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.

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[Other animals are rare enough here that the addition of new ones is enough to catch this wandering cat's attention. Not that he looks like any ordinary cats that humans might be familiar with, given his unusual features.

He meanders closer to investigate, giving a curious 'mrow', as he looks up at Todoroki, while leaving the person he was accompanying behind, though she's not too far away, preoccupied with shifting some rubble from a path by levitating it.]

[ It takes little for Harmony's attention to be caught in turn. While typically well-behaved, she also decides she wants to investigate more and leaps down. Mind you, she still keeps a good distance while facing this new cat, hardly showing any hostility (but instead with her tail held high).

Meanwhile, Rio, well. She's content to continue lounging in the crook of Todoroki's arm.

That's not to say that Harmony is the only one, though. Todoroki definitely knows that there's a very high probability that his recognition will get him nowhere (apart from confusion), but thinks to speak up, anyway— ]

Honerva. . .?

[This new cat was curious about other cats, if only because he encountered them so infrequently, aside from a certain wizard's familiar--or when the wizard herself would change form to keep him company with play, thanks Lup. Kova remains still, sniffing the air, seeming mindful of Harmony's caution even if the curiosity is somewhat mirrored.

As for Honerva, Todoroki is not far off in his presumption of confusion. She glances up when she hears her name called, but finds no recognition in the source of it. Which is... odd, given how so few even knew her name, unless those familiar with her here had found reason to pass her name along, which also was unlikely.

And yet that... blade he carries is what draws her attention next, as she grasps the familiarity of it, if not the significance.]

... yes.

[She responds, because it seems important to confirm that.]

... Please identify yourself. It seems that I am... at a loss for how we are acquainted.

[ That answers that, then. It never feels good to be forgotten, but these circumstances are far from normal. ]

My name is Todoroki Shouto. This is the second world I've been brought to, apart from my home. Its name was Empatheias, and you and I had interacted on a couple of occasions.

[ He's unsure whether or not he should bring up the reason why he's in possession of such a weapon just yet. ]

[ That alone is a lot to unpack, as she remains silent for a moment, considering his answer. ]

... You ... met me in another universe?

[ More importantly, he recognized her, by that name. That... was good news, in a way, even if the bad news was that she could not remember it, and that this still wasn't the first time this had happened. A theory only talked about with others before, and yet she had not expected to come across the proof in regard to herself.

But surely he did not know what being addressed in that way meant to her. The significance it held.

She has very mixed feelings about that revelation even if he's said so little as of yet. ]

... I see. It is strange, since I was also brought here from a universe that was not my own, but I have not encountered a world by that designation before.

I did.

[ A nod. Of course he can't read anything into her thought processes, apart from maybe mild alarm, but curious, regardless. The idea of multiple worlds in general still feels both incredible and baffling.

Todoroki is a little tentative to reach behind him to withdraw the short-sword from his back, so she can see it more properly. He then continues. ]

I was acquainted with your husband as well. Emperor Zarkon gifted me this for my birthday. At times we went on hunting Tasks together. He was a good ally.

[The concept of him meeting another her somewhere, or perhaps an encounter that she had forgotten, that she could just barely grasp, but somehow find a way to accept, even if it was strange.

But his being acquainted with Emperor Zarkon? And referring to him as her husband in a positive way...? That one throws her a bit more for a loop. Even with the sword he presents, which seems... unusual. It was certainly fashioned by alchemy, there something ancient and haunting about the design, as if she wouldn't be able to recognize the signature of her own craftwork from a different universe, even if it didn't make any logical sense at all.

A person that the Emperor thought worthy of a gift? No... there had to be some other factor here. Her husband... she falls quiet for a few moments, her eyes lingering on the blade.

If he referred to Zarkon as her husband and in a positive manner then surely, there was some circumstance that had made that possible. The Zarkon from her time was different, hardly ... himself.]

It ... seems as though you must have made an impression on him, to have been gifted with this and to have been... considered his ally.

[Was Zarkon what was different, in that reality? Or had he been from ... another time? And accepting of her? She was using her own name ... she had made her choices here, but it was hard to know what to do about that information. Not like there was much else to do around here other than think a lot, at times.]

[ Possessing the blade had given Todoroki a unique opportunity to experiment more with his Quirk. Sure, he won't remember anything - or even have the weapon - once he's properly back home again, but that doesn't mean it should prevent him from doing so. The very same can be said towards his training in Empatheias as a whole, just as well as it most likely will be, here.

He obviously is curious about what Honerva may be implying, but won't pry. ]

Maybe so. He had addressed the crystals [ —a beat ] Ah; in that world, communication was done via telepathy through the amulets each of us had, if not in person — Anyway, he once had introduced himself over the crystals, stating he was the emperor of a world known as Daibazaal, as well as a paladin. His definition of what a paladin was caught my interest, as that's more or less like how heroes are considered in my world. I told him that I'm in training to become a professional hero back home, which got us to talking a bit more.

[There's a lot going on there mentally, honestly: having the experience of having been drawn somewhere else previously is what's helping the most with rationalizing the sorts of varying possibilities that could occur with these realities and their whims, but to actually have it confirmed, on a deeper level, is ... something else to reconcile.

