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

I don't understand.

[His words were strained by how much he was trying not to keep talking, still not even daring to look at Noctis as he continued regardless.]

How can you...say that? You barely even know me. Why-

[Ardyn's voice cracked midsentence, free hand shakily pressed to his face.]

My own brother would sooner have been rid of me than even entertain anything you just said. Isn't it-....doesn't that mean it isn't worth trying? That there must be something so unimaginably wrong with me that there's nothing to bother salvaging?

...I can't speak for Somnus. I won't even try.

[That's something the two of them need to work out between each other. The rest of them can nudge and pry and push in the right direction; even so, nothing can resolve what happened between those men aside from them.]

But that means he doesn't speak for me, either. And saving somebody shouldn't come with conditions.

[He takes a small step forward, closing some of the distance between them.]

I don't care what anybody else says. Once I get the Crystal back, I'm gonna save our world. And you're part of that world, so... to hell with what you are or what you become back there. I'm saving you too.

Then what happens if I decide I don’t want to be saved? If I just want this to be over, after everything that’s happened? Does that matter in the slightest, or am I to continue existing in a world I barely comprehend or fit into?

[For that, Noctis falters. This is the true unknown territory, and he has no honest truth to speak because he doesn't know. He can't possibly comprehend that sentiment. The gap in their experiences is too broad.

When he speaks, his voice is unusually tentative and quiet.]

I don't know what saving means, for you. If you'll go back to how you were, or... if you'll just be free of everything. It's my job to get rid of the scourge in the world, though- and if you didn't have that, you could choose for yourself, couldn't you?

[He doesn't know. How it works, or how he'll do it, or the Astrals plan for him. For any of them. All he has is Luna's words, her calm and quiet reassurance that he can, he can do it. So he will.]

Living isn't just existing. No one can force you to choose it. I... I think you should, I want you to, but... you should at least have the same options as everyone else.

[Immortal, scourge-ridden, maybe a daemon as he said. Not a monster, because that isn't the same thing. But the choice was stolen from him. His life was stolen from him, leaving only this existence and all the suffering that comes along with it. If allowing him to rest is what he truly wants, then he should decide for himself when the time comes.]

...

[There was a long silence after that; not because Ardyn had finally managed to stop talking, but because he didn’t know what to say to that. Noctis was almost reminding him of himself before everything fell apart, and yet...he didn’t hide his uncertainties as Ardyn always had. Maybe that was careless, or just sincerity.]

[There was a light tug on the prince’s hand once Ardyn reached whatever conclusion was scrambling to be put into words, Noctis pulled into a light hug he could easily get away from if he chose.]

I’m sorry. It should never have fallen to you to repair the disaster we left behind—not you or the myriad generations between us. The pair of us failed you terribly in our own foolishness, and regardless of what my brother thinks I can not apologize enough.

So instead of that, I...I want to help you. Whatever it takes, whatever little strength of will and spirit may be left to me...’twould be better served being sure you bore none of this alone. That neither of us had to suffer the fate of the world on but one pair of shoulders.

You needn’t forgive me for any failings or malice past or future—you needn’t even like me all that much. Just...please, allow me this one thing of my own will rather than some divine edict, for both our sakes.

[The embrace is a genuine surprise, but Ardyn meets no resistance beyond the initial stumble forward into it. There is a hesitance for a moment in response, until hands lift to press at his back, faint and practiced but not unwelcome.]

I'll… allow it.

[His voice is quiet, half-muffled against Ardyn's shoulder, but Ardyn might catch the edge of relief in his tone. More than that- he welcomes the help. He knows he'd be a huge mess if he had to do any of this on his own.]

We'll figure this out, together. So… trust in us.

...I can promise only to try. I’ve never been particularly skilled at relying on others, but I think we’ve little choice but to learn. Even so...even after everything I love the kingdom and the world besides. I would not see any of it fall so long as I held strength enough to stand in its defense.

[That's a far cry from where he had started when they first met, when he'd insisted that he cared nothing for Lucis or Niflheim. That's good; that's progress.]

Yeah, we can teach you that. Just watch me, I'm a pro at it.

