♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

January (Lasra) Event Log
The new year has dawned and many natives are busy with their VR pilgrimages to the sacred mountain. Others are busy redecorating the town after all the excitement of the last month. With the cold winter days and nights continuing, the occasionally clear blue skies seem all the colder even with Havenwell's nicely temperature controlled environment. The winter has fully set in and so the celebrations continue as natives try to incorporate more of the offworlders' traditions into their own. They know it can't be easy being away from your homes for so long, but they hope adding touches of home to their celebrations might help ease the loneliness some.

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❥ PROMPT I: Festive Flora Festoons

They're trying to keep the holiday spirit going with some greenery among all the cold wintery snowy weather! All around the city, over doorways, strung across roads and walkways, threaded in entryways and hallways alike, people can find colorful wreaths and garlands hung overhead. Prominently displayed among the Rawna-centric ribbons and synthetic greens are real live plants! It seems the natives have picked up on the idea of holiday decorations involving seasonal flora and other decor to brighten the darker winter days. Sadly, it seems they've missed the mark on what kinds of plants are meant to be involved. Here and there, people can find all manner of plant strung up from things that look like ivy to pine-adjacent trees to weird decorations that miss the 'plant' mark entirely. Moreover, it seems these decorations are being tampered with by the gods in a haphazard manner. Some, not all, of these decorations carry a strange field around them, affecting people when they walk beneath them. Watch out, offworlders! While the natives are also getting caught sometimes, you're the most susceptible to this mysterious meddling.

♥ Mistletoe: Some of these plants are actually mistletoe, and for those familiar with the Earth tradition, they carry the same effects. On occasion when you and another person walk under the mistletoe, an invisible force field springs up, trapping you both in a six foot circle beneath the plant. Any attempts to destroy the decoration does nothing to dispel the field and teleportation does nothing but bounce you to the other side of this odd bounded circle. For those in know, they may have an inkling of what needs to happen to escape this little trap: positive physical contact in the form of hugs or kisses! Platonic kisses on the hand and cheek do seem to work for some people, though, so maybe you can both escape this without too much embarrassment? ...Maybe?

♥ Missile...toe??: Some of the plants around town have brightly colored stockings and socks hung in them. The natives seem to think that hanging footwear is an integral part of the offworld winter tradition, so they've carried it over to Lasra. On occasion, when you and another person are caught under these decorations, a cloud will form overhead and begin pelting both of you with tiny foam darts. The cloud moves with you both and will give chase for an indeterminate amount of time. It even seems that it can follow you indoors, which is entirely illogical but so is a cloud blitzing you with foam darts and here we are. It isn't omnipotent though and quick thinking or some fancy moves can throw it off your trail for awhile. The only problem is you and the other person can't seem to get more than six feet apart from one another, so you better come up with an action plan to either dispel the cloud or figure out a way to elude it or you'll be spending your day annoyed at the constant barrage of toys.

♥ Verdant veritas: This is just getting weird now. Some of the garlands have miniaturized versions of entire trees hung upside down from them. These trees range from off-colored pines to what passes for this world's version of plastic palm trees to miscolored birches, oaks, and fruit trees. Most of these trees are plastic, but it can be a little strange to see a scaled down tree hanging into the roadway. Getting caught under one of these with another person when they go haywire will trap you both in an entirely uncomfortably small circle of 3 feet from one another. The only way to widen it is to tell the other person a truth about yourself that they may not know. With each truth you tell, the circle widens by 1 foot until it snaps at some indeterminable point. For some, this might just be 2 truths and you're free. For others it might be 20. The natives tend to get caught by this one the most, so at least you have examples of what needs to happen should you find yourself trapped!

♥ Berries aplenty: Some of the decorations are filled with red and white berries hanging in clusters. These are the most innocuous seeming of all the garlands and, since the berries are small enough, the easiest to miss. They do, however, seem to be causing quite a stir with anyone caught beneath it. When you and another person walk beneath these garlands, you'll find yourselves trapped with one of you suddenly wearing a Santa outfit projected over your normal clothes like an illusion. You cannot escape the six foot circle under the berries unless you sit on Santa's lap and tell them what you really really want for the holidays. You've been a good person/robot/cat/creature this year, right? The gods hope so because only those on the Nice List who say what you want and mean it get to leave the clutches of the berries.

❥ PROMPT II: Ski for Free(dom)

For those of you who frequent the worlds of virtual reality, there's a new game available! In SkiFreezin', you and a friend can enjoy an excursion to a beautiful mountain covered with freshly-fallen snow for a fun ski trip!

But hopefully you're quick to clear the course; every so often innocent skiers looking for a fun time might find themselves in the sights of the mountain's inhabitant; a cranky creature giving chase with stick figure limbs and angry eyebrows. Better get to the finish line quick! If it catches up, you just might find yourself dumped into a pile of snow with a hat placed on your head at a jaunty angle befitting a snowman.

