♥ 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

[meridio]

[ The burden of confession has passed from him and fallen to Pyra. She fights the need, and Somnus waits for the words to tear out of her. She grips his hand with great strength, but he doesn't so much as twitch. This is her moment as decreed by Rawna.

Pyra is a tool. An instrument. The prized weapon of the Architect with the power to see into and, ah, change the future—to destroy it, should the wielder desire the world's ruin. Somnus heard all of this from her on that night under a starry sky. He remembers what he thought then: what the heart wants is not what is always best for the world.

Never has he heard a confession of love so pained until now. He watches her with impassive eyes, deferring judgment. The gods of his Star are aloof, resembling while keeping themselves apart from humanity; the division is clear. Somnus has always found Pyra peculiar for the reason that her humanity seems to dwarf her divinity. Is her pain because of the danger she poses to the beloved world, or something else entirely?

He remembers something else that she told him in the past. ]

You love the world, because of the life in it.

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ Her gaze snaps up at him-- how does he....?

Oh, but didn't she say it before? That she thought creation is beautiful. ]

I... I do.....

[iustaegis]

.....It... it is so easy to love. [ She says this with a breath, as if she doesn't understand. ] Humans especially, both those who do good and those who have sinned. You, and those like you-- you're so easy to love.

[ She will do anything for the world, for life, for creation. Anything at all. Her world, this one, any others to which she is called. Even if it means sacrifice, even if it means using others, even if it means not telling all of her intentions or her reasons, even if it means keeping a soul with her out of the potential of necessity, even if it means giving all of herself for the world--

The world is too wonderful to let it perish. All of those lives can love, and love greater than she ever can in more honest ways that she might ever be able to. All of those lives had been created with their emotions in the first place.

She looks at him. He is one such life, and yet. And yet-- she cannot fathom why he wants to conceal that love. Does he not draw his strength, his hope for the future, from those he loves in his world too-- his family, his brother? ]

[meridio]

[ Gods are limitless beings. If her power transcends mortal comprehension, so, too, can her love. Few mortals can claim to love the saint and the sinner equally. It isn't a naive love, though the confusion in her pronouncement lends it that air.

Their eyes meet. Just as she can't fathom his thoughts, he's unable to read her questions. ]

You speak of unconditional love.

[ Perhaps he's mistaken. He can't claim to understand what she can't. But to say he's easy to love, what else can it be? ]

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ Un...conditional love...? The words repeat in her mind, over and over and echoed back by her other. Is that what it is? A love so powerful that she would give all for it, a love so great that she would use even those she loves to save more? She is sure some might not call this love if it should bring harm.

But if it is a love that takes both another's virtues and vices together and still persists and wishes to fell for all to them, to ensure that they are not hurt, then-- yes. That would make it unconditional. ]

...Yes.

[ Her breath steadies, her voice becomes clearer. ]

[iustaegis]

[ It's not as if she's never heard the term before, but his words give her some clarity. ]

....Yes.

[ She thinks of him and others who are here. She thinks of all of those she's met. She thinks of Carl, of Lup, of Magolor, of Guzma, of Noctis; she thinks of Era, Honerva, Prompto, Ignis. She thinks of Vianca, she thinks of Luna, Emet-Selch, Cor, Shinji, Kaito, Sebastian, Doudanuki, Guzma, Ardyn, Vestael, G'raha Tia, Tamaki... She can think of something good in each and every one of them. She can see a few of their imperfections, too, for no one is infallible. She loves them all regardless; she loves this world because they are all here.

(Briefly, she wonders, if any of them might see the horrendous sins of her own personality and still love her in return as well. They shouldn't do that. Like the direction of her power she gives to others, this unconditional love goes only one way. If there are those who would ever love her in return... she would weep if they might care enough to stop her from doing what she must in order to save her world. How frightening would that be, to have a network post wanting to change her future.)

And, of course, she thinks of Somnus since he's standing right before her. It's very easy to love him, indeed; his want to preserve the future is unparalleled by far, and his sorrow is something she can only hope to alleviate, or hope others might help with instead.

At last she smiles. As terrible as it had been to admit these truths, as terrible as it is to feel... Selfishly, she must love the world in order to have the resolve to preserve its future. Otherwise.... Well, if she did not have any love, she would allow it to burn without a thought. ]

[meridio]

[ Her smiles conceal a tragic truth. For all that she loves the world and the life in it, people will misuse her power as long as she roams it. "I wish you had been the one to wield me." Divine though she may be, is she unable to choose her wielder? If so, that loss of control has already cost her once.

His thoughts shift as he peers down at her face. Rawna encouraged him to say that which he would have kept silent forever; Pyra, however, expresses her affection for creation almost every day. Could it be as simple as her being overwhelmed by the force of her love? What is she trying to hide? ]

Is there aught you wish to say?

[iustaegis]

[ The smile breaks. No, she does not wish to say more, but that is not the truth that must be unburdened here. He has not given any such word to not tell others what she has told him here. While she does not believe he will, there is always that doubt. Besides, would promises mean anything in a world where the truth can be ripped from their lips? (Yes, yes they would mean something, if only for the intention.)

Her eyes raise to meet his, her hand trembles within, and then she goes still. She loves the world, she loves those in it. Yet the truth that Pyra whispers goes against it all, ]

We should not... love. We should not feel.

[ Stolen from her Father's side, she had never been given a choice to be upon the earth or to have emotions in the first place. That had been forced onto her, before she had ever been a her; she knows for certain that had she such a choice back then, she would not choose any of this at all-- no theft of her being, no humanity to imprint upon her, no emotions to have. Now that she has these emotions, now that she wants to keep them, she has truly fallen. She knows this, but she continues to love loving all. ] ...But we wish to.

[ How dare she. Such destruction occurred when she came to the earth and learned to care for others, yet she now selfishly continues to want to love. If she had never walked the world, if she had never loved, then none of that catastrophe would have occurred. If she had a choice at all, the soundest one would have been to stay at her Father's side without feeling. So how can she continue to want, to want to feel in the face of that?

The only answer that justifies feeling love at all here and now, is to use that love as a blade against herself. Loving others and humanity serves as the reminder for why she must return to her Father and beg him to...

She blinks, feeling no further compulsion to speak. ]

[meridio]

[ We.

He understands now, even if that understanding might be limited. Pyra and Mythra are weapons. Tools bear neither ego nor feeling, yet they've succumbed to the temptation of both. Pyra's blank countenance and stillness are the way she should be, except it now becomes the question of whether or not she's meant to be wearing that face when there's the matter of her true name.

For all that she pried out of and told him in that colorless town, there's still much that he's yet to learn. He doubts he'll ever know the whole story. That's hers to tell, as well as hers to keep.

His lips part as he formulates a response. In the midst of gathering his breath, he stops when he catches movement out of the corner of his eyes. He turns his head by the barest margin to look past Pyra. A pair of dragonlings scale the altar and deposit themselves in its sculpted hands, and Somnus all but loses his train of thought with the light they radiate. ]

[iustaegis]

[ Once the light recedes and the dragonlings crawl back to their original perches, two items are left behind in their wake-- no, one item, and one living creature.

Somnus is going to have to make the first move towards them, because the one he is with does not so much as move. Pyra remains numb, but she is holding his hand. ]

[meridio]

[ The dragonlings slither away as quickly as they came. A circular object sits on the clawed hands' palms; beside it stands a slender bird of blue-gray and white with intelligent eyes ringed in yellow. Somnus' hand goes a touch slack in Pyra's, and a moment passes before he raises his left forearm.

