[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]

[ He reaches up to give a small pat on the hands on top of Caesar's to show that he's grateful -- before pulling the blanket up and over his head.

Muffled: ]

I feel I should be a lot more upset about all this. You kind of look like you're upset. Is it because you're worried about the lion?

[girasole]

I'm not worried about the lion.

[...and the worst part is that he feels like he needed to reassure Okuyasu about the damn lion.]

The book has several hundred pages and he's the hero. Even if his family's banished they're certain to be fine. Eventually. If they weren't what would the plot of this be?

[And here's the thing.

He knows they could've died.

He just doesn't want Okuyasu to feel bad about the lion.]

[billionboy]

[ The blanket moves a little -- indicating that his head lifts a bit at that comment. ]

That's right. He said that he was going to fight his hardest, right? He wasn't going to give up. That sort of moral means that he certainly won. You're right. [ A slight pause, but still with the calm affecting him: ] I don't want to read a story where the hero loses when they have that sort of spirit. That's... a little unfair, isn't it? I know that good people can die and be killed for whatever reason.

[ The blanket sways side-to-side. ]

But if we're writing stories about lions, it's sad to make it lose. You wouldn't want to read a book like that either, right, Caesar? Stories like that are too sad, right?

[girasole]

[Seeing that blanket move is so creepy, just gotta say.]

What's important isn't how long you live. What's important is what you leave behind, what kind of legacy you make...at least, that's what I believe. As long as you leave something behind then it doesn't matter what happens: your soul lives on in others.

[...which is probably more than he should've said, but that's okay: it's Okuyasu, and he's totally stoned, and he's not the type of person to remember any of this in general. So, moving on.]

But you're right. A story like that would be too depressing. Should I continue reading and we see what comes of our lion friend?

[billionboy]

Some people leave behind some shitty things, though, Caesar. I know that they live with people, too, but... um... I think that what you said sounds better and I like to think more good things are left than bad.

[ Almost matter-of-factly muffled from under the blanket. The moment partially ruined by stoned teenager. ]

Yeah. I wanna make sure he leaves behind something nice and that he wins. Fight on, lion-friend. Don't give up!

[girasole]

[His knee's starting to flicker.

...he's okay with ruining the moment. Actually, please, ruin the moment some more.]

Aren't you tired? [He doesn't have food to satisfy the munchies, besides maybe getting more crab and that's a no.]

[billionboy]

[ Oh hey, the light is going out. ]

Mm. Yeah, I guess so. Things are getting dark. That means it is time to sleep. [ A beat. ] A lot has happened today. But I'm feeling okay about it. [ The blanket-covered body tips over to lie on its side. ]

You're okay, too, right?

[girasole]

...

[The trick to saying things like pick up lines or scraps of poetry is that, even if you didn't believe it in general, you had to believe it in that moment. You had to sell it with every fiber of your being. You had to have sincerity, and it had to be real...even if it was just for that one moment.

He wasn't trying to hit on Okuyasu, but the basic idea was the same: he had to feel it. And so.]

Of course I'm fine. Go to sleep. It's late. [You're stoned.]

[billionboy]

Ok.

[ Muffled reply with a nod from the blanket. Tomorrow he is going to be troubled about how damn calm he is about everything but until then, it is time to settle down and fall asleep...

... he sits up with the blanket on his head still. ]

Good night, Caesar. [ And he flops back down to sleep. ]

[girasole]

Good night, Okuyasu.

[He's just...normally at this point there would be something touching like he takes the pillow and shoves it under Okuyasu's head, or maybe he goes over and rearranges blankets a little, but...

...

You know, they barely know each other, so no. He's rolling over in the other direction and desperately hoping Okuyasu doesn't snore. Night.]