InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "you so fiiiiiiiine."

title page (titlepage) wrote in installment,
@ 2022-07-11 18:57:00

Entry tags:

narration: arrivals

FLASH REACTIONARY: 7/11 ARRIVALS

welcome our new friends!

just added

merlin

captain hook

glinda

geppetto

welcome back

journal

bloody mary

journal

cheshire cat

welcome aboard!

at approximately 5:55 PM, a small, quaint ferry begins to pull up to the side of the dock in miami. the ship comes to a still and there's a stretch of time where nothing happens at all.

after a minute, an anchor is dropped. A bridge connects to the land without anyone manning it, as if by magic. Another minute of silence passes before a voice that sounds more staticy than human speaks over the various speakers on the ferry.

🗣️ "ahoy! this is yer captain, clifford sharon. mind yer step and yer luggage. if ya brought any vehicles along with you, make sure ta put it in long term parking. leave'um behind. go on-- we'll wait for ya, ain't no rush here. welcome aboard!"

perched on one of the low railings is a calm looking goose with wee spectacles and a bonnet.

the welcome committee has set up an information stand on the deck with a QR code that links to their website (the url is listed under the code for the tech unsavvy), and a stack of printed brochures with the same welcome information on it. why not fill out their birthday survey while you're waiting?

walking to the inn!

as the boat approaches the island, a large sign hangs over the dock. it reads: welcome to destiny.

another information stand is installed on the dock, next to flashlights and printed maps that are available for new arrivals.

assuming that nothing happens to our feathered friend, the goose intends to be your guide, as they would like to make sure you arrive to the inn safely. in addition, there is typically a member of the welcome committee present to greet newcomers.

there's a yellow-ish brick road to follow, complete with wooden trail signs to guide the way, and rental bikes to get there faster. a cargo bike manned by four wisps (one on each pedal, one on each handle) will gladly pedal your luggage up to the inn. are there any other tales waiting to welcome the new arrivals to the island? let us know!

the inn!

the inn at goosetown is nearly eight miles from the dock— quite the journey! it's a good thing the wisps have prepared rooms for everyone.

welcome committee has prepared gift baskets for new residents, delivered by wisps to their room, and there's a paper with instructions on how to connect to the island's social network.

now that they're here, what do they do?

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	welcome aboard! titlepage 2022-07-11 10:59 pm UTC (link)
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	walking to the inn! titlepage 2022-07-11 10:59 pm UTC (link)
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walking to the inn!: willow & open++

teratology
2022-07-11 11:18 pm UTC (link)

Willow doesn't expect anyone to arrive, but Monday Welcomings have become a part of his weekly routine anyway. He's sitting on a fold out lawn chair, playing on his phone, and chatting with whomever else decided to tag along— if anyone else decided to tag along.

He only looks up as the ferry pulls into the dock and... there's an unfamiliar face on board? FaceS, plural?? He scrambles out of his seat to where he thinks he remembers where the bridge drops every time. (He's off by a few inches.)

"Welcome to Destiny Island!" he greets breathlessly.

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walking to the inn!: willow & emery & open++

prestidigitates
2022-07-12 12:01 am UTC (link)

Emery is, by some twist of fate, not the most strangely-dressed person on this boat. But even though they certainly look the part of a wizard, in the guise of a handsome young man wearing eye-catching sorcerer's robes, they have the relaxed and confident posture of a frat boy arriving to their spring break accommodations.

"Name's a little on the nose," they comment as they set their bag down on the dock. "You are?"

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	walking to the inn!: willow & emery & open++ teratology 2022-07-12 08:21 am UTC (link)
	"It was almost called The Setting, or Setting Island," he provides. A fun little Island Fact for them. "I'm Willow. And you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	walking to the inn!: willow & emery & open++ prestidigitates 2022-07-12 06:12 pm UTC (link)
	"In that case, I think you made the right call," Emery says, before extending a hand for Willow shake. "Emery." (Reply to this) (Parent)

	the inn! titlepage 2022-07-11 10:59 pm UTC (link)
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the inn!: linden & open++

ssssss
2022-07-11 11:30 pm UTC (link)

Linden, constant inn regular despite having his own house in a different town, is behind the bar and going through Toby's stock of spirits. The bartender wisp that usually serves drinks flits around him, wearing a little apron and glowing in a distinctly annoyed way as Linden gets in the way of its work.

