[OPENING] island hub - day 1

[spellbindmods]

Who: All Characters
Where: Main Hub
When: Day 1
Open/Closed: Open to All

TDM threads can be considered canon if you so choose, they contain the power that you apped with and both parties confer that the thread is canon.

For characters that were on the TDM and who were not accepted/didn't app, these characters will be considered dropped characters that were magicked away.

Night has fallen upon everyone. It's thus far been an eventful day -- you've met some new people, discovered some new aspects of yourself that weren't there before you appeared here (however that might have happened). The original inhabitants of the island have been working hard to prepare a few things. One activity might have been one you were a part of, but there's still time to get your hands dirty. A ▢ Brie has rolled out a large copper pot and created a pit on the beach. It's unrealistic to think everyone can subsist on the few foods she's collected from other words and boar jerky alone. She's got a few boar carcasses sitting on the beach that need attending to as well. Your characters can help feed themselves and others, and here's what needs to be done: Fire needs to be started for cooking the meat AND a large bonfire for light and warmth. The large copper bowl needs to be filled with water. Crabs need to be bravely collected from the bath house for boiling. The boar needs to be either cut up for kebabs or stuck through. Does your character know anything about spit-roasting? Any other helpful magical skills are welcome to help make food. Post feasting, there are dozens of crabs and a pile of roasted boar meet that are up for eating. Even if you didn't offer to help in making any of the food, they're open to eat it -- even if the true helpers may give you dirty looks. The boar is fine, if not a little bland and chewy, but it's probably better than the jerky. The crab is delicious, if not a little tasteless...there problem with the crab isn't exactly the taste, though. B ▢ The crab isn't a species that's immediately edible for most species, though your character will grow to get used to it eventually. For now, the meat isn't settling well within your character's system. Your character will experience sweats, a high fever, blurred vision, potential vomiting, hives...it's very obvious their body is rejecting the unfamiliar meat. This may also cause a bit of an issue with your character's powers. They're still getting physically and mentally acclimated to these new changes, so expect their telepathy and magic to go a little haywire.

It's almost completely dark outside when the next event of the evening happens. You're living your life when you see it out of the corner of your eye -- it's absolutely hard to miss. What you see is a large lit caravan, larger than even an army tank. It's bright white and shining, covered with golden, ornate details that emanate an even more dazzling sparkle. The entire thing is aglow, and it's quickly coming towards the large bonfire that's been made. It's not rolling across the sand, but instead it's floating, and so is a matching trunk that's sailing along next to a figure beside the caravan. C ▢ A tall, slender woman has also come along with the large caravan, quickly opening the trunk that eventually lands on the sand with a large thud. She's handing out sacks, very similar to the ones previously in the large lobster cage. These contain a parka, a type of candy of your choice, a bottle of water, a large shard from a broken mirror and a letter rolled up and bound with a roll of twine. There are two other thread options associated with this prompt: Genette's top level and her telepathy training post. Around the same time as Genette is handing out this new little goody bag, you suddenly receive a telepathic message. It might seem a little strange at first -- but on that note, what about tonight isn't strange? D ▢ The telepathic message your character will receive is a simple one: Hello. It shows up in text form across your character's line of vision and it doesn't go away until they respond back, though the message that's sent out won't go to the original telepath. Instead it will ping pong to a random person in the group. You've made a new friend! After you've met Genette, she's also got a few more supplies that she pulls out a small door in the base of the caravan. She's insistent that you only get two items, since there aren't exactly a lot of them to go around! E ▢ The last of the starter supplies are being handed out, and these are items that are more cumbersome or rare -- they may not be immediately useful for your character, but maybe you can make use of them somehow, whether eventually in another world or with your power. An electronic/technology: these can be as obvious as an MP3 player, as useless as a garage door motor or as scandalous as a Hitachi Magic Wand. If it can be powered by electricity or batteries, there's a tub of them. They're also partially charged if they don't need constant electricity to work. A fashion accessory: there are a lot of these, surprisingly. Flower crowns, belts, bras, shoes, earrings, other types of jewelry. Your character can look cute while suffering from crab vomiting. Books and stationary: maps of various worlds, books written in a myriad of languages (maybe even one you recognize!), writing paper, ink pens, gel pens, stickers. Any kind of stationary can be found here. Other household items: this can include cleaning supplies, furniture, and other miscellaneous goods. These won't be personal affects from your character's home, but they may be useful! Feel free to come up with unusual or alien items -- these have come from all over the universe, remember!

