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

[He catches Noctis in the middle of a stretch break; he's been running around the neighbourhood this morning, so his voice is a little winded when he replies.]

Cat tail! And... dog ears? No.

[He squints, leaning in. Animal features can be similar, but it's hard to tell without the rest of it... Suddenly he leans back, grinning. How incredibly on point.]

They made you a silver fox?

That they did.

[Regis' smug grin is only briefly hidden by his mug as he takes another sip.]

There is no arguing with taste, I suppose, but you have broken the pattern. Ardyn had a fox tail when I ran into him. We were wondering if you would have some fox part as well. Perhaps we should see what Somnus ends up with before deciding there is a pattern.

Yeah, can't say I've ever been very, uh, foxy.

[Cats seem to be a bit more suitable. What even are the traits of a fox? It's not one of the animals of the world he's especially familiar with beyond appearances. Wily...?]

I haven't seen Somnus sprouting any new features lately, but I can keep an eye out.

Oh, I don't know about that. I suspect you capable of great mischief when the urge strikes.

[And foxes are quite well-known for their mischievousness.]

I would pay your friend Prompto quite handsomely were he to catch a picture of our Founder with ears or a tail. Somehow, I don't think that is going to happen, though. It's a shame. Perhaps it would help him relax a little.

[It also would be hilarious to see.]

I reserve the right to keep my mouth shut on that one.

[Regis will learn about his particular brand of mischief eventually, but it's better to leave the man in suspense.]

So... is that a public bounty, or a Prompto exclusive? Because I could try my hand at it.

[Regis hums in amusement at the answer. All right, if that is how it's going to be, he will wait and see. Hopefully, the Astrals will have mercy on his sanity.]

Well now, I would hate to leave anyone out of the fun.

[Open bounty: Go!]

[Hell yeah.]

So are these effects on purpose or by accident, you think? I couldn't get a straight answer out of any of the priests.

[And they are all, unsurprisingly, very weird.]

It's honestly hard to say.

[He's trying to give them the benefit of the doubt, but this is completely the kind of thing he can imagine them doing on purpose.]

The more complex the drink--and none of these are basic drinks--the greater the chance is of something going wrong since they don't need food and drink themselves. On the other hand, what exactly does one put into a drink that would cause animal ears and tails to sprout on those who drink them?

Probably not the drinks, if I was gonna guess.

[He closes the distance and reaches up, brushing his hands over the fox ears, his tail lazily swaying back and forth behind him.]

You can feel that, right?

[The ears on Regis' head twitch, answering the question before he can even open his mouth.]

I do. It's a strange, but not all that unpleasant, feeling.

[He tilts his head slightly, brushing his ears against Noctis' hands again unintentionally.]

If it is not something in the drinks, then what do you suspect it is? Surely, it would be too much work to have someone watching who drinks what and then affecting them with the appropriate quirk.

[...Aww, that's the same reaction he'd given when Pyra had petted his ears, too. Unable to resist, he keeps doing it.]

Sorry, I meant- the drinks are the catalyst, yeah. But it isn't the kind of effect we could do ourselves, even if we mixed all the same ingredients together. It's probably this world's magic messing with us. Like how we can infuse drinks with magic to make potions, right?

[It's simple enough logic. In the hands of Lucian royalty, an energy drink becomes an amazing curative. Priests directly connected to gods could totally make a coffee that gives you animal ears.]

[Regis closes his eyes for a moment, enjoying both the sensation of the petting and thinking over Noctis' words. Finally, he makes a soft sound of agreement.]

Unintended side effects just of a different kind than I was assuming.

[He opens his eyes and then darts them mischievously toward the nearest drink vendor.]

Tell me not to try and turn one of those into a potion to see if there are any interesting results.

[What a surreal experience this is. If someone told him this morning he'd be petting his dad's ears by lunchtime he'd have thought they were crazy.]

Tell you not to? You're asking the wrong person.

[WHY WOULD HE EVER, that sounds awesome.]

Make it an elixir, maybe it'll do something extra. Like ears from a magic animal or something.

[Your son is a dirty enabler, Regis.]

[Regis can't help but laugh at that, his fox ears laying flat against his head for a moment with the force of it, before springing forward again. Noctis is definitely his son and he couldn't be more thrilled.]

What an excellent idea. Not the wine, though. Alcohol has never been easy to work with, even back home. Shall we do the latte since we both enjoy it so much? A new cup would likely give us the best results.

[Regis sets aside his old mug and takes a moment to grab a brand new one from the nearest vendor.]

Who knows? Perhaps we can get you some Carbuncle ears.

[His eyes widen at that, lighting up at once. That would be amazing...!]

