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

For Light to be restored and my brother, freed from his curse.

[It comes out rehearsed, because it is. He told Noctis those almost exact words back on Eos. Somnus' gaze drops over one of Noctis' shoulders.]

My actions were for the future. None of it was what I wanted.

What about here, though? What do you want here? And don't just say to save the world.

[He's not looking for the usual spiel.]

[What does he have, if not the spiel?

He doesn't answer right away. Even with the tea, it's a struggle to come up with anything.]

Nothing.

[Somnus, seriously...]

Even with Ardyn? Just because you think you can't have it doesn't mean you're not allowed to want it.

From my brother, most of all.

[He can want what he can't have; he can't help wanting. But he doesn't want if it'll worsen his brother's hurts.]

Thirty years ago, I asked for his understanding and incurred his wrath. Here, my presence is cause for anger. I can only pray for his repose.

Thirty years ago...?

[If he's up to just past Noct's time at minimum, considering all he knows, that was before he was born, but after he woke up in Niflheim, based on Besithia's age...

This is a part of the timeline he's not heard about yet.]

You saw him back then?

[He swallows, even though he hasn't touched the tea since the first sip. His face doesn't betray a hint of emotion.]

He came to the city of his own accord. In order to shield the young king, I answered my brother's call from the ring.

[Noctis pauses.]

He tried to kill my dad?

[It's his turn to pause.]

Not in the beginning. His goal was to kill me. Our clash failed to satisfy his desire for retribution.

Edited 2020-01-03 08:22 (UTC)

...Well... thanks for defending him, anyway.

[At least Noctis doesn't look angry about it; he's learned to differentiate between the Ardyn of his time and this one, and behaviour like that sounds like something the former would have done.]

I never heard about that. So what happened after you fought? And- how did you fight? Considering you were...

[Dead already. How the hell do you kill someone already dead.

He does feel a little bad for prying, but this is the most open Somnus has been (tea or otherwise) and it feels like something he should know. An invasion of Niflheim inside the wall, an assassination attempt on his father? That's pretty important! Plus, talking about the past is a lot safer than the future.]

[Only, this past is still someone else's future. Somnus is chary of tossing the details around, yet he continues.]

I appeared before him as the Old Wall. Once I returned to the ring, he made an attempt on the young king's life. He was stopped by the Draconian.

[And the rest, as they would say, is history. His knowledge of what transpired after that is murky, but he can make a guess.]

[At least Noct has the sense not to throw these details at anyone else. The others have protected him from most of his own future so far, he's not about to turn around and screw someone else over.]

Why would Bahamut do that? The Astrals haven't given a damn about any of us for a long time.

[Bahamut sure didn't save Insomnia the next time Ardyn came calling to kill the royal family. He-

....

Oh.

He glances down at his arm, the one with the bracer, beneath which the marks of his covenants are hidden. Thirty years... he wasn't born yet.]

[The shift in Noctis' demeanor suggests that he's found the answer for himself. But with the question voiced, Somnus is compelled to give his own.]

The gods seek to protect the world. The events surrounding the founding of Lucis, as well as your father's protection, served that purpose. They intervene only when we lack the strength to carry out our calling.

[Yeah, that sure sounds like the Astrals he knows. It's still disconcerting to have it laid out so plainly, to recognize that their worth is only in whatever they can provide for this grand plan and prophecy created thousands of years ago. Of course they'd only intervene in such an emergency. He usually only feels the pull of the covenant in times of dire need, against daemons likely to end his life, or when Niflheim's army descended in their base...]

If that's true, they should have intervened for Insomnia. I can't use the Crystal for whatever the hell I'm supposed to do if it's in the heart of Niflheim.

[He's going to get it back one day, of course he is, he's determined. But he could save the world a lot faster if it was somewhere accessible, and isn't that what they want?]

Man took the Crystal. It follows that man will retrieve what was taken. What the gods should have done is not for us to decide.

[There are plenty of ways to explain away why the gods might have allowed the Empire to take off with the Crystal. Exploring them here and now isn't necessary. What's certain is that it's all too easy to curse the gods for the misfortunes that befall the world. Noctis' frustration is, however, understandable.]

...Stupid.

[What if it takes too long? What if he fails? What's the point of saving the world if there isn't much left to be saved by the time he reaches it? There's too many variables. It's risking a lot on him, and he already knows he fails on at least one critical step.

Regis should have sent him out on his journey a year ago.

...He's tired of this. The fun's been drained out of the game, and he shouldn't be asking these questions.]

Whatever. You're a nice guy, it's cool to meet a legend, I appreciate you helping me out, and giving me advice and stuff.

[It doesn't sound the most sincere, as far as kindness goes, but evidently the sash can sense the truth anyway, so as he finishes it quietly unravels from around their legs, setting them free.]

[The sharp drop in mood is palpable. He should have made more of an attempt to curb Noctis' curiosity. It's easy to demand answers; accepting them when given is another matter entirely, and the weight of a world is too heavy for one mortal. The sash has pooled around their feet, but something far more leaden keeps them in place now.

Somnus kneels down to scoop the sash off of the ground. Storing it away in his Armiger, he rises. Lunch will most likely have to pass.]

My legend is that and nothing more. There are many wrongs to my name that the worlds do not know. But if you have need of me, I shall answer.

[He's sure he has plenty of questions, but if the answers are just going to make him gloomy, what's the point? It's not as if he can do anything from here. Their world is far away and inaccessible, it isn't guaranteed that they'll keep their memories when they return so planning ahead might be just as pointless... it's too depressing to think about. Better to focus on what they can do here, surely.

Which is why he finally asks, instead:]

If Ardyn ever wants to reconcile, would you do it?

[Even if Somnus won't let himself want it, this is important. They're still family.]

[Reconciliation is beyond them. Too much damage has been done. Perhaps some deeper understanding can be reached, but the sort of friendly relation they enjoyed in the past can never be again. He stares off into space, pensive. That loss is among the things that hurt the most—enough so that it does away with some of the severity in his expression as his eyes soften around the edges.

Even understanding, he couldn't achieve by his own words. His brother had to come and all but toss it at him here, and he, unable to truly speak for himself, had felt both fulfilled and hollow. Timelines aren't meant to mingle like this. Even so:]

I would.

[If nothing else, he doesn't wish to make what's bad, worse. If it'll help his brother find a modicum of peace here, he'll do it.]

[Noctis is quiet for a long moment at those words, looking unusually thoughtful, his arms crossed over his chest. Finally he nods, as if he'd made a decision.]

Right... great.

[He can work with this. Yep. Sounds perfect.]

Think I'm good on weird questions for a while, so I don't push my luck. Can't have you getting tired of me, right?

[His expression evens out. It doesn't return to its usual level of aloofness, but there's honed lucidity where there wasn't earlier.]

You are my grandchild. I could never tire of you.

[Congratulations, Somnus, you get the visual equivalent of a keysmash as Noct's responding expression. He did not! Expect an answer!

...oh god and that was a legit question, too, which means it was truthful--]

Wait, were you, uh. Always watching?

[Were all of them!?]

[Somnus turns to look. Such a shy boy.]

Where the ring went, so too did I. I've watched you since the day of your birth.

[Albeit from a distance for the majority of Noctis' upbringing, though that's done nothing to diminish his worth.]

[Noctis pauses, running a mental tally of a number of impossible-to-forget shared moments with his father growing up.

How embarrassing.]

For thousands of years? That sounds exhausting.

[No wonder he's so grim and serious. Not that he'd know what Somnus used to be like, but he can't even fathom being sealed away as an observer of the lives of other people for that length of time.]

[The joys of birth and life are always balanced by the grief of loss and death. For them, the weight of their duty also rests on their shoulders. Even before he passed, Somnus was exhausted—but what is he supposed to do about that when the world is at stake?]

House Caelum will not rest until the future is secured.

[And how close that future had been before he was pulled to worlds where the past always greets him.]

Only then will our souls know repose.

♥ December Event Log

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