And the chase doesn't end there! The VR network's errors that brought on Havenwell's cube-shaped bee friends is acting up again, bringing the particularly pixelated pursuer to the city's snowy streets to chase around the local inhabitants. And if it catches you...well, Frosty, hope you like snowbanks!

❥ PROMPT III: The Weather Outside (and Inside) is Frightful

To some, the best part of winter is the beautiful snowy landscape and Aellyn is delivering on that this year. All across Havenwell, the snow is drifting down in lazy, cozy piles that turn the city even more picturesque than usual. It's a lovely sight and even the natives are enjoying it by doing things like building snowrobots, snow forts, snow sculptures, and snow fights! Some of the less jolly ones are grumbling about the need to shovel the snow to keep roads and walkways clear, but overall the city seems to be enjoying the weather.

The grumbling might be justified, however, because at random times and in random places all over the city, the gentle drifts of snow suddenly become small localized Snowpocalypse pockets! Small storm clouds will whip up in pocketed areas, dumping feet upon feet of snow all at once before dissipating. These massive snow drops have the potential to trap people inside homes, businesses, in doorways, or even bury them outside. If you're unlucky enough to be caught outside, you'll need to cuddle up to keep warm until you or the locals can dig you out. If you're stuck inside, you better start digging out from your doors or you might be stuck for awhile. The cold of these snow drops seem to seep in through the walls, making even those inside want to cuddle up for warmth before either digging themselves out or awaiting rescue.

The gods must not know the saying, "All things in moderation" when it comes to snow!

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This event will run from 15 January to 31 January. 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. You can also use the Havenwell Status page or the General Plotting Comment to give you other ideas for original prompts!

Comments

verdant veritas

[scourgingstars]

Huh-?

[Ardyn had barely opened his mouth to greet Gladio when the branches fell, and if Gladio didn't like it then Ardyn had frozen about as solid as the snow around them.]

Wh-...did you...say something?

[callmegladio]

[Oh, he'd said something, but now he was quickly rethinking what he'd said in the face of the one who had been trapped with him.

Did he REALLY want to be hugging Ardyn? No matter what everyone said, no matter how much he'd agreed that this one wasn't the one he would have liked to have killed, he still wore the face of their tormentor.

His eyes closed again... And when they opened he realised something beside the man in front of him. He realised just how close they were. He realised just how contained they were...

Gladio didn't like this...]

... Need to get outta here.

[No, he really needed to get out. Memories surged. He didn't have many things he was truly afraid of, small spaces and not having his feet on the ground had been something that makes him unreasonably nervous. But being trapped in a damn crate for too damn long had turned nervous into a genuine phobia he'd had nightmares about for weeks after...

This was a nightmare.]

[scourgingstars]

R...right.

[Ardyn didn't look all that much better, back pressed to the edge of their confines like a cornered coeurl.]

Do you....do you know how? Is it just contact, or... [He shook his head, struggling to put words together into coherent sentences. His words either halted awkwardly or came out too fast.] Sometimes the...the requirements are different. There was something with Cor, a while back--we were stuck together and had to...what was it, compliment one another? I think that was it. I don't know what it wants from us now.

[callmegladio]

[Gladio should have been pleased to note that Ardyn looked how he felt, so he at least wasn't alone in hating these small spaces. But that just made things worse somehow.

One of them needed to be rational. One of them needed to be able to think and act with logic and reason. One of them needed to not just impulsively grab Ardyn around the waist and drag him the short distance to pull him into a one armed, and then both armed, hug.]

... Process of fucking elimination.

This doesn't work... we'll try the other.

[His tone was low, there was no denying the strain, but he was trying... Maybe his arms were just a little tighter around Ardyn than they should have been. Maybe his gaze a little unfocused. But he was trying.]

[scourgingstars]

[If Ardyn had frozen before, he was as still and cold as a statue with Gladio hugging him. Fight or flight had, luckily for both of them, been thrown out the window in favor of 'lock up, forget to breathe, and remain as stationary as physically possible'.]

...I don't think this is working.

[callmegladio]

Shit...

[Okay, not working, so he released Ardyn back to his side of the cage and he pressed himself up to his own. While Ardyn might have been cold as ice, Gladio was far too warm. Even though their little cage wasn't sealed, he was having a hard time catching his breath.

Yet he still allowed for a laugh that was dangerously close to nervous.]

So... what? We compliment each other now?

[scourgingstars]

I don't know--I don't know, I-... [Ardyn shook his head, shrinking back against the wall.]

I'm sorry, I...can't think straight. I'm sure it's h...harmless, I'm just terribly uneasy about things like this-

[Oddly enough, something about that statement caused the circle to widen, Ardyn stumbling back at the unexpected space the wall left behind.]

[callmegladio]

[Gladio instinctively reached out to grab Ardyn when he stumbled, afraid he'd fall.

Then he realised what had happened and he could have laughed.]

The hell...

So what? Not compliments... admitting fears?

