♥ 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.

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❥ 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

[iustaegis]

[ Fear of the dark is not something she would have ever experienced until today. The feeling of being loved by a family member, a father who is close (relatively speaking to her own "Father"), is also new. It has only been through these memories that she's come to know what that sort of love is for a family member, one of blood. Finally, being a child and seeing through such a lens to view a family and the world is entirely novel. Through a child's eyes, the world is both terrifying and fascinating, embodied by both cold, ominous darkness and warm, dancing flames.

"Pretty," that child had said.

The flame had been beautiful in her eyes, too, but now with her mind all to herself, what she finds beautiful is the fascination the memory-holder had for it, as well as the joy at having carried that same flame. She exits the trance of the memory not with a startle, but with a hand over her chest. If she had a heart, perhaps this is what it would feel like for it to be warmed. ]

Mm, Noct...?

[ It's afternoon, and they're meeting for a light dinner date upon a rooftop. She has a picnic set up for the both of them, wine and cheeses and tarts to taste. ]

I think... --No, I know I have a memory of yours. [ Reaching for the bottle and pouring his glass, she's smiling as she tells him this. At least it's a good memory. ]

[carbungle]

A memory?

[He blinks, halting as he half-reaches for the glass, though his hesitation only lasts a moment; he takes it from her as it passes, smiling tentatively.]

I... hope it wasn't too bad.

[It feels kind of like his options for good memories are severely limited these days, and considering the memory he got from her, he can't help but worry. Still, she's smiling... that's a good sign, right?]

[iustaegis]

[ "I hope it wasn't too bad."

What a reminder that so much of his life has involved something sad or awful. It puts this memory in perspective, and curbs the warmness she feels of the memory. Now she wonders-- despite the wonder and fascination, the comfort of the flames, the gentle guidance and reassurance of the solider, will it be bittersweet overall knowing that the Citadel no longer stands? That his father who he had been trying to sneak towards is no longer alive?

She thinks of another memory, briefly, and what it involved for the person: something terrible, yes, but also family. The tragedy of the memory sorely outweighed the love found within. Will returning Noctis' memory have a similar result? What could make up for it, if she returns this memory to him?

Her smile wavers. ] It was one of your childhood.

"Palms up, little prince."

[carbungle]

[It takes a few seconds - he has so few intact memories of his childhood before the attack, lost to time and trauma, and it's fuzzier now that she carries it for him - but when realization dawns, his smile softens, less hesitant, instead a little embarrassed and fond.]

Oh... I kind of remember that one? I remember the Kingsglaive, at least. Showing me fire magic for the first time.

[iustaegis]

[ Relief washes over her expression when he smiles. Perhaps he'll be fine after all....?

She extends her hand to him, as if returning a gift. She can only hope this:
may it be heartwarming to recall again, not heartbreaking. ] For you.

[carbungle]

[He reaches back with his free hand, their fingers twining together, a gesture that's become near as natural to him as breathing by now. He closes his eyes, waiting, and after a few seconds the vision floods back to his mind, and he exhales a breath he'd been holding as it finishes and his gaze clears. Well... it isn't heartbreaking, at least, though when it ends his smile is gone, replaced by a furrowed brow and a thoughtful look.]

Huh... you know, I'd actually forgotten a lot of that. Just her hands, mostly, and the fire. Guess this place is digging up the buried stuff, too.

[Weird. The last few times this happened, he's been more bothered about the invasion of privacy, to have his history laid bare for strangers or friends to see. But this almost feels like something he'd had stolen away a long time ago was being given back to him.

In the grand scheme of things, it isn't an important memory. How he remembers experiencing elemancy for the first time isn't anything special, and that Kingsglaive wasn't a significant part of his life, certainly not compared to people like his father, or Luna, or the guys. He's not sure he could even recall her name. Still, it was... nice. A snapshot of the person he used to be, and confirmation that not all of the Kingsglaive had always hated the royal family.]

[iustaegis]

[ And it's by luck that this "buried" memory is one that brings a smile to his lips, not the opposite. So many memories of her own are buried, as well.... She should count herself lucky, too. There's no use worrying over something that she has no control, and so she smiles at him. ]

I-- felt it, you know. [ She lifts up his hands beneath her palms, as if she were carrying the flame within the memory. Precious and light, she recalls how it danced upon her-- Noctis'-- small fingers. ] Your wonder at the flame... [ Fondly, ] And your love for your father.

[carbungle]

[His smile returns at that, glancing down at their joined hands. With the memory having been regained so recently, it's easy to imagine the tiny flame in their joined hands. A bit like that moment months ago when it had first come to mind, when she'd quietly and cautiously shared her fire with him.]

It's kind of strange, huh? To feel someone else's thoughts and stuff... or did it remind you of yours?

[He doesn't really know much about her "father" beyond what little has come up, but this isn't the first time someone has felt firsthand how he feels about his dad, for better or worse.]

[iustaegis]

[ Of course, she cannot help but think of that very same moment when she had held her fire for first time in ages in her hands before him. The gift he had given her of sharing a part of her powers for him will not be soon forgotten. Back then, it hadn't been the fire that was precious, or her powers. It was him and his acceptance...

The memory isn't enough to keep her expression from becoming bittersweet. ]

Mm, it is strange... [ Come to think of it, she hadn't asked after him when he had seen her memory, experienced her fear, guilt, and resolve to find an end-- at... all. She had been too focused upon herself, too hurt.

She's shaken from her thoughts at his question. ] Ah-- no. Not at all. What I felt in your memory for your father... was admiration, and a sense that you would be protected. It was extraordinary.

[carbungle]

[He can read between the lines there- she hadn't felt as much from her own father figure, this mysterious Architect. That's... sad. His relationship with Regis has never been and never will be perfect, but he has enough good memories and feelings associated to know that there is love to spare between them. His brows furrow, debating how to respond. Maybe... derail? He doesn't want to make her sad by dragging back the memory he'd gotten from her before.]

Yeah. I was so little back then... I still thought my dad was invincible. And clueless enough to think monsters could get inside the Wall.

[iustaegis]

[ To children, one's parents are as gods. In that respect, the Architect is very much like his own father. In others, not so much. ]

The love you had for him was very... [ She withdraws one of her hands, placing it over the slight-left side of chest-- where her heart would be. ] Soft. You must have been adorable, back then. I'm surprised the Kingsglaive did not oblige taking you to the king out of how cute you were.

[carbungle]

In her defense, it's not like I asked her to.

[Not... that it's likely she would, but still. The onus was kind of on him, even as a child, to explain where he wanted to go if he wanted to be taken there. He'd just been so charmed by the magic he'd forgotten all about it until he was sleepy enough that going back to bed was more appealing.]

Dad had a lot on his plate, even back then. I'm sure he wouldn't mind, but everybody knew it was better to let him sleep through the night.

[iustaegis]

[ Her smile remains fond. Being a child, thinking of her (uh, his) father, being in awe at fire, then being sleepy... it had all been too precious. ]

You were very brave, you know. When you first slipped out of your chambers all alone.

The monsters were in the shadows, [ Not true, but to a child there were! ] but you still managed...

[ Even back then, he had been brave, pushing through his fears. Because of this memory, she’s gotten to feel brave, too. ]

[carbungle]

Brave? I guess, kind of... but wasn't I running away from them by leaving, too?

[He smirks faintly, not really bothered by it either way. It's natural for a kid to be scared of the dark- that probably happens everywhere, even in worlds where daemons don't crawl up out of the shadows all the time. It doesn't feel especially good or bad to him.]

[iustaegis]

[ From the way she looks at him— with admiration, love— it should be obvious that she disagrees. She sees the courage and strength of others in even the smallest of acts. ]

You... were not frozen in place by fear or despair.

[ It’s inspiring, really.

A moment passes, and then she speaks up again, deciding to volunteer something more on her own. Her hand drops from her chest back to clasp over his. ]

That— it means a lot to us, mm. Having felt what you felt, whether love or courage or even fear. Being afraid of the dark... or in awe of fire. Being a child, too. Loving a father.

[ Her fingers curl over his, giving his hands a squeeze. ] It was very... human. [ —And being human without undue suffering, loneliness and fear aside. So often has she seen or heard of others suffering that she’s forgotten of more pleasant moments, like the joy a child might experience at seeing a magic fire. ] It was wonderful, Noct. Your feelings are... so very important.

[carbungle]

[His smirk drifts the more she speaks, quietly surprised, until finally he shifts a bit closer to her, lifting her hand up to his mouth to kiss it. His cheeks are a little pink behind their hands.]

If that's how you feel about it, then... I'm glad you're the one who got the memory from me. You deserve to experience that sort of thing too.

[Good feelings, warmth and love and maybe even the fear in a sense. The fear of a child is different from that of an adult, and the sensation of relief when a child is spared from that fear by someone strong and safe... there are no words to truly describe it. He'd felt it in that moment, which means she'd felt it too.

It really is a wonder that she got that memory, though. It could have been something sad, or deeply personal, something more relevant to their relationship or that which might try and drive a wedge between them. Instead, such a nothing memory for him ends up being obviously precious to her. He didn't know this sort of sharing could work like that, but maybe it's somehow intentional- the memory, and the recipient, both. If not for her, he might have forgotten it entirely; instead, she gave him something he'd lost, and he gave her something she'd never had.

It's... sweet. A softer surprise than this place - or indeed, their lives - typically offers.]

[iustaegis]

[ For someone who has never had such an experience before— for someone who shouldn’t have had this experience at all, childhood and a child’s emotions alike, it means more than mountains to her.

She smiles as he kisses her hand. ]

Were you able to see your father the next day?

[carbungle]

[He thinks it over for a long moment, then ultimately shakes his head.]

I can't remember. Maybe? Sometimes we met up for dinner, but things were starting to get bad with Niflheim again around that time, so he had to cancel a lot. I didn't see him much until we went to Tenebrae. [He offers up a lopsided smile in her direction.] Kings and gods have a tough time with parenting, big shocker.

[iustaegis]

[ She finds his wry, small smile endearing, as well as the connection he makes between them, what with distant fathers (to different degrees, yes, but she sees the parallel). What is the definition of being a parent, anyway? She shares no blood of the Architect, and she's starting to suspect that he did not create her or her brothers, either. He did not raise them. So why call him "Father"?

Yet, she feels as if the title is appropriate.

Perhaps it needn't be logical at all, for that feeling is human. ]

Who knew their children could be such trouble. [ She replies quietly, then adds: ] You're... close with your father now, aren't you?

[carbungle]

[He exhales through his nose in mock-offense. Him, a troublesome child? Never. Despite all evidence to the contrary.]

Right now it's complicated, but for the most part, yeah. It's just weird, because he's missing what, 17 years of my life? So I'm not the same Noctis to him, and he's not the same Regis for me. [He gives his cheek an awkward scratch.] In a different way, we're closer here than we ever could be back home. We've both got more time for each other, he doesn't have the kingdom constantly breathing down his neck or making him sick... he has the chance to be a dad here. Only downside is I've done all that growing up under his nose.

[iustaegis]

[ This is a chance for the two of them to develop their relationship to what it could have been. It's such a wonderful opportunity for them to be here, father and son.

She asks him, encouraging, ] What's... the best thing about having a father?

[ Ah. An awkward thing to ask, perhaps. But she's looking at him earnestly, as if she genuinely seeks his opinion. What he loves about being someone's son, what he loves about having someone to call father. These are both important. ]

[carbungle]

The best thing...?

[That... is a good question, and a personal one at the same time. He'd be as likely to brush it off if she wasn't looking at him with such hopeful sincerity, which is enough to get him to reconsider his reply.]

I guess... it's that he always made me feel safe. Like when the Regalia drove up at the Citadel to bring him home, or when I saw him and he looked at me, even if I was mad at him for something or acting like a brat, I still thought... Dad's here. So whatever was going on, no matter how bad it was, he'd make things better somehow.

[It's not like that feeling has worn off now that he's an adult. He'd shied away from asking sometimes, but his father is still one of the first people he turns to when he needs advice, aside from the things that only Ardyn knows about. And any time he's needed it, his father has been there for him. He still sucks at expressing it, but there's no denying how much he feels safer still, in the man's presence. Even something as simple as sitting in the Regalia had done wonders for his mental state when he'd returned from his coma and had to face his fate.]

[iustaegis]

[ "Dad's here."

"He'd make things better somehow."

And: "--he always made me feel safe."

To harbor those thoughts within his heart speaks of an unconditional admiration for his father, what makes him family. Safe, comfortable, loved. Just as Prompto had described all those months ago... And she is so very thankful that someone she loves has a family like that.

It's her turn to raise his hands up to her lips for a kiss. ] I love your family, Noct.

[carbungle]

[He can't help smiling again at that. Sappy. It's so, so sappy, anyone who saw them now would laugh at him, surely.

Doesn't stop him from leaning in, taking advantage of the fact that his hands are so close to her face: he tugs them free so he can cup her cheeks, tilting her in his direction.]

Convenient- me too. [He presses his lips to hers, noses bumping.] Don't you mean our family?

[He'd accepted her months ago, and that hasn't changed, nor is it likely to.]

[iustaegis]

[ Her face colors as his lips meets hers, the brief taste of him as sweet as it is tempting to continue. Her eyes flutter closed, then open again as she brings her free hands up to his shoulders. ]

Our family.

[ It makes sense to her. She feels safe with him, and she feels content knowing he feels safe with that family, extended.

It does make her wonder about her own... family. Could the same be said of her brothers, of her Father? Thoughts of who she had called family in her world are clouded and confused, made complicated by emotions that shouldn't be but are. Compounding this, she had never called the Architect "Father" or the other two of the Trinity her brothers until she had been awakened, imprinted with emotions in the first place...

It's all so confusing, this. However, she is certain that she adores the idea of family. And she adores being family to Noctis.

Ah, just like that, he's distracted her. Realizing this brings her mind to one of the points she had been distracted from. ] The idea of family... used to be so untouchable to me. Confusing, too.

You make it seem so much simpler. [ And easier to bear. ]