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

Even if Kyoko wasn't so distracted from her reluctance to touch, she would have still offered both hands and let Kaito hold on as long as he needed. She might tell him how dumb he was, but she wasn't going to leave him to fend for himself after pulling a stunt like that. She certainly wouldn't have minded if he'd let her put more of her own strength into pulling him up, but aside from a little frown, she let him get by without a scolding on this one.

Instead she put her effort into steadying him, watching for any concerning sways or stumbles. Good, done, everyone was upright. Her eyebrows rose at the tug to her hand, eyes blinking wide at the suggestion.

"Huh? No..." Her free hand went up in protest. "This is the kind of thing you're supposed to walk off, right? I'll rest it thoroughly later."

"What?" Asked the pot, clicking his tongue at the kettle. "Don't be dumb, you walk it off if you have no options. No reason to make it worse if you don't have to."

Don't make him pick you up, Kyoko. He's already done this... multiple times. The whole ribbon issue would prevent this, but, he sure would try!

Edited 2019-12-12 06:24 (UTC)

Kyoko lifted her chin, giving a haughty little pff. "Nothing is broken or cracked, so nothing is gonna get worse." That is definitely how it works. "You're the one who got a concussion! What are we gonna do if I lean too hard and you have a dizzy spell?"

"It wasn't like a bat to the face or anything, it was just a bump." It really super duper wasn't like a bat to the face at all! So it was. Fine! "If I get dizzy enough to fall over, let me. I'd deserve it at that point."

In this scenario he'd probably just break her fall again! That was fine.

"C'mon, before you swell up too much."

What the heck, that was so specific? Kyoko might have asked about it if not for his follow up. "How would you deserve it? We already fell on the battlefield and lost! It's over! Once you've lost a battle, you can't lose it again! Any damage you take after this point is a dishonorable move from the enemy! I won't allow it!"

But they probably should get moving, huh? Kyoko continued in calmer tones, as if that whole fiery speech hadn't happened. "I really don't need to lean on anything, though. I'm gonna be limping a little, so I think it'll be easier if I just..." Here, let her pull up their arms and bend at the elbows, twisting a bit so it was almost like their arms were hooked. "... If I just have something to hold on to."

Kai just blinked at her. That seemed like it was a pretty common reaction to her-- he wouldn't let himself chuckle, the laughter had been the culprit this time around. Kyoko was a piece of work, wasn't she? He just gave his head a little shake, which gave him a chance to evaluate that things seemed mostly intact in that noggin. Cool.

This move though. Yeah. That worked. "Ha, all right. I can do that much at least."

So if they were all situated: Let's go find the cold stuff!

An accord! Kyoko nodded as she took a careful step. "You, use me too, okay? If you get dizzy or shaky or anything--whenever you need to, just hold on to me. Nobody's gonna fall!"

"Yeah, yeah," he rumbled, falling into careful step beside her. No more falling down!! For anyone!! "I'll tell you."

Onwards then, to whatever drink stalls they could find. Gingerly! Carefully! With no falling over. "Sorry we had to put the revenge on hold."

"That's how it usually is with revenge...." She cast a battle weary gaze towards the horizon. Oh, yeah, hey, there was a drink stall right over there. "But it's really not fair that they got in so much damage. We should demand compensation for our medical bills! Since it's their fault!"

"I have a feeling we'll be lucky if we get the cold stuff," Kai chuckled dryly a bit. "They'd just direct us to a repair shop or something."

"Then they should pay for that! For our ice! If they even have cold drinks!" What were they gonna do if that turned out not to be an option, actually? Limp all the way to someone's house? "Jeez, we really are just impulse-bought pet hamsters, to them."

Kai was pretty sure the drinks were free. He was pretty sure ice would be free too. Would that still count as compensation? Maybe if he just omitted that information. Hm.

But, ah. He couldn't help but snort again, as much as he was trying not to repeat the problem. "That's definitely one way to look at it."

"You can't just make rodents run on wheels to power your planet without knowing how to provide for them!" This analogy was perfect and she was sticking with it. Ah, look, that stand was within a yard now, perfect distance to wave and holler out, "How much ice can you make us in one go? I really have to ask for a rush on it!"

The natives working the stall looked at them and their strange offworlder configuration, then back to each other. Ice? They just wanted ice? Really? When they had such lovely drinks... Just ice? How strange! They offworlders really did come in all types, didn't they!

"I dunno if you got bags, but that'd be helpful too," Kai called after her, leading to more comical question marks appearing in the native's thoughts.

Perhaps ice was actually a delicacy in some offworlder cultures? Just, bags of ice? There were some mild musings about the potential importance of hydration and temperature regulation as they hobbled up. "If you can only make food, something like shave ice would be fine," Kyoko supplied helpfully.

That seemed to really put them into a titter. Shaved ice? That made... almost more sense! A bag of shaved ice wasn't that much different from their smoothie, they could see it. These foreign ice delicacies were seemingly a little less otherworldly now! One moment, one moment, they'd see what they could do!

"Did you have a flavor you'd prefer?" Inquired one of the more prominent looking robots.

"Uh," said Kai, "no, just plain is probably best. Just ice. Thanks."

There were some more dubious mutterings about how that wasn't very seasonal, these were meant to be seasonal treats. Grinding the heel of her good foot into the ground as she leaned heavily on it, Kyoko tried to keep her impatient glowering subdued. "Strawberry, without cake or whipped cream, please. No straws."

Well that just perked them all right up. Strawberry, a perfect choice! There were a few more titters going on, of the assorted oh it could be allergies. Those still exist! We'll have to be mindful and so on and so forth.

In the end, all that mattered was that two comically large bags of pink cold stuff was dropped into their hands. Do come back and give them pointers on the consistency...!

"Uhhhh yeah, thanks. We'll, yeah."

Now they just had to. Hobble somewhere else. With all this.

A long, aggravated sigh escaped Kyoko as they turned away. "I guess there are worse things than strawberry-scented cooling packs, but--aah! Why didn't I ask for peppermint, if it was gonna be like this?" She was nudging one of the bags into Kai's free hand as she spoke. "--Here, there's no reason for you to wait. Hurry up and put it on your head."

"It's fine, strawberry'll get the job done," he assured her. He went ahead and plunked his behind his head without fuss as if to say see? It works just fine.

Not quite noticing how much looser that silver sash around their other hands were, Kai nudged her over towards some spots they could ease down on in their current state. "C'mon, let's get you on ice too so we can both smell like parfaits."

Complying with her fussy demands did the trick; Kyoko quieted and let Kaito steer her. She didn't even move to unhook their arms until it was time to sit down, leaning just a little more on him despite herself. That was probably easier on him than dealing with the extra jostling from a more dramatic limp would have been, right?

"Parfait perfume... we'll be real trendsetters," she deadpanned, before a soft hiss escaped her as she shifted to lower herself down.

The fact that she started leaning on him at all was a bit of a red flag, considering how much of a fight she put up about it earlier. It wasn't that much of a surprise to hear that hiss then, prompting him to be extra ginger as they worked their way down.

"We can market it with our dire tale of discovery, it'll go great," he went on as he looked down at what they had to work with. She would want him to keep some ice on his head, and it would be best if they could get her ankle elevated, so. Huh. Hm. H m m m.

"If you turn a bit, can you get your leg up on my knees?"

Kyoko was firm in her opinion that it still wasn't that bad, but she also couldn't avoid the nagging feeling that Kaito... had pretty much been right... about making it worse....

Well, that was what all this strawberry ice was for. Now that she was safely off her feet, she could disentangle their arms and return to minimal contact and minimal burdening him! Also known as the opposite of what he was currently suggesting!

"What? Why do you need my leg. For what purpose." Did he have a plan? Surely she'd already given him plenty of hug dollars for today?

He couldn't say he hadn't expected another wave of resistance.

"To elevate your ankle?" He offered. He knew he was right about the making it worse thing, you know. "At least for a little bit while we ice it."

Oh. Yeah, elevation was a thing, wasn't it? She hadn't actually thought that far, but it still seemed unfair that this should be the only way!

"... You don't have to hold my leg for that," she said after a long beat. "I'll put my foot next to you." Should work fine if she sat on the ground! Already she was slithering down out of her seat.

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