THE (SHARD)BEACH EPISODE 🌊🛹

[lavenfallen]

After a grueling two weeks filled to the brim with pain and suffering, a break is more than deserved. So while Gyles is far from a planner of activities, he'll make sure everyone (even the NPCs. stares directly at Redd.) knows about a world he accidentally stumbled upon. As far as he knows, it doesn't have a name, but do the details really matter???? Absolutely not.

What matters is that this is a beautiful beach by the ocean. The sun's shining, the water's warm enough to swim in, and there's plenty of critters and shells to find among the tide pools and beneath the waves. If you're brave enough, you could even take a boat out on the water! ... but maybe don't do that alone?

Don't have a swimsuit? No problem! There's a beach shack with all the swimwear and beach-goer attire you could possibly want, along with things like sunscreen, fishing gear, inflatable beach toys, and snorkels. Basically if you want it, it's there, I'm sure as hell not gonna stop you. The shack also sells whatever cold treats and snacks your heart desires.

There's also a fire pit, perfect for late night s'mores and stories around a bonfire, and a charcoal barbeque for the cooks among the group. The nearby convenience store doesn't have as wide a selection as W*lmart, but there's a decent selection of meats, veggies, and drinks to choose from.

If you're not one for the sand, then a very short walk away from the shore is surely the biggest skate park anyone's ever seen. If you didn't bring your skateboard or hoverboard with you, that's a-okay because there are plenty that're free to borrow. There's also some rollerskates, if that's more your style.

Relax, unwind, and enjoy the (shard)beach episode, Shardbearers.

Comments

[guffawsungraciously]

[hell yeah. it is time for the fucking beach. he has wanted to hit a beach for fucking ages. he gets a towel. he gets a beach umbrella. he gets a pair of swim trunks. he gets some ice cream. he gets a pair of sunglasses.

he is reading the hobbit on the beach. thanks little furry buddies. he is in the fucking zone. MAYBE he'll go swimming sometime but frankly? he's just chillin' and he has wanted a nice little vacation by the beach for a long time...]

[divinevoid]

[ Someone appears to be rather comfortable.

Considering where they are, though, Void Archives isn't going to blame him. They take a sneak peak at the book the other has on hand out of curiosity, but then after that, they'll be asking: ]

Enjoying yourself, Jasper?

[sacrificialpawn]

[Sir. Sir. This is a beach?? You're supposed to be enjoying the ocean?

Oscar is getting SUCH Claude vibes right now that he'd almost be homesick if he hadn't just gone home for a little while. Still, that only intensifies the urge to tease Jasper a bit...]

Don't tell me you're one of those people who turns bright red the moment they're in the sun for more than five minutes.

[morningstud]

Ooh! You have the prequel!

[Lucifer says, sounding delighted.]

Have you gotten to the part where Bilbo meets Gollum?

[divinevoid]

[ Anyways, Void Archives is here. On the beach, when they're hanging around and not going anywhere near the water just yet, they're in a white shirt and shorts, with some kind of fruity drink. In an atmosphere like this? No one is safe from them. ]

What a nice change of pace, isn't it?

[ When they're in the water, swimming around, or spraying water at people, they're wearing something stupid like this in terms of swimwear. They can also be caught just coming out of the water, looking amused. ]

So, are you actually getting something out of this stay?

[is2g]

[ presenting wolfwood, while not in his normal suit (that he more or less had to abandon anyway for his injuries), is still not exactly properly dressed for a beach. mainly how does one dress for a beach when one has never experienced a beach before in their life? wolfwood wore a suit while he traversed an entire desert planet, why would anyone expect more or less of him??

anyway, cue wolfwood here also wearing a shirt and some shorts. his chest covered to hide some of his lingering injuries, however, and unfortunately for all parties involved, his busted arm still wrapped up and in a sling and the couple of plasters covering a few wounds (new and old) on his "good" arm and legs will be on display. but we're not here to talk about wolfwood's injuries. we're here to have him look at void archives with a disapproving stare as they kick around in the water.

...none of it coming in contact with him (or his bandages) due to some well timed side-stepping. ]

Someone's clearly enjoyin' themselves.

out of the water

[tworo]

Something...? No, not especially.

[Turo is quite simply not built for the beach. What's he gonna do, swim?]

But the tidal pools are interesting! [...] Are you enjoying yourself?

[plushes]

[ Hell yeah, it's the beach episode and Percy is SO here for this...and there's a skate park? Looks like this world was made for him. He has a pair of red swim trunks, but he's not much of a swimmer, so his attire is just for the occasion. Still, he can be found playing beach volleyball or eating ice cream at the beach...though he can be coerced into going into the ocean.

