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!

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Pyra turns her head, watching him as he speaks. Her expression remains respectful and thoughtful. "I... believe I understand," she responds at last, and she at this point she adjusts how she sits, bringing her knees upward, allowing her torso to lean back onto her hands in a more casual manner.

"I wish all 'lessons' could be learned without some hardship attached, but the world doesn't always allow for it," she continues. "When that happens... having support helps, to move to the future."

He nods. Having support through the hard times is crucial. Without it, it's almost impossible to make it through, and definitely impossible to do so intact. He hums.

"It would be nice... I know I've wished those I love suffered less. And, I wouldn't say that things I've known are something I can look on fondly. But... I think when you've known hurt, it helps you to better understand those who are hurting. I wouldn't have chosen my fate. But, for every person I've been able to help, even just a little, that's something too. Maybe, like this, I can make sure some people don't have to suffer."

She gives him an appreciative smile, at that. Not only is he learning from his own experiences, he's using it to help others who have gone through strife themselves. That's beautiful, in many wonderful ways. "You'll be a good inspiration to them... someone they can look up to, I'm sure-- ah."

The fishing line tugs, as if the hook is being bitten. Pyra reaches for the rod, beginning to reel the catch back in.

He doesn't want to be an inspiration. He just wants to be a friend. He almost says as much, when her fishing line goes taut. He jolts.

"Ah! You got something! Great work! You've got this! Oh!" At the last second, he slaps his hands over his eyes. It feels silly, but she's made clear by now how much privacy means to her. If this is what he's got to do to give her that, so be it.

Having been fishing before, if not ice fishing exactly, she's able to reel up her catch with ease. With his eyes covered, he'll hear a splash as something emerges from the icy lake, and then--

"Oh! A... crystal?"

It seems she's not regained anything from her home, but has fished up one of those dream crystals. "What is..." She's about to ask him, and that's when she turns her head to notice that he's not looking at her bounty, out of respect.

She smiles fondly, her tone appreciating his discretion. "Héctor... It's okay. Look, it's just a crystal of some sort. It's not of my world."

A crystal, she says. He's curious, but he doesn't attempt to peak. He assumes the question is rhetorical until she starts actually speaking to him.

"Oh. Heh. Okay." He lowers his hands down, blinking in that winter light. He looks at what she's fished up and his head tilts. "Looks pretty. Maybe it does something? I imagine the locals might know. Or if not, it's a very fancy paperweight. Can never have too many of those."

She holds the crystal between her thumb and index finger, lifting it up to the light in inspect it. After it passes whatever scrutiny she had for it, she brings it closer to her, placing it just below her hear.

"A new set of earrings, maybe? It's such a lovely color..."

"Oh! That could be very nice. Though you'd have to break it in half then. Maybe wrap them in wire after."

He misses gifting earings to both his spouses. He should look into what places here might do that.

"My wife, last I saw her, she had a stone set in this lovely neckband..."

Pyra seems to perk up at him mentioning his wife, and she looks back to the crystal in her hands.

"Did yo give such a crystal to her...?"

"Oh! No," He says with a laugh. He smiles sheepishly down and rubs at his arm. "No, I could never afford such a thing, much as I'd like to say I did. I would have to guess she got herself sometime after she disowned me. She made her own business, you know? She's quite successful. Best shoes around, I hear. The whole family is in on it, living and dead."

The whole family save for him, of course, but he figures that doesn't need saying.

"I saw it on her in the land of the dead. Oh, but I suppose I got her a house, back when we were young. Saved every penny I earned for years before I proposed to her. She did say she liked the practicality, at the time."

She listens attentively as he speaks, careful to look for any bit of overstep on her part. While he is dead, and so such events in live can carry bitter sweetness, she is curious about this topic.

"And you... you've been married twice, haven't you? Once to your wife, then to Nekane..."

A thoughtful sound leaves her. "When did you know? That you or them were ready?"

It hurts, thinking of the loss of her. But, of all the wounds he carries, that's one he's been accustomed to for some time. And it's been easier to talk about, when it's like this, light and casual.

He nods in confirmation-- yes, married twice. And then he laughs. He can't help it, it simply bursts out of him.

"Ah, well, with Imelda I knew right away I wanted to be hers, but Nekane? Dios mio, that was... some journey."

He blows a breath and looks skyward. Where to begin...?

