hugtopia_logs | ♥ September Intro Mingle Log

♥ September Intro Mingle Log

a park scene in autumn with a lake, trees, a bench, leaves on the ground

September Intro Mingle Log
Welcome to Hugtopia, and to the city of Havenwell. This mingle is meant for new arrivals to get settled and meet the other inhabitants. New characters should be the only top-levels but everyone should feel free to tag around and make new friends. Who knows, you may find that Perfect Hug in here. You can use the prompts here, or create a wildcard of your own.

ICly, this takes place from the 2nd to the 16th and then we'll have a shiny new event post up for you all soon after that date range. The prompts below are optional, but are a way to get you started if you wish. To help you create your own prompts, please take a look through our Settings and FAQ. Click on each prompt's title to see the text. If you have any questions, feel free to direct them to the FAQ or to the Mod Question thread below.

❥ PROMPT I: Awakening

When you awaken, you're in the last outfit you remember wearing, three of your belongings laid nearby or your animal friend curled up by you, waking as you do. It's not the most comfortable place to sleep, a stone slab, but once you're awake, a humanoid-looking robot comes in and explains you're in Havenwell and leads you out of the room and into the main portion of the temple where a welcoming committee of similarly humanoid-looking robots hand over a clear smartphone-sized tablet, some starting funds, and explain their dilemma. Then they release you into Havenwell to pick your new home from free housing in the city and give you the chance to settle. It might be a bit disorienting, but thankfully there seem to be a lot of robots and even some non-robots around. Maybe ask them for help?

❥ PROMPT II: Buddy System

two fingers together with smiling faces drawn on

With all the changes going on, it might be hard to be a new arrival to Havenwell. The natives understand! Sort of. When some new arrivals begin to appear at the temples, receive the welcome speech, get their communicators and the simple map of the city, they get taken to the front of the temple by a helpful robotic priest. Rather than turn the newcomers loose right away, they pull someone seemingly at random off the street and push the two people together with a cheerful, "Here's your guide to Havenwell! It's dangerous to go alone, so be buddies!" before going back inside.

They try to place a new arrival with one of those who previously arrived, but who can keep track of all that, right? Characters may find themselves thrown together with an actual veteran or with another new arrival who only came here a day or even just an hour before them! Good luck helping each other out, offworlders, and don't lose your buddy!

❥ PROMPT III: Weather Wildcard

a vertical slice of several different weather conditions, from sunny to storms

Havenwell's weather is generally so well controlled, with beautiful blue skies and temperate climes that it's hard to remember that there's a whole world out there that might not be so nice. Every so often, however, the controls break and something not so nice and temperate comes through. Pockets of unpleasant weather happens all over the city at random intervals and new arrivals might find themselves and others caught without warning. Is that a snowstorm with green snow? Sure is. A windstorm that only seems to affect three streets? Yup. Did a deluge of rain just pour the equivalent of an Olympic sized swimming pool of water on you? Uh-huh, sure did. A deep cold fog that suddenly rolls in and blankets your entire area? Yeeaaah... hopefully there's someone around to help you get about and find shelter or just dry off and get away from it all. Good luck, offworlder.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Regis had always wanted a pet when he was young, but pets factored no where in the plan or image his father had carefully crafted for the royal family. Instead of using taking care of a pet as an opportunity for his son to learn responsibility, Mors had viewed the interest as a waste of time and had made sure any animals that Regis had shown an interest in had disappeared from the Citadel very quickly.

Is it any wonder, then, when the very friendly black dog starts following him, Regis doesn't hesitate to stop and play with him? His resulting mussed hair and grass stained pants don't even register. He is more than happy to give all the attention to the dog that he wants. Eventually, though, the dog seems to decide he wants something else.

To be followed.

Regis finds himself both confused and secretly delighted at the mystery. What might the dog want him to see so badly? He's shown himself plenty intelligent during their little romp, so Regis has no doubt it's something important. He finds himself having to hold back a chuckle when he comes across Noctis sitting on a bench with his arm over his eyes. He could address the dark-haired youth, but instead of doing so, Regis crouches down on the dog's level and tilts his head toward him, pitching his voice so it can be heard clearly despite his position.]

How very rude. He took a nap and didn't invite you? Shall I have him jailed for committing such a terrible crime?

[The dog's response is an enigmatic canine smile and a tail wag, attentive for a moment to the joke before turning and wandering over to the dozing prince. As always, it takes a few attempts to rouse Noctis even if he does distantly hear Regis's comment, so Umbra rests his head on Noct's knee and nudges at some exposed skin with a wet nose. That gets Noct to jerk back and sit up, rubbing at an eye and looking down.]

Wh- oh, there you are. Where'd you run off to this time?

[He looks up, then, spotting Regis, and the smile he'd gained at the sight of Umbra falters for a moment before he catches himself.]

...Oh, hey. --Your Majesty.

[Regis doesn't miss the faltering smile, but he passes it off to the young man being surprised to once more come face-to-face with his king, something most are not used to.]

Please, just call me Regis. It's not as if I actually rule anything here.

[He turns a nod in the dog's direction.]

Your friend was quite determined to lead me to you. Is everything all right?

[After all, Noctis, you were sleeping on a bench.]

[Call him Regis, he says. He has never in his entire life called his father that and he's not about to start now. If he can deal with Cor being overly formal all the time, he can deal with it here, too.]

He was, huh. [He frowns down at Umbra for that one. Really? But the dog just wags his tail again and with an expectant look until Noctis caves and pets him.] I'm fine, I just get tired easily. Guess someone was worried.

[It's an easy enough excuse, though they both know that isn't the case. Devious Messenger... what's he trying to do?]

