dreamposts: (Default)
dreamposts ([personal profile] dreamposts) wrote in [community profile] songerein2022-11-05 02:00 pm

{ 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
judicialassistant: (shock glance)

2/2

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-13 04:30 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...

......She may have grabbed the ponytail. But she shakes her head, realizing how quickly the point was getting away from her. By now, at least, she can see the cogs turning in him; and she knows that Ryunosuke can sense the added depth to Kazuma's soul.

The clears her throat softly. Where to even start...? ]


What I mean to say is... he will be more forthcoming about some things than others. But I am here to help, as an assistant to you both.
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15809272)

Re: 2/2

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-12-19 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Ryunosuke flashes the briefest of grateful smiles at that, but he's still somewhat troubled. It's not just that he doesn't know what went on with Kazuma during this mysterious time spent off in another world... There's also the fact that the closed trial and everything else is still just raw to Ryunosuke. Before, he'd been able to bury some of it under looking optimistically towards the future, contemplating the work he would be doing back in Japan. Now...

Now, he kind of just has to sit with it.

Still... It really is hard to be too worried, knowing Susato is there to help.]


Is there... Anything at all you can tell me? About what happened to him, or where he was? I'm not asking you to betray his confidence, just... Broad strokes, so I at least have some idea...
judicialassistant: (book 2)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-19 05:06 am (UTC)(link)
[ There is the sound of movement in the water. A light splash from an idle kick of her feet, or movement of her hands. She thinks about the question, and in truth, it's not as though Kazuma explicitly told her to keep quiet. It was a decision she'd made on her own, simply out of respect.

Now she must give Ryunosuke similar respect, as Kazuma's best friend. ]


It was called the Realm of Stories... I've also heard it referred to as 'the Index.'

[ In all fairness, this isn't anything Kazuma would not tell him personally. ]

All my knowledge is secondhand, of course, but that I understand it... While he was there, he was assigned a role, or an Essence of a specific character from a book.
locumstudentesquire: (pic#16107447)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-12-21 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
'Assigned' a role...? [He's frowning curiously at that.] I'm... Not sure I follow. Assigned by whom? And to what end?

[Songerein, for all its strangeness, hasn't been too hard for him to accept on a conceptual level. Dreams are just weird like that. But a whole other world that revolves around stories...?]
judicialassistant: (lineface - alternate)

1/2

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-21 03:14 am (UTC)(link)
. . . [ There's a pause, and Susato has to think back on one of the more painful conversations they've had. Mr Sholmes and Gina had just arrived then; it was a happy time, though she wouldn't forget about confronting him about the book any time soon. ]

Someone called the 'Storyteller.' Kazuma and the others were meant to restore the stories they were a part of, that I understand it... It did not matter how, nor what kind of ending was given to them. Whether they matched the original or not... As long as they were completed, he became more powerful.
judicialassistant: (eyes closed 2)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-21 03:15 am (UTC)(link)
[ That's what it always came down to, right? Power.

But they're dealing with the aftermath of all that, so she'll get straight to the point, after a beat to allow him to process all she just said.

...... ]


Naruhodo-san... Have you ever read the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde?
locumstudentesquire: (pic#16107463)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-12-22 07:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[For a moment, at Susato's explanation, a preemptive sense of anger starts to bubble ominously in Ryunosuke's heart. It's immediate dislike towards this Storyteller fellow, on Kazuma's behalf. He tries to temper it, not having the full story yet, but... Going purely off of what Susato has already said... It sounds like Kazuma was used for this person's gain, somehow? And he doesn't approve of that at all.

That's where his mind is at when Susato asks that question, interrupting the light scowl that was forming on his face and turning it into a look of mild bafflement.]


Dr. Jekyll and Mr Hyde...? Ummm, no... Is it in English? Because 'The Adventures of Herlock Sholmes' is just about the only Western literature I've put any effort into reading... Otherwise it was law books, day in and day out.

[Thanks for being polite enough to ask anyway though, Susato. :') ]
Edited 2022-12-22 19:13 (UTC)
judicialassistant: (book 2)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-23 02:20 am (UTC)(link)
[ It's alright. It's not as though Susato had read it either before any of this, so it doesn't seem as though she is judging Ryunosuke too harshly. (Nice touch, however, going out of his way to mention Herlock Sholmes. In any other context, she probably would have been proud.) ]

Yes, it's in English. [ Popular, too, that she understands it, but that's not the point. ] ...Kazuma's Essence was that of the titular character, Dr Jekyll. Before the Tree of Stories appeared, I actually found a copy of the book in a store on Theatre Row.

Once you read it...

[ She'd like to say that'd be the end of it. He would understand Kazuma and everything he'd been through, on top of the manipulation he already endured thanks to Stronghart. The truth is though, Susato is still trying to understand him; and she has put forth that effort every day for the past year since she has woken up here. ]

Once you read it to the end, I think you will start to understand.
locumstudentesquire: (Hmmmm...)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-12-24 01:59 am (UTC)(link)
[Somehow, despite the fact that they're presently sitting in a literal hot spring, Ryunosuke feels an unpleasant shiver run up his spine. The gravity with which Susato speaks of this book... It strikes him as rather ominous, to say the least. He's not sure what to make of it.]

...A-alright. If you think it will help... I'll be sure to read it right away.
judicialassistant: ([fa] [ryususa] hug 2)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-24 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
[ Susato is prepared to make it even more ominous... Kazuma has already told him, hasn't he? About the demon, the one that he now knows lives inside of him. That Essence, that story, gave the demon a name.

...but honestly, it feels like she's given him quite enough to unpack already for one day.

She certainly appreciates that he's giving her less lip about this than his law studies, so... for now, she leaves it at that, and a light smile in approval. ]


Ah... I think the green has started to fade from your hair now.
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15885848)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2022-12-31 02:17 am (UTC)(link)
[There might have been a joke here about how all it takes to get him to shut up and stop complaining about his studies is to have the studies be related to Kazuma somehow?? But... Well his law studies were also pretty Kazuma motivated for a while there, so.

In any case, the news about his hair is certainly welcome. He gives a little start, brightening at once.]


...It is!? Gosh... Maybe the springs had some kind of delayed effect after all...?
judicialassistant: (eyes closed - happy)

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2022-12-31 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
How fortunate for you!

[ Susato smiles a little wider, her expression brightening to match his. She resists the urge to reach up and touch his hair. ]

Well... Naruhodo-san, we are glad you are here with us. No matter what colour your hair is. [ And no matter what demons they are facing. ]
locumstudentesquire: (pic#15737465)

[personal profile] locumstudentesquire 2023-01-01 01:56 am (UTC)(link)
[Ryunosuke blinks at her, and then grins warmly.]

Likewise, Susato-san.

[He really means it.]

And I suppose... If my hair is only just starting to turn back gradually... We really have no choice, do we? We'll just keep relaxing in the water here, until I am completely black-headed once more.

[How horrible for them both!]
judicialassistant: (Default)

🎀

[personal profile] judicialassistant 2023-01-01 06:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Susato blinks at him in return. Honestly, 'no choice' might be exaggerating it... Does it even matter where they are as the colour fades? She certainly isn't in a hurry to correct him, though, and returns that warm expression...

...leaving the rest of that heavy conversation surrounding Kazuma for another day. ]


An excellent plan.