And for anyone who wants to learn how to skate (or hoverboard), he's available for lessons at the skatepark. In fact, it'll be hard to pull him away from there once he discovers it after the beach party. ]

skate/hoverboard lessons

[tworo]

...so is this what you were all doing during your training weeks?

[Seriously, y'all and your boards, where did THIS come from?]

learn how to skate/hoverboard...

[guffawsungraciously]

[...he doesn't really want to exert himself during this daycation. he really doesn't.

but. on the other hand.]

So, how does one go about doing a kickflip?

ice cream (eventually)

[noirge]

[ Guess who's slowly getting cooked at the beach? ]

The sun is so strong here...

[ This guy! ]

BOARD

[weepingclown]

[Joker is a bit too early in time to be familiar with skateboards, and he wasn't there for the kickflipping to victory, so the hoverboards that Viktor's created are wholly unfamiliar to him.

Still, it looks... interesting? Percy certainly seems to be enjoying himself, and Joker's admittedly curious.]

Are these kinds of places common?

[Skate parks, he means. He's never seen one before...]

[tworo]

[Turo is at the beach, still fully dressed! Long sleeves and pants, shoes and socks, the whole thing! Of course, it's unlikely that he'll ever go swimming; can he even float? The most he does is wander to the tidepools, where he sits hovering over the water to watch the little fish and creatures inside.]

Is this what animals are supposed to act like?

[He reaches carefully inside to offer his finger to a crab, which scuttles away.

At the bonfire, he's contemplative. This is the first group meal he's ever been at; is it weird of him to sit here not eating? He sits and stares idly into the fire, occasionally glancing past it out into the impenetrable darkness that lies over the sea.

Eventually, he does also wander over to the skatepark. He hasn't ridden on any of these things before, but he's certainly noticed the heavy hoverboard presence around here. He's picked out one of the rentals, though he hasn't even attempted to stand on it yet; he's pushing it up and down in the air as if to study the hover mechanism.]

tidepools

[is2g]

[ wolfwood is still nursing injuries from previous weeks but, at least, has changed out of his more typical attire and has adopted a "beach friendly" look with a shirt and shorts. unfortunately, given that he's from a desert planet, he can't judge turo for deciding to not join others in the more expected wardrobe.

but you can bet that he's also going to be hovering around the tidepools with an equal sense of wonder. sure, maybe it's weird how turo refers to them as "animals" but all of this is novel to him so where is he to judge? ]

Yer askin' the wrong guy for this, but from everythin' that I've read and—yeah.

[ he'll point to a random sea anemone. ]

A little weird, isn't it?

tidepools

[morningstud]

Yes, this is much more like the real thing. The creatures in Chicago are... not normal.

[But that begs the question...]

What sort of wildlife does your world have?

tidepools

[noirge]

[ Let's keep our scientists floating, thank you. Vyes kneels down along side Turo to look at the tidepool. Awww, they're really cute. ]

Yeah! This is their little home until the tide gets high enough. Or they might just stay here if they like it.

[ Yves is watching a little hermit crab. It can't hide away like its cousins... ]

Have you never seen these before?

[ Looks at WW. He's getting used to that kind of surprise for some, so he holds it in for curiosity. ]

[mightsnap]

[ Wednesday is fully clothed on a wooden chair under a large black umbrella. She is reading a battered paperback copy of Jaws.

... She's not. Not enjoying herself? ]

[is2g]

[ hi wednesday. hopefully she won't mind wolfwood joining her under her umbrella. well, sort of joining. he'll stand on the fringes of it and minding that there is plenty of space between the two of them. ]

I thought the customary thing that people do when goin' to the beach is swim or play in the water.

[ says the man who is currently at said beach with bandages that definitely should not be getting wet. ]

[akademise]

[ Here's More, in his semitransparent black beach coverup, stopping by for a small chat with the other person dressed all black on this fine day. He's got a wide brimmed black hat on as well. ]

I had honestly forgotten how intense the sun could get.

[morningstud]

Hello there.

You look like you could do with some sunscreen. Even indirect sunlight can cause burns.

[He says helpfully.]

[akademise]

[ More is spending most of his time in the void, looking more depressed than anybody has seen him since arrival... but! He's here, which is an effort that probably counts for something. He's even dressed up for the occasion. He's wearing a fishnet-laced bikini bottom that he's absolutely grabbed from the women's section, as well as a see-through black beach coverup for modesty reasons(?). His horns are mostly hidden under the giant black sunhat he's put on. From afar you might mistake him for a refined lady taking a leisurely stroll on the beach. For his part, More is lost in thought and only barely paying attention to the feeling of the waves against his bare feet.

Or you might find him sitting in the sand sketching in his notebook. Today's subjects are figure studies, which means that if you catch a glimpse over his shoulder it's going to be a lot of lovingly drawn naked people with nondescript facial features. Sorry. Interestingly, some of them have features that would appear 'inhuman' to you, such as wings, elf ears, animal tails, and the like. Not a single one of the drawings has horns like More himself though.

And finally by the bonfire, you might actually find More approaching you. It's a bit of a novelty lately, as he's been rather withdrawn since the middle of last week. But today, he has some things on his mind and some input is needed. ]

This question might be a bit out of nowhere, but if you wouldn't mind indulging me... what would you consider an 'ideal world' to be like?

skeching;

[divinevoid]

[ Well, there's a lot to find surprised about, apparently - first, to tilt their head ever so slightly when they locate More as he is now. After a secondary bit of observation to ascertain they are seeing who they think they are (and they're the ones who happened to be called bold!), their eyes are then drawn to what he's drawing. ]

Hmm...what is this I spot with my eyes~? I hadn't known that you were an artist.

[ Exactly the truth! But, now they know? ]

Where did you get your inspiration behind these drawings?

[hexalding]

[Viktor was admittedly a little reluctant at first, but ultimately ended up coming along--having tied his hair back and changed into a simple loose-fitting pair of dark blue shorts--surprise, all he's been covering is more screws and circuitry.]

[He'd spend most of the day keeping to himself underneath an umbrella watching the ocean, coming out after dark to sit near the bonfire; not necessarily eating anything, just sitting around glowing like the weirdest damn nightlight.]

[crosswired]

[why is everyone removing their fabric coverings all of the sudden, what is this weird human habit

Vakama has likewise kept to himself most of the time on the beach, off tracing shapes into the sand and doing something or other with rocks. Who knows what he's gotten up to, but it's definitely not socializing.

But at some point later in the afternoon, he'll trot his way over to Viktor's umbrella.]

It's good to see you at rest, my friend.

Have you been to a shore like this before today?

BONFIRE GAMES

[tworo]

[Here we are at the bonfire! Naturally people are going to play sleepover games at the bonfire, right? Maybe we can do Truth or Dare, or tell ghost stories!]

TRUTH OR DARE

[divinevoid]

Well, I believe we all should all start off playing some games, don't you?

This time, we should be playing a game of Truth or Dare! It's a simple game, if for some reason any of you are sadly without the knowledge.

You see, we each take turns asking the very question "Truth or Dare", choosing either 'Truth' or 'Dare' - and of course at that time no one is allowed to choose one or the other. They must subscribe themselves to answering the 'Truth' that they are so asked, or adhering to the 'Dare' which is the action they must perform.

Let's keep it simple and not chicken out. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fun at all!

[ OOC: Feel free to make a subheader for your characters below. ]

[undoingdaughter]

[Learning to swim isn't often part of a Zaunnite's childhood. Jinx herself only knew the basics into her teens. Not a whole lot of use for it when your primary swimming spots are either the river or runoff from the gleaming city above. But, what the hell, she'll come along.

Finding appropriate attire for the beach, Jinx spends a good amount of time with at least one water gun primed and ready to shoot a blast of ocean spray on the least suspecting.

The only major chance comes later into the evening, when the bonfires are lit. Jinx is... not present. Rather, she's standing in the water, gazing out at the lapping waves. Lost in thought, it seems.]

[hexalding]

Is there something wrong?

[Viktor broke away from the group a little while after dark, stepping out into the water without much concern for short-circuiting.]

It is not like you to be so subdued. Particularly not when fire is involved.

[nyaxed]

[Beach! Time! After the past couple weeks they've had, they all really, really deserve the chance to relax, so while your friendly local catboy might seem a touch more subdued than usual, he's definitely along for the ride either way.

He... might not be dressed the most appropriately for the beach, but he kind of blends in with the local sk8r bois, so it works out? Not like he's swimming, anyway? Why isn't he swimming? (Don't worry about it?)

No, he's mostly spending the day - and the evening, once the bonfire builds up - making sure everyone is fed, as usual. Sure, the local store isn't the most well-stocked, but what it has will do for a beach day, and you have no excuse to go hungry and/or get dehydrated out here in the sun.

When he isn't doing that, though, he's actually trying to recover from the lack of sleep the past couple weeks, and in true catlike fashion, he's found himself a hammock and will be curled up and napping. In a sunbeam. Heismay isn't here to be a disapproving grandpa at him for it, so it's fine, surely.]

fed

[noirge]

[ Bas promised to make something for Yves, didn't he? Well, it could have been cashed in with a handwave the week before or just today, but Yves will not say no to food at any point! He also would probably eat... anything if Basilio wanted to experiment.

(He was absolutely ushered into some more beach-appropriate attire by evening.) ]

It smells so good...