As the night winds down, it's recommended by Brie that you should probably go to be in your hut -- or at the very least get somewhere inside. There are a lot of people around the camp, however, so it's no surprise that there are a few people waiting around to get their fill of food and supplies before heading to bed. The noise of the new members and the light of the fire have attracted a very large pack of boars, who you'll later find make routine trips to the beach every night. Boar mating season has made the wild hogs rather testy, and the smell of food -- even if it's their own boar brethren -- have made them even more volatile. F ▢ If your character isn't quick to get inside tonight, they're likely to get a boar charging at them. The chances are doubled if they happen to be holding onto a food item. Female boars can leave a few bruises and trample you, but beware the males -- they've got tusks. However, it's not like staying up at night doesn't have its advantages. Once midnight hits, another species of animal makes its regular rounds across the base camp. In the sky, characters can see an Aurora Borealis-like sight. Instead of being dancing green and blue lights, however, the reality is that they are a massive species of space worm, and hundreds are wiggling past on their way to travel back home. They're shimmering and in every color imaginable, lighting up the sky with their magnificent hues. G ▢ The space worms operate outside the natural barrier of the hub, but they still are in close enough proximity to shed a film as they travel. If you're still awake, boars or no, you'll be in the middle of a shower. The film sheds from the worms and enters the atmosphere, creating multi-colored, sweet-smelling mists of worm water vapor. Worm water vapor is kind of weird, but it's also pretty cool. It's also calming, and that's a bonus. Inhale too much and you might become a little too calm.

Comments

[soulcomet]

B
[Madoka has never really been very picky about food — she probably has her father's cooking to thank for that. and even if she didn't like something, she's certainly not about mention it to the chefs, especially when said chefs went through the trouble of wrangling all those crabs from the bath house. and so, even though something about the one bite of crab she has gives leaves her with an awful pang of homesickness, Madoka politely finishes everything else she's offered.]

[and she's fine, at least, until everybody else around her starts dropping like flies. the first ill person she happens across and drops to her knees next to will be the lucky recipient of her once-a-day healing magic. as soon as she's able to sort her thoughts and focus. hang in there!]

Oh, no — Please don't worry! I'm going to try to help you.

[a little while later, the bite of crab comes back to haunt her, though perhaps not as severely as others — you'll find her curled in the fetal position off a few yards away from the pit.]

E
[when she's feeling well enough to stumble away, Madoka eventually finds herself at the caravan, a stack of notebooks and pens under one arm, and a handful of hair ribbons of nearly every color imaginable clutched in her fist.]

[the chills have stopped, but somehow, as she thumbs through the different colors, Madoka feels even worse than before.]

b

[liveinskin]

[F.F. herself is ok already (how she got ok is pretty gross but she did it...) and now she's looking around to see if anyone else isn't doing alright. When she sees Madoka curled up, she approaches.]

Hey, did the crab get you too?

[soulcomet]

[please forgive Madoka for not rolling over to look up at F.F., she's too afraid of what would happen if she did. it probably wouldn't be pretty.]

That's ... that's what it was?

[and, in a moment of weakness:]

That was the only thing I actually liked ...

[liveinskin]

[It's cool, F.F. will just crouch down by her.]

I think the meat wasn't good or maybe not cooked enough. Bodies don't like it when you feed them bad things, so they punish you unfairly. [Dumb human bodies.] If you want, I can help you out. I can't get rid of all your pain, but I can ease it.

[soulcomet]

You really don't mind? I mean ...

[Madoka is making a feeble attempt at saying something about how she'll be fine, that there are other people who are in worse shape than her, but honestly, she is feeling too awful to properly get that argument out there.]

[so she just kind of. ducks her head in a pathetic little nod.]

Thank you.

[liveinskin]

No problem. [Even if there are more people in worse states, that doesn't mean this girl doesn't deserve some treatment. In any case, she might be able to get new knowledge if she's nice to her.] Ok, so this healing might not seem totally nice at first but you'll be fine.

[She rifles her the bag she was given and grabs her water bottle. Without warning she uncaps it and pours a cup's worth of water right onto Madoka.]

[soulcomet]

What — [Madoka sputters when the water hits her, but that's about as far as any surprise or protests she may have had goes. she just draws her knees even tighter to her chest, trying to stave off any incoming chills.]

[liveinskin]

Don't worry, it's just water!

[Do humans not like getting wet? Or maybe it's just this girl. Whatever the case, F.F. will hold her hands over the girl's body and begin channeling her magic power. It's not perfect, and it won't get rid of the pain, but Madoka will start to feel a cooling sensation to help ease the distress her body is going through. The water she got on her will begin glowing a gentle blue aura as this happens.]

[soulcomet]

[surprise and feeling lousy does strange things to people. but Madoka's probably lucky she didn't have as much of the crab as the others — she relaxes visibly, and even feels well enough to peek up at F.F. with a mixture of relief and gratefulness.]

Is that your magic? It's amazing ...

e

[p_mortem]

[ Notebooks, pens, ribbons... nobody should look so upset carrying around things like that. Minato sidles up next to her, tilting his head in trying to see whether the notebooks are filled out, or whether they're empty. ]

Didn't have your favorite color?

[soulcomet]

[Minato will be able to catch a glimpse when she turns to look at him — the notebooks are empty, save for a line in one — a note to herself to never, ever, eat the crab again.]

[but Madoka opens her hand and is quiet for a beat, watching the ribbons gently slide across her palm.]