Spreading pointed wings, the bird takes flight to seek purchase on his arm guard. Somnus' gaze lingers on the familiar falcon, then dips down to Pyra's face. She isn't moving. He squeezes her hand. ]

[iustaegis]

[ The flutter of feathers past her periphery finally breaks the hollowness of her gaze towards the circular amulet within the statue's hand-- even from here, she can make out its golden sigil. Her chin lifts, then her eyes widen as she watches the newly materialized bird folds in its wings as it perches upon his arm.

...Of course. Two fully realized beings who are alive stand before her now. Loving them both will help encourage her to do what is necessary for the future. There is only one way to ensure that they will remain safe. She musters a smile, although she does not look back at the statue's gift to her against just yet. ] He's magnificent.

[ Intelligent, lethal, regal. Going by what she knows of their family names, however, she wonders what he'd name it, if he doesn't have a name already. ] A name?

[meridio]

[ The falcon glances in every direction, taking in the new surroundings. Although millennia have passed since he last engaged with the bird, Somnus moves as if that day were yesterday. It doesn't escape his notice that Pyra is stalling. Fortunately, the falcon has yet to raise a fuss. ]

Horus.

[iustaegis]

[ Horus will be without a companion of his same species, she thinks. ]

With you, he will not be alone.

[meridio]

Falcons are solitary hunters. They do not crave companionship.

[ Being territorial enough to spurn their own family, this one will likely abandon him if he fails to do his part. They were partners, never owner and pet. Hunting will be nigh impossible here.

Luckily, there's no indication of hunger from Horus as of yet. Somnus fixes his eyes on the altar, silently urging Pyra to go forth. ]

[iustaegis]

They are strong, then. [ She closes her eyes; with no prey in this world, the falcon will have no one else to turn to but Somnus...

Pyra looks to the altar, taking one step towards it, releasing his hand briefly. With his back to him, she reaches and takes the emblem; from behind it may appear that her shoulders tense, then relax.

A moment later, she returns to hold his free hand. Her voice is weak. ] We are done here.

[meridio]

[ From where he stands, he's unable to make out the sigil on the emblem. Even if he were, he wouldn't recognize it. His hand wraps around hers, and he nods.

There's no urge to remain in the temple. It seems their business here has come to an end. ]

Let us return.

[iustaegis]

[ She won't be looking up towards the stars on their way back or be guiding him along the alternative route on their return, although she remains silent during their walk. Her hand remains holding his tightly.

It will be when they finally return to the safety and privacy and silence of their townhouse that she accidentally wavers into his shoulder. Vision misted and blurred, she corrects her posture and lifts a hand to wipe at something upon her cheek, looking away from him.




Yeah no, she tried not to give in. She really tried here. She's tried in a lot of things tonight, and this is the result. Mythra, please, ...she's tried, she's so tired now. Emotions are wonderful, but damn can they hurt. ]

[meridio]

[ Somnus' attention is divided between Pyra and Horus on the return trip. He watches the former after her visible change before the altar, and he watches the latter for whom this is a new environment. Luckily, Horus is able to keep calm all the way past the front door of the townhouse.

A weight presses into his shoulder before lifting. Somnus glances at Pyra, angles his arm to let Horus down on the coffee table, and steps around to Pyra's front. Her posture has already given her away; he must confirm the tears in her eyes first, however, if she'll allow him. ]

[iustaegis]

[ He steps around to her front to-- look at her? To watch her cry? She doesn't know what he's doing, but her fingers twitch in his, her expression wounded, vulnerable. Lips parting as if to say his name, she withdraws her voice a moment later as tears finally slip from the corner of her eyes in silence.

She's used to no one being present as she cries save for her otherself; she hides it as much as she can to retreat in her mind, to the peaceful solitude of a half-forgotten memory. Now he knows, and she appears lost. ]

[meridio]

[ The last time she wept, it was because what she wanted was at odds with what must be. She didn't say it, of course. Even now, she would rather cry in silence.

"If someone is weeping, an embrace might help. Please."

