hugtopia_logs | ♥ December (Ranir) Event Log

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♥ December (Ranir) Event Log

a small fishing rod seated in snow, with the line leading down a water hole

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.

❥ PROMPT I: See You Next Level

people ice skating around a rink at night, lit by multicolored star-shaped light fixtures

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

a hand dragging a stick through blue bioluminescence in water, followed by someone's feet stepping into the same

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:

❥ PROMPT III: Snow Problems

cartoonish images of dancing clouds, raining down snowflakes against a blue background

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.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Trapped with no escape. What a terrible fate he'd met.

Kai hmmmed, watching the line gently sway in the water. It was true, he'd caught sight of a few different attempts at fishing, though he hadn't stuck around to see if anything had actually been caught. Maybe they'd catch a big ol' alien fish! Or nothing? Who could say.

"S'true, this is pretty nice. You're not too much of a popsicle yet, right?"

Shinji's guesses are leaning mostly towards 'nothing' at the moment, but who knows! Maybe they will be surprised with a bizarre glowing fish to toss right back in to the water. That would be pretty neat.

He's not much of an angler, so even if something interesting is down there, who knows if they'll ever see it.

"Not yet," it's probably inevitable, but for now, "you're doing a very good job of staying warm."

A glowing fish sure would be pretty neat. They'd be able to regale Kyoko with tales of how Really, It was That Big and Totally Glowing. Surely she'd entertain it for a moment.

Nothing was also pretty fine. Kai was having a good time anyway as he chuckled warmly near Shinji's ear.

"Glad to be of service. Lemme know when you need more than just me tho, and I'll get you back to blanket town." It'd be a race to see who could deal with chill longer, two bundled boys or those wacky ice lights.

She'd be so amazed, probably. Maybe they'll see, maybe they won't. For now, he can be satisfied with the warmth that runs up his spine with Kai's chuckle.

"Mmm," Shinji hums softly, cutting his answer short as he feels something brush briefly against the line. It's a fleeting sensation, however, and his shoulders relax once it's clear that nothing's going after the lure just yet. "If you get bored, too. We don't have to stay here for long if you don't want to."

Ohh. Was that almost something? Kai couldn't really tell, but he'd held his breath a moment when he felt Shinji tense up. But no, not yet. False alarm.

"My best skill is loitering tho," he said in an amused tone. "I could sit here all day." Well, hold on. "...Usually. I'll let you know when I can't feel my butt anymore. That might be a problem."

"You've got all sorts of skills," Shinji argues gently, keeping the lighthearted tone up even as he does. "But I'll probably get too cold before you do. We don't have to stay out here very long." So, yes, please give him a heads up for butts going numb.

They'll just be here long enough to see if it's possible to actually catch something. Or... perhaps not. They will just have to test their own patience. What will give first, a fish or their cold tolerances? There's another fleeting pull on the line, nothing worth getting too excited about, but perhaps a promising sign that this isn't an entirely fruitless endeavor.

Kai puffed a little. Additional skills included keeping boyfriends warm and running fast. Only one was truly applicable to this situation, but it was an important one. Kai wasn't going to say no to chances to show it off. "I'll keep tabs on you and my butt." That was a promise.

They might not have needed to stay there too long, but it was still nice. The mysteries were still mysterious enough to be interesting.

"You think fish might like jerky as bait?"

Very important, it's a vital skill in these chilly times.

"Maybe, if they're anything like normal fish." That's not fundamentally too different from hooking a worm on the line. What they're dealing with is still a bit of a mystery, but the very good suggestion might not be necessary right away, if the more substantial tug on the line is any indication.

"Oh?"

He tenses up again, hands steadying his grip on the pole in case it leads to another pull. Do we have? Something this time?

Oh??

Do they? Have something? Kai squeezed Shinji’s middle, leaning a little more to the side as if that would give him a better look or if Shinji needed space to lean back.

“You got somethin’?”

"I think... there's something," he says cautiously, like if he says it too carelessly, whatever's tugging on the line is going to slip away. But, no, it seems like there's a solid pull on the line regardless of any noise they're making, and what's weird is how... consistent the force is. Like whatever's on the other end isn't making any effort to escape. "It might be nothing, though."

Like he's snagged a piece of refuse instead of something living. That wouldn't be too surprising. Let's go for the reel, then, and slowly pull the line back in, just don't get your hopes up too much, Kai.

His expectations were pretty neutral, no worries there. It'd be just as normal to fish up something weird as it was to fish up Nothing, so he's still gonna keep an eager eye on it. Just in case!

"Uh-huh... don't swim away now, whatever you are!"

"I don't think it's even trying to." Which definitely makes it feel like a 'nothing living' situation is at hand, but the swirls of light dancing around below the ice look like they're gathering around the line either way. Very mysterious....

He keeps going, slowly and steadily winding the reel back up as the lights begin circling with more intensity up until the line's almost fully withdrawn, when they suddenly burst and disappear. "Ah..." That's kind of disappointing? But it doesn't seem like his haul has slipped off the line, either, and what bobs up from the water appears to be some kind of domed metal piece.

"Did... someone lose this?" A robot part? Dropped into the pond before it froze over? Hm.

