hugtopia_logs | ♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

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♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

an expanse of blue space with a dim light shining down

June (Dianir) Event Log

There's a lot going on this month, plenty of work to be done. But as they say, many hands make light the work! And to make up for the grim and grey atmosphere awaiting those who decide to venture outside the barrier, the weather within the city limits is clean and clear, that perfect spot resting between hot and cold. The middle of Dianir brings to Havenwell the start of perfect summer weather. Be sure to give yourself a lovely break when you need to get away from the endless storm outside.

❥ PROMPT I: Corridor of Lights

a park pathway lined by benches at night, lit by a line of streetlights '

Compared to how the weather and world beyond the barrier was a few years ago, the wilds these days appear far less harsh. While the constant storm of dust and debris appears to maintain its viciousness further out, and it is yet strong enough to obscure whatever source of light there is beyond the atmosphere, its tumultuous gusts are noticeably less harsh closer to the city itself. And, in fact, there even appears to be patches of green just outside the barrier, although the growth rapidly stops at a certain near-distance from the city. All together, this prompts those of the researchers to make an announcement: that they are allowing– no, they are asking the off-worlders for help in Phase I of repairing the mysterious train station to the south. What do they want the non-locals to do? To make a corridor meter by meter or even inch by inch if necessary, by placing the charged up crystal-conduits of last month on poles either side of a path, stringing them together with reinforced cable.

As mentioned above, characters will be setting off beyond the barrier. The further characters trek as they set up the corridor, the more hazardous and darker the environment becomes. Further away from the city, even before reaching the train station ruins, light is scarce, and the world is cold, dry, and with winds as harsh as sandpaper. At some point, one's only source of light may be the flashlight attached to the exosuit front or the dim glow of the conduits themselves. Safe travels.

Characters will all be given exosuits to wear beyond the barrier, which are custom-fitted to their body, as well as a conduit. While researchers encourage characters to continue engaging in touch as they march into the open, it isn't necessary to participate.They will also all be given a flare to use in case of emergency.

Despite the improved quality of air beyond the barrier, staying out too long can still result in contracting a mysterious illness that involves chills, fever, malaise, and fatigue. The locals know of this illness as being borne from a mysterious miasma that permeates both air and ground outside. Touch alleviates the symptoms, but it takes time. If one is exposed while still beyond the barrier, characters can use their flare to signal for (player-discretion) NPC support to bring them back to the city. Tents will be set up by the locals to take in any injured or ill characters.

Once the corridor is fully finished with the conduits strung together by poles and cables, the makeshift highway will come to life by a dim, golden light reminiscent that of the barrier. Starting with the conduits nearest to the city, a shimmering, semi-translucent shield appears to dome over each section of the path until finally spanning its entire length, seemingly dispelling any miasma within. Just in case, though, the locals suggest to not remove one's exosuits just yet. This golden-lit corridor has an ethereal quality to it, muting the howling wind outside, as well as providing a sense of safety and warmth. A few local helpers can be seen standing in awe of this grand accomplishment, holding hands or linking arms as they marvel at the replicated barrier, walking down the path slowly. Some of them may even come up and thank the characters for their hard work. If they hadn't been made of metal, they are sure they would be shedding tears of joy.

❥ PROMPT II: Chaining the Supply

a video game screenshot of two people attempting to capture a giant lizard in a jungle

With the highway finally established, the researchers are calling for the initiation of Phase II, involving more sets of volunteers (they know, they know, they're needy; but don't worry, they promise they'll compensate you with dora!).

Help with Supplies: Become a runner of supplies from point A to point B on the corridor, passing off items, cords, metal, electronics, to the next volunteer.
Help with Charging the Conduits: Regrettably, the consistency of the barrier surrounding the corridor is patchy in some areas. The locals are asking for help: simply engage in any form touch with someone next to a dimmer-looking conduit. They have even provided plush couches for characters to relax upon. What do you mean, that's not comfy? No worries, they'll also provide a privacy curtain for you. Alternatively, these couches can be used as a resting station for characters in need of a break.
Protect the Corridor: The light of the corridor is bound to attract a few curious and hostile wildlife to its source of light. Those who are brave enough may depart the safety of the corridor's barrier to combat or capture the creatures that would threaten its integrity. Please see below for list of potential wildlife encounters, and note that any engagement with these creatures generates a big risk of exposure to the miasma that may make a character severely ill and lethargic. Working with a partner is encouraged.

