hugtopia_logs | ♥ December Event Log

♥ December Event Log

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...

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

a pair of hands holding each other with a red ribbon tied around their wrists

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

a wooden lodge at night, blanketed in snow

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.

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Is that how it is...? Shinji sympathizes, for sure, but can't help but wonder if that's still not the correct conclusion to jump to?

"If that's the case, I guess it would make sense to involve me, too..." He's been a little less reluctant to play along with the whims of the natives lately, at the very least with a select handful of people, but he's still not nearly as open about casual skinship as many of the others here. "But, wouldn't it make more sense to just go after those who are, I don't know, a little happier doing these things?" Surely prying contact out of someone touch-skittish isn't going to net a bigger profit than from someone who's pleased to do it in the first place.

"I can't say for sure, but I doubt they're after you on purpose."

That would just mean that getting roped into being tied together is just a stroke of bad luck, rather than a targeted effort. Is... that... any better? H m m.

Kyoko huffs, and grumbles, "It would make sense. For that matter, it would make way, way more sense to only bring people like that here in the first place." So the logical reasoning is that it truly is random, but Kyoko's been singled out for torment so often in her life that she has to assume people, the gods, and probably the universe in general are just inclined to pick on her sometimes. Or at least, this is the reasoning she prefers when she's already upset.

"But you think it makes sense for you to be a target too?" So he's also being difficult about the situation? "I kinda wondered if it was just me... but then, tying the two of us together really is pretty efficient, if the goal is punishment."

Honestly, if they could only select people who are a good fit for a world like this, they probably would have gone that route, rather than just kidnapping Whoever. It's a pretty inefficient system right now, isn't it?

His difficulty comes with a little less willful defiance and a little more general skittishness, but it still makes him... not a very lucrative individual to have around. Either way, sticking two underachievers together strikes him as ridiculous. Unless...

"Punishment?"

He sounds faintly incredulous at the idea, the robot natives have always painted themselves as really docile forces. But, then again, this would be a pretty docile kind of punishment. Maybe? She's on to something?

"I really hope that's not the case," but he can kind of see where she's coming from, at least.

Huh, why does he sound surprised by the possibility of punishment? It always jumps to her mind so easily.

Kyoko nods gravely. "It's the most likely scenario, unless they really are just extremely incompetent. The most fitting punishment for slackers is always to make them do their chores, right? We're probably supposed to be learning something from this."

He's just more used to punishment being a cosmic thing rather than a deliberate action! But also Kyoko are you like? okay? That's a pretty troubling conclusion to jump to first.

"That... does sound pretty believable, actually," not that he necessarily wants to believe it, but he feels like he could. "For the most part, the robots seem like they're just kind of... out of touch? If this is a punishment thing, I'd assume they aren't trying to be malicious about it, though."

Gosh Shinji, don't you know punishment can be cosmic and deliberate? But he does have a point, Kyoko has to concede. Carelessness is as solid a fact of the universe as punishment.

"You're the generous type, huh?" Kyoko sighs. "Well, not that their intentions really make a difference right now. You don't think there's any way we can skip out this time?"

It's true, discussing the intentions aren't exactly going to get them out of this situation.

Or... will it? It kind of feels like there's a little extra wiggle room in the bindings now, but Shinji's a bit unsure if he's maybe mistaken about that. He regards the sash for a moment with a quiet, thoughtful pause, as he tries to figure out exactly if and why that's really the case. Huh.

"There's gotta be some way out of this besides just waiting," but what? They had said, 'Be kind'... be? kind? "Do you think they might want us to, I don't know... go out of our way to be nice to each other?"

Kyoko might not have noticed anything different about the bindings just yet, if Shinji hadn't gone quiet for a moment. Following his gaze down to their hands, her eyebrows rose. Had they managed to make that much accidental skin contact just from the close proximity already? How much more would it take, then?

Or... "Let's test it." It was certainly worth trying, before they committed to cuddling for an hour or whatever. "I can wash your dishes!--No, with our hands like this, that's a bad favor--um--" Frowning intensely, she stares him down, searching. "... I didn't notice this until just now, but your eyebrows are actually pretty nice. You don't do anything to them?"

"I wash my own dishes just fine, anyway," he mutters softly before she can come up with that Nice Compliment. One of those things where the desire to keep things as tidy as he can beats out that siren call of depression to just neglect mess. He's capable of taking care of himself at least that much!

But, no, what she settles on is that compliment, and it's one that takes him by some pretty clear surprise. "They are...?" Like it's something he hadn't even thought of considering up until this very second. He reaches up with his free hand to lightly touch at one of them, like that would clear up what she means by that at all, but, alas. It remains a mysterious comment to him. "I don't, no."

Check that out, though, the sash appears to have loosened another couple of degrees!

She hadn't meant to imply anything! Chores are just a thing she's good at that most people welcome having other people do for them! But it seems they've hit upon another solution anyway. Okay, this is doable!

Kyoko nods seriously and flashes a thumbs up. "They're thin and crisp and elegant, but they don't stand out too much either; they're totally balanced with your delicate facial features! Actually, your nose is good too! Small and cute, but not too much for a guy!" Wow, and look at that, more loosening. It worked twice in quick succession! "Shinji! You had a good idea!"

Oh no he is absolutely about to get totally bowled over by those compliments?? He has to kind of pause, a bit stunned, to really figure out what's happening here, and as soon as he can box up those comments Kyoko's slid his way as probably mostly just a means to loosen up this sash, he starts to think of the best way to turn this back around her way. No need to really, like, absorb and accept them, or anything.

"Okay," Okay yeah he can... he can do this. It'd be kind of weird for him to pull something out of thin air, so for just a moment, he thinks back to their first encounter, over at the wall-repair-site. "You're... a really hard worker, right? I think being able to take on a lot at once is really admirable."

If she weren't so focused on getting the sash off, Kyoko might have been a little ticked to have all that carefully crafted praise brushed off with an 'okay' but luckily for everyone she's pretty much on the same page as Shinji here. He gets it, he's trying!

Still, she has to flush at that one; hard work is certainly one of her own favorite qualities in a person. "You too!" she hastens to shoot back, but she doesn't think she's just echoing him, not really. "I mean, I guess I don't know you that well yet, but you're two for two on rising to the occasion and being a big help! In my experience!"

Yeah, he'd probably assume that she wouldn't toss any compliments his way, those of work ethic included, if it weren't for this particular tricky situation they're in. That thought makes it a little easier to not have to confront how sincere they may be, which, uh... yeah, that's probably kind of rude of him, honestly. Maybe they can deal with it after the sash is gone, but ideally they will Never speak of this Again.

Speaking of which, though, the sash! Is even more loose now! Just a little bit more!!

"I think seeing someone working so hard makes people want to work hard, too. It's... kind of inspirational, you know?"

Levels of sincerity aside, Kyoko can't help ducking her head a bit and mumbling, "'Inspirational' is way too much...." But regardless of whether she can accept that kind of compliment, their binds ease a little more.

"But--but, even more than being a hard worker, you've been very steady and thoughtful! It's calming, you know? If it hadn't been for your good influence, I'm sure I would be trying to launch a hostile takeover of Ainea's temple right about now."

You can take a stab at a takeover with a rowdier fight boy!

Oh. Wait.

"That's..." a very interesting piece of praise. He's never really had anyone say anything quite like that to him, and he doesn't quite know what to do with it. It lands a little more meaningfully than the other kind comments have, at any rate. "I'm not sure if my influence is really that good, but... thank you."

It's also enough to finish off that sash, which falls harmlessly to the ground, allowing the two of them to take their own arms back. Success!!

