♥ October Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

October (Lasohm) Event Log
The last breath of summer leaves along with the month of Ohnir, and now fall has come to Havenwell with Lasohm. The leaves on the trees in the conservatories and botanical gardens are changing, the days are no longer hot but seasonably warm and the nights bring a cool relief. The air turns crisp and sharp and the daylight hours are starting to lose out to the evening dark. Thankfully, Havenwell is well lit even at night, and the dark gloom is chased away now that the city's colors are (mostly) restored to their original glory. Here and there, patches of gray still exist, but thanks to everyone's efforts, things are back to normal.

Hopefully those dreams didn't plague you too much, offworlders. The citizens certainly didn't seem to notice...

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❥ PROMPT I: The Havenwell Archives

Lasohm is another month that belongs to Ohma and as such, a small group of citizens decide that it might be great for the offworlders to help with something that might please the feline god. These citizens are marked with a sash with the sign of a quill on it, a decidedly antique symbol considering how technologically advanced the people are. They hand out fliers to any who will take them, offering a small amount of Dora in compensation to any who will help the Havenwell Archives repair and restore their books. The Archives is a large building in the south and its doors, which have been sealed shut until now, are slightly ajar, allowing people entry.

Head to the Archives and you'll be greeted by one of a handful of robotic citizens, all wearing that quill-emblazoned sash, and directed to a small room where you and other offworlders are put to the task of reassembling history texts that have fallen into disrepair. Most of the writing is illegible, but it seems that these books are important to the Archives for more than just the information contained within. As you work, you might notice that talking and sharing information about yourself or engaging in physical contact near these books with the other people in your room makes the text on your pages a little more legible, a little easier to read and understand....

OOC: Those who choose this prompt, please comment to the Mod thread on the OOC Plotting Post. You will be randomized to receive a small blurb that your character will be given to transcribe. This is limited to one blurb per player.

❥ PROMPT II: Chase the Rabbit

Those plagued by the dreams with their strange, indistinct figure will find that they haven't gone away even as the month changes to Lasohm. Not everyone is dreaming about this stranger and they don't come every night, but that might be a small comfort to those who see the figure lurking in their dreams, watching silently. They no longer flit away when you look at them though and instead, start holding their unnaturally long arms out to you. Their outline is like a shadow and it feels like you might fall into their arms if you keep looking at them. It's almost tempting, but the way the figure beckons and approaches without actually moving its legs seems unnatural. Every time you blink, it grows closer and larger and its arms are opened wide for you. You get the distinct feeling that, should you embrace it, it would be like dropping into an endless, dark void, which is wen a sense of vertigo seizes you and wakes you up.

The vertigo plagues you even into the waking hours and out of the corner of your eye, you can see that figure from your dreams, arms outstretched and waiting. The only way to rid yourself of this phantom is to let another character hold you tight, in the same way that figure seems to want to do. Letting another character hug you dispels the dreams entirely this time - the phantom figure dissipates, the dreams stop, and it seems like everything is back to normal for you.

Those who accept the phantom's hug, however....? Well. Let's just say they have very different dreams that night.

❥ PROMPT III: Catch the Rabbit

Those who accept the phantom's hug also see it vanish from the daylight and it seems like everything is fine. It's gone, just like everyone else has said, and there's nothing lurking in the shadows anymore. You go to sleep that night and that's when it hits you. That sense of vertigo is awful and the dreams? They're back, but this time, they're a little different.

The White Rabbit: You're not alone in this space. Whether it's by accident or by some bond of fate, someone else is here with you. All around you, the world is empty and pure white, stretching into eternity and blank, like it's waiting for something - and it is. It's waiting for you. Once you recognize one another, the world reforms to take on the appearance of a dream you've had before, or a memory from long ago. The other person in your dream is conscious of this not being real, but you? Well...maybe you're aware and maybe you're not. Whatever the case may be, it seems the dream can end naturally as it's meant to, or your companion can try to wake you up. Because it's not just the two of your in this dream - that long-armed phantom is back and it's getting closer.

The Black Rabbit: The dreams are pitch black. You're floating in the darkness with nothing to tether you, whispers in foreign tongues all around you, words you can't understand. If you linger too long, the whispers grow louder, the sound of claws raking down metal approaching from behind and you know: you need to run. The dream seems to go forever, with you tumbling through the darkness, running on nothing, running to nothing, but definitely running from something. And then suddenly, there's someone with you, also fleeing the unseen horrors. As soon as you see them, the dream shifts and now you're experiencing each other's worst nightmares. Fend the terrors off by working together, holding one another, comforting each other as needed, but don't let them catch you.

