Tropoi Trip

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Hello there!!!

Kaiya here... I've been given the opportunity to write all about a little visit to Tropoi that Cindy, Skye and I embarked on. It was really fun! We had to protect some very expensive precious jewellery... Before I get started though there's some exciting dress up game updates that I've also been given the opportunity to share! 

🐺DRESS UPDATE🐺

1. First things first, we've made some changes to your inventory so that it's a lot neater and tidier! 
2. Added a scroll bar for clothing categories that need it. This'll make it easier to dress up your character now! No more scrolling down the page and leaving your character behind. 
3. Managed the thumbnail images for clothing so that they're all a consistent size and will continue to be so as more clothing is added.
4. Second... Cindy's dress up game is officially completed! For now... There's her Halloween costume but it didn't feel right to release it just yet... As this is a story post we'll save you the specifics and let you discover the new items on their own. Enjoy!

Of course with Cindy's game now being complete... That can only mean one thing... More characters are on the way! As of writing there's three people in the photo booth preparing. You'll see a few changes with future additions. For example, expect to see way less variants of clothing! With the newly added palette feature there's not really any need for them now... But we'll try to give greyscale and regular variants at the very least so that you can play around with them. We also want to release more characters and as such you can expect launches to be quite minimal in clothing... This is so that when we make new clothing updates multiple characters can be included! It's nice to have variety. 

Oh! we've also added 5 new backgrounds for you to switch between!

With that out of the way... We can now start our story!

❄️TROPOI TRIP❄️

So... Have you heard about the jewellery store Glacio? They've been in the press recently as they're selling a coveted diamond necklace for an absurd price. It's all gotten rather hysterical... There's been multiple attempted break-ins to the store! They've got state of the art security patrolling the mall at all times, but that wasn't enough for Cindy and Skye... 

Skye came bursting into the tea room about a week ago with a letter in hand. It had a photo of the necklace on surrounded by darkness with "It's to die for..." written above in an eerie cursive font. The crew didn't think all that much of it but Cindy was fully convinced that it was a threat and they headed for their snow gear and got ready to set off... Not before asking me to tag along too! I wasn't sure at all to be honest... Other than my incident with Leon, I haven't really been on the field... The duo promised to keep me safe though and Scott assured me that there wasn't going to be any danger. They said we could do some shopping after and that I would be a good companion as I am an arctic fox... I agreed to go with them as I'd never been to the mall before and figured it was about time to get some fresh air. 

Here we are! Isn't Tropoi wonderful? Most people tend to think otherwise as the snow is rather unbareable apparently, but I really like it. It's my element. I may not have grown up here, but my fur's definitely suited for it. You can see the statue of Cecila in the background! She was a social pariah from many moons ago and helped so many people through their struggles. The statue is entirely made out of ice and has been standing for decades! The snow never stops in Tropoi. 

Can you spot Cindy and Skye in the back? They were trying to figure out the directions to Glacio but Skye couldn't hear Cindy under all those layers, hehe! After some shouting back and forth we were all able to get inside and unlayer a little. The mall was so sprawling and overwhelming... Very much not my cup of tea honestly. I expressed how out of my depth I was and they reassured me that this place wasn't much of their style either... Cindy said she's not that interested in the finer things in life and just likes to please her parents whilst Skye encouraged us to play the part to get what we needed. Should I be telling you this? Um... I'll let them cut this out if they need to. Anyway... We followed various semi-functioning signposts and found our way to Glacio where we were about to be vigorously patted down until the staff recognised Cindy and backed away. 

There it is... the necklace! It is rather pretty, but not for that price... Absurd... I was feeling increasingly uncomfortable over trying to act nonchalant so stepped outside to message Rufus and update them on the situation. I heard Cindy talking to the manager about the situation and after a mumbled "sure, do whatever you like" Cindy and Skye firmly placed themselves over the necklace, taking turns to step aside and look for clues. I was about to let Rufus know that everything was going smoothly until I heard them both yelling to a customer! I stepped in to witness an argument that I will transcribe to the best of my ability:

CINDY: "Hey, you there. Planning to buy this necklace?"

CUSTOMER: "Well-"

SKYE: "Of course you're not. You're after something else aren't you... Perhaps someone's LIFE?!?!"

CUSTOMER: "What?!?"

CINDY: "DON'T PLAY COY WITH US! We know what you're planning to do. We've got our eyes on you, buddy!"

The customer scurried off, pushing me in the process which only set them off further! Oh boy, it's so embarassing but they've told me to tell the story as it was, blemishes and all, hehe... They were pushed back by a hoard of security and then confronted by the manager who had the letter shoved in her face. She simply scoffed at it! Apparently it was just a mere promotional advertisement that they'd been sending out to customers. Realising the threat was imaginary, we all took our awkward leave... If you're reading this staff at Glacio, sorry for the kerfuffle!

As we navigated through the mall's maze Cindy asked me if I wanted to do any shopping but I really wasn't in the mood nor could I afford anything with the prices they were asking. Skye said that I should treat myself, especially as I'm with the Planet Protectors and that I deserved to treat myself for all the hard work I'd been doing. It took me by surprise in honesty, me? hard work? I said that my work was nothing compared to what everyone else on and around the team were doing but Cindy was quick to put me in my place and give me a stern pep talk! She told me that my hard work hadn't gone unnoticed and that everybody who works for the Planet Protectors, big or small are vital to keeping the organisation running and without everyone working together she and the other fighters on the field wouldn't be able to do what they do. Skye chimed in too, saying that all the paperwork I do is important, whether it's a log of everyone's health, organising our budgets and recording Velocity propoganda each piece of paper goes towards ensuring the ship keeps fighting towards the evil of the galaxy. I was rather speechless as is and blushing like a rose but Cindy finished me off by letting me know that whilst I might think that I'm only offering someone a cup of tea, that small gesture can mean the difference to an exhausted fighter feeling crushed by the burdens. 

She put her hand firmly on my shoulder and told me I mattered. 

I hadn't felt so overwhelmed and full of love for quite some time... Thanking them profusely, I said that I would much rather have a little walk in the local forest as opposed to being dazzled by the upper crusts at the mall.

Just look at this place! Nobody who lives here remembers the lake that once stood here. It's a well frozen pond now that'll never break thanks to all of the layers it's piled up over the centuries. I took a deep breath and we all sat for a moment to soak in the crisp smell of pine through our noses. Yes, this was much more my scene. I expressed my gratitude for the forest; even on a planet overrun with capitalism and elitism there's still a space for nature to thrive. Cindy and Skye agreed with me and expressed their frustration at Tropoi's practices. A place that excludes people for their class and wealth is not a place any of us want part in. Being around here... Whilst it's one of the safest places to be from Velocity, it couldn't help but remind me of them. They're capitalism and elitism to the max and being around those two things in any form make me angry... I'm really not the type to be angry either! 

We lamented over this thought... Higher life may have it's luxuries but it's often at an expense and should be something society strives for, not just those with big wealth. At least here in our positions we can lead by example and be the eco warriors that the galaxy desperately needs! Cindy's eager to take down Velocity as soon as possible so that the economy can come crashing down to a respectable degree. You better watch out, Sabre! 

Cindy got a call from Scott and was needed back at the ship again, so it was time to go home. On the way back, Cindy told us that whilst it's going to be a long and tough process they know that we will all succeed if we stick together. With our second pep talk laid down, Skye charged forward. "What are we waiting for? Back to work!"

Hope you enjoyed our little story! We've updated Tropoi's section on the Planets page to include the photos in this blog post. I've been told that the next blog post will contain some exciting new dress up news, so I hope we see you again soon!

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