Summary: The new year begins, and so too begin the long doldrums of winter, the most difficult time of year. In order to escape the long, droning winter, many people turn to art as an inspiration for their spirit. This month, the same will be true of the Queen and her Garden.

[OOC] January 10th: Activity check!
[OOC] January 10th: Mod Applications!
January 15th: The Queen has taken on an artistic mood, and the Garden shall change to reflect this. Easels and canvas, sculpting clay, and other artistic materials will be freely available and scattered throughout the Garden. The Queen welcomes and encourages efforts to paint or sculpt one another...especially the ones you care about.

What's more, the Garden will be full of the works of famous artists, usually (of course) depicting a romantic scene. These are true masterpieces of their form, with such fidelity that you would swear you could right into the scene. And, indeed, you can, and may not have a choice in the matter.
⇒ This is the month's event and will run until January 23rd.
[OOC] January 15th: HMD Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD Meme will occur on January 15th. Participation is optional, and players are expected to be mature.
[OOC] January 17th: Mod Applications Close!

Summary: Welcome to the end of the year. The nights are long but filled with stars.

[OOC] December 1st: Activity check!
December 1st: The orchard has returned to normal today. Should you come across the Queen, she'll tell you that you're welcome for the treat.
⇒ Mistletoe has sprouted up in the Garden again. Tis the season.
⇒ Should two characters happen to meet under one, intentionally or by mistake, an invisible wall will appear around them. It is impossible to get out of this wall, no matter what power they use, and the wall will only disappear once the two have kissed. This can be any type of kiss; cheek, mouth, etc.
[OOC] December 15th: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on December 15th.
December 15th: At the Library, there is a casting call going out for characters in a theater version of The Nutcracker.
⇒ Actors can be either voluntary, or hijacked into the production by the Incarnae.
⇒ There will be a post for recruitment, and an open log for those who wish to play out aspects of the rehearsals.
⇒ There will also be requests for set-builders, costume designers, and orchestra members.
⇒ More detailed information in the OOC post to come!
December 25th - 31st: The show will be put on once a night for one week.
⇒ Throughout this week, all cast members will be stuck in character.

Summary: This is your very last chance before the darkest days of the year begin. Harvest what you can, make ready. Make merry.

[OOC] November 1st: Activity check!
November 3rd: The Pirate Queen's skeletal minions will be parading through the Gardens in lovely costumes today. The band will be playing, everyone will be dancing. Have a good time.
⇒ This is your precursor to some of the oddities of the month. The skeletal band will having it up all month long. Hope you like that tune they're playing.
November 10th: All of the fruits and vegetables in the orchard have begun to sprout sugar skulls instead of produce, and animals for hunting have become scarce. Can you stomach all these sweets?
⇒ More info to come!
[OOC] November 15th: HMD Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD Meme will occur on November 15th.
November 15th: All of the paths in the Garden will be lined with marigolds.
[OOC] November 22nd: Thanksgiving
⇒ Our events are not tailored for Thanksgiving this year, but we have left time open for player-organized events.
[OOC] November 26th: Anniversary!
⇒ Two years of Ladygarden.
November 30th: The Pirate Queen has an address to make.

Summary: October is perhaps most famous for its end: Hallowe'en, a night of horrors and hauntings, when spirits and monsters supposedly roam free in the mortal realm. This year, the Garden will be visited by a touch of horror all its own.

[OOC] October 1st: Activity check!
October 14th: The garden will be visited by an aquatic spirit, dispensing sage advice and wisdom. But her counsel does not come free, and she will extract payment one way or the other.
⇒ This is your month's main event. It will run until the 21st.
[OOC] October 15th: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on September 15th.

Summary: September brings the changing of the seasons again, and the autumn equinox once again sets the Garden into disorder. To get through the month, the Garden's inhabitants must learn to walk in one another's shoes...literally.

[OOC] September 1st: Activity check!
September 12th: The garden's inhabitants will wake up in unfamiliar surroundings...and in an unfamiliar body. Somebody else's body, to be specific.
⇒ This is your month's main event. It will run until the 25th.
[OOC] September 15th: HMD Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD Meme will occur on September 15th. Participation is optional, and all participants are expected to be mature.

Summary: August is the month of relaxation, your last chance to lay out in the sun before your time must be dedicated to preparation for the winter. Take some time to be frivolous, while you still can.

