hugtopia_logs | ♥ July 2019 Intro Mingle

Entry tags:

♥ July 2019 Intro Mingle

July Intro Log
Welcome to Havenwell! The walled city and its robotic inhabitants welcome all of the offworlders to Aellyn. New arrivals are given their tablets and showed to open housing, given tours around the city, and generally helped with settling into their new world. Some robots are more curious than others, more helpful than others, but overall the atmosphere of the city is one of hope and celebration. It is, however, a city that needs some help, and as newcomers wander, they may find that they can do a lot to aid Havenwell in its recovery.

❥ PROMPT I: Temple Jobs

The priests of each temple have a digital bulletin board in front of their temple doors that lists several tasks that each temple is asking of natives and newcomers alike. Havenwell is protected from the worst of the damage outside the walls, but it's still an ancient city and there's always something that needs to be done. Of course, the priests won't ask you to do these things for free, so anyone who wants to join up and complete a task will receive a reward of Dora sent to their bank accounts.

The sudden weather changes sometimes results in localized floods, so businesses and homes are always looking for help cleaning debris and mopping floors. The temples themselves always need a little extra help picking up after the temple animals or cleaning the altars. Some stores need help transporting goods across the city - normally a two person job, pulling carts and wagons. And lately, temples have been asking for help in cleaning up the city square for a "big *wink wink* project" coming soon. The priests won't say more than that, but they will offer payment for anyone willing to keep the square clean. Which may be a little difficult with the influx of new people, maps, and general trash and broken debris everywhere. It may be smart to team up to keep things clean!

❥ PROMPT II: Repli-fails

One thing that new residents might find that needs some help are the food replicators found in each home. They've been unused for so long that issues and trouble were inevitable. People who can fix them are few and far between, however, so until an antiques' maintenance-minded robotic denizen stops by, characters may have to suffer through some glitches. When characters ask for potatoes, they might find blue-flavored toothpaste getting dispensed instead. Or if they ask for 1 carrot, they get 20 hot pink ones instead. Or asking for a drink becomes a never-ending stream of said drink. Or they might not dispense anything that looks like food at all and instead inundate you with vaguely fish-shaped wooden blocks. Good luck, newbies. Even the natives are a little baffled by this one.

❥ PROMPT III: Virtual? Reality?

The VR simulation of the month, Petting Zoo, seems to still be pretty popular. Natives are plugging in to pet animals in record numbers and it's encouraged the proprietors of the VR parlors to keep the game a little longer than normal. New arrivals are encouraged to take the VR headsets for a spin to help proprietors gauge how to better adjust them for non-robotic clientele. That said, they'll still ask characters to pay for the experience, just not at a slightly discounted rate if they answer a survey afterwards. Characters will notice that holding hands with someone else during their VR experience significantly improves the quality of the visuals and audio input.

Unfortunately, as with most things in Havenwell, the VR experience doesn't always go as planned. On occasion in the city, glitches happen while residents are plugged in and suddenly that flock of giant pink sheep they were petting? Yeah, they're now manifested in the real world. In and around the entertainment districts, illogically colored sheep, giant house cats, miniature ponies, and - of course - the dreaded aggro rainbow chickens suddenly start appearing in packs. Their images glitch in and out, fuzzing into static in places, but they're very real and very confused about not being in their happy green pastures. Which means they panic, of course, and start running amok. Help the citizens corral these strange beasts until the glitch ends, run away from the now very real flocks of rainbow chickens that want to dogpile you, or simply stand by and watch the chaos occur. It's up to you how you want to help!

❥ PROMPT IV: The Ribbon Games

A couple weeks after everyone has arrived and had time to mostly settle into the weird weather patterns and machinery muck-ups, a notice is plastered across the network:

The citizens of Havenwell wish you well, offworlders! To show our appreciation for your assistance in saving our world, we cordially invite you to participate in an ancient tradition: The Ribbon Games! In the old days, this festival was held as a celebration of joyous events. You have a week to collect as many ribbons as you can from your temple by completing their Ribbon Task. Then, at the end of the week, we are hosting a party in your honor where you can compete to collect ribbons from the other temples to win fabulous prizes! Please visit your deity's temple to find out more and we hope you will join us for the Ribbon Games Party at the end of the week.

With all our gratitude,
The Citizens of Havenwell

Those who choose to participate and head to their deity's temple will find a priest with a sash and a box of ribbons in the colors of your chosen deity. They point to a digital board at their side that lists the task you'll need to complete in order to earn one of these ribbons, and will allow characters to complete a ribbon challenge once a day until the week is over for a total of 7 ribbons if they come each day. You may only earn the ribbon of your assigned deity, so if you are an adherent of Rawna and go to Ainea's temple, even if you complete Ainea's task, you cannot receive her ribbon. The tasks are:

Rawna: Give comfort to someone or ease someone's pain within Rawna's temple to receive a shimmering silver ribbon.
Ainea: Do an act of kindness or show compassion to someone within Ainea's temple to receive a soft pink and purple ribbon.
Diacht: Reveal an honest truth about yourself within Diacht's temple to receive a bold red and white ribbon.
Ohma: Learn something new about or from someone within Ohma's temple to receive a delicate blue and gold ribbon.

Once a task is completed, the priest will remove a ribbon from their box and affix it to your clothing. Don't let anyone steal your ribbons! Good luck keeping them safe, offworlders.

Outdoor party space with hanging lights and flowers

❥ PROMPT V: The Fanciest of Welcome Parties

At the end of the month, once the city square is clean and the ribbons have been distributed to participating citizens, the newest residents of Havenwell will wake to the sound of music floating over the city. During the night while people slept, the natives decorated the city with streamers, brightly colored lanterns, and strings of beautiful lights that glow no matter the hour of the day. The natives have decorated themselves, too, and provide the offworlders with clothing and decorations to match. Garishly colored sashes, brilliantly (artificially) plumed hats, skirts and tunics, boas and fake flower leis - just about anything you can imagine, they're wearing. In and around the city square there are long tables of oddly colored finger foods - orange-colored grapes, bright pink meats, blue cheeses and the like are provided along with golden chocolates, fuchsia frosted cupcakes with pink cake underneath, and minty green cookies. The foods might look strange, but at least they mostly taste like they're supposed to. The citizens are trying, they promise.

All around the fountain depicting the four gods in the center of the square, pre-recorded music is playing and the natives are dancing in pairs, groups, and lines. Join them for a dance and they'll happily teach you the local customs, or break out your own moves and share your world's best moves to earn some applause and awkward attempts at recreating them.

The big game of the night is shared by the natives and it's announced halfway through the party. The culmination of the Ribbon Games is a contest to try and collect a set of four ribbons - one from each different god's temple. The rules are simple:

Attach your ribbons to yourself in a clearly visible location.
Tag and hold someone else for more than 1 minute. You can bear hug them, hold their hands, link arms, anything!
After sustaining contact, you can take one of their ribbons. If you aren't the character who initiated contact, you can't take a ribbon.
Gather one of each god's ribbon in order to win a prize!

If you successfully manage to get all four ribbons, a little shower of confetti will burst from your ribbons and a nice little chunk of Dora will be transferred to your account. This can only work once unfortunately, but it's a nice little bonus for your first month in Havenwell! The party continues late into the night and the natives are happy to keep the party going as long as any of the offworlders wish to keep dancing.

As a reminder, please post your character to the Taken Character list and your own information to the Player Contact list as soon as possible. It helps us keep track of our player cap!

If you have any other questions, please ask them in the QUESTION thread below. Feel free to use the CR/Intro Meme to do OOC plotting. Otherwise, welcome to Hugtopia's first mingle log!

♥ back to navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh hell yeah, you kept the Pocket Spa!?

[She leans in, immediately delighted. Their arrival had stripped her of literally every spell component she'd managed to gather in the fleet, so all the fun spells are once again inaccessible to her. And while she's always going to be biased towards her own mansion bath, this is awesome.

She lopes her arm through his, grinning like a fool, and urges him to start moving.]

Mansion, here we come!

[He grins and squeezes her arm in his, feeling that safety net descend around him again. She's here, he's here, and even if they're not home, they're together and he knows, so even if they're starting at zero again, they're at least doing it together again. He quickly slips the Pocket Spa square into his pocket again and starts moving with her, not sure of the direction.]

Got to keep a few fun things- [He holds up his opposite hand and the black octopus tentacle shaped bracelet wrapped around his wrist, shaking it.] -but none of the components though. Seems like they weren't looking too closely at what we had so long as it wasn't obviously, y'know, useful.

Or they just didn't care.

[She lifts her free hand the gesture at the glove worn on her right hand, which is definitely more dangerous than the Pocket Spa. If they let the twins hold on to the magic artifacts that can actually cause damaging spells, they must not realize the chaos they're inviting.]

Though besides dragging us here, which might not even be their fault, they haven't done anything to make me want to set 'em on fire yet. Guess they've got that going for them.

[Seems like, as usual, the gods are meddling where they shouldn't.]

[His eyes widen a little at the sight of the glove and then a smile spreads across his face. If they let her keep that much firepower, then the inhabitants of his world really can't blame them for whatever chaos follows in their wake. It'll probably be mostly harmless as long as no one gets in their way. Back to square one, they had a lot they needed to gather and collect again, and the gods help anyone who stood in Taako's way in his search to reclaim his closet.]

Well, if they have to get set on fire, that's kiiiiinda their fault, don't you think? Can't blame us for their dumb decisions.

[Actions have consequences after all. He shrugs slightly as they walk and Taako trains his eyes on their surroundings, watching the buildings around them change, the streets curve and wander away from the main thoroughfare. It's going to take him time to figure out how this city works, but once he has it? He-- no, they will be just fine. First? The mansion scam. Next? Some way to get money quick and easy. Third? Figure out all the escape routes for when this inevitably goes tits up and they have to bail.]

'Sides, they're keeping us here and making us pay for shit when we're supposedly their saviors? Shouldn't we be getting that all for free?

We should, but when has logic ever factored in with this shit? Nothing's ever actually free for us.

[Even when they steal it, it's still got some kind of price attached- the effort and magic it takes to swipe it, the risk and potential retribution if they're caught... gotta factor in labour and opportunity costs. They've been alive long enough to know that the world - any world - is kind of a shit show. You take what you can get and expect no handouts even as you demand them.]

I'm not ready to start lighting them up yet, though- not gonna waste my spell slots unless it's really merited.

[Taako groans, letting his head fall back, because he knows she's right. Nothing is ever really free. He's just learned not to give a shit about the consequences since he learned how to smash a dude's face in with Magic Missile and get away by casting Mislead. Also, most recently, the only people he'd been stealing from were already dead so it'd become consequence free "acquisition."]

Where do I go to file a complaint with management? This isn't the shittiest world saving gig we've ever had, but it's up there.

[He squeezes in against her a little using their linked arms and sighs.]

They didn't let us keep our closets, Lup. And this world is full of fuckin' Mag's wetdream - robots with arms. They have zero fashion sense - zilch, nada, de zero! How are we supposed to save the world without flashy outfits?

[Yeah, the shittiest might have to go to that stint with the judges, but this isn't great by any means. Lup exhales a huff, equally frustrated, and with nowhere to redirect her irritation. She'll have to fix that ASAP.]

Complain about it until they fix it, I guess. Wonder if there's anyone around that'll take commissions? Or at least design submissions. We'd make one hell of a fashion line if we can find the right person for the job.

[Read: the right sucker.]

[He was dead for 99% of that year, so it sucked, but Taako counts it as a win because those jackasses got vored in the end. He snaps his fingers as he thinks, trying to recall where he might have seen something useful. Nothing comes immediately to mind though, and he gives up with a heavy sigh.]

Probably. I mean, these robots aren't completely naked, right? Maybe we could start a fashion craze with them and profit twice - clothes and money.

[They'd just have to put in the heavy lifting with getting the designs ready. But seeing as they were in a new plane? They could just rip the designs from other planes and voila! Instant success.]

There has to be a shopping district, right?

There is one, I hear. Haven't made it there yet, but we could swing by that way once we're done scouting houses.

[Shopping trip! ...Is what she'd like to say, but she doesn't have much in the way of cash yet, and these people haven't done anything to earn her ire like those they usually steal from tend to do. Consequences seem a lot more likely here if they're stuck long-term, as opposed to the planets they're just stopping on for a month or so.

How unfortunate.]

Only if we're going to case the joints because-

[He uses his free hand to turn out his pocket. It's bereft of anything, not even pocket pudding, which is the greatest tragedy of all.]

-I ain't got shit, Lulu. I don't even know if they use credits or gold or the tears of unicorns here.

...Yeah, same here.

[Lup brushes a hand through her hair, frowning.]

I don't want to start going crazy stealing things right off the bat, though. There's nowhere to run to here, and no fleet to carry us away, either. Plus, no spell components? I don't wanna end up in jail.