He didn't agree with it then, but he knows how that played out. He pulls his hand out of hers, then steps in and wraps an arm around her back. Leaning in, his other hand comes around to caress the back of her head. What she wanted that night, he'll give it to her again here. ]

[iustaegis]

[ The embrace is unexpected from him, especially after how withdrawn he had appeared before the altar. She goes absolutely still, her mind momentarily rendered blank from the pull of his arms and the warmth against her. Her chin sits just above his clavicle, and her eyes, glazed, stare into the darkness of their townhouse.

Before she knows it, her arms are coming up around his back, wrapping around him to secure the embrace. Her touch is light, but soon it holds him in return as her vision finally gives to tears; receiving the emblem of an old, fallen kingdom had been the final straw that has broken her mask tonight. How wretched she is, for being this pitiful that he seems to care enough to pull her into his arms. Even more disgustingly, it is comforting to her; the embrace feels warm, it feels safe. It feels like someone does care. She wants this too, how hypocritical.

This also reminds her that she-- she, too, had given him an embrace earlier this night. He had not returned it then. Had he been numb this entire time, and she hadn't even noticed it until now? ]

....I've... been blind to you. Blind and deaf to you. [ Her shoulders tremble. ] I'm-- so sorry. I'm so sorry.

[meridio]

[ Just like then, the tears fall in earnest after she returns the embrace. Somnus maintains the contact, saying nothing while her shoulders tremble against him.

Her apologies fail to move him, simply because they aren't warranted. She should be blind to him. She should be deaf. The affairs of a single mortal have no bearing on the daughter of the Architect. He isn't owed special attention, so she hasn't wronged him by not giving it.

If saying, sorry, will tide her over, however, he won't stop her. This and whatever conflicting is raging within her—let her cry them out, so they might push onward together. ]

1/2

[iustaegis]

[ The god who has chosen him is blessed to have him as their own, to know know a man like Somnus and have a human being like him walk the earth. Yet to treat him like this.... After hearing this man’s burdens, she wonders why this god has never intervened to stop his pain, his suffering in silence. Are his emotions that unnecessary to preserve the future, or is it that this pain is indeed the necessary component, a byproduct of love that makes Somnus strive evermore towards an end—

She will not ask these questions. The future matters most, as does the world. All of humanity’s history involves malevolence and benevolence, peace and strife, and it seems the future demands the same.

The gods demand the same, she asks the same. For she, too, has taken a royal’s soul to keep with her this entire time to use for sake of the future. While Pyra can claim to have been merciful to grant that man sleep for these centuries, he does not know that he had been taken, for she had not given him a choice. Now his ruined kingdom’s emblem (a kingdom whose ruin she caused) sits in the palm of her hand. She is no better than this god that has caused so much suffering for the king before her.

So long as the future needs to be preserved, Somnus may need to suffer. So long as her own world’s future needs to be ensured, so too must she ensure the same for the soul she has taken, that he knows not the peace of true death. This is why she is sorry— for their suffering, for being a propagator of it, for not knowing any other way, for it all being for the sake of the world she loves. She is sorry, she is sorry, she is sorry.

She buries her head into his shoulder, her hands tensing upon the fabric draped across his back. ]

[iustaegis]

[ What else can she do, however, if she is only sorry for their pain and not for the actions that cause it? Apologize more and nothing more. It is only with Somnus that she can attempt not to bring in any more hurt to his afterlife, and to hope that she only brings him good. Yet knowing that he does not know she would cause him pain for the sake of the future, had he been in her world...

This embrace he gives her is wholly undeserved; this should be for him, and it should not be her arms around him, but someone of his world. How dare she.

Her tears are silent, but they do quell after a time. By the time she parts from him, she’s far more numb from sorrow than before. An unpleasant hollowness settles into her as easily as dust within a tomb. Pyra parts from him just enough to meet his gaze, her eyes brimming with grief. ] Thank you... That was... [ An unsteady breath preceded her words, but they are no less grateful and genuine. ] Very kind of you.

[ It’s nice to believe that he cares enough, when he should not. Her arms move from his back to his shoulders. ]