hugtopia_logs | ♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

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♥ May (Ealom) Event Log

small daisies in a worn out mug, set against an out of focus field in the background

May (Ealom) Event Log

Despite the fact that spacetime has been a bit questionable in recent days, the seasons carry on as they should. Spring has begun to grow warmer, the scent of flourishing local flowers often in the air as they are set out to decorate native shops and homes with a burst of lively color. On a larger scale, the march of time flows as inexorable and steady as ever; the question is if that will remain the case for long.

❥ PROMPT I: Days of Future Past

a modern color photograph of a bridge, with an antique photograph taken in the same place superimposed over the center

Randomly throughout the city and following days, the scenery immediately before you may begin to waver as if rising steam distorts the air. The aura shimmers, then suddenly solidifies into a thin, golden line that abruptly opens sideways and upwards forming a window, which cannot be physically interacted with. Stand before this "window" long enough, and you may begin to see imagines of a past Havenwell...

some off-worlders may recognize.

These scenes, among others (which you are free to write, taking inspiration from the lore collection along with some newly released entries!), can play out for passers-by, scattered throughout the city for the rest of the month. Some are unique, some will repeat; some are inconsequential, some feel startlingly important, as though you can feel what those in the memory must have felt in the moment. It's a strange experience, overall. As if the world is remembering itself.

❥ PROMPT II: The Antiques Homeshow

an illustration of a pile of objects with a sign reading 'pile of lost stuff', captioned 'where is that darn thing'

With all the windows to time opening up here and there in town, the city is buzzing with excitement and nostalgia as the natives' memory banks are jump-started by familiar sights thought long gone. Seeing their old selves and visions of their old haunts has them invigorated in a way most haven't felt in centuries. But as time wears on, people will start to notice that the windows aren't just for looking through.

It starts with a giant tree, nearly 4 stories tall and meters thick, popping up in the middle of the Entertainment District's streets. Then scattered reports of outer city buildings and areas suddenly disappearing, replaced with tents or campfires. Finally, it happens - your own home is now host to these weird time windows and your things are experiencing the same problems as areas around the city.

Maybe your replicator has just turned into an actual pantry, with perishable food items that may or may not be familiar to you. Weird fruits and vegetables, something that seems like flour? Or is it salt? A salty flour that’s apparently some sort of yeast? Who knows! Good luck finding out. What about your bed? What used to be a comfortable double with plush pillows is abruptly a straw mat with mice! Or a giant four-post canopy king-sized bed made for a room that is definitely 6 times bigger than what you have, and it has completely subsumed your room to the point where you can’t open the door anymore. Hopefully you’re cool with climbing in and out of the windows instead!

Maybe the changes are less obtrusive for some. Their favorite coffee cup is now a jeweled goblet. Their clothes have gone from the height of modern fashion to the height of “what era is this?” fashion. Their carefully cultivated garden is now a wild, overgrown jungle! The time windows seem to be sending in objects from every era, past and future, creating havoc both big and small across the city.

Thankfully, however, these changes don’t seem to be permanent. If the object is removed from its window area, it reverts back to its original form over time. However, damaging anything from the past has unforeseen consequences in the future, so do be careful. Cutting down that tree could mean a building in the future doesn’t get built, or removing a flower from the jungle may lead to the extinction of a known Havenwell plant! Or maybe it does nothing. Time is weird that way. Good luck with stepping on that butterfly effect!

❥ PROMPT III: Powering the Conduits

animated gif of an illustrated sparkling blue crystal floating between a pair of hands

Another joint announcement comes from the researchers and priests, and they are happy to report they've been investigating and fine-tuning the prototype crystal conduits as developed by a few off-worlders. These past two weeks, they've been vigorously testing and retesting the prototype's effects on the caustic atmosphere of the outside world. Whereas the first version caused a thinning of what heavy, mysterious miasma hangs in the air, it was unable to project a proper barrier or last long. They hope to refine what the dedicated off-worlders started, and for that, they need volunteers.

Specifically, they need volunteers to help charge these individual crystal-conduits' with the power generated through touch! Researchers will be handing out these small, amber-colored crystals to those who are interested in helping, encouraging the off-worlder to wear the and hold someone's hand, hug them, or be especially lovely-dovey-kissy-wissy with whomever their SO may be. This is in the name of science, it's very important. But be warned, since these are still being tested, a few unlocking people may have experience a couple side effects:

Creating One's Own Personal Barrier

shrinks

Siphoning Power

much

When your crystal-conduit is fully charged, the researchers ask that they be delivered back to the towers for further analysis.

This event will run from 15 May to 31 May. 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

That seems... inconvenient. [ That doesn't sound like a very fun irl puzzle-solving experience, and she recalls him mentioning something about the difficulty of finding the other royal arms before. ]

But I understand it... a little.

Before we were sealed, we hid one of our blades at the bottom of a network of caves and old catacombs. So that it would be secure.

I guess it tracks. Everybody wanted to test me for one thing or another to make sure I was strong enough. Gods, Crownsguard, might as well be ghost kings, too.

[He shrugs. It's kind of old hat by now. ~~And he kicked Somnus' ass so that's a solid enough test for him~~]

Was that because the blade was too powerful, too?

Mm-hm. [ This might take a bit of a story, but seeing as they have time...

Pyra shifts how she holds his hand, interlacing her fingers with his. ] Even before I was constructed or we recalled who we were, during a battle against our brother Mythra had partially awakened Pneuma's blade-- or, um, tapped into her power. [ It was a power that eventually destroyed Torna, but.

Strange, how she can bring this up without immediately crumbling in grief. Or perhaps not strange at all, for talking about it helps. Who knew. ]

For some reason, we weren't able to dismiss it. So we buried it separate from us, just in case. [ At the end of this, she sighs, bringing her free hand up to her cheek to scratch at it. ] It was less of a trial for others to find and more of... Addam and us wanted it hidden.

Huh... wonder what made it so different.

[He tries to imagine a weapon that can't be dismissed into the armory, but nothing really comes to mind. The ring is the closest thing- while it in theory can be put there, it always feels wrong to do so. Like two blocks that don't fit together, the magic entwines in an unpleasant, twisted manner, so he keeps it on his hand or in his pocket. Some things just weren't meant to be immaterial.]

I guess it comes down to the purpose it was made for. Did you need it for anything?

[ Having Pneuma awakened, she can say now and with certainty that its power is entirely beyond anything she would have ever imagined, and still more remains buried, in Pneuma's archived memories. But its usefulness would have been incredibly limited to anyone who may come near or in contact with it. ]

No… [ She shakes her head. ] Even Addam couldn’t touch it without being hurt.

But whenever we summon our sword, a copy of our crystal is on it. If someone were to find it, they may have be able to try to bond with me. It would be another way to enter Elysium.

[ THEY WOULD HAVE FAILED, but she would also not like to hurt others.

She looks at Noctis, relaxing her expression. That he isn’t insisting that she made some sort of terrible choice comfort her. It’s a sensitive topic, but it’s always easier to speak with him about it. ]

Maybe we should have thrown in a few puzzles here and there just for the fun of it.

[Touching the sword crystal can access Elysium? That's a new one. Not that it really matters, since Elysium is a place that he can't imagine visiting without her permission, which requires her presence anyway. Even in a case of emergency, he'd just be leaving his body napping somewhere and the sword unattended. Regardless, if that's her reasoning, it makes sense to him.]

Hah, maybe you should. Just to make people who go creeping around second-guess themselves.

[If enough headache-inducing puzzles were involved and they weren't required to save the world, he'd certainly have thought twice about continuing the Solheim ruin exploration...]

You should put in sliding-block mazes. Those are the worst for delaying somebody's progress. One wrong turn and you're stuck in circles for hours.

[ For hours… Sounds about right. ]

Oh— oh, and how about a few trap doors? And illusions? Those would make any adventurer think twice about returning for a second attempt.

Trap doors and illusions leading to more mazes and traps. Double-hit. They'd turn and run after a single day.

[Except for maybe the most tenacious adventurer; he's known a few of those. (He is one.) But even then all they'd get is- whatever happens when someone touches her crystal and is rejected. Which, in truth, he doesn't know about, but now is not the time to ask.]

[ If nothing else these are all good ideas for an additional level in their VR game. Both a smile and a giggle come easy to her. ]

But you know… Ideally— I would make it so that only you could solve the puzzles.

[ Pyra gives his hand a squeeze. ] I think that… I would have liked that. To be found by you.

