♥ September (Ohnir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

September (Ohnir) Event Log
The month of Ohnir brings with it a slow but steady relief from the heat, as summer gives way to autumn and the city begins to change with it. Plants are slowly deflowering, leaves are starting to fade and fall, and while the season is not yet in full swing, all the signs are there if you know where to look. The city is abuzz with new energy as the residents realize that for the first time in centuries, they have some actual nature clean-up ahead of them: raking leaves, pruning branches, protecting young wildlife and fresh plants from the incoming chills of winter. Such work used to be relegated to those who cared for the botanical gardens and zoos, but now everyone who's been enjoying this year's garden harvest has to learn how to future-proof their treasured flowers. Offworlders are encouraged to do the same, lest all of the growth be lost over the winter.

---

❥ PROMPT I: A Clean Getaway

With all of the work to be done, it's no surprise that some are looking for new ways to refresh themselves and relax, and what better time would there be to open up the Public Baths! All the volunteer work cleaning the place has paid off, and the facilities are officially open and available for use. It is technically free to use, as a public facility, but those visiting are encouraged to tithe a small donation once in a while to pay for upkeep and freshen up the place, provide new soaps, etc. No judgment if you can't! It'll just make everything that much nicer in the long run.

The baths are separated into a few sections: oil baths for the native residents, and water baths for the offworlders. For obvious reasons, offworlders are encouraged not to enter the robot-residential sections! Though they are not strictly forbidden... it would be quite messy and bad for your health.

The offworlder half has additional separated sections that may interest characters when they visit:

1) Hot Springs Style - Clothed or Unclothed: there are 3 available rooms for each, one for separate presented genders, and a shared bath for those comfortable with the concept or don't wish to use either male or female. Each room has one larger pool and a few smaller sets, so you can sit by yourself or with others as you please.

2) Pool: a shared public pool! The water is nice and cool, which should be a comfort to those still struggling with the lingering summer heat. There is some water game equipment available for open use if people want to play and get their sports on.

3) Sauna: similar to the springs, once again, there are 3 rooms for gender splits so everyone can enjoy the place at their own comfort level.

It all seems very nice and relaxing for everyone, but this wouldn't be a proper event without some shenanigans now, would it? There are a few effects that may occur within the baths, and these effects are somewhat random. Some characters may experience them to a powerful degree, while others feel nothing at all. Players can decide for themselves who and where these will affect, so feel free to mix, match, and go wild. The effects are:

• The spring water is so relaxing that you feel free and more willing to talk about yourself, or share your feelings more openly.


• The swimming pool is cool and energizing, making you want to horse around and play with others nearby. You may also feel inclined to drape yourself onto others, like a cool, comfy pillow.


• The sauna has you dishing up spicy hot takes, releasing negative emotions or complaints, and makes you a little more inclined to gossip.

All effects can either be nullified or emphasized according to player discretion by physical contact. For some characters, holding hands or something will stop the effects, but for others it'll intensify them - it should keep characters guessing!

❥ PROMPT II: REM Stands for Realistic Emotional Memory in These Parts

Characters who were around last year might remember a bout of strange and sporadic dreams that plagued the town around this season, along with the sensation that they were being followed. This year, dreams once more enter uninvited to one's mind, but this time, it occurs as a random daydream while they are awake, and it is very different from person to person- instead encouraging you to do the following. All visions start out hazy, like a grainy old movie where details and figures are difficult to make out, but there is something both familiar and alien about it. It feels like a memory… but it is not your memory. Over time, the visual begins to clear the more often the dream repeats, until slowly the images grow more distinct, offering clearer faces, the addition of voices, discernable quotes or expressions. The memory will provide hints as to who it might belong to, though the subtlety of those hints will likely vary. Before too long, if you have not found a way to rid yourself of the dream, you will experience an entire memory of another person in town as if you were witnessing it from their perspective!

Now, how does one rid themselves of these strange visions? You could wait it out, if you're patient enough and not inclined to seek the answer, but those who've been here long enough can wager a guess: you must find the source of that memory and "send" it back to them through physical interaction of some kind. Some memories may take longer to transfer than others, and it may depend on the person, the memory itself, how clear the memory has become in the time you carried it… no two experiences are likely to be the same.

