hugtopia_logs | ♥ September Event Log

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♥ September Event Log

a wide green pasture at dusk with a red-leafed tree in the foreground

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

a farmer holding a bountiful box of vegetables

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:

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.
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.
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

a book open with images and words popping out

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Cor rolls his eyes and sighs dramatically, fond exasperation ruining his mask of control but he can't quite bring himself to care just now.]

Don't encourage him or he'll find a reason.

[After all the dramatics his expression settles into something warmer and more comfortable than it has been, not just in the months since he'd come here but in years. And for a moment, standing there with Will in his arms, fingers curling in the younger man's hair, there's a flicker of a thought. Something intrusive and embarrassing and color begins to creep across his cheeks again as soon as it comes. Standing here in the evening light with fireworks flashing overhead blue and pink and gold reflecting off silken hair he... well... Will is quite beautiful isn't he?]

[Will's smile only widens, both at the clear exasperation and the way it softens. He's pleased enough that even the embarrassment just adds a fluttery edge to the rush of gentle warmth; by now, even his previous ashen grey pallor is fading back to his natural fair complexion.]

That eager, is he?

That dramatic.

[The faintest of chuckles and seeing Will smile like that, because of him, makes something in his chest flutter oddly.]

Between the two of you it's a miracle I can get anything accomplished.

[Distractions the both of you.]

Then it's a good thing you don't have too much that needs to be accomplished, hmmm~? I'll have to write him something to take full advantage of that.

[Oh, Cor..... If you think they're not going to be bad influences on each other when it comes to ridiculousness and drama, you're sadly mistaken.]

[Cor narrows his eyes but the scowl is not in earnest, there's still a playful edge to his expression even as he squeezes Will lightly, pinning the smaller man against him by doing so.]

What did I say about encouraging him? And I have to do something>/i> with my time.

[Oh no, he's trapped! Whatever shall he do??

Maybe he'll just wind his arms around Cor's neck and enjoy how cozy this imprisonment is. That sounds like an excellent idea.]

You mean we don't keep you busy enough? I don't think it should count as encouraging him if he gets himself into the speechifying position first, and I just provide the material after that.....

A technicality.

[Don't split hairs, Will.

But the last thing he expected was for Will to lean into that embrace. He'd fully expected an attempt to squirm away, to get some distance back and laugh it off and for it to clearly be... nothing.

Pressed against him like this though, looking up at him, arms loped around his neck. Cor immediately, instinctively, leans down a little to make it easier on Will, given their height difference. There's a moment where his heart leaps up into his throat and he has to remember how to breathe again, how to swallow, how to do anything other than looking down at this man that's wiggled himself in so close so quickly and marvel at how beautiful he is all over again. Not just the fall of his hair and the pout of his lips, lips that are oh so tempting in a way Cor hasn't let himself even consider anyone in decades. But in the vibrancy of his personality and the depth of his heart. All grandoise passions and a depth of caring that is only going to get him hurt in time.

All to similar to his King, really. But it's not Regis on his mind just now, for once perhaps. And just as it's second nature to lean down to ease how much Will has to stretch it's all too easy to continue that dip... And hover, breathless and uncertain and all the same doubts and fears that made him snap over their call weeks ago creep into the forefront of his mind. What is he doing? Will is half his age, of course he doesn't mean anything by the playful flirting. Is it even flirting or is Cor just taking things wrong? The encouragement of all the physical contact only makes it easier to blur lines that would be so clear otherwise.

He doesn't realize he's doing it but his brow furrows, mouth turning down in a frown, fingers clutching to the back of Will's shirt because he doesn't want to let go of the easy camraderie between them but-

What in the heavens is he supposed to do?]

[Something inside him knots up and yanks itself tight. Suddenly, the gentle warmth runs cold, like a shocking blast of ice water during a relaxing shower. He's not sure exactly what's changed, let alone why, now that Cor has leaned in until they're only a breath apart--but clearly something has. He can feel his hands suddenly trenbling with the force of it, unbidden.

For anyone else, he'd assume that this was probably a segue into a kiss, or at least was meant to be--after all, it's common enough in the movies, right? But..... this is Cor, so that's obviously wrong. He knows full well who Cor's heart belongs to. Hell, he probably wouldn't even have needed to be psychic to figure that one out. So.....? What is it, then? What's gotten him so rattled?

Will leans up just a little more--not to press their lips together, but to press their foreheads together, voice a soft, reassuring murmur.]

It's okay, Cor. You're okay.

[Everything is fine, see? He's got you, you're nice and safe.]

[Of course Will knows in a heartbeat that Cor's mood has plummeted, the worries and anxieties that plague him steamrolling that brief moment where the weight of things was lifted from his shoulders. Will leans in and presses their foreheads together and even with the plummet in his mood there's part of him that desperately wants to close that distance between them.]

Will... [Soft and hesitant and strained because he doesn't know what to say or what, precisely, he needs to apologize for though it's clearly something.]

Six, what are you doing here with me?

[There are dozens of better options for someone to get this close with, Will. Even if... if there isn't something... something?

Astrals he's reading too much into all of this, isn't he?]

I'm bringing the color back.

[There's a soft flutter of warm breath against Cor's cheek with the words, a fond little huff of his own. He says it so readily, so matter-of-factly, that someone could almost assume he's taking Cor's question completely literally.

Isn't that what he's doing, though? Exploding with sound and color and light, throwing off sparks far and wide, trying to melt away the gray pall that hangs over Cor's heart, trying to coax color and warmth to blossom again and take root where it had all faded away.....]

[It's so simple, so easy and yet so profound. Cor's world had always been pretty black and white. Lucis vs Niflheim, Duty vs Desire, Light vs Dark. The answer had always been clear cut and then in this place everything was a jumbled whirlwind and he honestly didn't know how to cope. But his own somber, cautious nature was completely at odds with so many of the people here but especially with Will.

This one man and his absurdly fluffy partners bringing light and color back into a world that had faded into a shadow of what it had been since his King had fallen.

His breath catches again, makes him struggle to swallow. The hand in Will's hair slides away, up to touch the younger man's cheek, so light, so careful. As though he might spook like a frightened Chocobo is he moves too suddenly. And then he lets himself tip his head just enough to brush the faintest of kisses at the corner of Will's mouth.]

Mmm?

[It's Will's turn to be confused this time, for once caught entirely off guard. Normally, it's easy to have a good idea of what's going to happen, to grasp the flow of a conversation, to anticipate and sometimes steer a situation if he feels the need to..... Cor has always been an open book before. His heart desperately wants to be heard, in spite of Cor's best efforts to silence and smother it.

But that doesn't help, not this time. It's too tangled up and chaotic, too dizzying and unpredictable, like a kaleidoscope of shattered stained glass caught in a whirlwind.

He may be startled, but he doesn't spook--doesn't even try to make sense of it, after the initial flash of bewilderment, because he can tell before he even begins that he's going to fail. Will simply leans his cheek into Cor's hand, head turning to catch Cor's lips more fully.]

[He hadn't thought ahead enough to have any idea what to expect. Usually he plans things out so carefully, so neat and precise. Tactics and strategy is what he does. But in this arena he has no experience, no confidence in what responses would be normal or expected.

Will turns to press into his hand and Cor lets it happen, thumb brushing lightly over his cheek, allowing himself to cradle Will's face in his hand. Seeking his lips for a firmer kiss was so far out of the realm of possible options that it's Cor's turn to make a soft sound of surprise against Will's lips. A warm steady press of lips but Cor does not seek out anything more than that.]

[This is nice. Soft lips, calloused hands, the stiff scratch of a beard..... A bit of a clumsy kiss, maybe, but warm and sweet nonetheless. Will doesn't push his luck trying for anything deeper, but he does linger over it, not pulling back even once they part. He stays right where he is instead, eyes closed behind his mask and arms looped around Cor's neck, cheek nuzzled into Cor's hand and lips hovering against his.

Something about this whole situation tells him to hang on and stay close, just in case. Even if Cor isn't of a mind to retreat, surely having someone to hold will help settle his nerves better than stewing over it and pulling back into his shell?]

[He's right to hold on because as they part the breathless thrill of that stolen kiss fades all too quickly. Worry, uncertainty, it coils back up in his belly like a weight and for a moment he struggles to find words. Excuses, apologies, assurances that he's well aware he's taken liberties he doesn't deserve.

Bu this is Will and he rather suspects the younger man is at least partially aware of the tangled knot of sheer anxiety that looms in his mind. He doesn't know what he's doing in this situation and how can he be commanding and controlled if he's so utterly lost? There's a depth of fear and worry in that uncertainty that speaks to some sort of trauma, something long buried but the instinctive gut reaction is still there.]

W-Will....

[But what is there to really say?]

[The giddiness doesn't last long--of course it can't. Not when the fear is so deeply rooted, so strong, so ready to burst thronugh every flimsy barrier struggling to hold it at bay. It's a feeling he's unfortunately intimately familiar with; his smile doesn't falter, the way he trembles the only give away.

Maybe neither of them entirely know what they're doing, but Will at least has the benefit of experience from previous flings, however short lived. So he turns his head into the hand so tentatively cupping his cheek, this time pressing a soft kiss into Cor's palm. His voice is a little muffled, but still clear enough nonetheless.]

I'm right here.

[Will tilts his head to press a kiss to Cor's palm and Cor leans in to do the same to Will's temple. It doesn't make any sense, none whatsoever, but Cor's fears and hesitations are not quite so strong that he needs to actively push Will away.

Not yet, at least.]

What I can't figure out is why?

Because you're beautiful. Even the parts you're hiding. Maybe especially those.

[Arranged like this, wearing a mask and turned neatly into Cor's hand, not a bit of his face can be seen. Cor might be able to feel the way his smile softens a little against his skin, sheepish. It sounds so much more ridiculous when he actually has to put it into words, instead of just feelings,]

[Those words hit him like a freight train, breath rushing out of him and eyes going wide for a moment. He tries to school his expression again but it's too much and too unexpected and he leans down to press his face in against Will's neck, half hidden in his shirt, half in his hair. The arm around the younger man tightens and he considers, briefly, picking him up to ease some of the ache from hunching down so far.

He hesitates for a moment, just holds him and breathes him in.

Then he pulls away slightly, drawing back to his full height, hand sliding from it's place around the smaller man to resting at his side, giving them both a little room to breathe.]

Will... I'm a tired old soldier, there's nothing beautiful about that.

[The ever-present scent of animals clings to Will, sunk down right into the very fabric of his clothes. Beyond that though, he mostly just smells lightly sweet and fruity, mingled bright notes of strawberries, oranges, and cherries. As long as Cor doesn't bolt, he's okay with loose holding..... The now exposed smile turns a touch wry.]

Of course you can't tell. You can't look at yourself--just your reflection. Those can never be perfectly accurate.

[His brows furrow, confusion settling more firmly over his features. Why would Will accept kisses from him? Will doesn't care that he's The Immortal or The Marshal, titles that mean nothing here. And the only thing anyone has ever desired from him has been the legend, a name that he struggles to live up to and despises all the same.

Slowly he shakes his head a little, a denial forming on his lips that he doesn't let himself speak because he doesn't want it seem like a rejection He just honestly has no idea what to do with this turn of events and he's a little bewildered by the whole thing.]

I... don't understand?

I mean you're biased. Your perspective is too clouded by what you think of yourself, so you can't see how amazing you really are.

[Simple, right? He only knows Cor is a Marshal in the army because the man had brought up his own rank; odds are good he hasn't even heard this "The Immortal" title yet. How can he want what he doesn't know? All he knows is Cor the man, not the legend--so that's what, and who he wants.]

[It's this confusion that prompted him to snap before, convinced it must be some sort of prank or game, some way to poke fun at the Marshal for being so uptight. The fact that he's allowing himself to consider that Will might be sincere speaks to how much he's come to care about the younger man. Every practical part of him insists this is foolish, reckless and a terrible idea. It's going to lead to someone getting hurt, there's always a risk of betrayal...

Never mind what is he supposed to tell Regis.

Slowly, uncertainly, he leans down again to bump his forehead gently against Will's, a sigh he doesn't let escape there in his words nonetheless.]

I don't know if this is a good idea.

Nobody's going to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with, Cor. Least of all me. We can just leave it alone if you want, as long as you want.

[It's still a light, matter-of-fact, conversational tone, maybe not entirely suited for matters of the heart--but still, it's more serious than Cor is probably used to hearing from him. This is Cor's boundary, his comfort, and ultimately his choice to make. The least he can do is make it clear that there's no pressure to act fast--or act ever, if that's honestly what he'd prefer. He's not going to just stop being friends over something like this, whatever Cor's choice ends up being.]

Do you understand why I have to hesitate? It's not the same here as it would be at home but...

[But his duty will always come first. Here or elsewhere. With his King or without. He is bound to the crown of Lucis and he always will be. It's not fair to ask someone to give part of themselves to him when he will always have to put them second (or lower depending on who is around). It's why he never thought to pursue anything even if someone would have been interested in him and not the legend.

He doesn't want to do that to Will. He's such a beautiful, vibrant young man. He deserves the world and moreover he deserves someone who will treat him like he is the world.

For Cor the only person that gets that much devotion is his King. Something that has been true ever since Regis swooped in and wrested him from Mors' smothering influence before he'd been able to grind out every last spark of what made him a man and not merely a tool to be wielded.]

Do you... know?

[As he says the last he brings his hand up, knuckles brushing lightly against Will's temple. He knows you get more than most, Will, you've made that obvious by now. But just how psychic are you? ]

♥ September Event Log

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