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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[A tragedy. She could feel the despair.]

Oh. That might be hard... I saw a lot of signs for VR cafes near the library, but that's different.

...VR cafe...?

[He didn't think of that.]

Think they might have a fishing game?

[Vianca thought about it. From what Magolor had said, the VRs were so the robots could replicate things they used to do when they had mortal bodies, so...! She nodded.]

There's a chance. It is more likely to find a fishing game there than it is to find a lake in the city.

Huh... now I definitely want to check them out.

[It can't beat the real thing - nothing can - but maybe it'll tide him over for a while. His life is usually so action-packed he'd worried a little about growing bored and slacking off, but fishing is always his go-to for time-wasting.]

[This would have been an ideal spot for a giggle, if Vianca had ever giggled in her life.]

I will hope they have one. That'll be at least one option for you.

Yeah. ...Maybe they'll have weird alien fish.

[That's! exciting!!]

It's a whole new world of fish to discover.

[It is exciting! She felt the same about new libraries to delve into. So many new things to read!!]

[And speaking of-]

If you find any books about fish, be sure to pass 'em over. Maybe we can add them in someday, too. ...Assuming it works, that is.

[Vianca stared at him a moment, surprised, and gave a quick series of nods. A task! And one that she had full confidence that she could perform even.]

Oh, yes, I can do that. It would be interesting to see if they can add in new things that way.

Sounds good. Guess that means I've got a project now.

[He holds a hand up instinctively for a high-five.]

Looking forward to working with you.

[Her gaze slid over to that hand, watching it as if it was going to make some kind of sudden movement. It wasn't, she knew that. She knew what that hand was for! Not many people tried that with her, because she had always left them hanging. Knuckles had tried so many times.

It almost seemed like she was going to leave Noctis hanging too. Then she finally lifted her own hand to give it the most unpracticed pap.

She wasn't sure if she could do it, but she did want to at least try to be a person that could return a high-five. She wanted! To try!]

I hope it is a fruitful partnership.

[Oh. Oh, wow. She did it! He'd been a breath away from letting his hand drop, as he's not used to having it go unreturned for so long. It'd been halfway an experiment anyway, since after her first visceral reaction to a headpat, he'd been wary of what (if any) touches are okay. Normally he wouldn't think overmuch about that kind of thing, but... that's the point of this place, right? It might not be his thing, but every little bit must help.

So, mental note: high-fives might be okay. Maybe.]

Yeah, same here. Thanks.

[Even Vianca was amazed. Was this how other people made friends. Wild.]

We just have to hope this doesn't become its own fishing spot.

[Because they were not very equipped for that right now. Vianca peered out at all the rain, very slightly concerned that she was going to will a flood into existence. There were some pretty massive, lake-looking puddles, but no floods. In fact, it almost seemed like the curtains of rain were thinning out.]

The only thing we'd be fishing out is ourselves.

[If they get any more rain in this area it'll end up flooding over the curb and drowning out their little fire. Then all they'll have is wet shoes.

He leans over on the opposite side, squinting at the sky through the rain, and points out.]

Hey, I think it's clear over there, just around the corner. I bet we could reach it pretty quick if we made a run for it.

[She went right back to leaning against him to get a better look, peering under his arm at where he was pointing. Oh, right over there. Things definitely looked like a different color over there.]

Ohh... Yes, I think we could do that. Shall we try?

[At least they knew this spot was still here for the time being if they were wrong.]

I'm game if you are.

[He grabs his jacket, holding it out for a moment in consideration, then raises it over his head like a shield.]

...If you get up on my shoulders and hold this up over the both of us, we might even stay mostly dry...?

[She nodded, already reaching for her dryer-than-before sweatervest. He got her attention back real quick though, her gaze shifting from his jacket to his shoulders. Hm! Hm!

The logistics of this... seemed sound enough? And she knew she was not very heavy, so she possibly might not be that much of an impairment. Yes. Okay.]

... Maybe. We would be wet without trying at all, so it might be good to try.

[She got up to her feet!]

Alright. Let's do it, then. Better than hiding out here all day.

[He stands up briefly to stomp out the fire with a sturdy (and still wet) boot, sliding the remnants off into the curb-puddle so the water can do the rest of the work. Can't have it setting the whole shelter ablaze while they're gone.

Once that's dealt with, he crouches back down in front of her, arms back so she can climb aboard.]

Up we go.

[That was some A+ campfire safety, Noctis. Many bears would be proud. Vianca was proud.]

Alright.

[Stepping carefully, Vianca proceeded to scale Mt. Noctis as gracefully as human limbs would allow. She settled in as best she could snug against his back, trying to make sure she'd still be able to hold her arms above his head with the jacket.]

Is this okay?

[His arms shift carefully to hook around her in a way that will keep her firmly in place, especially since he's about to move pretty quickly. Once she's up and properly supported, he moves to the edge of their shelter, ducking his body down a bit, getting into position.]

Perfect. Now hold tight and squeeze those knees, we're gonna book it.

[He gives her a couple of seconds to get ready, and then... they're off, moving at a dash through the rain!]

[There was a nervous uptick in her pulse, and she promptly squeezed those knees.

A gasp was lost in the rain as they rushed into it, the sudden change in scenery nearly as shocking as the first time even with all this mental preparation. The jacket did seem to help though! Filled with determination, Vianca did her very best to try and shield Noctis from the rain as he used his Extreme Speed through the street.

Wow look at them go. Zoom zoom.]

[Zoom zoom, indeed! It's not the perfect arrangement, and there's still water everywhere - his shoes are gonna be hopeless the rest of the day - but her efforts are definitely appreciated, and it gets the rain off his hair, which is the most important, obviously.

He slows at the corner, turning around a building, then picks up speed for another rush down the block until finally they pass through the last curtain of rain and it just... cuts off, like crossing a threshold into another shelter. He slows gradually to a halt, peering up at the clear sky above, then turns around to look back at the wall of rain behind them. He's a little out of breath, but as he speaks, he's almost laughing, it's so absurd.]

...Not sure I'll ever get used to that.

[Everyone's still wet, but not as wet as they could have been. His perfect chocobo hair is intact, and her flower isn't waterlogged, and everyone can be happy with that arrangement.

She peered over his shoulder at the stark divide between wet and dry, marveling at it for a moment.]

It's definitely weird.]

[She gives his shoulders an almost proud pat.]

You are very fast.

Hah, thanks. You can blame Gladio and all his training for that one, too.

[Books and training and meatshielding, that's Gladio in a nutshell.

He gives his boots a shake to get rid of some of the loose water, glancing around at their new location. Not quite where he'd been aiming to go before the rain stopped him, but it's not as if he has any real obligations here, anyway. Besides rebuilding the world through touch or whatever.

...Conveniently, he's doing that now, so he tightly taps her shoe for attention.]

Where to next, boss?

Me?

[The boss? Had he not been tapping on her shoes, Vianca might have looked around to see who he was talking to. This was a surprise turn of events somehow! This was? Too much power to have?]

Oh... We could find one of those VRs? Though they would probably prefer it if we were dry.

[Since. You know. Electronics.]

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carbungle - 2019-09-30 05:36 (UTC) - Expand

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