hugtopia_logs | ♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

May (Ealom) Event Log
Ainea's power begins to wane as the last of her months begins, but that doesn't mean it's completely gone yet! With all the effort everyone has put in to clearing and reclaiming the new parts of the city, Ainea and the rest of the gods want to show you the fruits of your labors. A fragrant and gentle breeze springs up through the city, winding through its streets. It's strongest near Ainea's temple, but the power seems to flow from the entire city as it sweeps outward through the new areas. As soon as the wind reaches the outskirts of Old Havenwell, it becomes visible - a shimmering semi-opaque swirl of mixed colors that curls along the ruins and streets. Wherever it goes, greenery and life follows, the atmosphere lifting and the city gleaming in its wake. Small, tentative flowers bloom along the path of the wind until it brunts up against the barrier wall, bursting into a shower of sparkles.

Congratulations, Havenwellians and off-worlders alike! You've cleansed the city!

❥ PROMPT I: It's All About the May-bies

an elderly woman looks into a mirror at her younger self

That beautiful breeze brings with it a strange magic as well. When it sweeps through the city, it touches everyone - flesh or metal-bodied alike - giving people a contented, youthful feeling. That feeling eventually subsides, but in its place is a little bit of magic gone haywire. Throughout the month, characters can experience a little bit of rejuvenation themselves as they suddenly find themselves de-aging abruptly. Whether they retain their memories of their adult lives or revert entirely to their previous selves at that age is up to player discretion. Curiously, no one becomes so young that they would be considered younger than a 6 year old human for their species. Characters can either know where they are in Havenwell or be completely surprised by this strange city full of robots and have no idea what they're supposed to do! Returning to their original age is quite simple though - they can either wait until the power snaps them back, or take the initiative and hug it out to see if it helps (it does, surprise!). If characters wait, they might find that it takes a while before the magic can remember what age they were supposed to be. You might snap from 17 to 29, then back to 12 and suddenly to 59 until you finally settle at your regular age.

Not everyone is affected alike, however. Some may find that they never age one way or another, and some may find they age up instead of down. For those who age up, only their physical appearance is affected and they will not gain canon knowledge of their futures. Sure might feel weird for that 12 year old to suddenly become a 25 year old though! But at least you got to skip the horror of puberty. To return to their original age, they just have to do the same as the others - wait until the power snaps them back (hopefully to the right age) or go find someone to hug these growing pains out with.

Please note, for this prompt you are welcome to use journals other than the ones currently registered to the comms, HOWEVER we ask that you post the journal names you intend to use to the Alternate Account thread on the plotting post. This is so we can more easily track comments for AC and AC Rewards at the end of the month. Thanks in advance!

❥ PROMPT II: There Must be Something in the Air

It appears that the offworlders aren't the only ones affected by the sudden influx of youthfulness. During the month, the city council puts out a call for help from those who are able to give it. The Havenwell Zoo and Animal Conservatory has had an unexpected surge of new baby animals born at the beginning of the month. There's so many that they can't keep them all at the zoo's nursery so they need your help! Characters can volunteer and arrive at the zoo to pick up a cuddly baby to take home with them to keep for the remainder of the month. They will be required to give it back once Ealom ends, however, since the natives will (hopefully) be finished with their new habitat expansions by then. As with any baby, characters will need to keep their little fluffy one close and tend to its needs - which may include having two parents. You and a friend (or frenemy, we aren't judging) will need to help this little one grow up enough that it can return to its conservatory home! The zoo will provide the basics that you'll need to keep these babies alive and well. The animals available are:

Clackoos: These rainbow colored chicks resemble chickens, except that the babies are almost a foot tall and when they "chirp" it sounds more like the clacking of wood. They're mostly flightless, but they do enjoy trying to fly and can get a few feet off the ground or glide when they get older. At this stage, they're testing their wings out and are more likely to fall off of high places and bump into people and walls in a manner more akin to flailing falling than actual flight. Keep them warm at night and make sure they eat a variety of seeds, simulated insect mealworms, or fruits.
Sinory Lizard: These feathery lizards look a little like a cross between an iguana and a komodo dragon, being almost 2 feet in length from snout to the tip of their tail. They come in a variety of colors like striped blue and green, yellow and pink, silver and black, etc. They're most notable for the downy feathers on their legs and along their backs. They make a rumbling sound if you pet the down on their back. These lizards are known for their sluggish nature when it's anything less than hot hot hot, so they tend to slither away quickly to seek sources of heat like sunny spots, people, or stoves. You might want to keep them away from stoves. They enjoy eating the simulated meats or kibble provided by the zookeepers, but will also steal whatever food is on the table if it's not guarded.
Lohpeh: This large pink creature resembles a rabbit with long thin ears and powerful hind legs, except that it also sports brown antlers that sprout light blue leaves and pretty yellow flowers. They're about half a foot tall not including the antlers and pink like bubblegum. They eat mostly grasses and vegetables, and will happily munch on anything that even slightly resembles their preferred food - so hair, clothing, anything flowing. Their teeth are pretty sharp though, so be careful of the accidental nip here and there. They don't like to be alone, so they'll follow the largest group of people they can find, chasing after them to rub their antlers against their legs. Apparently it's to mark them as family.
Nirofu: A small black and white giraffe-like creature with gangly legs, a long neck and two little stubs on the top of their heads that look like they're meant to grow into something much longer. As a baby, the creature is extremely awkward looking as it's trying to grow into its long limbs and neck and they vary in height from runts who are barely over 2 feet tall to ones that are nearly 4 foot in height. They like to swing their heads and bash them into things as a form of play and once they start running, it's hard to get them to stop. They're extremely playful, but the zookeepers still haven't pinned down exactly what they like to eat. Feed them a variety of raw foods from meat to vegetables and these nirofu seem to gobble everything down.

Please choose only one animal to foster!

❥ PROMPT III: A Bigger, Better Nursery

a zoo enclosure with greenery decorating it, and an elephant in the center

Remember when the city council said they'd be expanding the zoo? Well, they're going to need all the hands they can get and have asked people willing to help to do so. This job will be paid, of course, with a healthy dose of Dora into your accounts if you don't mind a little bit (or a lot of) physical labor. The habitats for the creatures in the zoo need to be expanded, new paddocks built and populated with vegetation, water, and play areas. The simulated vegetation like trees, grass that feels real but is very much fake, simulated moss and bushes need to be arranged and planted. Water areas need to be cleaned and then filled. The fake wood play areas with ropes and ladders, slides and swings need to be assembled and secured within the enclosures. There's no lack of things to do! For the more construction minded, they can help pour foundations and lay the mortar and stone for building walls in the new enclosures, or help add the glass or build fences to separate the soon-to-be curious zoo-goers from the animals that need protecting. Grab a friend, roll up your sleeves, get to work and earn some Dora!

❥ PROMPT IV: I Can Show You the City

With all the hustle of last month, the VR cafes were rather sparse and this month the owners of those cafes want to make up for the lost time and profit! This month they're offering a new experience that any and all may enjoy. The cafes' decor have been updated to be painted a light sky blue inside with soft diffuse light that resembles sunlight. On the ceilings and walls are holoprojections of very realistic clouds that slide along like they do outside. Hook up into the VR sets and join others in an extremely realistic and detailed flying tour of Havenwell.

Ever wonder what the city looked like from above? Well, wonder no longer! Once you're loaded up in the game, you'll find yourself floating gently in the sky high above the city. There are others here, too, holding hands or linking arms as they zip about, free as birds. You, however? Well...you can't do much more than float or sink closer to the ground! It seems you need to find a partner and keep in contact with them in order to control your flight, so you better hurry before you end up on the ground like some regular ol' walking Joe. Thankfully, everyone is being loaded into the same game experience, so it shouldn't be hard to find a partner!

If you want a little excitement in your game, feel free to load the "Balloon Challenge" mini-game and compete against other teams to catch the most balloons. Once the game starts, you have 2 minutes to maneuver with your partner to fly through virtual obstacles and collect brightly colored balloons. Catch them by the string and hold on because the more balloons you and your partner collect, the higher your score. If you're crowned that Balloon Challenge champion by beating out all the other teams, you can collect a little balloon of your own when you leave the VR cafe. The balloon floats happily along on a little string and never loses its air, no matter how long you keep it.

This event will run from May 14th to 31st. 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... it was not your intention that this occurred.

[ Not that it made it hurt any less. But such regrets were empty. She has seen it, and now she must find a way to deal with it.

If that were even possible. There's simply so much. She can't even unpack all of it. All she can do is continue to sit there with Pyra's head on her shoulder, struggle through the loudness of her whispers, still ever demanding, her head pounding as she mutters to herself, this new layer of disarray delivered onto her already complicated life. Her breath hitches but she catches herself, trying to channel her pain into focus, into purpose as she always does, but her tone belies the desperation in it all. ]

... I need to know more. Why this happens. How I can prevent it, if staying away from that universe can do so much.

[ --There it is. Another one who wishes to change the future.

But Honerva hearing Pyra's thoughts on that is not what she needs right now. She still focuses too much on that future. ]

Honerva... may I see the palm of your hand?

[ There is no good reason for this future. There is only unhappiness there. Honerva had been seeking her happiness somewhere else, but now she must be faced with this awful reminder of what would happen were she forcibly sent back to that universe.

She isn't prepared to grieve. She knows she's not strong enough to bear the weight of this.

See... your hand...

Pyra's words only barely get through as she blinks. Her hands are still folded so tightly at her chest that she can hardly think to pry them away, but it is such a gentle command that one of them slowly falls free; it's up to Pyra to take it. ]

[ Pyra catches Honerva's hand as it falls free, cupping it beneath with the both of her own and gently spreading out her palm.

She knows better than to dare explain how dangerous it is to harbor the hubris of changing the future without foresight. Pyra also knows she is a hypocrite, a terrible friend, for telling Honerva that her happiness is worth having, all the while believing that she mustn't change that miserable future (and that, unless Honerva seizes her power, she won't be helping her). She... wants better for Honerva. She truly does. But wanting something and acting upon that want is something she must never cross, not in this case. So, too, does she find herself unable to encourage a false hope within Honerva, should her declared wish for change ultimately fail... and she fall further into despair.

So, she can only focus on what is before them. ]

In my world... some say one can read the future by looking upon the lines of a palm.

[ Charlatans, soothsayers, hedgewitches, and more: both people and practices would claim to predict the future, when in reality it was always beyond them. Her gaze drops from Honerva's eyes to her hand in hers.

She does not see the future within her hands. But she does see remnants of the past, she does see the present. ]

What do you see?

[ Honerva knew, she had experienced proof of there being multiple realities, even within that vision, but it was difficult to reconcile such a thought with the sheer dissonance in her mind right now; that horrible future, this fate for her child that she could never truly know. And who knew what more she might be driven to do, with such power at her hands and that despair.

Pyra keeps speaking though, or trying to. Read, lines, she wants her to look. Look for something? Her gaze shifts to their hands as well, but this was not a practice with which she was familiar, diviner though she may be, she read quintessence, not palms. ]

... my hand is in yours.

[ There is no whimsy here. It's too much to even remain present, though perhaps present enough to take in that fact, that she is... still sitting with someone. She was not here... alone. ]

[ Her smile remains kind, her voice soft, as if she's attempting to do her best to be careful. Even her touch, lifting up Honerva's hand within hers, carries it as if it is fragile. Honerva is not fragile-- Pyra knows this-- but a subsequent visions such at those could make one develop cracks and fissures that threaten to shatter apart. ]

It is. [ She replies quietly, running a hand over one of the lines. ]

And this hand has... helped many here. [ Not only with her work on the barrier and monitoring energy, but with Pyra herself, too. She also feels that it's safe to assume she has remained with Lup and Taako, thereby helping them with being a part of a family. ] And hugged, too.

[ She draws a breath. ] The days to come after this vision... I know, they will linger. [ They cannot be forgotten or brushed aside so easily. ] But look at your hand, then, and remember you are present, and that you are helping... as-is.

[ It is only ever her seemingly hardened countenance that belies her fragility. Her emotions are ever turbulent but buried deep, aching her in ways that defy description, the cracks and fissures hidden within but long and jagged like her markings.

A relentless chorus in her head, why do you not act, to seize the power of this arbiter of quintessence, instead of allowing this--?

But Pyra is speaking to her, she must focus on Pyra's words because if she has dared to call people her friends then she must trust them more than this. And she had... considered her a friend, hadn't she? Before all of this, before she'd even said the word, or trusted herself to use it.

Remember you are present, Pyra's words ring above the fray, but then, Helping... as-is.

And that's when Honerva feels something shatter within, because she is not carven, she only carries the hurt of thousands of centuries that it was in her nature ever to suppress. Even now with those dangerous, cloying voices, how could she be good as-is when she never truly has been enough?

... But there was Lup, and in this moment she ached for her. Her hand remains there in Pyra's but it trembles as she leans over suddenly, her breathing sharp and quick, short gasps, because what good did it do? There was no one to throw her anger and pain at but herself. He had deserved better. He had been her whole reason for trying to change at all, even if she could never go to him. And now...? ]

[ Honerva appears to crumple over into what sounds like cracked sobs, and it's all Pyra can do but remove her hand from hers so she might fold into herself, and instead place that hand to be upon her back, warmly and patiently.

Finding oneself grounded in the present is difficult when the future has so unceremoniously been revealed. It had been foolish of her to ask Honerva to think of the present so soon. Perhaps instead, she needs to take this time to grieve for a son, lost. Reminding her that she has a family here-- with Lup, Taako, and Carl-- might not tackle the true issue, either. They cannot replace her son by blood, the one which she had never truly known yet loved regardless.

Pyra's answer for encountering a dreaded future is not like others'. For a being like her who is now set on making her own mortality a possibility, she finds (or attempts to find) solace in the moment, for it is all that is within her grasp. So soon in Honerva's own reckoning of the future, it seems she cannot accept that same answer-- whether that be 'if ever' or simply a 'not yet'. ]

Speak, Honerva.

[ She urges, gently. ] Tell me what you're feeling.

[ It is altogether a difficult situation when one is at the center of it, so much thrown to disarray. She does not know how to grieve and is frankly too entrenched within the stages of denial. While logic would normally speak to her, weaving the way toward it is muddled. The present is important because it is reality, the vision something that could not quite be confirmed, and it is cruel to those who are here for her now, for her to be so thrown by it all.

And so it will take her a few moments more, to try and... gain some measure over her breathing. She cannot commit to full sobs and she seems hardly prepared enough to deal with the broken ones. ]

Pyra...

[ Slowly. She manages slower breaths, with time, struggling for her words, drawing herself up in close, curled to the side of the couch. ]

... it is... indescribable. All of this. I do not wish to cause you harm but I fear that I may. Please... call Lup. Tell her, 'They're loud'. She knows.

[ Pyra's hand lingers upon her back for a moment longer, listening quietly to Honerva's plea... and then she withdraws it, taking out her communicator.

Quickly, she sends Lup a text:

Lup, I'm with Honerva right now. I did something wrong, and she's hurting. She wants me to tell you "They're loud". Please come over, as soon as you can.

It's followed by an address shared with her.

When she closes her communicator, Pyra is left not knowing what to do, how to help. More talking? Encouragement? That didn't seem to work. Silence, listening, meditating? That would be contraindicated, perhaps, an opportunity to allow those voices to run rampant within her mind. False hope, then? She can't bring herself to do that, not now, not when she is so vulnerable. ] I sent her the message...

Please... Let me know. If there's anything I can do. [ She wants to say-- I promise, you won't hurt me, but what about Honerva? What if Pyra staying here causes her more hurt? Good intentions or not, Pyra would not be able to stand to know that she's bringing this woman more pain. ]

[ She did not trust herself, to remain alone with the sense of that warmth and the light so near, a power she had ever chased for many years, and one she felt sing through her veins... and the sense of withdrawal was ghastly.

Let alone the emotions she'd had yet to truly delve into, all that had stirred this. Again she listens for Pyra's words, catches the gist of it. Message... she'd sent the message. ]

... Do you sing?

[ It would cut the difficulties of trying to follow a conversation, enough words that may be meaningless on their own without context, but in thinking of Lup it's all she can think of. ]

[Hurting? Hurting how? What the hell happened?

No time to ask. The response Pyra gets is pretty quick-]

be there in a min

be louder for her until then. if it's not enough get her on speaker w/ me

[She needs only enough time to gather her components bag and her gauntlet focus, so she can fly herself within range to teleport to them. Shouldn't take long at all.]

[ Her head drops from looking at Honerva to read the message from Lup. She knows her well: be loud, she writes, while the other bids her to sing.

She'll do both. ] Ah... I can-- try.

[ And so she begins with an old folk song from her world-- the lyrics don't matter. And while she isn't the best singer, she's doing about as best as she can in this moment. Honerva is hurting, she's hurting and Pyra cannot help her. She can only buy time for another to come. ]

... yes. Like that.

[ Pyra is doing the best she can under the circumstances, and it does make a difference. Her song is neutral enough to take some of the edge out of the whispers, even if there is no context to cling to.

At the very least, it's something to keep her own voice from being drowned out, those desperate reminders of the circumstances, and that her friend had never meant her any ill intent, so it was not a betrayal.

It doesn't make it any easier to communicate this to Pyra however. She's grateful for the partial embrace but doesn't want to reach out toward her, lest something inside react first. It wasn't safe yet. But she does, at least, nod toward her, an indication that the singing should continue. ]

[ The lyrics of the song come to her from a time and place she hadn't thought about for quite a while. From memory, she sings, and hopes that they will be enough. To her, sitting beside a woman who has retreated into her, it doesn't seem like it will be enough. She needs family-- she needs Lup.

So she continues to sing, to wait, and to merely be an accessory to Honerva, the reason for her current misery. ]

[True to her word, Lup's arrival comes within a few minutes at most; she's breathless as she barges in, still crackling with lingering arcane energy, and she beelines right for where she knows them to be working. She halts in the doorway only long enough to take in the situation, her gaze shifting to Honerva, then Pyra, then back again, and crouches down next to them, reaching out to grasp Honerva's shoulder.]

I'm here. What happened? Are you hurt?

[Her eyes once more slide towards Pyra, calm but with a layer of fire beneath- fierce and protective, ready to throw down as needed. She likes Pyra, considers her to be a friend, but this is family. An accident is still only an excuse, and only goes so far with the twins.

"I did something wrong." What does it mean?]

[ When Lup arrives, Honerva is tucked in close to the side of the sofa, eyes closed and head turned away from Pyra to protect her, not as though that can truly close her away from the light she yet emits, and of course does little for the images left to form inside her mind. Pyra's song at least helpfully clashes with the taunting words while she tries not to get swept up in the current of them. She knows what it wants and the way it is trying to use her pain for that advantage.

She still can't think, but having Pyra sing is still the safest option until Lup gets there. Minutes it may take but it feels so much longer when so much has been disrupted. But then, finally, she's there; that safe, familiar presence, the crackle of that energy, bright and fiery, the herald of such a uniquely woven signature.

Her eyes open, her gaze haunted and weary, as she just tries to take in the sight of Lup being here. Of her realness. There is much yet to unpack but here was the raw truth of it all, as much as her that had retreated. ]

... They're so loud, Lup. I saw... a vision. Of my son's body.

[ Her singing fades as soon as Lup arrives, waiting a moment longer after Honerva speaks, as if she might add something else. When she doesn't, Pyra looks from one to the other uncertainly, withdrawing. She hopes that Honerva's words, although sparse, tell enough, even if they might not exactly explain how. Just as important to consider is the nature of what Honerva had seen, how personal it had been. Without knowing how much Lup knows, how much Honerva wishes to tell Lup should be up to her, or so Pyra believes.

So she remains quiet, worried, unsure. ]

[Her son's body... that's a hell of a revelation. And it explains a little of what Pyra had meant. Her gaze shifts briefly to Pyra again, mouthing, "vision?" with her head tilted, as her hands slide downwards to take Honerva's, squeezing tightly. Whatever it means, it's no wonder this is such a struggle for her. Those voices of hers are so often loudest when it comes to what she's lost.]