[ It all hypothetical, sure, and she cannot speak for the version herself in her homeworld that’s still sealed by choice and grieving. But she’s come so far, and, if by some fantastical turn she could allow herself the same kindness Noctis has shown her in this world, in her own…

Well. Perhaps her final journey to Elysium wouldn’t be so sad after all.

The thought sobers her a bit, but it’s still not enough to undo the fond, thoughtful way in which she looks at him. ]

Mm... I'd have liked to find you, too.

[If their worlds were connected, if they were bound together through more than magic but rather through origins. Maybe they'd find a way to solve one another's problems. Save the world with their combined strength and something cheesy and sweet like love. He'd keep her safe from those who would try to use or abuse her power, and she'd keep him alive. They could have accomplished so much, no matter what world they hailed from.

It's a nice dream. If fate somehow guides them in that direction, he might be inclined to try, anyway, even if it all comes to naught. She deserves better. He... does too, he thinks. She's helped him believe that, against the wishes of the crystal that's tethered his soul.]

...I'd solve as many crazy puzzles as you could think to throw at me. All to get a badass new sword.

[His tone is teasing - he'd do it to help her, obviously - but it's not a lie either. He really does like cool swords.]

I suppose that means I'd be playing hard to get. [ How foolish she would be, trying to devise some dungeon to keep someone like him away. But if it meant that it'd be him and only him... Pyra stops walking, tugging at his hand to pull him towards her. Within the span of a second, she's lifting up on her toes to give him a kiss.

It sounds like a story. Some relic or person is sealed away, only for a brave hero to find them, then the both of them help each other. Ever since Torna, she had been so certain with her and Addam's decision that the best thing for them would to be sealed and forgotten, a real, catastrophic danger kept away from the world. He's making her question that more and more... and to some extent, the purpose of her eventual sacrifice. If there was a way. If only there was a safe way, for both her and the world to exist at the same time.

It's nice, to dream.

She pulls away from the kiss, her cheeks flushed a soft pink. ] ...But as you know, you already have me.

[He smiles back at her, bright and pleased, his own cheeks lightly dusted. It's such an easy thing to do, smiling at her. Her pleasure is contagious, and he surrenders to it gladly.]

I sure do. And the only puzzle I had to solve was whether or not I was allowed to kiss you.

[Which admittedly took a while and a lot of second-guessing, even after she beat him to the punch and did it first... still, hard to believe it's now been as long as it has. They're very nearly entering their third year together. So much has happened. Yet while they've had bumps and hurdles, this feeling has only gotten stronger over time. It's such a comfort, and he understands better what heartbreak must be like for those who'd been separated from their loved ones, after experiencing such intensity and joy. His father, Ardyn, now Era, countless others. He'd lost Luna but it hadn't been like this, more the loss of possibility than love itself.

He so wants to hold on to this as long as he can, and indulgently he leans in to kiss her again.]

And now I can, whenever I want. ...Pretty much, anyway.

[ She returns his second kiss, her other hand lifting up to rest her palm upon his chest. Afterward, she closes her eyes and smiles, breathing in as if she could soak in his presence.

Pretty much, indeed... Until they absolutely must part, or wake up without one beside the other. They're not there, yet. But.

She's been thinking about it, lately, what with all the signs pointing to this worldly slowly being restored: the outside environment being (seemingly) less harsh, all of the flowers and green in the spring, and even the locals themselves beginning to say they remember things of their past... ]

If... this world... allowed us to stay, without affecting what's going on in our own worlds. Would you?

[Her question makes him hesitate. He wishes he could give her a swift answer, an automatic yes, but it's... harder than he'd like for it to be. Harder still to imagine such a scenario, that their worlds would be okay. They'd have no way of verifying it. And for how long? In perpetuity? A few years, a lifetime? Would his crystal allow it? Would his conscience?

He shouldn't overthink a theoretical. But in light of his recent conversation with Somnus, it feels wrong to not think about it.]

If... if our worlds would be safe? Yeah, absolutely. For a while, at least, I'd love that. I'd love it. As long as I could get away with it. [It's still a guilty answer, but the idea of saying no outright wounds his heart too much.] How long that would be... I don't know. Eventually I'd lose my ability to sleep well at night, knowing I was leaving everybody hanging like that.

