♥ 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

[whenyouneedme]

"Heh... if it behaves, I'm sure you'll like the view."

Truth be told he was probably going just a touch stir crazy. Even when he could get out on his bike, it wasn't exactly winterized so the safety slows were engaged. There was only so much satisfaction to be gained from shoveling snow. Copious amounts of curling up with Shinji was actually very good, he didn't actually need the excuse thank you, but. Sometimes. Your dog had to go on a walk!!

"Besides, the other alternative was asking you to go stargazing." Kai grinned at him, opening the door and ushering them into the warmer lobby. "Figured that one's on hold for a few months."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Ahhh, that warm air is so very welcome right now. Shinji breathes out a small sigh of relief as they go inside, and though he does put a little space between Kai and himself now that he's not in danger of getting So Cold, he does let his hand slip down and take hold of Kai's.

"I do want to go stargazing again," he offers, even if the reason it's off the table today is. Obvious. "But this will be fun too, I'm sure." As sure as he can be about it, anyway. If Kai's excited, though, it's bound to be a fun time.

"This is... the first time I've ever been in one of these cafes, actually."

[whenyouneedme]

Someday they'd go again. Once he was sure that doing so wouldn't turn Shinji into a popsicle. It'd warm up again eventually.

"Mm, I've really only been here for this one, myself." He glanced around as they walked through, trying to reorient himself a bit. Aha, over this way. "Feel like they could get a little overwhelming."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

They could always just make a blanket burrito for stargazing while it's chilly, but Shinji's patient enough to wait for nicer weather either way.

"It seems like it could be." There are a lot of little reasons that Shinji hasn't made the trip himself, but nothing that couldn't be overcome by an invitation to actually join someone who might already enjoy the offerings. "But once in a while wouldn't be bad at all."

Probably!

[whenyouneedme]

"Probably."

It all seemed like it should mostly be like a big arcade, and for the most part Kai guessed that was actually true. It was just that sometimes it was a little too real. ...And then also sometimes things escaped their digital confines. That was, one might say, a bit alarming. Not that that happened too often!

Kai walked them past some advertisements for skiing, leading Shinji over to some open headsets. They just had to get things set up for the correct mountain, and then... okay! Kai gave Shinji's hand a squeeze, stepping over to pick up his.

"Right. So once you put it on, you should be there." That's how it'd worked last time, as far as he could remember. "It can come right off so... if you see anything you don't want to see, just take it off, ok? I'll be right behind you."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

So considerate, Kaito... Shinji takes a moment to send Kai an especially warm smile at that thought, that affection rippling out into a squeeze to Kai's hand in return.

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." At the very least, Havenwell, if his memories are going to be pulled up at all, please let it be something banal at worst. He doesn't actually want to end up cutting this adventure short, so even if the option is there, he hopes he won't have to use it. No matter what, though, none of this is going to get rolling until he picks up and puts on his own headset, so let's get that going!

[whenyouneedme]

It was dark.

And then it was a different kind of dark, studded overhead with some of the softly twinkling stars they hadn't driven out to see. There was a crisp chill in the air-- yet only the idea of it, as Shinji would find his own temperature was just fine. Everything was quiet and serene, the thrum of anticipation just a soft note in the rustling of the trees.

It only took a moment for Kai to flicker into view beside him, turning around in a circle to get a good look around them. "Oh, good," he was saying, "this is the right one."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

As the scenery blinks in, Shinji finds himself quietly marveling at everything it has to offer. He's not a total stranger to a virtual setting like this - it had been a very practical way to do pilot training back before he had been swept off to Havenwell. Even the most immursive combat stimulation was only just that, though, not the kind of thing you stop to admire once you've been dropped into it. Not like this.

"I didn't realize how much I missed a view like this." The greenery returning to the city is a welcome sight, but is a far cry from such a boundless seeming expanse of nature. He keeps his focus fixed upward for a moment longer, finding the sight of stars a familiar comfort, even if he knows it's a fake one.

[whenyouneedme]

"Right?"

Stay in one place long enough, and it was easy to forget what seeing these kinds of sights felt like. The way Havenwell was wasn't the way it was supposed to be. Kai swept his gaze over the mountainside as his VR-hand found Shinji's again.

"Makes me think about how much there actually is left to do." Looking out at something like this, it kind of felt like they hadn't done anything at all just yet. Objectively that wasn't true, but there really was so much left that could be done.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

There we go, hand in hand. Just as they should be. It's not likely that they'll actually get separated, but it will be nice having the relative security of a welcome touch to keep them both on track as they begin the climb.

"There's still a whole planet to restore." Seeing the city expanding had been encouraging, but who knows how long it would actually take for them to finish the job. At least they're allegedly helping out right now, with this handholding business while they're on their date. "It will probably take a long time, at the rate everything's been going so far."

[whenyouneedme]

"Probably," Kai agreed, gently running his thumb over Shinji's. The stars overhead had started twinkling that much brighter when they started holding hands, the air seeming that much more fresh and the glow of the lanterns dotting the trail burning warmer. Just little things to show that power held strong in a digital space as well.

"Can't say I mind having the job."

Let's start following those lanterns.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

How nice, having such a clear path to follow. Shinji's sure that most mountain climbing adventures wouldn't be this well guided, but for the purposes of this particular adventure, it's a very welcome feature. Not enough to hinder his view of the stars above, but charming enough in their own right to be admired. He casts his gaze along the trail as far as he can see from their current spot on the path, giving Kai's hand a gentle squeeze as he turns his attention back to the boy at his side.

"With someone like you around, it's not such a hard job."

He's still far from being comfortable with it when it comes to almost anyone else, but having a couple of exceptions is more than he could have imagined when he was first swept up in Havenwell's plight.

[whenyouneedme]

Kai turned a small grin towards him at that squeeze. "Funny how that worked out."

While it was easy enough for Kai to just sigh and accept whatever comfort needed to be dished out with other people, he couldn't say there were many other people he liked doing it all with. Maybe at one point, but that number had dwindled and only a couple had endured. This here was what he enjoyed, and it could have been so easily missed from the get-go.

"I've never been good at just leaving things alone," he said as he led Shinji up that winding path. "But this time it actually paid off."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

One foot after the other, following Kai's lead while still letting his focus wander to the sights around him. It's easy to see where the appeal comes from, but having someone else exploring with him is it's own brand of interesting.

"I've never really run into anyone as... persistent as you." At least as far as spending time with him goes. Shinji's never really felt like he's desirable company with anyone the way he's felt with Kai, and he's been like that right out the gate. "But I'm glad you are, because it really did pay off."

For the both of them. Just like the lights dotting their way, everything's become a little brighter through those efforts.

[whenyouneedme]

"S'good thing you never told me to back off then."

He would have, if Shinji asked. Depending on the situation, anyway. But fond as Kaito was of him now, he could understand how other people would be less persistent. It had taken a few tries to really start feeling like he wasn't just gently bullying Shinji or something.

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Gentle bullying is, at least, more attention than ignoring him altogether, and that's... good? Goodish. Better than mean spirited bullying. Shinji didn't quite see it that way regardless, so it all worked out for the best.

"Honestly, I probably really needed the company," it's easy to say in hindsight, despite how prickly he may have been about admitting as much at the time. He squints off into the distance at the memory, it feels awfully foolish of him looking back on it, but he's not here to dwell on how difficult he may have been when he first showed up in Havenwell. "But, truthfully, I never thought that you were too overbearing."

[whenyouneedme]

"Good to know I was just the right amount."

Which was for the most part a jest. He was sure a few encounters started must have started on the too much side, but they had ended well enough. That's how they got here, after all.

"I probably needed it too." Even if he thought he was really good at being on his own, there was substantial evidence that this was uh a joke. "Kinda wanted to feel like I was useful for once."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

'For once', he says, and isn't that heartbreaking? Knowing the sorts of situations Kai put himself in for the sake of others before showing up here, the dream Shinji had experienced jumps straight to mind in particular, that it would take getting swept into a world like Havenwell to feel useful is awfully sad to think about. Shinji frowns slightly at the thought, but doesn't quite let it go past giving the other's hand another warm squeeze.

"You've done a lot here," he offers, voice somber yet undeniably fond. What the two of them have going between them, the effort he's putting into helping Kyoko cope with being here, his courier business... he's certainly carved himself a comfortable spot in the city, Shinji thinks. "And... I'm sure you'll get to do so much more."

[whenyouneedme]

He'd certainly done a whole lot more here than he had elsewhere. There was no arguing that. Whether or not that was a lot... probably didn't actually matter. He was comfortable with what he had, he did not think he had it in him to ask for more when he'd already gotten so lucky.

"Guess we'll find out," Kai said, returning that squeeze. "You, too. Spring'll be just around the corner soon enough, we'll be able to get that garden ready for you."

Sneaks in a lunch tag

[hedgehogsdilemma]

More of the same is still more! But, ultimately, what really matters is if Kai's comfortable with the amount he's doing, and that sure does seem to be the case.

"Ahh, it can't warm up soon enough." It's probably going to take more time before he really feels used to the temperature drop winter brings. "Those seeds showed up at kind of the last minute last year, hopefully getting a head start this year will be helpful."

[whenyouneedme]

He'd acclimate to all those different seasons at some point. It was a guarantee! For eventually. Maybe once Havenwell's own weather issues calmed down to give acclimation a chance. Until those things happened, at least Shinji had a few sources of toasty comfort.

"I don't doubt it." There'd be plenty of more time to experiment with things. "Ohh, with that kind of a headstart I bet you could get at least one really big melon!"

[hedgehogsdilemma]

So ambitious for the both of them, making plans for future seasons like this.

"Hmm, maybe." He probably can't just.... leave them on the vine and expect them to just get bigger and bigger indefinitely, right? He... will have to do some experimenting, perhaps. "It would be really fun to split something that big between the three of us, wouldn't it?"

[whenyouneedme]

Spoilers: that was exactly how Kai thought these things worked. How else could giant melons and pumpkins exist. There was no other way.

Truly this train of ambition was dangerous, especially when trios were involved. "Mm... it really would be. I don't wanna suggest whacking open the fruits of your labor, but maybe we could let Kyoko have the honors on that one."

[hedgehogsdilemma]

Maybe they'll get another magic shower that will help facilitate some giant-produce growth. Who knows!

"She'd probably have fun with that." He can't help but give a small laugh at the thought, warm and fond. "Have you ever seen her tackle something at full enthusiasm?"

He can just imagine it being like a reprise of their first meeting while repairing the wall, or the gusto she had while they were still cleaning the bath house. Goodness...!

[whenyouneedme]

"I've seen glimmers of the potential," Kai replied with a fond chuckle of his own. Every time she really started to get going around him, there was something to trip her up. Sometimes more literally than others.

"She's a real powder keg. I take it you've seen her go full blast?"