♥ 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

[hot_handed]

[Bakugou's eyes widen and he drops his skates in alarm. They fall on his foot with a thump, but he pretends to ignore them. It's a lot easier (or less embarrassing) to talk about his story over text than it is in person, but now that he realizes people will recognize him for writing a romance-]

So what if I am?! You got somethin' to say? Let's see you write something better!

[vamptired]

[His gaze follows the skates down to Bakugou's foot, then back up to the latter's face. Did that hurt?]

Oh. No, I just wanted you to know that we've talked before. I was the one who expressed interest in the sequel.

[Louis is fairly certain that any story about romance he writes will be much worse.]

[hot_handed]

[It did hurt. Bakugou's scowl fades back to a more neutrally annoyed expression as he realizes who Louis is-someone with intelligence and some fucking taste.]

Yeah. You him? You're a lot better at writing than ya are at skating.

[Not that he can talk...]

[vamptired]

I can't disagree with that.

[Ice skating is far from his comfort zone, and it shows. Louis crouches down to pick up the skating attachments, which he then holds out to Bakugou.]

I'm Louis. Nice to meet you in person.

[hot_handed]

[Bakugou's face twitches at the gesture, and he hesitates at first as if debating on what to do, but he takes the attachments after a second with a mumbled "thanks".]

Katsuki Bakugou. Don't give up just because you're shitty at it now. Keep bleeding, falling, and keep trying until you can murder the ice with your skills.

[vamptired]

[Consider it a balancing act for the misfortune of getting hurt by skates.]

I think it's in our best interest not to murder the ice if the intention is to keep skating . . . but I understand. I'll keep trying.

[hot_handed]

[Thank you Louis, he appreciates it. Bakugou scowls in thought.]

Fine, then we'll make it wish we had murdered it. You gonna keep practicing now?

[vamptired]

Maybe later. I'd like to familiarize myself with more of the city before I go back to it. What are you going to do?

[hot_handed]

It's fucking cold, so I ain't stayin' here. [He shrugs.] You wanna tour? I've been here for a while now.

[vamptired]

[He glances at Bakugou in mild surprise. Many a person here are quick to offer their time, but he wasn't expecting something like a tour. That's quite generous.]

If you don't mind, I'd appreciate it. How long have you been here?

[hot_handed]

[To be fair, Bakugou won't be a great tour guide, and to him it's also practical that Louis knows the city for the next time there's an emergency, because he has no doubt there will be one.

Plus it's better than admitting he doesn't know how to skate. His expression zones out as he does the mental math on how long he's been here, and he pales when he realizes-]

Almost a year now.

[vamptired]

That's a long time.

[It's long when he considers that this is time away from home. Bakugou, though Louis is reluctant to base everything on appearance, also looks rather young; however, he's a youth with far more experience than Louis does here.]

Then I'm in your hands. Where are we headed first?

[hot_handed]

Yep. But we'll get out and save this stupid world.

[He starts walking, haphazardly swinging his skates as he glances over his shoulder.]

The arena's nearby, but if we keep walking this way, we'll end up in the entertainment district, which isn't fucking terrible.

[vamptired]

[Louis follows, though he strays slightly to reach out and return the skates he borrowed before returning to Bakugou's side.]

What stands out the most to you there?

[hot_handed]

[He looks down at his own skates, then at Louis, then scowls and reluctantly returns his too.]

The VR Cafes can be okay, I guess since they have a lot of different simulations you can choose. They have movies too, if you like making fun of 'em.

[vamptired]

[There, there.]

I haven't had a chance to go to either. From what I can tell, the natives seem to favor those cafes . . .

[hot_handed]

Probably because it's less depressing than being a robot.

[Not that he has any idea what that's like. He shrugs.]

Wanna check 'em out?

[vamptired]

[That's probably true. Nostalgia, is it?

He gives this a brief thought before nodding.]

Okay.

[hot_handed]

Unless you wanna see the rest of the city first.

[vamptired]

I'll see it in time, and there's a lot of that here. It won't hurt to share the natives' interests, too.

[He should make the effort to understand them by their activities, and not just other offworlders.]

[hot_handed]

The natives are fucking weird.

[Bakugou rolls his eyes and shoves his hands in his coat pockets.]

This whole place is weird.

[vamptired]

[Louis' gaze wanders to their surroundings.]

It's certainly different . . . but, in a way, I think it's inspirational.

[hot_handed]

Oh yeah? [Bakugou grunts, trudging forward.] How do ya figure that?

[vamptired]

[While Bakugou leads, Louis follows half of a step behind.]

There's a wall where I'm from, too. It's much quieter there, though. While each world has its share of troubles, this place still manages to maintain a certain amount of liveliness that I hadn't seen in a while.

[hot_handed]

Mn... [His scowl relaxes a little and he looks thoughtful.] The locals are idiots, but they're resilient idiots. I'll give 'em that.

Do you wanna go back? Or do you like it here?