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hugtopia_logs2020-03-13 10:34 pm
hugtopiamods) wrote in hugtopia_logs2020-03-13 10:34 pm
♥ March (Ainir) Event Log
March Event Log
Spring has sprung! Or at least, in theory. The month began monthly unremarkably, besides the priests of Ainea's temple prepping for the first month in their deity's season, which tends to be a little sleepy as the city traditionally shakes off those winter woes. The earthquakes still has everyone feeling a strange anticipation for change, but with how long it's gone with no noteworthy shifts yet, excitement has grown somewhat muted. All of that is about to change...
❥ PROMPT I: Let the Rain Fall Down
The month begins with something peculiar: a sudden rainfall occurring sporadically, not just in sections of the city the way it does when the weather system is malfunctioning, but rather consistent across the entire city. The natives in town are flummoxed; this rain is natural, passing harmlessly through the barrier, and the water that falls to the ground is clean, unpoisoned by the perpetual storm and toxic air outside. The rain comes in waves, from a light drizzle to a steady stream, and while it is not raining all day every day, it is probably best practice to travel with an umbrella on hand for a while.
Before long, the effects of this natural rainfall will become apparent: the city is undergoing an unexpected period of growth. Flowers, fauna, and all sorts of greenery are sprouting up in all areas of the city where grass or soil exists. It appears that at last your effort is paying off, and life is returning to Havenwell in a big way. The types of plants that grow will range in type, colour, and species- many of them are live versions of the extinct plants that have been on display in the museums, or whatever is already on display in the gardens. Some of the plants that grow might also be familiar to the visitors of this world- a small slice of your home, adopted by the gods that your touch have rejuvenated.
One downside is that since all these changes are happening at once, in such a short span, the botanical community is ill-equipped to make sure all of these new plants have a chance to thrive on their own. Many things that grow can be left where they stand, but the seemingly randomized placement means that certain plants aren't in a good spot. A tree sapling sprouting in the cracks of the sidewalk, or a sunflower tucked away beneath a rooftop, for example.
Thus, the community is asking for volunteers to help relocate plants to the proper areas. Most should be going to the parks, gardens, or temples, areas with clean, existent soil but with nothing yet growing there. These locations have been tested, and have been determined to be safe for planting- it seems that the rain has purified whatever sour ground that the barrier hasn't kept clean, to make way for the new plants. They can also be relocated to personal residences, for those houses that have gardens or a bit of soil if you're willing to install your own. As the rain continues to fall, plants will keep growing, so when the flora and fauna are relocated there will be more growing in its place before long. Lots of work to be done if you're to save the new life in town!
If you wish to include a specific plant from your canon: please request it in the PLANT FROM HOME APPROVAL thread on the plotting post!
Please be aware that much like the rest of the plants growing around town, those from home will begin as seeds and grow gradually over the course of the event. Keep that in mind!
Before long, the effects of this natural rainfall will become apparent: the city is undergoing an unexpected period of growth. Flowers, fauna, and all sorts of greenery are sprouting up in all areas of the city where grass or soil exists. It appears that at last your effort is paying off, and life is returning to Havenwell in a big way. The types of plants that grow will range in type, colour, and species- many of them are live versions of the extinct plants that have been on display in the museums, or whatever is already on display in the gardens. Some of the plants that grow might also be familiar to the visitors of this world- a small slice of your home, adopted by the gods that your touch have rejuvenated.
One downside is that since all these changes are happening at once, in such a short span, the botanical community is ill-equipped to make sure all of these new plants have a chance to thrive on their own. Many things that grow can be left where they stand, but the seemingly randomized placement means that certain plants aren't in a good spot. A tree sapling sprouting in the cracks of the sidewalk, or a sunflower tucked away beneath a rooftop, for example.
Thus, the community is asking for volunteers to help relocate plants to the proper areas. Most should be going to the parks, gardens, or temples, areas with clean, existent soil but with nothing yet growing there. These locations have been tested, and have been determined to be safe for planting- it seems that the rain has purified whatever sour ground that the barrier hasn't kept clean, to make way for the new plants. They can also be relocated to personal residences, for those houses that have gardens or a bit of soil if you're willing to install your own. As the rain continues to fall, plants will keep growing, so when the flora and fauna are relocated there will be more growing in its place before long. Lots of work to be done if you're to save the new life in town!
If you wish to include a specific plant from your canon: please request it in the PLANT FROM HOME APPROVAL thread on the plotting post!
