The Hydlaa Market...
...takes place at a consistent time and location (for ease of gathering)
Market Location: East Hydlaa, Merchant's East Road, Merchant's East Square (where the gates out to Ojaveda are)
...is an excellent opportunity to gather for roleplay!
Merchants, customers, passers-by and the like can all interact to create fun roleplay, regardless of if anything is bought and sold!
You don't have to be selling incredibly rare, perfectly crafted, or specially renamed wares to attend - you don't even have to be a merchant!
Your only limit is your imagination. Take some IG books, write out descriptions for your RPed wares, and hit the market with your creativity!
...is a weekly, player-run event!
GMs can occasionally take time to set up a merchant's stall and offer special wares, but the Market needs players to make it happen
Even a little time at the Market goes a long ways, so stop by to window-shop - maybe you'll find something you want, a person to chat with, or a chance to sell your wares!
Some Final Notes
Now, I know that not everyone always has time to stop by the Market because of RL, and I
completely understand that situation. I can't even always make it myself, which is probably why I'm trying to poke other people into going like this. If someone in that situation gets just a little time, they might want to drop by quick and poke their nose around. You can, after all, come and go whenever you like!
However, I would like to address a few other comments I've heard from people regarding not attending the market, so that I can offer possible solutions. Here they are:
- "I don't have a character that going to the Market is IC for. He/she/kra isn't really the market-going type."
One solution I can think of for this is to make another character. Yes, that's right; I'm suggesting you make an alt. While making an(other) alt can certainly be time-consuming and make things a little more complex, it can also prove to be very rewarding, especially if it gives you the excuse you need to run rampant through the market and cause and/or participate in some fun RP for everyone there.
All I suggest is that if the above is you, you make another character, one more tailored to the market; someone who is fine with going to crowded places, someone who has a great need to buy
stuff, someone who
absolutely needs to chat and gossip with everyone, someone who has some interesting (or
"interesting", take your pick) wares to sell, someone who just likes
creepily watching people while hiding at the edges of large open areas... truly, the possibilities are
endless.I'd even dare go so far as to say,
"You don't have to make a character for the market that has a detailed story." Of course, if that's the sort of thing you want, that's the sort of thing you want, and I'll mention you can always sketch something out and then work on it as you waltz about the marketplace. It doesn't have to be "perfect" right away, or even at all. Believe me. I've tried.
- "I don't have any reason to go to the Market."
Make a reason. Far easier said than done, I know, but it really is a great solution if you can at least come up with a
little something.
Maybe your character was bored and wanted to see who there was to chat with or mischievously torment at the Market. Maybe your character had a sudden urge to go on a spending spree. It could be that you(r character) need(s) some ores, herbs, hides, animal parts, fish, or other materials for crafting. Maybe your (character’s) weapon or weapons are in need of repair, or you want some magical items identified. Perhaps your character is a musician or storyteller and wants to try earning some tria.
What if your
only reason to go to the Market is to
roleplay? Then
do that! Brainstorm a little, maybe; these are only a few ideas that I've listed. If you find that your character just never seems to have any IC reason to go to the market, maybe view the point above; it could potentially be a little helpful.
- "There’s never anybody at the Market."
Well, first off, I think I should just say this: stating something as being "never" makes the statement somewhat inaccurate. There are people that go to the Market. Maybe they don’t go when there's a scheduling conflict with a Dev Q&A that day, and maybe people don’t always have time to stick around long enough for there to be a proper Market, but people do go.
There's another little thing I'd like to point out. If everybody is thinking, "Oh, nobody's at the Market, so there
is no Market, so there’s no point in staying in this marketplace,", then obviously nobody is going to stick around long enough to allow the Market to actually get started and become something. There will be slow, quiet days. There will be fast, packed days. There will be days that fall somewhere between the two. It varies greatly, and if the Market seems slow one day,
don't get discouraged; keep at it.The key is to persist, to keep dragging your wares, tria, and buddies over to the marketplace and to throw up your hands in the air shouting, "Market time!", until people start prancing over to you, overflowing with excitement to see what you have to offer – be it in the form of goods you're selling, the money you have to pay for their wares, or even just your company.
The last trick to this is, when someone calls out, "Market has started!", or some such comment in gossip, such as advertising their business or the market as a whole, do everybody and yourself a little favor and hop on over to liven things up a bit.
That was terribly long. If you don't read it all, I won't judge; it's your choice. Hopefully though, if you did bother yourself to read it, you found it at least somewhat helpful or encouraging.
Much love.
