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

[ They've awakened beside each other for the past year, and this morning is no different. Each time she manages to awaken before him, it is one of greatest joys to see him resting beside her. The seconds before he wakes up himself are all a quiet, private moment she takes to admire his sleeping expression as he rests comfortable in a bed, room, and home that is nothing but safe to him.

This morning, his expression is different as he sleeps: restful, a faint smile playing at the corner of his lips... and a wetness present at the corners of his eyes.

Sitting up in bed quietly, she wonders if he'll wake up on his own, or if-- should his expression turned distressed instead-- she should gently nudge him into consciousness. ]

[He's quiet as she deliberates, lying still and silent aside from the soft, steady sound of his breath. Right when she's on the cusp of perhaps waking him, as the wetness at the corner of his eyes advances to a few stray tears falling from them, he finally stirs, eyelids fluttering a little. He's usually slow to wake, too often sleepy and preferring to prolong his rest, so it takes several more moments before he stirs enough to seemingly wake, his hands sliding across the covers to reach for her, his voice drowsy.]

Mom...?

[ His hand finds hers, and she gives his fingers a squeeze.

...He's murmuring for his mother-- he's having a dream of his mother. Still, he doesn't look too distressed.

She leans over him, bring her free hand and hooking a finger to wipe one of the stray tears away, her touch as gentle as she can make it. Then she combs his bangs to the side. It always amazes her how soft his hair is without any of his usual styling product in it. ]

[His head tilts into her touch, quiet for a few moments longer, until finally his eyes creep open. His gaze falls to their hands at first, distracted by the touch, then drifts upward towards her face with an unusual urgency for morning-Noctis. When he sees her, there's something... not quite, but almost akin to disappointment, just for a second or two. It quickly shifts into a softer expression, and he smiles sleepily.]

Ah... morning. [A beat, and he moves his free hand to his eyes, feeling the lingering wetness.] Huh...?

Morning... [ Her hand leaves his forehead, and she rests a bit more against her pillows.

His expression upon waking was peculiar, and she can only guess that, perhaps, it had been because he was still half-caught in a dream, hoping to be woken up by his mother instead. ]

...You were dreaming, weren't you.

[ She prods gently, not wanting to ask him to talk about it if he doesn't want to, but wanting to remain encouraging and open if he does. ]

No denying that, huh...

[He tries not to make a habit of lying to her about how he is, anyway. Would he have brought it up if she hadn't noticed and asked? He wonders... the memory is fleeting but unforgettable, and admittedly deeply personal. Still, he doesn't mind sharing with her.

How to say it, though... he wrestles with it for a bit, rolling to lay on his back and stare up at the ceiling like it'll give him answers. (It doesn't, but at least it's pretty.)]

...I was... I think it was the Citadel garden. I woke up there, and I was little again. [He half-lifts his hand off the bed, looking at it- its size and shape, as if trying to recalibrate familiarity with his adult body. There's a stiff tension in his limbs, leftovers from old wounds that he hadn't felt in the dream. It must have been before Marilith, but long after she died. So why...?] It felt so real... I ran through the flowers and she was there, waiting for me. I... I knew it was her, before she turned to me. I never met her, but I just- knew. And then she called my name...

[ It sounds like a lovely memory, if a bittersweet one.

He had been crying, too, mourning someone he had never met-- rather, someone he has only met within a dream. There's something beautiful about that, even if it is sad.

Pyra leans down, giving him a kiss on his forehead, her expression softening. ]

...Did she say anything else?

She did. She said a lot.

[He rubs at his eye again, pursing his lips, determined not to cry again. He's not sad. He's not. He doesn't know what this is, but it was... it was good.]

She held me for a long time... we just sat like that, it felt like ages. She touched my hair, she said it was just like hers. That I looked like my dad when he was little... that she knew I'd grow up big and strong. [His breath catches, and he pauses for a moment to refocus. It's fine. It's fine, it's wonderful.] She... knew everything. She didn't say it, but I could tell. I... she told me she was proud of me, that I was doing so well. And she...

[He trails off, swallowing hard, and squeezes her hand. It's hard to convey, truly, but his expression speaks volumes. His whole life she'd been a mystery to him, a shade hanging over the lives of he and his father, the latter with all his loss and memories, the former with a lonely emptiness he didn't know how to fill. He'd grown up well, he'd not needed a mother. He had been well cared for by nannies and Crownsguard and teachers alike, by Ignis and of course his father when he wasn't otherwise occupied in ways that couldn't be helped. But her ghost lingered as a "what if" over all his life, a question mark that would never be answered. This is a dream, not a memory, because it never happened. She was cold in the ground for months before he'd even been weaned.

