[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

[lalliho]

[Talking about the weather. There's a stigma against that, he's pretty sure, even for normal people, though they seemed to thrive on the small talk he never really found a purpose for. He wonders vaguely if that's what most of their conversations had been, and he would have come to hate them long ago if only he'd understood.]

...Yes.

[It certainly was strange.]

Don't think it's magic. Just weird. Maybe dangerous.

[Not that he's bothered at all by the prospect.]

[enflame]

( Beggars can't be choosers when it comes to conversation. That feels like the last thing he wants to do now, though, as soon as Lalli makes the sensical pondering that the multi-coloured air around them may, in fact, be harmful. )

Danger...ous? ( Maybe he should stop breathing...but that's not a good idea, nor is attempting it under these circumstances, so here go hell come. It may also be that his brain is a little fried right now. Everything seems mostly normal -- as normal as things can be. ) Nothing's happened to me so far.

...Unless you feel strange. Do you? ( Honestly that's a good question in general, since Lalli's not being as aggro as he was earlier. )

[lalliho]

Yes.

[It's a simple question to answer, at least. A lot of them lately haven't been. Lalli finally glances over, but... Well, for a face that had been the cause of so much comfort and aggravation, seeing Emil's now just sort of made him tired.]

I feel like I need to scream, but my body doesn't. I want to hit something, or someone, and I want to go home.

[But there's no urgency or despair, this time. They've been brought down to facts instead of crashing waves of emotion.]

[enflame]

( The response sort of lays over the top of Emil's mind like oil on tepid water. He really meant just how Lalli felt about the mist but...that was obviously must deeper, intentionally or no. He's not that stupid. It's just that he doesn't really know how to process it in a way that's at all useful.

He also vaguely wonders whether or not he's at risk of being hit since it wouldn't be the first time he was on the receiving end of Lalli's violent tendencies. )

I want to go home too. ( He says it in a reassuring way, speaking to the fact that his friend isn't alone rather than his own interest in leaving. At least he has some kind of optimism he can insert here. ) I read that letter we got earlier. I don't really get the magic and space stuff, but it sounds like we can leave. Eventually.

[lalliho]

[He's safe, thanks to the mist. But probably only thanks to the mist.]

Oh. You did?

[Impressive... Especially since Emil is a huge idiot and -- ] I didn't read it. I was busy. What do they want us to do?

[enflame]

( He might not be here for reading anymore, but thinking the lengthy prose might explain why he was suddenly flammable or where they were, he definitely absorbed that letter. Then he may have set it on fire accidentally. Maybe. )

You...didn't? ( Actually, Emil has no idea what Lalli's actual literacy level is so maybe that explains it. ) Well, there was a lot of complicated jargon in it. There's some type of space mage, we all have magic and we're supposed to use it help her get home. I'm not particularly interested in whatever her story is, but helping her is essentially the only way to make it back to Denmark...or so it says. It sounds ridiculous, but this whole world is ridiculous.

( Emil huffs, frustrated all over again. It certainly explained some things, but it wasn't the helpful guide or catch-all answer he was looking for. The letter was actually quite long and he filtered through Genette's TMI personal issues, but there was other important stuff in there. What all would actually be relevant -- )

Oh, you were upset about your magic being gone earlier. The letter said it's not gone, just not possible here. Something like that.

[lalliho]

[Hey, he could have gotten through it if he wanted... But he's grateful he took the more action-oriented way, because it doesn't sound like he would have had a great time, even with Emil's cliffnotes version. Little too much extra tidbits added in. A whole letter of something far worse would have been, uh. Something.

Anyway, the cliffnotes version is important enough that Lalli doesn't turn off his brain at the fourth unnecessary word. Small blessings.]

...I still can't use it, or feel anything. That's the same thing?

[enflame]

( Emil shrugs without much effort. Lalli's magic is an even bigger mystery to him than all this other stuff going on. His understanding of its potential and limits is minimal at best. He can sense trolls, he plays with bones, he can sleep like the dead...what else? )

I don't really know. It said something about... ( He has to think about what it said; it was sort of a weird word. Oh yeah. ) A vibration? I think it said something to the effect of we'll be leaving eventually to go somewhere else and you can maybe use it there.

There was a lot more, but none of it sounded particularly useful. ( You're prob better off reading it on your own man. )

[lalliho]

[After he's been up for forever and explored the surrounding area to his satisfaction, running out of things to do... Yeah, he'll read the letter himself. And it will solidify Brie as the better NPC in his mind.]

...Nn. Fine.

[Not being able to hear his gods in the wind or the trees was unsettling. Kind of made him itchy, in a weird way. But at least the souls of the lost were gone...

Well. He tries to tell himself he appreciates that. In all honesty, it leaves a gaping void in him. Another thing that had been with him since before he could remember, gone in an instant and making him wish he hadn't thought so low of it before. Lalli knows on some level that it's a ridiculous comparison -- the cries for help are something that shouldn't be missed, with how tortured he'd been in return night after night -- but... It's so quiet. And he's so alone. Even with the misty air calming him, his voice quivers when he speaks again. Whether it's more anger or despair is a toss up.]

...I hate this. I hate every part of it.

[enflame]

( Emil zones out for a little bit, again not sure where to steer the conversation. It feels a waste to be able to speak to Lalli in a fluent common tongue, but that fluency seems more like a hindrance the longer he sits there. It shakes him a little to realize that what he says carries a lot more weight -- that that's even something he has to think about at all is strange in and of itself.

Seeing Lalli so vulnerable is also something he's not used to, which also contributes to the overall unease of the situation. It's not like he's dying or in immediate danger, but he still feels inherently negative...something he's never actually felt before. He'd never experienced hopelessness and fear -- fear that isn't quick and fleeting -- before.

Lalli says something else. He misses the first sentence in his daze, but it's not like he missed much since it's just reiterated. At least it's something that they can agree on. )

I know. I can't believe this happened right before we were about to go home. ( That's one of the bigger sources of his frustration as well. They were almost free and clear, and yet. Lalli's tone might be an indicator that he should focus on him, but actually thinking about being hateful brings out the wordiness, self-focused side of him. ) I hate that I have some sort of magic that doesn't even work properly. The food is awful -- those trees are misleading. Space isn't even supposed to work like this. There are actual planets and this isn't even one of them!

It's frustrating, and we can't even do anything about it! ( Emil finally exhales a long angry breath before finally settling on his frustrations being accurately vented. This is obviously very hard for him. Very hard. His life is hard and you, friend without problems, should know about it. )