♥ 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...

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❥ 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.

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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

III

[carbungle]

[Regis might be sleeping - can't tell from the back - but whether he is or not it doesn't stop Noctis from abruptly dropping down in front of him, legs crossed, looking quite casual about it.]

Hey, Your Majesty. You're here to tell stories, right?

[Because he is primed and ready to relive his childhood.]

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis is not sleeping, though perhaps only barely as the look he gives Noctis at first is that fuzzy kind that happens when the brain is not firing on all cylinders yet. He shakes it off after a moment, though and gives the young man a smile.]

That I am. Is there a specific kind of story you would like to hear?

[carbungle]

Hmm...

[Now that he's here, that's one thing he hadn't really decided on. He was going to let the other man choose, but maybe he needs something to kickstart things.]

How about... something from when you were younger? An adventure, or some way you used to be a rebel, maybe. You know how it is, the people down below don't hear much about what the royals get up to.

[kingkingcxiii]

[Regis hums softly at that, torn between amusement at the request and sadness at the reminder of just how little his people know about those who they trust to keep them safe.]

My father was always overly-focused on making sure our image was perfect. I never much liked that, though, I suspect it did work to my favor sometimes. I have the feeling people would have thought me quite mad if they knew I used to practice warping by throwing myself off the top of the Citadel and timing how long it took to get down in a controlled manner.

[carbungle]

[Noctis can't fight the chuckle at that one. The mental image is too good. He'd never met his grandfather - the man died years before he was born - but considering his own father's reaction to some of his youthful shenanigans? Yeah, he can imagine the drama.]

So how many times did you puke at the bottom? I don't remember that making any headlines.

[But ohhh, he remembers his own training. Many a Kingsglaive had laughed their asses off at his misfortune.]

[kingkingcxiii]

You don't remember seeing it because it never happened.

[Regis grins and then gives Noctis a wink.]

I suppose I was one of the lucky few. I never had to deal with that particular little side effect and I have always been grateful for it. Some of the stories I've heard...

[He doesn't finish that sentence, but he doesn't really need to, does he?]

[carbungle]

Man, that's unfair...

[He can't quite help his own exasperation, though after a moment he adds, perhaps a little too hastily,]

From what I heard, uh. From the Kings-

[wait WAIT

Kingsglaive was formed after he was born, shit-]

Kings. Guard. Crownsguard.

[Aw yeah, saved it.]

[kingkingcxiii]

[Is...that really what you call a save, Noct?

Regis raises an eyebrow, amused curiosity in his gaze.]

I didn't realize this normal citizen of Insomnia was so well acquainted with my Guard.

[Care to explain?]

[carbungle]

[uhhhhh abort abort

He can't help fumbling a bit, trying to combine what he knows of home with what is the recognized truth of this place.]

Well- I mean, Cor. And Ignis. ...And I see a lot of Crownsguards back where I live in the city.

[kingkingcxiii]

Ah, Cor in particular does like telling embarrassing stories about me.

[Breathe easy, Noctis. You are safe.]

I suppose it is only fair considering all the embarrassing stories I tell about him.

[carbungle]

[He shouldn't, he knows he absolutely shouldn't. Especially if he wants to stay on Cor's good side and continue holding on to this secrecy, for the sake of protecting the future that has yet to pass. But. But.]

You've got embarrassing stories about Cor?

[kingkingcxiii]

That I do.

[Regis. Regis be good...

Yeah, right.]

Tell me, in all the stories you have heard of the great Immortal, have you ever heard one where he's riding a chocobo?

[carbungle]

[Those words are followed immediately by Noct's eager lean.]

I don't think I've ever even seen him near a chocobo.

[Cor likes cars, or walking. Most people from Insomnia do. Meanwhile there's Prompto and the modern-day line of Lucis...]

[kingkingcxiii]

[The mischievous glee nearly sparkles in Regis' eyes.]

That is because they can't stand him. Chocobos are rather free-spirited. Yes, you direct them, but for the most part they are able to take those directions and go with it. Most don't require constant supervision.

[Regis closes his eyes and chuckles as he thinks back to one memory in specific.]

On one trip--oh, Astrals, that trip--he was trying to control his chocobo so completely than she dumped him into the Wenath twice in as many minutes and then that night at camp she nearly eviscerated him when we were settling down to sleep. It was an accident. She just stretched out her leg without knowing he was there, but he insisted she was plotting his demise and was determined to walk from there on. The bird was so confused. She just followed him expecting him to ride like the rest of us, but he wouldn't. He also insisted she was laughing at him, but...

[He spreads his hands out in front of him, letting that last sentence just dangle, grin saying exactly what he thinks of that particular statement.]

[carbungle]

[Oh god. Okay, he can't not laugh at that, the mental image is just too amazing. Poor Cor, jogging along beside a group of chocobos with his own giggle-squawking at his plight... yep. That's amazing.]

I don't know if I'll be able to look at him with a straight face next time I see him!

[Poor Cor. Poor chocobo.]

[kingkingcxiii]

I have just given you very important, secret information. It would be a shame if you didn't make use of it.

[Regis, you are truly shameless.]

If it seems I am encouraging you to laugh at him at least once and then refuse to tell him why, no one needs to know besides us.

[carbungle]

Sounds like instructions from a king. I can't possibly refuse, then.

[Laughing at Cor, though... he lowers his voice.]

This is a dangerous mission, y'know.

[kingkingcxiii]

That is why I am sending my best on it.

[Regis plays along, lowing his voice conspiratorially.]

Very few would even be able to attempt it, but I have complete faith in you.

[carbungle]

[Aww. Way to give him warm fuzzies, dad.]

It might be dicey, but I think I can survive it. Cor's more of a softy than people think.

[Which is a wild thing for anyone to say about the marshall, but he knows Regis has seen more sides of Cor than probably anyone, and growing up in the Citadel gives him a unique perspective, as well.]

[kingkingcxiii]

[He has the utmost faith in you, Noctis, and always will.]

It is true, but I wouldn't say it where he can hear it. Otherwise, he will be forced to prove it untrue, and I fear experiencing those efforts would be more dangerous than laughing at him would be.

[carbungle]

Yeah, no thanks. I'll be happier if I can live without going back to Cor's school of hard knocks.

[He may not have been Noct's primary combat trainer, but that doesn't mean he hadn't crossed blades with the man before. You should never take the Immortal lightly.]

[kingkingcxiii]

He's given you few bumps and bruises already, has he?

[Careful Noct, even if you are familiar with Cor, you don't want to make it sound like you've sparred with him too much, do you Mr. Normal-Eos-Citizen-Who-Is-Definitely-NOT-A-Prince?]

[carbungle]

[Noctis hesitates, as briefly as he can get away with, and mumbles,] A bit, yeah. This place is peaceful enough but training's still important.

[To... Cor! Yes. To Cor. It's definitely Cor's fault. TIME FOR A CONVENIENT DEFLECTION-]

Speaking of Cor, he said I should ask you to tell stories about the queen. Got anything interesting?

[kingkingcxiii]

Oh, did he now?

[Cor, what have you been telling this boy?]

It is true. I have a fair number of interesting stories about. After all, we've known each other most of our lives. Is there a specific kind of story you are most interested in?

[Besides something merely 'interesting?']

[carbungle]

[Indulging a child's curiosity about his dead mom, leave him alone.]

Let's see... Insomnia hears plenty about the kinds of adventures the king got up to, back in the day, but what about m- what about the queen? Did you do that kind of thing with her too?