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

[Ardyn could only really answer that with a vague confused gesture, meant to convey then why were you in a coma???]

...I am not in a coma any longer?

Yes, I see that, but what happened?

I was very tired, and so I decided to take a brief nap. Then, apparently, the priests of Diacht kidnapped my comatose body and stowed me away in their temple.

[???????????]

Are...you certain you're well? Perhaps I should walk you home.

Either I am well or I am at death's door, Ardyn. Anything in-between and Hades would have suggested I take care of myself.

...very well, I'll not push the matter. So long as you're well and fairly sure you'll remain so.

I'm sure enough. [ She gives a small shrug, trying to brush off the discomfort his concern brings. ] It is not the first time it's happen to me. In Deerington I fell comatose for a month, and though my body there did not disappear my spirit returned home and it was as though I never left.

I lived through all the events of the First, then awoke. It is because a copy of my form was left behind in Deerington, growing and changing as my true form did in my own universe, that the infection of Light was not fully healed. It did not expel the Light as completely as I did at home... Or so was my assumption. My mentor was inclined to agree with me.

[ Another small shrug. ]

Here, it was only a scant few days, though I experienced near two months in my own universe.

[It sounded insane, but then again...in a way, it made sense. Did something similar happen with those who vanished--was this some faint evidence they merely went home?]

Is...everything alright, back in your world?

...My family is slowly dying. Their souls on the First and separated for so long from their bodies of the Source, the link between them is weakening.

We knew this was an inevitability. Luckily we have some of the finest minds across two worlds working on a solution. We must send their souls into a dormant state, then seal them inside a container that I might carry with me back to the Source, and reunite them with their bodies.

[ She offers a small, relieved smile. ]

We have made progress, and in that progress have possibly found a treatment — if not a cure — for those whose souls have been put into near-stasis by primordial Light. To relate it to the Starscourge, it would be similar to finding a way to ease the active symptoms of it, though not yet a cure.

The effects were fleeting, but we roused a boy's soul. There is now hope for those thought lost to the Light.

[Ardyn didn't...quite follow a lot of that, but he was able to catch on that the general idea was slowly leaning towards the positive.]

I'm glad to hear that. Hopefully things will all go well--I've faith in you and yours that everything will be fine.

In time, yes. My loved ones are incredibly skilled, and are renowned for their intellect. If anyone can come up with a solution it is they. I can offer little more than being whatever tool or weapon they need.

...You're a wonderful friend, Era. They're fortunate to know you.

[ She shakes her head, eye unnaturally bright in the relative darkness, reflecting the dim light of the candles around them. ]

I am the fortunate one. Without them I am nothing but my duty.

I...understand the feeling. Too well, indeed. But in that case, you should remember they care for you as more than merely what you are able to do.

I know that now. It was only after they learned I was fated to die that my mortality seemed to truly occur to them.

[ Era shifts her weight from one foot to the other, tail shifting along with the movement of her hips. ]

...I did not like it at first, suddenly having people inquire about my well-being, wanting to know if I was alright. Instead of having me do all myriad of endless tasks for them they would force me to rest, doing all these things themselves that normally would have been my responsibility.

I was in pain, and dying, but I was not an invalid. I was still a weapon to be used.

[That led Ardyn to withdraw slightly, folding his arms as gold eyes drifted to stare at some particularly fascinating point on the wall.]

That-...is why I never told anyone. I hid my condition from the world--from Aera and Somnus, though surely they knew or suspected I was unwell. My life is--was not something which belonged to me, but something to be used to carry out the gods' will and save as many people as I was able. Of course I knew I was harming myself, obviously I knew it would kill me. But...one life, in exchange for the world's safety? So long as that life were mine and no other's, then such a choice was obvious.

If anyone had known as much? What little hope I was able to light in the people would have gone out like a candle in a storm.

[ Her gaze shifts to him as he speaks, listening carefully. ]

My life is not my own, either. It is not mine to give away. I would not hesitate to sacrifice my life to save the lives of many, but I am not allowed to die. If I die, so too does what hope remains in this war of Light and Darkness. If I die, what Shards remain will inevitably be destroyed.

I have a companion who came from a future in which I died. Much of the world was destroyed by aetherochemical warfare, a poison in the atmosphere that destroyed what it touched. When I was killed so too was what hope was left in those that survived.

It was the memory of my life that spurred them to band together and create a way to travel through time and space to prevent their future from occurring.

[ She presses a hand to her heart; overwhelmed. ]

I am scared to die because of what will happen to my worlds when I do.

But... sometimes I wish that I could. I would love to see those I have lost. I would love to be free of this weight. This burden is so heavy, Ardyn. [ Her breath catches in her throat, lodged by emotion. ] Even when sharing it with others, in the end it will fall upon my shoulders.

This is why... It's so hard to accept that I am a person, because being a weapon is so much easier. If all I am is a sword and shield, there is no mortal woman with her mortal failings. If all I am is my duty, I cannot be crushed by the weight of seven worlds.

Edited 2019-12-15 08:02 (UTC)

[Now Ardyn was definitely losing the finer threads of the matter; time travel was far beyond the realm of his comprehension. He barely understood the timeline as it was, when Cor talked about it. But still, the general idea was enough to get a rough idea--and he wasn't about to distract from such honest admissions by asking foolish questions]

It was easier, sometimes. If Aera didn't know I would inevitably die, then we could have hope of a future together. I would have done anything to preserve that for her. And it was-...it was not that I cared nothing for such dreams. I wanted them as much as she did, truly. But ultimately, as things wore on...the idea of death was preferable. I was so tired, and the more my body broke down the less I saw any other way things would end. If I were lucky I'd live long enough to ascend the throne and see the world at peace, but...I never expected to.

And that was fine. Even if it caused Aera pain, at least she could have lived in a world without fear of the dark. At least I could have done what I thought I was made to do.

That's...how it is to you, isn't it? That if the salvation of the world demanded your life, then that price would be paid in an instant.

There are things far more important than one's own happiness. Even if your death would bring your loved ones grief, at least you helped ensure that they would live long enough that those wounds on their hearts would heal.

The salvation of my worlds has already demanded my life, and I have freely given it. If the price was my death, then I would pay that as well.

Though if the salvation of one Shard required my death... In my heart I would not hesitate, however it is not a price I could pay. I would need to forsake that one world to spare five others.

...I can't truly claim to understand most of your realm's circumstances, and I don't wish to pretend that I do.

But what I do understand is that you're a wonderful person with more work than you remotely deserve, Era.

A wonderful person...

[ Her tail curls and uncurls behind her, and she shifts her weight again. ]

...I am trying now, to be a woman more than a weapon, but I'm not sure if I like it. If it is worth how much more there is to feel and be hurt by.

I wish I could answer that. It's something I am still trying to determine for myself as well. Being a human--or at least something close to one--rather than a savior or a monster...it's difficult.

At least you were one, once. Though I could not say if that is a blessing or a curse for you.

I don't know--and it's been so long I can't remember. This may as well be starting over entirely, for my part.

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5.1 spoilers

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cw: suicidal ideation

these two have Issues q_q

boy howdy

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