For those who opt to attempt to capture some of the infected creatures, specialized nets will be provided to allow for safe catch-and-transport without making contact with the poison they exude. There will be an area designated for the captured creatures until they can be transported to one of the research labs. Some of the crystals have been moved to clear the area, and while they are held there, offworlders are encouraged to attempt a new experiment: can the crystals also purify the poison inside living creatures, as well as the air itself? If offworlders make contact within the creature's and the crystal's vicinity, can they be saved?

If your character ends up capturing one of the creatures, please comment to this comment here noting which ones and how many.

These are the creatures that can be encountered on a character's path. Next to their names are the frequency with which they can be found and level of hostility. Characters can encounter either untainted or poisoned renditions of these creatures, if a regular version exists.

"The Apparitions" (uncommon - very hostile): a creature new to those both native and offworld, these ghost-like creatures can take any form, humanoid, robotic, animal. They are translucent and mostly featureless/faceless, floating from place to place and trying to stay out of sight. They prefer to perform sneak attacks, and should they make contact with someone's bare flesh or (if you're unlucky) phase through your suit, they are able to stun most people, capturing and preventing your escape as they begin to steal your thoughts. Whatever fleeting thing might pass through your mind as you make contact with them is devoured, whatever you're feeling is consumed. This effect can be halted by another person interfering and forcing the apparition to break contact, but they can only be harmed by those who have formed a physical connection with one another. Basically: don't be caught alone by one, or there will be no escape unless someone comes to your rescue. (Apparitions cannot be captured, only slain or driven away.)
Inky Black Spiders (common - hostile): These relatively small, black spider-like creatures have very basic melee attacks, using their fangs and their sharp legs to bite and claw at people. Those who were around in October when the wall broke will recognize them as the most common enemy back then. Their exoskeletons are hard and when they die, they smash into a black goo. They tend to travel in packs, using sheer numbers to overwhelm their prey.
One-Eyed Lizard (uncommon - docile): An iridescent scaly purple and green lizard approximately 8 to 10cm in length from tip to tail. It has a single eye at the top of its head that can rotate to see 360 degrees around it. This creature's main defenses are its tough hide and a spine on the tip of its tail which it whips at predators to dissuade them from eating it. It's more likely to run than fight, however, and can usually be found sunbathing on exposed rock with its eye closed.
"Bone Giraffe" (extremely rare - hostile): A nearly 20-foot tall, long-necked skeleton of a four-legged creature long dead with a single curved horn protruding from its skull and a sharp snout. It's usually found lying in a heap, as if it laid down and died that way. A black seven-petaled flower sometimes (but not always) grows from the skull and beneath the skeleton is an oily black film. Touching the oil slick activates the creature, which draws the oil up into the skeletal cage. Its main attacks are brute force, using its bony legs and neck to kick and slam against its prey, and its acid breath. It breathes a black fume that sizzles and burns anything it touches.
Rive Talon (rare - hostile - medium): In the past these creatures may have been canines of some form, now they seem to have melded with the detritus of the fallen buildings and creatures of the landscape. Extra spikes, ridges, and protrusions extend from its body at odd angles. Many of them are metal or stone, rather than bone. And some of the bones clearly were not originally its own.
Outskirts Hare (uncommon - docile): A shy creature, roughly the size and shape of an earth hare, covered in fuzzy-looking, curly pink hair and cat-like whiskers. Normally quite timid, this creature's poor eyesight causes it to flee when it feels threatened, and relies largely on a sense of touch to navigate its surroundings. Contact with this creature's fur is markedly pleasant, but its skin discharges an oil that causes mild skin irritation on contact when it's nervous. Active mostly at night time.
Ansaurini (rare - annoying): a bipedal feathered bird with sharp claws and teeth good for chomping; some possess flight capabilities, but the majority are prone to a lazy waddle. Mostly harmless and deceptively unassuming until you turn your back- and suddenly it's run off with something it stole off your person! They are excellent at escaping, though they can be traced back to their hoard, and if their collection is raided they will make a lot of noise in protest. Just watch your back- they will try again until you leave their territory. Truly, a horrible thing.

❥ PROMPT III: Pop-Up Mouse Café

a line of five cartoon maid girls with mouse ears and tails

This month, the clergy of Ainea's temple are excited to announce a pop-up café for which people are free to volunteer or attend as guests. Whether a character decides to serve others or be served, the staff of the pop-up offers a headband with metallic mouse-ears on top for all to wear. They come in a variety of different hues of pinks and purples, colors that characters may recognize as being associated with Ainea. These headbands are wired to shift and turn with the moods of whoever is wearing them. The rest of the uniform, which includes formal black-and-white attire complete with frilled aprons, is optional. Featured items on the menu include teas and hot chocolates as well as a variety of (synthetic) artisan cheeses. Volunteers who decide to don the mouse-ears of the café will also be encouraged to serve snacks and drinks within the recovery tents set up for the workers who venture outside the barrier. Feeling ambitious? Those who manage to serve tea or cocoa to over five people in the recovery tents will be awarded a golden pin of a mouse they can proudly display on their uniform! Look your cutest, and get out there! You can also keep those ears.

At the end of the day, the staff will gather the group to take a photo together, local and off-worlder crew alike, to hang up on the temple wall. Supporting each other, coming together, and community through difficult times is a cornerstone of Ainea's teachings.

This event will run from June 15th to June 30th. 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

[ There it is!! Another cough!

But he can read his body language enough to guess that the guy seems like he's going to run. Machina has no authority here, and if he wants to flee, he'll simply have to let him. The most he can do is advise is that that would be incredibly foolish. ]

I'm going to guess you're not an expert in those exosuits. You don't know if there's a defect. C'mon. [ As a last-ditch effort, he offers his hand. If the guy has been affected by whatever miasma is circulating in the air, touch should stave it off, at least until they get back to the tents. ] Take it or leave it.

[He eyes that offered hand uneasily. He still isn't entirely sure how safe contact with him is. But, he's got his gloves and the suit. Maybe the show of trust will be enough.

Besides, he really can't say he's an expert.]

...Okay.

[He steps closer, reaches out, and takes the offered hand.]

It's an old thing... Been like this... for a while... Seasons...

Edited 2022-08-02 15:41 (UTC)

[ With his hand in his, Machina begins walking back to the corridor. Ironically, ihe haze of darkness around them makes the lights all the easier to spot in the distance.

Machina, in his ignorance, presumes he's only saying that to dismiss his own condition. Some soldiers are the same, but if they continue on, they're only making themselves more vulnerable. ]

All the more reason to head back. Wouldn't want this environment to make things worse for you.

[He sighs. That is a hard point to deny. He doesn't tend to heal. Not like a living person. It's something Faust would point out, highlighting the risks of going out at all.]

I want... to help... This world needs it... I can help... I can't... do nothing...

[ ...Ah. The edge in his voice dulls. ] I get it. Really, I do.

But you can't help if you drop to the ground.

Edited 2022-08-02 16:37 (UTC)

[That gets a rueful laugh, soft enough he avoids a cough this time.]

It is... very hard... to keep me stuck... on the ground...

[Harder than he'd like.]

What would... help you to... believe me...? Nothing...?

[ Uh. ] I'm not saying you're incapable...

But, how about taking it easy for the day? [ Or, as he's said before, getting the suit checked. ] Or finding another way to help out? [ Case in point, as much as it feels like doing nothing while holding hands, that is helping.

Machina falls silent after that, stewing in his thoughts. This is the same he'd say to someone in his own world, someone sick and who pushes herself anyway-- thereby hurting herself more in the end. It's not worth it. ]

No... you're saying I'm... being dishonest...

[At least he doesn't sound offended. Just weary.]

I did rest... for days even... after I snuck out... [And he got antsy watching to see if Faust was about to die.] but what would... you suggest...? Will you also... stay behind...?

[ He glances at him, puzzled. Evidently, he's confused on how he's saying the other's dishonest, but he appears open as to being told why. The guy is coughing and sounds weary... surely that's a reasonable sign he's not well! That he also recently snuck out, and potentially is feeling lingering side effects from that, is not helping this stranger's case.

All that aside, Machina corrects his expression, deciding to answer the second statement instead. ] Maybe. For a little bit, anyway... and these suits aren't meant to last. Round two can come later.

[The puzzled look wins another soft breath of a laugh.]

Alright... but I am... telling you... I will never be... more healthy... than I am now...

[But at least he's not being left alone on the sidelines. It's one point for his pride.]

Caught one... at least... Was impressed... Only caught game... with my arrows... or traps... before here...

[ Doubt! Or more like, ignorance. It has yet to occur to him he's holding hands with a zombie. ]

You're a hunter...?

[ He asks casually, turning the conversation away from what he sees as unnecessary back-and-forth on health, safety, and responsibility. ]

[Ideally, in Teo's view, he will remain unaware of zombie cooties.]

Everyone is... in my world... It's the apocalypse... and there is... only so much... left to scavenge... You hunt... or die... or become undead... and hunt anyway... So I taught myself... after it all... Travel the cities... and through the green... Rabbits are... decent game... deer the best... still learning... how to fish...

[ ...That's... a lot to take all at once. The apocalypse? ]

People survive the end of the world?

[ As bleak as the rest of it sounds, that part is hopeful. A little. ]

[That little bit of hope he hears, that makes him smile. He speaks softly.]

They do.

[He lets that sit for just a moment.]

Not everyone does... People have seen... great loss... great pain... life is hard... especially for those... who remember... Scars the heart...

I think... the world goes... through many apocalypses... before its end... it is not the end... People are learning... adapting... there are settlements... outposts... there are survivors... there is ... so much green... some loss without humans... some growing greater... better and worse... life carries on... It will be... a long time... but I hope... the people heal...

[ As someone whose world has a prophecy of it ending, that's... actually quite helpful to hear. Machina's tone quiets. ]

And you're one of those survivors.

I hope it gets better for you.

[He doesn't confirm that. He is anything but a survivor. But he does clarify.]

...I was injured... at the start... my memory is... fractured... It's a mercy... in many ways... I haven't faced... the same loss... the same horror... that I can recall...

But it has... it is... better... I have made friends... and enjoyed things...

It's a blessing to forget. [ It's a saying in his world, something that he replies with automatically, and after a pause, he adds: ] So long as there are people, there's a chance to rebuild.

[He hums. A blessing and a curse. He is grateful and yet he still longs to know.]

That is true... exactly that... and even if... it weren't... there is other life... there is still a big world...

We see... the former here... the survivors... And now we help...

Aa. [ It's an affirmative sound. ] And if we aren't here, then their world is forfeit.

It is different, though, that the robots here have forgotten a lot of their past... But they want to know.

... I suppose so...

[In truth he hadn't fully considered that, without them, none of this could be.]

... I want... to know too... even if it's... only to grieve... but I figure... they'll use it... to rebuild...

[ He frowns, briefly, but moves on. ]

Point...

They key to getting us home might be in one of their memories, for all we know.

I hadn't... thought of that...

[But he may be right. Who knew? Other than the gods.]

Personally... I'm not sure... I want to leave... so soon... I have things... to do there... but... [He sighs.] I'm not ready... I want more... here... Just a bit more...

...Things... to do here?

[ He asks, curious. It sounds as if he means it in a way than more than just holding hands to help the 'bots. ]

[There's a breath of a laugh from him.]

Not so important... as you might... be thinking...

I want to live... I want to enjoy... the little things here... I want to stay near... the friends I've made... and make more memories... There are... so many things... I'll never have again... once I go back... I don't yet want... to say goodbye...

[ Taking that all together, that is exactly the opposite of how Machina feels about this world. He wants nothing more than to return as soon as possible to his own.

Not that he can't understand this guy's reason for wanting to stay, that being friends he's made, not wanting to say goodbye... ]

...Fair enough. Then, I hope you're able to stay here as long as you'd like.

♥ June (Dianir) Event Log

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