[scourgingstars]

[He flinched back from Gladio's hand on what looked like reflex, backing up against the wall again.]

I don't...know. Possibly?

[callmegladio]

[He blinked down at his hand and then pulled it back to shove into his pocket, it bothered him.]

I'm not gonna hurt you.

[His side widened just a touch, and Gladio looked back when it did. He'd not admitted to any fear...]

[scourgingstars]

I...know that, I just...

[He shook his head again as if trying to clear it. Maybe it wasn't admitting fear, maybe it was simpler than that.]

...I don't want to go back to confinement.

[A little wider, then, and with it the situation was starting to make sense.]

[callmegladio]

[Confinement... Angelgard... Right. He remembered.

He was a little slower than Ardyn at working it out, but he did. Honesty was going to get them out of this. And what was more honest than admitting to fear? To weakness? Gladio sighed heavily.]

Right... Don't much like being stuck in a box either. But I guess being stuck in a crates gotta be better than what you went through...

Look. [He takes a deep breath and lets out a low, unamused laugh.] This box needs honesty, right? Truths? What do you think? One big one or lots of little ones?

[scourgingstars]

I'm...not sure. I don't know that I have many I can freely tell.

[Secrets, sure. Truths he didn't want to admit even to himself, plenty. But things he could openly speak of were more difficult.]

[callmegladio]

[Gladio just looked at him quietly for a long moment, before he shrugged a single shoulder.]

Guess it's down to me then, huh?

[So what... A truth... Did he go for an obvious truth? Or one of those truths he'd buried deep down. He thought about opening up those boxes, thought about telling Ardyn some of those things... Like him, there were some things that he wasn't willing to tell. But he could come close enough to, he hoped, satisfy the parameters of their cage.]

Alright... [Here goes.] Before I got here... I was goin to ask someone to marry me. That day, actually. Had the ring and everything. [A low, hollow laugh.] If there's a god watching over me, that bastard has a lot to answer for...

[scourgingstars]

... [The admission got Ardyn to relax, little by little--if nothing else it was some recognition he wasn't alone in being stuck in here.]

I was...betrothed myself, a long time ago. I'm sorry it ended so abruptly for you.

[callmegladio]

Yeah. Sucks. But... [He shrugged that shoulder again, but was pleased to note their cage had expanded enough he felt he could breath a bit easier.]

Guess you too, huh? I'm... sorry.

[scourgingstars]

It's... ['Fine' was a lie, and that might have made things worse. Ardyn folded his arms and looked elsewhere, hesitating before speaking again.]

...I just know how it feels, that's all. It isn't the sort of thing I would wish on anyone.

[callmegladio]

Yeah. Yeah it... hurts. [Another truth he hadn't told another soul. Just how much it hurt. How much it had killed him to know. Though he drew the line at admitting to how long he'd spent in his home, alone, just laying on the sofa and... cursing a universe that had taken the brightest thing out of his life and replacing it with a dark hole.]

[scourgingstars]

She...was killed protecting me in a fight. [As long as they had to be honest...well, not much else to do but keep going.] One could say I've had a long time to think about it.

[callmegladio]

[Gladio's gaze lowered, that kind of pain... he didn't know if he would stand that kind of pain. But he could at least understand things from her point of view. Dying to protect someone you loved? That was the only valid way to be killed for Gladio.

Though dying old and gray knowing everyone he loved was safe was also valid.]

She sounds... strong. She must have loved you a great deal, Ardyn.

[scourgingstars]

Aera was a great deal stronger than I am, surely. I've no doubt the person you love cared for you a great deal as well.

[callmegladio]

Yeah. I think they did. Pretty sure they'd have said yes... [Pretty sure it would have been a 'hell yes' and a 'what took you so long' but Gladio would never know. That chapter of his life had come to an abrupt end and now he was to start all over again.

And after this he would go back home and lay on his couch again, in the dark, and wish this place had a better means of alcohol consumption.]

... I can play the piano.

[He needed a different truth. One that wasn't tearing his heart in two. This was... easy. He didn't think anyone knew this either.]

[scourgingstars]

Hm... [Something lighter, then. He thought for a moment or two, then snapped his fingers as one occurred to him.]

I can sew fairly well. And I've learned to cook since I got here, too.

[callmegladio]

Sorta like cooking too. Never get the chance though. Not with Iggy around.

[Most everyone assumed he couldn't cook. But he'd had to learn how to. He'd trained to live off the land, he could cook damn near anything! Whether it was as fancy as the stuff Iggy made was up for debate, but he could. And liked it.]

Sewing though... [He looked down at his hands and flexed his fingers.] Need to be more nimble for that.

[The cage was widening still more. He thought maybe a few more truths and it would break. Or shrink down and a mocking tune would play.]

Before I came here... I was learning how to grow my own food.

[scourgingstars]

I didn't know my way around a modern kitchen until Ignis taught me. I'd like to think I'm quite good at it, even if he'll obviously outclass me. Regardless...that sounds delightful. What was it you were growing?