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!

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I was stronger before, but these 'gods' stole away many memories. I have so few, and yet they took them still. [ Part of why she hates them so much. ] My partner told me I was almost as reknowned for healing as heroics.

[ She thinks it would be nice, to remember that. And it makes sense, given the entries she found in her old digital journal and how much she loves medicine.

But, regardless—]

I have already surpassed them. Now I need to keep refining and creating new spells.

They do push at us, to shape us for the parameters of their world.

[ Era must be quite powerful indeed, to be so meddled with on a greater scale. To be limited and to feel your limits... yes, she understands this very well. Though in her own case, she wonders if her own limits are for the better. Not so, for this Era, who feels less herself for them. ]

Memory... is precious. I am sorry that has happened to you.

[ Lose enough and you become someone else. ]

It is disgusting, what they do. What they demand. [ There is no doubt in her mind that they are demands, considering the horrid 'incentives' that arise each moon. She has tried to fight this month's on her own, stubborn as ever, but has finally resigned herself to needing Hades' help. ]

Were we all permitted freedom, and were I not so crippled by them, their world would be infinitely closer to being saved.

[ This bothers her as much as the rest of it all does. The fact that she could help, yet is so forcefully prevented from doing so, all the while they 'ask' for her to do so.

It both makes her and drives her mad.

Era sighs, placing her tail back as a barrier around Honerva. The sag of her shoulders and tired curve of her spine speaks of someone with far more years than she has, yet there is no denying that she is young. ]

In my world, I first awoke with no memories at all. Two decades of memories just... gone. I was twenty-one summers old then, and in my last memory of home I approach twenty-seven. Here, I have only four years of memory.

I don't understand... Why? Why did they take them away? Why did they still seek to drag me here, with such fervor that they tore at my very soul?

[ Placing her face in her hands, Era sighs again; a damp, shaky exhalation of breath. She shifts her palms enough that her mouth is uncovered, allowing her to speak clearly. ]

My apologies, Honvera.

It has grown more difficult as of late, without access to any enrichment beyond what they demand of us, and a virtual reality I cannot use even were I so inclined. If things continue as they are, with little stimulation beyond physical affection and intimacy, everyone's health will soon suffer for it.

... You need not apologize. You have lost much.

[ Honerva is ever suited as a listener. There is as much that Era speaks of that is relatable more than not. There are so many complexities to be found in individual situations. It is important, to hear these stories from others. To be more aware of the world, and how individuals struggle.

She remembers too well a time when she was incapable of doing so. And with her situation as it now, she cannot afford to have anger at how things are, knowing all she might lose if something more were to go wrong. What her anger might be like then, she does not know but she fears it.

Why would always be a question that could only be met with unsatisfactory answers. They had been here for some months now, and while few of them could manage dealing with the circumstances and adapt as they needed to, there was little to be found for others less suited, those always driven by purpose who could not manage the idleness. ]

Your feelings are... valid. These gods and even the people here... they still do not yet understand how our needs should be met, when their concern is for what output they gain, and not for the individuals they effect with their intent.

[ And it is because she does understand from a position of being driven only to taking and taking and giving little thought to those who might suffer for it. The push for energy at all cost, instead of a focus that may be beneficial for all parties. She had not known any better. Perspective, however. ]

We do not know how long they have simply survived on their same programmed cycles, that they have fully forgotten what it means to have a living body with requirements. Or a lack of understanding that their programmed fantasy cannot replace... everything for us, even if they think they have made us comfortable. This must be addressed.

I do not believe these gods seek to save their world. There are too many things that don't quite add up.

[ Era has ever worked from a position of giving. Giving and giving and giving, all that she has and more, to the detriment of herself. How can she help the most people? What can she do for them? Never has she been wont to consider what someone might do for her. ]

I am not skilled with people, nor politics. I haven't a head for the complexities of it all. My partner... He is incredibly talented in that regard, and is seeking to resolve many of the failings. My own focus is shifting to establishing some form of medical infrastructure.

He is the only thing in this world that brings me any form of contentment. I need more than a doomed romance.

[ She rubs at her face. Sighs. ]

What of you?

We still know too little of them to grasp their larger picture.

[ The world was in dire need of something, but if there truly was no other source of energy for it beyond what was generated within this barrier, how could it hope to sustain itself without constantly needing to bring in others? Yet all they could truly do was weigh theory with their previous experiences.

This consideration distracts from the fact that Era has directed a question toward her. It is a fair question, although she is not certain of which aspect she is speaking of. Her skills? What brings her contentment in this world? So, she asks. ]

... Myself? In what way do you mean?

What do you need?

[ A pause, and then— ]

...Apart from a lift elsewhere, that is.

[ Ah. A simple, yet weighted question. While she may have worked from a position of taking, it had never been for herself; it had been all for whom she had once served, devotedly, as a conduit might, for that had been her purpose.

That had changed. ]

... My family. As long as we remain together, I dare not protest these circumstances too much.

[ Family... She can understand that. It's what has always kept her going, when duty was not quite enough on it's own. Family. ]

Then I am glad for you, Honerva. To have your family with you... It is a precious gift.

[ They were precious, and their presence here must not be taken for granted. ]

... Thank you. I am grateful for them.

[ For an extremely unlucky person, to meet them when she had, and more to be able to refer to them in this way, and to still have contact with them now. It truly was a gift. ]

They are more vocal about their needs, but they seem more used to having to adapt to these situations. And to... assisting.

[ She hums a small note of understanding. ]

My own family is much the same.

Would you like to speak more about them?

[ If not, her tone implies that she won't press further; she understands how such a subject could be deemed too sensitive, especially if they were missed. Still, they had some time here, even if disadvantaged from the state the fortunes left them in. ]

About... how you came to be a family.

[ There is a great deal she could say in answer, but there would never be the words to truly explain it. ]

We were forged by countless hardships.

[ She sets her hand down near Honerva, palm up, silently offering to fulfill her promise of ferrying her to the café. ]

It was not until recently that they began treating me as family in turn.

[ ... What a weighted statement. It resonated with what Era had said during a previous talk. Valued more, perhaps, for what she could do, what she represented, to be taken advantage of... ]

When were you able to recognize that... change?

[ At the offering, she gratefully moves closer, although instead of climbing up onto Era's hand, she disappears and within the second reappears within the center of her palm, a lightness that might easily be thrown by an errant breeze. She carefully sinks into a crouch in the effort to brace against any sudden movement. ]

[ With Alphinaud it was easy, because he had told the Chais that she was his family. Likewise, Alisaie had always cared more than the others. But with the exception of the twins... ]

When they put my health above their own convenience.

[ Era cups her other hand carefully around the back of her palm, providing some more solid shelter from any stray breezes, and extra security should the woman lose her balance. ]

My horn should provide adequate grip, if you would prefer sitting to being carried.

[ The ability to put another first... a concept she had not truly known until recently, herself. Others should have known better. She can tell by the tone that even this had not been an affront to Era; she had already deemed herself less, and it was not a reciprocation she had expected or waited for, still it was a blessing. To have family, to know. ]

That... is powerful.

[ But, for her question... ]

If you find that way to be more convenient, and if it would provide you no discomfort, then I have no objection.

[ Especially since they were having a conversation; and better yet for someone like Era to have her arms free. ]

[ Her expression flickers briefly to one of petulant irritation. ]

It was frustrating. They told me to rest, but I could have still helped.

[ She lifts Honerva to the base of her horn, calm and steady. ]

Just be sure to jump should you feel yourself return to normal.

They would have known that it was likely could have done more, whatever your state, because that is how you are. And yet, they put you first. And you allowed it.

[ So, she's not changing her statement, though she quiets for a moment as the steady lift commences, finding the space to tuck herself in neatly and take hold. For all the conversation detailing Auri structure, she did not expect to have this close and personal a perspective of it. ]

Kova will follow you.

[ Era is familiar, and he's had time to make friends with Carbuncle. ]

I was dying an agonizing death that would bring further calamity upon the world. They forced me to rest, which was likely for the better, but sitting idly by was a torture all its own.

[ She frowns in remembrance, hating how she had to force herself to sleep to avoid going mad with inactivity. Havenwell tortures her in a similar way, but at least her soul isn't cracking apart. ]

Is the café set to open soon?

[ Era never seemed to hold back on telling her situation exactly how it was... and certainly, with that gravity that came with it. She knew all too well the lengths one might go, to save... ]

For one such as you, to feel imposed idleness when you know that all hangs in the balance... that must have been difficult, even with the knowledge of their care for you.

[ But she had carried on that much in her suffering before they could finally see it and try to do something. The cafe is a much lighter topic. ]

I do not yet know when, but it is drawing closer. Lup has a vision, and so it is all a matter of where the rest comes together.

[ Era lifts a hand as she walks, waggling her fingers in parody of casting magic. ]

I know a sleeping spell that came in use during that time.

I imagine there will be festivities once it's open?

With Lup and Taako involved, it would not be anything less. With their experience, they are knowledgeable about the handling of such events.

[ Especially if the small party they'd shared was anything to go by; Lup's small yet generous preview of her intentions, shared with them. ]

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♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

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