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 continues to show his kindness by refraining from stepping toward her, and he knows the sash will respond to this gesture in due course. Unfortunately, it won't loosen fast enough from this alone to keep Era's tail intact. Already, she's broken skin; still, she would persist.

Such needless suffering, this. He doesn't reach out. But this time, he speaks. ]

If you will not wait, kindness will undo that which binds us. Tell me what that means to you, and I will respond in accordance.

[ Oh. Well. That is certainly one way to distract her from adding to the collection of scales she has in her palm now. ]

What... kindness means to me?

[ Everyone is different. What constitutes kindness for one person might be construed as something else by another. Era's response to being tied together has already been most unusual, and Somnus doesn't know her enough to be making guesses as to what will satisfy her. ]

What can I do?

...

[ In this moment, it isn't quite so hard to see the little brother of Ardyn in this man who wears his duty as a shield. ]

Have you any skill with hand-to-hand combat?

[ He definitely wouldn't have guessed that. ]

I trained in the art for a time.

[ Weapons are susceptible to breakage, and there's always the threat of being disarmed. He would've been a fool not to learn. ]

[ She gets to her feet, ignoring the rivulets of blood that trace the patterns of her tail. Distantly, she's aware that Hades will be disappointed. He will sigh that sigh of his, and she will allow him to help mend her.

But, for now, she tucks her scales into a pocket and— ]

Fight me, Somnus Lucis Caelum.

[ This is her idea of kindness, is it.

He looks away, seeming to consider her request. How does violence affect the gods? If the breach is any indication, perhaps not as much as one might believe. The sooner they part from one another, the sooner he'll be able to compensate elsewhere. After a moment, he turns back to face Era. ]

Very well.

[ It will be an interesting challenge, with her having much of her combat skills stolen away, leaving her with only memories of what her traveling companions had taught her of martial arts to work with. Her muscle memory is not quite sure what to make of the preparatory stance she takes, but it is adequate enough for close-ranged punches and parries. ]

[ She settles into position, signaling him to begin. Somnus glances over his shoulder and around them first; fortunately, they're in a comparatively deserted section of the city. He turns back around and, curling his right hand into a fist, aims a vertical punch that's neither too slow nor too fast at Era's face with moderate force.

She'll have the advantage in this bout, for their height difference limits his range of motion at this proximity. It's of little consequence to Somnus, who isn't doing this to win. ]

[ Era is simultaneously appreciative that he doesn't truly try just yet, and angry for the same reason. She certainly could use the slower start, given that her muscles seem confused as to what they're doing at the moment, but if this is not merely a warm-up on his part...

She dodges easily, looking quite unimpressed. In return she gives an equally mediocre punch, taking the opportunity to remind her body of what the action feels like. ]

[ His fist strikes the air. His other arm snaps out to parry her punch, guiding her fist away from his body before he steps out in a tight arch with the leg that isn't bound to her tail. He twists around behind her and brings his other arm up to strike her with an elbow, this time with slightly greater speed and force. ]

[ Curious to test the strength of his strike, Era shifts only enough to have it hit a more durable part of her than whatever its intended target had been. With the hand nearest to him, she seeks to aim a punch to his stomach in an area that would be largely protected by abdominal muscles.

Best to test what she is working with before deciding upon the best strategy she can, after all. ]

[ Having aimed low, he strikes the back of her shoulder with enough (though lessened) force to bruise when she shifts. Somnus takes the punch and a second to absorb its impact before bending at the knees. With movement restricted by the taut pull of the sash, he all but tackles her against the wall of the nearest building. ]

[ Era hadn't expected to be tackled to a wall, but she is far from upset by this turn of events. She barely thinks of the binding to her tail until she thrashes it and it pulls, causing a flare of pain where she had tore the appendage raw a scant few moments ago. She hisses through her teeth and aims a knee to his gut instead. ]

[ The hiss reaches his ears at the same time as the sash tugs on his leg. There's no time to be thinking about either. A well-aimed knee knocks most of the air out of him; with what he has left, he twists at the waist to drive a fist into her side. ]

[ At first, Era reacts as one might expect to a fist in one's side; a brief, protective curl around the point of impact, then quickly preparing to retaliate. It's midway through the motion of punching him in return that she falters quite suddenly, breath catching. She doubles over as much as one can when pressed between a man and a wall, face paling and eyes clenching shut, forehead firmly against Somnus' torso as she brings her hands up to her throbbing skull, fingertips digging into the skin against her temples.

She hisses between her teeth, pained and frustrated. A breath that sounds an awful lot like a very emphatic 'Godsdammnit, not now'. ]

[He sees the punch and intends to take it, only for it to never land. Suddenly she doubles over and Somnus, blinking, straightens and brings his hands up to support her by the shoulders. (She doesn't wish for him to touch her, but this is perhaps better than having her lean bodily against him.)]

Era—

[They're children again. His esteemed brother sits across him, and between them sits a chess board on which a game is well underway. With a hand raised to his chin, Somnus leans forward and scrutinizes the pieces. By now even he can read the outcome: once again, he's lost.

When his brother takes the king, Somnus' shoulders sag in disappointment. Straightening, he claps his lap and stands while his brother studies him. That resolves the matter of their argument.

