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 glances down at her hands over his, and gently he squeezes the one his hand is wrapped around, nodding his head as he looks up again. His expression is firm, resolute. An immovable stone, and for just that moment- a little bit like a king ought to be.]

I know that. And I believe it, I do. If we reach the Crystal and I don't know what to do with it, then whatever, I'll improvise. I'll go home and take Lucis back. Before, or after the whole fate stuff goes down- nothing's gonna stop me from chasing the Niffs the hell out of my house.

[He'll charge right into the emperor's stronghold and tear it all down brick by brick if he has to. They've been retreating and running away for centuries, and that's over. He's going to be a very, very different kind of king.]

[ ...Ah, there it is. Now he seems far more determined than before. The anger has cooled, leaving a steadfast and strong determination behind. Whatever he's dressed in today, it certainly isn't befitting a royal, slightly damp from the snow. He also has feline-like ears atop his head. But with that look within his eyes, facing forward and jaw set, words spoken resolutely as if this is a decision over which he will not accept dissenting counsel--

Indeed in this moment, she's captivated as she can imagine him in something far more formal, perhaps with a cloak. A crown. That ring too, whatever it looks like, upon his finger. ]

With... Prompto and Ignis, right? To help you. [ A pause. ] And all of your family, with you. [ How lovely, again, that thought is.

.... ]

[ Smile returning a moment later, she leans forward by a margin, hair falling over her ear to brush at her cheek. ]

....Just like a king, you will lead them.

[ Then, playfully, but softly: ] Careful, you may be dazzling... But your shadow is going to be tall.

[He leans back as she leans in, smiling very faintly, a rueful look.]

Might be a nice change, for once. I've been chasing shadows most of my life.

[His father cast one that felt immeasurable, a wall as impossible to scale as the barrier around Insomnia. That's the downside of his family- the souls of the old kings are always watching, which means whoever bears the crown carries their judgement with them. Not that he's likely to ever actually wear it- it's the principle of the thing.

Anyway, best to re-focus. He hates that everything he seems to tell her makes her fluctuate between sad and... whatever this is. It brings into perspective how lousy things have been for far too much of his life. Friends, though- he can talk about friends. That's better.]

With Ignis and Prompto, yeah. And Gladio too, he's the only one not here.

[ Gladio, who is not here but she'll remember his name regardless. If he's anything like Prompto, then he also must be extremely loyal to Noctis as well.

Se recalls what Prompto had said to her in their first conversation, of what a home might entail: safety, comfort, loved. Noctis has something of that here, and then some. ] You have a lot of those who care... very deeply for you.

[ To the point of seeking information on how to change fate on the network, at that. Without so much as flinching as she speaks: ] I'm still waiting to hear if you've told any of them you love them yet.

[To that, he can only offer up a quiet, stubborn look, tight-lipped, pink-cheeked, with the cat ears laid flat against his head. He doesn't speak, allowing his silence to act as an answer.

Sorry, Pyra, you might be waiting some time. He isn't one who can easily just come out and say it...]

[ ...That would be a "no", she reads.

He looks so adorable with those ears pressing flat to his head, she can't help the giggle that comes after. ] Mmm.... I would have suggested that you should perform that dance with those you care about, but it's far too sad. So, hugging is still your homework assignment, too.

For your information, I hugged at least three people.

[He tries to say it with a straight face, but the redness persists. He may have done a bit more than that with a certain someone.]

[ A whole three people!! ]

Loved ones?

[ She asks this because maybe Noctis’ love-language is different. He doesn’t necessarily need to say it to convey it. Actions sometimes speak louder. ]

Uh-huh. Every one.

[Weird how it's easy to agree when she's the one saying it.]

[ It’s not her place to say, but she feels proud of him for coming this far! ]

They are blessed, to have an embrace from you.

Plus fifteen points.

[His lips finally quirk into a small smile.]

Does that bump me up to a passing grade?

[ A nod accompanies a smile. How fortunate they are, to have the love and the protection of someone like him— not just a king, not just a source of light, but of someone so sincere, brimming with humanity and life and the determination to help others. Very few could be so lucky to fall beneath the scope of his grace.

There’s a softer fondness in her eyes, complex as if woven with something else, that hadn’t been there before. ]

Congratulations.

[The look on her face has him a little flustered again. There's a warmth there that feels unmerited given the circumstances, but it's easy enough to read between the lines. You don't get that sort of look for improving a meaningless grade for something.

It's not a bad thing, though. Far too often he makes life more difficult for himself by holding his tongue, or fighting back against the softer aspects of life, for whatever egotistical or embarrassing reason his mind can give itself. Once in a while it's okay to just... be.]

I think some credit goes to my coach.

[ Although that sounds sweet of him to say, she disagrees. She's not the one he's hugged. She is also not of his world and not one of his loved ones.

Pyra recalls the lights he had wished to gather and keep safe in the palms of his hands, how he couldn't keep them all...

Maybe one day he'll be able to carry them all. ] All of the credit... all of it. It goes to your own heart and the people who have been fortunate enough to find a place within it.

[He leans back a bit, exhaling a breath- halfway a sigh. Too much of a fuss over something that honestly should be the bare minimum here. Her original intent is right and pointed: he should tell people he loves them, he should be able to hold them and show affection. His being too much of an awkward trauma-fied mess to take that first step without incentive or prodding isn't something to celebrate, it's a flaw.

Saying that would be honest, but probably cynical, so he merely shakes his head, those cat ears laid half-flat.]

Anyway. What about you? Are you confessing your love for people every chance you get?

[Here goes another desperate attempt at turning the attention off of himself.]

[ Well, actually-- ]

As in... being under the influence of the ....honestea?

[ No joke, her canon favorite tea is galled jenerossi tea. Like generosity, aaaaay. She enjoys both the name for its pun and the tea itself. ]

[Noct's eyes widen at that, and he groans, pressing his free hand against his forehead.]

You had that one, too? Ugh... so annoying.

[ Annoying is putting it mildly.

In any case, there is a sigh from her as she reaches over to pat his hand in hers, as if to say there, there. ] I hope it wasn't too terrible for you.

[He pauses, and when he lowers his hand a moment later his expression is conflicted, but thoughtful.]

It wasn't... terrible, I guess. Could have been worse.

[Could have been some horrid fight between two people who already suck at this. His brain-to-mouth filter is incredibly important, because he is sometimes a tactless ass.]

Any regrets on your end?

[ ...............

.................................

Okay finally she answers honestly, because she doesn't feel like dodging questions right now. ] ....It's.... as you've guessed. I confessed my love. '

[ Multiple times.........!! ]

[There is another pause, as he quietly weighs the pros and cons of asking. Brain to mouth filter. Very important.

Does not always work.]

Was it Somnus? You gotta tell me if it was.

[Because! It's weird! But also he's pretty sure they live together or something??]

[ ! ]

...Please understand, [ She says with a flush. ] I... won't be naming anyone.

[ The two youths she had confessed to.... they had seemed somewhat shaken by her words, as if they couldn't accept it. She knows not to just go around telling people she loves them regardless, but the tea had made her feel like blurting this out. If she tells Noct about them now, that might lead him to have more questions!

For their sake, she'd rather keep their names anonymous. ]

[....oh. Oh, geez. He was going for awkward teasing, but that actually sounds serious.]

Are you okay?

[Does he need to punch somebody? Because even if it's Somnus he'll still do it. Apparently that's a thing to do these days.]

no subject

1/2

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

1/2

no subject

no subject