[And just ask Ignis if he needs conformation of that claim. He's kept that poor man hopping their entire lives.]

[It was a gradual thing, sorting out what was said out of hurt or resentment and what was actually felt. Lucis itself hadn’t done anything to him, and in a general sense neither had Niflheim. At minimum, not enough to condemn all of either nation. Did he want to leap back into being an entire world’s sole savior? Not a chance. But...offering a hand here and there might not have been so terrible.]

You know, I had almost gotten such an impression on my own.

[Yeah, leave the sole savior stuff to the next generation- enjoy a supporting role for once. He'll find doing so for Noct is no less taxing.

And wow!! Just because he said it doesn't mean you can.]

This is a good start, I guess. Being… you know, honest about this stuff.

["This stuff", as if the myriad of such visceral emotions could be summarized so simply.]

Perhaps another time we might even manage it without accidental coercion.

Don't think I'll hold my breath for that, but sure.

[Time… will tell… though maybe they just need to actually communicate more about the important stuff.

...And speaking of.]

Not gonna ask for details, but- did you get the story from Cor? Is that what's got you extra worried?

[Or is this just his default state these days.]

...I did. Perhaps that was careless of me, but...I had to know the truth.

...Was it worth it?

[He clamps his mouth shut immediately after the words are out. Shut up, shut up. He doesn't want to know.

But he does. But he doesn't!]

...I don't know yet.

[That's fair. And in a sense that reassures Noctis somewhat, that he likely made the right decision to hold off for now. Knowing the future creates more questions than it answers, and with very little to be done about it until they're back in Eos - assuming they remember at all, which Cor isn't sure about, and isn't that a horrible mixed bag of worries by itself - the frustration may drive him a little mad.

Best to focus on what he can do: get stronger, be better. If his real memories don't stick, maybe muscle memory can. Who knows.

He draws back, not quite letting go yet, but reassured enough that it'd be okay if he did. Truth tea or not, this is... good. For both of them, he thinks.]

I'm trying not to worry about it. There's a bunch of people a lot smarter than me working on this, and if you're included in there, I feel better about our chances.

I've never claimed to be anyone of particular note, or even all that remarkable. I only...wanted to know the truth, that I might better understand what all of you recognize me as in the future.

[Ardyn sighed quietly, shaking his head with a trace of a forlorn smile.]

I don't know that it helped or not. I don't know if I can help, but I think I want to do all in my power to try.

That's kind of all any of us can do at this point, so... whatever, that's plenty. I don't think any one person's gonna have all the answers here.

[And that sort of mentality can apply to either Eos or this world. Lots to unravel on both ends.]

You're right--I'm sorry, Noctis. It seems as though all I ever do is trouble you.

Wh- how did you get that out of what I said? Geez.

[THAT ISN'T WHAT HE MEANT AT ALL

While he's at it, though-]

You can just call me Noct, by the way.

Oh-- [That looked like it caught Ardyn off guard; not in any sort of unpleasant way, just that it was a step of familiarity he wasn't aware he had earned.]

I-...alright. Noct, then.

[HUFF. That's better.]

You're not trouble for me, you know. So that's clear. Not by default or anything.

Are...are you sure? I wouldn't blame you for resenting me, it sounds as if I'm causing a fair bit of trouble further on down the line.

I don't know... I've heard some vague stuff, but nothing in detail yet. I can't promise I'm not gonna end up conflicted about you later on, but that's on me, and if that happens I'll have to work on it.

[He shrugs, shaking his head; his expression is more thoughtful than concerned about it. It's a great big "maybe" that lies ahead of him, a threshold he lacks the resolve to cross yet.]

You're not him, I think we all know that by now. It's bullshit to judge you on whatever he does- to me, or anyone else.

Cor appeared to take a similar approach; while I can't call it unappreciated, it would be a lie to say the whole matter doesn't bother me somewhat. My own resentment and terrible decisions put me on such a path to become something else, and I would see it averted if I can.

So...it's fine, really. Be as conflicted as you need to, and I will not hold such things against you. All I can do is assure you there is nothing I would do to bring you or any other to harm so long as I can avoid it.

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cw: suicidal ideation

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