(long reply is long!)
Dont forget Rune! D: She is basicly designed around Tass, with abilities to both remove and create it.
...who?
It might be nice if Zenko was a bit more accessible? Ummm.... It has great big walls around it for one thing. It's always been intended as a closed community right from the beginning, and that's an interesting concept - to have a faction that you have to work to get in to.
...wait, are you pro, or against this?
You start saying like it's a bad thing, but then you approve of it.
I think you could improve the faction by keeping the exclusivity and strictness, but including a "venue" or "space" that is physically and culturally accessible to everyone.
Accessibility (physical and cultural) is a very good point! The strictness that went on in the Zenko has gone through different phases. I remember a time when the guards there were supposed to bar anyone who came too close to the portal, or other 'sensitive areas'. While there are places people aren't supposed to casually visit (like the jail, or private bedrooms!), such places should be kept to a minimum in relation to places people can go. Also on a military setting, you don't go somewhere unless you have official business there. Such barries could certainly be lowered, or removed altogether.
However, on what comes to approachability, or how intimidated you feel by the Zenko tall walls, we have to keep in mind what goes on in there. These people deal with arcane energies! They make potions that can make your eyeballs melt, or turn you into a whale! They train for combat, life and death situations. They deal with the supernatural. The mystical. The mysterious forces of the universe. Their venue shouldn't be a big tent set up on a beach. It needs to show strength, power, it must show they mean business!
I do think the Zenko's notecards should probably be revised, and if we want people to be able to feel welcome and (relatively) safe entering the Zenko then perhaps a change to the ground's rules is in order?
That's part of what this is about. We're taking this opportunity to review what people think works and what people don't think works, and make the Zenko better.
The Zenko laws are something that should be implemented IC, though. So, Relina and whoever her advisors are can get together and come up with new laws if they want.
The Wall: With the tower having fallen who knows how many years ago, I don't see the point of keeping that huge, gaping hole there. I would think someone would have gotten around to repairing it right now, especially since the Zenko is no longer under threat of spontaneous attack. It might be worth redesigning or even removing the wall to make the Zenko area appear less intimidating upon approach.
Nope, the wall stays.
From any standpoint, such wall would be an advantage. It makes it easier to keep unwanted people out, makes it easier to keep people in, it ties up with the landscape, and from an IC aspect, it would take a huge amount of work to tear that wall down.
The Broken Tower: Again, this has been there for some time, and I fail to understand the point of keeping the rubble around for this long. It would get in the way of daily traversal (It's either stumble over this, detour on the barracks balcony or walk through a pond) for the Zenko's inhabitants and, to me, is a waste of prims.
I do agree we can clear the rubble and make the entrance a little more neat.
The Alchemy Guild: If this is going to be a focal point of the magic teaching in the Zenko, I really, really think the guild should be given an actual building instead of a hovel.
Actually the whole "school of magic" was supposed to take place in that big-ass castle. If you ever been to an university campus, you'll notice different departments have different buildings. The castle would be the main building, and the alchemy would take place on the other building. It's also a good idea in case things go BOOM! Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
Baths: Could we have a lovely stairway somewhere instead of just a hole in the ground? XD
I've been for the longest time wanting to move the Zenko Springs down to the ground where we could use the actual sim water and all, but Ken and Erick were strong against the idea. Their reasons, the privacy that the current location offers. Perhaps we should re-visit this idea?
Tass!: With the focus shifting more towards tass and its spreading, I would LOVE to see a greater spread of tass in the area. I think additional crystal trees (perhaps replacing the mundane trees in the Zenko) and tass crystals creeping over the castle and across the grounds would look great.
SPOILER ALERT:
In case you haven't noticed, all trees in the Zenko were turning into giant tass crystals. The plan was to continue that trend.
General Architecture: I still would really like to see a unification of the Zenko's architecture under a set theme instead of a smattering of japanese (tea house) roman (arena) and european (castle).
Ok, this one I will put the blame entirely on Erick!
He couldn't settle for a style. One week he wanted Persian, another he wanted everything to be made of crystals, then it was Egyptian, then my TLotR tower of Orthanc, then Japanese, then we found that castle and he fell in love with it, but then he wanted an icy landscape (I guess the buildings would be igloos?)... It was very frustrating!
Of all structures in the Zenko currently, the only ones I insist on keeping are the wall and the castle. Unless someone puts together a REALLY DAMN GOOD proposal for re-doing the entire thing, the wall and the castle stay!
(but really damn good proposals are still welcome!)
Poll
