♥ February (Nalom) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

February Event Log
It's the last month devoted to Rawna, and winter is winding down. You'd think that this would matter to them, but none of the priests of Rawna seem to care at all. If asked, they will simply explain that they are "fasting"... not for food, or entertainment, but their capacity to care. The 3rd and final month of the dragonlord emphasizes the apathy aspect of the god's alignment, and followers are encouraged to just chill and not let life bother them for a while.

This doesn't seem to have stopped the rest of the community, however. Seems they've caught wind of there being a particular fluffy holiday taking place in the second month of the year on certain worlds and have decided to adopt it for themselves as something of a test drive. Nalom is usually so boring, after all! And if it helps their unfortunate trapped visitors feel a little more at home, well, they're happy to give back if they can. Thus, there are fresh displays in local businesses, custom shops, and pop-up cafes, offering discounts and deals for people who shop or dine together. You are the only ones who can support the gods in these dark days, and you need a partner to do that! So this month they are celebrating YOU.

Happy Va... Valen... Saint's... happy Nalom!

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❥ PROMPT I: They Call Him Lakemin, King Of Soft Hugs

Once a day, all through the city, there will be a distinct robot wandering through. It's large, looks almost like a marshmallow, and seems to be there just to hug your character. Isn't that sweet? If you find him in inclement weather, he'll happily keep you company, even keep you warm or dry if necessary! Really, though, you can find him anywhere. All hugs are sweet and soft, though those less… hug-inclined… may receive a surprise embrace instead. If you don't like it, he will be very apologetic! They're testing a new technology, you see. What technology, you might ask? Well, let's see how it goes first. Just enjoy the good squishes for now.

When you return home, there's a small weather-proof box by the door. Opening it, there's a small plush of this Marshmallow-bot with a name embroidered on it. Only problem is, it isn't your name. Whoops! Someone must have been in a rush to deliver these and put them in the wrong place. Time to find who this plush belongs to, maybe they'll have yours! Or maybe they can direct you to the right person. Either way, what is there to lose? Nothing, of course! There's just the strange compulsion to see to it that this plush get home and you pass on those warm, cozy, hugs that Marshmallow-bot gave you.

❥ PROMPT II: This is How You Valentine

The information that the residents have received about Valentine's Celebrations might be a little… iffy… or at the very least sporadic, but they're trying a few experiments to see if it'll help get people in the mood. The following changes can be discovered around town, with varying effects:

• Conversation hearts
Found in display bowls at the counter of local businesses, characters who eat these candies find their vision becoming rose-tinted. Quite literally. Colors aren't erased by it but there's a definite effect as if they are seeing the world through some kind of film filter, the shade of which can vary depending on the person. Maybe you see different colors! Maybe you see some bizarre kind of Snapchat filter. Maybe you see dialogue appearing in text bubbles now. The effect can be alleviated/cured (at player's discretion) by leaning against someone for an extended amount of time, which is convenient, because the sudden shift in visuals can make you feel a little dizzy.


• Roses
A few members of the community council are handing out flowers! These aren't naturally grown, of course, as with how delicate a process is it they don't want to jeopardize the botanical gardens by removing an excess of them. However, these are made out of synthetic silks but smell like real ones and have just as soft a feeling without any thorns! Isn't that nice of them?

When your character receives one, they're filled with the gentle, warm sensation of being in love but without falling hard. And they'll want to share it. People who share similar features to your CR, even if it's something subtle like hair color or a piece of clothing, will jump out as someone to share this flower with. This comes with the urge to express some unfortunately cheesy lines about the other person… and while they don't have to be romantic, even the most platonic of lame comments can get you in hot water. Hope the rose is worth it!


• Wines and Fruit Juices
What goes with cheesy compliments better than wine? These are found only in the temples, and with a priest always nearby to ensure no one is drinking the alcoholic drinks underage or becomes too inebriated to be safe. No matter how it looks or smells, these will taste just as your character likes and will always be the perfect temperature! Handy! But boy, after even a small glass, it sure does feel like cuddle weather, doesn't it? Don't worry though, it isn't anything that would make your character get too inappropriate or do anything outside their comfort zone. But boy, wouldn't it be nice to lay your head on someone for a bit?


• Chocolate truffles
Good morning! Every residence will wake up at least one day with a small box of chocolate truffles in a box at their doorstep. Some are plain, some decorated, and the decorations range from simple white chocolate drizzle to fancy elaborate planets or galaxy speckles. No matter what the flavor, there's an urge to share them with someone. That's all! Go and spread that chocolatey delight! It's extra-satisfying to feed it to them yourself, for some reason...

❥ PROMPT III: Kreative Kompetition

No matter what the month, the world still spins, and businesses run, which means that the VR Cafes have been working on new games. This time, the theme is friendly competition! The following games are now available at the local cafes:

• Kart Racing:
Pick a kart and get out there! You'll be provided with everything you need, of course, since even virtual reality observes safety requirements. On the track, you'll be able to pick up comically large and squishy 'weapons' and obstacles. Nothing that will hurt but a cream pie to the face sure does make it hard to keep up! You can race against friends, strangers, or even find yourself in a whole grand prix.


• Kapture the Flag:
You and your opponent are tasked with capturing the other's flag. No holds barred! You can move and hide your own flag, plant traps around it, even carry it around with you! Can you find a way to disguise it? That's an option! Whatever you do, once your opponent gets it, you'll receive a message alerting you that your flag has disappeared. Don't let them get it back to their base!

Once a game has concluded, win or lose, both players will be rewarded with coupons for a free meal for two at one of the local cafes around town. Matching up the coupons gets a bonus dessert! It's not necessary to match them, but why wouldn't you?

❥ PROMPT IV: Gentle Trembling of the Toes

In the last few days of the month, something begins to happen: a very gentle rumble reverberates throughout the city, an earthquake small enough to not cause any damage, but large enough to be felt. The timing of it is sporadic, but it happens once a day. The sensation will typically last for anywhere between 10-30 seconds before dissipating as if it never occurred at all.

Around town, characters may also notice something curious- each time one of those tremors occur, many of the robotic residents in town will immediately stop, find a partner, and link arms while standing back to back with one another, clinking their heads together. They stand that way for a while, even after the tremors subside, until at last they say their farewells and move on. If asked, rather than alarmed, the town natives are tentatively optimistic, even excited in some cases: the quakes are a message, a gentle warning, but of what they don't yet know. It's been so long since a public declaration from their deities was made, due to their diminished presence in the world and the decline of the planet. The priests are especially eager, bustling about in their temples trying to prepare for whatever might happen, but no one seems to know exactly what, or when, the next step will occur. The doors exiting out of town are being reinforced, and the guards have doubled up their patrols and will be especially vigilant about explorers going too close to the walls around the city. Most people at least know this much: do as they do, when the tremors hit, and you'll understand a little better.

Characters that link up for long enough during one of the quakes can receive one of following messages in their heads:
1) "Change is coming." this message is passive, almost like a greeting.
2) "We thank you for all you have done." this message is softer, almost apologetic.
3) "We shall do all we can to keep you safe." this message is gentle, almost parental in its affection.
4) "Share your bounty and your joy." this message is kind and encouraging, tugging you toward people you may not have met yet.
5) "Remember to keep the balance." this message is plaintive, but without urgency.
6) "Do not approach the walls." this message is LOUD, insistent, and the most frequently transmitted.

The voice that conveys these messages is a collective of multiple, speaking in synchronization but at inconsistent volumes. Multiple links (eg. different threads) can receive multiple messages, and characters do not have to hear the same message as their partner.

This occurrence is also ONGOING. The quakes will continue until it is announced in the near future when they end. Stay tuned!

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This event (aside from Prompt IV) will run from February 11th to 25th. 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 on the Plotting Post.

Comments

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Not a bother, he really does seem to be cautiously on-board with this, which is still firmly on-board.]

Right, back-to-back. [So, let him just turn around and wait for her to do the same before lightly taking a hold of Kyoko's hands.] Like this, I think?

[daikonrose]

Um, yes, and-- [ Kyoko is turning around obligingly, gingerly slipping her hands into his. Gosh, this is really kind of a weird set-up, huh. ] --and--don't they all have their heads together? So--

[ She'll just carefully tip her head back a touch, trying not to bang. There we go? ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[You're doing great, you guys.

Except for - hang on just a second, Kyoko's a bit taller than Shinji. Carefully, he lifts his heels up off the ground, up until their heads meet with a gentle 'bonk' rather than any sort of less gentle 'crack!'

And it looks like they've nailed the position, because now? Now it is broadcast time.]

I forgot how much of a shortie he is 8')

[daikonrose]

[ Oh huh, where is he? Should she tilt her head back further, actually? Would she. be able. to reach him?

Thankfully Shinji moves before Kyoko decides to thunk her head backwards in search of his, so they're all set for B r o a d c a s t T i m e .

We thank you for all you have done.

It's the voices that jar her, of course. How was she supposed to anticipate something like that? How is she even supposed to take it? What? What?? Kyoko doesn't actually gasp, but her mouth works wordlessly, eyes going round under sharply furrowed brows. Without even noticing, her nails bite into the backs of Shinji's hands. ]

Raises my hand about a foot off the ground. Short.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[B R O A D C A S T T I M E

'Change is coming'

It's not what he was expecting to happen at all, and both the message itself, as well as the delivery method - so many voices speaking as one, straight into his head - catches him completely off-guard. It's enough to make him feel like the breath has been sucked right out of his lungs, and contrary to Kyoko's grip tightening, his goes slack in her hands.

Moreover, Shinji kind of... freezes in place, eyes wide and visibly shaken, not that either of them can really see how spooked the other may be at the moment. His mind's reeling enough from the everything of it all that the jabbing of her nails doesn't even really register. So that's. neat.]

[daikonrose]

[ Luckily, Shinji doesn't actually need to offer up any reactions for Kyoko to decide it's already time to invoke that "we can just quit whenever" stipulation. Because this is definitely way too weird! Why didn't anyone mention this was gonna happen?! Turns out you don't need PTSD in order to not enjoy a bunch of voices in your head.

Jerking her hands away from his with a bit more force than necessary, she balls them into fists to stop them from shaking as she takes a good step away. ]

What--ah--I-- [Oh, there's a quaver in her voice, too. She forces a laugh, trying to break it up. ] What--what the heck, right? Sorry, I guess I just can't--I can't do it after all.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[The hasty retreat on her end, at least, creates enough of a presence-vacuum for Shinji to mostly snap back to his surroundings. Hands free once more, he quickly pulls them in close to his chest, still not really absorbing the physical aftermath of that little stunt as much as he's more... trying to affirm that he's still whole and here.

At least that first attempt at cutting through the tension goes right over his head, along with any tremors her voice may have picked up on. The forced laugh has him finally turning his head to look back at her, so at least now they can both see how thoroughly freaked out the other is.]

You... [Can't do it? Wait, does that mean...] You didn't hear that?

[daikonrose]

I heard it! That!

[ Kyoko hadn't expected any confusion on that point, but maybe it had actually been kinda rash to assume she wasn't the only one with voices in her head? Maybe.

But as her eyes fall on Shinji and she starts to take him in properly, those thoughts get shifted aside. Gosh... she's never seen him shaken like this before. Unsure though she is about what to do for him, it's still an easier thing to think about than her own unsettled nerves. ]

It--it was definitely weird, right? That kind of thing isn't normal here, is it?

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Alas, he can only be calm and level-headed under so many circumstances. This is clearly not one of those times.

Hearing her confirm that much, that she'd also experienced what he's assuming is the same thing he did, that's a little reassuring. Not enough to calm him down entirely by any means, but that's still better than nothing.]

N-no, I've never... nothing like that's happened here before. [Not to him, at any rate, but that's probably the kind of thing that other people here would warn others about if it were happening to them, right? Or... considering the outcome these two are currently experiencing, perhaps not.] That was definitely not normal.

[daikonrose]

[ That little stammer has her unthinkingly taking a small step back in towards Shinji--not close enough to crowd him, hopefully, but she can't fight the absurd instinct to shield him. From nothing. Nothing is even happening right now.

But at least it makes it easier to drop her voice into softer tones, as they kept talking. ]

Right? So, I don't know if they were gonna say any more after that, but I just couldn't see it through. Um--you don't mind, right?

[ JUST A GUESS. She's certainly curious about the way he emphasized "here," but this doesn't feel like the moment to press him on details like that. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[There sure is a whole lot of Nothing happening for such an ominous message delivery method! That's the kind of thing you'd think would come with something a little more perilous than these gentle tremors, but also the particular message Kyoko received is likely to be less concerning as the one Shinji got, just by words alone.

And yet, here they are, both Spooked.

Her approach has him straightening up a little, though, something somewhere between tensing up and a means of at least appearing less rattled than he feels.]

No, no, I don't mind. [There's a part of him that would have definitely liked to get a more complete picture of what they may have meant, but it's a part of him that's very small, and currently being completely drowned out by the rest of him agonizing over how big of a mistake even suggesting they do this was.] That - I'm sorry, I didn't think it would be something like that...

[daikonrose]

[ There's a fervent head shake; Shinji is not allowed to apologize, not when she is at least equally responsible and he looks so tense and shaken. ]

No, I'm really sorry! That definitely wasn't your fault at all! I should have guessed it would be something weird! Why wouldn't anyone just tell us something like that was going on? It's suspicious!

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Surprise, Kyoko, you are also clearly not taking this in nearly as good of stride as the other offworlders he's seen doing this. That's not even taking into account how completely chill the natives have been about it in general! You deserve an apology!!]

I had no idea... [Like he said, the others he'd seen do it had just been surprised, not this thoroughly shocked.] If - if I had known, I definitely wouldn't have suggested it in the first place.

[Please, let him take the blame for this one!

Either way, though, she has a good point:] It is really weird that no one's talking about it.