Please be aware that much like the rest of the plants growing around town, those from home will begin as seeds and grow gradually over the course of the event. Keep that in mind!
❥ PROMPT II: Hold My Flower
As the days pass, and there seems to be no end to the growth in town, the natives are growing increasingly excited, and when the collection of flowers becomes such a plethora that there are too many, they explain that the timing of this is very on-point: years ago, before the world began to die, they celebrated a Festival of Flowers, to welcome the shift of winter to spring in their corner of the world. In previous years, the tradition lived on in a simpler form, with paper or synthetic flowers, but it isn't really the same without hair so interest waned.
A major part of the festival involves flower weaving, in many intricate patterns and arrangements, all of which have different meanings, like an arranged bouquet might. These flowers are sewn together into crowns, or woven directly into the recipient's hair, a delicate and rather intimate act done between friends, family, or lovers alike. Since the robots of town can't really benefit from this shared experience (of neither physical interaction or hair weaving), instead they happily pass along their knowledge of arrangements and techniques, floral symbolism. You can follow along with their directions, or just make something up/create something new, though certain unwitting combinations are bound to earn some curious (or amused) looks from the locals. For those of you who lack long hair for such acts, despair not! Crowns placed on short hair are just as socially welcome as the weavings, as you'll see from the robots wearing similar designs around town.
However, there is a chance that the rain is also causing something other than plants to grow around town… namely, exposed hair. Those who get caught in the downpour might inexplicably notice that their hair is an inch or two longer the next morning… and then longer… and longer… there is no hard or fast limit to how much it grows, and cutting it may help for a time, but it does not stem the growth either. Maybe you should just relax and enjoy it for a while.
A major part of the festival involves flower weaving, in many intricate patterns and arrangements, all of which have different meanings, like an arranged bouquet might. These flowers are sewn together into crowns, or woven directly into the recipient's hair, a delicate and rather intimate act done between friends, family, or lovers alike. Since the robots of town can't really benefit from this shared experience (of neither physical interaction or hair weaving), instead they happily pass along their knowledge of arrangements and techniques, floral symbolism. You can follow along with their directions, or just make something up/create something new, though certain unwitting combinations are bound to earn some curious (or amused) looks from the locals. For those of you who lack long hair for such acts, despair not! Crowns placed on short hair are just as socially welcome as the weavings, as you'll see from the robots wearing similar designs around town.
However, there is a chance that the rain is also causing something other than plants to grow around town… namely, exposed hair. Those who get caught in the downpour might inexplicably notice that their hair is an inch or two longer the next morning… and then longer… and longer… there is no hard or fast limit to how much it grows, and cutting it may help for a time, but it does not stem the growth either. Maybe you should just relax and enjoy it for a while.
❥ PROMPT III: Scheme of the Wyrm Queen
Developed by Noctis and Pyra, in collaboration with the VR cafes, Havenwell officially presents: King's Knight 2.0: Scheme of the Wyrm Queen, a game that will be available going forward and premieres this month.
This game is designed to be like an MMO/mobile game, except in VR- every player gets an account, and to an extent their avatars are customizable. There are a set number of levels per playthrough, you can stop and pick up any time after a level ends, and you can re-arrange your party members at the start of each play session.
You can charge through levels just smashing away at enemies, but part of the game mechanic is that physical contact between characters in-game will provide stat boosts, enhancements, occasional heals or buffs, soft revives at 0HP, etc. The effect can vary depending on the nature of contact, but is also randomized to an extent, to allow for player freedom. Let's just say that intent plays a part... so touch someone and wish with your heart, and maybe something nice will happen. Or at least something kind of cheesy. (Noctis would like to establish that he did not program in that part.)
Noteworthy features:
Available Classes:
Enemies:
Monsters in-game vary between generic beasts of lore, parody versions of creatures found in Final Fantasy XV, and some monsters based on descriptions that Noctis or Pyra acquired from asking people. These are subject to change on request, as the game will be developing gradually to improve itself.
If you have suggestions or requests for monsters, treasures, or equipment, please submit them to the additional information page on King's Knight, where such updates will be tracked!
This game is designed to be like an MMO/mobile game, except in VR- every player gets an account, and to an extent their avatars are customizable. There are a set number of levels per playthrough, you can stop and pick up any time after a level ends, and you can re-arrange your party members at the start of each play session.
