songerein | { 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

[ animals? kaeya's brow knits, and he follows the boy's eyeline to the food, the hotpot. it takes him a few moments to puzzle out just what might be upsetting him, and even then, kaeya's not entirely positive. 'thinking about animals' is a pretty broad thing to be sad about while eating a meal.

unless, of course..

"Are you a vegetarian?" ]

[ And there comes a sufficient distraction: new vocabulary. Unnamed's never seen the word before, but he does know 'vegetable' and wonders if they're similar. Unless 'vegetarian' is a name...? Or a thing, like when Trahearne called himself a 'Sylvari.'

"What is vegetarian?" he asks, some of his frown fading in lieu of a curious expression. ]

[ well, so much for that thread of thought. kaeya thinks for a moment, then answers:

"Someone who eats only vegetables, and no meat."

no one tell him that plants feel distress when they're harmed. ]

[ Well that's an easy-to-read sentence! Unnamed is nodding fervently by the end of it, eyes burning. Yes, Kaeya!! That is it!!

"Yes! I vegetable." vege....tarian....

"No eat meat. Animals friends" Even if they taste so, so much better than fruits and vegetables. ]

[ "Vegetarian."

he chuckles, low and soft, and also can't help himself...

"Plants aren't friends?" kaeya no ]

[ kaeya s t o p

Unnamed shakes his head though, holding up his journal.

"Trahearne say they don't do "I" so not people. Can eat. But don't like taste." Meat is just so, so much better than veggies. ]

[ he will not stop..

.. except okay, he'll ease up. for now. because he's just a kid.

"I see. You're right, lots of vegetables aren't as good as meat. But you don't want to eat your friends.. " ]

[ Unnamed nods.

"Hard. Meat smell very good. Want eat. But." Friends. Not food :c this sucks, Kaeya. Unnamed sighs and lets his shoulders droop a little, curling his toes under the water. ]

[ it sure does suck!! kaeya has no problem eating his meat friends, as is evidenced by the way he takes a nice bite out of his hotpot meal. there's definitely meat in it.

"Well, this is a dream world, right? Maybe they're just dream animals. So it's okay."

totally sound reasoning, right ]

[ "Dream animals?"

Kaeya....stop.......wat r u doin ]

[ "Yes, things in dreams aren't real, right? If you eat meat in a dream, you're not eating a real animal."

i'm sorry he is this way.. ]

[ That...is an interesting concept. If it's a dream--what happens when you sleep--they're not real animals, are they? Would it be okay to eat them in that case...?

He ponders over it for a moment, wonders if friends were dreams if he could eat the--no.

Nope, no, noooo. Unnamed shudders and shakes his head quickly. No thank-you!! ]

[ oh, if only kaeya could read minds and see the chaos going on behind this poor kid's eyes.. he can't help but laugh.

"Well, nevermind, then. Enjoy your vegetables!" ]

[ Enjoy his...? UGH. KAEYA. ]

Ouuuhh...! Guh! Brrbrbuh...!

[ JE REFUSE. He makes a show of shaking his head and sticking out his tongue, pushing at the older man as if to say how could you suggest such a thing!! Because really, Kaeya.

How could you suggest such a thing!! Bleeegh. ]

[ LMAOOOOO kaeya laughs again, those sounds of distress are music to his ears.. this is too much. he takes another bite of his meal.

"Well, don't be angry with me about it!"

it's not kaeya's fault you're suffering a crisis of conscience!!

"Why don't you enjoy some bread, instead? Bread isn't friends." ]

[ Such. a. butthead.

"You bread!"

SO THERE. YEAH. TAKE THAT. ]

[ he just takes a nice big bite of chicken... mmmm delicious bird friends.

"How rude. I'll eat your bread, then." ]

[ KAEYA YOU SUCK

"Yes! You eat bread!" You gross. Grosseroni. Mr. Grossington.

Unnamed huffs and pushes his bread at Kaeya's face ]

[ JUST EAT THE CHICKEN

also damn that's bread in his face!! kaeya grins, and grabs it.

"Do you not like bread either?" ]

[ BUT WHAT IF SOMEONE LOVED THAT CHICKEN

"No like!" He cannot emphasize that enough. It's less offensive than vegetables or fruit, but it's still not anything he's interested in eating. Technically speaking, none of it actually tastes bad. It just fills his stomach up. Then it gets smelly, and then he has to vomit it all up again later anyway.

It is Not Fun. ]

[ DUST TO DUST, MY FRIEND!! these are the spoils of being an apex predator.

"Well, in that case, I'm happy to take it off of your hands. You're out of your mind, bread is delicious."

in fact, he rips off a hunk and dips it into his broth, before taking a nice bite. ]

Buhhhhh!

[ That's his version of "blegh" and he makes that sound entirely on purpose, just to express his dislike of Kaeya's gross bread-eating.

"Bread gross. You bread face."

He...may be acting a little petty now. Just a bit. ]

{ something steamy }

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