Whichever dream you have, it ends when you see a figure suddenly appearing in front of you. The phantom that haunted you in your waking hours is back and you know that it sees you as well. Rather than come after you, however, the figure points to the side causing the walls of Havenwell to appear out of the dark, a bright beacon in the gloom. Then the figure opens a gaping, toothless mouth and wails, a bone deep sadness filling the air until the white walls of Havenwell begin to crumble like dust. You awaken with a jolt, the vision fading but the memories remaining.

❥ PROMPT IV: It Warned You

Toward the end of the month starting from October 28th, offworlders and natives alike will start hearing noises. A deep, quiet scratching, the sound of something dragging heavily against stone, or a leaden thump that seems to reverberate through the floors. Then a slow rhythmic banging starts up and for the first time, the offworlders will see the natives truly scared. They start retreating from the public, sealing themselves up into their homes or taking to the temples to pray. During this time, all other festivities start to close, the VR cafe still boasting bright advertisements for the Harvest Festival games are deserted, the businesses and streets barely have anyone in them. The only activity to be seen is that of the wall guards and the police who start patrolling the streets, trying to locate the source of the noise, stopping anyone they see to interrogate them.

This continues until noon on October 30th when a loud crack, like glass being broken, splits the quiet across the city. Those outside can look up and see a long spider web of breaks snake out along the blue sky. The crack splits and splinters the sky until it hits the wall to the north where it stops for a brief moment, and then the wall itself cracks. The banging intensifies and the plaster flakes, cracks, and with a horrific boom, it breaks and a thick hairy hand the size of a car reaches in, pulling the stone away to widen it into a hole through which a steady stream of small black spider-like creatures start to spill into the city. An alarm rings shrill and the guard and police take to action, but it's clear they're not prepared for this. Help if you can, offworlders, your home is under attack!

What to do: Fight the monsters that are breaking into the city. Most of them are relatively small, black spider-like creatures that have very basic melee attacks, using their fangs and their sharp legs to bite and claw at people. On occasion a rarer monster might appear that will take more than one person to kill - these might resemble strange versions of monsters from your respective worlds, though nothing larger than a horse is present. The giant hand that punched its way through the wall is gone and won't come back. Clear the city of monsters and find a way to seal the breach. This event will ICly run from October 30-31st with the breach being sealed late on the 31st.

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This event will run from 09 October to 31 October. 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 here.

Comments

[astralera]

It's —

It's warm. He is warm, and her initial, frightened stiffness is quick to melt away, leaving her pliant in the embrace of his arms. She isn't sure what she is meant to do now, still dizzy and feeling ill, but less so as the heat of him seeps into her flesh.

[unsunderworld]

he sighs gently as she relaxes, closing his eyes. It doesn't entirely abate the vertigo, but at least he won't have to move for the time being.

She would fit easily into his lap if he felt like pulling her there, but having her tucked up against his side feels somehow more natural, makes the difference in their sizes less obvious for the moment.

"One typically returns the embrace, dear," he murmurs.

[astralera]

Despite being witness to numerous embraces over her years, Era isn't quite certain of what to do. In their current positioning she's little knowledge to work from, even when taking the films she's watched into account. Were they standing she would have a better idea, but pressed side-to-side...

Ardbert takes the opportunity to place itself upon Hades' lap, curling up like a rather small cat and soaking up the warmth its new place provides. Again, it eases something inside of her to feel her dream guide so close to her not-enemy (and the more frequently Ardbert invades Hades' space the less discomfiting it feels), and Era takes what she knows is a cue from her little guardian and leans her weight fully against the man's side.

To return the embrace, however... Era wiggles where she sits, giving her tail enough space to move behind her. She unceremoniously shoves it behind the curve of his lower back, then curls it around his hip.

[unsunderworld]

Her half-effort draws an amused chuckle out of him. "I'm afraid you do have to use your arms for it to count."

[astralera]

"How?" The query escapes before she can stop it, and she hastens to add: "In this positioning, that is... I've no frame of reference for this."

[unsunderworld]

He cracks his eyes enough to look down at her, clearly amused. "And do you always rely on a model for your footwork in battle? It's a straightforward enough principle to put your arms around someone. I would think."

[astralera]

"Unless it's a technique I created myself, yes." Era flushes, feeling embarrassed and inadequate. "There are other things to consider. Where to put one's arms, how much pressure to use, how long to keep them there, how to position one's torso, accounting for one's horns..."

[unsunderworld]

He just shakes his head slightly. "Clearly your once-vaulted ability to improvise is still out on a shard somewhere. I assure you, I am not one to judge by the errors of inexperience, only unwillingness to gain it."