[ His answer is all she could hope for, for when speaking of hypotheticals, she speaks of dreams-- intangible things that can never be. To stay here as long as they can be ideal, but she knows she'd feel the same, too, of returning to her world. Much like how guilt, a sense of duty, or the weight of allowing the life or death of his world to be so precariously balanced upon the need for his return would eat away at him... she, too, may eventually be worn down by fear for her own world. In some far-off distant future, that is.

But rather than be anxious of this maybe-eventual poor end, it only makes her want to accept what they may be realistically able to have, to cherish it. Realistically speaking, they will part-- maybe by not even their own choice, because people can vanish without a second's notice. Realistically speaking, they may still have ample time together, and it counts.

Yet it's just a hypothetical, and she doesn't wish him to worry overmuch of its implications. ] Hey--... I know. Then, let's settle for that: [ She brings her hand to his shoulder, giving it a softer squeeze. ] For as long as we can get away with it... for as long as we choose, too.

[ And she'd rather it be their choice to stay or to return to their worlds, rather than being unceremoniously broken apart. ] That's... the important part. [ She looks at him, trying to give him a smile that will reassure him. ] That's the part I'd fight for.

Yeah... yeah.

[The beginnings of tension entering his shoulders reverse, winding down just as quickly as they'd begun, and he settles again with a smile. There's that word again, choose. They've had that conversation again so no sense in repeating himself, but she knows how important it is to him, that it's part of why he loves this world. There is a degree of bittersweetness to be taken from the world, knowing that while saving it is a wonderful thing, their usefulness (and therefore their presence here) has an end date. He's not sure if they'll be able to have it both ways.

It'd be... nice, though. And no one can stop them from dreaming about it.]

Me too. And I don't think anyone could really judge us for it, either.

[It's strange; most of those from his world had wanted him to resist fate, to come up with something better. He'd resigned to this as the best option, not wanting to harm the world through his selfishness, but there were times when only Pyra and Ardyn had been in agreement with him on that. This isn't rebelling, exactly, but to resist even a little is an unusual left turn he hadn't expected.]

[ Every day, she feels supported by him, and she hopes this is something she's been able to give back, even if it's only a fraction of it. Supporting means also allowing others to make their choices, no matter how unpleasant an outcome may be. This is especially true for them when it comes to their worlds and fates-- or returning to those fates, no longer being able to postpone it.

But she refuses to allow that anxiety to ruin what they have. And, in fact, it has not (yet), for the joy she feels by being with him overcomes thoughts of their future every single time. ]

Seeing as we're staying in this world for as long as it allows us... [ She turns from facing him, giving his hand a squeeze. ]

Let's help it as much as we can, too. There are those conduits, aren't there?

[He blinks in surprise, briefly, then smirks a bit.]

You want to work on your birthday?

[He really shouldn't be surprised, though. She thinks first of others, and part of that is helping the world. Sitting with him, holding hands, and energizing the world is right up her alley in things she'd want to do.

Plus, she has a vested interest in this project. She'd helped develop it, after all, and that accomplishment is amazing on its own. He doesn't mind supporting this.]

[ Pyra mirrors his smile, teasingly. He knows her, tirelessly always trying to save whatever world she is in! It just so happens that in this world, it's a simple enough gimmick. ]

You say that like holding your hand [ --or making out, or cuddling, etc.-- ] is work.

It does take effort, doesn't it? All that... squeezing and finger-curling. I don't know how you find the energy for it all the time.

[He lifts her hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it to conceal his lingering grin.]

Oof, now that you mention it... I think I'm getting a cramp in my hand. [ She eyes him playfully. ] Maybe another kiss would make it better?

[He gives a mock sigh- and another couple of kisses.]

No rest for the weary...

[ She's going to make him work on her birthday--

Okay, no, she appears completely satisfied with the extra kiss, her expression nothing but adoring. Time to flirt back with her boyfriend as they walk to wherever they need to pick up a conduit to charge. ]

Your eyes are especially pretty today, Noct.

[That does admittedly give him pause, because while he knows it's a compliment, his eyes are kind of...]

They're not doing anything weird, are they?

No, no... I only thought you should know that they are pretty. Today. Again.

[ Look at him being all self-conscious though. He's endearing, whatever he does. She reminds herself that she should try to reinforce that, whether or not his eyes have that (admittedly, wonderful) glow to them.

Pyra continues to tease in a friendly manner: ]

It must be nice, being so effortlessly handsome.

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