You can charge through levels just smashing away at enemies, but part of the game mechanic is that physical contact between characters in-game will provide stat boosts, enhancements, occasional heals or buffs, soft revives at 0HP, etc. The effect can vary depending on the nature of contact, but is also randomized to an extent, to allow for player freedom. Let's just say that intent plays a part... so touch someone and wish with your heart, and maybe something nice will happen. Or at least something kind of cheesy. (Noctis would like to establish that he did not program in that part.)
Noteworthy features:
- The plot: The evil dragon queen Nebula has kidnapped the prince of Oriens and absconded to the realm of monsters with him for some nefarious purpose. The gods of Totally Not Aellyn bless a group of heroes with the power to travel through that realm in order to rescue the prince! ...That's it. What, do you think you're here for plot? Nah. You're here to fight monsters and collect treasure.
- A party can consist of 2-4 characters of any class arrangement, though a somewhat balanced party is encouraged to survive each level. Repeated training (or grinding) can help characters acquire better gear drops or level up if they get stuck, but there is an emphasis on teamwork to get you through it!
- "Death" in-game causes a character to become translucent and unable to interact with the game until healed or revived, or until the level ends. If all characters reach this status, they fail the level and the game is over. All characters are healed to full once a level is beaten.
- Levels are randomly generated based on a set amount of algorithms, to shake up the experience and make each game a little bit different. There is a plot as noted above, with some dialogue and programmed NPCs, but interaction with either is simple and can be ignored or skipped after the first run-through if you so choose.
- Certain accounts of people who were a part of the development (AKA those who Noctis pestered about designing things) will gain access to unique costume options upon initial log-in, like a pre-order bonus. These items are cosmetic only, but look pretty nifty.
- The difficulty setting can be adjusted according to player skill, so if anyone feels like Normal is beyond their ability, don't be ashamed to turn it down a notch! Player accessibility is more important. There are leaderboards for each difficulty, but it's mostly for bragging rights and don't earn you anything special.
Available Classes:
- Knight - a well-rounded swordsman with a shield, built tough for the front line and defense
- Thief - master of finding hidden objects, detecting traps, disarming foes, the fastest class
- Sorcerer - commanding the elements, attack from a distance and overwhelm your enemies; glass cannon
- Battle Cleric - wielder of a magic weapon that recognizes friends from foes; striking an ally will heal them without injury, striking a foe will tear them down
- Dragoon - specializes in aerial assault, heavy hits and safe retreats, can reach high areas
- Archer - speedy attacks at long distance; inexplicably great at parkour and glitching out of bounds for treasure
Enemies:
Monsters in-game vary between generic beasts of lore, parody versions of creatures found in Final Fantasy XV, and some monsters based on descriptions that Noctis or Pyra acquired from asking people. These are subject to change on request, as the game will be developing gradually to improve itself.
If you have suggestions or requests for monsters, treasures, or equipment, please submit them to the additional information page on King's Knight, where such updates will be tracked!
❥ PROMPT IVish: A Final Reminder
The soft earthquakes in effect since last month are still ongoing, however they have spread out more and are no longer occurring every day, but instead with a handful of gaps in between. As noted in the Intro Mingle log, there are new messages that characters can receive:
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.
7) "Soon, change." this message is a gentle reminder.
8) "We welcome you to our home." This message is sent most frequently to newcomers.
9) "Be not afraid. You are safe." this message is polite and reassuring.
10) "Keep your footing and watch your step." this message is cautious, a firm warning.
Most of the residents have stopped linking up, since the messages are mostly on repeat, but the local temple priests still do it every time… just in case. Otherwise, it's easy enough to ignore for most people. The anticipation hasn't faded, but they're simply waiting for whatever comes next.
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.
7) "Soon, change." this message is a gentle reminder.
8) "We welcome you to our home." This message is sent most frequently to newcomers.
9) "Be not afraid. You are safe." this message is polite and reassuring.
10) "Keep your footing and watch your step." this message is cautious, a firm warning.
Most of the residents have stopped linking up, since the messages are mostly on repeat, but the local temple priests still do it every time… just in case. Otherwise, it's easy enough to ignore for most people. The anticipation hasn't faded, but they're simply waiting for whatever comes next.
This event will run from March 13th to 29th. 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.
no subject
"I'm glad you think so." Considering. You know. The most likely target to receive it once he's finished. He then asks, incidentally, totally nothing to do with the task at hand, "Are there any kinds of flowers you like in particular?"
Just! Wondering!
no subject
"Hmm... They're all pretty nice, y'know?" Was there such a thing as a bad flower? Well, maybe some people could think of a few. "Always liked the little ones that spring up near the roads." You know, the ones he didn't know the names of. "Ah, dandelions too."