Hearing someone speak of Zarkon in that way, untouched by his future... let alone with another her. Logically, this was the very sort of thing she might have tried to pursue, but emotionally, to have it confirmed, it felt strange, too: that this was some fulfillment that she could not have or perhaps even achieve. Even if she had tried to make her peace with that, to move on from that pain, it was still there, always.

She's quiet, listening to him speak, and exhales softly. A lot to take in, even if there's much she's not saying, feeling almost paralyzed as her thoughts and emotions try to battle that one out.

Not here, with a stranger. She'd have to -- she'd have to talk to Lup, maybe. Maybe that could help make it right again. What a headache, this was. Heartache? Pain could so easily twist such things together.]

... yes, that seems... very positive.

[She murmurs, perhaps after a moment too long, when all she could do was consult the bits of memory she had, but it -- seemed true, to what Zarkon might have done, then. The sort of person he had been, then: honorable, a leader, perhaps even suited for that paternal sort of role. He had cared enough about this human to give him such a gift for a birthday? She could barely recall what those even were meant to be.]

He is not in this world, but perhaps it would be... remiss if I did not take the opportunity to know you better, since he has already shown you such favor.

[ Maybe "paternal" could have been fitting, if in an unconventional way. Not that Todoroki knows what having a true father is like, considering his own past. Granted, Endeavor- no, Enji Todoroki, has most recently begun to make amends, and Todoroki is admittedly eager to see what kind of father he may become.

As for Zarkon? Todoroki similarly would have been interested in partnering up with him for more from the Task Board, or maybe even gotten in some sparring.

Honerva's response pulls him back out of his thoughts. ]

I wouldn't mind that.

[ He smiles a little. ]

You and I only spoke a couple of times, but during one of Empatheias' festivals, I helped teach you how to ice skate.

Ice skating...?

[Well, it was good to know that another her was... willing to learn new things, still.

Maybe this was a better opportunity to learn more about him, if that was part of their connection previously. She wondered how much it could be considered as such, given her lack of memories and no way to truly tell if she had forgotten another experience along the way or not, but ...

Well, she could understand someone wanting to find familiarity again even if they were forgotten. It was never good, to be forgotten or to -- forget.]

I admit, I have not given much thought to such an activity before, although now I am ... curious as to how that came about.

Mhm.

[ Having the opportunity to experience and learn new things is a piece of encouragement he'll hold onto, similar to before. So far, doing so has been quite satisfying. Especially when it involved something he never really had any chance at all to, back home. (Learning how to dance with Momo, most notably). ]

The festival was to celebrate the shift in seasons. There was a nearby lake, which had special properties for the time. Around the edges it was like winter; cold and snowing, with places to skate. The further outward you went, it was like summer, and people went swimming. The snow put everyone in a really good mood. Ice skating is a favorite hobby of mine, and I was offering to help anyone out who wanted to learn. You were around, so I thought to ask if you were interested.

Edited 2019-10-09 07:10 (UTC)

[How unusual, to have such different climates together. Whatever the state of that world had been, it certainly allowed for curious situations to occur, or so it seemed from his description. It wouldn't surprise her if something like that were to occur in this world given it's already propensity toward unusual weather patterns.

At least this thought allowed her more breathing room from the consideration that her husband had been allowed to be present from a far off time. That would haunt her enough, later.]

... I see. Skating is to deliberately move upon the surface of the frozen water, is it not? I wonder why I was compelled to seek such advice from you... but perhaps if an opportunity comes to observe you here, I may better understand it.

[She did not think she could grasp the reasoning that ... she may have had for it, but it was something to keep an open mind about. As long as she did not try to compare herself to this ... phantom other self, these lost? memories.]

In any case, it seems we may have other interests in common.

[This time, she nods toward the cats. That was something more present to focus on, at least.]

[ Empatheias was truly a unique world, to say the least. For as much as Todoroki knew that he needed to return home, he hadn't minded his stay while he was there. Maybe the same will be true for this one. ]

It is. You wear boots which have a thin, sharp blade lengthwise along the bottom. [ . . . ] Part of my Quirk- ah, they're what special abilities are called in my world - is that I can create ice. Being able to easily traverse upon it is key, so my training involved learning to skate. It became a hobby of mine.

[ Focusing on their cats is the Best of Ideas. He smiles a bit. ]

Looks like it. I adopted them in Empatheias; it was a really nice surprise that they came here with me. This is Rio [ in his arms. he gestures downward ], and she's Harmony.

I see... does that mean your boots are able to manifest these blades when such a condition is activated?

[Particularly if he's the one creating the condition in the first place. Because frankly, if they did not, it seemed as though they should.

Though she nods, looking at each of the cats as he introduces them.]

Perhaps the force that brought you here was able to maintain the bonds you had developed with them.

[Having her own cat around and knowing what she'd lose without him had certainly made her more cognizant of some things in others, at least. She's still a little thrown by their whole encounter, but, this is helping, at least.]

This is Kova.

[Certainly a larger cat and very unique looking, all things considered.]

Oh, no. My boots for my hero costume are different than ice skates. They have cleats along the sole. They allow for much better traction.

[ Actually, seeing how he's presently wearing said costume, he'll just show her. It takes a bit of shifting and flexibility to remove one of his boots while Rio is still in his arms. He'll then bring it up for Honerva to see the bottom of it.

. . . As for the fire half of his Quirk, well. Moving through it isn't nearly as simple.

His smile brightens with her thought. ]

I like the idea of that. I did also have a rabbit, named Yuki.

[ She was equally as important. He'll miss her. ]

Is he friendly at all?

[ He doesn't want to approach too easily, just in case. ]

[Huh. She takes a look at the boot when he shows it to her, and nods at his assessment. Makes sense then, more practical seeming for the work he was describing. Not quite like armor, but there was something about the tone, his eagerness to speak of such things that made her wonder if that was... something else he'd had in common, with Zarkon.

It was still so hard to reason out the possibility that he could be pulled in from so far into the past. A different person. She did not know what she would do if that would ever happen to her here. Not when she had done all she could to keep eyes forward... so easy to get distracted, by this thought.]

You seem to be quite fond of such animals. Perhaps an opportunity may occur for you to be reunited someday.

[... She is admittedly less familiar with rabbits, but if she knew anything about being dragged around to strange universes it was that sometimes one did have a way with reconnecting with something they had thought lost. That was how she had reunited with Kova, and luckily he had remained with her here.

Speaking of Kova...]

He has grown very friendly, so you may approach him freely.

[ The whole concept of heroism and earning his place as a professional is something Todoroki is more than passionate about. It's only that that may not always outwardly show. Still, his dedication is steadfast and honest. The combined interest and wonder he felt towards Zarkon is likely due to this, just as much as his willingness to become allies with him. ]

You could say that I am. Maybe, though. That would be great.

[ His pets have brought such comfort in the past. Would that be something that counted, here? ]

All right.

[ A nod. Todoroki crouches down to be more at the other cat's level, who indeed is quite different from the ones he's used to. Honerva confirmed Kova's temperament, but Todoroki is mindful when holding a hand out to him to begin with. ]

It's nice to meet you, Kova.

[ Always polite! Rio is even more curious, as she inches closer to Kova as well, seemingly fearless. ]

[Cats could be fickle creatures when they wanted to be. For now, though, Kova seems curious about the pair, moving forward to sniff at Todoroki's hand, and meowing a greeting.]

Under most circumstances, he shows more preference toward those who present him with food.

[But the fact that Todoroki is surrounded by cats also seems to work in his favor for Kova's interest in him, something which she is also aware of, and the thought occurs to Honerva a moment or so afterward.]

Though it is likely he may wish to ... play, with your companions. It is not often he has such an opportunity to do so.

[Lup can produce her magic cat or turn into one that resembles it, but that only goes so far if one lacks components.]

I feel most cats are like that.

[ He says with amusement. Rio, especially. She used to be a part of a cat café, after all. Treats were essential!

Taking the go ahead, he reaches a little further in order to pet Kova and scratch behind his ears. Honerva's remark has him glancing back up to her. ]

That would be fine. Harmony is especially active, so I'm sure she'd enjoy it. She often tagged along with me when I went to train in the forest, back in Empathias. She really loves very high up places.

[Kova seems receptive to the continued scritches. Honerva seems a little more relaxed when he looks back to her, likely because of the shift to the cats.]

Unfortunately, this location is rather lacking in forests.

[A far cry from Empatheias in some ways. Hard to avoid most of what they had to deal with, here, unlike the luxury of the island being so spread out.]

If anything, he could probably help them acclimate faster. There aren't any other animals around aside from the... familiars in the temples. Although... you may want to be careful, wherever you choose to settle. Ainea's mice... were everywhere, just a few weeks ago.

That is disheartening, but I'm sure I'll be fine.

[ It isn't as though he had much time back home to spend out in nature, anyway. There are likely at least a few positive differences in this world, compared to Empatheias. Or so he's hoping. ]

An infestation, or. . .?

[Really, there were a lot more concerning things to adjust to, here.]

Yes... it was an infestation. They needed to be retrieved and returned to the temples, though for a time they had been almost undetectable.

[Maddening, for a cat. Poor Kova.]

If you notice any difference in your cats' behavior when you settle in, it might just be them encountering an old scent.

[ A nod to that. ]

I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Rio did spend most of her life at a cat café, so she's very accustomed to new and varying scents in general. Harmony isn't so much, but at the same time, she often accompanies me when I go out.

How has your experience been like, otherwise, in this world?

[Where animals are concerned, the city seems limited anyway, meant to cater to robotic being who had likely not anticipated the arrival of pets along with the people who had been summoned to it.]

The first of us that were brought here arrived only a few months ago. It seems that your arrival may as well be the mark of a pattern of cycles to come.

[Which... was almost to be expected from a world situation like this.]

As for experience... what information are you seeking by that inquiry?

[Most of what's shaped her experience has been the fact that she had already been taken from another universe with different rules, even if that had not been the one he recalled her from. It made adapting easier, if only because the people who had surrounded her at the time were... still with her.]

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♥ September Intro Mingle Log

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