It is a sign he cares a great deal for you. You must take good care of him to have earned such loyalty.

[Oh, Regis. You have no idea.]

I can hardly fault you for tiring easily. It's something I have to deal with as well, though you probably already know that.

[Actually, did he? Regis is unsure how much the normal populace knows about the drain the Crystal and the Wall place on him. He knows it's not all that visible now, but he doubts it will be something so easily hidden in the future.]

[He's not so sure about that first part - taking care of Umbra has never been a thing he's had to consider, with how independent Messengers tend to be. They can eat or be injured, and they like to walk about freely whether accompanied or not- but it's not like a standard pet you have to look and clean up after. He'd had to do very little when Umbra came for letter exchanges.

Explaining all of that is a rabbit hole he's not terribly inclined to crawl down yet, though, so he keeps it to himself, opting instead to purse his lips and offer a tight smile at the rest.]

I've gotten some hints, yeah. [The premature aging, the cane, their distance in general... and his own experience as a Lucis Caelum, of course.] Guess being here is a mixed bag for you.

[He gets to be away from all of that pressure, but also everything else, too.]

It has been...difficult.

[Regis moves to give Umbra a scratch behind the ears in order to hide how much his expression falls.]

My people need their king right now, as my friends and my family need me. I should not be here laughing with, eating with, and helping others when I am needed by them.

[It's obvious how much this bothers him. No matter what people have told him so far, helping those here is not the same as being back home burying the dead, comforting the living and rebuilding what has been destroyed.

At least he knows now he survives it all so when he goes back he can do those things.]

[Umbra's tail immediately begins to wag, a bit more familiar with a "stranger" than a dog usually might be. The king may look different, but he remembers.

Noctis, for his part, shuffles awkwardly on the bench, arms crossing over his chest.]

...Yeah... I can sympathize. Got plenty waiting for me back home, too. But until we figure out a way to leave on our own terms, might as well do what we can, right?

[It's, y'know. Heroic. It's sort of become their thing.]

We are all in the same boat.

[His words are somewhat distracted as the scratches to Umbra's ears slowly turn into petting his head. There is such comfort in petting an animal and he hasn't really had a chance to do it for a long time.

If it is more soothing than it should be, he's too distracted to realize it.]

How much do you think the natives and the gods are hiding from us about the real reason we are here?

[Verstael's theories might have struck a bit more of a nerve than Regis was willing to admit to the researcher's face.]

...Probably a lot. More than I'd like to think.

[Working through conspiracies is hardly his strong spot - he was raised to be the king who stomps down the darkness, not the king who resolves all the heavy political intrigue - but it's hard not to let one's imagination run wild in a place so doused in mystery like this. Why would any city (or country, or world) share all of their secrets with a bunch of random strangers?]

Let's say you abducted a bunch of people from another country and let them loose in Insomnia. How many Lucian secrets would you give them, just for kicks?

[Regis can't help but frown at Noctis' first statement because it is obviously the correct one. Verstael's theories aside, Regis has been trained well enough that he knows a political mystery when he sees one. Usually, he has the power to step in and get it unraveled quickly. He doesn't have that power here.

The follow up statement though, causes him to chuckle.]

I'm not really into the whole kidnapping thing, so I'm afraid your example falls apart there. I get your point, though. It is too bad I don't have the same power to uncover the truth here as I do back home.

You know what I meant...

[omg dad don't be so literal. Though he probably should be grateful Lucis isn't that sort of country, at least as far as either of them know.]

It's fine, though. We'll figure it out eventually, and at least here we're all equals. That means you don't have to overwork yourself.

[That's something he knows Regis has a habit of doing for sure. Hopefully that's preventable for a while.]

I do? It's gratifying to know we've come to understand each other so quickly.

[Wow, Noctis. Who knew your dad's sarcasm game was so strong?

The mischief vanishes from his expression fairly quickly, though.]

I'm afraid I've never been one to sit still. If others need to rest, they can. I will do whatever I can in the meantime.

[SWEATS

Sarcastic or not, maybe he should watch what he says a little more. There's no telling where saying the wrong thing might get him. Though it's not like he can un-know his own father...]

You're not gonna get anywhere if you burn out, is all I mean. There's enough of us here that you can take shifts when there's work to do. Sleep's important for kings.

[You can believe him, he is a real pro at kingly sleeping.]

[Yes, indeed. Which is why he was sleeping on a bench in broad daylight.]

Now you sound like my wife and friends.

[A small smile returns to his face.]

Let it never be said I don't listen to my people. I will try, but you will have to forgive me if I fail a few times along the way.

I'll take that as a compliment.

[His dad might be reckless as he is at this age when it comes to taking on too many jobs, but at least he has good taste.]

Anyway, I know there's people here to drag you back to bed when you need it, so I'll try not to worry about it too much.

You had best or I might have you dragged off on charges of treason.

[Regis is serious for all of one second after saying that and then grins widely enough that it is obvious that was a joke.]

Of course. I would hate to have worries about me interrupt your napping.

Ha ha, very funny.

[Noctis scoffs at that, stretching his arms up over his head, and finally, reluctantly stands up.]

Speaking of, though, I should get back to my place. If I get caught napping in public again I'll never hear the end of it. C'mon, Umbra. [A beat, and then-] Thanks for keeping an eye on him. I'll see you around?

Of course, and if not, I suspect your four-footed friend may take things into his own paws to fix that.

[Regis chuckles and then sees Noctis off with a wave.]

Be well until we meet again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

♥ September Intro Mingle Log

( v: wildcard ) Featuring the GOOD DOGGO

YEAAAAAAAH

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