There are a few specifics about these memories that are worth noting:

• the memory should be of a single event, not a series of events that span a long period of time. For example, you could witness the stretch of someone's day at a wedding or long party (sped up to skip insignificant moments so it doesn't play in real time), but not a memory of an entire war that goes for months. How long the memory goes for is up to the player that the memory belongs to, as long as it falls within these guidelines.


• you are not limited to a single memory from a single person. Once you have solved one vision, after a certain amount of time, you may find yourself plagued with another.


• you will not necessarily end up having the same memory partner! You won't always have the memory of the person who has your memory. Characters are encouraged to pair up and try to piece together clues that might lead you to your intended partner. Help each other out and guide one another in the right direction if you can.


• those whose memory has been borrowed may find it difficult to recall it; it can seem fuzzy and indistinct, missing entirely or simply missing choice details. Through physical contact, that memory will fully return to them and both participants can experience it together.


• you can find your partner accidentally! If you're still searching for clues and happen to touch your partner through other circumstances - such as shake their hand at first meeting, or hug a friend - you may find both of you are suddenly experiencing a memory together as it is transferred! Aren't you lucky, to have found your partner so easily?

!!! IMPORTANT !!! The contents of the memory shared is up to you, but please be mindful of harmful subjects and tag/mark your comments and toplevels accordingly! Triggering memories should be noted with content warnings. Be kind to your fellow players! If someone asks you to tag something and you have not done so, please correct it as soon as possible. Untagged comments that aren't adjusted and are reported to us may be subject to mod screening until the issue is resolved.

❥ PROMPT III: I Shall Fight With My Bear Hands

Closer to the tail end of the month, one of the research facilities distributes a "Help Wanted" advertisement through the network, requesting the aid of offworlders. The advertisement reads:

"Calling all offworlders! Havenwell Research and Development is seeking volunteers for both physical prowess and supernatural ability testing. All are welcome! Even if you have no combat skills and feel only a desire to learn, we have a job for you. Those who already possess some form of self-defense or combative powers will be partnered and asked to "spar" in a partially digitized facility, or proceed with a simulation that will gauge destructive capabilities. And for those who possess neither, don't worry! Our program is specially designed to help you discover just where your talents lie.

No harm should come to any volunteers, as this is strictly simulation-based, similar to the virtual reality technology already widely used throughout the city. However, in case of any accidents, medical staff is on site to treat injuries as needed. Additionally, there is no need for you to wear any of the VR headgear typically required in our cafes, so if these devices cause you discomfort, this may be a simulation that better meets your needs.

Please contact us ASAP if you are willing and able to help. A monetary commission will be awarded upon completion of each session."

Any volunteers or inquiries will be provided with more information, and invited to one of the research towers located in town. They are guided to a floor that is abuzz with activity, partnered with whoever happens to be scheduled at the same time or a partner they themselves opted to bring with them, and taken to a room akin to Star Trek's holodeck. There, they can input "powers" or "no powers", and a simulation will be created for them based on their selected guidelines.

With Powers:
The console invites characters to select one of two options- their own abilities, or temporarily gain access to the elemental powers offered via AC Rewards (point levels 50, 100, and 200). They are able to choose a particular power level for the duration of the simulation, which can either dampen their natural abilities to a more fair level for the test you're undertaking, or remain normal. While in the simulation room, rather than actually using any real abilities, the room will materialize whatever ability you choose without causing true damage to either the room or your opponent. Science, or magic? It's probably both. Feel free to go wild and have fun, maybe try some powers you've never experienced before or vent your frustrations on being stuck here!

Without Powers:
The console invites characters to select a type of weapon and skill level, and said weapon will materialize in a basic form; while held inside the room it moves and feels real, but it cannot be removed from the facility. Those who are skilled in utilizing said weapon are free to wield it as if it were the genuine article in their chosen simulation. Those without much or any skill will be walked through a tutorial on basic techniques from a variety of styles, old or new, most unfamiliar but well suited to the body type of the person using the program. It's quite intuitive, though it is by no means perfect, so characters might end up being guided through a stranger workout than intended.

For versus mode, each participant has an HP bar displayed above their heads, and everyone has the same HP unless both players select an unbalanced mode, and the goal is to force your opponent to hit zero HP. Characters can also choose how realistic the simulated violence is and how the process feels: in low realism, it's similar to laser tag, where characters flash a colour when hit and take damage without feeling anything more than some uncomfortable vibration. In high realism, pain is genuine to a certain degree depending on how high a level they choose, though it is artificial and will fade as soon as the program ends. Hitting zero HP will not result in a knock-out, but characters will feel dizzy and be forced to sit down, unable to rise again until they surrender. All effects wear off as soon as the simulation ends.

For demonstration mode, participants are given a selection of virtual targets to practice on using whatever method of combat they've chosen. It could be moving targets, such as creatures that have invaded the barrier previously (via the Wild Wild prompt), or simulations of the more dangerous beasts in the museum/zoo areas of town. It could be simple targets built to take a beating without providing much challenge in return. It could be a collection of buildings that characters can break or explode as they please. This mode is designed to gauge just how strong a person's destructive potential is, either with their own powers or with powers granted to those who have been blessed by their patron god.

Characters are welcome to volunteer as many times as there are available partners and/or slots! So feel free to try a few times using different options.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Bonus Trip Down Memory Lane

Last year, some offworlders might remember the tradition of sharing stories in the temple of Ohma, to offer small tributes to the god on their first month of devotion. It is that time of the year again, and everyone is welcome to return and share more stories, or perhaps retell an old favourite to a new audience. Here is the event as described previously:

Ohma's temple is particularly lively during Ohnir and the priests are busy cleaning and sweeping, decorating it with rolls of parchment and digital inkwells and quills that write as if they were actually fountain pens. The natives, especially adherents of Ohma, start to make pilgrimages to the temple in little processions, some playing music, others flying banners.

Anyone who chooses to follow can observe the natives going up to the altar and sharing stories with one another. They talk about things they did over the past year or things that are far, far in their past. Some of the stories are happy and result in the procession laughing and some are...well, not everyone returns safely from certain disasters that befall the city throughout the year. The priests diligently write every story down on those parchment rolls and deposit them onto the waiting altar, where they're summarily lit on fire to the cheers of those present. The more emotional the story it seems, the brighter and bluer the flame that it emits and the louder the procession cheers.

As the file out, they notice you watching and urge you to go up with someone else in the temple to clear your heart and offer up your own stories. They can be stories of home, information about your worlds, or stories about your life.

---

This event will run from September 14th to 30th. 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.

Comments

[carbungle]

[THAT'S NOT THE REACTION HE EXPECTED-]

I was- uh- you can just say no!

[-Actually he doesn't know what reaction he was expecting.]

[iustaegis]

[ First her brow lifts at his response, and then her expression shifts from an attempt at being firm to an uncertain sideways glance, only then to snap back at him with intent in her gaze. ]

As if I'm going to say no, either. [ Her hand grasps at his collar forcefully-- ] C'mere.

[ --And she crashes her lips against his. ]

[carbungle]

[He makes a startled noise against her as he's yanked in (oh) having expected her to dismiss him for having the gall to ask (oh?) but after a second it clicks (...oh!) and he relaxes into it, shifting his head to try and make it more kiss than collision. She'll find no resistance from him, only cautious curiosity, similar to how things had begun with Pyra herself months before- a response to something new, something exciting. It's a far cry from the gentle, hungry coaxing way that Pyra kissed him, but her lips are nonetheless familiar, just much more forceful than he's used to.

He's... kind of into it.]

[iustaegis]

[ Would she kiss a god? Yes. Would she fuck a god? Also yes.

But only if they would be a god of her making.... which would be him.

The intensity of the kiss doesn't abate, but only escalates, and instead she pushes against him to force him down onto the prairie grass. Mythra's body and weight follows right after, keeping her lips upon his and her hands upon his sides, as if she's wanted to taste and feel him for a very, very long time. Simply feeling him through Pyra or feeling as if she's been kissed by him through Pyra isn't enough. She wants this for herself. ]

[carbungle]

[To call the kiss distracting would be an understatement; he feels heavy, nearly unresistant as she pushes him back, his head tilting up to meet her. His hands slip between them to brush over her sides, finding bare skin just as soft and pliant as Pyra's. Her hair hangs down in waves, another sensation he's unused to, tickling where it catches bare skin. The grass under him is warm from the sun, and it would be so easy to lose himself in this for a while, kissing her, learning the shape and feel of her body as he'd done with her other self, experimenting how they move together, how she kisses him and touches him, and-

-hang on.]

W-wait, [he manages between one of the long, lingering kisses, his hands going to her arms to halt the next contact, eyes wide and lips gone red. How long's it even been?] This is- you're cheating. [He can't tell if she wants this or if it's an excellent distraction from the truly unhappy topics they'd been getting into. Maybe both? He sure hopes it's at least both.] We're- we're supposed to- I came here for a reason.

[ ...Actually, scratch that doubt, he can tell she wants it. But his point stands!]

[iustaegis]

[ He stops the kiss before it can escalate, and it's probably a good thing that he does. Just like Pyra, Mythra is easily carried away. Straddled upon him, with her face so close to his, and with his hands upon the bare skin of her back, she doesn't want to pull away just yet. His lips are sweet, his touch is warmth, and his eyes are the ocean in which she could drown.

The reminder is extremely sobering, however. The reason they came here had been-- that's right. Her memory shared with him. ]

The past is the past.

[carbungle]

Weren't we talking about the future?

[His tone is dry, not really meaning it; her future is more or less settled, miserable woven together with hopeful, the same way his own is. Cease to exist, spare the world's doom. It sucks, he hates it. But he'd said he would accept it, and... he'd be a hypocrite not to.

(He would very much like to be a hypocrite for her sake, though. Even if she wouldn't appreciate the sentiment.)

Rather than pursuing it further, he shifts his position and sits up a little, not so much to jostle her off of him but so he can face her better, rather than lying under her and being tempted to just fling aside the restraint he's trying to stick with. He likes her weight on him, it feels simultaneously soft and stern, but he doesn't want to lose himself in it.]

You're not wrong, but it's still your past. Both of you. I don't know why you always stop yourself from talking about it, but you don't have to. Definitely not with me.

[He can guess why she doesn't, but that's not the same thing, and none of the reasons he can think of are good enough to dissuade him from at least offering his ear to her.]

[iustaegis]

[ Why does she not talk about her past? Because her thoughts often drift to it regardless of what she does, and it is that past that drives her forward to an end. Only now, peering into her own future, does that end seem to include other factors she cannot properly discern. Still, the past is painful, while the future is hopeful-- because others will live.

Furthermore, her past detracts from others speaking of their own, of their own world, or of how they have been hurt by it. Compared to so many here she is privileged-- she is immortal, she has lived for an eternity, she is one of three of the powers that have created her world. Whatever pain she has felt is a fraction of her existence. Others lead such fleeting lives in comparison, and with such hardship. She's both heard it and seen it firsthand. Hugging others, expressing her deepest sympathies, crying for them... feels so meaningless at times, when so many continue to suffer, and she can never do enough. Thus at the very least, she doesn't wish to detract from listening to them.

To express her own pain would feel disrespectful to all that she's caused harm to, everyone that she's killed, before.

The position they're in isn't appropriate to continue this conversation, but she remains anyway. A single finger strokes up his midline to his neck, then to his chin, curling there. ]

A lot more people have suffered than we have. You should give your time to them.

[carbungle]

[He levels her with a stubborn, steady look at that, though he can't help the soft shiver that travels through his body as her finger trails along his neck. A distraction again, maybe? He won't be deterred.]

Don't want to.

[His time isn't owed to people who may or may not deserve it more (and he doesn't agree with her sentiment on that one). He's not a king here, these aren't his people. He can focus on the ones he cares about more, as much as he wants.]

Isn't that up to me?

[iustaegis]

[ It sure is, and that finger turns into a palm against his cheek, a rake through his hair and down to the nape of his neck. She remains firmly seated upon him as she leans in, a lock of golden hair falling over her shoulders.

Along with that, she continues to give the bare bones of her reasons, her expression serious, her eyes sharp. ]

Our past isn't so important as others'. You're making a mistake.

[carbungle]

[His hand moves from her side to the one at his cheek, fingers closing around hers to hold it. The look in her eyes don't move him; his own narrow, challenging her in return.]

Say that as much as you want- you can't force me to agree with it. You're important to me. I don't care about what else is. This [his hand tightens on hers,] isn't a mistake.

[iustaegis]

[ With his hand clasped over hers, it doesn't move any further. She meets his gaze.

There's that look in his eyes again, determined, stubborn, and strong. She knows that look. She's rather fond of it, in fact.... but his words are difficult to hear. Guilt prevents her from accepting them outright.

In return something shifts in her own gaze, a flicker of strained doubt that wavers upon relenting. ]

....It's painful.

[carbungle]

[That makes him pause, and the look in his eyes finally softens.]

That's the first good reason you've given me.

[He understands it well, too. Many, many memories are too painful to speak of, too difficult to share. It's understandable that it would be easier for them to just bury or ignore it, if it hurts too much to think about, let alone share. Just thinking about how much pain he's endured in such a short life makes it difficult to fathom the weight they must be carrying, having existed as long as they have, knowing what they know.]

You... don't have to. If it hurts too much, I won't force you. [His lips quirk a little, briefly upturned.] Don't think I could if I wanted to, anyway. Just... make sure that you're holding back for the right reasons, yeah?

[None of that "others have suffered" or "others are more important" bullshit. He's felt the same way himself, and he can still recognize that it's a bad way to think about problems.]

[iustaegis]

[ Mythra's eyes drop to the smile upon his lips, briefly, before raising her gaze. She wants to argue, she wants to remain that hypocrite. But if she doesn't say something now, then there will be no end to this. She needs to move forward.

How silly. In many ways she has been: forever striving towards that future in which she is no longer in it, fighting to restore this world by means of touch.... But in terms of grief, in terms of expressing herself? As of late, she's only been more closed. The memories she has witnessed of others have only served as a reminder of how much they have been hurt, and how she must listen to them, be there for them, or attempt to make the world a better place for them. Noctis comes to mind as well. There is not a day that goes by without her feeling simultaneously grateful to know him, devastated that he'll one day perish, and wondering what else she can do for him in the present.

The memory reminded her of that, of what she once lost, of what she owes to the world, to the good people within it, and what it means to truly protect them and ensure they have that chance of a future. She's not so much as shackled by her past as she is propelled by it to march one step after the next to an end.

Suddenly, everything seems so unbearably heavy.

Be brave. ]

The right reasons... [ She lets out a short exhale from her nose, echoing a laugh. ] I don't have to worry about dying by anything else. You all do.

[ She tears her gaze away from him, beginning to shift off of him.

Then, more softly: ] ...And I worry about that. A lot.

[carbungle]

[He doesn't respond for a moment, watching her expression, slowly sitting up as she moves away- both so he can properly face her, and so he can remain close. He doesn't want to break contact, so he won't let go unless she does.

Death... could happen, it's true. It's a reasonable fear for someone who can regenerate the way she can, surrounded by those who cannot. He wishes there could be some sort of magical assurance that would relieve them of that worry, but of course there'd be no way to keep that promise. Instead, he purses his lips, glancing down at the grass.]

I wish you didn't have to. Or- that you didn't think you had to, at least. [No one has to worry about others. The fact that she does just confirms what he already knew of her character.] Y'know, part of being human is worrying about death. Even if it's someone else's, and not your own. It means you're not so different.

[iustaegis]

[ If she didn't have any human feelings, then she wouldn't worry. She hadn't worried when she had existed merely as a crystal-- and even when she had first awakened under Addam. Initially, her attitude had been to remain distant.

Cynicism aside, there's something comforting about being regarded as not so different. As being human, having that humanity. ] Hah, thanks for that... [ She means it, too, as she brings one knee up to her chest, leaning forward.

Her voice lowers, as if confessing something. ] ...I don't think I ever felt as mortal until others started... dying around me. [ How messed up is that.