"You really are amazing, brother. This time, we'll do as you say."

His brother echoes him ("this time?") with mirth before extending a hand. Smiling, Somnus all but jumps at the opportunity to grab it. Together, they exit the room.]

["Reporting in. We are currently searching the land, but Lord Ardyn's whereabouts are still . . . "

Somnus waves a hand to dismiss the soldier. He's older now, and he sits alone in the dark, save for his sworn Shield, who stands vigilant behind him. "You heard the report. We lost him."

His brother has vanished, leaving him to dispatch soldiers for his retrieval. Those soldiers are overqualified for the job, but the servants are liable to squirrel his brother away when Somnus only desires conversation. It seems his brother has abandoned all prospect of discussion with him after their last argument.

Pain lances through his chest as he recalls his brother's expressions from that day. Irritation, resignation, and scorn—his brother didn't try to understand him once. Having been chosen all his life, his brother doesn't know the pain of abandonment; in saving a few, he abandons the rest. And now, too caught up in the immediate plight of those before him, his beloved brother has lost sight of reality. If this keeps up . . .

The time for conversation has passed. He'll chase after his brother's back no longer, not when the future of the people is at stake.]

["I will not take your life so long as you renounce your na—"

His brother's words are cut short by a cough. Tightening his grip around the hilt of his blade, Somnus lunges. They do battle when a powerful swing from his brother sends him airborne. His back strikes water and he tosses a spear to close the distance. Putting all of his weight into the warp, he materializes to plunge the spear-point through his brother's chest.

The memory skips.

Holding the fresh corpse of his lover, his brother roars. Darkness oozes from his face and bursts out of him like tendrils and the people flee in terror. His brother has become a monster, and it falls on Somnus to end his suffering.

It skips again.

That was night. Now dawn has broken, and Somnus stands in a pool of black substance as he overlooks the corpses of his brother and Aera with a slack expression. He looks off to the side at the sunrise beyond the horizon, all feeling carved out of his hollowed heart by his unforgivable deeds.]

["Our line has done everything in our power to protect our people, just as the gods bade. I was merely fulfilling my calling."

"And here I thought I was the blessed one, but it was you all along."

Derision colors his brother's words while the broken streets and buildings of modern Insomnia line the memory. Brought down to his knees, Somnus bows his head. It's a battle to stay upright, and just looking at his brother's visage consumes him with a remorse so great that he can hardly breathe.

"I dare not ask your forgiveness, but I do ask your understanding," he pleads.

His brother steps toward him in fury. "What!? You took everything from me—everything—and you ask my understanding!?"

With trembling hands, Somnus pushes himself upright. After millennia apart, his heart bleeds harder for his beloved brother who's been dealt a most tragic fate. He swallows the lump in his throat, taking a few steps back as his soul dematerializes from the mortal realm.

"I pray your soul find repose, Brother."]

[Elsewhere, Pyra smiles at him.

"You love him. That's . . . That's why you suffer in silence."]

[She's gone completely unresponsive. He never struck her on the head, so he couldn't have been the cause. "Not now." Does she suffer from an ailment about which he doesn't know?

Ill-equipped to handle such a condition, he pulls a hand back and summons the communicator. He should like to contact Emet-Selch, knowing the relationship they share, but he's unfamiliar with Emet-Selch's ID. There's another who's much easier to identify on the list and also familiar with Era. Somnus bites the bullet and makes the call.]

Era has collapsed.

[He gives their location, then holds his breath for an answer.]

[For a second, he was almost happy to hear from his brother. Maybe they could actually talk for a change, or--]

[...Or of course it would have nothing whatsoever to do with him. Ardyn didn't know why he bothered getting his hopes up, but the disappointment was swiftly replaced with concern. Another Echo, by the sound of it. He didn't know of any other reason she would have to collapse out of nowhere.]

She should be fine momentarily. But if it would set your mind at ease, I can be there in a minute or so.

[Of course, his brother would know. Whatever this is, she might be disoriented upon regaining consciousness, in which case someone with prior experience will be better off tending to her. He looks down at Era. The offer is there. He ought to accept for her ease of mind, not his.]

We are by the wall.

[Don't ask. Come and see.]

[Sure enough, it didn't take long; even if warping wouldn't have been fast enough, the occasional shadowstep when he was out of sight would be. A minute or less after Somnus' initial, a red blade landed in the ground a few feet away from them with Ardyn appearing right after it.]

[Ardyn's timing is fortuitous. Somnus has started to lay Era down on the ground, only to run into a number of obstacles. Her horns are longer than the length of her head, so he has her head propped up on his shoulder to keep it from falling. Her tail is injured and can do without unnecessary pressure; an arm is wrapped around her shoulder to keep her upright. The sash is wrapped around one side of their legs, limiting their movement, and this is how his brother finds them: Era lowered halfway to the ground with Somnus squatted beside her as his foot is in the process of stepping over the sash to loosen the tension around her tail.

Thank you for coming.]

...

What the hell are you doing.

[SOMNUS,]

I mean to lay her down. Her tail and my leg are bound by the sash.

[She's already ripped off a scale or two. He isn't interested in increasing that count. Please assist.]

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1/3 boy here we go

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