[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

[rebells]

[He looks mildly intrigued.]

You can't control it at all?

[windeity]

Not really. [Shifting through office supplies seems better than really concentrating on that.] I can control what two items get combined, but I have not figured out how to control what the end result will be. I'm not even sure if I will? All I know is that it is the ability to combine any two objects and there doesn't seem to be a size limit.

[rebells]

[No, this is an interesting problem.]

I assume you've tried the "thinking about what you want to make very hard" approach already . . . .

[windeity]

Yeah, that was one of the first things we tried. I think most of my magic goes into getting them to stick together in a way that makes sense. It does whatever it wants especially when combined with other magic. But maybe I am missing something.

[rebells]

Likely most of us are. We've been given powers that don't seem to work on the logic that any of us are familiar with, from our worlds. I'd be more surprised if we immediately understood everything about them.

Have you detected any sort of pattern or logic to how things are combined? Or have you not done enough--fusing--to tease that out yet?

[This is much more enjoyable than thinking about his own power.]

[windeity]

[To be fair that isn't entirely different from how things are for John in his own universe. It's not like he really understands everything about his powers there either, so this is one more item on his to-do list. Still, he holds up a hand and begins ticking items off with his fingers, holding one finger up for each point.]

There can only be two items. I cannot fuse more than two at a time. There doesn't seem to be a size limit, but I also haven't tried fusing anything really big yet. I can fuse things that already have other magical properties. There will always be hints of what the items used to be, even if I cannot always control what they look like at the end. Those are about the only rules I've figured out so far. I haven't fused much besides the brain lamp and some jerky water.

[rebells]

[He cocks his head as he listens to that. So two items, combined to form a single item with characteristics of both individual parts . . . . ]

I presume they have to be tangible objects?

[windeity]

As far as I know, yes. Dave had to draw things to life before I could fuse them. I cannot create things out of thin air to combine.

[rebells]

Have you tried fusing something intangible? Laughter, for example, or a scent?

[windeity]

Interesting idea but no, I haven't. [Actually that sounds really cool. However...] Do you remember those papers or whatever that told us what our new ability was? Mine specified "items." So if I can do intangible items it is not specifically specified.

[rebells]

It does seem like a long shot. But if you can't, there's another limitation.

[windeity]

Then maybe I should start asking if there is a way to remove the limitations. [But then he stops finally and gives Jay another curious look.]

Wait, what's your power anyway?

[rebells]

[This is a really, really long-suffering sigh.]

The ability to "project my emotions onto other people by touching them."

[windeity]

Oh. [WELL. You lucked out, didn't you, Jay?] That sounds a little...I don't know, complicated? [More like messy.] Any idea why?

[rebells]

. . . I really don't know. If there's a reason behind how these powers are given out, I haven't managed to tease it out yet.

[A pause.]

Why, do you think you know why you were given your power?

[windeity]

I may have an idea, but it's sort of a very long story. Well, okay, not that long. I combined stuff back home but not with my hands. I had machines to do it. We all did? But I was in the game first and figured out a new way to do it so maybe that carried over to here.

[Shrug.] And I think Dave and Rose's magic is based on stuff back home, too. So maybe that's why it's that way for us.

[rebells]

[Hmm, well, that's interesting. He files that away.]

. . . I don't remember doing anything like this back home. We had powers affected by our determination, but that's not exactly the same thing.

[windeity]

If it's not exactly the same thing, then what is it? How does that work?

[rebells]

[This is somewhat more comfortable ground, although it reminds him of Stuff Back Home he would rather not think about.]

. . . I had a power called "eres" back on my world. We had to swear a vow to a god to receive it. It did all sorts of things--it could help you control the elements or add power to your fighting moves, and it was used to power a lost civilization's technology. Some of the things it did were affected by your level of resolve.

It wasn't much like this, in any case.

[windeity]

[Sorry he's immediately curious, Jay. It happens.]

Eres. [On the other hand, he's listening and for a moment he thinks that sounds really kind of incredible. But there's the one thing...] You like. Consciously swore the vow for your eres, didn't you? It wasn't anyone tricking you into anything or something like that. It does sound really powerful though. And not like something that could be easily lost.

[rebells]

For the version I had, yes. The Quiet Nerifes wanted answers about what we intended to do, so I told it mine, and it gave me its power.

[It's . . . disquieting to think about, considering that he'd sworn to protect the Legacy, its state of peace and stability. That peace has been rocked by his actions, to say the very least.

Is time passing back there? He doesn't know whether he hopes it is or isn't.]

It's not easily lost. But it is rather tied to my world, so I'm not surprised it doesn't work here.

[windeity]

[Huh. That...sounds a little like being given a choice and a choice being granted. He understands it on the vast, vague level in application to his own world. Kind of like what he plans to do with Typheus and figuring it out from there. Making a choice that will change everything.

It's alarming to think about, so he doesn't.]

I guess our powers are tied to our universes, too, but it was still a part of us that shouldn't be missing. I think that is where I'm lost on how all of this works and it's why I asked. Who knows? If the powers come back, then we will know we're on a planet similar to ours, I guess.

[rebells]

It makes some sense to me. I'm a bit out of the reach of Nerifes now.

[In more ways than one, really.]

But yes, I suppose we will. Although I'm not sure our planets are all that similar to one another. [He gestures around them, indicating the whole group.] There are undoubtedly a great many people represented here.

[windeity]

While that's also true, we do not know how many planets are in this universe, too. That's the part they haven't exactly told us yet. So who knows? [A shrug.] All we can do so far is wait and be ready for whatever.

[A pause.]Which...I guess means picking the best items possible and going from there. [Seeing how they're still goofing off in the caravan.]

[rebells]

Perhaps.

[He'll take the leather-bound journal, then, and the glitter gel pens.]

I suppose if I'm going to be taking notes, I might as well be doing it colorfully.