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hugtopia_logs2021-11-16 12:01 am
hugtopiamods) wrote in hugtopia_logs2021-11-16 12:01 am
♥ November (Malom) Event Log
November (Malom) Event Log
With most of Havenwell left in varying degrees of shambles from the prior month's catastrophe, the city seems just a little bit more quiet and stony in ways not just owed to the chill of oncoming winter. However, the gray mood doesn't need to last; the offworlders and locals alike might just be able to band together to pick up the scattered pieces before long.
Unlike previous years, winter is approaching at a slower pace than usual. Whether this is believed as coincidence or the gods opting to give the city more pleasant weather while the reconstruction is ongoing is entirely up to each individual. Nevertheless, the sun is out and there is work to be done.
❥ PROMPT I: Fetch Quest Frenzy
With the widespread damage of the previous month still a large issue, offworlders may find the marking-based powers of that incident manifesting again in different, passive forms. Regardless of the color one's ability takes, a little bit of trial and error will lead the markings' bearers to understand the powers are now geared towards helping rebuild or rehabilitate the city in various ways; examples being manifesting as telekinesis to move heavy objects around, or a magical compass to help locate something lost in the chaos. Some may find themselves inexplicably filled with knowledge previously unknown, Matrix-style: characters who have never picked up a hammer before will suddenly possess the skills needed to rebuild furniture or repair structural damage, weld parts together, or get really good at organizing search parties. Feel free to get creative with it, but these abilities are meant to build, not destroy like last month, so destructive powers are not likely to manifest unless for good reason.
There's no shortage of work to be done either; from dismantling petrified worms to running errands for the surviving locals, offworlders may find themselves lucky to have the supernatural assistance of the markings and their powers. With time and effort, taking up such tasks to aid the locals and fellow offworlders alike might just go a long way towards healing Havenwell on both physical and emotional fronts.
There's no shortage of work to be done either; from dismantling petrified worms to running errands for the surviving locals, offworlders may find themselves lucky to have the supernatural assistance of the markings and their powers. With time and effort, taking up such tasks to aid the locals and fellow offworlders alike might just go a long way towards healing Havenwell on both physical and emotional fronts.
❥ PROMPT II: Fruits Basket
In places where the worms were slain before their fellows were petrified, their massive corpses have been reclaimed by the ground--specifically, they've turned to surprisingly fertile soil. So fertile that it would appear trees are already sprouting where they fell, bearing an arrangement of oddly-shaped fruits. With how delicious they look, one would surely be forgiven for daring to try them, but the result might be just a bit surprising...
-Eating a round fruit will make one have a sudden desire to cuddle up to someone else; the more of the fruit they've consumed, the more insistent the desire. Just take a bite? Maybe you could do with a light shoulder touch, but eat the whole thing and you'll realize you might be suddenly looking for some big hugs with anyone receptive to the idea.
-The square shaped fruits have a somewhat more subtle effect. The more one eats of a square fruit, they gain a steadily more obvious gentle glow and warmth to their bodies. With enough of one, someone could easily turn into a combination nightlight and comfortably warm space heater.
-Being curious enough to eat a spiky fruit will end up with one having some trouble keeping their footing; this fruit leads one to find no traction underfoot, sending them slip n' sliding around. Be careful, you might just skate right into someone's arms!
-Eating a star-shaped fruit may cause a gradual drowsiness, where residents will feel the urge to lay down and have a nap. Seems the aftermath of the worm attack left some lingering magic. (A small percentage may alternatively find themselves transformed into sheep. Weird.) Being held or gently cuddled, whether on the spot or while being carried home, will reverse the effects.
-Eating a round fruit will make one have a sudden desire to cuddle up to someone else; the more of the fruit they've consumed, the more insistent the desire. Just take a bite? Maybe you could do with a light shoulder touch, but eat the whole thing and you'll realize you might be suddenly looking for some big hugs with anyone receptive to the idea.
-The square shaped fruits have a somewhat more subtle effect. The more one eats of a square fruit, they gain a steadily more obvious gentle glow and warmth to their bodies. With enough of one, someone could easily turn into a combination nightlight and comfortably warm space heater.