Still... he can remember the softness of her touch, gently calluses on her fingertips and warm lips on his cheeks, the tickle of her long hair as she held him. A dream that lingers so true.]

[ She's glad for how his voice catches as he speaks of how she was proud of him, feeling that same pride for him in return. Yes, of course she'd be proud of him, who wouldn't? She allows him to have this moment as he expresses himself, squeezing her hand, and Pyra returns the gesture with three squeezes of her own against his palm: I. Love. You.

A dream like that, so soft and bittersweet, with the way Noctis speaks of it brings a few tears to her eyes. What a soft-heart, she is. She's so happy that he had such a dream, and she's so, so sorry that he couldn't know his mother more.

What is a mother like, what is being a mother like? Neither Pyra nor Mythra would know. But if they had to guess, a mother would be someone as Noctis describes, loving their child, being proud of their child, and holding their child for as long as they could. ]

She sounds lovely.

[A bit of the tension eases from his shoulders at her quiet encouragement, settling against her, her presence a balm against the lingering woes of losing this dream and tipping the scales more towards sweet than bitter.]

She does... I'm sure she was. [His smile shifts a little, lopsided and struggling.] I know it was just a dream... I dunno. It's crazy, right? but I feel like I did meet her. It's... nice. But it kind of hurts, too.

[Having never met her before, he hadn't really grieved her loss, only what he'd lost in her lack of presence in his life and the sadness her death formed within his father. He didn't mourn her, this mysterious woman who'd birthed him. He'd never had to miss her before, yet here he is waking up in tears because his child self in the dream hadn't wanted to lose her. It's a very strange feeling, and one he'll have to come to terms with.]

Bittersweet... [ She comments gently, her other hand reaching out to brush through his hair. He says it's nice, he says it hurts. She can only comfort him for the latter, and hope that that hope does not overpower how nice it has been for him to dream of his mother.

The gods of this realm can bring people from the dead back to life, but realistic illusions are something they may be capable of, too, if the barrier's false sky is any indication. Perhaps what Noctis had dreamed of had been the real thing, or maybe it had just been a figment of his imagination, or a deep-seated wish he's always had to meet his mother.

...But even if the dream had been any of those things, the emotions it evokes are all real.

She wishes she could have met his mother, too, from within his dream, if only to see the person who had given so much to him and influenced him at a distance. ]

I'm sure, Noct, that... wherever she is now, she both loves you still, and is absolutely proud of you.

I can't argue with that. Everything I've ever been told about her tells me as much- that she loved pretty fiercely, the people who were important to her. And that I was one of those people.

[He'd seen the love his parents carried for him as an infant, in Cor's memory at the hospital after his birth. She'd given him her eyes, she'd decided his name. If she wasn't kind and loving, he wouldn't feel this way- a desire to see her again, to know her, a wish that the dream was real and he'd had borrowed time with her, rather than just a manifestation of his imagination. He probably won't ever know if it's true, but... if he's allowed to, he wants to believe in it.]

Moms are good at that, I hear. Loving, no matter what. Supporting their kids... helping them make their dreams come true and stuff.

You're talking about... unconditional love.

[ A love beyond an ordinary love, the type one has for someone so dear to them, they would help them through anything, forgive them for anything, and do anything for them.

She wishes he could have experienced more of that from his mother in his life. All he has now are dreams of a mother's love. She hopes-- she hopes it is enough, else he might always feel unsatisfied. No other love can replace that. ]

...Yeah, I... guess I am. The kind of thing we're all supposed to strive towards, right?

['Unconditional' isn't something he's quite managed just yet. Not that his love is transactional either- not exactly. But there's give and take in all of his relationships, ups and downs, compromises. Unconditional is a goal but it shouldn't be an expectation, because it's unrealistic. Everybody wants something.]

Loving someone no matter what...

[ It's easy to do that with Noctis, and she wouldn't mind if he doesn't feel the same. Such is the nature of it being unconditional.

What does unconditional love feel like, in return? She wouldn't know, exactly, but she adores hearing about it, from him. It warms her non-existent heart. ]

That type of mother's love-- I don't think anything can replace it. Whatever you felt from her in that dream... It's very precious.

I... think so, too. I'm not sure if it even matters, whether it was real or not. It's real enough to me, and I dunno if I want to question it. [He smiles at her tentatively.] The dream was obviously for me. Is it bad to just take it at face value...?

[He doubts she'd think as such, but maybe validation is something he's pining for, not just from his maybe-imaginary-maybe-dream mother. This isn't the first time someone's told him he's doing well, that they're proud of him. But to hear it from her for the first time ever, as if she's been watching over him, when he'd always felt she was gone (she wasn't like the kings of yore, trapped in the form of a spirit, always watching)... hard not to cling a little to the concept.]

[ He guesses right, that she would encourage him to believe in the dream's message. ] Of course not.

Any bit of a parent's love you deserve to experience it, dream or not.

[ He hadn't gotten to as a child. If the dream is any bit based in the reality of who his mother had been, then it's good enough. ] I imagine it's a... warm, fuzzy feeling.

[ That's what she's getting of it, and she's not even the one who had the dream! But just watching him as he speaks about his mother-- it's like he's glowing with a gentle happiness she hasn't seen from him before. ]

It's... yeah.

[His smile is soft and almost shy, quietly acknowledging this new feeling, closing his eyes for a long moment.]

Think of the fuzziest blanket you can come up with, and then imagine it can talk and tells you whatever you need to hear in the moment. That's kinda how it feels.

[ Unconditional love, that's what he's still describing.

Pyra's hand stops stroking through his hair as she watches his expression. Maybe-- maybe one day, if he's ever up for it, he could utilize both her crystal and the memories of his to access specific memories of his mother, safely and soundly, and without harm. She dare not suggest it now, but it's something to think about-- something that could quite be possible, if he's willing.

She can wish she could have met the woman herself, but more than that, she wishes Noctis could have truly met her, known her, too. ]

It sounds so heartwarming...

I hope you have another dream of her, again, soon.

That'd... be nice. Though maybe not too often.

[He scratches idly at an eye, feeling a bit sheepish in the aftermath. He's not sure how many dreams like this might tilt this feeling more towards sad than the gentler, bittersweet sensation that it is now. Would many more make him miss what he's lost too much? Would he end up sleeping more than he does already, not out of tiredness but out of a desperate hope to see her again?

He wonders if he should tell his dad.]

Sorry if I worried you- waking up all weepy like this.

[ She shakes her head quietly, looking at him still, and after another second or two, she parts his bangs again to kiss him upon his forehead. ]

I think I can handle a few morning tears if they're happy ones.

[ It's a good thing she hadn't woken him up from his dream at the time. He had seem so disappointed to see her, and not his mother, when he did.. and she can only imagine how rare dreams like that would be. ]

[He closes his eyes for a moment, just resting quietly in her presence and allowing it to distance him somewhat from the memory. Dreams are nice and all, but... he's glad to be back in the present, with her. It would be a bad idea to let himself dwell too long on the dead.

Finally he makes an affirmative noise, reaching up to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear.]

Well... what about you? Any good dreams?

[Maybe it's hoping for too much that she'd also been sent something nice while she slept (or even bittersweet), but it doesn't hurt to ask, surely.]

[ There's a thoughtful pause before she responds, and tentatively, her head nods. ] Just one...

[ Her voice, naturally soft, carries a little more emotion with it. She's not struggling to speak, but it's clear that she's effected by the contents of her own dream. ]

I saw... my other "brother". Not Malos. The one who vanished from my world.

[ The gesture of her lifting her hand to her own crystal is one Noctis might have seen plenty of times before. She does it when she's thoughtful, or when she needs to calm or comfort herself.

She does the same right now, her fingers curling over her crystal. ]

Oh... wow.

[The gesture is recognized, of course, and he moves his hand to cover her free one, twining their fingers. If she needs comfort, he'd like to contribute, suddenly curious about the context and worrying for her. He's hoping she had a positive experience too, but with her complicated sibling relationship, maybe it's hard to say.]

How did it go? Are you okay?

It felt--... I suppose, similar to your own dream. Surreal, but as if he was truly there.

[ She smiles wistfully, closing her eyes. Long ago, the three of them could enter each other's spaces, the realms that they constructed for themselves. When he vanished, it had only been Malos and Mythra for the longest time. Feeling his presence again had been both strange and nostalgic, another missing part of them found-- that hadn't been missing, just. She hadn't known where to look. ]

He's doing well, or I'd like to believe so from this dream.

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