hugtopia_logs | ♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

a winter scene showing a line of houses, each a different colour, and a church in the background

January (Lasra) Event Log
Are you feeling free of last year's burdens, offworlders? The natives certainly are after spending the final month of the year at Rawna's temples. Now it's time for a new beginning even as the cold deepens, leaving snow drifts piled along Havenwell's streets. Industrious robots are hard at work keeping the city clean and removing any ice from the stone roads, leaving only beautiful winter scenery behind. The city sparkles under the snow and the silvery white decor brings out of their temples the priests not only for Rawna, but all of the gods.

❥ PROMPT I: The Temple Celebrations

lights decoring trees in front of a church

As noted in the Intro Log, the residents of Havenwell have been invited to help with the decorations in order to incorporate your worlds' cultures with their own, and to assist in celebrating the new year's coming. Residents are encouraged to visit any temple at their convenience or pleasure and join in the design process. There are craft tables, ranging from basic (for the younger or less skilled, such as kites or papercraft) to intricate and advanced designs (like glass lanterns or embroidery). Those less creatively-inclined are welcome to use their various skills, magics, or just ladder-balancing talents to help with the decoration installations around town. Many hands make light the work, after all.

Each temple has music playing and all of them have their associated animals not inside the temple like normal, but spread all over the temple grounds and surrounding areas. They aren't lost for once, but seem to be beckoning people toward their respective homes which are bedecked with holograms of dark green leafy boughs, ribbons, and ornaments all in the temple's colors. Diacht has red and white striped ornaments, Ohma has blue and gold, and Ainea is bringing up the cute factor with pink and purple. But Rawna is looking especially resplendent with rainbow sheened silver ornaments hung in the air, mixed in with real ones that are suspended from wires so thin they look as if they're hanging in midair. The dragonlings fly through the air, trailing silver ribbons behind them that make the temple really seem to shine this month. At each temple, simply by showing up, you can receive a small gift from the priests regardless of whether or not you're an adherent. And they invite you to play the temple games or dance along to the festive music playing from speakers. Each temple has something different to offer, so grab a friend and make your first visit of the year a special one!

Ainea:

Rawna:

Ohma:

Diacht:

❥ PROMPT II: Your Yearly (Mis)Fortunes

a hand pulling a fortune in front of a set of temple drawers

At each temple along all the other celebrations and games, you can also find a separate booth that has a strange and unreadable Aellyn script on it. The robot sitting behind the booth has their face covered with a strip of fabric that obscures it completely, but it calls out to you when you walk by. It offers you an ancient-looking wooden container with a single small hole at the top. If you take it, it mimes shaking the container and tipping it over. Do as they say and a wooden stick pops out of the top with that same strange script on it. The robot takes a look at what you got and takes the container back, passing you a single strip of paper with reverence. "Keep your fortune close or learn to let it go," it says, and then looks to find another patron. Turn your paper over and discover what your fortune holds for you.

Big Luck:

Medium Luck:

Small Luck:

Bad Luck:

Terrible Luck:

OOC: If you wish to roll for a random fortune, leave an comment with your character's name in the Request Thread. The mods will randomize for you and give you your fortune. Your character can only claim 1 fortune, no matter how many times they attempt the fortune-teller's game. Feel free to choose your own fortune instead, if you would prefer a set result.

❥ PROMPT III: Memories of the Sun (VR)

This seasonal VR simulation is especially popular with the natives for the fact that it lets them see their world as it used to be. Load into the simulation "Memories of the Sun" and you'll be transported along with all others who are currently logged in to make a pilgrimage up Aellyn's most sacred mountain. Although its peak is rocky and somewhat barren, it has a serene beauty as it reaches up through the cloud layer and you climb upwards through the dark. The path is clearly lit by small lamps embedded into the ground, but you might find it easier to take the climb if you hang onto someone else. Once you reach the peak, whether you're alone or with someone else, you'll be treated to the sight of a gorgeous sunrise peeking over the thinning clouds. It's a sight to remember, and a sight that brings memories. As you watch you're overcome with a very real vision of your home, a place you remember, or people you know. This vision is typically of a better time in your life, something to bring you hope and peace as the new year dawns - but not always. Is this a vision of your past? Your future? Of your present? If you came here with someone else, they can also choose to share in your vision and you in theirs. Are you brave enough to face what the mountain has to show you?

❥ PROMPT IV: All the Ups and Downs

And while the celebrations continue, there seems to be something a little awry with Havenwell. Here and there throughout the month, gravity has gone utterly haywire. You can be walking from temple to temple or going about your everyday life when suddenly you feel yourself lifted off the ground or heavier than you have any right to be. Havenwell's natives aren't immune to this effect either, and you might see a robot go shooting up into the sky suddenly to hover a good five to ten feet in the air. Or they might take a step and suddenly fall flat on their faces, their gears whirring with the strain as they try to pick themselves up. Thankfully the other natives are quick to jump up and grab their companions if they're flying overhead or pull their friends out of the well if they're stuck to the ground. If you find yourself caught up in these gravity wells, you'll need someone's help to do the same. Be sure to pay it forward because you'll never know when it could be you in this awkward position.

This event will run from January 15 to January 31. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread below.

This post is meant to act as a catch-all for convenience, but feel free to make your own posts if you prefer!

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, ignorance is bliss I guess.

[And Wiz is going to be a great surrogate mom, along with all her new chocobo brothers and sisters- she won't know what she's missing.]

I hope she stays safe, at least. We won't be around for a while to keep her away from roaming Behemoths.

I have faith she'll do just fine. No doubt you took care to leave her in capable hands.

Definitely with the pros. If we didn't have so much going on, I'd have loved to stay longer.

[Royal responsibilities are awfully inconvenient sometimes.]

You ever seen a black chocobo before?

[ She cranes her neck, the look in her eyes still playful. ] Guess.

[ He better have seen that coming. Hey, they have a walk ahead of them; might as well pass the time. ]

[ Okay. Even if this game is suddenly now training time, at least it wouldn't be as bad as trying to acquire the Full Focus Breathing technique... or at least that's what Zenitsu hopes.

The first serve being light, it's not that difficult for Zenitsu to return the hit. Since he's not as panicked as before, his hit isn't going all over the place, but he's hoping he's not going to get scolded for not trying hard enough. ]

We have not witnessed anyone touching them. As for the rest, it is difficult to say. It seems as though in some months the change is more apparent than in others. It's current state has seemed this way for some time now.

[ One can't be on top of these things all the time. Other considerations had come in the way before returning to the statues, as it was. ]

[ It is the exhaustion that envelopes Era first — the tiredness of a day well spent. She watches a young prince curled up with his matron, drowsiness settling in, halfway to slumber when the woman speaks soft reassurances in his ear.

'A pity he couldn't make it today.'

When can he ever? Not today or yesterday or tomorrow. Promises mean nothing if they're not kept, and their father never keeps them. If he really wanted to he could make time. If he really cared, he would.

Instead they're left feeling bitter, abandoned, and alone. All they have is the Crownsguard, and it's not like they really care either — it's their job to keep them safe, until they're grown up enough to finally be useful.

They close their eyes, deciding to sleep instead of listen to further platitudes (it's not like they haven't heard them all before, anyway), but then the car ahead of them bursts into flames—

☘

—it hurts.

They're drenched in warm liquid that glistens in the firelight. The heavy weight of a body is draped across them, still as death while the world around them is quiet chaos. Long hair brushes against their skin and they look up, finally seeing the cause of all this.

A giant snake with the head of a woman and six arms each wielding a blade soaked in crimson.

It's not safe.

They need to run.

They try, but their legs won't move. They can't feel their legs, no matter how much they will them to. They're afraid. So afraid. Are they dying? They must be. It feels like they are. They're dying, and alone.

They don't want to be alone.

They don't want to die.

—help

Help me—

The snake-woman's blades are met by flashes of light that they feel resonate in their blood.

Dad.

Daddy's here.

There's a terrifying scream that fills the air, and they're jostled as the Crownsguard close ranks around them. They can still peek between their silhouettes, seeing their father in the distance, enraged and steadfast as he fights the daemon back. It fights back in turn, but is no match for the power of the kings — the power of their father.

They want to cheer him on. To be able to watch in more than small snippets stolen from between their guards' forms.

