[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

[billionboy]

Oh hey, you will?

[ He makes an agreeing sound first. ] Probably. They were letting off like, mmm, mist. Real weird. Normally, I think that'd be the kind of thing to be real upset about. Breathing in worm mist. [ Shouldn't he find that gross? But even as he thinks of these questions, they lack the usual rush of concern. Okay. ]

A girl puked on my arm earlier. Maybe I am just getting used to weird things happening. [ No. ]

[girasole]

...did she have red hair? [Yes, they're talking about who vomited.]

[billionboy]

No. She had green hair.

[ Pause. ]

Did you get puked on, too? That sucks, Caesar-man.

[girasole]

No, I didn't- oh, I know her, I think. But really, who didn't vomit?

[Thats actually a really good question.]

...let's not talk about this.

[billionboy]

[ He leans forward to lightly pat Caesar's glowing knee. ]

I'm sorry you got puked on, man. Real sorry.

[girasole]

I am too.

[And that's all he's going to say as he stares at Okuyasu as he pats his knee, and then sighs, and then rolls the pant leg up because they might as well have a better light, one that isn't blocked by pants.

...and then he realized that doesn't work too well (because pants), and, not only that, it's still rolling up his leg so they've got a better knee light so he's just going to stop before he really gets started.]

Actually, I helped catch crabs for the meal...if I knew what was going to happen I'm not sure if I would have. It's one of those things that seems like a good idea at the time, but, after you learn what happens, you start to rethink it.

[billionboy]

I see.

[ He draws the words out as he gives a small nod. ]

Yer feelin' kind of guilty about that, then? Don't do that, Caesar. Nobody knew that anyone'd get sick off of it. Ya know? Sometimes... sometimes shitty things happen when ya don't know things and then everyone throws up because of it. But I don't think anyone's gonna die. So, don't feel bad, okay?

[ Okuyasu may have lost his point somewhere in that, but he still wouldn't like his temporary roommate to feel bad about anything. Even as calm as he still is, he is pretty sure that isn't right. ]

[girasole]

I don't.

[...well, maybe a little.] All I'm saying is that if I knew this was what was going to happen I would have had us have more pig and less crab. I can't change it know, but I wish I knew ahead of time.

[billionboy]

Oh, okay.

[ Good, good. ] So long as yer not feelin' bad for stuff. [ He sways a little as he sits. ] I ate a lot of pork because I decided to do the like preparations and stuff. It felt bad not to eat a lot when ya put the effort into it. So I get it. I get it, yeah. I get it why you ate it 'cause you were proud at the time of yer hard work.

[girasole]

I wasn't-...

[WHY DOES THIS SUDDENLY FEEL LIKE DOGSHAMING HE FEELS LIKE HE'S BEING DOGSHAMED, HE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT DOGSHAMING IS BUT IF HE WAS SHOWN A PICTURE AND TOLD "This is dogshaming." HE'D BE ABLE TO SAY "Why yes, I feel like that's happening to me right now." AND WHY.

Ahem!] I still have that book.

[Look! A distraction!]

[billionboy]

[ An almost too slow of him clapping his hands. ]

That's right, ya do. [ That is a distraction for someone on a perpetual calm to not be worried about why someone cut themselves off. They're onto another topic. Everything is okay. ]

Where do ya wanna start readin' then?

[girasole]

[Why is he doing this.] I could just start from the beginning. If we're going to go through the entire book-

[...] -then the only way we'll understand what the plot is is if we start from the beginning.

[...] Though I'm just going to summarize what I think is going on instead of reading it, unless you really want me to read it.

[billionboy]

Summaries are fine.

[ ... ] Those big words are real hard to understand, ya know? Like... [ He trails off. Oh, he can't think of an example. Ok. ]

[girasole]

You're really calm. Worm vapor, you say?

[He's...god.

He's rearranging his legs so his knee is better situated to act as a lamp. What is this. What is his life? And he's leaning back to where his shit is and pulling out...

Fur Glory and Fur Freedom why did he keep it (because he said he would.)] So the book starts off with- I can't believe I'm reading this. Okuyasu, be glad you're being spared having to actually read this.

Our heroes are in...

[There is a really long pause as he skims a lot of page one, frowns, skims it again.] Some kind of village. There sounds like a lot of posing is going on.

[Why are they posing so much? What kind of world would have this much posing going on.]

[billionboy]

Yeah. It was a lot of colors.

[ He cranes his neck a little to look at the words on the page before swaying back to how he was sitting. ] I'm very glad that I don't have to read it. I think I'd've asked the people to get me a dictionary so I could read it. That'd feel like homework.

[ A slow breath out. ] I breathed a lot of worm vapor. [ That much is obvious, Okuyasu. ] So, they're posing in a village. Must be fun. Okay.

[girasole]

Apparently! [And now he's turning the pages in morbid fascination, skimming them, actually, no, he's going to scoot closer to Okuyasu because this is now a light novel and there's going to be an illustration on page...

There it is. Page 20.] See, Okuyasu, they seem to be posing like that. So for the first few pages, from what I can tell, this...lion...man, is standing there, posing in the wind. And he seems to be troubled by...something?

[What.] Who would read this?

[billionboy]

[ Long stare at the green lion. ]

What's he troubled about Caesar?

[ Apparently, this person would out of curiosity. ]

[girasole]

...

[He's looking at Okuyasu. Why woul- fine, they're going back. Back to page one, and then two, and then three, and then-]

His family was banished. Apparently a shark did it.

[This is not what he expected to say.]

[billionboy]

How'd a shark --

[ Well, the lion is standing on two legs. His eyes widen a little as he looks for a second like he might be confused by a horrific thought of sharks with legs and abs. But the worm vapor calms that reasonable response down. ]

-- okay. [ A nod. ] His family was banished by a shark and he poses in the village 'cause he's sad and troubled about it. I guess that's one way to deal with when sharks mess up yer shit, right?

[girasole]

So it seems. Honestly, I'm finding it hard to follow - the author, whoever it is [Pen name of Sparkle Tilde Desu.] was obsessed with calling eyes orbs and referring to hair as tassels. I...think, it could be something else.

Anyway, so our hero's posing and thinking of his lost family. There also appears to be a lot of wind and he says things...sonorously.

[billionboy]

[ A long pause.

Sonorously. Sonar? With like sound? Uh, so, uh... ]

He's a bat now?

[girasole]

What? No. He's still a lion.

[Where did he get a bat from why are they doing this why aren't they just going to sleep (it's because his knee won't turn off, that's why.)] He hasn't turned into a bat.

[billionboy]

[ Calmly: ]

He's using sonar. Like a bat. They use that to get around places.

[girasole]

Wh- oh. No. That's when you say things deeply, like...

[And this is said sonorously, and is also a line of dialogue from the book.] "Upon the northward snow, upon my twixt destiny, I swear that I shall never surrender."

[Then, normal:] Really, who wrote this...?

[billionboy]

That's a real deep voice.

[ A beat as he lifts his fist up weakly. ]

That's good, though. Ya shouldn't surrender 'cause some shark is doin' some shit. Ya gotta keep fighting. I wish him well. Yeah.