You honestly think I'd let them catch us?

[He scoffs and waves her concern away with one hand.]

That's what Disguise Self is for, right? And it's not like they don't deserve it. They kidnapped us again. The least they can do is give us some free stuff.

They are giving us free stuff, in case you forgot.

[Like the entire house, and all the weird discoloured food...]

It's just not all the stuff we want.

If it's not the stuff we want, then what's the point of getting it for free!

[He throws one hand in the air, exasperated as they start moving into the more residential areas of the city. Having a free house is nice and all, but he wants more than that.]

We're here being saviors of the world, again mind you, so why not toss a little more our way?

Some people just can't appreciate the assets they've got.

[Though if they were hoping for physical people to help them rebuild the world, they sure picked the wrong set from the IPRE. Hugbear Magnus would've been a better fit. Not that she's really complaining, but...]

And these are a pair of fantastic asses.

[He snorts at his own stupid joke and bumps his hip against hers. Then a shit-eating grin spreads haphazardly across his face as he yeets himself directly into the line of fire with his next comments.]

Although mine's held up better through the years. The perks of being the prettier twin.

Please. Are we forgetting who's actually aged ten years more than me?

[Because those ten years had suuuuucked for both of them but she can fixate on how she'd at least been incorporeal instead of all the shitty stuff. Her body is fine and fresh! (and you can't tell a ten year difference on elves but who cares when she can say it)]

I think I can actually see the wrinkles now. [She gives his cheek a light poke.]

How dare-- [He recoils from the touch like he's been burned, his face scrunching up to twist into rage at the mere implication that his skin is anything but perfect. Taako, TV celebrity and wizard extraordinaire, did not--!!

But then? Suddenly? A light goes on in his head and the anger dissipates like steam, immediately replaced with the biggest, worst grin Lup has probably ever seen in her life.]

So you finally admit it after all these years: I am the older twin.

Edited 2019-08-15 03:17 (UTC)

Wh-

[She stops. She actually stops dead in her tracks, staring at him. Fuuuuuuuck. She really did just say that didn't she.

...No. No!! She will not be defeated!]

Only physically, you dingo! We've still existed for the same amount of time, so that's irrelevant! It just means you'll get a saggy ass before I do!

Ah ah ah, Lulu! Let me impart some elder sibling wisdom on you.

[He smirks, not even caring about the saggy ass comment because he knows it's just a deflection and that his ass is going to stay perfect forever. Thank you, Disguise Self.

She's stopped and he lets go of her arm because he's 99% certain she's going to kic his ass for this.]

No take-backsies, little sister.

[Oh you better believe she's chasing him for that.]

I'm an undead immortal abomination, remember!? Age is irrelevant! And I am never calling you that!

[Probably not something to be shrieking in the middle of the street, but whatever, the robots don't give a shit. They were chasing immortality to get themselves into this mess.]

[TIME TO RUN. He sees her move for him and he sprints like a gazelle, taking off down the streets like a bat out of hell, laughing the entire way. A few natives turn to watch their strange procession, but most don't seem that bothered as he shouts over his shoulder.]

Just means I'll always be the older sibling then! You're always going to be the baby!

You trash goblin, I will end you!

[They might be more alarmed by possible threats of murder, but they'd have to catch the pair first, and Lup is picking up speed to try and gain on him.]

[It was worth it - his death will be spectacular and worthy of him, he knows it. He can hear her running after him for real and he starts weaving through the crowd, a lifetime of running and some extra deterixty points giving him that little bit of an edge.

Sadly, that lifetime of running was also shared with Lup, so as he laughs and runs, he knows she's keeping pace and catching up. She's always been the stronger of the two and his constitution will flag before hers does.

Thankfully? He's resourceful, and as he spins around a recently opened booth, he reaches out and catches a bowl of what looks like random baubles, flinging it to the street behind him.]

If I'm a trash goblin, so are you!

[Please, Taako, after 200+ years she's seen that trick before. Though between her tenacious pace and the moment he'd taken to grab the bowl, she's close enough behind him that she almost falls anyway. Shifting her stance, she ~~rolls a decent dex save~~ bends her heels in a way that allows her to practically break-slide across the beads, fumbling a little bit at the end but managing to stay on her feet. It doesn't look as cool as it felt and she's a few paces behind now, but she manages to stay on her feet.]

Goblins are chickenshits, that's why you're running! Accept your punishment!!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject