hugtopia_logs | ♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

silhouette of a cat walking along a wall

June (Dianir) Event Log
Dianir, the month when Diacht's power begins to take hold, has begun and the effects of the previous month's rejuvenation have finally worn off. The city is fresh and new with flora and fauna (now rightfully contained in their proper habitats), and the weather begins to turn ever hotter with each passing day as summer begins encroaching upon spring. The natives and new residents alike are adjusting to the first major changes to Havenwell's layout in centuries relatively well, all things considered, with natives slowly and cautiously beginning to expand businesses and homes into the newly opened areas. The temples are abuzz with activity as adherents flock to them, offering praise and words of thanks for the gods and the offworlders, without whom this major step forward would not have been possible.

The priests, however, seem a little...distracted? Worried? Something seems off with them, and as the month of Dianir really gets underway, their reason why becomes quite obvious. The gods expended a lot of energy in order to open up the city and then to cleanse it, and by a lot, we mean a lot. Some gods had more power to give than others and that imbalance seems to be affecting all of their adherents this month...

❥ PROMPT I: Basic Instincts

a man's face in black and white, half-human, half-lion

Randomly throughout the month, characters will find that, depending upon the strength of their deity, they may begin exhibiting some...odd qualities associated with their god. Those whose gods are the weakest will find the desire to give in to these qualities are the strongest, bordering on nigh impossible to ignore. Like an itch in the middle of your back that you can't reach, but you're going crazy trying to get it. The longer your character ignores the desire, the stronger it gets. Those whose gods are the strongest will find the urge there and definitely annoyingly loud, but not impossible to ignore for longer periods of time. And what qualities are we talking about? Well, from strongest to weakest, those qualities are...

♥ Ohma (strongest urge): While normally standoffish and languid, this feline god can also cling to things and people at times with an almost obsessive fervor. They need everyone to know that what is theirs belongs to them, and what better way to do that than to mark what is most important to them? People and things adherents of Ohma deem essential or necessary to their lives will find that their Ohma-driven friends are unusually clingy, wanting to hold hands or press up as close as possible to them. It might be hard to go about your day when an Ohma adherent has their arms around your waist, face pressed to your back or chest, unwilling to let go! Another unusual trait to pop up is their hunting instinct. This seems to come out most strongly around the followers of Ainea and Diacht, where Ohma's predatory instincts cause them to play-stalk and play-hunt their fellow offworlders. It's all in good fun though! Give them a tackle or a tag and the urge to 'chase' seems to go away.

♥ Ainea: The little mouse deity is renowned for her compassion and family devotion, but a little known trait of hers is the need to gather. Whether it be people or things, Aineans will find an overwhelming need to pack-rat and hoard as much stuff as possible. Oddly, things that aren't owned by other people already (such as items from stores or museums) hold very little value to them. But that scarf someone else is wearing? Yoink. That person who catches your eye as they walk down the street? Yup. You're going to be gathering everything you can and everything that catches your eye into a central location - be it your home or some other meaningful place to you - in an attempt to bring together a cozy, happy home. Once you've created your perfect little cozy pile, wouldn't it be nice to just dig in and snooze with all of your favoritest things and people? Of course it would! It just might be hard because people tend to want to go about your lives and you? You'd rather they stay right where they are with you.

♥ Diacht: This is the beginning of the avian god's cycle and when their power is beginning to grow incrementally, but that doesn't seem to be excluding them from the chaos. While known for their honesty and honor, Diacht isn't above their more basic instincts. One of which is an almost comical obsession with anything shiny. What's shiny to a Diacht adherent? Well, that depends on each person. It could literally be a bit of tinsel or metal that glints in the bright early summer sun, or it could be a person with whom you've begun to feel a special connection. Diachtians will feel an urge to rush in and snatch up what catches their eye the most, which could put them at odds with both Aineans and Rawnas trying to hold onto their belongings. Beware of the Ohmans who might be stalking you from the shadows, too. If you manage to successfully make off with your latest prize, where better to stash it (or them) than high up, right? You'll be wanting to take over a high perch in town, which might put you into direct confrontation with the Rawnans as you bicker over who really has the right to claim the town fountain, the research towers, or the newly discovered colosseum as their own.

♥ Rawna (weakest urge): Currently the strongest of the deities, adherents of the draconic god will find these urges the easiest to ignore for the longest possible time. The desire is still there, however, and seeing everyone else go buckwild around you might just trigger something deep within: a sense of territorialism. That's your stuff they're taking! And your people! And hey! That's your house! That's your garden and no one else is allowed inside! The urge to protect and keep what's yours for you and you alone is extremely high this month. Sharing is not caring, thank you very much. In fact, it might be easiest to keep an eye on all that you own if you're also the owner of the highest points in town - the town fountain, the research towers, and the newly discovered colosseum. Rawna adherents will find themselves fighting and bickering among themselves and with the Diacht followers to claim ownership of the highest points of land that they can find. Don't be too violent though! No one likes a sore loser. They'll also want to watch out for the Aineans who might just steal that which you hold dearest.

❥ PROMPT II: What'd You Say To Me?

a stack of pancakes with heart-shaped butter and the Simlish language written around it

With the gods so thoroughly distracted by their baser needs, it seems something fairly important to the off-worlders' lives has also gone on the fritz. Randomly throughout the month, characters may find that they suddenly can't understand each other. The universal translation magic that's been holding everything together will randomly cut in and out, like spotty WiFi at a public bus station. You could be in the midst of a conversation and suddenly everything that comes out of your partner's mouth turns to gibberish, or just into their native language which you, unfortunately, don't seem to understand. Speak every language fluently? Have a spell that makes you telepathic? Chances are, it won't work. Whether it's written, spoken, thought or gestured, the language barrier is nigh insurmountable whenever this malady passes over you. Thankfully, as with most things here, if you and your conversation friend decide to touch for awhile, the effects wane and pass on as if nothing had gone wrong at all. Let go and it might come back though, so you best be prepared!

Like most prompts, this event is OPTIONAL, so if you would prefer your character not be affected, you are welcome to have the effect not trigger at any time. However, other characters can and will be affected as much or as little as they desire regardless of your character's abilities, so the result may be some very odd one-sided conversations.

❥ PROMPT III: Dancing with the Gods

animated gif of two handsome gents from FFVII shaking their booty to a rhythm game

With offworlders and natives randomly being unable to understand each other, and the gods' magic going so haywire, the people have decided that there's only one language that everyone understands that no one needs to speak to comprehend: The Language of *~Dance~*. Throughout the city, people will be breaking into interpretative dance, breakdance, ballroom dance, whatever it takes to liven things up with music, song, and little booty-shaking. Feel free to grab a friend and boogie down in these fun and free dance sessions!

As the dances grow in popularity, they catch the eye of the Entertainment District's biggest players and soon, a dance competition is announced. A large and technologically elaborate stage is constructed in the city square, with advertisements being pushed to every device and every citizen calling for those who like to Move It Move It to show the city what they got. At the end of the month, characters can participate in a large scale dance competition alone (how sad and unlikely to win) or with a partner (preferred!) or with an entire troupe of people (ooh amazing!) and win a very large dora prize. The prize is enough to land someone in free housing a month's stay in one of the upscale homes, in fact, so it's quite the luxury.

Dances are judged on originality, costumes, rhythm, music choice, and something called "The Dazzle Factor" that no one can seem to agree on. The judges are a panel of the Entertainment District's hottest stars, something that makes all of the natives go absolutely wild even if the offworlders might look at the names and think "...who?" Get your team together, practice your routine, and be ready to star in Havenwell's first Dancing with the Gods!

❥ PROMPT IV: Gotta Make Money to Spend Money

With the aid of VR technology, the stage for the dance competition is set up to do things like change the background of your stage, lights, sound, virtual smoke and fog, whatever you need to make your dance kick it to the next level. The only thing it can't do? Make you dance well or change your costumes, that part is up to you! And how do you get good costumes? Pay for them, naturally.

Clothes in Havenwell for more than just offworlders are starting to become a thing, although the availability of good clothing and custom clothing can still be quite expensive. With natives and non-natives alike trying to vye for the latest fashions and outdo one another on the stage, what little was available is pretty quickly gone from the shelves, leaving the few tailors in town charging premiums for any new products that are needed. Luckily, the wheels of capitalism don't stop, even in this faraway land, and paid jobs are currently plentiful. If you aren't looking to join in the festivities, don't despair! The dora you earn through these tasks can just as easily be spent on other goods and services as you like. A job board is posted in front of tailors and other shops, advertising the following things that people are willing to pay to get done:

Research Towers: Attention, Offworlders! We hear your calls for innovative cuisine! Create a recipe using available ingredients in Havenwell (replicated or not) with a friend and describe it in detail for potential use in future replicator recipes. We only require that you and your friend taste test and be able to describe the taste, texture, and feeling this food gives you. Please deliver your completed recipes to Research Tower East. Edible and named recipes, regardless of whether they are utilized or not, will receive dora in exchange!
City Council: Attention, Offworlders! We have heard that "homesickness" is a thing that many people might be experiencing and we have heard you! Please are paying for people to bring us examples of your home cultures - be it stories, plays, history or something else. Dramatic reenactments, video recordings, and physical recreations are preferred.
Entertainment District: Attention, Artists! We are experimenting with new synthetic materials that may be useful for your artistic endeavors. Please visit your local museum to pick up a sample pack. Payment for acceptable artistic creations that utilize these new materials in a new and innovative way is being offered. Materials include: new colors of synthetic paints, a more malleable synthethic clay, and a synthetic marble for carving. Offworlder models preferred.
Business District: Help Wanted! We are looking for delivery drones. Those interested should contact the delivery center. Requirements: be capable of moving quickly, carrying large loads of cargo, efficient, and safe! We need machinery, building supplies, personal packages and more shipped and delivered across all of Havenwell. Most packages currently awaiting delivery will require a minimum of two people to deliver. For those without transport, we are offering a crash course in piloting our newly minted three-wheeled delivery scooters.

This event will run from June 13th to 27th. 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.

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"Yeah," Kai muttered lowly, "it fucking sucks."

There was no getting around that. It sucked! It sucked a lot! But those hands on his shoulders were warm, and they were there. Right where they were supposed to be. That thought didn't strike him as even a little bit odd right now. There was just the clarity that came with the calm they brought.

It sucked. It hurt. But... he'd be a real asshole if he couldn't keep going after he told Reyson to. Geez.

Kai dropped his hands, but it was just so he could properly wrap his arms up around what was important right in front of him.

This... had kind of been what the tension of the moment was building to, hadn't it? Even so, Shinji's caught a little off guard as Kai pulls him in close, and it takes him just a moment to recover from the surprise.

"It's okay," he mumbles softly, reassuringly, as he carefully threads his arms around Kai in return. This, absolutely, is not something he has much practice with - receiving and possibly returning a hug like this outside of getting tangled up in late-night cozy encounters simply hardly ever happened, but if this was needed as much as just seeing Shinji apparently was, he can do this, too. "If you're afraid and lonely, that's okay. I'm right here for you."

He's not about to run, or vanish. Here, he'll even lean up a little bit, up on to the balls of his feet, to make this position that much easier on Kai. There we go.

There we go alright.

Hugging really just wasn't a thing Kai did, simply because he didn't really have practice with them at all. An elf had already made fun of him for it and an 11-year-old had to attempt to give him lessons. Obviously his sucked, so he didn't really venture forward with attempts. Shinji always had been kind of the exception though, but it was easy enough to argue that none of those octopus stints or shoulder to shoulder cozes were ever actually hugs. This though... well.

