♥ 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

[pinkmin]

No, that's okay.

[Let's not make a big deal out of it...!]

I can speak up, if I really have to. They shouldn't have to go out of their way.

[carbungle]

I doubt it'd be out of the way. They have all kinds of tech around here, after all.

[Can she speak up? He's never heard it done! This he has to see.]

[pinkmin]

Mm, I'm sure they do but... That might be... too loud, for me.

[Sharing stories was fine, and being around a crowd was fine. Actually requesting all of that attention though, that she could do without.]

[carbungle]

Okay... well, if you need somebody to shout and get there attention, just wake me up. I can make some noise when I need to.

[Mostly in battle, admittedly, but in a pinch he can hail a crowd just fine.]

[pinkmin]

[Hmm, yes. She could do that. She nodded.]

If it needs a bigger crowd to count, I will let you know.

[They weren't terribly far off now. Vianca supposed the first order of business would be to find him a suitable bench for listening and dozing.]

[carbungle]

Yeah, okay.

[He's mostly hoping for a distraction from his gloomy dreams, still, so it doesn't bother him either way. Nap or hollering at a crowd are just as distracting, probably...?

He glances over his shoulder, as Umbra wanders by again, sniffing at the ground. Tracking their path, or something else? You just can't tell with him.]

So, they've all got their own in each temple, but do you know if they let other animals in?

[pinkmin]

[Hmm. That was a fair question. There was a woman that came with her cat, but Dr. Ohma's animals were cats too. Vianca glanced back at Umbra before nodding.]

It should be okay, as long as he doesn't chase the cats. [He was a very polite pupper, but puppers were puppers.] He can be my guest.

[carbungle]

I've never seen him chase anything before- he's more of a guide than a hunter. And the only one I've known him to track is me.

[In other words, he should be fine with cats.]

[pinkmin]

Then we're all accounted for. It will be fine.

[They both knew where Noctis was even with all the monochrome with Vianca holding fast to his hand. So let's! Proceed! To this very cozy temple! Let us find the coziest of benches.]

[carbungle]

[/fast travels to the temple

Noct's never been before - still not one for religious fussing, even with the marks of several Astrals tied to his soul - so entering the place has his gaze drawn pretty much everywhere. Umbra finally stops his wandering and trots along at their side, instead, quiet but just as attentive.

And of course Noctis immediately looks towards all the cat motifs, and then to the silhouette of a feline wandering about not far from the entry.]

Oh! I see one, over there.

[pinkmin]

[Zoooom.

Vianca had reached out to gently stroke Umbra's fur, looking around for Benches. There were a few prime candidates, but ohoho. An cat! Wow!]

Ohh, I haven't actually seen too many. They might like the stories too.

[This called for a wave.]

Hello.

[carbungle]

[Noctis awkwardly waves also; the cat pays neither of them any heed, continuing on its way. How very cat-like.]

...Guess cats are the same no matter where you go.

[It's okay, kitty. He loves you anyway.]

[pinkmin]

Yes. That is familiar.

[It was comforting that even a godly cat could just. Be a Cat. Vianca watched it go for a moment, and then looked towards where the 'festivities' were happening. She was used to seeing people standing, but there were a few benches and soft sitting cushions pulled out for Maximum Story Time.

Vianca gave his hand a very soft squeeze, pointing towards them.]

There are places to sit over this way.

[carbungle]

[Not the most comfortable sleeping spot, but certainly cozy enough-looking that he already feels a bit sleepy. Though admittedly that's never taken very much, for him. He's slept in worse places.]

You want to hang out and listen for a while, or get up front and tell a story? I can back you, either way.

[pinkmin]

[Silly Noctis, they weren't trying to promote sleeping here! Not... purposely anyway. Vianca mulled over the options for a moment. It was tempting to just sit with him and listen, but she'd talked about stories, hadn't she? It wasn't fair if she didn't tell any when this was her temple.]

I'll try telling one.

[She led him over. Let's! Get! Comfy! (Sort of.)]

[carbungle]

[Sort of, indeed- because he does want to pay attention long enough to hear whatever story she has to tell. To support her! Like an adult. He can definitely stay awake that long.

He follows along where she leads, though, taking in the sights of the temple as they pass it by. Since she knows where they're going, he can focus elsewhere.]

It's a lot like Rawna's- they really like decorating with whatever animal the god is, huh.

[pinkmin]

[It was in this moment that Vianca realized she didn't know how to address Rawna at all. Oh No.]

It might be more appealing than decorating with their focuses... [Some of those concepts were easier to visualize than others.] They have dragons there, correct? Have you seen any?

[carbungle]

[Knowing dragons, probably "Lord Devourer of Virgins" or something wacky.]

Yeah, I've seen a few. They usually hide up in the rafters, though, away from people. Just... watching.

[Which admittedly is very apathetic, and suits the god's apparent speciality, but still.]

[pinkmin]

[R-Rawna. Staying classy, huh.]

Mm. They and cats have that in common then.

[It seemed that Rawna and Ohma often went hand in hand, so animals of similar temperament just went right along with that.]

Maybe they will say hello when they are used to you.

[carbungle]

If they get used to me. I don't spend a lot of time there, and I don't plan on changing that, either.

[Even if the dragons are pretty cool.]

[pinkmin]

That's fair.

[From what Vianca could tell, the people that frequented the temples seemed to be some of the ones that didn't have a lot of other places to be. In part based on her own experience.

Behold. They'd made it to Story Time Central. It looked like they had just missed a whole thing, because there went a cheerful procession of natives on their way back to the things that they spent their time doing, not cooped up in temples. That was fine, a smaller audience meant she wouldn't have to shout or anything, right?]

[carbungle]

[Huh... well, that's convenient, if that was a concern. Personally he knows that he's not that great at public speaking, which... would be bad, for a king, if he actually had a kingdom anymore. Though giving orders might end up important one day, and that's similar.

...Anyway. He gives her hand a light squeeze, pointing a finger towards the central "stage", or whatever counts as one. It's more of an informal podium, but the implication is obvious. Wanna try it?]

[pinkmin]

[It was a tiny concern. She'd only addressed a large amount of people a few times before, but it had only ever been for things like overdue fines or making some grave announcements. ... That one had been nerve wracking. Probably less nerve wracking than just telling a story, even if she didn't think she'd be good at it.

If she could do that, she could do this!

Gently squeezing his hand back as thanks, Vianca nodded.]

It might be short.

[Which probably wasn't an issue. Vianca made her way over, letting Noctis pick a seat. Well. She took a breath.]

Umbra reminded me, but there was another time I thought I saw a Grim.

[carbungle]

[Noctis settles into his spot and immediately leans forward a bit to watch, attentive and curious. At his side, Umbra sits and politely does the same. Regardless of whoever else is around, she has a guaranteed audience!]

[pinkmin]

[It's! Not going to be that interesting, she's sure! But she wants to do her best, and here they were.]

It was a couple of years ago, in the middle of winter. The Academy had been hit with a very bad blizzard that went on for a whole weekend. The power was knocked out, and the backup generators failed an hour into it. It was very cold.

And very dark, even in the daytime.

I was trying to find my sister, Ai. She was not where I had left her, and she was hurt. I did not want her to be lost.