♥ September Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

September (Ohnir) Event Log
Ohnir is in full swing now and the weather, while still boasting hot days, is starting to cool slightly at night. The residents are recovering after the lightning storms from the previous month and, curiously, most of the robots that had been damaged in the storms are back. They don't look the same as before, but they seem to act the same, still happy, still thankful that the offworlders are here. A few even thank those who carried their bodies to the temples with small gifts of painted stones. Havenwell continues as it always has and welcomes their new arrivals with a few rather odd changes...

---

❥ PROMPT I: Robot Crossing

Now that all the new and old arrivals have mingled and met, the robotic natives start pointing everyone toward the VR cafes. The bright lights and cozy insides have been decorated with fake leaves and carved and painted plaster approximations of fruits and vegetables in odd colors. When an offworlder comes in, they explain that back when they were still in their flesh bodies, the month of Ohnir was one for harvest and celebrations of the summer bounties. Now, without any real farms or need to eat, they've translated the Harvest Festival into a game, so why not play?

Logging in with another character will net you a little farm and a variety of games to choose from:

1. Pick and harvest as many Aellyn vegetables and fruits as you can before the timer runs out! The more you pick, the better your score. Work together with your partner to clear the field in any way you can. Strangely, once you finish clearing a tree or a field row of their bounty, they seem to magically refill when you turn your back. Oh well, at least you won't run out before the timer hits zero and with the sheer number of levels and combinations of trees and fields with obstacles in your way to make harvesting a little more challenging with each new level, you certainly won't be running out of things to do.
   
2. With a partner, use the giant slingshot to launch comically large fruits into a garden patch of other colored fruits. Match a line of 3 or more similarly shaped fruits to clear it from the field. The more fruits you can clear, the higher your score - aka welcome to Fruit Crush. Stack lines of 6 or more to get shining clear diamond fruits that clear the entire row and snag yourself some bonus points.
   
3. You and your partner(s) are given a magical golden pumpkin and it's your job to grow it into the largest pumpkin possible. Why? There's a county fair of course and the largest pumpkin wins! But how do you grow this pumpkin? Well, there are a lot of methods! You could gather up materials and work together to stick it to the pumpkin until it absorbs them and grows. You could do a song and dance routine together to encourage the pumpkin's soul to grow big and bright. You could hold hands and share stories and entertain the pumpkin until it feels encouraged enough to grow on its own. The possibilities are endless, so get to work making the best pumpkin that (digital) fair has ever seen!

As always, when playing the game, the picture and quality seems to increase as long as you're in contact with another person. Once the games are over and your scores tallied, the cafe attendant walks over and asks to see your communicators. To the winners, he or she attaches a little floating charm in the shape of one of Aellyn's weirder fruits. It looks like a cross between a blue rambutan and the hala aka puhala fruit, and it's called the sikheen fruit here. The sikheen are extremely rare nowadays, but their appearance is so unique that Havenwell residents still like to remember it for the Harvest Festival. Enjoy your prize!

❥ PROMPT II: Paint by Number

The new arrivals get to enjoy Havenwell in all its glory for about a week before suddenly, one day everyone wakes up to find the entire city has gone gray. And not a natural, nice gray either, but a strange dull, lifeless gray. Everything from the sky to the houses to the grass to the native people have all turned the exact same shade of graphite gray. Even the natives are confused and the devout flock to the temples while the science-minded head to the labs to study this new phenomenon. The only ones who seem spared from this strange color drain are the offworlders and the statues of the gods in the center of town. Or, well, at least most of the offworlders are spared. A few people might notice that their colors aren't as bright as they once were, or that parts of them are starting to turn gray as well. Those offworlders unlucky enough to lose some of their own can touch another player character to regain what was lost easily enough. Overall though, no one seems harmed by this sudden loss of color, but they're certainly perplexed.

A few days later and round silver platforms start showing up around the city, dragged out of storage by the natives. The first arrivals might remember these as the fireworks platforms that are activated by people standing and holding hands on them. The temple priests and scientists encourage the offworlders to stand on the platforms again and to hold hands or engage in some other sort of physical contact on them and wait.

When characters do as asked, the platforms shoot fireworks like they did before - in brilliant colors instead of the dull gray everywhere. And wherever the sparks fall, color starts returning to the world in splotches. The natives are overjoyed and move the platforms all across the city, asking the offworlders to find and use them wherever possible to return the color to their town.

❥ PROMPT III: Sharing is Caring

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. It would probably be far more impressive if the colors weren't still so gray and splotchy, but they're trying their best.

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 came back from the lightning storms. 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. It seems the more personal the story, the brighter the flame though and the more Dora that will mysteriously show up in your account at a later date. If the priests are asked about this donation later, they're just as perplexed. No one they know would have paid anyone for an offering to Ohma, so where could it have come from....?

❥ PROMPT IV: Sleep Sweet

With Ainea's temple familiars finally back where they belong, quiet returns to the city at night. We're sure that first long uninterrupted sleep felt heavenly, right? Although there may not be color in the city, the world of dreams at least is fully technicolor and safe. Which might be weird for some characters in case they don't normally dream or remember their dreams because now everyone is dreaming at night. Most of the dreams are the usual variety that your character always has, but every so often in the midst of a pleasant dream about home or a funky one about flying pizza (whatever it is you usually dream about, we don't judge), there's a glitch.

Out of the corner of your eye or just on the edge of your vision, a person appears. Their face can't be seen and their arms are longer than they have any right to be, but they appear and stand there, watching. Trying to focus on this person causes them to flit away and it's easy enough to dismiss as a random event, until it keeps happening. And it keeps happening, and it keeps happening, and every time you see this person, they get closer and even less distinct. Waking up and talking to or holding someone might help calm that disquiet in your heart, offworlder, so hopefully there's someone around to help you.

---

This event will run from September 16th to September 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 on the OOC Entry.

Feel free to also use the OOC Plotting Post for planning what your character is up to!

Comments

[unsunderworld]

"Were I to speculate - " And yes, what they're doing sitting here is very much speculation, but plausible deniability is a politician's best friend. " - I'd put that as less likely than their core objective not being power at all."

After all, none among their number has actually been outside of the city. Truth or lies have equal chance of lying beyond the walls.

[astralera]

"It is to undo what has been done to their world, isn't it?" It rang far too familiar to Amaurot for her comfort. "One would assume they need power to do so."

She's very purposefully not going to bring up a certain primordial god.

[unsunderworld]

"Yes, and the local aether certainly supports their claims. I'm not sure that I've seen a world in such a state since..."

Well, if she won't name that time, then he won't, either. She'll know well what he means.

"But - " And here he points up to the sky, hand held at shoulder height. " - We have seen only one city. What might be happening in the rest of the world bears investigating."

[astralera]

The possibility of exploration and adventure hadn't occurred to her, and it's immediately notable in the way that even her aether perks up at his words just how exciting a concept this is to her — right up until she deflates, remembering just how much was stolen from her upon her arrival. Era sighs.

"I would be eager to hear of any progress you make with that particular investigation."

[unsunderworld]

"I would be eager to make any progress in that investigation," he says, and it's quite resentful. "Unfortunately, my attempts at getting beyond the walls by my own means have met with what I can only assume is divine interference, given that they merely deposit me at the temples instead."

[astralera]

At least he's had as little progress in that regard as she has. She can't help but huff a tiny laugh.

"If ever I go absent for a night you'll likely find me in the jail," she admits. "I've been lucky thus far not to have avoided it. They don't seem all too fond of curiosity."

[unsunderworld]

"Which is, by itself," he says, "the most telling warning sign of all."

[astralera]

Era nods her agreement, even if he may not see it with their current positioning.

"They're also woefully unprepared for our presence, if the lack of medical care available is any indication." He must have noted that as well by now. "Apparently the first non-natives arrived two months ago now."

Idly, and without thought, she once again slides the tip of her tail under the longer strands of Hades' hair, letting the strands run between the scales. It is an interesting sensation, and some part of her is deeply fascinated by the current (lack of) colour.

[unsunderworld]

"As well as the lack of real food," he agrees. And then there is...

At the brush through his hair, he tips his head in the direction of her tail. "Something I can help you with, my dear?"

[astralera]

"At least there is food. Though it leaves me wondering if the natives were even aware of our imminent arrivals."

Era is confused by the question for all of a second before she realizes what her tail has been doing, quickly retracting it and curling it around her hip instead. From there she wraps her fingers loosely around it, alternating between absently stroking her scales and picking at them.

"Apologies. It has a mind of its own at times," she huffs softly.

Considering what she had done to him... Era doesn't know what they're doing here. They keep pretending as though nothing happened. As though they aren't enemies.

"I should leave you to your investigating."

[unsunderworld]

"You shouldn't pick," he says, glancing at her hands. "Bad habit. They'll grow in wrong that way."

It's an easy way to obscure the more fundamental matters, letting them roll off, but before she can actually go anywhere, he shrugs his shoulders.

"It isn't as though the investigation is going anywhere," he says. "Had I not cultivated patience by now... Well, Lahabrea."

That says all it needs to.

[astralera]

"They've never grown in wrong before." Not that Era could really tell if they did, given the quick turnover rate of any scales so rude as to be out of alignment.

"Lahabrea was as a pretentious workaholic who never slept," she says blandly. "I cannot imagine him being decent company."

[unsunderworld]

"You're still young," he points out. "Give it a decade or two."

He chuckles, but doesn't deny her description, even though it could apply easily to many of the Ascians. "He never was, at least as far as my taste in company," he says. "Far too bombastic."

[astralera]

"I will not live to see another decade, Hades, let alone two."

She says is so matter-of-factly, as if there is no questioning this judgement. Era has always suspected she would be lucky to see thirty summers — the thought of another decade of life is beyond her comprehension.

[unsunderworld]

"Unlikely," he says. "At this point, the only things with the power required to possibly kill you outright would be the First Brood, Elidibus, and Zodiark Himself. Perhaps another great eikon, on the level of that monstrosity in Ala Mhigo. Any other would have to resort to means of subterfuge, assassination, and manipulation, which you are well-warded against by experience and comrades both. No, you will live at the very least long enough for your body to begin to fail you, as all mortal forms do in the end."

[astralera]

"If things continue as they are my body will be likely to fail me sooner rather than later."

There is only so strong a woman of her stature can physically be. Aetherially she doubts any mortal can match her, but her body has far more limitations.

"I am, as you said, a mortal. Thus I am subject to the same weaknesses as any other mortal woman, even if my comrades often forget this fact."

[unsunderworld]

"One might think you forget it as well, with how you push yourself," he says. "Some degree of idleness is more effective than none."

[astralera]

"I promised myself I would grow strong enough to keep it from happening again," she says quietly, voice fragile with the weight of an emotion she tries to keep at bay. "And yet it keeps happening over and over again, and so I must keep growing stronger. I will keep them safe however I can, no matter the cost to my flesh."

[unsunderworld]

...Well. He cannot very well argue with that.

"My point remains," he says. "One learns most effectively by taking a break from the subject, not continuously trying to force more knowledge in, and it is the same for the body. Push your limits not every day, but two days out of three, and your mortal flesh will thank you for it.'

[astralera]

She crinkles her nose at the thought of so many days of rest. "That sounds awful."

[unsunderworld]

"I did not say do nothing," he says. "I said 'don't push your limits.' Surely you know the difference by now?"

[astralera]

"What is the point in doing anything if you don't push your limits?"

[unsunderworld]

"In this case? To avoid the sorts of injuries that come of not giving the body a chance to restore itself. Bones weaken, ligaments tear, muscles cramp and burn, and then you are worse off than when you started." He shakes his head. "It's a miracle you haven't done such to yourself already."

[astralera]

"Why do you think I am so skilled in what curative magicks I know?" Aches and pains are commonplace, though severe injuries are easily avoided when augmenting one's defense with enough aether. "I've the aether reserves to heal what injuries I acquire."

[unsunderworld]

His sigh is exasperated. "Of course you would. Nothing and no one to stop you from building bad habits."