Kai shuddered, falling apart in the safety of those arms as he dipped his head against Shinji's shoulder. It didn't matter that they both kind of sucked at this. It was the fact that it was Shinji that made this easier. There was already so much laid bare that hadn't been too much, maybe a little bit more was okay. They'd both forgotten how to be good at being alone. This was. This might be okay. Careful fingers found their way through Shinji's hair, cradling his head as Kai kept keeping on with a half shake of his own.

"'M not lonely with you."

Well, if he hadn't already been figuring out how easy it would be to clear off his schedule for the rest of the day, the evening, however long, that confession would have done the trick.

"That's good," he answers, gently tightening his hold on Kai. He knows this isn't exactly a pleasant situation to be in by any means, but there's something very, very reassuring about being trusted with seeing this side of Kai. He closes his eyes, leaning in to that touch a little heavier, and raising one of his hands to run through Kai's hair. Cozy, comforting. "I'll stick right by you as long as you want me, so you don't have to be lonely."

Kai made a broken sound against the other boy's shoulder. It wasn't a sob though. Strangely enough, it seemed more like a... laugh? A laugh. Kai had laughed at that. "God, I sound like such a sad sack," he muttered into Shinji's shirt.

That didn't stop him from giving Shinji a warm squeeze though. Don't think he didn't appreciate it.

He tilt his head, just a little, not enough to really disrupt that soothing brush through his hair. It was just to murmur low and soft in Shinji's ear, "Thank you."

Ah, a laugh! That's... maybe still not the best thing to be hearing given the context, but Shinji's not about to call too much attention to it. "Don't I come to you for stuff kind of like this lot?" If this makes you a sad sack, what does that make him, huh? But, no, he's not out to make this a competition or anything, so he keeps his tone even and gentle, and as long as that bit of movement isn't going to stop him from it, he keeps those reassuring little pets going, too.

"So, I'm glad you came to me this time," those little words of gratitude, in spite of the situation, warm his heart up a good deal. He leans his head in a little bit, resting it against Kai's. "I'll listen to you any time."

'Stuff kind of like this' just got a moody hum in response. That wasn't really the case. Shinji's stuff was like... Actual Awful Shit, and Kai was keenly aware of how absolutely not the same these scenarios were. Someone left without a goodbye, big whoop. He wasn't here to argue about it either though, even if there decidedly was no competition.

No, he was just here for this. This soft warmth and soft voice, still right here with him. Right where it belonged, he thought, dimly. Finders keepers.

"I'll try," he said quietly. That dragon pull probably wouldn't always be around to boss him around, after all. He as honest but only as far as he was with himself. "I... want to make the most of things, I guess."

Mostly he meant 'emotional support', but regardless, it's not something worth lingering on for very long at all. No, he's just here to give Kai those reassurances, that he's sill here, still ready to open up his arms and ears for whatever Kai may send his way.

Even the promise of trying feels like a lot, he knows how hard it can be to open up and let someone else help shoulder your sorrow. Shinji has enough on his own that, really, what place does he have picking up someone else's? Or asking another person to hold on to some of his own? More than that, though, is the fact that Shinji's still trying to use this time in Havenwell to become a better person, shouldn't the most reasonable first step to that be accommodating the grief felt by someone he cares so, so much about? Thinking on it like that, it's much easier of a task to swallow.

It's going to take more than that to chase Shinji off at this point.

"I know." That seems about right, with the attitude Kai approaches most things with. "It's hard to do that when something so sad happens."

"Suppose so," he muttered. It made sense, with the whole grieving thing.

Kai drew in a deep breath, holding it before he let it out as a shuddering sigh against Shinji's shoulder. He knew Shinji was willing to listen, and he knew he would have been mostly willing to regale his woes to him if he just... really understood them to begin with. It wasn't quite as clear cut as other sources of distress. The facts were that it sucked, and that somehow Shinji simultaneously heightened the fear that came with the suckitude as much as he soothed it. Real weird, that one.

