hugtopia_logs | ♥ November (Malom) Event Log

Entry tags:

♥ November (Malom) Event Log

a sunlit orchard with fruit growing on a row of trees

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

image of neo from the matrix saying ' know kung fu'

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.

❥ PROMPT II: Fruits Basket

a frost-covered branch bearing one red and orange fruit

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.

❥ PROMPT III: Corporate Concessions

four wooden letter boxes spelling 'FACT' with a hand tilting the last two letters to switch the word to 'FAKE'

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.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yeah, if he knew someone like that, he'd probably also be worried about pulling him away from work, or not being able to take care of hiccups like this on his own. But also suffering is what he does best, so suffer it will be. How truly terrible of a fate, to have to help a friend get home safely.

Safely, until this sleeping Kyoko attempts to give his neck a squeeze. That's less safe. His breath hitches with a startled "Gk-!" and his movement freezes for a moment so he doesn't accidentally throw himself off-balance in surprise. He's not sure he'd be able to keep a secure hold of her if he frees up one of his arms to try and loosen that hold, so before that hold can get too tight, he instead tries once again to call out, "K-Kyoko?"

You awake back there? Or just dead asleep still?

"Hmmnh..." There was another shift, as Kyoko rested her head more snugly on top of Shinji's. There, very comfy. "Poke th' middle," she muttered, slinging her other arm up to rest on top of the first, in front of Shinji's face. "'ll get all... round..."

Kyoko please you're being unreasonable.

As long as he can see and breathe, this isn't... completely unworkable, but boy oh boy does it make things way more difficult. He leans forward a bit more, hoping that the gravity might loosen her hold somewhat and facilitate the rest of the trip being that much easier. Please, Kyoko.... please.

Shinji was gonna have to tell her all about how difficult she'd been later, so she could apologize. There was no reprieve now.

For a moment her arms did loosen a bit, draping down in front of him in their hold, but it wasn't meant to be. Only a few moments of this lasted before Kyoko sighed into his hair, and her arms readjusted for a snugger hold.

Okay, so that plan was a bust. Maybe he should just cut his losses here, and deal with his position as long as he can, if trying to get her to loosen up that hold is just going to get her to redouble her efforts.

It's... fine? This is Fine. He'll just get started moving again, trying to hustle along a bit faster this time. Please don't squeeze him any harder as he does his best to rush them both the rest of the way!

Sorry Shinji, you're just very cuddleable, as it turns out. A super comfortable cushion carrying her on this trip through dreamland.

As he sets off on his perilous journey, Kyoko sighs, and seems to settle into a deeper snooze. She's not squeezing any tighter, but she sure seems content with the current set-up. Home might even be in view before she stirs again, raising her head to blink at this strange viewpoint, letting out a groggy, "H...uh?"

So laser-focused on getting home quickly before his muscles quit on him, the small stirring only barely registers to him as odd. Maybe she's just making herself more comfortable, that's fine as long as she doesn't end up squeezing him too hard or throwing him off balance entirely. That wouldn't be so strange! So, her groggy minors are met with little more than a soft, "Almost there," from Shinji.

The house is in sight! They can make it!

That was Shinji's voice, just now... Blinking bleary eyes, Kyoko looks down. It's another few moments before she processes what she's looking at, and then another moment yet before her brain translates that information into an understanding into what is happening.

"H-huh??" Sitting all the way up straight, her arms flail out. "Huh?!!!"

No

"W-whoa-!!"

Don't, Kyoko! You're gonna throw them both off balance entirely! He's not gonna let her fall back off of him, though, which means he's going to have to lurch forward and shift their center of gravity away from that sudden jolt. Having that extra weight at his back, though, is not something he's actually prepared to handle under these circumstances, and after taking one large step forward his knees buckle in an effort to keep Kyoko upright at the very least. Down he goes, landing heavily on one knee with a sharp hiss through his teeth as he refuses to either let go of her or topple forward completely.

"Uhwaauuh--!!" Down they go, and all Kyoko can offer is more flailing. Unhelpful to the very end.

But now that her feet can actually touch the ground, she untangles her limbs from Shinji's and stumbles back to land on her behind. "Huh--hey! What--?"

Oh no

Even if it's only a short trip at this point, Shinji didn't want to her end up falling under any circumstances! He has failed her...

Switching on the part of his brain that's good at pretending pain isn't a thing as quickly as he can, he shifts his weight to his other leg and turns, still crouched, to turn and face Kyoko. "I'm sorry! A-are you okay?"

Shinji please how could any of this possibly be your fault.

Even in her dazed and confused state, Kyoko can recognize that much. She stares stunned at him for a moment, and then there's a flurry of blinking as she starts to get reoriented at last. "No--I mean, I am, but, are you okay? What happened just now?"

Because he set out to do something! And keep Kyoko safe and unharmed the whole time! And he failed! How is it not his fault at least partially?

"I-I'm fine," 'fine', "but you fell asleep," which should explain her feeling disoriented, at least. "I was trying to get you home."

Horror dawns on her face--but no, it all makes sense now. "I actually fell asleep outside..." It's the faintest of wails. "You should have left me there."

"I wasn't going to do that!"

Come on, Kyoko, you know better than that!

"What if I left you there, and you got sick from sleeping out in the cold? Or what if you didn't wake up for hours?"

"It would be what I deserve," Kyoko said immediately, grave. "It's fine to let me reap what I sow, Shinji... you can let me feel the harshness of reality."

"No."

Wrong. Incorrect.

"I talked you in to eating that fruit," which seems to be the culprit behind that sudden sleepiness - it wasn't just her own decisions biting her. More than that, though, "But even if I hadn't, I'm not going to leave you in a dangerous situation."

"It was my idea! You tried to reason with me, and then you took care of me when I couldn't resist!" No taking the responsibility away from her! "And now we're like this!! Are you really not hurt at all!?"

"See, you already knew I was planning on helping you out with whatever happened." Stop trying to tell him he was supposed to just abandon her anyway! And don't bring attention to him and whether he's hurt or not...! That will just make him have to confront that throbbing in his knee, and he doesn't want to do that just yet. No, he's sure if he does in a capacity that she can see it, he won't be able to convince Kyoko that she didn't do anything wrong.

"And I'm fine," he says firmly, like he can convince both himself and her if he's serious enough. "Let's just... go inside and get warmed up, okay?"

"That's why! You should have abandoned me!" she shot back. Let her learn her lesson sometimes, Shinji! You don't have to be reliable even when she's stupid!

There was some serious frowning going on here, but Kyoko got to her feet and offered Shinji a hand. "You have to let me look when we get inside, you know. I won't let you escape."

What! What! Was he supposed to go back on his promise?! Stop this!!

He hesitates to take that hand right away, almost as if doing so would seal the agreement on letting her check out his knee. Please, let him escape, let her forget, let him actually not be visibly injured, something...!

But the longer he waits, the more suspicious it's gonna immediately be, so before Kyoko's hand lingers out there for too long, he takes the help up. "Fine," Kyoko can do that, and Shinji can make the effort to let that help up be little more than a steadying point. Surely he can contend with some shaky, tired muscles and a sore knee on his own as he gets to his feet, he's dealt with much worse (sort of???), this is nothing.

Kyoko eyes his movements closely, scrutinizing every little tremor. No, she will not forget, and she immediately launches into chiding him as if to make that clear. "I fell down while I was carrying someone once too, you know! And I thought I could tough out my injury too! But do you know what happens when you ignore a fracture and keep moving like normal? The bone just breaks!"

Speaking from experience... he doesn't know if he can argue with that, and he is frankly a bit shocked to hear it, but that doesn't stop the knee-jerk feeling that he needs to be at least a bit defensive about this.

"I think I'd know if I'd fractured something." But, like, would he? Would he really? For a moment after he stands, he does seem fairly unsteady, but finds his balance quickly enough. All he has to do is keep his mind off of it, and narrow his focus on to literally anything else, easy as that.

"I didn't know it!" Well, more like she just hadn't really tried to figure out the reason for the pain until someone pointed it out for her. "And the medical facilities here are pretty lacking, mind you! You have to be careful!"

That is a real concern, something that he has reminded himself of a few times in the past. The robots would probably be able to help somewhat, but probably not to the kind of standard the offworlders would truly like. Either way, she's just worried, and while he still feels like he's somehow failed her by letting her get that way, he had to keep himself from getting too outwardly frustrated with it.

"I'll be careful." Is not like he's ever really been truly reckless here, right? "I just don't think it's that bad."

Let's finish up the trip to the house on that note, shall we? Shinji will do his best to stay true to that promise, not letting more weight settle on that leg than is necessary, but not so much that he ends up with an obvious limp. It's... painful? Yeah, painful, but not excruciating, or debilitating. If that's from adrenaline or a general numbness still persisting after the impact, or simply because it isn't that serious of an injury, well... they will see.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject