hugtopia

[The feed opens on Gladio, sat in his garden, the sun shining down on him. The sky is bright, the weather warm but a cool breeze ruffles his hair. The garden is well tended, green and well kept. The scene might have been a lovely and calm one if not for the serious look on Gladio's face. He's not quite looking at the screen, but off to the side, seemingly lost in thought for a long moment before he heaves a heavy sigh.

Still not looking at the screen, he starts to speak.]

It's been long enough. I've had time to think, so I'm going to tell you why I did what I did.

[He goes quiet again, considering his next words.]

I know... some of you are pissed we did this. You were happy livin in blissful ignorance, trusting this world without question. And for a while I was too. Till I realised how messed up that was.

I was so desperate for a peaceful life I didn't think...

[Gladio glanced at the screen then, his eyes narrow slightly.]

When did we all just roll over and accept this insanity? We were kidnapped from our homes, our families, and trapped in this bubble. We were given the most basic info and told to accept it. The most basic food we can't even really call 'food', and we accepted it. We were given tasks and rules and hoops to jump through, and we accepted it. We were forced to touch, kiss, hold and reveal secrets to strangers, and we accepted it. It was the 'will of the Gods'. We all just nodded and accepted it. Why? Why have we accepted all this? Why do people keep coming and going? Where do they go? Do they just go home? Or are they taken? Are they being hurt? Experimented on like the animals they had us catch? Why do these weird things keep happening? Why can't they answer our questions?

And why are we terrorists for wanting answers? We hurt no one. We destroyed nothing. We're the heroes of this world, right? Here to save the planet. So what are they keeping so secret?

Why aren't you all asking questions?

Why're you just rolling over and accepting their truth?

[Again he looks away, heaved another heavy sigh and brought a hand up to rub tiredly at his eyes. He definitely looked tired. Stressed. His tone shifting from angry to confused to desperate for people to understand, and for himself to understand why no one else was fighting.]

We're forced from our homes... Our families. We form bonds with people only to watch them vanish. And... I don't know bout anyone else, but I didn't consent to this. I never signed up for this world.

I want answers. We wanted answers. And we weren't gettin them. So we went looking for them.

[Here he laughs, low and without humour. A shake of his head and a sardonic glance at the screen.]

The fact the natives reacted the way they did should be a red flag. What're they protecting so badly? What's so secret? What aren't they telling us? Is it about what really happened to this world? Who these 'Gods' are? How we actually got here and why? Where our friends go when they suddenly disappear?

And we're the bad guys?

How's that make sense?

[Gladio shrugged and with one last sigh he reached out and switched the feed off. He'd said what he wanted. Now he would lie down in the sun and try and calm down.]

kingkingcxiii

[When the video starts, it shows Regis behind the counter at Valeo. Oddly enough, while it is obvious Regis knows he's recording, his eyes keep shifting off camera--even when he's speaking--as if he is watching someone or something he doesn't quite trust to be left to their own devices.]

I apologize that I haven't had the chance to post this sooner. For those who knew Will, he has been sent back home. Strangely enough, his Pokemon team has remained behind.

[There is a scuffling off camera and Regis actually turns toward the sound this time, frowning slightly as he does, before turning his gaze back.]

Since they have spent so much time with Will at the house, I think it's a good idea for them to remain there; however, I did want to let anyone who was close with the Pokemon know they are welcome to visit them at any time. As those of you who are familiar with Pokemon know, they are just as intelligent as we are, and they obviously miss their partner. Once the weather warms, the large back yard at the house will be per-

[Regis' words cut off as the arm that is not holding his tablet is suddenly pulled to the side. As he turns in that direction, he pans the tablet as well so everyone can see it's Will's Chansey, Arete, who he has been watching all this time. The round, pink creature has what can only be called the most disapproving "Mom" look on her face.]

Yes?

[Arete makes an unhappy sound and once more pulls on his arm. A little harder this time. A resigned look crosses his face, but instead of closing the video when he turns back to the tablet, his expression changes to one of desperation as he very clearly mouths the word 'HELP!" Another sharp tug on his arm results in him being dragged away, the tablet clattering to the counter and giving everyone a nice view of the shop's ceiling before eventually timing out.]

iustaegis

Hello, everyone! This is Pyra, and I have important news!

For the past year, Honerva and I have been monitoring the energy levels around us, specifically that which makes up the barrier. While the barrier appears uniform, it's actually made up of four distinct signatures of energies. These energies fluctuate throughout the year, and there happens to be one that tends to come out in greater quantities than the others. After studying these energies some more [ And with greater concentration and effort on their part, certainly, because none of these energies can be detected alone-- ] we've discovered that at the point of touch or contact, this energy is undeniably generated, and the unique bands travel towards the direction of their corresponding temples.

If anyone is wondering, we haven't detected any energy generated by touch that might be traveling elsewhere, such as towards the Crawling One or Winged One as mentioned in the archives.

I'm sure some of us remember the following messages received two months ago, "Balance must always be kept"; before that from the Archives, "Balance, [The Winged Lord] told His followers, must always be kept"; and from Nalom last year, "Remember to keep the balance." It might just be that the balance that they're referring to is the four energies in relation to one another, and currently, it seems that Rawna's energy has been dominating for some time. [ Hopefully, however, not for long. ] It doesn't seem productive to simply discourage those aligned to Rawna from engaging in touch, since despite all of these messages of balance, we've seen some definitive changes in this city alone from what we've all accomplished together. We've come so far!

Since Ainir of last year, myself, Honerva, and Lup have been working on a conduit together, forged from nicean and sildar ores, the same ores found in the chasis units of the locals, to take in the excess, unbalanced energy into its core. We're hoping that we'll be able to help correct this balance in a few different ways. Our purposes for this conduit include:

• creating an exoshield around us to help explore outside the city's barriers

• creating a haven with the conduit like a checkpoint or a satellite base outside the barrier

• powering and protecting vehicles as they travel outside the barrier

• to be simply worn by individuals who engage in more touch than others to divert excess, imbalancing energy into the conduit instead of upsetting the balance of the barrier that protects us all.
I'm happy to report that we've presented this prototype and the goals to the researchers, and they seem interested!

Of course if anyone is interested in refining and continuing to work on these projects along with us, just let me know! A fair warning, though, that even though the researches are interested in what we can discover, the priests are not very supportive.

And if anyone is interested in exploring outside the barrier, I would be happy to lend you one of these prototypes to see how well (or faulty), our current version of the conduit works. I'm especially keen on anyone who is willing to explore further down the factory's mine shaft or those interested in finding the potential location of Fractured Hill.

(I would also like to thank Cloud for gathering all the scrap metals from the ruins to help with this project, Besithia for repurposing all the excess metal and continuing to investigate more on his own, Magolor who is no longer here but I've bounced ideas off of, and Noct for being so very supportive and tolerant of me coming home with metal shavings all over me.)

[ OOC: For fairness to all the people who wish to have their characters go beyond the barrier and limited slots, I'm going to only be counting those characters who expressed interested and responded on this post. ]

general_affairs

[ Looks like there's a redhead enjoying a nice dinner for himself. Nothing too fancy, just a partially eaten burger is visible on the screen, and the booth seat behind him.

That he found some way to lounge in with an arm stretched across the back. ]

So, free housing, huh? Not bad, but I'm not sold on the kitchen appliances in 'em just yet. I mean, I've had MREs, but that's just a whole new level, yo. How do they really taste?

Anyway, name's Reno, and accordin' to everyone else, guess I'm stuck here too.

Please tell me I can buy alcohol here..

shinraheir

I've been shown to what appears to be a type of a Scavenger Hunt.

Given I've just arrived recently, it's been suggested by our hosts that I will need someone to do this with. Given my current lack of knowledge of this place, that seems to be a sound idea. Besides it sounds like to complete some of this a second person will be needed regardless.

Would anyone be interested in joining me on this?

[He's mostly decided to go ahead and do this because it could end up informative and given Rufus is unaware of the prize promised, there is also that promising mystery waiting in the wings to tempt.]

mush_monarch

[Peach is no stranger to ending up in places against her will. However, she's usually aware of how she ends up in such situations. She has no clue how she ended up in Havenwell, and the bot who welcomed her didn't really explain a lot. She got some initial information here and there, about how there are gods and such in this new world, but it's all pretty basic and she's still very much lost.

So she decides to put her communicator to good use. Clearly other people have been dragged here and have been here for longer, so they can provide her with some pointers.

She props up the communicator so she can step up in front of it, and the feed shows her from the waist up, wearing her royal gown still, but with no gloves or crown. The crown is stored safely in her room and she removed the clothes due to it being warm.]

Good day to you all, I've recently arrived in Havenwell. I'm Princess Peach. [She gives the camera a curtsy.] It's a pleasure to meet all of you.

As I'm still quite new to this place, I would appreciate any help and guidance anyone could give me about this place. Ah, and if anyone knows where I can get some new clothes, that would be wonderful! [She chuckles lightly, before ending the feed with a smile and a wave.]

dontcallmebro

The name's Cloud Strife. I worked as a mercenary back in my world and I'm looking for a little extra work.

I can do a lot of things, not just killing monsters. Delivery work, moving heavy stuff, gathering resources, finding missing items or people, escort work, whatever your needs are. For the right price.

Payment can be discussed. Got a problem with the results? Can talk about a refund or how to fix it.

outlining

My name is Megumi Fushiguro, a few days ago I, along with my classmate and teacher, were spirited away to Havenwell.

I need to go home as soon as possible, and everyone else likely feels the same way, so I'm offering a partnership that could mutually benefit both of us in money but more importantly a more efficient way to please the gods.

The requirements and guidelines are the following:

Any age or gender is fine, I don't care.
Keep things simple, hand-holding, shoulder holding, patting.
Kissing is not permitted.
Must be prepared to be contacted at any time in the week.
Hours can be negotiated.
Meetups are arranged in a day in advance.
This is an interpersonal relationship, I'm not interested in friends.

Thank you.

sweetlies

For those who don't know me, and that's my own fault, I'm Ciel Phantomhive. I've been here for nearly a year.

With the recent expansion of the wall, we discovered several new areas that were ravaged by the storm outside. Among them are the Baths.

They're in bad shape, it may not be repaired and functioning until the end of the year- that's an optimistic estimation, of course. Next spring or summer at worst.

I would like to recruit volunteers to help work at it. At the moment, my priorities for starting are cleaning the main entrance and one of the rooms to set up a rest and refreshment area, since we'll likely be working much of the day. From there, we'll work on reinforcing and replacing doorways that are irreparable, the rest to follow.

Cleaning comes first, we'll need to clear the detritus before we can repair anything.

I'll also be looking into artisans, whether that's among the adherents the gods brought or the natives remains to be seen but there are statues in an old fountain there that are seriously damaged or may need replaced entirely.

I'll be contacting who I can about blueprints for the Baths today.

practical_al

[The video clicks on and it's clear it has been stabilized and tested a few times before this recording goes live. The view is simple, professional. A man in his twenties seated at a desk, a blank wall behind him. Just at the edge of the view one can see a glass ashtray, smoke still curling up from a recently extinguished cigarette. The man is wearing a pristine white lab coat, dark grey shirt, perfectly pressed. Crisp. Sharp.

Not unlike the piercing gaze behind heavy, plastic framed glasses.]

Good afternoon, Havenwell. It seems, for the duration of your extended stay here, there has not been a proper medical facility available. I understand the native populace has done their best to accommodate organic forms but their overall understanding of, at least human, physiology is decidedly lacking.

I would like to offer my services.

[A slight incline of his head, eyes dropping from making contact with the camera lens briefly. A humble servant, here to assist. ]

Dr. Albert Wesker, Ph.D. My training has all been through American programs but I have had the opportunity to learn from specialists abroad as well. My particular field is in immunology, nearly ten years postdoctoral research into vaccines for a particular virological taxon. Not quite the same as clinical work but I assure you I am more than qualified.

((Again, Wesker's Permissions are here if you want to avoid some of the more unsavoury aspects of his character and canon))

firstbump

Hello my name is Ardbert. I need to learn how to cook immediately. I'm willing to pay with touching. Nothing inappropriate. Thank you.

((OOC: For the record, Ardbert is stupid, and has told no one that Emet-Selch/Hades is gone yet. He will accept multiple offers! Corresponding log is here.))

twistedempathy

Has anyone seen Kiwi? They didn't come home last night, and their name isn't on my contact list anymore. None of the priests have seen them at any of the temples, and they're not in jail.

They usually like to sing and dance in town to brighten people's day. If you haven't met them yet, they look like this.

[Attached is a video clip of Kiwi holding a Flareon's front paws and dancing around energetically with her, apparently trying to teach her to sing? She skitters around with them on her hind legs, making a good faith effort to attempt to mimic their sequences of notes with bright yips and slightly (if you're being generous for the sake of cute) musical howls, fluffy tail wagging furiously. Will isn't in the picture, since he's holding the camera, but it's easy to hear him laughing.

He's not laughing now. He doesn't trust himself to maintain his characteristic smile or tone, having to look at people or talk about this out loud. ~~And if he's with Cor at the temple..... He doesn't want to trouble the older man with something like this, either. Cor has enough to worry about already.~~ Perhaps that's most telling of all; Will almost never used text if he can help it. He always prefers video, or at least voice.

When Akira, Goro, and Kei had vanished, he'd been terrified, knowing they could be in danger from lingering spider monsters, trapped under rubble, sick, or hurt. But now..... None of that is an issue. There's nothing else that could be keeping Kiwi from coming home. This time, he's just..... Tired, and defeated, and more hopeless than he's felt in a long time.

