hugtopia_logs | ♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

♥ January (Lasra) Event Log

indoor decorations with winter wonderland theme

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.

❥ PROMPT I: Festive Flora Festoons

festive holiday garland with metallic colored berries

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)

Stick figure yeti creature running and gnashing teeth

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

dog with white face and black fur buried in snow

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!

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Unaware of how the fortune tucked away in his pocket might be affecting him this year, it's a pretty solid guess that the clumsy streak Shinji is currently suffering is some kind of holdover from the previous month's bouts of sleeplessness combined with the dregs of year-end blues. Not being in top shape shouldn't be all that surprising...! What's a stumble or trip here or there, or the occasional a bump into someone or something that should be avoidable? Stuff like that's bound to happen when you're fatigued, a couple of bruises aren't that big of a deal.

None of it's really letting up as the month goes on, though, so it isn't so much of a surprise that, while out and about -- "Whoa-!" -- his foot mysteriously catches on ?something?, sending him falling right to the path of one of those sprigs of mistletoe.

This was certainly one way to really get a date going...! They were supposed to be going on a walk around town, not a roll around town. No more bruises today, there were already more than enough of those lately.

"Hey--!"

While it might have seemed like more bruises and getting wrecked were going to be the result, that was not the case. Instead of cold, harsh pavement, there was a solid, warm chest. No stinging palms today, just strong arms wrapping securely around him. There was a little bit of a stumble backwards with the sudden nature of the save, sure, but ultimately: Only Boyfriend Now.

"Easy there."

This was definitely a much more pliable outcome than he was expecting for that split second after the stumble. Nice catch, Kaito, even if Shinji does let out a slightly frustrated huff over it even happening in the first place.

"Thank you," he mumbles slightly, his cheeks showing a bit more red than the sting of the chilly air had elicited as he peels himself away from that nice, warm chest. Steady, now, as he straightens himself up, holding on to Kai's arms as he does. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately."

"Hmmm."

There's definitely grounds for concern here. The whole fatigued thing tracked, but it had been a while. It seemed like Shinji had been getting a bit more rest recently, so...? Kai watched him patiently, a worried furrow to his brow.

Once he was sure Shinji seemed mostly good and upright, he reached up to gently brush his hand across the other boy's forehead. It really didn't seem like a fever-state was the cause of things, but man who knew when stuff just struck out of nowhere around here!

"You feeling okay otherwise? Anything else being weird?"

Succumb to a fever by mistake once and it's always gonna be the go-to conclusion to jump to, huh? That's fair, that's fair. He does, perhaps, lean into the touch just a tiny bit, because it's nice and warm and a very welcome break from the chilly air.

"I don't think so. You haven't noticed anything else, have you?"

He can definitely trust that there are times when Kai's more aware of his condition than he is, so he may as well ask.

It was hard to get out of the habit of checking when it yielded such endearing reactions. No reason not to, far as Kai could tell. He moved his hand up to brush a bit of Shinji's hair as he pondered.

"Not... really?" Kai sighed lightly, a bit disappointed in his own answer. While it was good there wasn't anything else, that didn't help pinpoint what the heck was going on. Kai didn't need to point out any potential food making mishaps.

"Kinda feel like people have gotten tripped up like this before..." Had they? Or was he thinking of the gravity things? Hrmgh.

Had they...? They had, right? Around this time last year, even, Shinji thinks! But, of course, what he has in mind are in fact the gravity shenanigans, and if it's only him being subject to them, then it's probably not the same thing.

"It hasn't been happening to you, though, has it?" Obviously, not that Shinji has seen. He moves his hand up to lightly rest on the one brushing at his hair, as if to give Kai a little bit of reassurance. He's fine, totally fine, thanks to your efforts. "I'll be extra careful, so let's keep going."

It won't do them any good to spend their date outside! In the cold! Making themselves sitting ducks for rogue yetis or snowdrifts!

Kai gave a guilty little start, which probably gave him away before he even shook his head. It hadn't been happening to him! They both knew it. (He'd forgotten all about fortunes this year.)

He can be easily convinced to move on though, because it was definitely cold, and there were definitely yetis, and Kai didn't want to spend the day lingering too much on worries. Not when there was an easy enough solution for the time being. "Okay, okay."

Shinji said he'd be extra careful, and Kai was going to help. Let him just slide an arm there around his waist as he settled back in at his side. Surely there would be no more tumbles if he was more secure from the get-go! "No more bruises on my watch," he proclaimed by way of explanation.

Oh! That is definitely one way of keeping Shinji mercifully upright! And something he wasn't exactly prepared for, but something he can roll with.

He hesitates for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly he should be doing in response to this slick move. What... what does he do with his arm? In between them? A good solution is to thread that arm behind Kai's back, reaching up with his hand to grasp at his coat. There, now you can be assured that he won't be going on any more trips.

"I know I'm in good hands."

And, after all that, it sure would be a shame if they were to continue on their way and run straight into an invisible wall. You know. Just, Bonk!

Wow! Such a scenario would be Extremely Rude. Terrible. Awful.

And then there was Bonk.

Kai staggered back a step, biting off an offended "huh!?"

So rude!!

Shinji bumps the wall with a subdued, mostly started, "Ow-!" before bringing his free hand up to cradle his head where it collided with that barrier. We'll see if that 'no more bruises' promise holds up after that (probably), but, really, who could have even seen it coming in the first place?

"What the heck...?"

Walls, c'mon, he was trying to be a cool boyfriend. Why'd you have to immediately go and bust his balls. Geez.

"We got got," Kai said, scrunching his nose. It was a little pinker than it had been before, but it seemed fine. They hadn't been going at full speed with their cozy set-up at least. Still-- "You okay?"

Kai's cool boyfriend status isn't in jeopardy just because Havenwell wants to play some pranks, but their afternoon outing might be if they don't figure out what's up.

"Yeah, I'm fine," truly, a low-speed collision like that isn't going to end with any bloody noses or the like. Shinji pulls his hand away from his head, instead using it to reach out in front of them to find...

"We got... got." You got it, Kai. Shinji's hand is stopped at a certain point, and a puzzled look crosses his face. "This is different."

"By Havenwell standards, or...?"

Kai was leaning towards Havenwell's antics. By all accounts they should have already been in the clear, the solution was usually what they were doing right now! Kai even gave Shinji a bit more of a familiar squeeze, looking to see if the boy's hand moved at all.

No dice. Huh. "... I thought that'd do it."

"I don't think I've ever seen an invisible wall around here before." Which makes it different! Except... "Unless that's what's just past the physical wall around the city. Some kind of magic one." But why would they be popping something like that up in the middle of town, huh? Very weird.

Even weirder is not being let out with just that squeeze, though it earns Kai an appreciative little lean from Shinji. Given how everything here tends to work, if contact was the answer, they should have been let through no problem. So what's wanted from them this time? He glances to the left and right, like there might be some obvious cause or solution he's missing. Hm. Hmmm.

"Oh. True. That is weird." Obviously so, but it was a bit easier to miss the obvious when so many little oddities happened from time to time. It kind of felt like that was the case right now as Kai joined Shinji in looking in their immediate directions. Hmmm..!

Let's try behind then. After a few moments of not finding anything, Kai carefully spun them both around, keeping Shinji right there in the crook of his arm. Entirely unnecessary, but if they were going to end up standing in one spot for a while, might as well keep him toasty!

There still didn't seem to be much obviously going on though. Just more festive decorations and people going about their days off down the street. "I don't get it," he said, as two natives bonked into nothing in the distance.

Oh, cozy. The effort to keep him warm is very appreciated, if they're going to be stuck here for a while, it would be very easy for the chill in the air to overtake Shinji. This way they can both stay nice and toasty for however long this is going to take. Good, good.

Those robots in the distance do catch his attention though, perhaps they'll be able to shed some light on the situation. A short moment of confusion is followed with one of them pointing overhead - to some of the decorations strung up. So is it something to do with those? Shinji peers upwards from their own little bubble, and yes, it seems like they are also underneath some greenery! He narrows his eyes a little, as if scrutinizing the decorations is going to yield any particular result.

The only particularly noteworthy thing are those tiny white berries among the greenery. Are those ? important ? somehow?

"What are those?"

"Huh?"

Kai drew his eyes away from where the natives were attempting to give each other a hug, scrutinizing the berries Shinji was drawing attention to. They looked familiar in a vague kind of way, like he'd seen them in passing at some point. Whether that was here and recently, or back home in some glimpse in a holiday storefront, Kai couldn't really say.

"Some kinda holiday thing, I guess...?"

To be honest, Shinji's expertise with winter holidays is about as thorough as one could expect from someone who had never experienced the typical 'winter'. It's probably only a few degrees more comprehensive than what the robots understand of it, but as far as he can tell, 'some kinda holiday thing' checks out.

"Probably."

Hmm...! He turns is attention back to the natives, who are busy hugging it out. Maybe it is a matter of getting the type of contact correct, rather than this more casual bit of arm-around-the-waist business. That's a bit embarrassing, but... definitely not terrible.

"Let's just try..." Here's a gentle tug to Kai's jacket, at if to guide him more fully into Shinji wrapping his other arm around him into a secure, definite hug.

Kai certainly didn't mind the step into more intimate territory. There was the slightest surprise that Shinji was initiating it, but hey! All hugs had been good hugs so far. He cheerfully followed suit, following Shinji's lead and wrapping him up.

Get! Super Cozy!

"Mm, this should probably do it, huh?"

Super cozy! For any bashfulness he may be feeling over the action, it sure is easy to get wrapped up in the comfort of a nice, enthusiastic hug from Kaito. He even lifts his heels off the ground a bit, enhancing the overall goodness of the embrace by squeezing in that much tighter.

"Maybe." Hopefully! But it's not inherently a bad thing if it doesn't work, either. "It's worth a shot."

They undoubtedly had the advantage of this being something they maybe would have done at some point today anyway, no coaxing from invisible walls required. They did not actually need the excuse, but thanks for handing them one anyway. But what the heck, Shinji, that was extra cute.

"Mhmm. Let's see."

They were still close enough that Kai just needed to spin them around a little. With any luck they'd just keep twirling and then they could be on their merry way.

What? What?? Now who's being cute!

Is it necessary to do this? Probably not, but Shinji's not going to actually argue with it. He holds on a little tighter as they move, facilitating the motion as best he can even if it did take him by surprise.

Alas, their escape is not quite in the cards from just that, and the twirl is interrupted by another gentle Bonk into the wall keeping them captive.

"Ah." Well. An effort had been made, but no dice. "I guess... not."

They weren't going too fast, just in case, so this was truly just a little bump against Kai's shoulder this time. Ah, well.

"Weird." Glancing over, it looked like their native friends had been freed? Somehow? (Potentially pity for getting caught under the physical one.) Kai considered this for a moment. "Maybe this isn't quite enough then."

There was something about festive holiday plants tickling at the back of Kai's brain, but he wasn't giving it a whole lot of thought. Instead he was just working on a process of elimination, ticking things down the list. They'd already been holding each other. They already had a big hug! So that just left: the smoochin'.

So Kai playfully twirled them just a bit more. There, now there was enough space to give Shinji the slightest dip as Kai leaned in with a grin. Hope you were ready for a smooch, my dude, because here it comes.

Oh, whoa! This is a lot more PDA than he was prepared to receive out on the streets like this! So, no, he's not ready for that smooch, but the small dip is enough to throw him off any hesitance or protect he might have thought to raise over it.

He quickly moves his hands to grasp at Kai's shoulders to brace and steady himself. In any other situation, he'd probably be much more reluctant to just let that smooch land, but caught by surprise and already in a strange situation, he is truly defenseless.

One smooch, from bro to bro. Mwah!

little bit of i, little bit of wild

golly

Imagine.

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