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Character Archipelago

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Welcome to the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises allow you to develop your characters in a setting shared by other authors and their characters. No sign-up is necessary; simply look over the last few pages and hop on in. If you need questions answered or a recap, head over to our discussion thread and ask; we’re happy to help. There's also a trope page (with location descriptions and other info).

Archipelago is semi-casual — no violence on the central island, but the rest are fair game. Other islands are built on-the-fly by the tropers whose visiting them, but you should probably grab a few others before having your characters head off — there's not much point wandering an island alone, since this is supposed to develop characters by bouncing them off one another and putting them in unusual situations. Be sure to communicate with the tropers you go with so you're on the same general page.

With thanks to, among many others, Gault, who came up with the initial idea, Nrjxll, who wrote the first draft I shameless ripped off, and the various people who contributed to the trope page location descriptions.


[[Current Time: Early Morning]

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE FULL INTRO FOR THIS THREAD 

This has made the hub island something of a designated neutral ground for various strange characters and dimensional travelers. A small cluster of buildings has sprung up near the one natural harbor and its dock: a couple of bars, a couple of casinos, several shops, and even the cheap but comfortable Pax Island Hotel. This is not a tourist trap, though, as much as amenities for the visitors that come here for various reasons. The Hotel's entrance leads out to a central square, with a shamelessly cheesy tiki bar calling itself the Big Kahuna and the Pax Island General Store being the most obvious, though not the only, services.

Inland, the island is covered in jungles that rise steeply into a central mountain, covered in ruins that don't seem to exactly match any of the local cultures. Apart from that, though, they're harmless and unrelated to the area's strangeness. The population on the island, humans of mixed origins, are quite used to the strangeness of their island, staffing the amenities and filling newcomers in but otherwise keeping to themselves.

Beyond this hub island, the archipelago grows more mysterious and dangerous. Fogs often cover the ocean, and compasses and other forms of navigation don't always work right. There are at least a half-dozen other islands at any one time, but that's all anyone can say for certain. The docks on the hub island offer numerous boats for visitors to travel to these islands, either under their own control or with the aid of a local sailor. Of course, there's always an element of risk involved with visiting these islands, because you never know quite what you'll find. One rule has proven consistent, though: any truly catastrophic event on an island tends to result in it vanishing into the fog, never to be seen again.

edited 27th Jun '14 6:59:52 PM by KillerClowns

Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#1376: Feb 27th 2014 at 6:11:21 PM

[Big Kahuna]

"Iris." George said, putting two hands on her shoulder, "Well find him. I promise." he smiled, "Remember Thomas's catchphrase. Don't give up yet. Now all we need to do is ask around; surely he couldn't have gone on that far, right?"

Thomas looked down at Hayate, "I know you're worried about it being a waste of time, but we still need to try it. It's the best place to start."

[Walking to Big Kahuna]

"Umm...visiting is close." Jackson said, "A friend and I were actually transported here under mysterious circumstances. We're still trying to figure out who or what sent us."

He frowned. "God, I hate this waddling."

Got nothing for Nathan, sorry.

Yomegami Since: Jan, 2011
#1377: Feb 27th 2014 at 7:07:59 PM

Big Kahuna

"By people, I refer the man our waiter said Claire was with," Hayate replied to Iris, "Unless you wish to know which people we should ask for information, and by that I mean anyone." He frowned and shook his head. "Unfortunately, it'll be no more faster, nor less random, then trying to look on our own, but I imagine that it would be more fruitful in the long run."

He stood up and looked to the door. "Whatever our plan of action, I also suggest that we carry it out now. Time is short, and we're not making good use of it standing in here."


Cavern (Master Control Room)

The first thing that caught Noriko's eye among the new information was the power drop that took place seemingly two minutes before the reality error occurred. She didn't think knowing that would actually help them solve the problem at hand, but it might have something to do with why the metagrams were here. Then again, it didn't make a lot of sense - if the power dropped, wouldn't the system just shut down and not get flung across multiple realities?

Upon thinking that, she immediately pondered her immediate thoughts. She didn't think there'd ever be a time she'd be wondering about something like that, which just said volumes about just what sort of situation this was.

She shook her head and kept reading, soon noticing something else. Namely, that the original reality's coordinates were still stored in the system. She was about to point this out when Samuel commented on the readings, making her jump a little as she didn't realize he was standing right there.

As soon as he was done talking and she was over the brief shock, she turned to Flynn. "Adding onto that; is there any way we can see just what those stored coordinates are?"

