♥ December Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

December (Ranir) Event Log
The city of Havenwell is recovering very well thanks to your efforts, offworlders. The hole in the wall is sealed up and, while maybe not looking like new, it certainly looks sturdy and safe. The city itself has removed much of the rubble from the battles you fought, and the people are back to their regularly scheduled lives. They're eternally grateful that you continue to put in the time to rebuild this final bastion of civilization and are pleased to see that you enjoyed their festivals so far. As the weather of Ranir turns colder and the nights longer, some may even see snow dust the cobblestone and paved streets in the morning. The time of Rawna has come and with it...

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❥ PROMPT I: At Least It's Not a Sweater

Normally when a new season belonging to a god rolls around, the temple priests gear up and start with temple festivities. Seeing how this is Rawna's month, however, nothing much of the sort seems to be happening. In fact, it's almost as if Rawna's priests don't even care that their god's season has started. Rawna is, after all, chiefly the god of Apathy, so is it all that surprising?

What might be surprising is the sight of Ainea's priests in pairs out around the city in their stead. Each pair carries with them a single bright silver sash and they alternatively stand in broad daylight or hide in the shadows of the buildings. Walk by on your own and you'll be left alone, but when the priests spot two people walking even remotely near each other, they spring into action.

The two robotic priests zip around you and another person with surprising speed, tying the sash off around you - either around your wrists, your waists, your legs, whatever it takes to tie you to another person. With a triumphant buzz of excitement, they declare "Happy Ranir! Kindness comes in many forms!" and depart to find a new pair of victims patrons. As they leave, one of the pair calls out an additional clue for you: "Be kind to unwind!"

Good luck, everyone, you're now stuck with this other person. You can either wait until the sash naturally falls off in a few hours, or you can take the direction of the priests and be kind to the other person to encourage the magical knot to come undone. Each compliment, word of encouragement, or other act of kindness directed at your new partner seems to loosen the sash a little each time, so get to winning the Niceness War.

Oh, and in case you were thinking of blasting, teleporting, or cutting your way out? No amount of magic or physical force seems capable of cutting or removing the sash. Hopefully you went to the bathroom before they got you.

❥ PROMPT II: A Delicious Delight

After a long hard day of dodging Ainea's priests or just slogging through the colder weather around the city, what could be better than imbibing a seasonally festive drink? Well, the scientists in charge of Experiment 73 certainly think so! They've added a limited edition drink selection to all of the replicators and have some delightfully festive booths spread about the city staffed by a few robots wearing Rawna's colors in their sashes and hats. There are five drinks in total to choose from and you should certainly try them! They're only here until the end of the month and then the scientists say they'll be gone! The best things in life are fleeting, aren't they? The best things in life are also surprises, so when you take a sip of these exquisitely delicious (honest! For once they're good) beverages, prepare yourself for a little trick with your treat.

• Ginger and Honey Tea: A hot, thoroughly warming drink with the bite of ginger and the sweetness of honey. Drink this and you'll be shored up against the cold, but also feel compelled to tell or blurt out the truth. Whether you're asked a question or trying to tell a little white lie, you find you can't say anything but the truth. This effect lasts for up to an hour after drinking the tea.
  
• Strawberry Shortcake Smoothie: A cold sweet treat of vanilla smoothie topped with sweet strawberry pieces and whipped cream. At the bottom, you'll find a layer of sweet sponge cake cut up into pieces. Drink this with its own special thick straw and enjoy the taste of cake; and the effect of a personal miniature snow cloud that appears over your head. The cloud dusts you and your immediate area within a foot of you with beautiful multicolored snow - and that snow leaves splotches of color behind that last for up to an hour after drinking the smoothie.
  
• Hot Cinnamon Apple Cider: A deliciously steamy beverage that tastes of apple and cinnamon and comes with a cinnamon stick stirrer for effect. This beverage smells as delicious as it tastes and the aroma wafts around the area more strongly than the others. Drink this penultimate holiday drink and you'll find yourself heating up so much that you'll want to stay cold by giving your heat away via holding someone else. You'll want to be everyone's personal heater for up to an hour after drinking the cider.
  
• Gingerbread Latte: A nice piping hot latte with the hint of gingerbread threaded through the coffee, topped with whipped cream and dusted with gingerbread spice. Served in a tall red cup that seems to transfer the heat uncannily well through its thin walls, sip this and you'll find yourself painlessly sprouting an animal's appendage at random. You can have one functioning or non-functioning, cosmetic animal appendage like a cat's ears, a dog's tail, a duck's beak or whatever else you can think of for up to an hour after drinking the latte. They can replace your original body part (e.g. your ears become cat ears) or grow superfluously (e.g. you have regular ears AND cat ears). You can move the appendages or talk with them as if they are your own, but they don't confer any special magical powers with them. So you can fly with those griffin wings, sure, but you're going to need to put the effort into it.
  
• Hot Mulled Wine (alcoholic): This one isn't for children - and in fact, under 18 people might find it hard (but not impossible, be industrious, little ones!) to get their hands on this drink. Red wine is heated with spices and citrus fruit over low heat for several hours - or it would if it wasn't all synthetically created. The effect is the same though, a delicious adult beverage that's a nice way to spend an evening with someone special. And you'll want them to be someone special because drinking the hot wine makes you inclined to get a little steamy with people. Kisses, both chaste and passionate, seem to alleviate the urge which you'll be under for up to an hour after drinking the wine.

❥ PROMPT III: Winter (VR) Wonderland

There isn't quite enough snow on the ground to allow it in reality, but in the VR Cafes anything is possible. This month, the VR Cafes are decorated with snowflakes in odd patterns and designs - holograms, naturally - that spin and change shape and color in a timed routine. Plug into the games and you'll find a new selection among the usual offerings: Winter Wonderland.

There are two modes to Winter Wonderland and each are fun in their own ways.

Snow Fight! Head out into the powdery snow where fantastic snow forts await and battle it out with snowballs to claim the most territory or just see who can hit the other side the most. You can choose Team Battle, Solo 1vs1, or Battle Royale. All magic, skills, and cunning are at your disposal. While the snow might not be falling outside, it's definitely going to be raining down on you here, so bundle up and have some fun. You earned it!

Ski Lodge But maybe you don't want to go flinging snow down someone's shirt and would rather cuddle up on a couch in front of a big warm fire, huh? Sure, we understand that. Welcome to the Ski Lodge, a cozy getaway up in the mountains where you can relax with a hot chocolate (or cider, or glass of wine even) and curl up on the couches and experience a lazy afternoon in thick fluffy sweaters. It's even better with a friend, they say, so why not create this private little getaway for the two (or three or four, we're not judging) of you? For people wanting a romantic lean, you can always slip out the back (and out of your clothes if you prefer) into the private jacuzzi on the wooden deck, too.

For people who want to have some fun tearing it up on the mountain-side though, we suggest trying Ski-venture! A year-round game that lets you ski or snowboard your way down the mountain.

❥ PROMPT IV: A Mysterious Gift [REGAIN EVENT]

Toward the end of the month starting from the 20th and on, some people may find themselves drawn to Rawna's temple late at night, when most of the priests are offline or elsewhere. The only native creatures you can see here are the fledgling rainbow dragons which watch you from their various perches all around the sanctum. As you approach the temple's altar, you realize someone else has been drawn here as well. In the quiet, dim lighting, the barest of candles still burning and the watchful eyes of the dragons, you feel compelled to unburden yourself to the other person. Tell your tale of woe or sorrow, relieve yourself of a secret you've kept hidden for too long, and listen to your companion as well. They say a burden shared is a burden halved after all.

Once you've both shared something, a pair of dragonlings crawl up into the altar's clawed hands. They wind around each other until an iridescent light shines from their scales. The light is blinding and you must look away as it reaches its pinnacle and releases a burst of rainbow light. When you look back, the dragonlings are slithering away and in their places are two objects - one familiar to you and one to your partner - so long as both of you have shared. It seems your tithe has been rewarded with something from home.

OOC: These items from home must be approved by a mod. They cannot exceed the Medium Item regain limit. It cannot be a power or other ability. It cannot be something your character did not own or have knowledge of in their canon or their CRAU. Please post your regain request in the Regain Request thread before threading out the receipt of the item.

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This event will run from December 6th to December 31st. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. You are welcome to use this log, or create entries of your own! If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread.

Comments

[carbungle]

Not me. No doubt it was expected of me when I got home, but... don't know if that'll ever happen now.

[He scuffs his foot in the snow, idly smearing the lost pattern. There's that quiet tone again, the edge of a precipice he's unprepared to dive off of. He knows that's too vague, though, so he purses his lips and adds,]

Dances are supposed to tell a story in parts of Lucis. The one this dance told is over, so it's kind of pointless.

[iustaegis]

[ This... is, perhaps, one of the worst expressions she's seen on him. Coupled with his words, he doesn't sound just sad, but also defeated. As if whatever had happened is far in the past, unable to be changed, worthless to be thought of for those thoughts will change nothing-- pointless, he says, and he erases the traces of their footsteps with the snow. ] Noct.... [ She continues to look at the marred markings upon the ground. More snow erases its tracings. Without more to follow in those same steps, to dance what has been danced before, it will be buried in time...

She's caught at a crossroads: does she pry, offer comfort, give hope, or change the subject? ] I mentioned before... [ She speaks up again, her words slow. ] that your story is worth knowing.

[ To which he said, Hell yeah it is. Carefully, she lifts and turns her head. The dance tells a tale, and it also creates a sigil. She recalls what she's learned from another: ations speak louder than words. ] So...

[ She gives his hand a tug, as if urging him to join her, that this is unfinished. The tale of Lucis might be over, but his is not. Her hand will find his shoulder again, and she'll lead him out-- and around-- the ruined emblem in a slow dance. It would misconstrue the symbolism to keep him at the story's center for a final turn, when she feels that that is not necessarily true. The world is at the center, and he is all around, with it... to bring it its light.

When it's over, they've drawn a protective ring about the entirety of the broken flower beneath. A sun, a star. She lifts her gaze to smile at him, hoping this has somewhat helped. ]

[carbungle]

[It does. It does help. He realizes what they're doing partway through, and that uncertain expression shifts at first to surprise, and then a softer, calmer look, his eyes closing as he allows her to guide him through the path. It's fitting, though she may not know it. The emblem itself is encircled, like the city, like the wall. The wall that broke, when the Imperials stole the crystal and murdered his father. The legacy of his family is swords and rings, always has been, and the symbol of their country echoes that. What will become of his home until he saves it? Will they desecrate the city, tear down the Old Wall and the kings of the past, replace every banner and engraving with Niflheim's flag? He thinks about that, sometimes. Dreads the thought of going back as much as he longs for it. The very idea of it is wretched; there's so much legacy there, thousands of years of pride and devotion and a longing for peace that they were never allowed to enjoy.

But it's more than Lucis, now. More than Insomnia. The flower and the star intertwined are the blades of the king and his comrades. The Crystal is the soul of their world, the center, and it's meant for him. That means that he has to protect it and bring it home. He'll be the shield it needs, when he's strong enough. Imagining that day... it feels good. Like some kind of triumphant return, one that might at least in part make up for all those he'd been forced to leave behind.

By the time they finish his gaze is cast down towards the ground, to the circle they'd traced with moving feet, and there's a quiet smile on his lips.]

...I like it. Fits just right. [A pause, and a steadying exhale of breath. It's okay.] Thanks, Pyra.

[He's being stupid. The story of Lucis isn't over- Insomnia isn't gone. It may be out of his reach, but one day, he'll come home again. That's the only kind of ending he can allow, after everything.]

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ She cannot know his exact thoughts, but it seems that the finishing touch to the dance has helped. It has also, she hopes, pushed him to move forward. He must. Bowing her head a bit, she replies softly, ] You're welcome.

[ Her hand upon his shoulder lifts from it to fall to her side, while the other remains clasped with his. She gives him some space when the dance is over, some time to breathe in the cool winter-weather air.

It's only after a few more moments of respectful silence that she speaks up again. ] ......I would like to know more about Lucis and this dance. [ And, now that she thinks about it-- she did request at one point to learn more about his father from him. This, all to honor their memories. ]

[iustaegis]

[ Then, in an airier tone as if she might lighten the mood: ]

But I think we should get you out of the snow. It's completely coating your ears!

[carbungle]

[That nets her a curious wiggle of his cat ears, flicking a bit of the snow off... and that is when he notices.]

What?

[With his free hand he reaches up, first to the side of his head, and then further up-

....!!!]

What!?

[Why does he have ears! up there! what, what!?]

[iustaegis]

[ Okay, she can't help but laugh at his reaction. How did he not notice this entire time? Maybe he had been that focused on the dance! ]

Come on, let's get you inside...

[ Back into wherever they had been.^{let's say a cafe} Once inside, she'll release his grip on his free hand to help him dust off the remaining snow on his ears. ]

[carbungle]

[He can't stop touching them as she leads them in, stroking one hand down the length of each over and over, experimentally feeling them move.]

H... how long have those been there? And why are they real? I can feel that...

[iustaegis]

[ She's still brushing the snow off of the other one. It wouldn't do to have his fur? hair? matted. ]

Since just before we started dancing.

[ ....And she didn't mention them. Which, huh, brings her previous theory that the dance itself had distracted him out. Could it have been the falling snow itself? ]

[carbungle]

You didn't even say anything...

[He makes an attempt to pull one free- a brief attempt, because that one pull is enough to make it abundantly clear that they're fully attached and not going anywhere. He'd suspected, of course, considering how can feel them and move them - move them! - but to have it confirmed is just... too surreal.

Oookay, just going to leave them alone and let them... wiggle away, then. He tilts his head in her direction to let her fuss as she pleases. That actually feels kind of nice.]

This is so weird. Was it- [WAIT.] Was it the drink?

[iustaegis]

...Mm.

[ She answers with an affirming sound, but now? With the last of the snow dusted off of him, her fingers still linger to......! Give him a bit of an ear scritch. Shh, shh, don't think about why she didn't point it out earlier. Shhhhh. ]

Don't worry, they aren't permanent.  [ She had bunny ears at one point for this event.... ]  ...But they are adorable.

[carbungle]

Oh... yeah, that makes sense.

[That they wouldn't be permanent, at least. Not much about this otherwise makes any sense, but that's this world in a nutshell really.

And o-oh... ear scritch... is there a subtle way to lean further into that? Because it's all instinct now, and he's absolutely doing it. The other ear lifts straight upright, immediately attentive to the oddly soothing touch, and he can't help but close his eyes.

If he'd been given a cat throat at the same time, he would totally be purring.]

[iustaegis]

[ What an expression he wears, it’s like he’s finally fully rested and content. She wonders if... if his ancestor would enjoy something like this. Both kings could use some R&R, honestly.

Playfully, ]

I think I’ve found your biggest weakness, Noct.

[carbungle]

...Uh-huh, sure.

[He gives a very slight nod; it's obvious that he's not listening, or perhaps not able to listen. This could actually put him to sleep, at this rate. He's leaning more, now.]

[iustaegis]

[ Speaking of R&R...

She won’t stop him from actually falling asleep, if it comes to that. And if he does, she’ll catch him before he falls. Napping in the middle of a cafe? No problem, it’s not like the locals will mind especially if the keep in contact. ]

[carbungle]

[And he... does not! But he comes so close that the sudden wobble makes him snap out of it as his leg shifts to catch himself, and he straightens up and away from her touch, reaching to habitually fuss at his hair.]

--Uh. What were you saying?

[Just... gonna pretend that never happened.]

[iustaegis]

[ She laughs, withdrawing her hand to herself. ]

Nothing, nothing.

[ A napping noctis would be so cute. She imagines him curling up against anything warm like a cat.

So. Anyway. ]

Let me treat you something to eat, and then you can tell us more about this dance’s story...?

[carbungle]

[He can nap pretty much anywhere, too, so no doubt she'll catch him in the act sooner or later.]

Oh yeah, sure.

[Though he's not sure there's much to tell about the dance itself, Lucis at least has an interesting history. Good thing he could never get away with sleeping through that class.

He heads over to find them a table, immediately poking at the menu options.]

I don't even know how old it is. A hundred years, maybe?

[iustaegis]

[ Probably even older than that, she imagines, for there to be a superstition about it, and the dance could have evolved over time, like how oral traditions shift throughout the centuries. ]

...There are parts to the dance.

[ And its story, she believes, is not pointless any longer; hence her asking. She looks over the menu options. Once she’s set, she’ll place her order for one of the sweets. ]

As if it builds upon each other and the previous act. [ If it has to do with Lucis, this should be no surprise. Often there are ages to kingdoms. Golden ones, enlightenments, sometimes conquerors, other times reformations... But here the dance could mean something else. ]

[carbungle]

That's kinda how it works, yeah. It was made for the royal family, and the line's all about building on top of the previous generations, gathering power from those who came before. Telling the story of the country is telling the story of our family at the same time.

[It's a little self-serving, he knows, but the Caelum line built Lucis into its own nation, adopted the country's name unto itself so the two could be forever intertwined. Or was it the other way around? He's not sure, maybe Somnus would know. Either way.

He makes his own order and thinks a moment on how to explain it.]

Um, some backstory I guess... when a king or queen of Lucis dies, their weapon retains the power they had while they were alive. Then the ones still living can visit their tombs and gain that power- those are the Royal Arms. And when the first king of Lucis was chosen- [A beat, and then,] When Somnus, uh. Got the crown. He was given a ring from the gods that only a king of Lucis could wear. So the crest of Lucis has blades, centred around the ring... it's not subtle, I guess is what I'm saying.

[iustaegis]

[ ...That's new information to her, of Somnus being the first kind of Lucis. But also he gives more: their power is passed down not just by this light they share, but by their weapons.

And a ring.

However, the most important thing she takes away from it is not the power that's apparently passed down or the traditions with it, but that this means he's connected to-- to all of his family. A family who loves him. ^{so she assumes} She can't imagine what it must be like-- yes, burden of the ring or crown or country aside-- to remain so tied with others who have long passed. Even if it's just by obtaining weapons they wield, it would be as if fighting alongside them, with them, and... and not against.

She brings a hand to her chest, her gaze thoughtful. She waits for him to continue telling the story of Lucis and the dance. ]

[carbungle]

[sorry gramps, he's spilling the beans

The story of Lucis itself is very, very long - or thousands of years, which is long for him at least - but thankfully the dance doesn't encompass all of that, so he can skip most of the formative stuff.]

Lucis has been at war with Niflheim on and off for hundreds of years- they've been pushing against the whole world, expanding territory, and we've lost ground for most of it. At one point, one of the past kings used the ring and the Crystal's power to make a huge barrier, a magic wall that covered most of the continent to keep Niflheim out, and the Crownsguard was formed to protect what we had left and counterattack when we had to.

[He gives the table a thoughtful tap. There's no pen or paper here, but it's a little easier with a visual.]

In the dance, the leader is the king, and his partner represents the people of Lucis. For the first part, you start in the center, then send your "soldiers" out into the world, following along the blades of the crest. [He traces out the movement with a finger on the table.] There's a circle at the end of each blade, the adamantite towers that amplify the Crystal and keep the barrier active. Those're the turns we did- [He draws each circle in turn, switching between the two- blade, tower, blade, tower, returning to the center with each set.]

Eventually the wall was too draining for the king, so it was scaled back bit by bit until it only covered the Crown City. The spins represent the four directions, the four corners of the city and the crest itself. The lift is the king putting the people above his own needs, and...

[He pauses, hesitant; it's scraping up against the things he doesn't like to think about, no longer as distant as the rest had been. All of that happened before he was born. This, though, is the life he grew up dreading- one that ended when his father's did. He's free of that, yes, but at the cost of everything else, including his family. That's hard to think about in the same calm, distant way he'd been able to thus far.

It's then that she reaches for his hand, and without even thinking about it he accepts, giving it a light squeeze and drawing upon that to finish.]

...and the drop is a test for the dancers, a demonstration of whether or not the king can support the people and hold up the wall without falling. And that's where the superstition comes from.

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ Niflheim. That is the military to which Verstael belongs.

Crownsguard. In one conversation, she had suggested to Prompto (jokingly, but also not so much) that he should have a title since Noctis had one of his own. He had immediately said Crownsguard.

A barrier. One that had once covered the continent, but then soon reduced to a city. This is followed by a lift, where the king puts others above himself-- using the power of the crystal and the ring, from what he's said.

A pause. This... she does not know this pause's roots; his expression, his tone is more detached, and she cannot read it as well. Is it uncertainty, she wonders. Is he not ready to support his people, even when he carries the power of his ancestors and gods within him? Is it that he is not ready to put the entirety of the world above himself? Or is it something else-- his father, too, must have lifted the people above. His father then died.

Overall, his explanation is very different from Pyra's initial interpretation of the dance. Its finale she had experienced had felt triumphant; yet in his actual explanation, it feels... heavy. The guilt she feels for enjoying the dance at all in her ignorance only adds to that burden. It seems she had been mistaken, and she has no issues to admit it. She wouldn't ever have guessed how somber it is supposed to be.

Pyra has more thoughts, but from the newfound sorrow for him as her eyes meet his, he might be very able to tell that she can't quite sort through them all. She considers delaying with a sliver of hope: that he did not drop her. If any omen can be derived from how he completed this dance with her, whether superstition or not,  this means he can support his people. At the very least, he can support those who are close to him.  This silver lining falls short when she recalls that the dance must be done within his home. This demonstration does not count, not that it has any real power over the future anyway.

She listens attentively, her expression shifting to sorrow and worry and conflict and guilt, while his does not. ]

[iustaegis]

[ Eventually, she finds her voice, beginning slowly but no less sympathetically. ]

You speak of your— [ Kingdom, she’s about to say, but she recalls his words, Telling the story of the country is telling the story of our family at the same time. ] family....

All of them... [ His father. Somnus, too. Whatever kings and queens had come before. Her gaze lowers then lifts. ] seem to have given so much [ Even in death, for she knows the founder has lingered for thousands of years. ] for your people and your kingdom.

[ She pauses, attempting to measure his expression. Still he remains despondent.

Pointless, he said. ] You’ve... already given a lot, too. [ She can see it— she has seen it in his scars, his runes upon his skin. Her hand squeezes his gently. ] To your people... and the world... what you give is not futile, Noct.

[ She believes he knows this already on some level, and she hopes he thinks of all of the people he had assisted already. Yet there remains another meaning to her words, an encouragement to press onward towards that future. He must, if he is the only one who can bring that light. ]

[carbungle]

[His brows furrow as he frowns, considering those words for a long moment. No… that's not right either.]

I don't… I haven't given up or anything. It's just that things are too different now- there's no going back anymore. When I said pointless I meant that the Wall's already fallen.

[His gaze drops to the table, to their joined hands. He's trying to regain his composure, to hold on to that calm. This is just history now, the reality of his present. It's not an open wound laid bare and bleeding, here in this public place where anyone can see.

He tries, but he can't quite remove himself from it; there's steel and ice underlying his tone, more than grief or surrender. He's angry. It's restrained, but he's furious.]

Niflheim took Lucis, they invaded home and stole the Crystal. The Wall's gone, it shattered when Dad died. I don't have anything to give them- but... I'm gonna take back what's ours.