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

[Oh hey, there it is. Seeing the text, Noct grins and ruffles the mystery fur.]

Hey, that still works? Awesome.

[Another squeak, and another text from a mysterious sender arrives: 💖 🎉

Carefully sitting up so he's not on the ground anymore, he gestures between the two of them.]

Vianca, this is Carbuncle. Carbuncle, Vianca. It's a Messenger from my world, like Umbra. But I think I'm the only one that ever sees it.

[What a very cute and extremely mysterious power this was. Vianca marveled at it a moment more before turning her marvel towards the air.]

Oh, I've seen a carbuncle before...!

[Not this one, of course, but it might have been similar enough. She could roughly tell where they might have been, so Vianca held her hand out towards that spot again. Knowing what they were made it much easier to imagine what Noctis was seeing.

Would you like some not-surprise pets, softy?]

It is nice to meet you, Carbuncle. Do you watch over Noctis too? Thank you.

Was that Era's? Hers is different, but they look kind of similar. Didn't really figure out why.

[There's a long pause, one where Noctis and the invisible creature seem to exchange a glance, until she should feel a gentle nuzzle at her hand, and that soft fur rub against her fingers once more. It circles, there and then gone again as if testing her, then returns and stays in contact so she can pet it.]

I guess it does, yeah. It rescued me from a dream once, when I was little. I've been seeing it around me once in a while ever since then.

[Era? Maybe. Vianca hadn't actually gotten the dragon lady's name, but if Noctis had seen them too, that was probably the same one. So Vianca gave a nod. That one, probably. Maybe it came down to the difference between something like a familiar and a Messenger-- whatever that might be. That sounded like something only two carbuncles could solve.

At that first teasing nuzzle, Vianca held her breath as if doing anything else would startle away this chance. Very important if she couldn't gauge how this was going otherwise. Umbra had been very patient with her, so she was going to be very patient with Carbuncle.

She visibly seemed to soften all over as those pets were permitted and she took a breath again. So soft. They were so soft! Vianca gingerly ran her fingers over all that soft nothingness, taking extra care whenever she lifted her hand so she didn't go poking invisible eyes or anything.]

Ohh, a dream friend. Maybe that's why only you can see them?

Could be. It likes to photobomb Prompto's shots, too, but even then nobody notices.

[The little creature bumps gently against her once more. That same squeaking sound is heard from where its mouth must be, and Noctis nods; this time, it's he who received a message.]

Carbuncle says it's nice to meet you anyway.

[Now she had to wonder how many secret photos of Carbuncle she had already seen. Gosh.

This was definitely a very cute squeaky sound though. Vianca found herself humming back a bit, from one squeaky person to another. Glancing between the two of them again, Vianca nodded and bowed her head a little.]

I'm glad. I hope we can be friends too.

[Another squeak, this one more enthusiastic, and Noctis tilts his head to one side.]

I think... there's something for you, too? It says it didn't come alone.

For... me?

[That doesn't sound correct. Rawna wasn't her god? Why would she get a present? She was curious enough though, looking over at the altar. At first nothing caught her eye, but she also wasn't sure what she was supposed to be expecting. But then a few familiar shapes peeked out from Rawna's hands.]

Oh!

[She was on her feet now, hurrying over to stand on the tippiest of her tip toes to look at the bonsai tree that was far less mobile than its fuzzy traveling companion. Here she goes, about to scale Mt. Rawna.]

[Oops, the downside of being so small. Noctis helps Carbuncle climb up to sit on his shoulders before standing and moving behind Vianca. His hands slip under her arms, and with a quick, almost effortless pull - hup! - she's on the altar platform, within reaching distance of her prize.]

What is it?

[Whoop.] Ah, thank you.

[And there she was, just like Vianca had left her. It was a pretty little tree, with a slightly faded pink ribbon tied around its trunk with a small card tucked in it. It looked a lot bigger than it really was in Vianca's tiny hands as she picked the plant up in awed silence.

Her eyes stung a little, and she had to squeeze her eyes shut for a moment as she held the tree close to her chest. She'd already cried once while she was here! That was more tears than she was allowed!

Still, her voice had a little waver to it as she peeked back up at Noctis.]

This is Cameron. She was... a present, after what happened.

[He leans in to get a better look, offering up a sympathetic look; it'd be impossible not to see the look in her eyes, the way she cradles it, or the wobble in her tone. It's obviously not just any old tree to her. Another person in another situation might have gotten a playful tease for naming a plant, but not today.

After what happened. He can understand the need. That's how Carbuncle got its name, too.]

Hey there, Cameron. Looks like we're both in good company today.

[He holds his arm out to her. It'd be no trouble at all to scoop her up and get her back down on the ground safely, so neither she or the plant will be jostled.]

[Vianca ducked her head a little when she realized he might not have been talking about soft, invisible friends. Still, she accepted the offer easily, murmuring another quiet thanks as everyone made it back to the ground in one piece.]

Me too.

[Tucking Cameron safely in one arm, Vianca reached over to take his hand.]

I think... being with you was where I was supposed to be, tonight.

[Her hand is accepted without hesitation, and he gives it a light squeeze. His eyes shift briefly to the furry weight curled around his shoulders, and he can't help a smile as he looks back at her again.]

Yeah. I think that one's mutual.

[Rawna may not be her god, but she'd ended up here nonetheless. It isn't really his god either, whatever claim had been laid on him, and yet they both received a gift tonight. That isn't without meaning.]

I know you didn't mean to, but... thanks.

But I am glad I did.

[Not just because of these gifts, as comforting as they both were for each other. Ever since Vianca had found it outside her door, the little tree had been her main confidant. A very strong keeper of secrets. It always felt a little better to whisper her worries to someone, so Vianca could only hope that maybe she'd been able to do a bit of that for Noctis as well.]

Plants and flowers are good listeners so... You can count on me, if that's all I can do to help you.

I guess they can be, sure.

[He's never tried before, but he'll take her word for it; lots of unexpected things are good listeners. People, creatures, now plants, too. The shape of it matters very little- he'd said it before, and he meant it.]

And people can be, too.

[Something that she is. A plant, and a person. It's fine to be both.]

... People too.

[Her hold on his hand was slowly growing firmer, bit by bit.]

I just mean... we're-- [She sucked in a little breath.]

We're partners, right?

[...! That was loud, for her. His brows lift in surprise, but he wisely opts not to comment. Merely smiles again, giving their joined hands a playful swing.]

Yep. Way to go, partner. Tonight's a win.

[He's! Proud of her!]

[So loud! Especially in the quiet of night! Vianca looked a little surprised at herself, but she swung along in a pleased fashion.]

Yes. ... Thank you, Noctis.

[In regards to that whole quiet of night bit, it was very, very late for tiny plants with early bedtimes. Vianca's nose wiggled in warning, chased by a yawn she couldn't quite hide with all of her hands occupied.]

[So very, very proud...! And that yawn is contagious; he struggles (and fails) to stifle his own. They really ought to get the heck back to bed. It's not even a good hour for him to be out and about, nevermind a little girl.

Carbuncle squeaks at his ear, still curled around his shoulders, and Noctis blinks through a realization and nods.]

...Yeah... [He glances down, giving her hand a light squeeze.] You can call me Noct, by the way.

[It's not that he owes her or anything - well, okay, he kind of does, but that isn't why. She's earned it, plain and simple.]

[Vianca blinked up at him sleepily. Now that everyone was yawning, it was hard to deny the sleepiness settling over her. But also, wait. Hang on. The implications of what had been said was sinking in, and her eyes slowly went round.

A... a nickname! That she got to use? She'd never felt like she could use someone's nickname before. This new information left her hushed all over again.]

... Really?

[Ah... there she goes again, quiet. His brows furrow for a moment, and then he halts and turns to face her, crouching down to get at her eye level, her little hand clasped in both of his. He looks very serious.]

Yeah, really. C'mon, give it a try and see how you feel about it.

[Say it loud! Say it proud!]

[Oh, very serious. The path to keeping the volume control at a steady 2-3 wasn't one she could walk overnight, but she did feel better about it with him. That at least steered her in a more comfortable direction. Pressing her lips together, she gave him a little nod. Okay. Giving it... a try.]

Noct? [She tilt her head, considering.] ... Noct.

[There was a pause as the sound of it settled. And then quieter again, with a small jostle of Cameron as if this was a truly terrible (though maybe endearing) act of ventriloquism:]

... Who's there.

[He blinks, caught off guard for a moment, then he snort-laughs and ducks his head, pressing a palm to his forehead.]

Oh, man... that one's good, haven't heard that.

[The guys usually throw out all number of puns for just about everything, including his name, but people still manage to surprise him sometimes. Kudos, Vianca.

Evidently Carbuncle also approves, because a cheery set of emotes is sent her way, along with a vaguely laughter-esque bark,

😂😂😂 💗 ]

[Very good. These were all very good reactions and Vianca felt the littlest bit proud of herself for it.]

Really? That... seems like it was a missed opportunity.

No kidding. Just don't pass it along to Prompto- I'm sure he'd love more ammo for teasing.

[Can't make it too easy for him.]

♥ December Event Log

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

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)