[OOC] August 1st: Activity check!
August 10th: Your neighbors in Antikythera have an announcement to make! They're having a grand opening and they hope it will attract a bit of tourism.
⇒ This is your month's main event.
[OOC] August 15th: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on August 15th. Participation is optional.
August 26th: is International Go Topless Day.
⇒Bet you can guess who will be out in full force.

Summary: July is the month of extremes, both hot and cold. Here in the Garden, the Dog days will truly begin, the sun beating overhead as a sultry humidity seeps in to everything. There is the smell of thunder on the breeze, and Lake Sanguine, ruby red, has sprouted a layer of... beautiful water lilies.

[OOC] July 1st: Activity check! & Announcements!
July 2th: A selection of women are kidnapped from the Garden, the Damsel along with them.
⇒ This is the setup for the month's event.
⇒ Messages from kidnapped victims may be received.
July 9th: A call to arms is given by the Warrior Princess to rescue the hostages.
⇒ Forward scouts will be deployed.
⇒ Engineers will begin work on flying machines.
⇒ Battle plans will be made and eventually enacted.
⇒ Ambassadors work feverishly to assuage either Queen.
[OOC] July 15th: HMD
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on July 15th. Participation is optional.
July 23th: A decision is reached. Warriors are called off the field.
⇒ The hostages will be returned, aftermath will be accounted for.
⇒ Say hello to your new NPC.

damsels

july plot

Beneath the cut is a full outline of this month's event, please use it to BEGIN YOUR PLOTTING.
Quick Nav: Questions | Akiha, Akira, Alessa, Alice, Belarus, Dizzy, Fionna, Gal, Gavril, Grell, Kanako, Katina, Ky, Lambda, Larry, Meiling, Misery, Nue, Ovelia, Raven, Reimu, Samus, Sanae, Sapphire, Sayaka, Suruga, Tao, Urd, Vivi, Xion, Yayoi, Yuyuko, Zinc

Summary: June is the month of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. This is an annual occasion marked in many cultures by festivities and ceremony, and a new visitor to the Queen's domain will make sure that the same is true here.

[OOC] June 1st: Activity check!
June 8th: A message arrives from outside the Gardens, contained within a bottle.
⇒ This is a precursor to the month's event.
[OOC] June 15th: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on June 15th. Participation is optional.
June 20th: A traveler arrives in the Gardens, seeking safe harbor to drop anchor in, and people to unwind with.
⇒ This month's event is a beach party, courtesy of a new guest.

Also, please don't forget to comment here to claim any player-made location you're using (or are planning to use, or just like having around) but didn't create! We'll be running the purge of the list in the next couple of days, and it'll save everyone trouble if we don't have to go putting things back in afterwards.

Summary: They say that April showers bring May flowers, that the life-bringing precipitation of April prepares and brings about the blooming of new life. It is appropriate, then, that the month of May is named for the Greek fertility goddess Maia, for this month, the women of the Garden will find that this expression is all too truthful: the seeds planted in April will now grow, and flower into no end of trouble.

[OOC] May 1st: Activity check!
May 14th: The eggs cared for in April's event have hatched, and the children contained within are unleashed on the Garden. They won't need caring for, but they may wish to thank their caretakers...in their own special way.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's event. The children mean well, but have a child's understanding of the world, and as such may cause trouble in their efforts to thank their caretakers.
[OOC] May 15th: How's My Driving
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD Meme will occur on March 15th. Participation is optional, and all participants are expected to be mature.
May 18th: The eggs not cared for in April now hatch. These children are much less inclined to be grateful, and indeed wish to take revenge on their neglectful or abusive caretakers.
⇒ Unlike the first wave of children, these are simply malicious and vengeful.
May 28th: By this day, all of the egg-children (friendly and unfriendly alike) will have been handled.

Summary: As we enter April, we enter spring proper. The snow melts away, the trees bud with green, and a season of new life blooms around us. New life will be finding its way into the Gardens as well, this month...and the Garden's inhabitants will be expected to care for it.

[OOC] April 1st: Activity check!
[OOC] April 2nd: Mod apps close!
⇒ We are currently seeking a third moderator, due to Amber leaving us. If you would be interested please head to this post and fill in the form.
April 6th: The Queen will entrust unto the women of the Garden something young, and precious, to care for.
⇒ This is the month's event, which will run until the thirteenth. Small groups of characters will have to take care of something for that week, as if nurturing a small child. There will be the option of random group creation for those who want it.
[OOC] April 15th: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on March 15th. Participation is optional.

Summary: March brings the turning of seasons from winter into spring, the rebirth of warmth and life. However, it seems the season isn't the only thing in the Gardens to shift and change, as unusual behavior from the Queen leads to bizarre transformations in the Gardens that can only be corrected with help from an old enemy.

[OOC] March 1st: Activity check!
[OOC] March 15th: How's My Driving
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on March 15th. Participation is optional, and all participants are expected to be mature.
March 17th: As the spring equinox approaches, the Queen seems even more erratic and out of sorts than usual. Strange alterations begin to transform the environment of the Gardens, born from the thoughts and memories of the Queen and her incarnae. These transformations will take place over a period of several days, and their nature may give the characters a clue as to the history of the Queen and her world.
March 20th: The spring equinox. As the Gardens continue to behave ever more bizarrely than usual, the High Priestess -- unusually forthcoming for once -- approaches the characters with information about the shift in the environment, why the Queen is so unbalanced, and what can be done about it.
⇒ Restoring the Gardens to normal will require retrieving something very important that belongs to the Queen from Echidna, the Mother of Monsters, whose children live in the Caves of the Arimoi. Having previously had poor relations with the Queen and the residents of the Gardens -- some of whom she transformed into monsters for venturing into the Caves -- Echidna will be understandably reluctant to cooperate. Characters will have to demonstrate acts of goodwill toward the monsters in the Caves before she will be mollified. Further details will be in an upcoming plot post.
March 27th: Assuming the characters have managed to pacify Echidna, she will cooperate with the High Priestess and the characters. The Queen and the Gardens return to normal.

Summary: In many cultures, February is a month for lovers, and the Gardens are no different. This month is a month for reflection on love, past and present, and for cherishing and cultivating one's personal relationships.

[OOC] February 8: In lieu of our normal activity check following the move to Dreamwidth, all players must have commented with their characters on the taken characters list by this date. Activity checks will resume as normal beginning in March.
February 14: Beginning on this date, characters will find themselves irresistibly drawn to another inhabitant of the Gardens. The two now share an unbreakable metaphysical bond which compels them to remain near each other.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's plot. In order to dispel the compulsion that binds them together metaphysically, the characters must bond emotionally, one way or another. Sharing stories about past or present lovers or crushes is one (but not the only) solution.
[OOC] February 15: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on February 15th. Participation is optional.
February 21: Regardless of what the characters have done up until now, the metaphysical bonds between them will dissolve naturally on their own by this date.

Summary: The New Year has come at last, and we make our way into January. January is a month named for Janus, the roman god of the doorway. Just as Janus opens and closes doorways in life, so too did the month of January open the door to the new year, and close the door to the previous one. Likewise, in this month a door will be opened to new knowledge of the Garden's origins...but passing through it will take wit and courage.

[OOC] January 1: Activity check!
[OOC] January 2: The results of our poll on moving to Dreamwidth will be announced! If you haven't weighed in already, do so as soon as possible!
January 13: The Crone will begin meddling with the fabric of the Garden, causing breakdowns which the Garden's inhabitants must fix.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's plot. In order to fix the damage, characters will have to solve a riddle that has been left for them. In the process, they will have the opportunity to uncover some important information about the nature of the Queen and the Garden.
[OOC] January 15: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on December 15th. Participation is optional.
January 20: By this date, the Garden should have returned to its normal state.

Summary: Ah, December. The winter solstice has been an important festival in many cultures throughout history, and many of the traditions from these ancient festivals have been passed down to us as part of our contemporary Christmas celebrations. In this month, winter is coming, and the Queen wishes to encourage her subjects to find someone to keep warm with.

[OOC] December 1: Activity check!
December 5th: Mistletoe plants sprout all over the Garden, including an unusually large specimen that will sprout atop a mighty pine tree in the center of the Orchard. For each couple who kiss beneath the mistletoe, one berry will fall from the massive plant. A countdown of sorts. But to what?
⇒ Because we know the end of December is hectic and you may not have time for RP, we're doing a smaller event even though that breaks our pattern. We'll be back to a larger-scale event in January.
[OOC] December 15: How's My Driving
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on December 15th. Participation is optional, and all participants are expected to be mature.
December 15: If all of the large plant's berries have fallen by this date, something special will happen!
December 21: Winter is coming. Rather suddenly.
December 31: A New Year's masquerade ball, hosted by the Queen, begins!
⇒ This is really more of a January thing but, being a New Year's party, it technically begins in December.

Summary: As we enter November, temperatures drop, leaves change color, and depending on where you live, it may even begin snowing. In the United States, it's Thanksgiving season, a time for family and togetherness. It is also the game's, and thus the Garden's, one-year anniversary! A time for celebration...and music. Lots of music.

[OOC] November 1: Activity check!
November 13th: Strange music begins wafting through the Gardens, and those who hear it have a corresponding compulsion...
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's event. The Queen is pumping in music that makes you want to do various things, depending on the type of music. This will last until the 19th.
[OOC] November 15: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on November 15th. Participation is optional.
[OOC] November 27: Happy Birthday To Us!
⇒ As of this day, Queen of Hearts will be officially one year old! She'll be waddling around before you know it.

Summary: October is the first full month of autumn, and is typified by red and golden leaves, cooling temperatures, and shortening days. It was also the month of the Gaelic festival of Samhain, which would later go on to become what we in modern times know as Hallowe'en. A combination of harvest festival and festival of the dead, it was a time when the physical world and the spiritual world were drawn close together, monsters and ghosts walked the land, and people wore masks and costumes to ward off bad spirits. This month in the Garden, all of the above will happen.

[OOC] October 1: Activity check!
October 14th: One of the Incarnae, feeling unappreciated and fed up with the Queen's...Queen-ness, decides to demonstrate just how important her work is by taking a holiday. They can all fend without her for a while, see how they like it.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's event. Her absence won't be felt immediately, but don't worry, it'll come.
October 15: The Incarnae opens a portal to another world, on which she will spend her sojourn away from her regular duties. Unfortunately, she doesn't consider that what's on the other side may be interested in checking out the Garden as well.
⇒ On the other side of the portal is a dark world of perpetual moonlight, inhabited by various dark, traditional feminine monsters. As they investigate the Gardens, they begin to corrupt and change the land around the portal. The Garden's inhabitants may also venture through the portal to discover this new world...but they may find its inhabitants less than hospitable.
[OOC] October 15: HMD Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on October 15th. Participation is optional and players are expected to be mature about it.
October 23: By this point it will become clear that finding and returning with the missing Incarnae is the only way to stem the traffic through the portal, and also to reverse the negative effects the dark world's inhabitants are having on the Garden and its inhabitants.
⇒ Characters will need to venture into the dark world to find and call back the prodigal Incarnae, who has absolutely no idea what's been going on in her absence. There will be a way for non-combat characters to safely participate in this. This event should be wrapped up before month's end, by which time the Garden will have returned to normal. Mostly.

Summary: September marks the end of summer, and the advent of autumn. It is a month of mixed feelings, bringing welcome relief from the heat of summer, but also an end to vacation and a return to school. In the Garden, the end of summer is marked by a celebration, in the form of a grand fair, with rides, booths, contests, and the opportunity to knock the Queen into a tank of water.

[OOC] September 1: Activity check!
September 7th: The Summer's End Fair is announced, and a section of the Garden is cordoned off for construction, transforming it into the fairgrounds.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's event. Characters are advised of the upcoming festivities, and have an opportunity to sign up for and prepare for the various contests.
September 15: The Fairgrounds open for business! There will be rides, a variety of contests in fields such as baking and crafts, physical contests, and a variety of midway booths. And, naturally a dunk tank.
⇒ Yes, the Queen will be available for dunking.
[OOC] September 15: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on September 15th. Participation is optional.
September 22: The Summer's End Fair closes, now that summer is officially at its end. Prizes will be awarded to the winners of the fair's contests, and the Fairground will be taken down until needed again.

Summary: August is named in honor of Caesar Augustus, and is as turbulent a month as that would imply. While July is behind us, the Dog Days linger on, and August is often host to stormy weather, both politically and literally. The Gardens are no exception, and a powerful storm blows in from outside of its borders.

[OOC] August 1: Activity check!
August 5: A powerful storm blows into the Gardens, with wind and rain powerful enough to get into even the sturdiest of shelters. Only the structures of the Necessities, kept intact though the power of the Incarnae, will be safe until the storm recedes.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's event. All characters will be brought together, for better or for worse, while they wait out the storm.
August 8: The storm recedes, and the Garden's inhabitants may safely leave the confines of the Necessities. The fierce wind and flooding has caused considerable damage to the Garden, but where the destruction took place, new life has taken hold.
⇒ In the storm's aftermath, a new, seemingly harmless species will be found growing throughout the Garden, wherever the storm has done damage.
August 10: As the Garden's inhabitants attempt to return to normalcy in the aftermath of the storm, they will find that normalcy difficult to obtain. Having already been forced to share physical space this month, they will now find themselves drawn together in a different manner.
⇒ As this new species blooms throughout the Garden, the Garden's inhabitants will find themselves sharing dreams, entering one another's sleeping worlds and interacting with them.
August 15: As the shared dreams continue, they begin to take a darker turn, and it becomes apparent that the events of this shared dream have implications for the waking Garden.
⇒ As the shared dreams turn darker, they begin affecting the physical world of the Garden, damaging it further. The only way to put a stop to it, and thus prevent the Garden from falling apart altogether, is to exterminate the invasive species, now that its destructive effects are known.
[OOC] August 15: How's My Driving?
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on August 15th. Participation is optional and players are expected to be mature about it.

Summary: July is the hottest month of the year (in the Northern Hemisphere, that is) and is named in honor of Julius Caesar. As we trudge through these dog days of summer, it can be hard to motivate ourselves to work and make progress. The Queen feels much the same way, and so has declared it a month for relaxation, rejuvenation, and a hefty helping of party.

[OOC] July 1: Activity check!
July 8: The Queen stops sulking and realizes that the better way to get what she wants is to be constructive. She announces that she's begun work on a project which she hopes will bring the Garden's inhabitants together, although she won't say exactly what it is.
⇒ This is simply lead-in for the month's event, and has no effect on the lives of the Garden's inhabitants. There are some player plots scheduled for early in the month, so we've left it more or less open for them.
July 15: The Queen reveals what she's been working on: a party, for all of the Garden's inhabitants! With music, and dancing, and plenty of food and drink. Something to get peoples' spirits up after putting them through the wringer last month.
⇒ This is this month's event. It is by design less plot-heavy and serious than the previous month's; We thought you and your characters could use a break after facing their fears. Be careful around the punch, though. They say the Queen created it special for the party...
[OOC] July 15: CR Meme
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts CR Meme will occur on July 15th and the following weekend. Participation is optional but encouraged.

Summary: June is a month named for the Roman goddess of marriage, Juno, and is considered a lucky month to be married in. It will also be a month in which the Queen has a minor tantrum and leaves the Garden's inhabitants to clean up the aftermath. These two facts are not as unrelated as they may seem.

[OOC] June 1: Activity check!
June 1: The Queen, in a fit of pique, does something she will later regret, and then goes off to sulk. The full effects of this act of poor judgment will not be immediately obvious, although it will be clear that she did something.
⇒ This is a lead-in to the month's plot, and will give your characters something to talk about, but will not have a tangible impact on their lives.
June 7: The impact of the Queen's tantrum begins to become obvious, as familiar figures begin slipping into the Garden through the wild areas.
⇒ This is the beginning of the month's plot proper. Although the Garden will be a more dangerous place during this plot, the chaos will be largely confined to certain areas, allowing players who may not wish to participate plenty of room to do other things.
[OOC] June 15: How's My Driving?
⇒ The official Queen of Hearts HMD will occur on June 15th and the following weekend. Participation is optional and players are expected to be mature about it.
June 15: Somewhat abashed, the Queen admits that she made a mistake and tells the Garden's inhabitants how to correct it. This will involve dangerous trips into the Wild Places to retrieve certain artifacts.
⇒ There will be an OOC post for players to organize their characters into teams for the retrieval.
June 23: With the artifacts back in the Queen's possession, life in the Garden goes back to normal. As normal as it gets, anyway!
⇒ The month's plot is wrapped up at this point, with the remainder of the month left for aftermath, epilogue, and unrelated player plots!