♥ December (Ranir) Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

December (Ranir) Event Log

As another year winds to a close, the air grows sharp with a wintery chill; the perfect weather for curling up with someone under a cozy blanket with some warm hot cocoa. To contrast the cold weather comes a distinctly festive warmth to the city itself; it's some holiday season, even if the natives still can't quite grasp what. While recovery from the recent worm-based catastrophe is still an ongoing thing, the natives are going through with the festivities as they've learned to celebrate: Decorations strung about the city are a bit haphazard and in all manner of colors both holiday-themed and simply colorful in general, the spirit and enthusiasm are certainly there.

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❥ PROMPT I: See You Next Level

Residents who venture past the wall to the northwest of the arena to visit the fishing pond might find an unusual sight this month: it's frozen over. This is kind of a big deal, because the city hasn't had a substantial amount of open water in- well, no one quite knows how long! It seems to have totally frozen overnight, which is definitely unusual, but hardly the strangest thing to ever happen in Havenwell. Examining the ice will find it sturdy and solid, a good 6 inches thick at minimum. It is safe to walk on, and more importantly...

Excited for a new experience after all the glum and gloom, some local metalworkers are creating skate attachments that can be adjusted for size and connected to the shoes (or the feet, in the case of the local robotic population) of anyone who wants to give skating a try. Visitors to the area will find a booth set up, occasionally manned but mostly left as a trust exercise, with a collection of these devices that are free to use. Please take as many pairs as your party requires and skate to your heart's content! As a courtesy, borrowers are asked to return the skates once they're finished with them, but if you're really itching for a pair, the booth has the equivalent of a QR code you can scan with your communicator and commission a personalized pair.

It seems that part of the city is extra cold this season, because an influx of snow has practically drowned the arena, leaving a thick layer across the entirety and high piles along the sides. Locals have cleared the entrances and done their best to keep it functional, but those wishing to use the facility might find the ground far less sturdy than usual. You can use it as extra training, or maybe just give in to the urge and have fun with it instead. Go sledding, have a snowball fight!

❥ PROMPT II: Fresh or Frozen

Purveyors of the fishing part of the new rink might be unhappy to have lost their hobby, but hey, no one's stopping you from carving a hole in the ice and giving it a go regardless. There's bound to still be something down there, though perhaps not what you'd expect. While you're out at the lake with another person, if you should happen to look into the water through a hole or the ice itself, you might occasionally see a series of dancing lights flitting around beneath you, mysterious but innocuous. Sometimes they disappear if you stare at them too long. Sometimes they follow you. If curiosity gets the better of you, maybe you ought to try dropping a line - or a hand - in to see what it is. If you're feeling really brave and don't mind the cold, you could even take a dive in and see what's going on up close. (Funny: it's not nearly as cold as you'd expect it to be, considering the frigid circumstances.) And there's no reason to worry about the rink, either. Likely through whatever actually turned the pond to ice, any holes carved into the ice somehow manage to freeze again overnight, as though it was never broken in the first place.

Whatever method you choose, these dancing lights will swirl around hook or hands, pulsing gently, until that light bursts and manifests into something familiar. Something you've been wanting, perhaps, or something you once had and have missed dearly. Maybe something you hadn't thought about at all, but would bring you delight. You can pull it from the waters and find it intact and undamaged by the cold or the water, alive if it is a living creature, though it appears to be hibernating. Dry it off, take it home, and check on it in the morning; you will find your gift as whole and well as if you'd plucked it from wherever you'd find it back home. Do with it what you choose, it's yours now. For those who might have the clever idea to try fishing more than once, surprises may await in the form of...a waterlogged old shoe? An empty tin can? A broken fishing lure? The possibilities are as endless as the objects are useless.

For those who may not have any creature or object of note they need or want, it is also possible for fishing to produce a small crystal, faintly glowing with some form of magic. Leaving the crystal by one's bedside overnight will result in a peculiar but pleasant dream; fulfilling one's heartfelt desire. Whether it's wanting to see somewhere back on your homeworld, getting closure with someone not in Havenwell, or hang gliding off of Everest, you will be able to see your desire in a dream and awake comfortable and well-rested in bed the next day.

This is a regain event! One regain is allowed per character, and it can be anything (within reason) that would fit within the Item Regain: Medium (100 point) category on the Activity Rewards page. Like with AC Rewards, regains must be approved by mods prior to regaining them, so please use the form below and comment to the Regain Request thread.

Player:
Character:
Item requested:

<b>Player:</b> <b>Character:</b> <b>Item requested:</b>

❥ PROMPT III: Snow Problems

As the weather shifts to something seasonally chilly, on occasion some small patches of clouds can be seen in Havenwell--specifically, hovering over the heads of offworlders. These localized little clouds find people to stick to and follow them a couple of feet overhead to shower them with a gentle dusting of snow, so hopefully you have an umbrella handy. And while the snow can be just snow and nothing more, to others it might have one (or even several at once) effects to it.

Cheers To You: No matter how much one drinks or how they choose to mix their cocktails, they will find themselves completely impervious to the ill effects of alcohol. No hangover, but also no fun to earn it in the first place.

Hand it Over: Some with their own personal snow clouds may feel nothing odd except for a slight tingle in their dominant hand. Whether one stumbles upon the actual effect or not, it is a very simple change: the power of their unarmed punch becomes superpowered and several times stronger than normal.

Sticks and Stones: Still others may feel completely normal and go about their usual day's business with absolutely no awareness of any change but a persistent snowfall overhead. However, should they meet with anything that might ordinarily hurt, they will find that they have twenty-four hours of complete invulnerability starting from when their snow cloud latched on to them.

Time and Tribulation: Perhaps along with the slight chill comes a sudden awareness that one is a bit shorter than usual. Or taller? It would seem that yet another odd side effect of the little snow clouds is that one has aged an entire decade–in either direction, rendering them either younger or older. Luckily, the changes seem to stop at only physical…at least this time.

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This event will run from December 15-31. 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

[vamptired]

To be honest, I wasn't . . . but I wanted to try it anyway.

[That doesn't mean he had a bad time. On the contrary, he finds that it was meaningful enough.

Once she's gotten her skates squared away, Louis offers her a hand.]

[iustaegis]

[ She takes his hand, smiling at him, and looking relieved at his answer. ]

For many, it's not something one can simply try in their own homeworld. [ So many come from worlds where there's some imminent threat that takes away from recreational time. ] Trying new things while the opportunity is there... It's another thing this world offers to all.

[vamptired]

[Seeing as she knows the lay of the land better than he does, he lets her take the lead. He focuses his gaze ahead of them as he considers her words.]

. . . I've realized that not everyone feels the same way, but I think being here is as much of an opportunity for us as it is for the locals.

[iustaegis]

[ At that, Pyra turns her head, looking at him as they walk. She agrees, of course, but she wants to know what else he might have to say. ] Oh?

More than just ice skating, you mean?

[vamptired]

[He nods. Experiences mean the world to some, and he won't discount them. But his focus lies in another field.]

Take the replicators, for instance. If technology like that were to spread, no one will have to fear going hungry again. Even if it's not possible to replicate the schematics in full, they give us a framework to go by for our return.

[iustaegis]

Ah.

[ Her head tilts. ] It's a truly miraculous tool. [ Replicating food, ensuring none will starve, and they simply had these tools lying around even if none of the robots need to eat themselves. ]

You're hoping for something similar for your world.

[ Just, without a basis of the crystal or energy within the replicators, instead powered by something of his world. ]

[vamptired]

[It's a truly miraculous tool. And the little world he comes from needs a miracle sooner than later.]

It doesn't have to be the replicator itself.

[Being vague now will only go against what he just said. This is an opportunity, and Pyra is, he's found, a warm listener. He hopes to return the favor someday, but for now he seizes the opening as he continues to look forward.]

Revenants don't subsist on food. We need blood; without it, we become creatures consumed by bloodlust. . . . But here, I've managed just fine on the replicator. If I can ascertain even a part of the product's makeup . . .

[iustaegis]

[ Her brow lifts. ]

--I'm sorry, did you just say... blood?

[ And the replicator supplies blood??? Or just, a substitute ?? She had no idea... ]

[vamptired]

[The more she knows.

He turns his head. They're from different places, so he should step back a little.]

Substitutes are viable as long as their compositions are similar. Here, though, I've been taking pills.

[iustaegis]

[ She's trying not to appear too alarmed, but she's failing. ]

You-- you mean... [ She looks down. She looks back up. She looks at him. ] Ah, I had mentioned hot chocolate--

Are you able to consume normal food?