"Listen, I know what I'm doing. I once spent two months moonlighting as a bartender for a role." He glances over at the latest person to approach the bar. "In fact, I bet I could make whatever they want. What do you want?"

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the inn!: linden & emery

prestidigitates
2022-07-11 11:57 pm UTC (link)

Emery has literally just rolled into the Inn, and only knows as much about the island as they've been able to learn from Willow on the walk here, but they have a special eye for causing mischief that they're already itching to use. It's easy enough to intuit that the wisp is giving this guy a hard time, and Emery is happy to join in.

"How about a horsefeather?" they ask, seating themself at the bar as they observe the rest of the Inn's dining room for the first time.

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the inn!: linden & emery

ssssss
2022-07-12 01:10 am UTC (link)

"Hm. Unconventional." What did he expect from someone dressed like an escapee from a mid-budget fantasy Netflix offering? Linden points at the wisp, which jingles smugly at his confusion. "Don't even give a hint. In fact..." He fishes his phone out of his pocket and drops it on the bar, to kill the temptation to Google. "It's whiskey-based. It's very similar to another recipe. This stranger probably isn't enough of an asshole to ask for something that has rare ingredients..."

He shoots Merlin a glance.

"Well. We'll see."

[16 bartender check]

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	the inn!: linden & emery prestidigitates 2022-07-12 01:28 am UTC (link)
	Emery props their chin on their hand as they watch Linden work, clearly impressed already despite their amused smirk. "Let me know if you need help," they say after a moment. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

the inn!: linden & emery

ssssss
2022-07-12 04:42 am UTC (link)

What exactly is in a horsefeather? This could be solved so quickly with Google. Linden has no idea why he let himself get into a dick measuring contest with a wisp, but now he has a first impression to make, and he has to pull it together.

On second thought, Linden has never had much pride.

"One hint," he says, after staring at the various bottles for a minute and trying to summon every scrap of mixology knowledge in his brain. "And in return, I won't hit on you like I have with every person in this town." Linden winks at them.

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	the inn!: linden & emery prestidigitates 2022-07-12 06:41 pm UTC (link)
	"In that case you can figure it out yourself," Emery says flatly. (Reply to this) (Parent)

the inn!: linden & chester

catenary
2022-07-12 12:05 am UTC (link)

A cat sits on the bar. All attempts to get this particular cat to stop sitting on the bar have failed. Spritzing water at him only keeps him at bay for a few minutes. He'll dash away, and then when the inn staff turns around, he's right back on the counter like he never even left.

He makes eye contact with Linden, and stops washing his face long enough to make a proud little noise. There's a familiar intelligence behind those eyes that dares Linden to interpret this into a cocktail.

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the inn!: linden & chester

ssssss
2022-07-12 01:18 am UTC (link)

"Honestly," Linden says after the latest attempt by the wisps to chase away the unsanitary animal, "I think a cat just adds to the ambiance. Also, this isn't even my bar."

He grabs a metal dish from under the bar, usually used for salting or sugaring glass rims, and a small carton of cream from the mini-fridge. He shakes together vodka, Kahlua, cream and ice, and pours it into the metal dish, which he places in front of the cat. Tada, a White Russian.

[7 bartender check]

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	the inn!: linden & willow teratology 2022-07-12 08:48 am UTC (link)
	Willow walks in behind the gaggle of new arrivals, standing on his toes to point excitedly. He skitters up to the bar to gossip with Linden, restless hands fluttering happily. "Look how many— that wisp is not happy with you— look how many new arrivals! Even Merlin's here!" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: linden & willow ssssss 2022-07-12 05:41 pm UTC (link)
	Linden grabs a rag and starts cleaning the bar, solely as a pretense for leaning in towards Willow and gossiping. "How hot do we think the new arrivals are? Rate each one on a scale from 1–10." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

the inn!: linden & willow

teratology
2022-07-12 09:18 pm UTC (link)

Willow leans in to meet him halfway. "They're all weird old men except Merlin, who is extremely sexy and can get it. Ten, easy. Glinda's an eight-point-five in the recently divorced dad of two just moved into the apartment next door because the rent is cheap, maybe I'll drop by and say hi so I can feel him out way. The others are, like... fives. Not conventionally hot, but they're radiating chaotic energy which makes them hot in the Pete Davidson way, you know?"

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the inn!: dylan & open+++

altered
2022-07-12 12:07 am UTC (link)

Dylan had been exhausted, as one might be after planning and hiking and digging all day long. He had just collapsed onto his bed, ready for sleep to take him, when his phone buzzed.

When he saw from Willow there were actual new arrivals (plural!!!), he slapped his cheeks to wake himself up. Because they couldn't let the first new arrivals in.... well, he needed to check with Willow how many weeks it had been. But, a LONG TIME, go without a meal.

Thank god he'd been perfecting his pizza skills at home too. Once he had a bag full of the ingredients to whip up some perfect garlic knots and pizza pie's, he headed over to the inn.

When he arrived everyone was already mingling about. "Pizza in like 20 minutes," he announced to the room. "New people and old people are welcome to enjoy it."

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the inn!: dylan & emery

prestidigitates
2022-07-12 01:04 am UTC (link)

Emery has been watching Dylan out of the corner of their eye since he showed up, unsure of how they want to approach him. They don't really have any sense of awkwardness over the potential encounter, even though they maybe should. But they realize immediately that Dylan will have no possible way of identifying them right now, which is, honestly, a huge opportunity. He'd mess with them if he had a similar opportunity, Emery is sure. They just haven't decided how best to capitalize on the situation.

After observing him for awhile, they finally approach when the pizza is nearly done. They've still got no plan, but they figure one will come to them.

"Guy of Gisborne, huh?" they say. "Personal pizza chef is a pretty far cry from medieval assassin."

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the inn!: dylan & emery

altered
2022-07-12 01:26 am UTC (link)

Dylan smiles at Merlin's greeting, then continues to hunt for the pizza wheel he swears he just had in his hand. "It's always a pleasure to meet someone who knows who Guy is without further explanation. But, yes, as it turns out an IT Guy turned Pizza Guy can be a bit of a surprise."

"There it is!" He grabs the pizza wheel, then tosses it from one hand to the other playfully. "I assure you that all assassin duties were retired back in the 14th century."

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the inn!: dylan & emery

prestidigitates
2022-07-12 01:56 am UTC (link)

"I don't really have that problem," Emery professes, even though they've never actually met another tale. They're still getting used to the way everyone's identities make themselves known when you look at them. That was honestly one of the reasons why Emery had broken up with Dylan in the first place, way back when. "Everybody knows Merlin."

They watch him show off with a passive expression before they continue. "You've never been tempted to brush up your skills? Or is there nobody really annoying on this island yet?"

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the inn!: dylan & emery

altered
2022-07-12 02:32 am UTC (link)

"No, I didn't imagine you'd have that problem." Dylan shrugs.

The timer goes off and Dylan pulls the pizza's out of the oven. "Can't say that anyone has annoyed me enough to fall back on medieval habits." He starts to slice through the pizza's. "You've only been here about two seconds so I hope no one's annoyed you so much you think someone ought to have stabbed someone else yet."

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	the inn!: dylan & emery prestidigitates 2022-07-12 07:47 pm UTC (link)
	"Everybody seems nice so far," Emery agrees. "But I can be incredibly annoying. Just trying to figure out who's dangerous before I start making enemies." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & emery altered 2022-07-12 09:27 pm UTC (link)
	Dylan laughed at Merlin's statement about himself. "Mmm, very smart. I go by Dylan these days, just so you know for your list purposes. I'd love to know where I land on the danger scale or if I end up making it onto an enemy list. Though an ally list would be acceptable to me too." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & emery prestidigitates 2022-07-12 10:59 pm UTC (link)
	"Well, give it a week," Emery says. "If you still don't want to kill me by then, we can discuss a potential alliance." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & emery altered 2022-07-12 11:17 pm UTC (link)
	"Wow, just a week? Alright then, we'll check back in next Monday and see how homicidal I'm feeling." Dylan motioned towards the pizza in front of him. "Do you want first pickings?" (Reply to this) (Parent)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & open++ exmachina 2022-07-12 08:57 am UTC (link)
	"New York style?" he calls back in his New York accent, needing to let everyone know he's from New York and also a bit of a pizza connoisseur. A real slice enjoyer. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & open++ altered 2022-07-12 09:28 pm UTC (link)
	"As close as a Pennsylvanian can get to that," Dylan called back. Though internally now he knew he was going to have a tough critic... (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & pru & open++ gothelgf 2022-07-13 03:36 am UTC (link)
	"Just put a cockroach on it," Pru chimes in from near the back, where she's got her feet rudely propped up on a table as she slorps down some wine. She also has her sunglasses on for some reason. "He ain't never gonna know the difference." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & pru & open++ exmachina 2022-07-13 04:12 am UTC (link)
	Fuck. There goes his grand plan to convince people he's from NYC and also has good taste in pizza. "Thought you was teaching kids in Vermont," he hollers back across the bar like it's a real gotcha. Now everyone can be part of their conversation! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & pru & open++ gothelgf 2022-07-13 05:16 am UTC (link)
	Fuck. There goes her grand plan to convince people she was too unstable to hold a job. "Yeah? And I thought you'd married a robot." Pru drops one foot to the ground and lowers her shades, but shows no signs of moving closer. "She dump you?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & pru & open++ exmachina 2022-07-13 05:24 am UTC (link)
	Deus points his weird mechanical finger at her. "Marriage isn't legally recognized between man and machine, Prudence, and you know it." (She dumped him.) "Why ain't you wearing your ring??" (Reply to this) (Parent)

	the inn!: dylan & deus & pru & bonny fakery 2022-07-13 05:19 am UTC (link)
	(Over at the bar, Bonny calmly caps his pen, closes his book of crossword puzzles around it, and turns around on his barstool to watch this exchange occur.) (Reply to this) (Parent)

	lulu's house, earlier: lulu & chester eatme 2022-07-12 12:08 am UTC (link)
	Lulu emerges from her bedroom with wide eyes, holding a cat-sized bowtie in front of herself almost threateningly. "Mr. Mouser," she says, tone urgent. "There's new people on the ship for the first time in months. We've got to get you ready to party." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

lulu's house, earlier: lulu & chester

catenary
2022-07-12 12:11 am UTC (link)

Chester heard her coming, but hadn't suspected any foul play. He rose from his favorite chair, stretched and yawned so widely it showed off all of his teeth. He was a cat today, like he had been for a while. On the island it was very easy to just sleep all day, knowing that Lulu wouldn't let him starve. Sometimes he got bored, like the week he spent on the ferry pretending to be a boat cat, but that ended up not being his calling after all.

When he turns and sees what she's holding, he freezes and his tail lowers. "That's not a collar, is it?" he asks suspiciously. He draws the line at collars, especially the ones with little bells.

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	lulu's house, earlier: lulu & chester eatme 2022-07-12 12:23 am UTC (link)
	"It's a bowtie," she insists, immediately attempting to put the collar attached to the bowtie over his head. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lulu's house, earlier: lulu & chester catenary 2022-07-12 12:31 am UTC (link)
	Chester's head vanishes, quickly followed by the rest of him, and now he's suddenly on a high dresser behind Lulu. "Ah ah," he warns. "I want to inspect it first." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	lulu's house, earlier: lulu & chester eatme 2022-07-12 01:06 am UTC (link)
	Lulu wheels around, trying to locate him by the sound of his terrible little paws slapping her furniture. Unfortunately for her, the dresser that he hopped onto is, for some reason, carpeted, and she can't hear him at all. "Fine," she says petulantly, presenting the collar for inspection to a completely vacant coffee table. (Reply to this) (Parent)

the inn! chester & open++

catenary
2022-07-12 12:39 am UTC (link)

Chester, a cat wearing a bowtie, has claimed one of the best spots in the inn. Pillows have been piled up on the chair so he can sit comfortably at the table and enjoy the view. There's a little smile in his feline eyes that implies he wouldn't mind if a biped or two sat with him for a bit. Newcomers might not understand what's going on, but older residents haven't seem him acting this human in quite a while.

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	the inn! chester & deus exmachina 2022-07-12 09:02 am UTC (link)
	Deus looks around, and looks at the cat, and looks around again to see if anybody's seeing what he's seeing. "That cat got its own Princess Pea chair," he announces to the room with a sense of amazement and wonder. (Reply to this) (Parent)