But there is darkness creeping through them, squeezing and constricting and they never knew you could feel darkness. Never knew it could hurt so much... It hurts. It hurts so much. They want to call out for their daddy but they can't find their voice through all of the pain and the dark.

They still can't feel their legs. They can't feel much of anything anymore.

But their father is suddenly here, leaning over them, pulling them close in an embrace they can't feel. Not with the darkness pulling at them. It pulls and pulls, dragging them away from their father's care.

They're scared. They don't want to go. They want to stay with their father.

Dad—

☘

—they wake to soft fur and a sweet voice gently nuzzling them until they sit upright. They don't know what this is, but it's nice, and they want to play.

someone doesn't want you to wake up.

They feel pretty awake right now. Aren't they awake?

It doesn't matter.

They're in a new, exciting world and have a friend to join in their adventures. They play together with their friend, fighting off foes like the heroes in their story books (like their dad) until they reach the end of their journey.

They don't want to say goodbye to their friend, but the Regalia is there and the monsters are all gone and they want to see their father again. They say their goodbyes, crawl into their safe place, and soak in the familiar, comforting smells.

They close their eyes, curling up on the plush fabric, and wait for their father to find them.

☘

—they wake up again, though this time they're truly awake. Their father is sitting vigil at their bedside, clasping their hand with weary fingers.

Their father smiles, eyes crinkling, face full of relief. His mask of royalty gone, replaced with something soft and aching that they've never seen on him before.

'Noct… I won't let anyone hurt you.'

Another promise, but unlike all the countless others made only to be broken, this is one they know their father will keep. He holds them as if he couldn't bear to ever let go, even for a second. Like they are the most precious thing in the world to him. Like they matter above all else.

They still can't feel their legs. They are tired, and sore, and there is a sickness that lingers, deep and discomfiting.

But they aren't alone. They're safe.

Dad's here.

And he doesn't seem to ever want to leave them again. ]

☘☘☘

[ When they wake yet again it's with a sharp intake of breath, sudden and shaky, warm arms holding them, and the sensation of movement. As they— Era tries to fully extricate herself from memories and feelings not all her own, groggy and confused, she mumbles a quiet: ]

...Dad?

[ Her accent and inflection are a closer match to Noct's than her own. Once the sound reaches her horns it startles her, shaking off much of the remaining mental fog. ]

Noct?

[He almost misses her voice, so quiet and unlike her that it could have been in his own head. The follow-up - his name - clues him into reality, however, and he stops walking for a moment to check on her.]

Hey, you're awake! Are you okay?

[Wait, did she just call him Noct.]

...Sorry.

[ She shifts, uncomfortable; a lingering sense of malaise not her own. It will pass soon, she knows, but that doesn't lessen the feeling of vulnerability being rendered immobile causes her. ]

I'll be okay. I was merely struck by some visions.

Visions... got it. It's okay.

[He doesn't know what exactly she means, but his tone betrays the fact that he genuinely understands. He'd collapsed a few times back home under the same condition, after all.]

Want me to put you down, or keep moving? I was gonna take you to Ardyn's place...

[Now that she's conscious she can direct him to wherever she'd like, though.]

It... really is all puns...

[ Well, she'll just have to concede to her situation for now. She has snuck into his VR headset and while it's a little strange being on one side of it, she can actually see some of what he does. ]

What is this, Zenitsu-san?

If it's not too much trouble, I would appreciate seeing Ardyn.

[ He is well acquainted with the Echo by now, and if she's honest with herself she would like to see him after yet another 'episode'. He understands her growing concern more than anyone else. ]

I can't feel my legs right now.

Edited 2020-01-23 07:32 (UTC)

What? You didn't even fall that far!

[That is way to concerning a thing to say in that calm a tone! He starts walking again, picking up the pace while trying not to jostle her too much, in case he missed some horrible injury that could now be made worse by carting her around like this.]

That's... really bad. Ardyn's a healer, I bet he can fix it...!

[ Belatedly, Era realizes why that was perhaps not the best thing to say just then. ]

It's not a physical injury — it will go away soon enough. Likely just a few minutes more, as I shake off the remnants of your childhood.