All those things that would otherwise be considered weeds, it seemed.
no subject
Dandelions, though, he knows those! He hasn't actually seen any around, as far as he can recall, but maybe there's something close to weedy wildflowers in the pile he's collected that can be added in. It's really hard to judge what might be considered a weed versus a wildflower versus... uh, just a regular flower, under normal circumstances, but when so many of the things springing up from the rain are so foreign to begin with, he's not sure he'd be able to figure it out for sure either way.
He sifts through the pile carefully until he unearths a sprig of yellow flowers, which he holds up so Kai can get a good look. "Flowers sort of like this?"
no subject
Kai peered over at the little guys Shinji had unearthed, a lopsided little grin sneaking back on his face. "Yeah, yeah, kinda like those. They're cute."
no subject
But, he thinks they're cute, huh? He can understand that, they're small and charming little flowers. They'll add a nice touch to this crown, and the idea of getting to incorporate things that Kai definitely likes into it is very appealing. In they go as well.
"They are pretty cute." He's gotta agree with that. "There are so many different flowers here now, I'm sure there are a bunch more like these hiding around."
no subject
"Somewhere around here, yeah. Thistles and stuff too, probably. Or, uh, things that look like thistles...? Who knows how many are from here or elsewhere."
no subject
"Hm, probably." It feels like there's a chance that you could find pretty much anything hiding in the brand new foliage, why not things like dandelions and thistles? Or at least things that are close enough. "A lot of the stuff I've seen isn't very familiar, but some of it is," like these little blue forget-me-not-looking flowers he's using to fill out some more space on this crown. "I'd imagine it's the same for the robots and people from different worlds."
no subject
It would have been fun to introduce Shinji to something new, but when it came down to it they were basically from the same space. On the other hand, that basic familiarity was nice to share too.
no subject
"Oh, it is sort of like that, isn't it?" What a charming way of putting it. Like the personal touch everyone's left on this planet given a more obvious form. How novel! "I'm... really glad that it feels like we're actually doing something for this place."
However minor he's sure his own contributions have been. Hm. With that thought, he rotates the crown around in his hands a few times, as if to carefully assess how Good and Complete it may be by this point.
no subject
"Right? It's real good to get some positive feedback for once." No spooky dreams or spooky spiders. The earthquakes were still happening, but Kai still hadn't investigated those enough to really know if they were good or bad outside of Shinji's dealings with them. A tangible sign that things were going in the right direction was incredibly encouraging.
"So, good work," Kai congratulated him. Whether it was for his efforts in touch or his efforts with flowers was a bit up in the air, since here Kai was bumping shoulders as he leaned over to look at Shinji's handiwork.
no subject
He's choosing to take that last comment as input on the fruits of his arts and crafts labor, and he looks it over one more time, just to be sure, with a thoughtful hum. Kai's input is valuable, certainly, but that kind of positivity and encouragement isn't unexpected, either. Shinji can probably only trust his own judgement so far, so his best bet, he thinks, might be to meet somewhere in the middle of his own expectations and what Kai would be happy with. "You think so?"
no subject
"Yeah. We're both, uh, a far cry from being master florists, but I think it looks nice."
no subject
"Yeah... yeah. That sounds about right." That's a satisfying enough assessment. With that, he looks between Kai, and then the crown, before reaching up to
gently
plop it
onto its rightful resting place
atop Kai's head.
Surprise!
no subject
Kai blinked a few times as he processed what exactly just happened there. He looked up as if he could actually see more than the happy little hints of color up there, looking very suspiciously like a confused dog that had just been given a party hat. What. Why this?? For him?? Uh! There was zero sign of displeasure here, just vast amounts of unexpected. Because somehow! This actually was a surprise! Wow!
"Ah?" He blinked again, but it was definitely still there. "What about your plans?"
no subject
"This was my plan."
no subject
"Oh," he breathed out as it seemed to sink in that truly this had been meant for him. All his assumptions that it had been going to a cute friend Shinji had made kinda went out the window there, leaving in their place a confusing warm feeling just there behind his ribs.
There was a little duck of his head as Kai laughed a little at himself. For Shinji though, there was a (bashful) little smile. "How's it look then?"
no subject
Dangerous, still, and really, really, unbelievably stupid of him. But, selfishly, kind of pleasant on top of all of it.
Whatever turmoil that feeling sparks, a small and genuine smile bubbles its way up to the surface regardless. "Much better on you than it did on its own." That golden mop was truly what the piece needed to be pulled together, like it was meant to be there all along.