Actually, there are way more colors here than I ever had back home ... [ah, there's the problem. it's like there's a shade in her hand to remind her of every person she treasures. are they all okay without her?]

[p_mortem]

[ His glance travels from the notebook to the ribbons to Madoka's face... and back to the ribbons so he's not caught staring while he tries to work out what expression she's wearing. It's probably "home." Being pulled away from home would be understandably upsetting, even without knowing that her thoughts go to familiar people instead of places. ]

...Isn't that good? Then you could wear them all while you're here. Keep them with you.

[soulcomet]

I — [she stops herself short, but after a beat, she musters a tiny nod, clamping her eyes shut and lowering her head to try to block the tears.]

[she should be stronger than this. why else would Madoka have traded in her ordinary life, if not out of a desperate desire to be strong enough to help others, no matter what? being suddenly pulled away from the life she knows doesn't mean she can crumble and just shirk her duties as a magical girl — if anything, she needs to be even braver than before.]

[deep breaths. be more like Mami-san, Madoka.]

[she finally lifts her head again to meet Minato's eyes, her own still watery, but her smile much more confident.]

Sorry, I just ... got really homesick for a minute there. You're right, though — here I have a new ribbon for every day of the week and then some.

[p_mortem]

[ Minato stands still, quiet, never knowing what to do when somebody cries or is about to, except to wait it out and have an apology at the ready in case it's his fault. The smile is more assuring than anything, that Madoka will be alright without any input from him, but... Minato might not be homesick, but he can relate to forcing himself to appear strong, to appear okay even if he hurts inside, as not to worry others. He can see it.

He can't promise anything like "We'll return home," as Genette's letter had told them not to get their hopes up about that. But there are other ways to keep 'home' alive. ]

You must love home a lot. What do you miss most?

[soulcomet]

Mmm ... I'm not sure I could pick. My family, and my friends, and everyone at school ... They're all very precious to me.

[she thought for a split second that talking about the people who aren't here would make her feel worse, but Madoka instead settles into something much calmer — if anything, she only sounds a bit wistful now.]

I wonder if people back at our homes know we're gone yet.

[p_mortem]

[ Minato has no family to speak of, but the mention of friends and classmates softens his gaze. "Missing" isn't quite the word he would use to describe it... it's more like he still thinks of them, and he's sure they think of him, and he can accept being apart from them. So, ]

Probably. Disappearing... you leave behind a hole in people's lives. They'll notice. And maybe believe in us that we're trying to get back.

[soulcomet]

[if Madoka remembered what she truly was, that might have stung briefly. there are only two people in the universe who remember her — or who are supposed to remember her, rather. reality's been a bit warped for her.]

[but then, being caught between existence and nothingness for all eternity was the path she had chosen for herself. and if Madoka did remember, after all, she would also remember that she has no reason to despair. so it goes.]

Do you think someone might have magic that would let us reach them? If only for a minute, or maybe just to send a letter or something.

e

[potentite]

[Jake was just wandering past but he notices her posture. On one hand, he's shy himself, so he knows it's possible she doesn't want to be bothered but...]

Miss? Are you well?

[soulcomet]

[Madoka immediately brings her hands to her face to try to scrub away any pesky tears that may have escaped — it's a solid effort, because when she finally does draw her hands away, the tears are gone. her smile is a smidge wobbly, though. can't win them all.]

Yeah, I just. Was thinking about home, that's all.

[deep breath.]

Thank you. What about you? Are you doing all right so far?

[potentite]

[Oh, she must be homesick. He understands at least a bit.]

Oh, um, I'm... tired, I guess. [He isn't sure if he should lie or not but 'tired' is honest enough without bogging her down too much, he thinks.] Just a rather long day. I'm sure many of our comrades feel the same twinges of longing for home and all.

[soulcomet]

[maybe surprisingly, that's all it takes to get a genuine smile out of Madoka. it's never taken much to get her back on the path to hope, after all.]

You're right. And at least we can all be homesick together.

[she turns a bit to set her ribbons and the notebooks back down on the display, then faces Jake again, trying to determine if maybe he's sick or injured and could use some help.]

I'm Madoka.

[potentite]

[It makes him smile a little, too, seeing her perk up, if only a small amount.]

I'm Jake. 'Madoka' is pretty, though. That's, um, Japanese, right? [It's dark out, so he doesn't want to assume.] And those ribbons you were looking at were cute.

[soulcomet]

Thank you ... And, it is! I'm from a place Mitakihara Town.

Where are you from?

[potentite]

[Where is he from? Good question.] Um, it... doesn't really have a name? It's a pretty small island out in the, um, Pacific Ocean somewhere. It's far away from anywhere else though!

[soulcomet]

The Pacific Ocean? Mmm ... [Madoka only knows about Hawaii. and that's an island that both has a name and isn't as small as she's picturing Jake's home.]

[so, aside from what she remembers about Hawaii, she's got nothing.]

It sounds like it'd be very beautiful there. What's it like?