-Being curious enough to eat a spiky fruit will end up with one having some trouble keeping their footing; this fruit leads one to find no traction underfoot, sending them slip n' sliding around. Be careful, you might just skate right into someone's arms!
-Eating a star-shaped fruit may cause a gradual drowsiness, where residents will feel the urge to lay down and have a nap. Seems the aftermath of the worm attack left some lingering magic. (A small percentage may alternatively find themselves transformed into sheep. Weird.) Being held or gently cuddled, whether on the spot or while being carried home, will reverse the effects.
❥ PROMPT III: Corporate Concessions
You might recall that the research towers were awfully unhelpful during the attacks, preferring instead to seal themselves up in protective shielding and leave the rest of the city to fend for themselves. Now that the danger has passed, there have been some understandably divisive responses to this decision from their fellows. Many of the tower workers have pleaded ignorance for this choice, openly (or quietly, to avoid disciplinary action) blaming the higher-ups for creating company-wide lockdowns and not allowing anyone in- or out. Many were helpless to assist in relocating friends or family, and some have quit their positions over this stance. Those in charge of the decision-making are unapologetic for the most part, stating that due to previous security breaches, their priority was to protect their research and their employees, for the greater good of the world.
They are aware that doing this was not by any means a good look, so as an olive branch, they have released the research materials confirmed as stolen in the previous security breach to the public network, as they have been unable to track down those materials and would rather control its distribution themselves. Damage done, after all; those who know could pass it on as they please. Additionally, they are reallocating some tower resources to helping with restoration and rebuilding the surrounding areas and public buildings, and have donated a substantial amount of dora to the city budget for whatever purpose the council deems appropriate. Whether you think the released data is true or if their efforts are sufficient is up to you, really.
They are aware that doing this was not by any means a good look, so as an olive branch, they have released the research materials confirmed as stolen in the previous security breach to the public network, as they have been unable to track down those materials and would rather control its distribution themselves. Damage done, after all; those who know could pass it on as they please. Additionally, they are reallocating some tower resources to helping with restoration and rebuilding the surrounding areas and public buildings, and have donated a substantial amount of dora to the city budget for whatever purpose the council deems appropriate. Whether you think the released data is true or if their efforts are sufficient is up to you, really.
This event will run from November 15-30. 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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"Yes and no," He says. "I was born and grew up in a little town called Santa Cecilia, in México. It's where I lived when I was... living. My daughter's still there. But, given that I've been in Shantytown for far longer, that's probably more accurate. It's where the nearly-forgotten go in the land of the dead. A bit rundown, I'll admit it, but we're on the side of the old pyramids and right on the water. First to see the sunrise! Down there, everyone is family."
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Not that she's going to pick up much about wall construction when she's focused on stories about far-flung lands, but it's not her fault if this is a more interesting topic. Her eyes soften a bit as he gets to the bit about being nearly-forgotten--ah, he'd sort of alluded to that before, hadn't he? It makes a certain amount of sense, if his daughter was very old. Very, very old apparently, if she's had a failing memory for longer than Héctor had been alive, even if it does seem like he died pretty young.
"Hohh... so the sun rises in the land of the dead too," is what Kyoko chooses to remark on. "It's kinda hard to imagine, but you really paint a nice picture of it!"
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"Yes! Ah, but it's beautiful there. I've told you about the alebrijes and the markings. There's also the city itself. Built on top the pyramids and the haciendas, layer by layer, generation by generation into a great tower of colors and lights. And there's the marigold bridge! Which is exactly what it sounds like."
Very magical. Except when one was trying to cross it. Then it was just a dumb, stupid, awful bridge.
"What about you? What's your home like?"
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She's plenty happy just listening to that pretty description, anyway. Even if she's not confident she knows what the Mexican pyramids look like and she doesn't know what a hacienda is, her imagination fills in the details readily. Her eyes sparkle as she nods along.
There's a small, sheepish laugh when he turns the question around on her, and she has to come back down from her imaginative heights. "Ah--my home isn't magical and enchanting like that. Um, let's see--if you're from a world with a Mexico, it's pretty likely you've already heard of Japan, I think? That's where I'm from."
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"The enchantment is only in the land of the dead, the other side. In the living world, on earth, that will always be home. Right in there with the normal and mundane." In Santa Cecilia... He assures then, "I've heard of Japan. Met a few here from there, I believe. My spouse is from... not quite there, but a place with touches of it. That said, I don't actually know much."
Travelling Mexico had been huge for him. He'd never much imagined the world beyond it all.
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"In the era I'm from, we're a little bit behind the technology here." That seems like a good enough reference point to start from, describing a place from scratch. "We have things like tablets and doors that open automatically--oh, but those aren't everywhere. Robots have been invented too, but I don't think there's anything as human-like and advanced as what the locals here are living in, and ordinary folks aren't likely to see them much anyway. --Oh, but there's still a lot of older things mixed in, as much as could be preserved anyway. Kyoto--that's my hometown--is pretty famous for having lots of old shrines, temples, and that sort of thing. I always wanted to travel more, but it's a good place to live, I think."
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"The old meets the new. Just like the land of the dead." That thought makes him smile. "The automatic doors, those are... what were they... in- in the- in the grocery stores! Yes. I saw something like that, sort of. Not in my time, but still. I don't know about robots but, the tablet things... Would you be from about 2000 or so? That seems to be most people's time."
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"It was 2015," Kyoko confirms, with another eager nod. "And it does kinda seem that way, doesn't it? A while back there were some people here who were from the early 1900s in Japan," ah, she hopes Tanjiro, Zenitsu, and Mitsuri are doing well, wherever they disappeared to, "but overall it kinda seems like most folks get brought here from just a few eras, right? Even if the worlds we're from are still different." This is one of the topics she ponders a lot, along with why there are so many main character types brought to Havenwell.
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"It's true!" He says. "I'd meet a few from far futures or a few from way, way back, if it was even possible to tell what world, but more often than not? The two-thousands. It used to baffle me to no end when I'd come from nineteen twenty-one. But now, I have to admit I'm closer to you. Two-thousand and seventeen!" It's fun being ahead of people for once. Though- "Of course, technology is always behind in the land of the dead as compared to the living world."
He always figures the heroic types are most desired by the universe. And the rest are just unlucky.
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"Ah, but since the land of the broke is always behind on technology too, we're probably about even there, I would guess."
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"Land of the broke! Ha! I love that! You can count me as a member there too." He's less ashamed of it now when it really doesn't matter anymore. He shakes his head. "I'm hardly a legend. That's just the nature of being a ghost. There are people much older than me, and more famous to boot."
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"Well, if you're gonna stack yourself up against all of history, I'd think it's only natural that you'd feel like small fry." There's a good-natured little shrug, as she sets back to work. "But then, witnessing a century's worth of events is bound to make seventeen years seem like nothing too." She's not bothered by it or anything, just don't dismiss your cool aspects so readily, Héctor.
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She makes a point. He has to give her that. But, he still feels uncertain.
"I guess it's just... I didn't really witness them, you know?" He gets to work as well, though he keeps speaking. "What I've got instead is the stories from those who were there. It's nice. But it feels different to see things. Especially when, after a while, you make the stupid mistake of not paying attention to the new things coming in. I'm not even sure what my hometown looks like anymore."
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"Well! Elders command respect anyway, so either way, you're at least a little legendary from my perspective." Was that a jab at his age? Was it? The whole thing is said so easily, with such a straight face, who knows?
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"No. I wish. It would've been nice, to see everything. Or even just visit once a year like other spirits do. But, if not for Hell, I'd be even more out of the loop than I already am. The sinners caught me up with a lot."
He laughs again, whether it was intended to be a jab at his age or not. He flashes a grin over it.
"I suppose I can accept a little legendary."
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Something else catches her attention instead. "Other spirits get to visit once a year? Like Obon--ah, I mean, like on a certain holiday?" Foreigners tend not to know that one, can't just mention it casually, Kyoko! "Or is there something special they do to earn it?"
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"A little bit of both," He admits. "Día de Muertos. It is a holiday in my country that welcomes home the dead. People put up ofrendas and decorate them, leave out their loved ones' favorite foods, drinks, things they loved in life. And most importantly, they put up their loved one's photo. This is the key for letting the spirits cross the marigold bridge to the living world. No one sees the dead, of course, but it's said the living feel us there all the same."
That was what he heard anyway. It might be a little too good to be true. But, to have been able to visit, that would've been everything, felt or not.
"But, if no one puts up your photo, there's no way of crossing, and after a while, if no one ever sees or speaks or thinks of you, you start to be forgotten. That afterlife is not eternal. You only remain there as long as you're remembered for who you were in life." Which leaves the very obvious implication that he wasn't. With threat of bringing down the mood, he shakes himself out and turns a smile at her. "What about this Obon? Can you tell me about it?"
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She feels especially bad too, with the suggestion that he'd already met such a fate--what can she say to that? There's obviously nothing she can do, and she doesn't actually know anything about death or afterlives besides stories and vague concepts. But if he wants a distraction, she'll try to provide that much.
"Oh--it sounds a little bit similar to yours, that Di-Día de Muertos. People go back to their hometowns and clean up the family graves, and there are usually offerings too--we don't have the big focus on photos, though. Lanterns and bonfires are what guide the spirits home--ah, this is just what I've heard, though," she flaps a hand, please take her accounts with a grain of salt, "since I've never died." Sad but true.
"Every town has its own local spin, so it's kinda hard to describe everything, but there's always some kind of festival, and usually dancing. It can get pretty lively! To be honest, I think most folks just like letting loose for a few days every summer... But I think it must be an important time for close-knit families."
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She makes him laugh with that grain of salt. Honestly, in these hub worlds connected to others, that's a novelty. But, it doesn't take dying to have an appreciation for the dead.
"It sounds beautiful," He says honestly. "That is ours too. It's not a time for mourning-- at least not too much of it. It's supposed to be when both sides celebrated. You appreciate life, death, and those you love. Perhaps where you live, the rules for the dead really are different. In times long before me, things were different then too. At least, so I've heard."
Those stories came from when he was younger than her. The nuns were not too happy with him learning those, but he couldn't help what he loved. He tilts his head at her.
"Do you celebrate? With or for anyone?"
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"Mm--yours sounds really beautiful, too. I think the sentiments really are pretty similar." But from there, she has to admit, just a bit of awkwardness coming into her smile, "Since the only relative I know is my mother, and she never mentioned her family much, I can't say I've had an opportunity to celebrate it myself, though."
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"Ah. I see," He says, voice soft with sympathy. "It was like that for me when I was young. I didn't know my family. To tell you the truth, I never even knew my last name. I always looked forward to Día de Muertos as a kid because it's the one time when no one's alone, so I figured. The irony isn't lost on me, but, when I crossed over and eventually moved into shantytown, I found a lot of people like me. And all those people were willing to be my family and celebrate with me-- even if I was too busy causing trouble."
He winks at her for his joke. Which isn't actually a joke, but all the same. His voice softens again.
"Perhaps, the next time around for your Obon, you can ask those without families to join you. You might find something nice in that. I'm almost certain there are spirits who would."
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"... Mm. I've always liked all of the really festive holidays for that reason too." No matter how lonely her situation was, the bustle and cheer made everything brighter. "I don't know if there's a particular way to invite people without families, but... maybe if I put out a lantern anyway someone will show up."
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"I'm sure they will," He says, confident. However the rules work, even if no one can cross to her specifically, someone's bound to pass the word. Who wouldn't appreciate a kind young lady thinking of the lost? He turns his smile to the wall.
"... It's been hard for me to actually celebrate Día de Muertos since I died," He admits quietly. "I missed a lot of chances to be with my other family in shantytown because I wanted to cross the bridge. And, ah--" He laughs ruefully. "Hell wasn't particularly nice around those times either. But... maybe next year... maybe then I'll finally do some proper remembrance."
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But if he can already look forward to a future, even tentatively, that's surely a good sign. "Mm," she agrees softly, her smile gentle. "I think you should. You have people to remember, so... I think that's already its own kind of blessing, you know? I'm sure they'd be happy."
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He knows whatever he does won't cross the distance of worlds. If it worked like that, the people in Hell could've saved him. But, gestures could mean a lot, just as he'd been saying moments before.
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