If he wanted to 'make the most of things' like he said though, Kai tried to focus on just the soothing part. Don't get stuck now. With another little squeeze, Kai gingerly lifted his head. "This helped," he assured him. He was about to change the subject, but don't worry. This had done something good.

"Uh. I kinda just busted in but... were you checking on stuff?" There was the smallest, hopeful lilt in his voice because maybe he could use the distraction.

There, there. Shinji's more than willing to stay right here however long it took fair Kai's more turbulent emotions to settle, and then a little longer after that. There's probably a non-zero amount of selfishness to it, if he were to be totally honest, but being able to provide at least some degree of comfort just by being here, listening, offering kind words to such sad ones... seeing it help pull Kaito back together somewhat is a profoundly, shockingly nice feeling. He's sure in most other circumstances, it would feel like far more stifling of a task, but not right now.

He's never been any good at offering comfort before all of this. Weird how things can change so drastically over the course of a year, huh? Maybe more time will help Kai sort out some of those more cloudy woes, and maybe Shinji will still be right here to hear them out. Wouldn't that be something?

"I don't mind," he says, with a little shake of his head. "It's nothing that can't wait for something more important."

Something like... this! The Most Important. He gives Kai an extra gentle squeeze of his own before loosening his hold up a bit, easing back down to stand fully on his feet once more. Maybe a distraction would be welcome, but he also wants to make sure that Kai knows he's not about to simply forego the clearly important aspect of being right here beside him.

"Did you want to look for a while?"

Something about that made everything tighten a little, from his chest to his throat. The idea that something more important was maybe, just maybe, him was another cause of duality. It still didn't feel quite right to have stolen some of that spotlight, but he couldn't really ignore that it felt. Nice.

Kai eased the hug, letting his hands slide gingerly down Shinji's arms. He wasn't quite ready to let go yet, just like he wasn't ready to let Shinji out of his sights either.

So he nodded. "Yeah. I'll just, mm, watch for a while? You can just keep doin' what you were doin'."

It's fine if Kai doesn't want to let go entirely just yet, because, surprise, Shinji's not planning on doing as much either.

"It really shouldn't take long," he slips one of his hands into Kai's, giving it a tight and reassuring squeeze as a way to take place of that hug ending. Whether he can believe it or not, Shinji's priorities can always be easily arranged to put Kaito at the top, and the need to keep checking on the plants over and over again through the day is simple enough to shake off. They've gotten their water, their attention, and now somebody else needs him more.

"I really just wanted to make sure there haven't been any people or animals running through here," he gently tugs on Kai's hand, prompting the other to crouch down and inspect the area with him. "I don't know if some of these smaller ones would be able to handle getting nibbled on or knocked over."

It wasn't hard at all to lead Kai along, easily persuaded by that persistent touch. Down they went, looking over these tiny green shoots and leaves. Ah, they were kind of cute weren't they? Small and fragile, Kai could see why Shinji would be worried.

"Mm, understandable. S'nice they got someone lookin' after them. Bet they'll grow up real strong."

That's what he's hoping for, even if this really is his first time trying to nurture... ah, well, anything at all. He can't pretend like it's gonna be an easy task, and it still feels like a foolish thing to be doing - making some kind of long-term commitment like this. Doubly so, in the face of Kai's current plight.

Still, still... he gives Kai's hand another squeeze.

"I want to see them grow nice and big. If they bear fruit, then the two of us can share it, and I could try growing more again later."

Edited (6_6a) 2020-07-12 19:21 (UTC)

Nurturing really was a whole lot harder than tearing something down. It felt good though, to look at Shinji and the lives he'd been tending. It felt right for those careful hands to have the chance to do something like this. Promises were dangerous, but if they were just to make the most of it, like Kai had already said? Maybe... that wasn't so bad.