[ Which is also probably not the best thing to say, but she's a bit. Preoccupied. With disentangling Noct's memories from her own. ]

[Kiwi was just on their way to Rawna's temple for the games, themself, so Pyra is in luck after all! They quickly notice the pile of dragons, and the arm desperately flailing for air. They attempt to push through the pile, but find they can only really climb on top of it to reach Pyra's hand.]

Hey, come on guys, give her a little room?

[They...don't listen to them. So Kiwi just reaches to grab onto Pyra's hand to at least pull her up out of the pile???]

[....

Yeah, that one's gonna net her a long, uncomfortable silence and a few faltered half-steps. And then, in an equally unsteady tone-]

My childhood?

[C... can you clarify, please...]

[ Ah. ]

Um.

[ It was awkward enough explaining this the first two times, and with those she wasn't being carried.

Her tail, at least, begins to move once more, twitching with the unpleasant mix of guilt and discomfort that bubbles in her chest. ]

The Echo is an ability that breaks down the barriers of souls. The most common manifestation of it is the ability to see some memories of another.

[ She makes a small gesture toward her legs with a hand. With effort, she manages to shift a thigh enough that it's barely apparent yet still detectable. ]

Or experience them, in my case.

[ There was no way he was going to let Zenitsu sleep on the floor again, not when he knows he's out of options of a real bed because it keeps shrinking.

But then a thought crosses his mind. They could just share a bed, couldn't they? And if it shrinks, at least Tanjiro could be a makeshift bed or cushion for Zenitsu to sleep on. He turns his friend around before placing another hand on his shoulder. ]

I have an idea, why don't you sleep with me, instead?

[Oh.

Oh, gods.

Carefully he averts his gaze, feeling just as awkward as she does, with the truth of it out in the open. Not just a vision. A vision of him, of some part of his past. He tries to keep a tight restraint on his expression, concealing his sudden distress as best he can under the circumstances.]

...What... what did you see...?

[He knows, of course, at least in part. "I can't feel my legs," she'd said. That's a pretty solid clue about what fragment of his life that she'd witnessed. But knowing how much is suddenly very important to him.]

Huh? Why?

[ das gay Tanjiro. ]

It's fine, I don't wanna trouble you. I'm pretty sure you got used to the smell, but you wouldn't want someone else's smell so close, right...?

[ Even with that, though, a yawn escapes Zenitsu's mouth. ] ...Imma go sleep now...

[ The drowsiness is overwhelming, maybe he can actually sleep soundly even on the floor this time! ]

He didn't make it to the festival like he promised. He always broke his promises, so you weren't surprised. He didn't care enough to keep them.

You were falling asleep in the Regalia.

There was an explosion. Fire.

A giant serpent loomed with the torso of a woman bearing six arms with six blades.

Your father fought it, then rushed to you. He held you as the darkness crept in. Everything hurt... So badly, it hurt. But you couldn't feel your legs, then you felt nothing else.

[ She cannot detach herself from the retelling just yet, having lived through it just a short while ago. Her voice is thready with emotion, catching on certain moments. ]

Then there was Carbuncle, and a fanciful dream. A journey to your safe place and then the waking world, where your father waited.

He made a promise to you then, and you knew this would be the rare one that he kept. You felt safe, and cared for, and like everything would be okay because Dad was there with you...

...And that was all.

[ Her temporary immobility is a blessing in disguise, rendering it too much effort to force a hug on the boy. ]

Oh this? Apparently it's some Vee-Arr thing that lets you pretend you're somewhere else. This time, they're having us go up to the top of the mountain for a real nice sunrise.

[ The slight awkwardness from the outside noise coming in while Cyan climbed in immediately goes away as the helmet adjusts for the both of them and Zenitsu has to re-acclimate his hearing again. ]

[ His demeanor changes from nonchalant to his usual goofy self after this though... ]

Did Cyan-chan want to go look at the sunrise with me? You can stay on my shoulder while we make our way to the top of the mountain!

[ This is arguably the safest place for her tiny body. ]

Oh! Virtual Reality, or VR! It's amazing! [ She giggles, then clutches onto his collar then hair a bit to adjust herself. ]

Mm! That sounds nice. All the payoff with none of the sweat, right? [ She does have to try and stay sat up so she can see in. ] Let's go, Zenitsu-san!

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♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

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Debating how soon she'd drop a nickname on someone.