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Sonzai Since: Sep, 2010
#1378: Feb 27th 2014 at 9:12:35 PM

[Azatha's Fortress, Throne Room]

"Ooo, I shouldn't forget about the guests," Azatha said, opening a trap door leading from the roof into the Throne Room.

"Hey, Pan, you still here? You missed a pretty awesome battle," she said, sticking her head down from the ceiling.

Meanwhile, the interdimensional gateway (front door) reactivated, and was now available for use again.

I'm pretty sure that Kunstler is on the Lava Walkway, so they wouldn't see Azatha just yet.


[Azatha's Fortress, Space]

The CC Ship hovered slowly back towards the island, the members on board somewhat unsure of what to do now.

"Sir, what do you make of that?" a man at the helm on the bridge of the ship said.

"It appears our allies are quite a bit more potent than we thought. We hold to the alliance, and convert the rest of the island," Fredrick said, sitting in the captain's chair.


[Walking to the Big Kahuna >> Outside the Big Kahuna]

"Really? Do lots of people arrive here by strange methods? I was rescued from a shipwreck by a band of interdimensional pirates, so I think that would have to count," Kina said to Jackson.

"And I suppose you'd rather be swimming or flying?" she said in reference to his waddling comment.

They were now approaching the restaurant, close enough that they could see the group standing outside.


[Cavern (Master Control Room)]

"Sure, I'll display the coordinates," Flynn said.

However, the screen merely displayed:

'Transdimensional coordinates are classified information per Information Containment Order 439(b).'

"Okay, that's strange," Flynn said, "I didn't think we'd encounter that problem when trying to analyze this problem."

Ryuhza Brother from San Diego County, California Since: Feb, 2012 Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
Brother
#1379: Feb 27th 2014 at 11:57:12 PM

[7km From Erwin Island —> Heading to Pax Island ~ Onboard Ship (Topside)]

Howell tipped his head to one side confusedly at Duckie's sudden collapse, but shrugged and let it be once Claire explained. He walked over to the cat and looked down at the primate as well.

"Postprandial someomlette" he repeated—or tried at least—nodding slowly. "Well that sounds more good than bad to me." he glanced at Claire, and asked, "So, Claire Claire Claire, how many more important things are we doing out here? What's our next objective, I mean?"


[Pax Island ~ Big Kahuna —> Outside Big Kahuna]

"Yeah I know, I know. I'm... sure." Iris affirmed, though her uncharacteristically weak voice spoke of anything but sureness. She lowered her eyes, scanning legs and the Big Kahuna's floor for anything useful. "I just..." She paused. No simple word could describe what was going through her mind. The seconds began to drag on.

"I guess I just hope we can find him before tomorrow, because then I might actually start to worry." There was a slight bitter edge to her joke, but Iris was at least trying to avoid becoming too distraught over their search. Her eyes fell to Hayate, and she said, "All right Hayate, you think we should go ask around? Lets go ask around." she grinned, suddenly, "Hell, I'll interrogate every last person on this damn island twice if I have to. Come on boys, let's move."

With that, she headed for the door and walked right on out, regarding Adam, Nathan, and Kaguya with a very stately, almost military bearing.

"Hey happy family; bit of an update. Howell left earlier with Claire, the talking cat from lunch. Other than that, the only clue to his location we've got now is that he might be fishing out on a boat somewhere. I don't suppose any of you walked out by the shore or the harbor in the short time we were in there, did you?" She waved the question off, "Ah, never mind. How are things out here? Who scared off the sun?"

They'll turn your world around
m8e from Sweden Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
#1380: Feb 28th 2014 at 10:04:32 AM

"Reed have deferred the remaining objectives indefinitly, but we can still secure objective three."

"Move this primate to the galley table."

Ryuhza Brother from San Diego County, California Since: Feb, 2012 Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
Brother
#1381: Feb 28th 2014 at 11:41:59 AM

[Heading to Pax Island ~ Onboard Ship (Topside)]

"Objective three. That's the one where we catch other creatures, isn't it?" Howell asked, before glancing down at the Primate again. "I guess that's what this one is for. Well okie-dokie; off to the galley we go!"

With that, he hoisted the Primate into his arms, stumbled over to the hatch leading back into the ship, and—as carefully as he could—hopped down into it, bundled up primate and all. He nearly caught his tail on the edge, along with the tails of his duster, but slipped through without an excessive harm.

Once inside the ship, Howell headed for the galley, and murmured, "Hope you like the smell of fishy fish." to his bundled passenger. It only took a few seconds to reach the galley and set the creature on the table that Claire had mentioned, after which Howell sat on the table along side the creature and waited.

They'll turn your world around
m8e from Sweden Since: Jul, 2012 Relationship Status: Wanna dance with somebody
#1382: Feb 28th 2014 at 2:37:40 PM

Howell just had to wait a few seconds before Claire entered the galley and jumped up on a seat.

"Possible primate, length: approximately one hundred twelve centimeters," she started the examination.

"Get of the table," she ordered Howell and waited until he had done so before she continued.

"Mass: twenty-two point five kilogram, with coat and content."

"Remove the coat."

Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#1383: Feb 28th 2014 at 2:52:02 PM

[Outside Big Kahuna]

Nathan and Adam were silent for a while, until Iris stepped out and spoke to them.

"Hey." Nathan said, "Everything's fine out here. We were just waiting on you guys, see if you had any updates." he crossed his arms, "So Howell went with the talking cat? On a fishing boat?"

"That's exactly what we were told." George said, "Now our problem is finding out who seen them on one of the boats..."


[Walking to Big Kahuna-Outside Big Kahuna]

Mud crossed Jackson's mind, and he suddenly became furious again.

"NO." he said, "Not at all. I rather be walking on two human legs on a human body instead of waddling all because some man decided to be a pr-"

He stopped ranting when he noticed that they were at Big Kahuna. And the first thing he noticed was Adam. He quickly sped his waddling and and tried to get his attention. "Psst! Adam!"

Adam looked around, trying to find the source.

"Psst! Look down!"

Adam looked down at the well dressed duck, a little confused. "Um...."

"It's me." Jackson whispered, "Jackson. And no, you're not seeing or hearing things."

"...Jackson? How did you-"

"I'll explain later. Right now, I just need to stick along with you guys for a bit until I think of something." Jackson sighed, "And I hope I can think of it soon."

edited 28th Feb '14 2:52:41 PM by Masterofchaos

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#1384: Feb 28th 2014 at 3:54:57 PM

[Al's Bar]

Aseyu raised an eyebrow. "Shame," she said. "Seems I might have the wrong guy. I heard you know what goes on this island, but if you ain't heard this... you sure the phrase 'Red Door' doesn't mean a thing?"

Then she turned to Joseph. "Okay," she said. "We'll need to keep an eye out for our mutual foe." Then she turned to Joseph with a slight smile. "By the way," she said, "you handled yourself pretty well. Can't blame you for keeping me between you and Sam — don't think I didn't notice — but you kept your cool and didn't bite the obvious bait. You don't have to answer, but you used to stressful situations, or you just a natural?"

[Beyond the Red Door]

The stranger flitted closer to the group, listening to their minds. It could hear every thought, but hearing and comprehending were two very different things. The profane void that lurked where its mind should have been could only understand a few emotions. Fear, pain, despair, hate, anger. The emotions that gave form to the stranger were the ones it sought within the minds of the myriad beings around it.

Yomegami Since: Jan, 2011
#1385: Feb 28th 2014 at 4:11:08 PM

Big Kahuna -> Town Center (Outside Big Kahuna)

Hayate nodded and followed everyone else out of the building, to the group waiting outside. He let George and Iris explain the situation, instead choosing to place himself next to Kaguya and sitting down for the time being.

The two of them just listened to the others, up until Jackson showed up. Kaguya gave the well-dressed duck an odd look, but said nothing. Not having met Jackson personally, her initial thought was that some rich person was crazy enough to have a whole outfit made for their pet. After taking a closer look, however, she did think she saw those clothes somewhere before.

Hayate, meanwhile, did recognize the outfit and didn't take long to come to the conclusion that the duck was Jackson. As soon as he heard the duck refer to himself by that name, in the same voice as the young man from earliernote , he got up and approached him. This was something he had to know the reason for.

"You've certainly gotten yourself into quite a situation since we last met, haven't you?" he asked.

Kaguya watched him for a moment or two, but then she turned to the others to continue getting updated on the search for Howell. At least, that was her intention. However, what actually happened was that she noticed another girl nearby. Normally, Kaguya would have given her nothing more than a passing glance before returning her attention to the situation at hand, but she seemed to be lingering a little longer for just a random passerby, which got her wondering. She was soon peeking into her mind, looking for a name and a reason as to why she was standing there, but not going any deeper than that.


Cavern (Master Control Room)

Noriko blinked. "Well then. So much for that idea." She glanced at Flynn. "I take it that wasn't supposed to happen?"

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Ryuhza Brother from San Diego County, California Since: Feb, 2012 Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
Brother
#1386: Feb 28th 2014 at 6:08:22 PM

[Heading to Pax Island ~ Onboard Ship (Galley)]

"Aye aye!" said Howell, before dismounting the table and observing the ongoing examination with great interest. When Claire called for the coat to be removed, he first reached for his own coat and took it off, dropping it to the floor. It didn't make much of a difference, he still had a large khaki trail jacket on underneath, and given the slight smile on his serpentine face, he probably knew that wasn't what Claire had meant.

Just after losing his own coat, he did extract the coat from around the Primate as well. It was sopping wet, but so were half of Howell's own clothes; he seemed well beyond the point of minding.



[Pax Island ~ Al's Bar]

Al's seeming complete lack of any memories pertaining to Aseyu or Sam or the door left Joseph feeling rather disconcerted. He didn't bother trying to jog the man's memory himself, whatever Al had lost probably extended to Joe too, and Aseyu seemed to be trying to smooth the whole thing over. Even so, with no help from Al—not even so much as a bit of parting guidance—and only he and Aseyu left with the knowledge of what had occurred, it was difficult not to feel a little pressure. He'd love to head back to the hotel, get a room, and check out from this strange reality for a while, but his gut would never let it go if he didn't at least try to do something about the Sam situation.

Joe let out a light sigh. He was thinking of suggesting whether or not finding another one of the flyers they had brought earlier and showing it to Al would make any difference, but he was pretty sure he knew what would happen himself. Even if there were any flyers that hadn't magically vanished left, it would only confuse Al again; a waste of time.

Before he could think of something else to say, he was surprised by a sudden compliment given to him by Aseyu. A compliment? If he hadn't been a giant lizardman just that moment, his face would have flushed beet red. As it were, he still felt a burning sensation, which was... strange.

"I- well, uh..." he began gracefully, "I... I guess you could say that I've been dealing with a lot of high-stress stuff lately." I just didn't know I had been doing a good job of it. "I s'pose you either learn how to deal with those kinds of situations or end up... uh, dead. -Or less dead, depending on how high the stakes happen to be. Still, y'now, you pretty much had the situation tied up by yourself— I mean, before that one guy showed up, but y'know, who could have seen that coming." he shrugged, "By comparison, all I did was not make things worse, which... eheheh, is good, but... mmnhm." he shrugged again and turned his head away slightly, though his eyes still glanced towards Aseyu. "But thanks."

For as much as he tried to downplay the compliment, Joseph was smiling. Not a giant smile or a big doofusy lizard grin, but a small, contented smile. His tail had perked up a bit too, and he made no effort to hide it. It wasn't that he had never gotten a compliment before, but they did seem rare, especially coming from someone he looked up to. Most of the time Joseph's presence so minimal that even when it came time to compliment around the table, he was forgotten. Hard to blame them he always thought.

"So what's next for us? Doesn't look like we're going to have any luck here."



[Pax Island ~ Outside the Big Kahuna]

"Yeah, but fat chance of that ever happening," Iris said at George's explanation. "especially at this hour. And I hate to muddy the water even further, but it's hard to know whether 'gone fishing' actually means Howell went fishing. Um... he likes to have fun with people, in that sense. Now is hardly the appropriate time for that, but he... I don't know, he's young and he probably didn't think it would get this late or... something, and..." She sighed, admitting defeat. "I'll have a word with him once he's found."

She paused for a moment, working out how they could most efficiently track him down, if there even was an efficient way to go about it, when Kina caught her eye. "Hey, it's Kina." she said, thinking Hayate was right beside her. When she found that he wasn't, she looked around for him and... "What the hell? Is that a duck wearing clothes?" It sounded as though she was about to break out in laughter.

They'll turn your world around
KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#1387: Feb 28th 2014 at 7:14:56 PM

[Al's Bar]

Aseyu sighed, and said, "you didn't panic, hon, you didn't try to be a hero, and you certainly didn't think Sam was up to any good. Now, first things first..."

She pulled out a business card from her pocket and handed it to Al. It gave her name as "Aseyu Ulvalmoth" (the misspelling of her last name was irritating oversight she'd never found time to correct), a mobile phone number, and identified her as a security guard employed by Edwards and Goldstein. (Further research would reveal it to be an unremarkable West Coast security company specializing in bar and nightclub security.) "This is gonna sound crazy," she said, "but if you hear word of a really weird skinny guy called 'Sam' or a 'Red Door', you gimme a call. M'kay?"

Then she turned back to Joseph. "Now, I'm not sure what else to do right now. Lead's dead, and I need... hmm." She looked Joseph over thoughtfully, then nodded. "Al's got a nice place, but I need somewhere cushy to sit and some room service food to stick on Irilemi's account. Care to join me for dinner at my room?" She gave a playful smile.

edited 1st Mar '14 3:05:58 PM by KillerClowns

Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#1388: Feb 28th 2014 at 7:47:33 PM

[Outside Big Kahuna]

Well, this was embarrassing.

First, Jackson talked to Iris, shooting her a glare. "Ha ha. I'm not just some duck wearing clothes. If you can even recognize my voice you'll know exactly who I am."

Then he talked to Hayate. "Yeah. ...It's a really long story. But please, do not turn the attention to me. I'm sure you guys are focused on something else."

George, Nathan, and Thomas looked down at Jackson, then at each other, confused and worried.

"Look, you guys were talking about something else, were you?" Jackson said, getting increasingly annoyed.

"Um...w-we're looking for Ms. Iris' brother." Adam said. "We just found a lead that he's with a talking cat and is on a fishing boat. We just need to ask people if they seen them."

Yomegami Since: Jan, 2011
#1389: Feb 28th 2014 at 8:16:47 PM

Town Center (Outside Big Kahuna)

As it turned out, Jackson the duck wound up being just the thing to lighten up what was otherwise a rather serious situation. As Hayate watched the reactions to him, and Jackson's own reactions to suddenly being the center of attention, he couldn't help but find it to be incredibly amusing. It was about as amusing as watching people recoil in terror upon meeting him.

As funny as this was to observe, however, the fact remained that Howell still needed to be found, and this was not helping matters.

"Very well then. Perhaps you'll be willing to tell me the whole story later, yes?" He shook his head. "Going back to the situation at hand, what Adam said is indeed correct. Iris's brother Howell has been missing for a unnervingly long time, and we have just learned that a cat by the name of Claire, along with a man who was not named, took him out on a fishing trip of some description. Whether or not that was actually what they meant is something we have yet to figure out." He then looked Jackson's new appearance over, and suddenly a thought came to him.

To the others, he said, "Now, what we're dealing with is a search that covers a potentially wide area, with little lead on where the missing party could have gone and no option other than random guessing and asking." He then motioned towards Jackson. "And what we have here is a bird, with presumably a functioning pair of wings." He looked at each member of the group in turn. "Perhaps you can put two and two together?"

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Ryuhza Brother from San Diego County, California Since: Feb, 2012 Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
Brother
#1390: Feb 28th 2014 at 9:38:50 PM

[Pax Island ~ Al's Bar]

Joseph nodded, though to him it still just sounded like 'didn't make things worse'. Still, it was nice enough that she wasn't blowing him off, or treating him like a child. He had to be doing something right.

"And he carries around a cane pretty much everywhere," he added helpfully to Aseyu's description. It seemed like a important enough detail to note— something that would make him stick out from a crowd. That and his tendency for gleeful dancing, but Joe worried that might make Al think that he was joking.

When Aseyu invited him to dinner, it was as though he hadn't heard her. "Hm? What?" he asked turning his head to look at her. Slowly, his eyes widened as he actually processed what she had actually said. It had been so casual. His long mouth would have dropped open if the more self conscious part of him hadn't been keeping it wired shut. Slowly, with a bit of effort, he smiled and said, "Yyy-yeah sure."


[Pax Island ~ Outside Big Kahuna]

Iris put up her hands, "Hey, hey- sorry Jackson, it's just a little... surprising, to say the least of it." she raised an eyebrow, adding, "You weren't a duck when I met you, if you recall." She offered a smile, then a somewhat sympathetic sigh. "Look, I don't mean to make fun of you or anything Jackson. If you've got some kind of witch curse or something like that, I actually kind of understand." She glanced warily at the others. "Sort of."

Quickly changing the subject—at least somewhat—Iris picked up with what Hayate was saying. "You know, Hayate makes a good point, actually." she said, regarding Jackson in a new light, "Being as you are a duck at this particular moment, regardless of how that came to be, you could be very helpful in our search. It's late, and there can't be that many boats out on the water at this hour." She crossed her arms and tipped her head, "Can you fly... in all of that?"

