[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

a

[imsorey]

[Sorey's busying himself with cutting up meat, close enough to the fire that he hear the request and peers over to get a look at the non-existent fire. he can tell that Jay isn't trying very hard to get one started, but maybe he just doesn't know how?]

I don't have any fire-starting powers, but I can help you out if you can't get a fire going.

[rebells]

[ . . .

There is a short pause as Jay scrutinizes Sorey and finds him to be in apparent earnest.

He hands over the two sticks.]

Knock yourself out.

[imsorey]

[he takes the sticks but doesn't start just yet.]

Do you want me to show you how?

[this could be a good learning experience!!]

[rebells]

What happens if I say "no"?

[He's not being totally serious so much as he is curious to hear Sorey's response.]

[imsorey]

[his contemplation ends in a shrug]

We still need to cook the food regardless of your answer, so I'll help either way. But it seemed like a skill you might like to know if we're going to be stuck here for a while.

[rebells]

Ah, a practical answer.

[Is that a good thing? He seems cheerful about it, at least.]

Just start the fire as you normally would. I learn quickly.

[imsorey]

Alright then.

[he's a little bemused and it shows, but he gets to work pulling together some dry kindling for the fire and in the absence of any flint he finds some flint-like rocks that work.]

It's not difficult, exactly, it just takes patience.

[rebells]

[He's amused at that reaction, but he is watching carefully--he supposes that if they're going to be stuck on a world (!) where he can't use his eres, it behooves him to learn how to start a fire on his own.]

Yes, I can see that. Do you camp often?

[imsorey]

[it DOES take him a few minutes to actually get a little fire going--even when you know how to do it, it takes some dedication. but he nods as he works, finally coaxing up a flame and feeding it some kindling.]

Yeah, you could say that. I do a lot of traveling and exploring, so I learned how to do stuff like this when I was pretty young. It only takes one time being stuck at the bottom of some dark ruins to not want a repeat experience.

[rebells]

You're an adventurer--?

[At least, that's his frame of reference for the types of activities Sorey described, but he's beginning to realize his own frame of reference might be . . . necessarily limited.

He leaves that thought hanging, at any rate.]

[imsorey]

Kind of! I explored the ruins around my home lot as a kid. And right now--or, before I came here, I was traveling around the continent to help people. It isn't exactly adventuring, but it's close to it. Right now it's more like...traveling for work?

[in his mind's eye adventuring is something more grandiose than what he does, even if it's essentially the same thing.]

[rebells]

And that work is "helping people."

[He says it lightly, not quite mocking, although Sorey's attitude reminds him uncomfortably of some of the people he left behind.]

[imsorey]

[without batting an eye he quips back,]

Most work involves helping people, doesn't it? But it's true that mine might be a little more involved in that.

[rebells]

Were you looking for a congratulations?

[imsorey]

[shaking his head no]

Were you looking to give one? I have my own reasons for doing it, so it's not like I need that.

[rebells]

As in, "I'm getting something out of this," or as in, "I'm doing it out of the goodness of my heart?"

[He thinks he knows the answer, or part of it, anyway. God, noble types. He knows some noble types! Ones who probably never want to talk to him again!]

[imsorey]

Can't it be both?

[he is the type who can't turn his back on people in need and he knows it, but he doesn't want to consider it as altruistic as that when it's still helping him to achieve his dream]

[rebells]

Can it? Either you're deriving some kind of benefit from it, or you're not.

[imsorey]

Just because something benefits you doesn't mean that it can't be done with good intentions too. The world isn't as black and white as that. But if I have to pick one, then I'd go with the first.

[rebells]

But the benefit exists whether you're also feeling altruistic, or you're not. You can argue that you would have done it anyway, certainly.

[He shrugs easily--he seems to be sincere in that, anyway.]

What were you traveling the world to do? Other than helping people out of the goodness of your heart.

[imsorey]

Uh...

[it's a long story, but if he cuts out the details he can make it sound straightforward.]

My world has something called malevolence, an...impurity, you could say, that has been the cause of disasters and tragedies across the continent. My job as the Shepherd is to purify all of that malevolence, so that was what I was doing.

[rebells]

That's interesting. My own world had something similar, although it was a recent development.

[But he's been trying his best not to think about his world--he shuts his mouth abruptly, and is silent for a moment.]

. . . so it was literally your job, hmm?

[imsorey]

Yup. It's the job I chose, and I'm fine with that.

[shrugging it off, though; he's more interested in learning about Jay's world now]

What's similar about it on your world? I think you're the first person that's mentioned having anything close to that.

[rebells]

It was an odd kind of black mist that turned monsters stronger and made people act . . . differently. Apparently it was harmful to plants as well.

[It's hard, remembering; not because of anything related to the black mist, but because he's reminded of how invested he was in what happened to the Legacy and how, in many ways, he no longer has a reason to be. It's entirely possible he'll never see the Legacy again, even if he makes it back to his world.

What he did isn't bound to do that ship any good, either. He's quiet for a moment, looking out into the distance.]

We weren't sure of the cause.

[imsorey]

It sounds a little bit like malevolence.

[which isn't a good thing, especially if they don't have anyone to purify it. he watches Jay for a fleeting moment, not sure if he should pry more than that.]

It can't be exactly the same thing; most people can't sense malevolence. But...I'm sure there's a solution to it, even if it's not immediately apparent.