This entire message is pointless, of course. There's no way anyone could have seen them. But Will doesn't think he could forgive himself if he just..... gave up on Kiwi without at least trying.]

astralera

Hello,

I hope everyone has been taking care, and continues to do so in the coming weeks.

I have a question some of you may be able to answer: What is it that people tend to or are meant to do when they are together?

Together in the non-platonic sense of the word, that is.

I am trying to understand how it differs from platonic togetherness, as there seems to be a distinct difference. I know little to nothing of such matters, and thus am seeking base knowledge from which to build upon.

If it matters, the context from which I am asking is that of a woman who is together with a man. Or at least one who is currently male in form and identifying as such. So for sake of simplicity we will refer to this as a hetero-normative

togetherness.

My thanks.

flawed_immortality

So it seems the coeurl is out of the bag.

[For those of you that haven't seen Cor since he escaped the Temple Priests care he's looking... well... quite a bit less haggard. As a matter of fact he looks better than he has in months. No less worried or stern but the harsh weathering has faded from his skin making the light smattering of freckles clearer, his hair is a little darker, the lines in his face a little lighter.

As a matter of fact he looks more like a man in his early 40s, not one teetering ever closer to 50.]

There's likely a whole mess of time paradox concerns but as we have more and more people from Eos arriving it is becoming harder and harder to keep track of who knows what. Anyone that has any input on how to handle these potential paradoxes I'd appreciate it.

[He sighs, lifting a mug of coffee to his lips, and offering the tablet a resigned shrug.]

Of those here... I believe I have the most complete picture of the future. It was August ME 758 last I knew. If you'd like to know what your future holds rather than tripping into it. Come see me.

[He reaches out to kill the feed, hesitating for just a moment.]

Mmm, Ardyn, I've a favor to ask when you have a moment, as well.

twistedempathy

( Action prompt: Special delivery! )

[Video]
[Once the reunion is out of the way, Will flips on the video feed to make a post, looking more genuinely, radiantly happy than just about anyone has seen him here.]

Hi, everyone! I've got a favor to ask--or maybe an offer to make? I guess it depends on how you look at it!

Another member of my team arrived today! This is Reve.

[The camera pans over to show a Hypno sitting on the couch, polishing an already glittering pendulum. She looks up at the introduction, raising a hand in a silent greeting.]

Reve is a Hypno. Hypno are technically omnivores, but primarily psychovores--they mainly eat products of other creatures' minds. In this case, it's dreams. Where I'm from, I can normally easily keep her fed just by battling, since that's my job. That's not an option in Havenwell, though.

So my proposal is this: if you have nightmares you want to be rid of, or even if you just need help getting to sleep and want to keep your dreams, please let me know! You can contact me privately too, if you'd rather not speak up where everyone can see. There's no need to pay, of course--you're already giving us something, after all.

Current Mood: jubilant

wannabethehero

[The audio on this message is a little hard to pick out from some background noise - it sounds like Kiwi is in a public area with a lot of chatter.]

Hi everyone. So, Will is staying with me for a while. He's been really stressed and sad, after the monster attack and...some friends of his getting sick.

So I want to do something to cheer him up; I'm putting together kind of a last minute party. Nothing too fancy...if you want to come over, we can play some games or just talk. I just want to remind Will that we love him and we're still here!

Let me know if you'd like to come...and don't tell Will about it! I want to surprise him.

shroudedsecrets

Greetings.

The conditions outside of the barrier are extremely poor, confirming what had been indicated to us previously. The atmosphere is heavy, and full of toxins, and currently uninhabitable.

I have attached some images for those who may be curious.

Be aware, however, that for those of you who might have the ability to withstand such conditions in your previous universes, it will still pose a danger to you here.

... That is all.

[And as the text indicates, attached to this fairly open message are quite a few snapshotted images, and even a brief shaky video or two taken of the outside just beyond the breach, indicating the state of the wall from the outside just before the repairs were completed.

A few shots focus on the conditions of the broken and corroded buildings, ones that indicated that the city had once been larger. One of these shots even captures an odd looking small lizard, hiding among the rubble.

There's a few wider shots of the area, revealing some bleached bones of a large, unidentifiable creature among empty expanses of dry, cracked wasteland, a little further off.

Lastly there seem to be slightly blurred images of some of the monster activity, from further away.]

heron

[ the feed starts to show a large, dainty looking man with large white wings peering at the feed before pulling back, satisfied. ]

Greetings. My name is Prince Reyson of the Heron Clan.

As you know, we have trouble lately with the breach. To ensure such a thing does not occur so suddenly, I thought about proposing a part-time perimeter guard of the walls. I think we would be better prepared should anything happen again.

Also, as I know some people were hurt or struggling, you are welcome to see me. I have the power of the galdr which means I can soothe one's spirit, trauma and pain. Should you have need of my abilities, do let me know.

twistedempathy

[The city is still in a state of disarray, though the fighting is over. Everyone will surely need to pitch in for some extensive repair work to make Havenwell what it once was. Will is sitting on a somewhat mangled chair on a cafe's patio, disheveled and powdered with stone dust, looking more exhausted and discouraged than most people here have ever seen him--unless, of course, they happened to help him endure the agony of the battle's psychic backlash.

He's doing his best to smile regardless, and holds up a slightly rumpled piece of paper to show the camera; on it are some surprisingly good line art head shots of Akira, Akechi, and Kei done in pen. They may not be exactly artistic, but they're at least faithful to their subject matter; he's even helpfully tagged each with hair and eye colors, since he could only work in monochrome.]

Has anyone seen these three recently? My roommates all vanished during the fighting. I figured they must have had their hands full, and maybe they got hurt and needed to stay with someone, but.....

They aren't answering their tablets, and they're not at any of the temples. I've been searching around town, but I haven't found them yet, and Arche can't pick up any scent trails, either. I'm starting to think maybe they got sick, and..... got worse.

[Anyone who's seen or experienced the strange illness that can grip the newcomers may understand what he's talking about, and why he's so worried--people fading out of existence entirely is a frightening prospect. His voice is quieter now, as he reaches out to end the recording and submit it to the network.]

.....I'm not sure I want to stay in my house anymore.

abracafcku

[The video opens on a bare wall and to the sound of very, very corny fanfare. Then Taako's voice cuts in with the sound of applause.]

Yes, yes, welcome one and all to the greatest day of your lives. Today we have a real treat for you folks, so pull up a chair, take a load off and enjoy this banned text we've managed to procure.

[He clears his throat and a puppet appears on the screen - a non-descript looking human priest wearing dark robes and a blue sash around his neck. The voices that read the following lines are similar, but not the same and anyone who knows both Lup and Taako can probably tell it's the twins taking turns to read the passages. People who don't, however, might have a hard time telling them apart.]

"I used to have a lady love,
she journeyed through the sea,"

[A new puppet appears - a beautiful female mermaid with hair that falls just past her breasts. She slides up from the bottom of the screen and the priest turns to her, fawning all over her.]

"Her fins were as the mourning dove,
a mated pair were we.
Our bodies tangled, hand in glove,
a queen and devotee,"

[As the poem progresses, the priest does some...very not PG-13 things to the mermaid puppet. Eventually, the mermaid pushes the priest away, looking tired.]

"But she was called to rise above,
our bond not meant to be."

[Here the mermaid "puppet" flips a double middle finger at the priest and backflips into the sea, leaving him drenched in water.]

"Though I endure, bereft, belove,
I have her guarantee,
I'll be the one she's thinking of,
a little dove told me."

[The priest pines and waits by the water, pantomiming the lament of a forlorn lover as a bird lands next to him, rolling its eyes. The puppet show ends with a curtain drawing across the screen and then the video shuts off. Taako's voice cuts back in once the video is gone.]

Yeah, so the people here? Raunchy as hell. I love it. But then some people were, y'know, boring and said things like--

[Lup's voice takes over smoothly like they're still the same person talking.]

"If any other colonies can hear this message, please respond. This is Havenwell. We're still alive. The city is safe. We will come get you, no matter how far you are. This is not an automated message. Please respond." That there's a radio transmission from "Colony #56'07'4TM", which, obviously, is home sweet home. Not the most interesting, but I won't deny that the archive visits have been… informative.

Anyone else get something fun?

[OOC: It's a joint post! Replies here can be from Taako, Lup, or both of them. If you have a preference, just let us know in the title of your comment or it'll be a roulette of which twin you'll get.

Feel free to use this post to stir up discussion amongst yourselves regarding the lore contributions!]

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Hugtopia

December 2022

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Entries tagged with c: verstael besithia

[Video]

[Video] "Mom" Does Not Approve

Regarding balance and conduits

Video // 1

Text - The Great Havenwell Hunt

01 - Power Up! [Video]

Text; 001

text;

video

▎001 _ May-Ealom 8

The First | Text | Help Pls

Text; Ainir 2

text | locked from the not-platonic not-enemy

Video: There's an old voice in my head

Video - Early Malom, a couple days after the party

[voice]

[text] ; a few days after the breach is sealed

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Video - End of Lasohm/start of Malom, about a day after the breach is resealed

video & voice; Story-time for All

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