songerein | { something steamy }

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{ something steamy }

SOMETHING STEAMY

This log is open to everyone and doubles as a "Character Intro" for new characters who were just accepted this round. As a reminder, new characters are welcome to carry over their TDM threads backdated to the last week of October (25-31) so that they're not really "new" if players wish to do so! Starting fresh is also acceptable.

I. REVEREIN HOTPOT

With the temperatures cooling down, some locals have decided to throw a huge hotpot party along the riverbank for no real reason other than to try and cook up some good food and meet new faces. While participating restaurants and farmers are happy to provide some surplus ingredients, others are welcome to bring their own. There are plenty of grills and pots to go around, but with so many people and…unique ingredients coming in, there's bound to be a little chaos. (Thanks to Mich for the idea!)

A. Hunt for the "Legendary" Ingredient. To spice things up, a challenge has been posted before the day of the party for those who want to add some unique flavor to the meal.

Golden Truffles. There are special truffles found deep in the swamps hidden within the Wildlands that are said to taste so divine that just a small bite would make one feel as if they are floating to heaven. No it's not poisonous!! While not exactly rare in number, they are notoriously hard to find and require special pigs to sniff and dig them out. Some truffle hunters have agreed to let anyone daring to look for the truffles to borrow said pigs for the hunt. However, they can be ornery and will only cooperate if you sing a happy song to them. The swamps themselves can be filled with some mild dangers, but the pigs should guide you. Probably.
Mandragora Leaves. There is a marked field where the mandragora have taken residence. They will give up their leaves if asked nicely, but if too rough or without showing respect, they will scream and attack instead. Even then you have to take care in clipping the leaves.
Rainbow Speckled Eggs. Some wild hens that live out in the Wildlands lay rainbow speckled eggs at this time of year and they are huge! Can't miss them. They are duds and won't hatch, so they are perfect for eating. The hens themselves won't mind them taken, but the roosters that guard them are a different story. Get past them and collect the egg!

B. Food Thieves. Attracted by the delicious smell and it being time to start gathering for the winter, a few critters and even some small fae try to sneak in and snatch a few pieces for themselves. Squirrels and chipmunks in particular like to swipe any chestnuts some people are trying to roast, and the birds are diving in for any free morsel. There are a few ways to handle this, from chasing them off to trying to create a designated "food try" for the animals to take to avoid them bothering everyone else.

C. Communal Pot Surprise. While there are smaller, individual pots available for more private use, there is a larger pot that suspiciously looks like a cauldron set near the center where anyone can dump in whatever ingredient they desire—even inedible items—and produce questionable yet somehow edible results. Here are some various effects that occur:

Anything green: Chances of turning into a frog—25%. The remaining chance is just having one's hair turn green.
Sour fruit: Everything will taste like lemons for ten minutes. No amount of sugar will help until it wears off.
Candy: Everything will taste super sweet for ten minutes and 50% chance of getting a sugar rush.
Alcohol: TIME TO SING A RAUNCHY SONG WITH GREAT FERVOR but think of the children or don't.
Inedible Objects: Why would anyone throw a shoe or sock in there—the soup will turn black and empty itself so now everyone has to start over.

This is not an exhaustive list or this prompt would go on forever—so feel free to come up with other effects with whatever item your character tosses in!

D. General Mingling. There are plenty of tables and places to sit, so grab some ingredients, find a spot, and start cooking! Just remember to share and greet everyone around! Be mindful of the pots and grills as well as they can be sensitive to emotions. Get too animated and the water or fire might shoot up in temperature. But dreamotion could also help enrich flavors, so everyone is encouraged to play around. There will also be a few spicy and garnish noodle dragons flying around to help season things. Just make sure they don't get too overzealous.

II. DRAGON ISLAND

The Hot Air Balloon Station set just outside some open fields beyond town are bustling with activity as the Dragon Island (name pending) has finally opened its borders and allow outside visitors to come in and visit the island. Its main attraction of course is the hot springs resort, "Draken Springs," where everyone has received a one time free voucher to test its amenities. There are other places guests can visit near the hot springs, and by helping the nearby towns and villages, favorability will increase as well as earn extra vouchers for the hot springs. For more details on the island in general, refer to the Mod Notes.

A. Dragon Riders. There's already a task written up on the Dream Board from farmers requesting help for harvest, but there is another request to help deal with some aggressive animals that have scared off some livestock and then corral the ones that have gotten loose. The beasts are a tough, armored, armadillo-like bear whose hide is resistant to dragon flame and can be tough to fight. Dreamotion works better to strengthen physical and magical attacks. The young adolescents are giving non-dragons the privilege of riding on their backs to fly around to help first find and deal with the bears, and then herd the livestock back to their respective farms and ranches.

B. Dragon Nursery. One of the neighboring villages is taking care of many of the new hatchlings that were recovered from the previous "raid" on Reverein. Despite a month passing, some dragons are still trying to figure out who the parents are, and there is a strong suspicion that some of the eggs were never originally from the island at all, leaving many orphaned. The dragons have a very strong communal instinct when it comes to raising their young, so some have been adopted but others are still waiting to be taken as arrangements are still being made. Thus in the meantime, help is requested to do one simple task: play and help feed the young hatchlings. They are basically toddlers so it might be quite the challenge for those unprepared, especially as their own magic is still wild and out of control. Calm dreamotion will help as well as using opposing elements to help balance the magic.

C. Hot Springs: Testing the Waters. Everyone has a chance to grab a towel and test both the indoor and outdoor public springs. For more private rooms, they will need to pay up as the voucher only covers the public springs. But they will still be provided with complimentary drinks, snacks, towels, and use of the showers to clean up before and after using the springs. As for whether it's mixed, separated, covered, or bare it all…well hopefully visitors are able to decipher the signs. There are also the saunas, just be mindful of how hot it can get.

D. Hot Springs: Special Snacks. There are some unique foods that the town and resort offers for anyone to try that can be only found on the island.

Dragon's breath peppers are hot, but these won't kill anyone (the dragons are too considerate for that). This particular species is safe to consume but as the name implies, will give one fiery breath for a while. Anyone who had the kebabs from the festival might recall a similar effect.
A spiked fruit that suspiciously looks like durian has a notable stench that will carry for quite a ways, but anyone daring enough to get past it will find the fruit sweet and seeds edible once boiled and the skin peeled away. It even has a bit of a rejuvenating effect.
Dragon fruits are a nice palette cleanser especially with yogurt or ice cream. Anyone who eats it will be able to relax more easily.

E. Hot Springs: Recreation Room. There is a sizeable recreational room where any guest is free to relax and lounge in. They offer a small snack bar, some board and card games, yoga mats, billiards table, and a ping pong table. The ping pong table in particular is set a little ways from the rest as the competition can get a little heated—literally. They even had to erect magical barriers to prevent wildly charged balls from hitting others outside of the containment area.

F. Hot Springs: Peeping Toms. Even the hot springs on Dragon Island are vulnerable to unsavory characters. Although rare, there are some unwelcome guests who try to peep into the springs, and while there are security personnel and magic devices that try to catch them, some still manage to sneak in. Especially the monkeys. Descending from the higher peaks, most wild monkeys use the other pools outside of the resort for their own use, but some are attracted to the food and other amenities and make their way into the resort pools instead. Some of them are respectful and can make for great bathing company. But others are clearly not and need to be kicked out without remorse. So whether it's an uninvited or unruly guest, or a wild monkey, if caught in the act either report or feel free to handle it. Remember, even if thrown off the mountain, they will not fall to their doom, and in this case will be caught by the magic security devices.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Susato catches sight of Percy, but not soon enough, and before she can greet him, he dips under the water. She laughs a bit to herself; perhaps his comfort is contagious, but she doesn't expect him to be long. While she waits, she finds herself taking her hair loose to redo her bun. She holds her hair ribbon by her teeth while she wrestles with it, gathering up every strand and tuft before wrapping it tightly, but after a while, he... still hasn't surfaced.

Admittedly she's a little worried, but it doesn't look like he's drowning or anything. He's not struggling...

Finally, she'll reach beneath the water to give him a light tap on his shoulder. Hello??? ]

[it doesn't occur to him that being underwater this long is strange until he feels the tap on his shoulder. he lets out some air bubbles, more for show than anything, before resurfacing. he grins up at her when he sees who it is, and runs a hand through his hair.]

Oh hey! I didn't see you there. What's up?

[he's not even winded, completely normal.]

[ The grin is actually a relief to see! Susato's expression softens, though the fact that he doesn't seem affected at all does earn him a bit of a head tilt. ]

Making sure you were still alive, I suppose. You were under for a really long time.

[ Dreamotion, maybe? ]

[listen, he can't help it when he's near water. he's just gotta...do dumb shit.]

Oh. Yeah.

[he clears his throat.]

I can...hold my breath for a long time?

[why did he make that sound like a question--]

...Apparently so.

[ Question answered? She looks as though she's not sure whether she should feel satisfied with that response. ]

Doesn't it feel hot? It took me a while to adjust. [ And she's still not sure whether she'd be able to dunk her whole face in. ]

Nah.

[does anything bother him...]

It felt pretty warm, but I also have a high tolerance for heat, so... [cough he's exploded a volcano before cough] It probably just depends on the person.

[not said in a bad way, though!!]

[ Susato stares at him for a moment longer, but decides that he's not wrong and she has no reason to question this. She seems to relax again after that, leaning back with her head against a mossy rock as she catches sight of the others in the public bath. ]

That's true. The respite is welcome, at any rate, considering the new dreamwalkers who've made their way here as of late.

Yourself included... if I'm not mistaken.

[Percy nods]

You're right. How can you tell?

[he grins a bit, moving to lean back as well as he looks at the space above them.]

Though, if there's a big bad that I need to fight in order to get back home, I'd rather them get on with it.

[ How indeed? She hardly knows everybody in Reverein, despite her best efforts, but it is perhaps the culmination of the way Percy held himself. Either way, the question falls by the wayside. ]

"Big bad"...? [ Big bad what? Though she seems to figure it out quickly: ] Well, I suppose the Story Eater counts, though I'm still not sure about the items we managed to collect at the carnival.

[ Guess she's still waiting for some kind of sign. ]

Does this world make you uneasy?

[Percy just shrugs at her question, sticking his hands into his pants pockets.]

Are you talking about normal uneasy or abnormal uneasy? I'm always kind of uneasy.

[in like a vague sense, but that's what happens when monsters wanna kill you 24/7.]

Abnormal uneasy...nah. It just sucks my friends aren't here.

[but that would be too easy...]

[ Always? She can't tell if he's just joking, but nothing about this place is normal, so 'abnormal' uneasy is certainly the way to go. She hadn't considered his friends up until that point, but at the very least, he seems like the type to ease into new ones.

Regardless, Percy gets a look of sympathy. ]

I understand... though I suppose I was lucky in that regard. It's been almost a year now for me, but at the time, I found quite a few people from the Earth I know.

Even my father.

[Percy smiles at her, even if it is a little sad and with a little stab of jealousy in his heart that she'd seen Her People here. but he wouldn't wish having anyone feel what he sometimes felt on anyone.]

That's good! I mean, if there's nothing complicated between you and your father.

[but you're one of Amm's characters so...............................i gotta stare

but Percy knows that there are a lot of Complicated Relationships with parents, even mortal ones. the ones that he actually knows stable are incredibly few and far in between.]

It always helps having people you know where you're someplace new.

[ Listen......LISTEN... there are some underlying Abandonment Issues^tm, especially since he has left her yet again but it's fine. Everything is fine. She is just going to Susato Take-Down the fuck out of him if he ever shows his face again.

Unfortunately she still loves him despite everything. It feels like she sinks just a little further into the springs at the comment, idle though it may have been. ]

I... I think I would have been a mess if they hadn't been there, if I'm honest. You're doing far more admirably than I would have.

[he just shrugs. it's just something he's got to live with at this point, and the point is always not to panic. it's no good for anything.]

I'm sure you're stronger than you give yourself credit for.

[almost actually wise words here]

You just weren't put in that position, so you wouldn't know for yourself.

[ almost--okay no, they are wise words, and it's actually quite sweet. 76 has told her something similar actually, which makes her smile to think about. ]

Better that I don't find out, I think.

[ Though Kazuma's been to multiple worlds now... So would she do the same?

...Best not to think about it too hard. ]

Anyway, it doesn't matter. Father's not here anymore.

[Percy nods a little...he considers that they should probably find some way to change the subject.]

...You think the dragons are gonna cook us?

[nailed it.]

[ ...Nailed it.

At the very least, Susato is not quite gullible enough to think he is serious, though she seems to appreciate the attempt at humour. ]

Well, they were pretty angry with us at the Dream Faire... but I don't think we are on their menu anymore.

"Anymore"?

[. . .]

Maybe it's a good thing I came in when I did. I've had enough monsters try to make me into a stew.

. . . Um, it is a long story, involving...leprechauns. And a misunderstanding.

[ Susato makes a troubled face for a second, probably prepared to tell him all about it, but then what he says kind of sinks in. ]

Are monsters that common where you are from?

[Percy stares for a moment, then blinks and shrugs. sounds like a normal day for him.]

Unfortunately. [he makes little waves with the palm of his hand.] They like to come after me, or people like me, so I see them all the time.

Edited 2022-12-27 21:29 (UTC)

[ Susato doesn't make the connection to how long he was able to stay under the water right away, but she does happen to think back on the Halloween carnival and how they met. ]

That must be why you carry a sword disguised as a pen.

[oh.

she remembers that.

it surprises him into silence for a minute, before he nods.]

Yeah. It's always with me, just in case. It's even in the pocket of my swim trunks right now.

[#prepared]

[ She really didn't get a chance to ask him more about it, but upon remembering, she already seems intrigued again. There's no reason for him to use it right now, and he's too new to really have a good grasp on dreamotion, but...

... ]

Is it magic?

[he nods.]

Yeah, it is. It was given to me when I first...

[found out he was a demigod. but he pauses, unsure on whether he wants to say that out loud or not.]

When I was twelve.

Oh!

[ Damn... And here she just turned 18 last month. Five years ago, could she have wielded a sword? (Not a chance. It's not her place...) ]

But... What would the monsters want with you at such a young age? [ He did mention 'people like him,' didn't he... ]

ii-a

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