hugtopia_logs | ♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

♥ April (Lasai) Event Log

a red cardinal perching on a thin branch with pink flowers

April (Lasai) Event Log
This Lasai marks one year since the outer walls moved, expanding Havenwell for the first time in centuries. The natives are commemorating this event in their own ways, watching the walls for any further changes just in case. With the turning warmer and spring sweeping through the city, it's natural for them and the offworlders to expect something new and exciting to happen. This year, however, it seems they should have been watching for something other than the walls...

❥ PROMPT I: Life Has Many Doors

an open door in a wall, with painted arrows and a lighted arrow-shaped sign all pointing to it

Whether closed, open, or slightly cracked ajar, mysterious doorways have begun to appear all across Havenwell. They could be in the entryway to your closet, in the middle of the street, or perhaps directly in your path for you to stumble unwittingly into, and they seem to have absolutely no compunction about appearing wherever and at whatever time.

If one crosses the threshold through the door whether through intent or by accident, they will find themselves in another place, at another time...

Beyond the doors lie moments in time--past incidents a character may regret, wish they could change, or an instance where they were completely happy. Or, even potential futures they worry may or may not come to pass. In order to leave and return to the present in Havenwell, one need only join hands with another and speak about their feelings; why they regret doing or not doing something, what they fear or anticipate about their future, or any such truth that might indicate why the specific moment is being shown to them beyond the doorway. To facilitate this, doorways may either link up to that of another Havenwell offworlder's, or lead into a sort of featureless limbo until the same door is used by another.

❥ PROMPT II: Hatoful Bombardment

With everyone preoccupied with the mysterious doors appearing and whisking people away, the shimmering of the barrier might go unnoticed. The color has been so strong lately that people might think it's oily sheen over the blue sky is even normal by now. Then, one day, that sheen is suddenly dotted with tiny ripples, like raindrops hitting water. Not many people may notice this phenomenon right away, but when hundreds upon hundreds of birds suddenly burst through these ripples? They definitely take notice. Flocks of birds swarm en masse through the barrier all at once and then the ripples harden and disappear. They seem confused and scatter throughout the city, bringing with it all sorts of trouble.

These birds are all different species, sizes, and colors - from recognizable ones like the rainbow chickens to strange ones with inky black feathers and bright iridescent eyes. They appear to be completely wild, completely natural birds, however, and act as birds do: fighting for territory, nesting, eating - and boy do they fight, nest, and eat! Offworlders and natives alike will have to deal with the nuisance of these birds chittering, chattering, and screaming at all hours of the day as they try to nest in the city, in the trees, and in the eaves and roofs of people's houses and businesses. They fight with the temple animals - especially Diacht's crows and Rawna's dragonlings - and hunt Ainea's mice. They hassle people's gardens and the botanical gardens looking for food, and make messes trying to eat the leftover replicator goo and any bits of food or chocolate still hanging around.

People are free to try and catch, kill, or eat these birds if they can, but their meat is usually tough and gamey, and soon the zoo and conservationists are overrun with specimens and refuse to take more. By the end of the month, as the event comes to a close, most of the birds that are still free will suddenly begin swarming back towards the barrier and...disappear back through it? ...huh.

❥ PROMPT III: A Feather A Day

an arrangement of small feathers in bright rainbow colors

One by-product of all these birds in town is an overabundance of feathers. Long, short, stubby, colorful, black, grey, white, spotted, striped, iridescent - there's so many different types that the natives are going absolutely gaga for them all! This is the first time in a long time that they've had so many natural materials to create things from that the costumers, tailors, artists and other creatives in town are clamouring for more, more, more! The feathers begin to make appearances as decorations for headpieces, capes, sashes, bags, digital pens, epaulettes, bracelets, necklaces, artwork - you name it and it has feathers in it! Some enterprising natives even try incorporating it into food before they realize that they're inedible. With this massive demand comes a big business opportunity for people willing to go out and gather up the feathers, clean them of any gunk, sort them, and bring them to the natives. So long as the feathers are in good, useable condition, native artisans will pay a nice sum of Dora for bags of them and will actively ask characters to sell feathers to them.

However, it seems some feathers carry more than just a Dora price tag. Being in proximity or possession of feathers can sometimes have...unexpected effects on the offworlders.

Fluff for You, Fluff for Me: Your character will randomly and optionally painlessly sprout feathers. They can sprout from anywhere on your character's body, and can be in addition to or replace parts of them. For example, you can have feathers sprout from your hair, or have your hair turn into feathers. You can have feathers pop out of your wrists or have your fingers turn into wingtips. Pulling the feathers out does sting a little, but new feathers will simply grow back in their place and even runs the risk of having more feathers grow in new places. The only way to rid yourself of these is to wait the effect out after dumping your gathered feathers, or physical contact with another person.
Light as a Bird: After gathering up your feathers, your character will begin to feel lighter and lighter until they begin to lift off the ground entirely! Characters who can fly may have no problem with this, but others might find it quite disturbing when they suddenly float off the ground. No matter how hard you try, or how much control you usually have over your flight, it seems that you cannot return to the ground until you either wait for the effect to end after you get rid of your gathered feathers or grab and hold onto another offworlder for a few minutes. The highest you seem to float is up to two stories in the air, and as the effect wanes you gradually get heavier and heavier until you sink back to the earth. When up in the air, characters usually, but not always, tend to bob around like a balloon as if they're stuck in a zero gravity environment.
I Gotta Tweet About This: After incurring this effect, a character's speech will gradually and randomly turn into birdsong, chirping, twittering, and tweets. It can be every word, every other word, just certain words, or any combination you like, but when your character speaks, what comes out of their mouth will be the call of a bird and not their normal voice. Characters are free to try and interpret their friends' songs to find meaning, and characters can have their bird song be from one bird or multiple if they wish. The tweeting will continue so long as you are in possession of the feathers, or until you are able to get some sustained physical contact.

These effects can happen at any time when the feathers are close to your character, and you can even stack them if you like! They will linger even after a character dumps the feathers for a few hours, but for no longer than 24 hours at a time after getting rid of your feathers, whether it's by selling, gifting, dumping, burning or other methods. If characters pick up new feathers after getting rid of their old ones, it's possible for the effects to continue or for new effects to happen. The type of feather your character picks up has no bearing on what effect they incur.

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

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[Lup smiles wryly at that, shaking her head.]

Don't stress about that. I know how to get un-erased, at least when it comes to Taako. There's a second voidfish he needs to meet. Barry's got a plan for it, just... gotta watch and wait it out a little longer. [She brushes a hand idly, and anxiously, through her hair.] I've gotten good at that part.

[It's agony of course, bashing her head against the walls and desperately waiting for her chance to break free or be heard. If only Barry looked for her. If only he could hear her voice. But if they were heading into the BoB headquarters and Lucretia had a lich ward up (as she should, going against Barry the way she did), there was a benefit to Lup staying hidden for their side, too.

It sucks, though. All of it sucks. She's tired of waiting.]

[ The long game, as Lup tended to say; always easier to say, when circumstances were far out of their hands and relying on others or for something to fall into place which they could then act upon. A life she was long used to when she was Haggar, not so much now when moments and chances could feel ever so fleeting.

She holds onto her, and exhales softly. ]

As long as there is a plan in motion.

[ And the not knowing, of where or how she might fit in -- if she is drawn in with Lup to her time, or thrown somewhere else entirely par the whims of the world and the greater danger it was facing, or if somehow their memories were complicated even if what tied them together was all this time spent in other universes -- was just as bad. They knew all the risks, their bond was true, but it didn't make that less frustrating. ]

There's definitely a plan in motion. It isn't my plan, but it's hard to do much of anything from an umbrella.

[She shakes her head, ducking it somewhat low. She shifts slightly, moving the corpse out of her peripheral.]

I believe in them, though. Soon... they'll figure it out. Soon. [Her hand tightens.] They have to... it's the end of the world.

They have to.

[ Trusting something entirely to people she hasn't even met is... well. She trusts Lup, and in order to have a future, that world has to exist. ]

Our future depends on that, after all.

Well, ideally they'll have you around as well, to push them in the right direction.

[Lup finally offers up a tiny smile.]

Or kick their asses if it comes down to it. Right?

That's the plan.

[ It feels better, to have Lup say it, as much as the fluttering reminder remains ever persisting. Knowing more details of Lup's situation helped, no matter how she would find herself there to aid her. ]

Though I have quite a lot of work to do, to not seem crazy.

Hmm, that's true. The good news is, my idiot family is used to crazy, so you'll fit right in. The bad news is they're all suspicious as hell about any newcomers. Maybe we should work on your acting skills? Rehearse and get a little wild in the story before you're in the spot for details.

You well know I do not like to seem... false. Though I suppose it's being put on the spot that I would have to look out for, in that case.

[ No matter how much foundation a story had, it might all fall apart without ease of adapting to someone poking at the cracks of it. Especially when it involved others being adjusted to a circumstance that she only had inklings to. ]

I think you've got a fair reason to feel that way. I was telling Ardyn not too long ago- one of the tricks of lying effectively is base it on truth. Our stories don't have to be misaligned from reality so much that they're hard to pull off, on the spot or otherwise.

On the flipside, you could just be like Taako and I and tell people to piss off if they get too nosy.

I imagine he did not take to that so well.

[ It would almost be funny, albeit ironically, if not so relatable, though any potential mirth is dampened by what surrounds them, let alone other encounters she'd had. ]

The choice may come to the circumstances, and in either case, preparation is certainly better than none at all, whichever form that takes.

[ Besides, secrets and distance also caused a lot of problems. ]

I'm a very sensible person. I helped him to see the error of his ways.

[Helps that Ardyn is a surprisingly malleable guy. Maybe it's just that he doesn't like fighting, but she'll take it when her advice is solid.]

And the same goes for you! Whether you like it or not, a decent lie can become the difference between life and death in Faerun.

You do have very convincing methods, I'll agree.

[ Because she wasn't going to miss an opportunity to give Lup praise for that. Even if the nature of this all was less than comfortable. ]

And you're right that I don't like it, but... I understand. Revealing too little has it's own problems, but too much could jeopardize things in other ways. Let alone other limitations that I may have.

It's the nature of balance to be complicated. If it was easy, everyone would have their life under control and there'd be no disasters to laugh at or learn from.

[A beat, and then-]

Actually, I fucking hate that word now. Equilibrium? Symmetry? Stability? Gods, but it's a good word, though.

[ She gives a short, uneasy laugh. ]

It comes up often enough here. Although I have the feeling that your hatred for it must spring from some other source.

Lucy named her big fancy secret organization the Bureau of Balance. I've heard it a lot since Taako found my umbrella.

... Well, that would do it.

[ Context means everything. Easy enough to remember - but the distaste in it almost palpable. She sighs, but offers another gentle squeeze of reassurance. ]

Almost seems a little too heavy handed... which is probably funny coming from me.

[Lup merely shakes her head.]

I wouldn't compare. You've made mistakes, but up to a certain point, your choices no longer belonged to you. Far as I'm aware Lucretia always had different options, and she chose this. I'm sure she thought it was nice and poetic, in some way.

... Perhaps so.

[ Some things shouldn't be compared, but it can still be difficult not to. ]

That "balance" is one that exists in name only. Perhaps there is a chance that she too realizes that... so that it may be corrected. For now, though... distaste of the word is certainly warranted.

Mm.

[She gives their hands an idle swing, focusing back on the body slumped against the cavern wall, and then looks away.]

It's fine. It isn't like it comes up a lot, outside of the gods' meddling. Though I'm sick of hearing it from them too, you're right.

... It is not fine.

[ Her gaze catches where Lup's goes, and hard not to. They were talking, they were doing all the right things, and still subjected to this memory. It just never was enough with this world. Was that part of their "balance", too? Or was there something deeper? There usually was, if Lup was deflecting. It had taken all this to draw the rest of those details out already. ]

None of this is fine, Lup.

[Lup exhales briefly through her nose at that.]

Okay, it's not fine. But I don't have much choice, do I? The world's gonna spin whether I'm doing good or not, and I'd rather keep it together than fall apart and lose everything. Been there, done that.

... I know.

[ She exhales, too. The world might still spin and their choices might seem limited, but that was ever the situation. Lup, though... she could bottle things almost too well. ]

... you might be able to use this space to an advantage, when it's already robbed you of other choices. To... simply... feel while we are here, even if it is only for a moment. You are not alone, and... you will not lose anything for it.

I spent ten years feeling every inch of this misery. Didn't have anything else to do, besides listen to the whole lot of nothing going on around me.

[She crouches down, poking at a rock in the dirt to make sure that it's sufficiently manifest before picking it up and throwing it at the sealed door next to her corpse. It smacks against one of the bloody handprints, predictably harmless, but the sound echoes through the room.]

Believe me, lingering on it is the last thing I want to do. And if I think any harder on how much I regret this day, I might go a little mad.

[ She will not forget it. That Lup suffered for so long, because she thought she could handle something herself. She'd done the same thing herself, nearly had it backfire. Going forward though, they needed things to be different. To remind themselves of that. ]

... Fair enough. This is a reality you already must contend with. Regret can powerful and clouding. Those years... won't come back.

[ Which is a sentiment that hits her a little too hard as well. ]

But I'm here. We're both here, and we're not alone. Whatever our regrets.

Yeah... yeah. Thanks.

[She gives Honerva's hand a squeeze again, giving the body one last look. There is an echo of a scream in the cave, soft and muffled, fists banging against some immovable wall. The door begins to glow red, but it, like everything else in here, doesn't move. This memory won't change, just like her decision can't be changed. It's done, in the past. Her life will continue to move forward, and maybe someday the good in her life will at last overwhelm these moments, and she can let them go. Imagine something better, maybe. A future, a home, a family she belongs with, in the ending she chooses.

This was then, and that'll be then, too. What she's meant to focus on is now.

Lup abruptly turns around, facing the opposite way, a path from this dead end, and gives Honerva's hand a tug.]

Let's leave a few regrets behind and get the hell out of here.

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shroudedsecrets - 2021-05-30 22:32 (UTC) - Expand

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