"...I never planned to fall in love. And when I did, I never planned to tell them. I had my wife, my family, and I was going back to them, so I thought. Besides, they couldn't stand the thought of love. It had been used to hurt them very badly. I didn't want to hurt them too. So I waited. I waited until what I thought was my very last day in Hell. I said goodbye and only then did I admit that I loved them."

He smiles sheepishly at her. He knows now how foolish that had all been.

"I wanted them to see they could be loved without any strings attached. And, I wanted to admit I loved them without betraying my family. It seemed a good idea at the time. But, of course, I went to my own afterlife, lived that all out for lack of a better term, and then I was back. Over ninety years for me, a week or two for them. They confessed to loving me back and got the brilliant idea to runaway."

He huffs, still exasperated. He's leaving out the messier details, like the fact they intended to throw themself in lava but couldn't due to boarded up windows, and the fact Nekane later vanished, went home, and then came back out of their mind with their wings snapped to bits. But they're not exactly relevant details to her question.

"Still, marriage was not on our minds. We were tricked into it. It's the kind of thing Hell did, obviously with... more downsides to it. But, when we came to and we realized what had happened... when we realized that we were still okay, not burdened by the love we had... we went along with it. I was never going to see my family and they weren't afraid of love anymore. I was theirs. And I wanted to be theirs. So, I guess the answer is, we weren't ready, but we knew were because we already as together as two people in love can be."

If they were closer, and if Héctor was more casual with touch, she would have pulled him in for a hug, because what he recounts is both moving.

The idea of falling in love in such a way, through such hardships, and then continuing into marriage because it feels just right-- Hell sounds awful, but something truly beautiful came of it.

...

She turns the crystal over in her hand, thoughtful. "You've an extraordinary life, Héctor."

The choice of word is intentional: for all of the fact that he is dead, that doesn't make him any less alive.

He lets out a breath of a laugh.

"I suppose that's a word for it," He says.

He could mean her use of the word life, but in this respect, it's the extraordinary part that catches him. It's not that it's the wrong word, even if he is an ordinary person in the scope of his life and death. It's just that he'd probably use a word like "crazy" instead.

"Have you got your heart set on any particular person, Pyra?" He's not sure she'll answer, but a question like when one knows they're ready to marry, it usually comes from one considering marriage.

"That obvious, mm...?"

She seems to think about leaving her response at that. Pyra leans forward and brings her knees upward, one arm going around them.

"I hadn't been, but then it came up and... now I am." A wistful sigh follows. Her shoulders raise in a shrug, helpless, but then too quickly fall into a slope. "Is that strange...?" She turns her head to face forward, looking out at the frozen lake.

"Noctis. That's his name."

Speaking of her past is difficult. But speaking of her present? Far easier, in some respects.

He smiles but he doesn't press. These things can be obvious, yes. Though, with her, it is a little bit harder to tell.

It's a surprise that she does continue. He thinks it might be the first time that she has.

"No. No, Pyrita. It's not strange at all," He assures in a softening tone. "Love sneaks up sometimes, and everything else around it." Sometimes to the point it felt as if it was already always there.

His own gaze turns out to the lake. He finds himself nostalgic, as much for one love as the other.

"Noctis. I have yet to meet him, but he must be very kind to have won your heart."

Pyra, leaning into her knees, brings one hand up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

She speaks again, rather helplessly.

"He's dazzling."

She loves this world because he's in it. Inspiring and kind and good and human and makes her feel human in ways she could never be. Not in all of her long existence, she would have thought herself worthy of being with someone like him.

Oh. Oh, this is too sweet. He smiles warmly at her.

"Dazzling," He repeats. She really is lovestruck. "That is what I thought about my Imelda. Passionate, loving, good. You saw it in her eyes, could feel it in the way she cared for her family and pushed back against what she disagreed with, hear it in her voice when she sang, her smile when she danced."

He closes his eyes. Dazzling. Yes. That was the word.

"And for some reason, she was willing to talk to me. Some street urchin who was little more than trouble."

His eyes open again, a knowing look on his face. He peers at her.

"It was why, before Nekane, besides Nekane, I never saw anyone else. I knew I wanted to be hers because I wanted to be dazzled by her forever. I want to be worthy of her. And so, that's what I tried to do." It worked... for a little while. He doesn't want to talk of that now though. He tilts his head at her, smiling softly. "Is that how you feel too?"

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♥ December (Ranir) Event Log

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