♥ 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

[daikonrose]

[ She's already lifting her head when he speaks up--even when she's in despair, it's cold, jeez. Sitting up straight and proper, her hands naturally fold in her lap. ]

They've gotta be, right? What else could that have been, but the light reflecting on their scales, and the pearls and sea glass they wear?

[vamptired]

I didn't see anything resembling a tail . . .

[Or flesh, if he's honest with himself. Just lights. Still, he can't discount her theory, and he'd much rather verify that or the other than question what he saw all day, so he regards her with the slight tilt of his head.]

Do you want to look for them?

[daikonrose]

Because they didn't come close enough! That's what I was waiting for!

[ Surely it is to be expected that mermaids would be shy!! Kyoko sighs. ]

Do you think they'd come near the surface again soon? This kind of sighting is usually a once-in-a-lifetime thing, you know?

[vamptired]

[The pond's quite big, but there's a chance that they're still nearby. At least, he's hoping that they are.]

I can't say that they will for certain, but we can try.

[He straightens, steadies himself, and leans forward to offer her a hand up.]

[daikonrose]

[ There's a small pause as she blinks at the offered hand--but no, she's not gonna be a pain about this, especially when she knows she actually does need the assistance. So she takes this mysterious person's hand and braces her other on the ice as she clambers to get her feet up under her, and then springs upright. ]

... Thank you. Um, just to warn you, this is my first time skating.

[vamptired]

[Stabbing the point of a blade into the ice, Louis tenses his arm and helps Kyoko onto her feet. He doesn't intend to impose, so he lets go of her hand as soon as she's stable.]

It's all right. This is my second.

[He's definitely wobbly when he moves around.]

[daikonrose]

[ With her hand free, she half-streches both her arms out, as if preparing to catch her balance even before she's moved at all. ]

The mermaids definitely have the advantage on us, huh...

[vamptired]

Fortunately, we know what to look for.

[She seems to have herself under control, so Louis bends his knees and leans slightly forward when he looks over his shoulder.]

Did you happen to see which way they went?

[daikonrose]

I... kinda thought they went down actually.

[ Which would present some problems. She brings a hand to her chin, though, thinking back. ]

But it did seem like one of them kinda vanished in that direction?

[ She points vaguely left. ]

[vamptired]

[Louis doesn't do so great with water, and most people wouldn't be able to tolerate such frigid conditions. If they really went down, the two of them are going to be waiting for a long time.

Nodding, he wobbles vaguely left.]

Come on. Let's find them.

[daikonrose]

[ Off they go, then, vaguely left. Kyoko does plenty of wobbling of her own, but she's determined now that she has backup on this mermaid quest. ]

Are you a mermaid fan too, then?

[vamptired]

I wouldn't say that I'm not.

[Experience tells him that they'll have a better time if they hang onto each other, but neither of them has yet to fall. That suggestion can wait as he continues to push left.]

To be honest, I just want to know what those lights are. If they really are mermaids, then that'll be a sight to behold.

[daikonrose]

[ Would it be easier to hold on to each other when they're both struggling? Kyoko genuinely doesn't know, and hasn't thought that far yet. Right now it's just struggle time, wobbly legs and gently flailing arms as she scoots herself along. ]

Is there something else they could be, do you think? I wouldn't think this pond is big enough to support a sea serpent population.

[vamptired]

[He moves slowly with his sights fixed on the ice. They're not in a particular rush, after all, and it'll be easier on them physically and visually to take their time.]

I haven't been around for long . . . Is it common to see wildlife out in the open here?

[daikonrose]

Ah... I wouldn't say "common," exactly, but there's more than there used to be. To be honest, I didn't even know this pond was here at all until recently.

[ Had it just welled up all of a sudden with a bunch of fish? M...aybe yes, actually. So then surely mermaids could also suddenly appear in it, right? Why not? ]

[vamptired]

[Then she wouldn't have a frame of reference for what was here before. Regardless, her answer still paints some semblance of a picture, so he's thankful for it. It does make him curious, though.]

Have you been here a while?

[daikonrose]

[ Ah... she should have figured that question was coming. There's a grimace, somewhere between wry and weary. ]

It's been... two years, now--no, a little more than that.

[vamptired]

[Looking down as he is, he misses her expression. Her answer gets him to glance her way, though.]

Over two years? That's a pretty long time.

[daikonrose]

Yes.

[ She says it with a heavy deadpan. No dancing around it. ]

I know people who've been here longer than that, but plenty of people have come and gone since I got here, so you still have a shot at a quick release.

[vamptired]

[Truthfully, he wouldn't mind staying a while. He wants to accomplish a thing or two before he goes back. This is the mindset of a newcomer, however; maybe Kyoko feels differently for a reason.]

What are your thoughts on Havenwell?

[daikonrose]

On Havenwell? Like... just the town itself?

[ That is both a broad question and a specific one, sir. ]

I mean, in the grand scheme of things, it's better than being kept in chains or something.

[vamptired]

[And it can be as broad and specific as she'd like.]

Does that mean you feel trapped?

[daikonrose]

Naturally, since that's the situation.

[ Surely that is not controversial, even for the people who like it better in Havenwell than at home! ]

[vamptired]

[He nods. The circumstances of this world don't change the fact that offworlders were brought against their wills. Moreover . . . ]

I understand. After all, havens with walls are still containers.

[daikonrose]

[ There's a pause. Kyoko's eyes narrow as she slowly turns her head to look at the man sidelong. ]

Was... that a pun, just now?