Also, Era, your horns point backwards, that's not that much of a concern.

[astralera]

"Have you never been afraid of such things? Closeness, intimacy..."

This is the closest she has ever been to anyone in such a way, and while it feels nice it also borders on overwhelming.

"Why is it that only arms suffice for reciprocation?"

[unsunderworld]

"Not physically." And that is the very simple answer, isn't it? "As many lives as I've lived, if touch of the body was ever fearful, then I've long since forgotten."

As for her second question... An amused puff. "I don't have a tail, my dear, and as only one mutual acquaintance as ours in the city does aside from you, I rather think those behind the incentive aren't counting it either."

[astralera]

She listens to his answer, and lets out a soft hum of acknowledgement, though isn't sure what she thinks of it.

To the rest, she growls in offense. "It is my tail, and as much a part of me as my arms."

[unsunderworld]

"It's still only one limb," he points out, quite reasonably. "For fairness you should use at least one arm."

[astralera]

"Or you could use only one arm," she suggests less reasonably. "And we can see if we start to feel ill again."

[unsunderworld]

"I still feel rather taken," he says blandly.

[astralera]

"Truly?"

[unsunderworld]

"I have no reason to lie," he mutters, closing his eyes again.

[astralera]

No, Hades has always been one to tell the truth. It's just a matter of which truth. She sighs through her nose, squirming away; withdrawing from his grasp entirely.

"...I will try something else," she says. "But ask that you please not touch me until I permit it again."

[unsunderworld]

"Very well," he mutters, but at the complete loss of contact he all but slams his head back into the couch, closed eyes locked on the ceiling. "But do make it quick."

[astralera]

It is less intimidating this way, and even if this is, ultimately, coerced from her, it is the closest she can get to it being wholly of her own volition. Emet-Selch has no say in how she proceeds, merely that she does.

Still, it is... Overwhelming. Frightening, just a little. She would rather be back in a war zone, fighting for her life, than confronted by all of... this.

Era takes a calming breath, holds it, and moves back closer to the man's side. Then, she seats herself unceremoniously upon his lap, presses her forehead to her chest, and while she doesn't wrap her arms around him entirely she does place her hands against his sides, fingers curling in the fabric there for purchase. As for her tail, it ends up wrapping itself loosely around the lower half of one of his legs.

[unsunderworld]

Emet-Selch remains mostly still, though there is a bit of a sound as she settles her weight into his lap. Once she leans into his chest, he sighs, the vibration no doubt resonating through her horns.

"Better," he says.

[astralera]

He sighs, and she remembers to let out the breath she was holding. The vibrations feel nice, causing her to press closer on reflex, though she stops once she's aware of what she's doing. Her tail flexes, and she crushes the intrigue that the sounds his body makes (faint and subtle as they are; muted by flesh and cloth).

"If it is still not up to Your Radiance's standards," she says blandly. "I can find someone else for you."

[unsunderworld]

"I prefer this," he says simply, "to the efforts of a stranger. One possesses meaning."

Even if it is a bit frustrating to remain compliant to her request.

[astralera]

"It isn't as though you're lacking in acquaintances, Hades."

Era shifts one last time, assuring that her legs won't grow numb in this positioning should she remain in it for an extended period, and then — finally — settles. She waits another moment before speaking up again:

"You may touch me again now, if you so choose."

[unsunderworld]

"Precisely what makes it so odd," he says, though there's another of those small shifts of relaxation as she says his true name. "The touch of flesh has ever been a matter of business. You are among the only ones who might understand that, and I daresay the Exarch dislikes me enough to leave me to suffer."

Not unjustifably, and his tone acknowledges that even if his words themselves do not, but such is what it is. The blurring of personal and professional lines is equally as strange to him as it is to her; it is merely that those lines fall in different places.

He can trust her to understand that, even if they do not see eye-to-eye on the matter any more than they do standing. Sitting on this couch, however, they come a lot closer, and Hades wraps one arm around her shoulders, gently, even as he rubs the region near his third eye again with the other.

[astralera]

"To you, who is not bound by flesh, it is understandable..." But she herself cannot truly understand it. The touch of flesh has ever been something she's seen as supremely intimate, which is what causes her so much trouble in this world. Which is what makes her feel so simultaneously comforted and frightened here, upon Hades' lap and in his embrace.

She also does not like to think of G'raha allowing anyone to remain suffering when it is within his power to ease it, but also knows that, despite it all, the Crystal Exarch in this world is not the one she knew.

"It is..." Resigning (allowing) herself to the comfort, Era presses closer. "You are warm."