Well, it's not like Kyoko is unaware that she can be a little too much sometimes; and she does usually realize when her own ridiculousness is being reined in, even if it's done inadvertently. It's the kind of thing she has to appreciate.

But before she can say any more on the topic, the sash falls away at last. Oh. "... Oh!" Stepping back so they can both get reacquainted with their personal bubbles, Kyoko leans over to look down at the bit of cloth. "Just like that.... Should we leave it here?"

Freedom from their chains, and freedom from having to endure any more compliments being tossed around! What a true relief.

"I don't know..." The priests might want it back? But on the other hand, that's one more sash to weaponize against the offworlders, if they return it. If... it can even still be used for that. Shinji will be the one to take the chance and crouch down to inspect it, though... it sure looks completely harmless now that it's off them. Even if he picks it up, careful as he may be about it... nothing weird or special happens. "It seems harmless now."

Kyoko's eyes are round as she watches Shinji handle the material. Such daring! Is it still hazardous? If they leave it there, will it twine around the next passersby who happen to walk too close to one another? If he picks it up, will it imprison them again? What a risk taker!

But then nothing happens. Oh. Okay. "I guess it's a one-use kind of thing... who knew! Do you wanna keep it? Or maybe we should burn it in tribute to Rawna."

Thank goodness! It's just a regular piece of fabric now!

He doesn't really know what to do with it, though! The suggestion to burn it in tribute does offer a tiny ripple of amusement, at least. No laughs or smirks to be found of it, be he does respond with a thoughtful "Hmm," as if to lightly entertain the idea.

"Do you think Rawna would even care about something like that?"

Apathy dragon and what have you.

"It's not about whether he cares," she shoots back, mildly stern and completely missing any trace of humor. This is serious! "It's symbolic. The triumph of logic and negativity."

Oh. Okay. He wasn't married to the lighthearted tone, or anything, so having it go unnoticed... that's Okay.

"I... suppose so." That is a valid enough point, he'll give her that much. He takes the sash into both of his hands, pulling it somewhat experimentally between them, as though to kind of test out its properties. Feels like a regular old piece of fabric for now, perhaps it wouldn't be too tough to destroy. With that in mind, he straightens himself back up.

"I'm not really interested in keeping it," so unless she is, and he somehow doubts that, then plan B could, perhaps, be enacted.

Kyoko usually is pretty interested in collecting scraps just like this one, in the name of eventually finding a way to repurpose them, but right now it feels like there's a higher calling for this particular piece of fabric. Tilting her head, she taps her chin and gives it some more thought.

"Would we get in trouble for burning something in Rawna's temple? I wouldn't want to do it outside, though, unless it's somewhere like the steps of Ainea's temple.... Oh, and I guess we'd need matches or a lighter, before anything else."

The nice reminder of the time you were ambushed and tied to another person doesn't really seem like the kind of thing many people would really be interested in recycling, but, who knows?

"Well..." are they really entertaining this notion? Like, for real? Taking a step back, it feels like an almost outlandish solution, but she seems to be pretty serious about it. It's kind of tough to not treat it in kind. "It... wouldn't be dangerous if it was left in something, like, maybe a pot...?" So that, you know, at least it's a contained fire. "And there are candles in the temple, so there are probably matches somewhere."

It's a perfectly sensible solution! Sacrificial burning has plenty of precedent across different cultures, right?

Looking at Shinji gravely, Kyoko brings a hand to rest over her heart. "Shinji... I'll say it again, but you really have good ideas. We'll just go back to Rawna's, then! Surely a little smoke won't bother dragons, right?"

This is a culture neither of them are intimately familiar with, though! It's just a big assumption to make that it's totally reasonable here!

He's not sure if this idea is necessarily as good as the last one, but we appear to be running with it anyway, so he may as well try and make it as good of a plan as possible. "I... would guess not?" Do Rawna's dragons actually breathe fire? He... does not know, actually! "If it is a problem, then making sure the pot has a lid would probably be a smart idea..."

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