Count- 557+644+755+603= 2,559 >Thanks- Crylon and Sona continue their journey and their investigation for the Meraki, similar vein to prior thread. 3-Of Horses and Shoes >Word Count- 679+656+624+567= 2,526 >Thanks- Crylon spends some time working on the designs for the stables, something Kelski had stated an interest in during their meeting earlier in the season. He also considers his connection and caring for the Gem, and shows her along with Kelski his thanks in realizing her vision in Architectural planning form. 4-Steel for a Steal >Word Count- 507+710+618+450+492= 2,777 >Thanks- Crylon meets a new member of the Demesne, and forges a blade for Kelski as a gift and his first work of steel.

[Asterope]

I'll be giving this a try! It won't be an easy one, but it sounds super fun and like a great way to give my NaNo word count a much needed boost.

PC Name: Asterope

Abstract of your plotline: Aster has her bag stolen by a streetchild named Imogen; she gets more than she bargained for when she chases her down, and ends up being roped into accompanying the child around for the day. Along the way she speaks with some other people that Imogen knows, and between them and getting to know Imogen herself, Aster reevaluates her life, where she is, and the things in her past that until now she's taken for granted or not properly appreciated.

What did your PC learn: Aster learns to be grateful for the people she's met; she learns that it's better to love and lose than to never have loved at all. She learns to be grateful that she isn't worse off where she is, and to be thankful for the things she's learned and been able to do throughout her limited lifetime, primarily her knowledge of herbalism/medicine and being able to help people. Perhaps the biggest of all, she learns to be grateful to Syna and for falling to Mizahar, and being able to experience everything she has, even with the bad.

What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?: Asterope has been in a rough place for awhile now; I wanted her to learn that things aren't necessarily as bad as they seem. I wanted her to reevaluate the way she looks at things so that she can move forward feeling more happy and hopeful, and with more strength to push through the hard times. Also, I wanted her to stop being so damn lonely and sad all the time.

Thread list:
*A New Perspective (Part I) - 3,383 words
*A New Perspective (Part II) - 3,526 words
*A New Perspective (Part III) - 3,097 words

*Grand Total: 10,006 words

I do have a final part IV thread planned to wrap up this gratitude arc, but I'm not going to get it done in time for the deadline. Thank you for the challenge as always, Goss! This was a tough one both in content and wordcount, but it was incredibly fun and I really enjoyed the plot and development that I got out of it.

[Rohka]

Thanks for the challenge, Goss. I made it over 5K with a plot line that I felt was necessary for Rohka to go through, and I'm excited about where things will go for her, after this point.

PC Name: Rohka Calico

Abstract of your plot line: Rohka tells Lelia that she is leaving Ravok. Roh realized that the environment that had been supporting her over the years was in fact a form of home for her. Roh is encouraged to leave her father, and is even given a dagger in the hopes of inspiring her, but Rohka puts it down while Lelia discovers a part of Rohka's past life as a weapon of war. Rohka leaves the Mystic Eye in thanks for Lelia's teachings, and even in thanks for the responsibility/burden that she's been given.

What did your PC learn: She learned that she can choose differently from what she was in her past. She learned that her employer gave her the chance to grow and be supported in her growth as a fortune teller. She also learned a bit more about auristics and how she can feel not only when feelings are present but also when feelings are being concealed.

What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?: For me, the purpose of this challenge became all about seeing the depth of the impact that characters make on each other. It took effort for me to consider the dynamic between Rohka and Lelia and bring life to it... love, even. Having them appreciate each other for different reasons while also seeing each other's weaknesses and accepting one another nonetheless made it fun for me to write.

Hesitations vs. Resolutions: Part I = 2535

Hesitations vs. Resolutions: Part II = 2548

Total = 5083

[Wa'Djinnabi]

I'm kinda unsure where to go with this. I still want to use this to drum up some enthusiasm to get some posting done. That said I am not immediately sure what to do to have my dude learn or have gratitude. I will try and think about it in the mean time.

PC Name:Wa'Djinnabi
Abstract of your plotline:
What did your PC learn:
What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?:

[Gossamer]

I've been listening in chat.

I think people have the entirely wrong idea about this challenge. This isn't a 'something happens and you find yourself grateful' type challenge. This is a challenge about gratitude where the whole thread is infused with your character's knowledge of how lucky they are, how grateful they are, and how much they appreciate those around them or their circumstances.

This is a huge prize.

This is a holiday challenge for a bare min of 5k and a bare min of 10K for the main prize. If your threads aren't dripping with gratitude, then they will not qualify. I'm very serious about this. Anyone can craft a story where someone saves someone's life or someone is given a gift or cut some slack or something.... that's easy. And that's what you guys have planned - a lot of you that have shared.

That's not going to win you this challenge. NOT AT ALL. What's going to win you this challenge is writing ALL ABOUT GRATITUDE in 5-10K words or more!

You've been warned.

Goss


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[Autumn Rose]

PC Name: Autumn Rose Abstract of the plotline: Autumn meets a child in her search for a person to practice possession on and finds a reason to care for a living being again, taking it so far as to endanger herself for the kid. Thread 1: Like Taking Candy from a Baby (wc: 1,434 + 1,211= 2,645)- COMPLETED Thread 2: Time for Two (wc: 722 + 662 + 1,206= 2,590)- COMPLETED Thread 3: One Breath at a Time (wc: 905 + 1,115 + 767= 2,787) Thread 4: Desperate Times (wc: 739 + 625 + 822=2,186) Grand Total: 10, 208 What does Autumn learn?: Throughout this series of the threads (and in the threads that will stem from it in the future), Autumn learns that loss is not the end. She finds out that she is lonely, not alone, and lets herself care again. In the end, she discovers that even after loss has taken the best things from her, she can still fight for what little good remains and search for more good elsewhere in the world, though we will see if that good remains. What was the main purpose for writing this challenge? Autumn needed a friend, a reason to care for the world of the living again. Candace is that friend, that illiterate and unintelligible confidant that grounds Autumn.

[Kelski]

PC Name: Kelski

Abstract of your plotline:

Kelski must move The Midnight Gem and The Barn, which are Architectrix Structures, from their homes in Sunberth to the new residences in The Wilderness outside of Zeltiva. Kelski realizes in not having them around for the trip and the time it takes to build up enough structure to reinstall them, about how much she misses them and how much they meant to her. One of these threads takes place in Sunberth for getitng them transportable. The others will take place in The Wilderness outside of Zeltiva.

What did your PC learn:

Kelski learns that home is what you make of it and the simple but universal lesson that family sometimes picks you. You don't pick your own family. And that the ties that bind friends and family together are stronger and more complex than expected.

What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?:

I wanted Kelski to come to understand that The Gem and what would become Reach are in fact her children in truth. I wanted to push her Architectrix further, assisting her in learning more useful ways to utilize it while also gaining her an additional magic: Hypnosis.

Thread List:

• [The Midnight Gem] One For The Road - 3258
• [The Meraki] Precious Cargo - 2529
• [The Merakai] Reaching Out Reaching Up - 3100
• [The Empyreal Manor] The Power Of Dreams And Love - 2654

Total: 11,541

[Baelin Holt]

PC Name: Baelin Holt

Abstract of your plotline:
Baelin’s neighbors are going through a tough time; a single father with an aggressive alcohol problem, and his son. While the dad goes through his nightly routine, the son passes the time by whittling outside. Baelin tries to ignore it, but eventually can’t help but go outside one night and try whittling himself. It becomes a habit. As the routine continues, it doesn’t take long before Baelin figures enough is enough.

What did your PC learn:
While Baelin may tend to remember the bad over the good, his childhood hadn’t been just the harsh parts. His father never hit him, he always had a safe place of his own, and he’d had an aunt and uncle who were able to take him in and teach him a trade that he loved. He’d had a support system and people that cared about him. There was a lot that he ought to be more grateful for.

What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?:
Baelin has an unhealthy habit of focusing on negative memories over positive ones, as well as a tendency to isolate himself from others. In this challenge, I hope to force him to realize he’d had a lot of good in his life too. And that there are people whose lives can be changed for the better if he takes the initiative and reaches out.

Thread List:
1) Behind Closed Doors (2789)
2) A Slice of Reality (3150)

Total: 5939

[Kamilla]

PC Name: Kamilla 'Circe' Gordon
Abstract of your plotline: Despite her best efforts, Kamilla is thrown into the pit of nostalgia and slowly comes to realize the gifts passed down to her by her mother and grandmother.
What did your PC learn: Kamilla learns that despite having died many years ago, the lessons her family taught her continued to cling to her and become the foundations of who she is.
What was the main purpose of writing this challenge?: I wanted to try and force myself to both flesh out Kam's history some more AND practice writing more deep and meaningful situations.
Threads:
The First Wind 2 943
The Second Wind 2 609
The Two Winds 2 784
ThankingThe Winds 1 844
Total: 10 180 Words