Yeah, let's do it. I doubt they'd mind us coming back for seconds.

[He says like this isn't his eighth time drinking it this week. (And no one stops him as he grabs a fresh mug of his own.)]

[Regis waits for Noctis to grab his new cup and then motions for his son to follow him over to a bench. Potion creation takes a lot of energy and it is better they are sitting just in case.]

Because we are unsure of how the drinks will react, it may be best if we try one at a time. Do you want to try first or shall I?

[Don't mind him as he pulls an actual potion he made a few days ago from the Armiger and sits it near by. Better safe than sorry.]

I'll do it, sure. You're probably the better option for handling it if something happens.

[Noctis shrugs, blowing lightly on his cup to make sure it's good to drink. Pressing both hands on the sides of the mug, he focuses for a long moment - probably a little longer than he should have to - as that familiar blue glimmer spreads from his palms and into the contents within. When it looks satisfactory, he raises it in a casual salute.]

Bottom's up.

[And then he drinks! And makes it through a good half of the cup before he pauses, glancing down at himself. Doesn't appear to be any changes, though... he looks behind, and sure enough the cat tail is still there. Maybe it takes a while? Or they don't stack?

Huh. He's almost disappointed.]

[Regis watches as Noctis works his magic on the cup and then takes a drink. Everything seems to work as it should, but sure enough, there doesn't seem to be any change to his son's current state. Regis taps his fingers against the side of the cup he is holding as he thinks on this result.]

You know, I've seen Cor drinking these almost constantly. You know how he is about caffeine.

[Who needs sleep when you have it?]

Despite that, I have never seen him with more than one animal part, be it ears, tail or anything else. Have you see anyone who seems to be exhibiting more than one animal part, or for that matter, showing effects from more than one drink?

[As he awaits his son's answer, Regis slowly starts feeding magic into the drink he's holding.]

[Pardon him a moment for making a mental note to keep an eye out for Cor, because he would quite like to see animal bits on that man in particular. It's like the Somnus challenge all over again, except this time Cor's doing it to himself.]

I haven't seen more than one so far- haven't had more myself, either. And I've been drinking this stuff a lot too.

[He points up towards his head.]

I had cat ears earlier, but now there's a tail. It just swapped one for one. Maybe the magic's not strong enough to stack up.

[Regis nods, frowning as he feels a slight resistance to the magic he's feeding into the drink. He pushes a little harder before turning his attention back to his son.]

Either that or it is strong enough to stand up against a similar magic, even altered by our own. Cor has shif-

[When he feels continued resistance, Regis abandons that thought and then focuses all of his attention on the drink. Finally, after a few moments, he feels the magic take and the drink shift into a curative.]

There is definitely magic of some kind in this. Did you feel resistance when you tried changing yours?

I don't know if I'd call it resistance...

[Noctis considers the glass for a moment, turning it this way and that as if some remnant of the magic might still be tangible.]

Like eating fruit after brushing your teeth, kinda? You can do it, but you know right away that it's not-

[And then he stiffens and goes completely straight-backed, eyes widening, a full body shiver passing through him. When it fades, he can feel the difference as much as he can see it.

He glances behind himself and the cat tail has shifted into that of a Carbuncle. Except it isn't his Carbuncle, it's more like Era's, and it is glowing. Loudly and brightly, like the most obnoxious daemon-scaring headlight.]

....Um.

Like it's not right? Yes, that is a better way to describe it. The two magics aren't mixing well just like eating fruit right after brushing your teeth wouldn't be a good mix.

[It also explains why just trying to force more magic at it really didn't accomplish anything. One doesn't fix a bad mix just by throwing more of one thing at the other.

Of course, Regis doesn't get much more time to follow that thought because Noctis' tail suddenly changes and his son's reaction is strong enough that he almost drops his own cup in shock.]

Are you all right?

[They may need to rename him 'Rudolph, the Red-Tailed Carbuncle' at this rate.]

Yeah, uh.

[He reaches back to grab his own tail, lifting it up like he needs to feel it and make sure it's even real. And he's definitely feeling it. Even the glowing effect is oddly tangible, like holding a battery-powered light-up toy.]

I think you should maybe... save that one? Because it's not a potion.

[And whatever it may actually be, it is absolutely begging to be a prank on someone.]

[Regis gives the drink a skeptical look before turning his gaze back to his son and his unfortunately bright tail.]

Yes, I would have to agree. I'll find a special bottle to store it in so no one drinks it on accident. Perhaps, we can use it to study once we have more tools at our disposal.

[Ah, forget that! It's going to 100% be a prank. Someday. Sometime.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

♥ December Event Log

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject