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

It was good to see Akechi's play starting to take form, at least. Moxxie nodded approvingly, dragging himself to the side of the table where his cue ball had since been sent.

"What gave it away, the 'snakelike' or the 'weaselly'? It was a thin veneer of congeniality around the core of a murderous psychopath. ...And that's coming from someone who literally kills for a living.

But, y'know. I'm a professional, not a psychopath."

TAK

A rather unceremonious, unsatisfying textbook shot that hit three walls and struck both balls in succession. He took the second shot almost on instinct--

TAK

But was well off the mark even on the first shot, and the ball went soaring and ricocheting across the table without striking either of the object balls. Moxxie rested a hand on his forehead, working to gather himself.

"At least it sounds like yours wasn't doing all of this just to get under your skin and make you look bad in front of your wife and boss."

Akechi frowned. "A thin veneer of congeniality over a murderous psychopath. Yes, I'm familiar with the type. Though in my defense-"

TAK

Bounce-bounce-carom and hit. "I no longer give enough of a shit to pretend to be nice to people I can't stand, and I'm... working, on the second bit. But no, he was doing it all for the sake of taking back from a society that's corrupt from top to bottom. Very-"

TAK-bounce-carom-bounce and... miss. "Robin Hood." That was dangerously close to a joke. "He did, however, very much drive me up a fucking wall and make me look like a complete idiot in front of my employer at the time, so I certainly empathize."

"A regular gentleman-thief, huh."

Moxxie would just... set aside the commentary about Akechi's mental state and social habits. They were having such a pleasant exchange, after all, and he so rarely had that chance when it came to his coworkers.

TAK

That one was another miss, but his focus wasn't quite as much on the game at this point. And he'd already run up a decent enough lead that he could afford the occasional whiff.

"So what happened to him in the end? Ever manage to pin him down?"

TAK

A point. "It's a long and complicated story." Which was an understatement. "And it doesn't help that I spent a good portion of it either dead or comatose and we're frankly still not sure which it was."

TAK A miss. "But to answer your question- I tried to take him on nine-to-one, it went about as poorly as you could possibly expect, we ended up working together against a common enemy, and I'm reliably informed that I'm 'part of the team', whether I like it or not. So I suppose he did win, in the end."

Not that it wasn't better than any conceivable alternatives.

"...and... that's it?"

TAK

Thank Satan, he was getting back on track. Another point for the tally. "If you'll pardon my saying, it doesn't exactly sound like it ended on a bad note. Most people would kill to even have closure, let alone reconciliation."

"Believe me. I've been the one committing the murders to give them closure."

TAK

Tch. These shots were getting weird. Again, he stepped back and let Akechi take a shot.

He sighed. "That's not quite it, but to get the whole picture I'd have to go into details that would take a long time to explain. However... you're not wrong. All the alternatives involve my not being here to even discuss the matter, so yes. I suppose in the grand scheme of things, this was the best option. For a change of pace, I'm actually free of everyone who had been manipulating me, I've acheived... at least some level of reconciliation with some of my victims-"

TAK

"-and I have people I would consider 'friends'. It's probably rather pathetic that that's a first for me, but I haven't had a particularly easy or pleasant life." A miss. Well, he had been distracted.

"And they're denizens of Hell, no less."

TAK

A miss of his own. But the game was taking a backseat to conversation at this point, anyway.

"Though to be fair, I never saw myself getting along this well with humans, either."

TAfft

The cue scratched the felt. That had taken a moment to clear his ears properly, and- were they?

... Well-

shit.

Akechi covered the misplay by reaching for the resin again, applying it. "Not to put too fine a point on it, but it likely helps that I'm a bastard."

{ something steamy }

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