She still feels as if she's unnecessarily expressing herself. She's never felt woeful for being immortal, has never felt its supposed burden because she had been that way from the beginning. Her grievance comes from seeing others suffer in far shorter lives. ]

I go back and forth, you know. On being human and not... Feeling or not. It-- feels both right to have emotions. But also wrong.

[carbungle]

That's not so different, either.

[There were days in the past, when he was halfway to adulthood even, when he saw his father the way he'd been when he was still a small child: powerful, invincible, perpetual. Seeing him with a cane had shattered that illusion and made him realize what was not only inevitable but coming far, far sooner than he was prepared for. It was something he'd struggled with right up until his father's death, and the ache of what could have been still lingers even now. Knowing you'll live past someone else, knowing they suffer, being unable to change their fate... that part's the same. But for her, the scale must be so different.

How many people have they had to see die, he wonders. Not just- the distant, unspecific number of a continent falling. That's horrible, unthinkable, but the ache is different. When Tenebrae and Insomnia fell to the empire there was guilt and horror, but the loss of Luna and his father was different. There'd been known faces amongst that number. How much have they seen?]

It... would be easier to not have them. Right? To just think, but not feel anything. [There sure are days when he wishes that.] That's part of you, though.

[iustaegis]

Mm. [ She smiles grimly, affirming. ]

...If I didn't feel anything, then our world would be doomed. [ Love makes her a sap. But it also makes her appreciate all those she meets-- and feel awful for them, seeing how much they suffer. That love would make her die for her world. ]

And... who knows. Maybe I would feel more complete, if we didn't feel anything at all. Or if we were just a crystal.

But I want to keep them, though. Those feelings.

[carbungle]

I'm glad for that.

[If she didn't have feelings, this relationship would be a lot different. Hell, he doesn't know if it would be one at all- platonic, at least. Romance would be right out. He plays off being cool and collected as a performative defense wall, but anyone who knows him knows better. He's not always great with people who can't give him some indication of what they're feeling.]

I dunno about being more complete, though. I mean- it's not like I'd know better, but if a part of you is missing, and you only realized it now, that means you're getting closer, doesn't it? So, like... feeling is better. [He scuffs a hand through his hair.] Or something like that.

[iustaegis]

[ She looks at him from the corner of her eye, pursing her lips in thought. Something he's said seems to resonate with her. ] Ah, now that you bring it up...

[ She inclines her head, uncertain. ]

I... have felt more whole while with you. [ It hadn't just been once or twice that she's felt as such with him, but more. The most recent time had been after they--

Her cheeks adopt a soft tinge of pink to them. ] Er, like... I was on the brink of realizing something. Or remembering it.

[carbungle]

[He can't really do anything to avoid the redness crossing his own cheeks at that, besides duck his head a little.]

You mentioned that before... um, the remembering part. [It's why it had come to mind, actually. He's going to wonder about that until the mysterious third-self reveals themselves.] Is... there anything else you think I could do, to help?

[He doesn't really get why his presence might make a difference, but if she thinks it might be the case, he won't argue. Not like he doesn't want to spend more time with her, so if it helps then it all works out for both of them. All three. Four? Oh gods, this is a lot, isn't it.]

[iustaegis]

[ Her shoulders rise and fall with a quiet shrug. There's nothing specific that comes to her mind, unfortunately. She's only aware that there is another part of her insofar as that she's always felt incomplete. One, as a being unto herself, and two, as a set of three with other two crystals. ] As corny as it sounds...

You being with us is enough.

[ Mythra leans back, placing a hand behind her upon the grass.

However, her position shifts once more when she lifts her head, turning to look at him. ]

Actually-- there is one thing I want to say.

[carbungle]

What's that?

[He glances over to share her look. Being with them is enough... he wonders, but has no cause to question it beyond his own uncertainty. His presence alone feels like it's so little, so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Then again, that sounds like something Pyra would say about herself. Maybe they're all kind of hopeless with this.]

[iustaegis]

[ Bluntly: ]

You make Pyra cry again, I'm going to kick your ass.

[ (A tall order, considering that she tears up often...) ]

[carbungle]

[A tall order indeed. He blinks at her for a moment, then answers in a dry tone,]

She cries when I tell her I love her. You may as well kick my ass right now.