Tell me what they're saying. I'll remind 'em to fuck off for you.

[ As new as it has been for her to learn that she needed to listen to outside voices to anchor herself to, it is similarly as new to for her to speak aloud what she hears, as much as she is urged not to.

... But Lup was there and Lup was family, and Pyra was yet a friend. People that she would not want to see hurt even if that vision of her son was left to taunt her. Her hands tremble in Lup's, but she's there, she's real, that's important. She's important, she knows. But when she speaks again at Lup's urging, her tone of voice is affected, monotonous and distant. ]

... they call upon me to seize as much energy as possible. From Pyra, from this world... wherever it can be obtained. Such power... can change things. Lotor's fate has not yet occurred. Should a mother not sacrifice her happiness to save her child? That is what they say.

[ Earlier, Pyra had asked Honerva to speak, and had gotten nothing but a request for another's help. Now Lup is here, having encouraged her to speak as well, and she does. This... is good, isn't it?

Pyra's head lifts during a portion of what Honerva says, then resumes looking down at her hands. Now folded together in her lap, she waits, deciding not to say anything. ]

Listen to me. You tell them to listen to me.

[She lifts Honerva's hand in hers, pressing it against her chest, over her heart. Beneath flesh lies the pulse of an arcane soul, pure magic, not on Pyra's scale but a more familiar sort. A temptation offered without fear.]

There's power here. In me, in you, in Pyra. With all three of us you could do a lot, change whole fragments of the universe. But what would it accomplish, really? Bring him back to your side? For what? He chose his own path, and so did you.

[Her fingers tighten, not taking her eyes off of the other woman.]

He denounced you. You have no obligation to hurt people for his sake whether you birthed him or not. Family's not blood, Honerva, it's a choice.

[ Honerva falls silent while Lup speaks and remains so for several long moments after, focusing on those critical words, her heart, the pulsing of that energy as much as the chorus rages against it.

You are an abomination. I would never consider you as kin. He was tall and perfect and all she had of him to truly know was his back turning away from her, and that awful sight that would not leave her. The moment that she knew returning to her universe would be nothing but pain. And now, only to see this...

The voices did not ever care about her, not the future or even the fate of her son. Just to use in a moment of weakness, no matter how long it would last or seize upon it, but more importantly she was not alone here with them; what mattered, who mattered, were right there in the room with her. Lup. Pyra. All was not dark as much as it seemed to be. Her magic shifts inside of her, wild and restless that it might be sensed, but with a sharp gasp she leans forward again, yet still unable to sob freely, so much of it caged within her turmoil.

He made the choice to walk away from her and so long as she could remain apart from him, perhaps he would still have a better chance, after all of this. Which felt awful and wrong still, but for Lup... Lup was family, she embodied it, all of the care the word was meant to be, the fierceness of her protection, the way she was unafraid of challenging this.

Wherever you go, I'll bring you back.

She looks up again, pain still in her eyes, voice now breathy, but better strengthened now for the struggle. ]

... and we... chose each other.

[ She looks on quietly as the two exchange words. When she buckles forward, Pyra starts to reach out to her, but stops short of making contact. Lup has this, Honerva has her. They are family, and... what a family, what a bond it is between the two of them-- Lup seems to say exactly what Honerva needs to hear. And Honerva responds accordingly. The difference between what Pyra had said in an attempt to console Honerva and Lup's is like night and day. This is the power of their bond, truly: whereas a stranger could not remind Honerva of the present, family does.

Honerva may not be anywhere near feeling better or reassured, but she's responded. That's enough. Pyra remains humbled by it, this beautiful thing she's witnessing. ]

[The shift in Lup's body language is subtle; her shoulders release an ounce of tension, her ears droop a bit lower. It is the expected result - they'd come too far to lose one another to madness or worse, not after so long and so much - but fear can still be very real even in the face of a strong bond.]

We did. And if you want to keep something, you have to continue choosing it, so that it stays safe. Pyra, here-

[She reaches a hand out towards the odd party, not looking- not daring to turn away from Honerva. It's fine, she'll wait.]

♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

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