♥ December Event Log

[hugtopiamods]

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...

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❥ PROMPT I: At Least It's Not a Sweater

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

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.

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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.

Comments

[needmyspace]

[Keith yelps in surprise at the sudden lunge forward, and he wants to shove Lance away. But to his surprise, the scratches feel really good, and a sound he's never made before slips out from his lips.

Oh god. Is...is he purring?]

[the_tailor]

[Oh.

Oh my god.

Keith is most definitely purring. Lance can't help a little happy squeal from escaping his lips, because how adorable is that??? He continues to scratch away, grinning.

#blessed.]

[needmyspace]

Stooooop... [Keith whines pitifully, mortified and flushing, but he can't seem to pull away from the onslaught. He pouts and purrs, his soft purple tail flicking back and forth behind him.]

[the_tailor]

I don't think you meeeeean thaaaaat~

[This is the best thing that's happened all week, okay? Lance is all smiles, his own ears twitching with the happiness he's currently feeling.]

[needmyspace]

[Keith scowls at him, though...yeah, his ears and tail and thrice-damned purring are still going.]

I hate you.

[the_tailor]

You really don't, Keithy Cat.

[Scritch, scritch.]

You don't have to be ashamed!

[needmyspace]

[Keith huffs.]

I feel like an idiot.

[More pouts, but he tilts into the touch.]

[the_tailor]

You're not! C'mon, you're adorable, own it.

[He keeps grinning at him, his fingers moving to stroke the soft fur of his ears.]

[needmyspace]

I'm not supposed to be adorable, Lance. That is like...the opposite of what I am.

[the_tailor]

[He huffs, finally retracting his hand.]

And yet here you are.

[needmyspace]

[Keith makes a face and snaps at Lance's hand without actually coming close to making contact.]

You're going to lose a finger.

[the_tailor]

[And that causes him to snort with laughter.]

At least take a guy to dinner before trying to bite him.

[needmyspace]

We have dinner together almost every night. [Keith gives him a confused look.]

[the_tailor]

I meant a date, silly kitty.

[needmyspace]

[He blinks.] ...You want to go on a date?

[the_tailor]

I-- Keith! I was--just making a joke--

[Ugh. Way to get him all flustered, Keith.]

[needmyspace]

Oh. Oh right. A joke. [Obviously, Keith. He clears his throat awkwardly, looking away.

He might have been open to that. Maybe. But it was just a joke, so it doesn't matter.]

[the_tailor]

Yeah. I mean, ha... I mean, unless you actually... I mean, um.

[He glances down, suddenly feeling very awkward, his tail flicking behind him.

What the quiznak is even happening.]

[needmyspace]

W-well...

[Oh. Okay. Now Keith is determinedly looking down too, ears twitching slightly. He looks down at his rainbow sweater and takes a breath.]

...I wouldn't hate that.

[the_tailor]

[And his head snaps up, because--wait, did Keith just--did he actually--???]

Whaaa--wait, you...? Are you serious? 'cause this is a really mean thing to pull my leg about! Like, okay, pranks are awesome and everything, but there are some subject matters that are off limits!

[needmyspace]

[He bites his lip and shrugs, some color coming into his cheeks as he avoids making eye contact. He knows Lance is looking at him, but he's not sure he can handle actually seeing his face right now.]

Not joking.

[the_tailor]

But you... But I, but me? But I'm me and you're you and I'm sure you still kinda hate me or something or I don't know, I mean aren't I totally not your type and okay I don't exactly know what your type is, not like we've ever gossiped about boys before but, I mean-- I'm--

[Lance McClain, folks. As smooth a man's man as he is a ladies' man.]

[needmyspace]

[Keith stares at him for a moment.]

I'll take it back if you keep babbling.

[the_tailor]

I...uh.

[Lance downs the rest of his latte, takes a deep breath, and nods.]

Okay. Okay, let's do this. A date. Me. You. Uh. This weekend?

[needmyspace]

[Keith nods, a small smile escaping as his ears flick happily. He's trying not to show too much, but his body is giving him away.]

Sure.