[daikonrose]

[ Would her alarm have been less if the message had been a scolding, a warning of consequences for her bad attitude and cuddle-slacker ways? It makes no sense, for someone like her to be thanked. Kyoko had been bracing for some kind of punishment for so long, that now she can only be even more wary; there must be some hidden meaning to that message, and none of her guesses are reassuring. ]

Well... [ Her gaze slips to the side for a moment as she gives an uneasy little laugh. ] Maybe everyone else was actually expecting some thanks, after all. I guess for most of them, it would be more natural.

[ It does at least make sense for someone reportedly touch-averse like Shinji to also be suspect, though, she reasons. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[That

uh

hang on.

Shinji looks at Kyoko like she's just jumped ahead in the script somehow. Which, at least, is enough to temporarily shake his nerves out, though they settle somewhere else instead as the thought that they might not be on the same page here dawns on him.]

"Thanks"...?

[Could you, perhaps, elaborate on that a little, Kyoko?]

[daikonrose]

[ Kyoko pauses, and examines Shinji's face with raised eyebrows. Huh, he does not look like a person who 100% gets what she is saying? ]

... I mean, they used the phrase "thank you," and everything? It's not that I believe they're being sincere, but that's at least the idea we were supposed to get, right?

[ Was her interpretation actually way off? Maybe Shinji had some context she was missing, or something. ]

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Would he be reacting so poorly if the message he'd been given was one of gratitude? Maybe. Maybe not. He absolutely doesn't like where this current revelation is playing out, though.]

I... didn't hear anyone saying 'thank you'.

[daikonrose]

[ ... That's. Concerning?? Yes, concerning is the word.

Hands going up to line her cheeks, Kyoko looks away for a moment, brow creasing deeply. If she got thanked and he didn't, then that means--? Something? What? The whole thing makes even less sense than before?? ]

You... but you heard something, right? You said you heard something! Right?

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Concerning is just about right, you got it.]

I did! I did hear something, it was just... [Gosh, now he feels even worse for dropping this on her, because he's pretty sure what he got was a little more ominous than a message of gratitude. Not that her's isn't clearly causing its own host of trouble, but... here he is! Getting to compound the problem! He tightens his mouth into a nice, straight line as he pauses, working up the nerve to relay what he'd heard.] 'Change is coming'?

[daikonrose]

[ The confirmation that Kyoko was not in fact the only one who got a message inserted in her head does a lot to calm her, actually. The fact that they got different messages is kinda weird, but now that she's absorbed it, it doesn't feel like that big of a jump? If it's possible to send one message, why not more than one?

The meaning still isn't super clear, but! Hm! Posture losing some of its tenseness, Kyoko blinks at Shinji and examines his face, still absently holding her own. ]

... Do you think they were... personalized messages, then?

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Personalized messages... he's not sure how much he actually likes that idea. But. He has no real way to dispute it.]

They... could have been, since they were different.

[He hadn't thought of that before, but if they both heard unique messages, then it isn't that far-fetched. Even if it still feels like a pretty convoluted way to be delivering specific messages to specific people.]

[daikonrose]

[ Kyoko had certainly felt targeted by the message she got, so it makes a certain amount of sense. Why wouldn't it be personal, anyway, if the words are being delivered directly to their very own brains?

But, while she can get an idea of what her message means, Shinji's seems less clear and even more ominous. Maybe that's just because she doesn't know him well enough, though. ]

... You don't think so? Are there any "changes" you've been waiting for, that they could have been talking about?

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[He gives a wary little shake of his head - back hen he had first arrived, it had taken him a good deal of effort to accept the fact that maybe this place wasn't going to shift into another reality entirely, or simply vanish before his eyes. Now that he'd become a little more comfortable with the idea that it might not do any of that, getting a message like this one isn't doing his imagination any favors.]

N-no, not really.

[Days passing, seasons changing, yeah, but surely they aren't going to go through the trouble of saying something like that for something as innocuous as those changes.]

[daikonrose]

[ Huh, that answer doesn't sound super firm and confident, somehow. But maybe Shinji is still too shaken to really think about it. Or maybe he does have something in mind, but it's a sensitive topic?

Doing her best to pull on a little smile for him, Kyoko decides not to push it too much. ]

Well, even if the whole thing is weird, it's... not impossible that it'll lead to something good. It's not like we can do anything right now except guess, anyway.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

[Something between the quality of that smile she's offering and the whole.... everything-ness of the situation tips Shinji off to the idea that, perhaps, Kyoko is attempting to curb some of the panic floating around in the air. Perhaps. He should take the cue. And do the same for her sake.]

Y-yeah... I mean, yeah. [It's been a hot minute since he's had to paste on a smile as a means of deflection so, uh, forgive him if the one he counters her's with reads a little thin.] I guess we really aren't going to know either way until... something happens.

[Just gotta not worry about it until then, piece of cake! (Not a piece of cake)]