"That'd be a treat." Kai gently squeezed back, holding him a bit tighter. "I'll be lookin' forward to it, even if it takes a few tries."

Both of them already understand the uncertainty of making any promises like that, but now really isn't the time to be reminding Kai of that. Maybe their time here is more limited than they know, but maybe it's not. All they really can do is make the best of it while they can, and keep holding on to something to get them through these losses. A promise to, if nothing else, have something to look forward to should the future allow, doesn't feel so risky, with that in mind.

They're probably on the same page with that, from the way Kai reacted. That's... that's a relief.

"Yeah." One of those careful hands is extended out, lightly brushing a bit of soil away from one of the plants to free up some of its leaves. "However long it takes, and however long I get to keep doing it for." Once he gets the hang of it, it sure would be a shame to quit there, right?

"I'll look forward to it with you, Kai."

Oh.

Kai lifted his head, looking at Shinji in quiet surprise. There was a syllable missing there. Was that intended? That kind of changed things, a little. That kind of meant he was pretty fucked, huh.

So be it. Kai looked back at the little plants as he turned his palm, carefully entwining their fingers.

"Yeah," he said quietly, the barest hints of a smile hiding at the corners of his mouth, "okay."

The nickname had been admittedly something of a gamble - whether or not Kai's given him confirmation that it's an okay thing to be using, it had still kind of felt like maybe Shinji shouldn't be the one using it. Would it be a reassurance in this instance? Or would it ruffle some feathers? He just couldn't be sure.

That shift in their hands reassures him that any worries he may have had were just worries, nothing that really existed outside of his own thoughts. Unsurprisingly, Kai accepts it warmly, and Shinji feels relieved for it.

He lets his hand settle comfortably in this new position, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. This... this is good. Despite everything, this is good.

"After this, did you want to go home?" He asks gently, continuing to inspect the plants with his free hand. "Or go somewhere else?"

Yeah. Despite everything. It was calm enough now that Kai felt a little weird about how intensely he'd needed to find Shinji in his distress, but only a little. The warmth where their hands nestled together so snugly assured him that this had been the right thing to do.

This right here was theirs.

"Mm... wherever you wanna go." Kai watched those careful motions before glancing over at Shinji again. Ah, there was that soft color again. "Doesn't really matter to me, if it's with you."

That answer probably should have been expected, but it's still one that settles warmly in Shinji's chest. Of course, anywhere would be good, if it's with Kai.

"Hmm," but 'wherever' isn't the most practical answer, is it? For all the appreciation and understanding he has for that answer, there's a reason he asked. "Well, I'm not sure if you'd rather rest, or find something else to do." A different distraction, or maybe just partaking in some down-time after all of that stress and worry had descended on him. Hands still held firmly and cheeks still faintly flushed, he glances up, turning his focus from the plants to Kai. Again, this is what's most important to him right now.

"What do you want to do?"

Ah. Well. "Uh." That certainly was a question pointed very directly at him.

He really had been content with the idea of just watching Shinji fuss around with his tiny plants. It seemed there had only been so much more fussing left to do after Kai had shown up though. Thinking about it, actual downtime didn't feel quite right yet. For as calming as this had all ended up being, there was still some restlessness in his limbs.

"Maybe a walk? See what we can see."

There we go.

"A walk sounds like a good idea." Surely there will be plenty of other opportunities to watch fussing occur, especially if the goal here is now to make this some kind of annual tradition. That would leave plenty of time for a lot of things, really. So, for now, something simple like an aimless walk, warm hands linked, that's still making the most of their time.

"We'll do that, then."

What a nice idea.

"Okay."

A very nice idea. Take your dog for a walk, get out all that restless energy. Help him forget all that anxiety that made him restless in the first place, even if he couldn't forget why it had happened.

But he wouldn't forget the warmth of Shinji's palm against his either.

"...Thanks, Shinji."

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♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

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