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hugtopiamods ([personal profile] hugtopiamods) wrote in [community profile] hugtopia_logs2021-12-15 04:24 pm

♥ 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!
vamptired: (88)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-13 04:09 am (UTC)(link)
[Huh?]

The darkness in your heart . . . ?
daikonrose: (188)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-15 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
[ She simply nods, as if that statement requires no explanation. ]

It's surely safer to just keep it to yourself until you understand the nature of it, right? Since we don't know what it can do yet.
vamptired: (34)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-15 07:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, if you say so . . .

[He retracts his hand and gives the crystal another look before pocketing it. And, because he doesn't know anything about this darkness, he asks just in case:]

Are you okay?
daikonrose: (213)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-15 08:23 pm (UTC)(link)
Hm? [ Kyoko tips her head to the side. ] I'm fine? You saved me from the ice when I fell, remember?
vamptired: (78)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-15 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
[He wouldn't call that saving . . . ]

I just wanted to be sure. The darkness you spoke of . . . does it bother you at all?
daikonrose: (246)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-15 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? [ She blinks, dimly confused for a moment--she definitely had already moved right along from that thought--and then her mouth pulls into an embarrassed little smile. ] Oh--um, don't worry about that. It's pretty trivial in the grand scheme of things.
vamptired: (43)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 02:06 am (UTC)(link)
I see. Then I won't press you for the details. If you ever want to talk about it, though, I'm willing to listen.

[Even if it's trivial, it must bear some amount of importance if she was concerned about tainting the crystal. Speaking of, he points his shoulder in the direction of the hole out of which he fished out the thing.]

I'm not sure if the lights are still there, but did you want to take a look?
daikonrose: (86)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ Really, she just feels bad for making him worry now--and a little silly, too. It is truly a very mundane darkness of the heart situation, she's doing pretty all right these days, no need for concern sir!

But oh, right! Maybe she could also discover something? Nothing bad had happened to Louis, so it probably wasn't something that wanted to pull her under, right? Kyoko looks over at the hole in the ice, eyes bright with a tentative sort of hope. ]


Their chosen one was probably just you, but...

[ She'll carefully scoot over and crouch down to peer into the water. ]

... You really just went ahead and stuck your hand right in?
vamptired: (56)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
[There's always need for concern.

Louis nods, though he isn't so sure of that part about being the chosen one, and looks over her shoulder.
]

The water isn't that cold. Are they there?
daikonrose: (158)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 05:15 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Are they there, still? Kyoko frowns, and squints into the dark depths. And squints. And sighs. ]

... As expected, they're not--ah?

[ Was that a little flicker of light dancing just below the surface? Another follows soon. ]

Aaah!?! N-now, I do it now? Is it really all right??!
vamptired: (72)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 06:57 pm (UTC)(link)
[Oh, there they are.]

It should be. Go ahead.

[If anything happens, he's here to pull her back.]
daikonrose: (285)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ For a moment, Kyoko just vibrates--nerves? excitement? Either way, she sucks in a lip, nods, and plunges her hand into the water.

...

Though Kyoko's eyes had gone wide as the lights swirled around her hand, a confused furrow wrinkled her brow in the moments that followed. When she pulled her hand up out of the water, she wasn't holding a crystal, but... a sopping piece of pinkish fabric, from the look of it at first glance? ]


This is... not magical, probably.
vamptired: (44)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 09:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[Louis stares at the fabric in Kyoko's grasp. That isn't what he was expecting.]

. . . What is it?
daikonrose: (64)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 09:58 pm (UTC)(link)
No... I'm wondering that too.

[ But as soon as she says that, her eyes narrow a bit, and she shakes the drenched cloth out a bit, to reveal that it's actually a sort of frilly little bag, full of hard objects that clack together with the shaking. ]

--This is-- [ Eyes going wide, she hurriedly fumbles to open the bag and look inside. ] This is--mine!
vamptired: (09)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 10:07 pm (UTC)(link)
[Hers? Was it something she lost in Havenwell some time prior? Louis inches forward to look, though not too closely lest he invade her privacy. Hopefully there's nothing sensitive to water inside that bag.]
daikonrose: (163)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 10:21 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Louis is free to look in the bag, and though its contents probably should be water damaged, surprisingly, they look pretty much intact. Just very wet.

Whether Louis actually recognizes the frivolous things for what they are or not, Kyoko is not available for immediate explanation, as she bursts into tears. ]


M-Moko-saaaan!
vamptired: (76)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 10:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[Moko? Taken aback by the tears, Louis glances at what he assumes are cosmetics before facing Kyoko with a hand stretched halfway to her nearest shoulder.]

What's wrong?

[Is something wrong?]
daikonrose: (162)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-16 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ The sobbing gently continues as Kyoko rubs the back of her hand across her face. ]

This--actually, this was--a present from my best friend. She likes to act aloof, and she doesn't have any patience for this kind of thing, but she went ahead and got it for me just because she knew I'd like it. I haven't been able to see her in--so long--!
vamptired: (05)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-16 10:43 pm (UTC)(link)
[As expected of a good friend. Has Kyoko seen this Moko at all since she was summoned to Aellyn? Two years and more are a long time. It's no wonder she's reacting like this.

After another moment of deliberation, Louis rests his hand on Kyoko's shoulder.
]

You must miss her terribly.
daikonrose: (161)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-17 12:41 am (UTC)(link)
[ Hardly even noticing the touch to her shoulder, Kyoko nods. There's a sniffle as she scrubs at her face again, but she can speak more clearly this time. ]

She'd hate it here, so I'm glad she's still at home, but... ah, I want to get scolded by that cold voice again.
vamptired: (65)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-17 03:33 am (UTC)(link)
[Is it worth it? Keeping someone here for years at a time, separating them from their friends and loved ones all the while, for the betterment of the world. Kyoko didn't ask to be brought here and trapped within these walls. Small wonder she thinks of Havenwell the way she does.

He gives her shoulder a squeeze.
]

Can I take you back to the ground? We can dry off your bag there.
daikonrose: (125)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-17 04:49 pm (UTC)(link)
Huh? [ One more rub at her eyes, and then Kyoko blinks at Louis, settling down some. ] Oh--right, I guess we don't need to stay out here anymore.
vamptired: (56)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-17 08:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[If only he had a handkerchief to pass her way. Louis climbs onto his skates and offers Kyoko a hand to pull her back up again.]

Let's go, then.
daikonrose: (135)

[personal profile] daikonrose 2022-01-17 09:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Kyoko takes his hand, but tries not to rely on it too hard as she clambers to her feet. ]

Sorry--we only just met, but I keep relying on you.
vamptired: (19)

[personal profile] vamptired 2022-01-17 09:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Don't worry about it. We're all here to help each other out.

[At least, that's his hope. Now that they're both up, he starts for the land behind them.]