Oh... all that fanfare for just a robot part? That seemed anticlimactic.

"Huh." Giving Shinji's middle a pat, Kai moved to shuffle over to the hole to make a grab for the... whatever this was. "Maybe it's part of another mystery 'bot?"

Let's just hoist it out here and take a look.

Wouldn't that be something? Another traveler lost and recovered in Havenwell.

But, no, not today. Today it seems that there's something even stranger in store. Shinji leans out of the way as Kai makes to grab this mystery object, though as it's hoisted out of the water, it quickly becomes clear that it isn't just a scrap of metal, but something more like a collar, settled around the neck of a fleshier creature.

A feathered creature?

A black and white little guy. A little tuxedoed gentleman. Having a nap? In the water? Shinji looks absolutely dumbfounded at this outcome, slowly shifting to absolute disbelief as recognition starts to hit him.

"Pen... Pen?"

A dashing young man, hoisted from the waters of fate.

Kai stared at the feathered friend in his hand for a long few moments, the comprehension taking its sweet time. This... was... It was a penguin. There was a penguin?

He turned to look at Shinji, like bro are you seeing this? Are you seeing this penguin. Bro.

"... Pen Pen???"

That sure is a whole penguin you've got there, Kai. A penguin that doesn't seem to be struggling against being held like some kind of football, or moving much at all. Is he just sleeping...? Did he sleep through being trapped under the ice? Or...?

"That's..." Shinji leans forward cautiously, trying to get a better look as his breath catches in his throat. Are his eyes playing tricks on him? "I think... I think I know this penguin."

Kai's brow furrowed slightly as he watched Shinji's face, and he glanced down at the penguin. A... known penguin. Alright. "Yeah?"

He shifted so he could cradle the bird instead, moving over so Shinji could get a better look at his catch. In this position it was much easier to see the soft rise and fall of his chest, like he really was just snoozing. Glancing up at Shinji again, Kai nudged the penguin towards him. "They'd probably appreciate a familiar face then."

He's acquainted with this bird. And as such, he will accept this feathery friend into his hands.

"He is-... was? Misato-san's pet," he says softly, worry knitting his brows together. He's breathing, but is he actually okay? He isn't waking up with all of this jostling. How long was he down there? "His name's Pen Pen. How... how did he get in the pond?"

Oh. Well that explained, uh, something. Kai reached over to rest his hand at Shinji's back, looking at the bundle in his hands.

"Hm... How does anything get here, really?" Really how did the god shopping network truly work. How did things know things! Deep questions that just brought on more questions if they were allowed to be asked. "Maybe we just gotta... warm him up?"

Even though? A penguin?

It's. An explanation.

It just strikes Shinji as a particularly weird delivery method! What if he hadn't taken a break from falling on his butt to sit around in the cold snow for however long? Would this poor bird have stayed down there? Mysteries upon mysteries. They have him out now, at any rate, and while penguin = cold is a reasonable assumption to make, Pen Pen was just as trapped in eternal summer as anyone else from Tokyo-3 was.

"That... yeah. That's a good idea." Let him just... carefully gather that borrowed fishing pole back up so he can return it, this is probably going to be the end of their fishing adventures for today.

It's a really weird method! Kai can only imagine what kind of rude awakening that would be, being delivered via frozen fish pond. Way more people would be way less on board with the stick they were given at that point.

Speaking of sticks, Kai waved Shinji's hand away from the fishing equipment. "Here, I got it. You've got that guy." A job that Kai could already tell was very important. They could go fishing again later if they wanted, but he was pretty sure they'd already gotten the most baffling catch they could.

"I'll just run it back and then we can get him warmed up." Up he went, gonna slip slide his way over to the natives hanging off shore.

"Careful...!" He calls out after Kai slips off - please don't fall and hurt yourself any more than when they were trying to skate! But, all right, Shinji won't argue as he goes and returns that equipment, simply holding that damp, snoozy penguin nice and close to himself, like it's going to help warm him up faster rather than simply make Shinji chillier.

The pond is probably not going to be the best place for warming anyone up, so while still keeping an eye on Kai, Shinji starts to cautiously move away from the icy area.

He’s slipsliding very professionally thank you. It only looks like it is going to be a disaster twice.

Hiking back over to Shinji went much smoother when he stayed on the snow side of things, meeting him away from all the ice. “Okay,” he said as he came up to slip an arm around him, “Let’s get you both home and warmed up. Should we… wrap him in something? I’ve got my scarf.”

Thank you for this extra bit of warmth, as Shinji is already beginning to shiver from the soggy bundle in his arms. Perhaps a bit of it is nerves, really, but he tucks in closer to Kai all the same. Let's get going, then.

"That's... probably smart." What's one more piece of clothing to throw in the wash? Your sacrifice in these chilly times is appreciated, Kai.

If it was going to keep two lads a bit warmer in one go, it was a worthy sacrifice to make. “On it.” Let him just tug it off then, stepping around Shinji so he could giftwrap that dapper fellow. Sort of. Kind of. Some swaddling was definitely on the docket at least, under and over and around we go to cozy town.

“Arright. Coze factor got an upgrade. Now let’s get you home.”

Back to warm arms around boys. Here we go.

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