They'll turn your world around
Sonzai Since: Sep, 2010
#1391: Feb 28th 2014 at 10:37:40 PM

[Outside Big Kahuna]

Kaguya may have noticed something off about Kina, as her thoughts would seem to be only half-here, as if one was looking at a book with half the letters missing. However, she would still likely be able to piece together that her name was Kina Kowano (western order), and that she was here because she was really really hungry.

Oh, so he was transformed, Kina thought about Jackson's comment. However, before she could say anything else, especially given that she was formulating a sensitive response, he suddenly became the center of attention.

Waiting for the others to suggest Jackson help by flying, she said, "flying is a lot of fun, it would be a shame to miss out."

"Why don't you take advantage of some unique opportunities before you change back?" she said, "it might be a once-in-a-lifetime experience."


[Cavern (Master Control Room)]

"It's not that it wasn't supposed to happen, it's just that I was hoping..." Flynn said, sounding quite unsure.

"You knew this was the most likely situation, given all the data," the first tribal person said to Flynn.

"Yes, but -" Flynn said, before being cut off.

"We should have deleted ourselves immediately, that would have been by far the safest course," the second tribal person, "and saved all this trouble. If there is a security breach, billions could die."

"I know!" Flynn said, "but we have to try, this information and experience we have could be invaluable!"

"We could ask one of them to try," the first tribal person said, "the station will know."

"What? I can't ask that of them! They have no part in this," Flynn said, "we should discuss this privately."

Suddenly, all three of them went silent, merely glaring at each other, as they carried out incredible arguments at light-speed through the computer.

Feel free to interrupt them/interject something if you want to, you don't have to wait for them to finish arguing. :)

edited 28th Feb '14 10:45:15 PM by Sonzai

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#1392: Mar 1st 2014 at 6:05:08 AM

[Al's Bar —> Streets]

I'm assuming Joseph follows, it seems a fair guess.

Aseyu's smile widened and she said, "alright." She then stood and headed out of the bar.

As she made her way to the Casino, walking with a leisurely pace, she said, "so, what is it you do? This place attracts all sorts of 'professional adventurers', but you don't really seem the kind to bet your livelihood on that sorta thing. No offense meant, I know I wouldn't." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Not that working nightclub security is exactly a desk job, but I'm not risking my skin against Suela-knows-what just to pay my health insurance either. Mostly it's just stopping catfights in the ladies' bathroom." (She had decided for now not to mention her job on her homeworld.)

edited 1st Mar '14 6:08:30 AM by KillerClowns

Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#1393: Mar 1st 2014 at 8:51:43 AM

[Outside Big Kahuna]

"You guys seriously want me to fly over?" Jackson asked, before truly thinking about it, "Well...I guess I can. If I can. Haven't tested out since the transformation."

"So, that'll make our search a little easier!" Adam said, "But are we still sticking together or are we splitting up?"

Unlike everyone else, Thomas opposed this idea greatly. In fact, he wanted no part of it. So instead, he said, "You guys can go ahead with this idea. I'll look for Howell in a different way."

edited 1st Mar '14 11:37:09 AM by Masterofchaos

Yomegami Since: Jan, 2011
#1394: Mar 1st 2014 at 9:39:16 AM

Town Center (Outside Big Kahuna)

Kaguya couldn't help but be decidedly disturbed at the composition of this girl's thoughts. It wasn't what she was thinking; that seemed to be more or less what would be expected of the situation. It was that half her thoughts seemed to be somewhere else...literally. Furthermore, she didn't even seem to notice what Kaguya was trying to do, which just muddied things up further. She'd never seen anything like this. The best comparison she could come up with was Hayate's mental shield, but in that case her attempt just flat-out failed (and Hayate definitely noticed when she tried).

She decided not to dwell on it and instead only looked for long enough to piece together a name and the fact that she was starving. The latter fact actually made her wonder if Kina was the same person Hayate kept wanting her to meet. In that case...Kaguya gave her a quick look over before shrugging. She really wished Hayate would tell her about the people he wanted to pair her with before the meeting, but Kina didn't seem all that bad. If nothing else, she was much preferable to the alternatives.

With that, she turned her attention back to the others, this time properly listening to what they had to say and what the plan was to find Howell.

Hayate shrugged. "If you think you can do it, you could probably help narrow our search down quite significantly. If you think you can't do it, or perhaps just aren't willing to try, then we shall not force you to do it. It's ultimately up to you."

At that point, Thomas announced his attentions to separate from everyone else. In response, Hayate gave him an odd look. "And how, pray tell, do you expect to do that?" he asked, "If you have a better suggestion, then I suggest you state it. You just might make this easier on us all."


Cavern (Master Control Room)

A simple question apparently turned into what was a rather heated argument as far as Noriko could tell. She glanced between the group of metagrams and the screens, before turning to Samuel and shrugging.

"I don't think I can do much here until they're done," she said, "So I might as well go look for other stuff that isn't so technical. I kinda admit that I'm just grasping at straws here." She glanced towards the door he and the tribespeople came through. "Have you seen Mizuki-san?"

edited 1st Mar '14 9:40:02 AM by Yomegami

Icon by Civvi the Civilian!
Night The future of warfare in UC. from Jaburo Since: Jan, 2001 Relationship Status: Drift compatible
The future of warfare in UC.
#1395: Mar 1st 2014 at 2:33:37 PM

[Cavern - MC]

Samuel winced and grabbed at his ears a moment. He'd kind of assumed they knew already that he wasn't fully human, but apparently they hadn't, or they'd forgotten, and so he could "hear" them. He couldn't understand it and his implants interpreted it as jamming and squelched it, but for about a second it was extremely painful.

He closed his eyes tight and shook his head to clear it. "No, not since we got here...did she ever leave storage?"

Nous restons ici.
Ryuhza Brother from San Diego County, California Since: Feb, 2012 Relationship Status: Tongue-tied
Brother
#1396: Mar 1st 2014 at 2:37:58 PM

[Pax Island ~ Al's Bar —> Streets]

Joseph followed Aseyu out, glancing up at her occasionally but otherwise remaining silent, until she started to talk to him. He clicked his teeth together, rummaging through his brain to find the best way to answer her question in a way that didn't sound as bad as 'I stay at home all day and hide from the public eye unless by chance I get whisked away to another dimension for reasons I can't begin to understand.' Joe was a grade C slacker before turning into a lizard. There was nothing much he cold do about dealing with the situation that came after, but ti still wasn't something he'd hold up proudly.

"Well, no- you're right. Mostly it's just my luck that sets me up with these sorts of, uh... misadventures." he explained carefully, "Normally, I- well, I've been kind of in-between jobs, you know? Focusing on trying to sort out a few personal issues that... kind of came up out of nowhere." He held is arms out, indicating the surrounding island, "I don't know how effective it's actually been to take time off though."

He fell silent for a little while, though again, continued to glance at Aseyu every few steps. If he was going to eat dinner with her, eventually he'd have to tell her what was really up, wouldn't he? Unless he kept the conversation purely on her, but that would require the kind of silver tongue Joseph didn't possess. Still, Aseyu seemed the kind of person who would understand why he was a little reluctant to divulge more about himself, in light of how unremarkable he really was.



[Pax Island ~ Outside Big Kahuna]

Iris nodded at Jackson's duck self. "Yeah, if possible, it's about the best thing we could ask for at the moment, even if it's not exactly the best for... uh... for you." She smiled apologetically.

To Adam, she said, "Well we can't exactly fly along with Jackson here." she paused, glancing at the others, "At least I can't. I'm not a hundred percent sure about you guys."

To Thomas, she matched Hayate's odd look and said, "Something wrong Tom? Look, we're just trying to work with what we've got here. If you have any concerns..." she waved him in her direction, "bring 'em."

They'll turn your world around
Masterofchaos Since: Dec, 2010
#1397: Mar 1st 2014 at 3:14:12 PM

[Outside Big Kahuna]

"My concern is," Thomas said, "We don't know if he's even a flying breed. Even then, how far can he fly? How long? This is a huge island after all."

"No offense, but you sound a little paranoid." Nathan said.

"It's not paranoia; I'm just making sure that we don't put him in danger. My original idea was for us to split into groups to ask around. But..." Thomas sighed, "If we do this, we need to be cautious."

Please don't remind me. Jackson thought, This is what got me into this mess in the first place.

Blackfire667 Attitude is prohibited from The Virtual World Since: Jan, 2011 Relationship Status: Pining for the fjords
Attitude is prohibited
#1398: Mar 1st 2014 at 3:19:52 PM

[Azatha's Fortress]

Sam walked up next to Kunstler and nudged him with an elbow. "What's a guy like you doing in a place like this, hm? You seem bored. Or boring. Possibly both." He looked Kunstler up and down. "But nevertheless, you also seem like a smart man. I'm new here, obviously, so tell me; what do you think about this place. and the people you've probably met here?" He paused, briefly. "Heh... And, if you would be so kind... Any thoughts on the ultimate irrelevance of all sentient life in the face of inevitable, pan-dimension, universal Heat Death?" He said, a large and bizarre grin forever decorating his face.


[Beyond the Red Door]

The staff members were an awfully docile bunch, regardless of differences in sex, species or anatomy, and so emotions like fear, anger and despair were not easily conjured into their minds. At most, some were anxious, wanting to leave the strange world Sam had dumped them into.

The bizarre ground shook violently and abruptly as the glass clouds overhead collided with extraordinary force, distorting the light in the sky and on the ground into baffling new shapes and colours. The half-casino and its staff members began to fade away as hissing blue liquid rained down from the altered sky.

As the horrid rain fell and the staff members faded away, a new mind emerged - deep within the planet. Massive in both physical size and metaphysical scope, it was filled with nonsense and madness. In the frightening patchwork that composed the ground of the pseudo-Turn District, there had been a pool filled with a bubbling, red substance. As it came in contact with the rain, both liquids congealed to form a titanic eye. It watched the formless stranger intensely as foul, ghostly tentacles grew out of the ground and reached towards the nightmarish realm's intruder. The unsettling noises from the silhouettes on the horizon only intensified as the storm continued.


[Nulbarak Island]

"Oh, gosh," Said Tamara, as her shoulders dropped. "Who aren't we at war with? There's angels, demons, non-magical human factions, monsters from The Void , these jerks called 'The Society' with their semi-magical clone-monster-things..." She sighed heavily. "It's a big, ugly free-for-all and it gets worse every day. I hate it, almost everyone hates it, but nobody's talking about stopping." She said, a great deal of bitterness evident in her voice. For a few moments after that, she didn't say anything, and simply walked on in silence.

Not long after, though, she stopped. "Wait, hang on," She gave Kevin a confused look. "Are you actually, seriously from a video game? I mean, I think you've mentioned it before, but I just... I dunno.. Thought you were crazy..."

Not entirely dead.
Sonzai Since: Sep, 2010
#1399: Mar 1st 2014 at 7:53:28 PM

[Outside Big Kahuna >> Inside Big Kahuna]

Her protection probably is a bit like Hayate's, but it's an unconscious effect, so she doesn't realize it.

Kina mostly stayed out of the discussion about what Jackson should or shouldn't do, or how they were going to find Howell. She had already said all she could think of that was appropriate, as she was not and never had been a duck, and wasn't involved in the search group either.

"So... I'm going to go inside and eat some dinner, just come and get me if there's anything you need..." Kina said, quietly slipping inside the restaurant.

Sorry this took a while, was bust most of today.


[Cavern (Master Control Room)]

Note that Mizuki did go into the Map Room with Samuel, but she didn't really say anything, just goofed off on her cell phone, then headed back to continue investigating the storage room.

The metagrams continued their arguments for the time being, not letting up at the moment. Also, note that all their private communications are heavily encrypted and so shouldn't be understandable.


[Nulbarak Island]

"That does sound pretty serious," Kevin said, "and I guess there's no hope of diplomacy or even alliances? I haven't heard of too many long-term free-for-all wars, usually some people ally together. Of course, if they win, they may go at each other's throats, but it's usually only two (or maybe three) sides at a time."

"And, well, technically, I'm still in training, I haven't been assigned to any games yet," Kevin said, "but I suppose you could say I am a video game character. I suppose they're not too common where you're from?"

edited 1st Mar '14 8:18:26 PM by Sonzai

KillerClowns Since: Jan, 2001
#1400: Mar 1st 2014 at 8:06:26 PM

[Streets]

Aseyu raised an eyebrow. "Personal issues, hmm?" Then she shrugged. But an idea came to her. "I'm sure you'll tell me when you're ready." Then she bit her lip, and said, "uh, personal question. I don't suppose you get into any trouble with humans from your appearance? You don't have to answer that, but I imagine you might." She sighed. "I mean, only difference between me and most Americans is my skin, and even that can be a pain in the ass. So for you..." she considered for a moment. "Well, like I said, don't have to answer that."

[Beyond the Red Door]

The stranger watched the approaching tendrils with utter tranquility, making no attempt at defense.

edited 1st Mar '14 8:06:37 PM by KillerClowns


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