[ She looks at him worriedly, desperate. Did she suggest the wrong thing? Please tell her he can have a diet of things other than pills and blood. Because that sounds... so, so very horrible! ]

[vamptired]

[His gaze is steady next to hers. When she looks back up at him, he gives her a small smile.

She really takes time to think about the little things.]

Don't worry. I may not need food to survive, but I still enjoy it.

[iustaegis]

O-oh, good.. That's good. [ Her (almost) flailing stops, reassured by his answer, and she answers his smile with one of her own, meeker, this time, for how she did over-worry herself. ]

You had me worried there, for a moment. Eating only pills and blood... [ Sounds miserable. ]

[vamptired]

[It's just the way of things for his kind. If anything, it makes him that much more appreciative when actual food comes by.

Louis turns back, his smile fading into an expression of pensiveness with each step they take.]

. . . Does it bother you?

[iustaegis]

[ She remains facing forward, but favors her bottom lip as she thinks through an answer. ] It’s not that, exactly.

If only you wouldn’t need to be dependent on blood and pills, so you can enjoy food for sustenance and taste…

[ Something else occurs to her just as she finishes saying that aloud, and she lifts her head, turning to look at him and offering an apologetic smile. ] Although, I suppose that’s presumptuous of me to say. [ Slowly: ] Maybe you do… like… the taste of blood…? [ A CRINGE, but it’s obvious she’s trying to be understanding! There are so many different worlds out there, after all. ]

[vamptired]

[Louis doesn't appear slighted. As someone who once couldn't fathom the appeal, he knows that it can be difficult to imagine how blood could ever be palatable. It isn't especially special to him, but that doesn't stop his body from reacting to mere droplets.]

That's all right. Regardless of how it tastes, I think I'll always prefer the taste of food.

[It's equal parts variety and nostalgia, to say nothing of the impact of gorging on humans.]

[iustaegis]

Then... [ Her pace slows, and her tone softens. She seems earnest, hoping for him. ]

I hope you find it-- a way to recreate the replicator's technology in your world.

[vamptired]

[He turns to her when their pace slows, curious, and gives a meaningful pause at her regards.]

. . . I don't know how long I'll be here, but I'm going to try to make every moment count.

[Be it for this world or his own, he won't take this time here for granted. There's no way he can.]

[iustaegis]

[ The replicators operate with an energy supplied by touch, something divine to create a miracle of food. There is nothing like that in her world, but perhaps there is something similar to it in his.

There's nothing wrong with hoping he'll find it. ]

I don't know if this will help but-- I once knew someone who managed to take apart a replicator.

[vamptired]

[Power sources are tricky. If he can't replicate the technology or the product elsewhere, he'll have to move on. As long as he isn't standing by idly, there's hope.

He doesn't know if it'll help, either, but this is also a start.]

Really? Who?

[iustaegis]

His name was Besithia. He's no longer in this world. [ She informs him. ]

Ah, the replicator-- inside of it is a crystal. The energy within it is similar to that of the barrier's. And the barrier's... [ She allows her voice to drift, as she already explained it to him. While appearing uniform on a macro scale, the barrier is comprised of four distinct energies, corresponding to four deities. Upon closer analysis, it's a power that comes first through touch. ]

[vamptired]

I see . . .

[These things always seem to trace back to a barrier. He had a feeling. A crystal, though—that's different.

It's also different that people can just up and no longer be here. As unfamiliar as they are, he has to hinge on those differences.]

Then the crystal is a medium for the gods' power?

[iustaegis]

It seems to be some sort of conduit. [ This is the best theory she can give, but in the end, it's speculative. ]

As for where the crystals come from, I'm not sure. [ What the mines and the factory above the mines seem to have produced were only metal ores. ] It's another mystery of this world.

[vamptired]

Do the locals even know?

[Perhaps it's a mystery that isn't meant to be solved. If it is, though, he's very interested.]

[iustaegis]

[ Uhhh... ]

From my impression, one isn't supposed to tamper with those replicators, so it would be suspect to ask a local about the origin of those crystal. But I've always assumed that those in the Research Towers know...

[vamptired]

Ah, so we're not meant to know.

[In other words, that's a matter better left alone for the time being. Peculiar circumstances aside, the locals have been nothing but welcoming. He can't be too selfish.]

I'll keep that in mind. I don't mean to rock the boat, so I appreciate your telling me.