Realistic or Modern The Five Steps IC

[smolfluffball]

Tired of being alone? Want to make some new friends? Looking for romance? Well, look no further! The Five Steps are here to help!

Developed by TIES, The Five Steps help you form that connection you want in your life. What kind of connection are you hoping to make? Romantic? Platonic? Friends? Lovers? Whatever you want, you can have (so long as it's legal)! The Five Steps were created by various professionals and have been proven to help various different people form those connections that they were missing!

All you have to do is sign up, and then set aside time to go through the steps with a group of other people on an island in the beautiful Pacific ocean. It’s really quite a simple process, and there are already many people who have found success with our experiment! Do you think that you could be the next one?


CAST
smolfluffball ♡ Jasper Reinhardt (#4d9cd1), Trenton “Trent” Kearns (#dbb107), and Telltale (Telly) (#00dbdb)
Kidzait ♡ Boone Balago (#8d0d44)
RoseAstasia ♡ Thomas “Tommy” Erald
Sage Orion 0312 ♡ Ramona “Ray” Rowan (#95f9b5)
AreSneksSly ♡ Tobias “Toby” Winfrey (#48c758) and Cecile Rosine (#d77df0)
StaidFoal ♡ Hana Imai (#F7DA64) and Alfie Reed (#ec0603)
peach moon ♡ Astrid Hale (#FFB7C5)
queenbean ♡ Nathalia “Nat” Rogers (#ffC0CB)
ClownPope ♡ Charles Anderson (#F05F3B) and Dane Morgan (#6f39db)
Life. ♡ Seba Lynn Wan (#A7C7E7)


R U L E S
↠ All RPN rules apply.
↠ Reply length must be at least two-three paragraphs long, and please be semi-lit/lit and grammatically correct! You don’t have to use coding and I would prefer if there was minimum coding, but if you want to use coding, then make sure it’s mobile friendly!!
↠ There is no post order, but I don't want anyone to be left behind. I don't want characters to be left in the dust, so try to not move the plot too far along without everyone.
There will be moments in the roleplay where characters will be talking privately or in a group situation, but I'm going to make sure that every character has something to do even if other characters are doing something else!
↠ You must let people know over the Discord server when you are writing a reply. This is to let others know to wait to reply, so that way no interactions are missed, and to avoid people having to go back to edit their replies because of posting too quickly.

↠ Be respectful to everyone in this group. If you have a problem with another person, notify me so that I can reach out to them and try to figure out the situation and come up with a solution. It is very important to me that people feel included and welcome in this group, so try not to exclude anyone!
↠ One character per person. If, in the future, you want to switch out characters, you can ask me for a way to switch for a different character and I’ll help ya out. This rule might be amended in the future, but for now everyone (but me) is allowed one character.
↠ Romance is more than allowed, and ships can be formed, but don’t push a ship onto somebody. If they don’t want their character to have a romantic relationship with yours, don’t continue to push them about it. If I see any of this forced shipping around OUT OF CHARACTER, I will ask you to stop, because I don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable. In-Character is okay, as long as it's within what the character would normally do.
↠ Ask over the Discord server before you hurt another character - consent is important!
↠ Talk to me if you have any concerns or anything you need to tell me, like you’re going away on vacation or something in your life has happened and you need to take time off. We’ll work together to figure out what to do with your character, and I’ll address any concerns you might have!


Step One: Introductions
Hello everyone! It’s me, your host, Telltale! :> Please allow me to explain this beginning step.
First impressions and initial meetings are always the most important thing when starting any new relationship. How someone perceives you affects if they will want to talk with you again, or if they’ll want nothing to do with you at all! :0 A first impression can ruin something before it’s even begun, and no one wants that in this experiment. The purpose of this step is to introduce all of you to each other and to test various groupings and pairings to see who is best fit with one another. We appreciate your support and cooperation with this very first step!

Have fun, everyone! :>

RP - Start! ​

 

[smolfluffball]

[ Trent, Jasper and Telly | The beach | No mentions or interactions ]

“The boat’s just left port,” Telltale announced, bumping playfully against Jasper’s shoulder. Jasper sighed and looked out toward the ocean. “Everyone will be here in about thirty minutes! How exciting!”

“It’s really not exciting,” Jasper grumbled, pushing the robot away gently. Telltale floated through the air, then bounced off Trent’s shoulder as well. The boys were sitting on the sand, near the play area. If they squinted, they could see the pier from their spot on the beach. “It’s actually pretty fucking nerve-wracking, Telly,” he muttered, frowning. Telltale let out a beep in response, and Jasper glanced at the robot.

“The swear word has already been forgotten, don’t worry!” Telltale said cheerfully, and Jasper’s mouth twitched at the corner. “Are you two ready to meet everyone?” the robot asked, and Trent let out a nervous laugh.

“I’m not,” he mumbled, and Jasper turned his attention back to the horizon. “I had difficulty getting to sleep last night, honestly.” He looked at Telltale, who floated back toward Jasper. The blond stopped the robot before he could be bumped and pushed him away again, and the floating rabbit-eared machine giggled. “There are bags under your eyes, Jazzy,” Trent pointed out.

“Yeah, well, that’s what happens when the TIES jerks run you around the island doing all their chores because they’re too lazy to do them themselves.” Jasper glanced at Trent, then looked at the blankets in his lap. “I don’t want anyone to come to the island either, though, you know. I’m not really looking forward to meeting all the newbies. At all.” He tilted his head back toward the trees beyond the shops. “I’ve discovered loads of hiding places over there, in that forest. You can join me in hiding, Trent. We don’t need to go meet all the newbies at the pier. They can just deal with everything by themselves.”

Trent laughed, shaking his head. “That’s a good idea, but we'd be found quickly, wouldn't we?” he asked, and Jasper narrowed his eyes. “Because of this guy.” He nudged Telltale back to Jasper, and the robot beeped happily. “It’s a good idea. A really good idea. But I doubt it’d work out. I’m sure someone would manage to find us, even if Telltale didn’t tell anyone anything.” He let out a breath and peered at Jasper, studying his face. “I know you couldn’t sleep last night. I saw you by the pool talking with Telly.” Jasper let out a huff. “You’ve been really helpful the past few days. I don’t know if anyone has thanked you yet, but thank you for everything you’ve done. With the group chat and tidying up the house and talking with the TIES guys. At least after today we’ll get to relax.”

“Unlikely, but try to keep up that hope for the both of us,” Jasper said, and Trent shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past all those assholes to have us wake up at the crack of dawn tomorrow for one of their stupid games.” Telltale beeped again, and Jasper let out a sigh. “Please, Telly.”

“Already forgotten!” Telltale said, bumping against Jasper’s shoulder again. Jasper tapped the robot toward Trent, then looked back at blankets in his lap. Trent dropped his eyes down to the blankets in his lap as well.

The two boys were currently waiting for instructions on what to do with the five blankets they had been given. They had been busy all week long working on chores and tasks that the TIES Committee had assigned to them, and the blankets were supposedly the last thing that they had to deal with before everyone got there. With the boat leaving California, it seemed like that was actually the case. It wasn’t surprising that the boys didn’t trust the TIES Committee with this information; after all, they had tricked both Jasper and Trent all throughout the week and given them even more to do every day leading up to this wonderful Friday morning.

A wooden platform had been put out overnight in the play area by some people from the TIES Committee, and Jasper had kicked it earlier that morning to test it’s stability. It didn’t budge, and he had cursed, because kicking the solid wood had hurt his toes. When Trent had pointed out that kicking the platform was a stupid idea, Jasper had told him this entire island was a stupid idea, and then Telltale had brought the blankets over to the two of them in one of his baskets. They had accepted the blankets, but Telltale hadn’t received any further instructions for what to do with the blankets yet.

And so they were sitting on the beach, under the early summer sun, with multiple blankets in their laps. It was hot, and they hadn’t gotten to have breakfast yet, and Telltale was not being very helpful. Cute and distracting, sure, but not helpful. He had told both of the boys two days ago that the first activity would be something rather embarrassing. It was an activity that they had done last time, and both boys almost immediately knew what it would be. They had asked Telltale to just confirm their suspicions, but the robot said he couldn’t say anything yet, since it was supposed to be a surprise.

Typical. This was absolutely typical from the TIES Committee. Jasper had sent a voice message through Telltale to the people who had been giving him and Trent all of their tasks, and he had told Telltale to not bleep out any of his words. There was no response yet, but the boys knew there would be no response, because there was never any response, unless it was to tell them what to do.

The two boys had been told a month ago that they would be tour guides this time around, and that they would also participate in the experiment again. That made no sense to either of them. When they had asked for further explanation, such as why either of them were even still here, or what being a tour guide even intelled, or if they even had a choice, they had been ushered out of the TIES facility and sent back to their rooms. The house that they were staying in had basically become their home by this point, since they had been on the island for almost seven months now. The TIES Committee had told them they’d be excellent tour guides, because they knew so much about the island already. And that was the end of that conversation.

To pass the time while they had waited for the newbies to arrive to the island, the boys each picked up their favorite activities again. Trent learned how to bake various different pastries and sweets to give to some of the people when they arrived. Jasper had taken equipment from the TIES facility and spent his free time tinkering away at something in his room. The experimental baked goods were given to the TIES committee members who visited the cafe, and the mechanical invention was currently residing on a bed in a room that belonged to a specific ranch hand. Trent baked more of the sweets and had set them out on the counter in the kitchen for anyone to take whenever all of the newbies came into the house. Jasper made sure to grab one to make sure it was perfect.

Now, though, they were stuck waiting. And it was so boring.

Jasper threw the three rolled up blankets in his lap onto the wooden platform in the play area, then fell back against the sand. “Lil rabbit,” he said, reaching a hand up. Telltale hovered over to him and pressed against his palm. “Can you get us food while we suffer in the sun?”

“And sunscreen?” Trent asked, nudging Jasper’s leg. “Don’t want Jazzy to get even more freckles.” Jasper gave Trent a thumbs up, and he laughed when Jasper’s arm dropped back onto his stomach.

“Yes, I will!” Telltale said, but then beeped twice. Jasper squinted up at him, then covered his eyes with both arms to protect them from the sun. “Oh, the TIES Committee has finally reached out to me. They want you two to lay out the blankets for the first activity everyone is going to be doing once they arrive.”

“What’s the activity?” Trent and Jasper asked at the same time, and Jasper nudged Trent’s leg with his knee. Trent pushed Jasper’s knee away.

“Lookie-Loo,” Telltale responded, and Jasper groaned and covered his face with his hands. “Surprise!” Trent pressed a blanket against his face and let out a groan as well. “I’ll let the dread grow while I go get you guys breakfast. Muffins, here I come!” The robot floated away from the boys, then picked up speed and went further into the island.

“Telly’s so human sometimes,” Trent mumbled, pulling the blanket away from his face. He watched as Jasper sat up again. “He just left us after dropping that awful news like it wasn’t a big deal. That’s such a cheeky thing to do. I wonder who he learned that from.”

“You know how I said this experiment was going to absolutely fucking suck?” Jasper asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Like, back when we got told we got to go again, like it was some god damn prize. Remember?”

“I was there too, so yes.”

“I think I was one hundred percent correct.”

“I don’t want to straight out agree with you, but I think I might have to.” Trent looked at the blankets in his lap, then sighed. “This is absolutely going to fucking suck.” He looked at Jasper when he didn’t respond, then shrugged when he saw his friends’ surprised expression. He tossed his blankets onto the platform, then stood and wiped some sand off his legs. “Let’s just get everything set up and pretend like it’ll be fun.” He held his hand out to Jasper.

“Who the fuck are you even gonna choose?” Jasper asked, taking Trent’s hand and pulling himself up. “Jesus. God.” He took his hand back and ran it through his hair, and Trent kicked at a blanket on the platform. “Who the fuck am I going to choose?”

“Guess we’ll have to figure it out later. Let’s just deal with the dread and set up the blankets, then eat our muffins and wait for the boat on the pier.” Trent picked a blanket up and tossed it at Jasper, who caught it and scowled. “Okay?

“I hate everything about this entire experiment,” Jasper said, untying the string around the blanket he was holding. “But okay. Sure.” The blanket unfurled in his hands and brushed against the sand, and Jasper tossed it onto the platform. “No fucking problem.”

 

[ClownPope]

mood

Anxious

location

On the boat

outfit

here

tags

None...yet

Charles Andersen

It had been a long drive. All the way to California from the east-half of the midwest. God forbid he fly out there, he hated boats but planes were even worse. So he drove. A long anxious drive as he watched towns pass by with nothing but thoughts.

As he talked with the group over the texts he already started withdrawing little by little. Worrying how it was going to turn out before even meeting any of them. A lot of them seemed to get along and he just watched the messages go by, too afraid he'd talk too much. That's what usually happened, he'd open up and talk and talk and then people would get sick of him. Saying that he was use to it wasn't quite right, more that he just expected it. But he couldn't think so negatively. A small bit of optimism poked at him. If we went into this thinking the worst then it'd only go bad right? He managed to calm himself down for the rest of the drive until reaching the dock.

Charles hated boats. Well, not boats specifically. Water. He hated water. The only thing on his mind as he stared at the gangplank was how the water would feel if he were to fall in. What could be under the surface? All the stories of people getting tangled in weeds or grabbed by ocean creatures conjuring vivid images in his head. He felt a little nauseated as he boarded the boat. His legs had already become shakey as decided it'd be best to stay in the cabin for now. He sat down keeping his bags close as he tried to take up as little space as possible and not think about how the boat moved under him. Instead, he wondered what the others would be like in person. And hoped he wasn't disappointing for whatever they had expected him to be like.

coded by reveriee

Spoiler: plain text version

Charles Anderson

It had been a long drive. All the way to California from the east-half of the midwest. God forbid he fly out there, he hated boats but planes were even worse. So he drove. A long anxious drive as he watched towns pass by with nothing but thoughts.

As he talked with the group over the texts he already started withdrawing little by little. Worrying how it was going to turn out before even meeting any of them. A lot of them seemed to get along and he just watched the messages go by, too afraid he'd talk too much. That's what usually happened, he'd open up and talk and talk and then people would get sick of him. Saying that he was use to it wasn't quite right, more that he just expected it. But he couldn't think so negatively. A small bit of optimism poked at him. If we went into this thinking the worst then it'd only go bad right? He managed to calm himself down for the rest of the drive until reaching the dock.
Charles hated boats. Well, not boats specifically. Water. He hated water. The only thing on his mind as he stared at the gangplank was how the water would feel if he were to fall in. What could be under the surface? All the stories of people getting tangled in weeds or grabbed by ocean creatures conjuring vivid images in his head. He felt a little nauseated as he boarded the boat. His legs had already become shakey as decided it'd be best to stay in the cabin for now. He sat down keeping his bags close as he tried to take up as little space as possible and not think about how the boat moved under him. Instead, he wondered what the others would be like in person. And hoped he wasn't disappointing for whatever they had expected him to be like.

Mood: Anxious
Location: On the boat
Outfit: here
Tags: None...Yet

 

[AreSneksSly]

Tobias Winfrey
[#48c758]
Location: Boat | Interactions: None | Mood: siiick | Outfit: Summer Boi​

Tobias was, decidedly, feeling a little sick. A sense of nauseating dread had settled in the pit of his stomach, wiggling around like a live snake that was very unhappy with being consumed. This was fine, right? Memories of far too serious messages and warnings seen in new light flashed in his mind, like a siren screaming ‘THIS IS A BAD IDEA’ directly into his brain. With a quiet exhale, Tobias finally pulled over at the agreed meeting place. Looking over to his sister, he gently shook her awake, startling her and making her sit up with a start. She brushed away the drool that had settled comfortably at the edge of her chin and combed back her hair with a yawn. “Are we there yet?” she muttered, stretching her limbs as far as they could go in their cramped Chevy.

“Mhm,” Tobias responded, removing his seatbelt.

Jackie said nothing as she stared out the window. She was quiet for once, letting her gaze drift across the scenery. Toby followed her eyes, before letting a soft smile fall onto his lips. “I’ll be back, Kiki.”

More silence, before that melancholy expression transformed into a smirk. Jackie threw a not-so-soft punch at Toby’s shoulder, causing him to laugh. “You’d better, Barbeque, or else I’m taking all your stuff and selling it.”

Tobias let out a sharp gasp, making his sister snort, which led to her cackling. As their shared gigglefest died down and quiet took over the car’s atmosphere once more, Jackie slowly wrapped her arms around her little brother. “I’ll see you later?”

“Of course,” Toby replied, returning her hug with a squeeze.

He could feel her smile against his shoulder. With a subtle sniff, Jackie pulled back, grin plastered on her face. “You’re gonna be late, nerd.”

With a jolt Toby checked his wristwatch and paled. “Shit!” he exclaimed, opening the car door and stumbling out, the cackles of his sister drifting into open air from the rolled-down window. He rushed to the back to grab his luggage, glancing inside to make sure he brought those marshmallows, before zipping it up tight and hauling it out the back. At this point Jackie had switched over to the driver's seat, dangling an arm out of the window. She was watching her brother panic with his baggage, looking pleased as punch at his display. Tobias quickly righted himself all while quietly chastising past him for overpacking.

With a tight grip on the handle, Tobias walked over to Kiki. "Okay, so, let's go over this again. Today, you stay with your friend; tomorrow, you drive home."

Jackie rolled her eyes with a snort, tucking a fist under her chin. "I know what to do, dad."

Tobias sighed, both in relief and slight irritation at her nonchalance. "Alright, alright, I'll get out of your hair." But just as he left, the twins shared a look. Silence was exchanged before Jackie let out another snort.

"Dork."

"Dummy."

And they both grinned.

Jackie backed out and drove away, leaving Tobias to hold his luggage and sick bag in the dust. For a moment, his calm facade fell to the wayside, and a frown wormed it's way onto his face. Boat. He was going onto a boat. He was going to spend an hour, trapped on a boat, rocking back and forth, in the middle of the ocean. Where the boat could tip over, where he could fall, and where he could drown before washing ashore with his body half-eaten. Boat. Tobias felt his stomach churn unhappily.

Lugging his luggage (haha.) over to the pier, he tried to avoid eye contact with as many people as possible. He was already feeling sick from anxiety. Having to deal with disappointed stares- or, god forbid, stares of recognition- was currently not on the top of his list right now. Sitting inside the cabin of the modest passenger ship meant he could melt into his seat and panic without much worry of someone walking over and talking to him. That is, if they valued their trip being a pleasant one.

Toby didn't intend to look like an asshole by sitting furthest from everyone in some isolated corner. No, he was being nice by sparing everyone the full blast of his inevitable sickness. Yeah. That was it. It's not like he was panicking at the idea of meeting someone from the chat and having them be grossed out by him, nor was he worried he might run into the girl who he fucking complimented even though the chat doesn't show pictures and now you called her cute even though as a stranger you shouldn't know what she looks like, Toby.

Yeah. He was fine.

Totally fine.

 

[Ocean123]

Devon

LocationA Boat Docked Somewhere In California
InteractionsNone
MoodFrazzled
OutfitBlack leggings (pants), baggy purple t-shirt, even baggier green hoodie, dark grey shoes
​

Devon was utterly exhausted by the time they finally made it to the pier they'd be leaving from. The last 24 hours had been insane and left the redhead nearly dead on their feet as they paid the taxi driver a crazy amount of weird American bills for a twenty minute drive where he never stopped talking. The Canadian was understandably frazzled and had little interest in dealing with other humans at that particular moment. Which was kind of the entire purpose of this trip.

Slightly shaky, Devon made their way onto the boat and sat with their back against the railing. The sound of rolling waves helped soothe their wild emotions and it took only ten minutes or so before Devon started to really feel better. Now they were less likely to start panicking over little things, the redhead opened their eyes and looked around. What was going to happen now...? Were they really ready for this...? Ah, well. Too late to turn back now.

 

[RoseAstasia]

Name: Tommy
location: boat
interactions: family

Well, today was the day, and he had no idea how to feel about it. Excitement, fear, dread, all things his mind had mixed together. He sighed, thinking about what he’s giving up for the next 6 months. His mother and mom were there to see him off, sitting in the limo with him... talking about how much they were going to miss him... all that stuff. They had gone through this when he first went off to college too. And it was comforting, but also kinda sad.

when he exited the limo, they did as well. They each gave him a big hug and said they would miss him one last time. They asked him if he needed help carrying his bag or his violin in. he just told them he was strong enough to do it, and that they should probably go soon as they were both busy people.

as they drove away he wiped his eyes and sniffled a bit, seeming to already miss them.

As he boarded the boat, he sat near the entrance so he could greet anyone that got on after him.

 

[peach moon]

Astrid Hale

interacting with: n/a
outfit: [x]
location: boat
mood: very nervous!

Astrid sighed, leaning her head against the taxi window, staring out at the California seaside and trying to tune out her driver who was nattering on about something pointless. "...And then Jeremy, my son's girlfriend's brother's friend, said that he had been living in Reno the whole time!!! Isn't that just wild?" "Uh-huh." Astrid replied absentmindedly. Chatty cab drivers were just about her worst nightmare, and this one seemed to never run out of inane things to babble about. However, despite the endless background noise, Astrid's anxious thoughts managed to be louder. If this is some Saw-esque horror movie I'm walking into, I wonder how long it'd take anyone to notice I was missing... Astrid frowned at the thought. Probably... a while. Well, that was the whole point, wasn't it? The whole reason she had pushed herself to do this in the first place. Astrid was, to put it concisely, friendless, and she was sick of it.

About 20 minutes later, it seemed that the car was nearing some sort of small dock nestled into a rather remote beach. The cab driver was still going on -- "And then, the man who had been dating my mother... his name was Todd, but we all called him Toddy--" Astrid fumbled for an excuse to cut the conversation short as the taxi slowed to a halt. "Um, uh, actually, that's really interesting, but I'm kind of running late." "Oh, of course, honey!" The cab driver replied. "Here's my card. Give me a call if you ever need a ride around California!" She said, shoving a card embossed with the cab company's logo into Astrid's hands. "Oh, for sure." Astrid responded. As if. She hurriedly paid and unloaded her suitcases from the car and watched with relief as the cab finally drove away, disappearing behind the horizon. As much of a pain as that had been, though, it was probably going to be one of the easier parts of the trip. It was hard to tell, as the dock and boat were a little ways away, but it seemed like a few people had arrived before her. She slowly made her way over to the dock, trying her best to steel herself and just get it over with. She stepped onto the wood... then stepped back off into the sand. She stepped onto the dock again... and then off. Come ON, Astrid. This went on for a little bit -- it probably looked like some sort of odd dance to the outside eye -- but finally, Astrid was able to rip the bandaid off. She paused for a moment and then power walked to the boat as fast as possible without running. Keeping her eyes trained straight down at her feet, she climbed aboard, taking a very wide berth around anyone she spotted in her peripheral, and sat in the corner on her own. Okay, okay. Stay calm. Not your best performance, but... Astrid heaved a sigh. At least you made it.

..

code by RI.a

Spoiler: Mobile friendly!

Astrid sighed, leaning her head against the taxi window, staring out at the California seaside and trying to tune out her driver who was nattering on about something pointless. "...And then Jeremy, my son's girlfriend's brother's friend, said that he had been living in Reno the whole time!!! Isn't that just wild?" "Uh-huh." Astrid replied absentmindedly. Chatty cab drivers were just about her worst nightmare, and this one seemed to never run out of inane things to babble about. However, despite the endless background noise, Astrid's anxious thoughts managed to be louder. If this is some Saw-esque horror movie I'm walking into, I wonder how long it'd take anyone to notice I was missing... Astrid frowned at the thought. Probably... a while. Well, that was the whole point, wasn't it? The whole reason she had pushed herself to do this in the first place. Astrid was, to put it concisely, friendless, and she was sick of it.

About 20 minutes later, it seemed that the car was nearing some sort of small dock nestled into a rather remote beach. The cab driver was still going on -- "And then, the man who had been dating my mother... his name was Todd, but we all called him Toddy--" Astrid fumbled for an excuse to cut the conversation short as the taxi slowed to a halt. "Um, uh, actually, that's really interesting, but I'm kind of running late." "Oh, of course, honey!" The cab driver replied. "Here's my card. Give me a call if you ever need a ride around California!" She said, shoving a card embossed with the cab company's logo into Astrid's hands. "Oh, for sure." Astrid responded. As if. She hurriedly paid and unloaded her suitcases from the car and watched with relief as the cab finally drove away, disappearing behind the horizon. As much of a pain as that had been, though, it was probably going to be one of the easier parts of the trip. It was hard to tell, as the dock and boat were a little ways away, but it seemed like a few people had arrived before her. She slowly made her way over to the dock, trying her best to steel herself and just get it over with. She stepped onto the wood... then stepped back off into the sand. She stepped onto the dock again... and then off. Come ON, Astrid. This went on for a little bit -- it probably looked like some sort of odd dance to the outside eye -- but finally, Astrid was able to rip the bandaid off. She paused for a moment and then power walked to the boat as fast as possible without running. Keeping her eyes trained straight down at her feet, she climbed aboard, taking a very wide berth around anyone she spotted in her peripheral, and sat in the corner on her own. Okay, okay. Stay calm. Not your best performance, but... Astrid heaved a sigh. At least you made it.

 

[Sage Orion 0312]

Ramona Rowan

______________________________________________
Location: Boat
Interactions: peach moon
Outfit: Boho Outfit & Backpack
Dialogue Code: #95f9b5
WARNING: noncon kiss!
______________________________________________

Car Song

♫ The jig is up, the news is out!
They've finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty! ♫

As the blue Volkswagon sped down the highway, Ramona could barely contain her excitement. Finally! The day of the experiment had arrived. The new and unique adventure seemed to come at just the right time. Things at home were starting to get dull and rather routine. The days began to blend in together... an occurrence that always seemed to make the redhead anxious. Bouncing in the passenger seat, she continued to sing loudly (and very off-key).

"Will you settle down already?" Naomi groaned before leaning forward and turning off the radio.
"Stop acting stupid. You're giving me a headache."

Naomi and Ramona had a pretty... unusual relationship. The two grew up together as best friends. Eventually, that friendship blossomed into something more and they began dating. After a few years, Ray had decided to end the romantic interactions they shared and move forward with her life. After a long span of arguments and hostility, a truce was called and the girls went back to being friends.

Ramona shrugged as she continued to hum along. That is... before her thoughts were occupied by something else.
"SWEAR to me that you will treat Bagheera like royalty while I'm gone." The redhead turned in her seat to give the driver what she hoped was a serious expression.
"Swear on your LIFE."

"Oh please." Naomi scoffed.
"That little furball is going to be a total slavedriver and you know it. He'll be fine."

A moment of silence hung in the air as the car neared its destination.
"...Do you really have to leave?" Naomi asked her voice tense.

Ramona frowned. Over the past few weeks this topic had caused so many arguments... And she really didn't want to get into it right before leaving.
"Yes. I've already told the committee I said I would... I'm going Nai."

The brunette slammed on her breaks causing curious pedestrians to glance their way. The car was parked haphazardly in almost three parking spaces, dark tire streaks lay behind them.

An aggravated sigh burst from Naomi's lips, almost a snarl. She turned in her seat, eyes blazing with anger. Mouth twisted in annoyance. Reaching forward, she snatched Ramona by her chin and pulled her closer.

"But I already told you." She whispered. Her voice coming out sickeningly sweet.
"You're not allowed." The words were spoken slowly through gritted teeth. As if it pained her to say them.
"I. Don't. Want. You. To."

Ramona winced, wishing that she could just leave already.
"Nai... you're hurting me..."

"I hate it when she gets like this."

"Good." She smirked before closing the gap and pressing her full lips to Ray's.

The kiss wasn't intimate at all. In fact, it was the opposite. Predatory, almost possessive. Hard.

"WHAT the fu-"

Before the redhead could protest, Naomi pulled back. A satisfied smile on her face.
"Something to remember me by."

Instead of saying anything, Ramona thought it best to take the opportunity while she could. Reaching into the back seat she grabbed her belongings and slid out of the car. Without looking back she walked over to a boat that looked like the one described in the emails she received earlier.
As she walked up the ramp and boarded the vessel she hastily rubbed her mouth to rid herself of the unpleasant experience from moments ago.

"Forget what just happened." She murmured to herself.
"That was the past. It's time to embrace the present moment.

Taking a deep breath she took the last step onto the boat and glanced around. A few people have already boarded. They all seemed... nervous?
"Hmmm..."

She moved forward and sat next to the first person that caught her eye. An adorable sunflower with auburn hair sat in a corner seat. And would have been invisible if it not for the outfit she wore. A denim jacket over different variations of white and pastel pink.
With an infectious grin, Ramona strode toward her seeming to have all the confidence in the world.

"Hello new friend!" She chirped before setting her bags at her feet.
"My name is Ramona~ Were you the person I spoke to about chores?"

Of course, there is no way Ramona could tell who was who. Pictures were not shared over the group chat. With nothing to lose she decided to go with her gut feeling. Her intuition never fails.

"Astrid? Am I right?"

Spoiler: Plain Text

______________________________________________
Location: Boat
Interactions: peach moon
Outfit: Boho Outfit & Backpack
Dialogue Code: #95f9b5
WARNING: noncon kiss!
______________________________________________

Car Song

♫ The jig is up, the news is out!
They've finally found me
The renegade who had it made
Retrieved for a bounty! ♫

As the blue Volkswagon sped down the highway, Ramona could barely contain her excitement. Finally! The day of the experiment had arrived. The new and unique adventure seemed to come at just the right time. Things at home were starting to get dull and rather routine. The days began to blend in together... an occurrence that always seemed to make the redhead anxious. Bouncing in the passenger seat, she continued to sing loudly (and very off-key).

"Will you settle down already?" Naomi groaned before leaning forward and turning off the radio.
"Stop acting stupid. You're giving me a headache."

Naomi and Ramona had a pretty... unusual relationship. The two grew up together as best friends. Eventually, that friendship blossomed into something more and they began dating. After a few years, Ray had decided to end the romantic interactions they shared and move forward with her life. After a long span of arguments and hostility, a truce was called and the girls went back to being friends.

Ramona shrugged as she continued to hum along. That is... before her thoughts were occupied by something else.
"SWEAR to me that you will treat Bagheera like royalty while I'm gone." The redhead turned in her seat to give the driver what she hoped was a serious expression.
"Swear on your LIFE."

"Oh please." Naomi scoffed.
"That little furball is going to be a total slavedriver and you know it. He'll be fine."

A moment of silence hung in the air as the car neared its destination.
"...Do you really have to leave?" Naomi asked her voice tense.

Ramona frowned. Over the past few weeks this topic had caused so many arguments... And she really didn't want to get into it right before leaving.
"Yes. I've already told the committee I said I would... I'm going Nai."

The brunette slammed on her breaks causing curious pedestrians to glance their way. The car was parked haphazardly in almost three parking spaces, dark tire streaks lay behind them.

An aggravated sigh burst from Naomi's lips, almost a snarl. She turned in her seat, eyes blazing with anger. Mouth twisted in annoyance. Reaching forward, she snatched Ramona by her chin and pulled her closer.

"But I already told you." She whispered. Her voice coming out sickeningly sweet.
"You're not allowed." The words were spoken slowly through gritted teeth. As if it pained her to say them.
"I. Don't. Want. You. To."

Ramona winced, wishing that she could just leave already.
"Nai... you're hurting me..."

"I hate it when she gets like this."

"Good." She smirked before closing the gap and pressing her full lips to Ray's.

The kiss wasn't intimate at all. In fact, it was the opposite. Predatory, almost possessive. Hard.

"WHAT the fu-"

Before the redhead could protest, Naomi pulled back. A satisfied smile on her face.
"Something to remember me by."

Instead of saying anything, Ramona thought it best to take the opportunity while she could. Reaching into the back seat she grabbed her belongings and slid out of the car. Without looking back she walked over to a boat that looked like the one described in the emails she received earlier.
As she walked up the ramp and boarded the vessel she hastily rubbed her mouth to rid herself of the unpleasant experience from moments ago.

"Forget what just happened." She murmured to herself.
"That was the past. It's time to embrace the present moment.

Taking a deep breath she took the last step onto the boat and glanced around. A few people have already boarded. They all seemed... nervous?
"Hmmm..."

She moved forward and sat next to the first person that caught her eye. An adorable sunflower with auburn hair sat in a corner seat. And would have been invisible if it not for the outfit she wore. A denim jacket over different variations of white and pastel pink.
With an infectious grin, Ramona strode toward her seeming to have all the confidence in the world.

"Hello new friend!" She chirped before setting her bags at her feet.
"My name is Ramona~ Were you the person I spoke to about chores?"

Of course, there is no way Ramona could tell who was who. Pictures were not shared over the group chat. With nothing to lose she decided to go with her gut feeling. Her intuition never fails.

"Astrid? Am I right?"

 

[StaidFoal]

Hana Imai
#F7DA64


Location: Boat
Interactions: Open

Note: This font means a made-up scenario in Hana's imagination​

Mhm. This is how I die. The thought arrived to Hana Imai as she sat still as a rock, staring blankly ahead without focus. Despite sitting nowhere near anyone else, she kept completely confined to her seat, not even considering scooting an inch around. She especially dared not to glance at any of the blurry faces around the ship; she didn't want to know how many eyes must've been glued to her. What thoughts they each had. Hana thought it felt unusually hot today as a bead of sweat trickled down her face, followed by another. Or rather, the heat of her nervousness. What if I don't look as pretty as they expect? What if I freeze up when they talk to me? Are they going to find me boring and spend the next six months talking to everyone else instead? What if they all have fun together while talking behind my back? There's no way I'm special enough to be here... Everyone sounded so bright and cheery on the group chat... There's no way I can match that...

"If you're feeling nervous, just write hito (person; 人) on your hand three times and swallow it!" her uncle once said.

The memory had surged in the nick of time. In Japan, it was a common trick for nervous people before something like a presentation, but it never worked for Hana.

Trying to be as quiet as possible, Hana reached for a small sharpie she'd smuggled in her pocket for times such as this. It took her some effort to pop open the cap, not wanting the noise to resound throughout the boat. When she did, she realized just how bad her hands shook and how clammy with sweat they'd become. Cursing herself for the way she was, Hana continued with the writing, anyway.

On the third character, a strain had worn itself on her clenched arm, so with a sigh, she swiftly stretched her arm out; only for the armrest to strike a specific part in her elbow, numbing the whole limb with soring needles. The sharpie clattered against the floor. Hana's face scrunched up as a pained holler rose past her throat, though walled off in time by her lips. Her cheeks puffed up instead, and she quickly covered her mouth with her able hand. Eyes somewhat watered, she forced the bawl back down with a gulp, trying to reset her former composure. "Itai..." she muttered, moving her healthy hand away to massage her tingling arm.

She glanced at the floor where she heard the sharpie clatter, but it wasn't there. A knot in her stomach tied as she warily glanced around. She eventually found the sharpie, albeit stopped by a shoe. Whether they noticed the sharpie, she didn't know. Rather, Hana sunk back in her seated position, staring down at her feet. From her countenance, Hana hid any sign of something wrong, trying to make it seem like she's not the owner of the sharpie. Even if the person witnessed everything or not. In her mind, though, everything fell to turmoil.

WhatdoIdo WhatdoIdo? She gritted her teeth, remaining stiller than before. Think, Hana. A sharpie rolling around is no big deal. Maybe he won't even mind if you picked it up...

With a confident smirk, Hana got up and walked over to the person, keeping her eyes on the sharpie. She flicked her hair to the side, kneeling down to grab her marker. The person warily eyed her.

Hana then looked up at the person; from their perspective, looking as if she openly peered between their legs.

"Pervert!" they yelled. The person slapped Hana away, red in the face.

No way! No way! she cried in her head, burying her face in her hands. Her face flushed red, too, just picturing it. I should just take it after the boat is docked... But what if...

As the boat docked itself, the person returned their attention to their surroundings. The black sharpie near their foot was first to catch their eye. With an amused grin, they grabbed the sharpie, looking around for whoever owned it.

Seeing nobody claim it, even showing it to them (save for Hana, who blends in with the background) they slammed the sharpie against their knee. It snapped in half, echoing throughout the ship as the ramp outside lowered. Walking outside, they threw the remnants into the blue sea.

Hana couldn't raise her voice as the person went about their actions, drooping her head as their figure vanished.

My sharpie... her mind wailed, this time moving her hands over her forehead and covering her eyes. Hana clenched a fist, setting it on the armrest. But no! It's just a sharpie, it's not like I need it that badly... Still, it would've been nice to get it back... And so only one option remained.

Just say something! They'll understand because people are nice! Hana took a breath, sitting straight against the seat and clenching both fists near her thighs with a newfound energy. Talking to people is easy! Everyone is understanding of small things like this! Faito! She maintained her composure for a minimum of 10 seconds before releasing her breath and the fists. She returned to her normal pose, whacking herself mentally. Yeah, the second choice is better, she rationalized. There's still six months for me to socialize. Surely this is fine.

 

[AreSneksSly]

Tobias Winfrey
[#48c758]
Location: Boat | Interactions: Hana ( StaidFoal ) | Mood: Slightly Nervous | Outfit: Summer Boi​

Fine. Fine. Everything is fine. Just look at something Tobias. You’re fine.

Toby sat at the back of the pack, watching the other test subjects (Test subjects? Could he use that word? Should he use that word?) trickle in one by one from his vantage point, if it could even be called that, inside the boat. Through the misty glass, he noted that many of them were strangers, as to be expected. A red-head boarded before walking out of sight, followed by two brunettes and a frizzy haired female.

Slowly, his former anxiety gradually melted away. There was something calming about people-watching, and Tobias wouldn’t deny that the ocean looked lovely. Heck, the slow sway of the boat was even rather peaceful. For a moment, Toby closed his eyes, letting his mind concentrate on the gradual back and forth as the sea lapped at the ship’s underbelly. This was… fine. Actually, legitimately, fine. The experiment isn’t some elaborate kidnapping plot, Perry, it’s just a fun thing where people meet up to talk and learn to communicate with each other.

By the time he opened his eyes his headache was gone, and the frown that was formerly etched into his face had melted into a smile. Turning around, he watched the woman with wild red hair bounce over to one of the brunettes, before panic punched Toby in the gut as a familiar face walked onto the ship. It’d been a while since they’d met in person, but Imai still looked similar enough for the man to recognize her. Toby quickly ducked under the window and further into his seat, significantly less calm and certainly back to panic mode.

‘Please don’t sit inside please don’t sit inside please don’t sit inside-’

A slender figure entered the cabin, making her way to one of the far seats.

Well, shit.

Toby sometimes wondered if his life was actually just some cruel joke that God decided was too funny to end. With a sigh, the brunette lowered his gaze to his feet. Okay. He could deal with this. Just ignore her, because if you ignore her, you won’t accidentally meet her eyes! He could do that. He could definitely do that.

Just. Ig. Nore. Her. Tobias.

...damnit. With a hesitant look upwards and his internal screaming cranked to max, Toby managed to catch the falling of some sort of pen from Hana’s hand. As she massaged the hand the pen had fallen from, Toby let his eyes follow the object as it ever so slowly crawled it’s way over to him, eventually bumping his shoe.

Yeah, this was definitely some cosmic joke.

Glancing over to Hana, he watched her stare longingly at the pen, thinking to herself, before deflating.

‘Okay. I should help her get that pen back. That would be a good thing to do. The moral thing to do, even. But by doing something good, I am actively putting me and her into contact. Now, is that smart? No, no it isn’t, because by doing that I risk the chance of her recognizing me. On the other hand, this is Hana. She’s probably panicking about what to do at this very moment too. So, as her friend I should help her. Yes. That is what I am going to do. Starting… now.’

Tobias carefully picked up the sharpie which lay at feet, standing up with the marker in hand. He took another look at Hana’s form as his mind flooded with numerous excuses with the sole intent of convincing his body to do anything else, but with a determined huff, he shut them all down and strode over to where Hana was sitting.

“Hi there, is this yours?” he asked, smiling.

 

[queenbean]

X
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Nat

X
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tw: alcohol withdrawal
Nat always thought that, in another life, she might have been an actress. A damn good one. It seemed like she was always putting on an act for an audience, whether or not said audience even existed. She even dressed the part, a dedicated performer at heart. Today might have been her crowning achievement. Before the experiment began, she'd figured she'd have one big blow out, a final rager to get it all out of her system. Well, all into her system would be more accurate. It was more depressing without anyone to share it with, and she didn't really remember much of the night, but she woke up feeling horrible and decided that was a sign to stop three days ahead of the experiment rather than one. This officially marked the longest she'd gone without drinking since she was maybe nineteen.

Apparently, according to the online forums at least, it only got worse from here. So, putting on her greatest performance ever, Nathalia starred as herself in the stressful endeavor it took to get to the dock. She took too long to get ready, because no matter how old she gets, she can never shake off the habit of dressing to impress, and ended up on the phone with her godmother for too long, and then she was late. She wasn't the last to arrive, but she felt flushed and nauseous even before the boat lurched into motion.

Experienced enough from her time on the open sea, Nat kept her gaze fixed on the horizon to keep herself from getting sick. Her thoughts drew inward, fragmented and anxious. She wore this stupid lacy top to catch attention, sure, but she sort of figured getting the scar on her shoulder out of the way was the best way to go about it. It was ugly, pink and jarring against the rest of her olive skin. Lex always said-

Nat fought the urge to cringe. Another habit she couldn't shake. The voice of her ex criticizing her, teasing her. Self-consciously, she reached up with her left hand and touched the smooth skin. No, hiding this one wasn't the concern - it was the one on her thigh. Christ, that one made it look like she had a habit of getting into knife fights with Freddy Kruger. Fuck, she wished she had a drink.

Groaning to herself, Nat turned to watch her fellow experimentees. She tried placing names and faces together, but she was never very good at that. She wondered if she would be the most obvious to spot, what with her accent and all. Should she approach them first? She always let others come to her, but that was ridiculous to do. She shouldn't expect that all the time anymore. Not if she was going to commit to this new life of hers. God, she really wanted a drink.

mood: Sober | location: boat outfit: x |tags: none yet

code: s e v e n

Spoiler: MOBILE FRIENDLY!

Nat always thought that, in another life, she might have been an actress. A damn good one. It seemed like she was always putting on an act for an audience, whether or not said audience even existed. She even dressed the part, a dedicated performer at heart. Today might have been her crowning achievement. Before the experiment began, she'd figured she'd have one big blow out, a final rager to get it all out of her system. Well, all into her system would be more accurate. It was more depressing without anyone to share it with, and she didn't really remember much of the night, but she woke up feeling horrible and decided that was a sign to stop three days ahead of the experiment rather than one. This officially marked the longest she'd gone without drinking since she was maybe nineteen.

Apparently, according to the online forums at least, it only got worse from here. So, putting on her greatest performance ever, Nathalia starred as herself in the stressful endeavor it took to get to the dock. She took too long to get ready, because no matter how old she gets, she can never shake off the habit of dressing to impress, and ended up on the phone with her godmother for too long, and then she was late. She wasn't the last to arrive, but she felt flushed and nauseous even before the boat lurched into motion.

Experienced enough from her time on the open sea, Nat kept her gaze fixed on the horizon to keep herself from getting sick. Her thoughts drew inward, fragmented and anxious. She wore this stupid lacy top to catch attention, sure, but she sort of figured getting the scar on her shoulder out of the way was the best way to go about it. It was ugly, pink and jarring against the rest of her olive skin. Lex always said-

Nat fought the urge to cringe. Another habit she couldn't shake. The voice of her ex criticizing her, teasing her. Self-consciously, she reached up with her left hand and touched the smooth skin. No, hiding this one wasn't the concern - it was the one on her thigh. Christ, that one made it look like she had a habit of getting into knife fights with Freddy Kruger. Fuck, she wished she had a drink.

Groaning to herself, Nat turned to watch her fellow experimentees. She tried placing names and faces together, but she was never very good at that. She wondered if she would be the most obvious to spot, what with her accent and all. Should she approach them first? She always let others come to her, but that was ridiculous to do. She shouldn't expect that all the time anymore. Not if she was going to commit to this new life of hers. God, she really wanted a drink.

 

[Kidzait]

A cloud of hot dust billowed around the long haired man as yet another tractor trailer roared past the shoulder where a medium sized winnebago sat. Around the back, a lanky and disheveled man was approaching with an armful of assorted objects. He dumped what he recovered into the back of the camper. Another truck kicked up a new wave of dust, causing Boone to squint to defend his eyes from the grit.

Boone had to pull over quickly when the back door of his camper was suddenly thrown open by a sudden jolt of a pothole. It was a miracle that the junk heap was even moving. The past two days have been the most it's moved in over a year and she was starting to show her age.

Case in point, the newly discovered broken lock on the back door. The little metal catch flipped uselessly and boone let out a frustrated puff of air, inhaling, allowing his lungs to fill with fresh Montana mountain highway dust. He coughed with gratitude.

His fix was messy and temporary but hey, it's only stupid if it doesn't work, right? He eventually settled on a six foot bungee stretched to his side door handle from the broken back door handle. It was a hazard to the eye if it got loose on the road but it would work till he got to his next destination where he could do some real repairs.

Boone walked through his kitchen area and climbed into the driver's seat. He snagged his new phone off the charging cradle mounted to the dash with a few screws. It had been blowing up for the past few hours with the chat system installed. The other subjects were happily chatting about their hopes and expectations so much that Boone had to step away. He tapped the icon for the chat app and waited for it to launch. Smirking to himself, he leaned against the window to catch up from last night.

hey guys, just getting back on the road...

Boone shook his head and backspaced the message. It felt weird being casual now. Was he overthinking this?

have any of you been thinking that maybe signing up was a mistake?

Of course, he deleted that too. No use letting them know he was doubting himself and the experiment. Especially since telly was reading everything behind the scenes. It didn't seem like a fun thing to share with a new group.

It was then that he noticed that each person he had been speaking with had their own category within the app's menus. He clicked on each blank chat page, lingering on a few to bring up the keyboard. The reality was that he had nothing to say. Why was it that he wanted to say nothing to them?

In the end no feelings were shared or deep questions asked, for now he just turned off the ringer again and locked the screen. He caught his reflection on the black screen and frowned. His hair, pulled back in a tight bun, was sticking out in all directions from the wind and his face was clouded by a thick, scraggly beard. He would have to shave before the trip. He sighed and slid the phone back on the mount. He needed to get moving if he was ever going to make it to his destination in time.

driving always made boone's mind go to strange places. one man (terrible) concerts were sung. Deep sessions of thought about abstract concepts like the creation of language or the first guy to figure out what milk was. He won arguments that have been dead for years and hyped himself up for the upcoming experience.

The 5 steps. Sounded more like a program to kick illicit substances than a social experiment. Especially since it was just a printout of an ad posted on the house fridge. Boone was sure that every single guy at the ranch applied for a position on what most of them assumed was a dating show. Boone was unsure how that mixup was made now that he was looking back.



The sun had long set by the time he pulled into the Apache Rose campground in Joshua Tree California. Here is where he was going to meet up with Ray. Boone still had a day to kill before he had to report to the boat so he thought reconnecting with a friend was the perfect detour.

Ray had left SW ranch about a year prior when he fell in love with a local biology student doing a research trip near the ranch. They had been roaming the country until they fell into a place they liked. This week it was Joshua Tree State Park

Boone gave the bulky man a quick hug as they met on the lawn of Ray's camper.

"Booooone! My man! You look like hell! What's with the hair, man. Hey Dot, you still got those clippers you used on the dog?"

The man was unstoppable once he started going. Boone rolled his eyes but was actually shocked with the lack of swearing. Guess that meant Dottie was the one. Speaking of, a short curvy woman stepped from inside the camper. She was delicately wiping lipstick from the corners of her lips and trying not to call attention to it.

"Come on man. I'll grab some beers and some smokes and we can catch up before your little sleep away camp"

~~~~~~~~~

Boone sat back against a dusty tan rock in a thin patch of shade, panting and wiping the sweat from his forehead with a red bandana. He decided to take the rest of the day to walk up a particular rock that had been calling his name. He only had one more day before they were packing up to head to port. Ray was heading to L.A for a job interview and TIES had already made arrangements to keep his house safe while he was on the island. At least that was one less thing to worry about.

Boone took a drink from his water bottle and looked out over the park. At first glance, the state park just looked like a flat expanse of desert with a few large rocks. Now that he was atop one of those large rocks, Boone could see the beautiful detail the desert had to offer. Game trails criss-crossing under the shade of the stout joshua trees created a complex pattern stretching as far as he could see. When measured as it's parts, the park seemed like a wasteland but once you can see it as a whole you truly begin to appreciate the beautiful vastness of the Mojave desert.

Boone found himself thinking about the day to come. The day he and nine other people will take part in a social experiment on a private island. A social experiment he didn't know the rules to at that. He found himself taking out the phone and opening the chat app again.

It wasn't the first time he had opened the app today. After he helped Ray finish packing up his camp, Boone had begun typing once again.

hey guys. Tomorrows the day, right? Anybody else ready to finally put faces to names?[

Boone hesitated, his thump hovering over the send button. Something stil didn't feel right. He had been maintaining radio silence for most of his trip to California so popping back in felt strange. Boone deleted that message and tried again. This time in the chat directly to Telly

hey, Roobit. what happens if we aren't really a good fit for your experiment?

Boone deleted the message and closed the app. Lurking was a normal thing to do in a situation like this, right? He was going to see them the next day anyway, why ruin the suspense he is building? Boone lied to himself several more times to make himself feel better.

With no messages sent Boone started down the boulder to make his way back to his camper. The sensation of live butterflies beating themselves to death against the inside of his stomach would not subside. What if his match ends up being someone that turns out to be incompatible? From what he has read in the chat, everyone was pretty amped to get to know each other and Boone was too...he was just starting to have doubts. seems like other members of the experiment have already started making their connections and joking around. Boone has been sitting on his hands and avoiding the whole deal since the private texts opened up. He was beginning to regret being so distant and already excuses were formulating in his head. He pushed that away in favor of more positive thoughts. He was finally going to interact with some new people for a change.

As the sun finally dipped beneath the horizon and Boone shut himself against the biting gnats that began to swarm around his camper, his nerves began to return. TIES had sent him an address to leave his camper and board the boat for the island. That was coming up so fast. In less than twelve hours he was going to be loading onto a boat to spend the next who-knows-how-long on an island paradise/hellscape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Boone gritted his teeth in frustration against the notorious LA traffic. He was making great time till he hit the city. he packed up his camper the night before and got on the road as soon as he saw the sun. Despite his desperate attempts, it seemed as though he might be the last one there. He nervously eyed his dashboard clock and watched as his deadline crept closer and closer. He mentally kicked himself for staying so far out of town.

At long last the sparkle of the ocean could be seen through the gaps in the buildings he was driving towards. Booone kept his head on a swivel in the search for a clear (and large) parking spot. It seemed that TIES did him one better. while passing the covered parking section, he happened to notice a sign with his name on it. He paused for a moment and stared at the spot. This was definitely more than he was expecting. Boone carefully swung his camper into the spot and grabbed his gear.

Boone decided against running and settled for an awkward jog towards the floating pier with "The Five Steps" printed on a banner stretched across the walkway. Boone shrugged his frame bag more comfortably on his shoulders and stepped down the incline, pausing briefly to look down on the people milling around on the deck of the boat. The long haired man pulled a small tube from his pocket and popped two pills in his mouth. Dramamine courtesy of Dot. Boone had never been on a boat so he was sure seasickness was going to be a thing. Already he was finding it hard to synchronize with the gentle sway of the boat. He gave the nearest person, a sandy haired dude with green eyes, a tight smile and a quick nod. After that short interaction, Boone wandered onto the boat and dropped his bag in front of the bench he would be taking up residence on. He took a deep breath and glanced around the deck. The others were already beginning to introduce themselves, causing Boone to feel he had to do the same. Instead of doing the thing he was tasked to do on this experiment, he instead looked out over the ocean over his shoulder. This was going to be a long few months.

 

[RoseAstasia]

Thomas Erald
Location: Boat
interaction: anyone who is listening

Tommy was starting to feel his nerves racking. He had so much energy, but nobody really even acknowledged his existence it feels. Well there was that last guy who got on the boat, he smiled at him, though it seemed like a forced smile, so he wasnt sure if the guy would actually want to talk or not. everyone was so... secluded. There wasnt a lot of talking to each other. He thought maybe a little music could help to bring some socialization.

So, Tommy walked to the center of the boat and put his stuff on the ground before opening his violin case. He took out his violin, then his bow which was recently resined. And stood up, placing the base of the violin to his neck.

He decided for this somber mood, we would play one of his favorite pieces. Nocturne in C#. it was one of the few classical pieces that he remembered the name. He remembered how when he was younger, it would make crouds cheer at his resitals that his father had made him attend. It was one of the few plesant memories that ever came from his father. As he played, his expression was still, and his hand movements were smooth, yet finely tuned. they echoed the word control. He could see recognition in the eyes of some of the participants, so he didnt stop there.

the next song he played was Flight of the bumblebee , though he did not know the name, he knew it was a very fast and energetic song that required and instilled focus. He played it with precision and care.

though he knew these songs would not change the mood, they were only played to catch the other’s attention.

His next song was the mood changer.. It was a song that many people recognized wether they were a fan of country or not, Cotton eyed joe. He couldnt help but smile as he played, as he knew it might catch anyone listening off guard after listening to classical for the last 2 songs. He really let himself enjoy this one, walking up to people as he played, walking around the boat and singing the lyrics badly on purpose as he played the tune.

 

[Life.]

Seba Lynn Wan
Location: On the boat | Interaction(s): Tommy, RoseAstasia

At first, it seemed like an outlandish idea. A program designed to build relationships on a private island, but the more Seba thought about it, the more she considered it as a summer camp/island getaway. While there was the perk of meeting new people to try and form friendships and/or romantic relationships, the part where she can be on an island-- with beautiful beaches as showcased on the brochure--for some time convinced the gal to apply for it. But a quieter, deeper side to herself knew that she was needing human interaction, the emptiness that has been numbing her mind and heart were also dulling the days that she motioned through. So the prospect of some escape prompted Seba to apply and by some blessing of lady luck became one of the few selected to participate in the experiment, program, or however anyone describes it.

After she learned that she was chosen to participate in the experiment, Seba was ecstatic, so much so that the days leading up to it were a blur to the young woman. She remembered hopping in the chat a few times, mostly teasing communicating with Jassper and talking to one other individual, Ramona. All the while she had been busy putting in hours at her work to make up for the short notice of vacation, packing the bare essentials along with her one item of her kalimba, and going over with her mom on how to care for her animals. As much as she wanted to try and reach out to others online, since she knew it was easier to communicate through text first rather than in-person, her schedule was far too busy for it. But now, here she stood at one of the boat that would bring them to the island where the experiment will take place.

The skies were a bright blue with faint wisps of clouds and the sun blazing loudly up above. With the sun's rays, light reflected off the surface of the water, shining into Seba's eyes. To add to the wonder of nature, the winds of the ocean were gently brushing against Seba, helping to balance out the heat of the sun. Not only was the sun heating the surfaces of the water, but her soul as well. The missed feeling of bliss was slowly warming her insides as she stood there. A genuine smile ached her cheeks as she admired her surroundings. This change of scenery was just what the burnt out girl needed. But the faint tendrils of anxiousness had its grip on her heart as she glanced ever so often to each new face entering the boat. She had been one of the first ones to enter the boat, but only so she could enjoy the quiet moments of admiring the water to herself.

Eventually, once the last person boarded, she decided to move closer to where most of the passengers gathered. From taking a quick glance of the collective atmosphere, it seemed somewhat tense and awkward. Seba was met at a cross roads at this point. She could try and approach the closest person to her, but the last thing she wanted to do was overwhelm someone so the second option was to remain at one spot and continue to enjoy the ride while thinking about what kind of new foods she could try on the island. Her overactive mind sometimes got the best of the young woman in inflating a situation in which there possibly would not be any new, weird dishes to try.

Fortunately, Seba didn't have to make a decision as the sounds of an instrument began bouncing off the walls of the boat. She turned and found the source of the music. It was a young man playing on a violin. "That's right, Jasper mentioned that a few others knew how to play an instrument." His first couple of songs were pieces of classical music, as expected from a violinist to play, but then he followed it with a cover of Cotton Eyed Joe accompanying it with some off-pitch singing. A smile appeared on her lips as she walked up to the violin player, making sure to keep a small distance between them in case she startled him. "That's some neat playing you did on the violin, although your singing can use some adjustment. The spirit's there just not the right pitch. What other songs can you cover?"

 

[StaidFoal]

Hana Imai
#F7DA64


Location: Boat
Interactions: AreSneksSly (Tobias)
Mentions: RoseAstasia (Tommy)​

It's just a sharpie... You can always get another one... Hana stared at the markings on her hand. Much to her dismay, the kanji smudged off and blackened her palm; a result of her subconscious hand movements during the nervous outbreak. Maybe I can wash it at the beach... With a sigh, she stared out the window and into the vast ocean. After some time, the burning warmth in her cheeks started dissipating. Her pulse calmed as she breathed through her mouth. The scenery always helped with her nerves. Yeah... This is not so bad. I can just—

“Hi there, is this yours?”

"PYEH?!" She jolted. In moments, the pink flushed her face once more. Hana covered her mouth at the squeal, resisting the urge to run away and jump overboard. The unforeseen fourth outcome?! They noticed the pen and who it belonged to! Though as much as she wanted to fade away, she couldn't leave the person in a silent deadend; that would only make things more awkward—it's happened before. Yelling at herself to return the kindness, Hana cleared her throat, slowly rotating her torso towards Tobias. She lifted her gaze to his, noticeably shaking as she tried to maintain her composure. At the very least, covering an eye with her hair made it a little more bearable.

Lo and behold, he grasped the sharpie in hand, offering it back to its owner. "Y-Yes!" With quivering hands, she took hold of the marker and weakly pulled it back. Hana set it aside while her face only heated more and more. What else do people say in these situations?! "Um..." Hana rose from the seat, sidling to the side and away from Tobias while facing him. Stiff as a board, she bowed at a near 45-degree angle. "I'm so sorry for the inconvenience..." Each of her words were barely choked out as her throat tightened and dried the longer the social interaction went on.

Is that what normal people say? Isn't this too much for losing a sharpie? But, no, nobody hates humbleness like this... Unless it comes across as annoying? Does it look like I'm mocking him? Oh God, oh God...

Thankfully, before Hana melted down from social interaction before the experiment even began, the tune of a violin pierced the air, grabbing her thoughts. First came classical music, pulling Hana from her bow and turning her around to find the source. Initially, she gazed at the person with bewilderment; what was the purpose of displaying his talent with the violin on the boat? Not that his talent wasn't questionable. As he played, Hana tilted her head slightly. "Wasn't there someone in the group chat that could play violin...?" she uttered, not realizing she said it out loud. That was... the guy who texted her some days ago, flustering her across messages. Thinking back on his texts, it didn't seem like anything big enough to fluster a regular girl; probably not the intention he was going for. So that's Tommy?

When the classical pieces morphed into an off-pitch cover of Cotton Eyed Joe, Hana felt a chuckle bump her throat. She bit her lip to plug the unsightly smirk from reaching her countenance, even moving a hand over her mouth as it happened. Still, the ends of her lips curled upward slightly. Her heart pulses became less tense as Tommy played through his piece, and she quietly sighed with relief. I guess it's fine...

Hana turned back to Tobias, still red in the face, but less nervous than before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract myself from you..." She bowed again, though for a single time rather than holding the position like before. She steadily lifted her head up to see Toby's face; this time with a calmed mindset to properly think. He looked... like a person, Hana decided, having drawn a blank on what words to think of. He just... resembled someone? Or did he? Hana mentally shook her head. There was a bigger concern, anyway. She popped the cap back onto the sharpie and glanced at his feet. "The sharpie didn't mark your shoe, did it...?"

 

[Kidzait]

Boone risked a handful of glances to take in his surroundings. He was aware that he was just prolonging the inevitable. He wasn't going to be able to avoid these people for the whole six months. Maybe that Jasper guy was on to something with his plan.

Boone didn't know what to do with his hands. He was swapping between rolling the straps on his framepack and picking at the denim fluff on his jeans. He was desperate to roll a cigarette from the pouch in his bag. His nerves were frayed from the situation exasperated by nicotine withdrawal. Fiddling with the brain of his backpack for the hundredth time, Boone finally decided it was time to bite that bullet. He took a shallow breath and stood to introduce himself to the nearest person.

toooooooooot!
went the boat whistle as the engines roared to life. The ferry to the island was finally beginning to move. Boone swayed dramatically, his inner ear sending a barrage of error messages to his brain about location and orientation. His stomach flipped and a lovely wave of nausea washed over him. Boone sat back down as soon as he could but the damage was already done. His brain was still on land while his stomach drifted out to sea.
Was this seasickness? Boone always thought that was another term for eating bad shrimp. His life walking around without a care in the world was coming back for revenge. Oh how he wished for his mother's sea legs at a time like this.
I must have waited too long for the meds. he thought regretfully. He leaned forward and put his elbows on his knees in the classic " my tummy hurts" pose. At least his craving for a cigarette was gone.

Boone had a stroke of luck in the form of the green eyed boy lurking near the entrance of the boat. He had broken out into an impromptu concert with his violin. He was pulling attention from the seasick ranch hand sitting on the bench. Boone took this chance to steal away so he could be sick and/or die in peace.

The skillfully played classical floating from the man's instrument behind him was definitely making his suffering more bearable. Or at least hilarious. Boone hadn't decided yet. Currently, resting his arms on the rails of the boat with his back to the crowd was the best way to hide his weakened state. He was a tad uncomfortable that the first time he was meeting everyone was in such a state of discomfort. Boone hoped that didn't make him grumpy and kill his chance at a decent first impression. He gazed back at the shrinking coast, trying to will dry land to manifest underneath his feet and hoped the boat ride would be a short one.

 

[peach moon]

Astrid Hale

interacting with: Ramona ( Sage Orion 0312 )
outfit: [x]
location: boat
mood: nervous but hopeful

Astrid sat on the boat as it swayed back and forth in the waves, staring at her phone. There was nothing on it -- the screen wasn't even unlocked -- but Astrid was sort of zoning out at it as thoughts ran through her head. Was this totally stupid? There's no way you're going to find love or friends or whatever doing something like this... you can't even make eye contact with anyone else on the boat. Stupid! Astrid shook her head, burying her face in her hands. However, a blessed distraction came before she could spiral any further. She had been hearing footsteps on the boat deck here and there for the last few minutes, but these ones were different -- they were getting... louder. Closer. Astrid looked up as the footsteps stopped and her vision landed upon another girl with an excitable grin on her face. "Hello new friend!", the girl bubbled. The sun was shining from behind the girl's head, illuminating her wild, red curls like a fiery halo. "My name is Ramona. Were you the person I spoke to about chores? Astrid? Am I right?" Astrid blushed, feeling heat spread to her cheeks. Oh, jesus, that's so stupid. What kind of idiot brings up chores as a conversation topic? Wait, she's only guessing about who I am, so does that mean that I look like the type of person who talks about chores? She's right, but still... It was after an all too long pause of Astrid panicking internally and gaping at Ramona like a goldfish that she finally remembered that she probably ought to answer the question. "U-um, yes! I'm, uh, I'm Astrid. Gr-ice to meet you." Astrid immediately cringed at her nervous error. "I, um... I meant to say great and then I switched to nice halfway through." She explained, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she almost couldn't help but laugh at her own social ineptitude. Nonetheless, she gestured at the seat next to her. "Would you maybe like to --"

However, before Astrid could finish her (rather courageous, at least for her) invitation, she was interrupted by the melancholic sounds of a violin being played from somewhere else on the boat. She furrowed her brow in thought, trying to recall who it was that played violin. She was pretty sure it was Tommy, the person who had beaten her at connect four over text the other day. He was a good player, she noted to herself. Suddenly, the boat lurched to life and began moving, eliciting a surprised squeak from Astrid. Almost as if on cue, Tommy switched over to a more lively tune. As Tommy's playing picked up, Astrid bounced along subtly to the music. To finish off his performance was a fun rendition of Cotton Eye Joe, sung rather badly by Tommy. While his pitch wasn't the best, it was the perfect thing to loosen Astrid's nerves a little bit, as she finally broke out into a small giggle. "Well, at least we have some entertainment for the trip," she remarked, turning to Ramona. She was definitely still frazzled, but she was at least feeling a little bit better than before.

..

code by RI.a

Spoiler: Mobile friendly!

Astrid sat on the boat as it swayed back and forth in the waves, staring at her phone. There was nothing on it -- the screen wasn't even unlocked -- but Astrid was sort of zoning out at it as thoughts ran through her head. Was this totally stupid? There's no way you're going to find love or friends or whatever doing something like this... you can't even make eye contact with anyone else on the boat. Stupid! Astrid shook her head, burying her face in her hands. However, a blessed distraction came before she could spiral any further. She had been hearing footsteps on the boat deck here and there for the last few minutes, but these ones were different -- they were getting... louder. Closer. Astrid looked up as the footsteps stopped and her vision landed upon another girl with an excitable grin on her face. "Hello new friend!", the girl bubbled. The sun was shining from behind the girl's head, illuminating her wild, red curls like a fiery halo. "My name is Ramona. Were you the person I spoke to about chores? Astrid? Am I right?" Astrid blushed, feeling heat spread to her cheeks. Oh, jesus, that's so stupid. What kind of idiot brings up chores as a conversation topic? Wait, she's only guessing about who I am, so does that mean that I look like the type of person who talks about chores? She's right, but still... It was after an all too long pause of Astrid panicking internally and gaping at Ramona like a goldfish that she finally remembered that she probably ought to answer the question. "U-um, yes! I'm, uh, I'm Astrid. Gr-ice to meet you." Astrid immediately cringed at her nervous error. "I, um... I meant to say great and then I switched to nice halfway through." She explained, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth as she almost couldn't help but laugh at her own social ineptitude. Nonetheless, she gestured at the seat next to her. "Would you maybe like to --"

However, before Astrid could finish her (rather courageous, at least for her) invitation, she was interrupted by the melancholic sounds of a violin being played from somewhere else on the boat. She furrowed her brow in thought, trying to recall who it was that played violin. She was pretty sure it was Tommy, the person who had beaten her at connect four over text the other day. He was a good player, she noted to herself. Suddenly, the boat lurched to life and began moving, eliciting a surprised squeak from Astrid. Almost as if on cue, Tommy switched over to a more lively tune. As Tommy's playing picked up, Astrid bounced along subtly to the music. To finish off his performance was a fun rendition of Cotton Eye Joe, sung rather badly by Tommy. While his pitch wasn't the best, it was the perfect thing to loosen Astrid's nerves a little bit, as she finally broke out into a small giggle. "Well, at least we have some entertainment for the trip," she remarked, turning to Ramona. She was definitely still frazzled, but she was at least feeling a little bit better than before.

 

[queenbean]

X
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Nat

X
X

Nat had been on the verge of accepting death in its most vicious form when music began to play. Familiar music that brought back bittersweet memories of the life she was leaving behind. A rush of nostalgia - and, honestly, a little sadness too - crashed through her like waves on the distant shore they're heading to. Closing her eyes, she could remember every movement of her last routine and almost feel it, ghost-like, in her muscles. She missed dancing more than anything else, but the old studio was too haunted with the phantoms of her past. She danced at home, sure, but it wasn't the same. There was no solid routine, no instructors, no recitals or shows or anything to keep her from completely losing her mind.

That was probably why she was so eager to sign up for this. She needed to move out of state anyway, and what was better than going across the country? Nobody knew her here, nobody needed to know her. She was a nameless face in the crowd, far from her small town and too-small-city. With another glance at the boy playing violin - who had picked up a much different song that Nat only knew from her ex's cousin's wedding years ago - a seedling of doubt planted itself within Nat. Was this really a good idea? Were any of these people really good for her? She could almost hear Nancy's voice now, "You need to make friends, Nathalia, you can't cower in the dark forever!" Geez. Talk about harsh.

To keep herself from spiralling too far too fast, Nat turned her attention to a man as he slumped against a railing opposite to the rest of the group. He looked like he felt just about as shitty as Nat. With that sense of comradery in mind, the brunette skirted around the edges of the group to join him. She watched him in silence for a moment, unsure of how to really approach someone she's going to be spending several months with on an island, before finally deciding enough was enough.

"Hey, cowboy," she drawled, trying - and failing - to hide her accent, which had gotten worse with her unfortunate state. "Not used to being out on sea?" She tried to keep her tone light and teasing, but to be honest, it had been a while since Nat talked to somebody who wasn't law enforcement, a bartender, or her godmother. She tried not to think of how depressing that was.

mood: socially awkward | location: boat outfit: x |tags: Kidzait (boone)

code: s e v e n

Spoiler: MOBILE FRIENDLY!

Nat had been on the verge of accepting death in its most vicious form when music began to play. Familiar music that brought back bittersweet memories of the life she was leaving behind. A rush of nostalgia - and, honestly, a little sadness too - crashed through her like waves on the distant shore they're heading to. Closing her eyes, she could remember every movement of her last routine and almost feel it, ghost-like, in her muscles. She missed dancing more than anything else, but the old studio was too haunted with the phantoms of her past. She danced at home, sure, but it wasn't the same. There was no solid routine, no instructors, no recitals or shows or anything to keep her from completely losing her mind.

That was probably why she was so eager to sign up for this. She needed to move out of state anyway, and what was better than going across the country? Nobody knew her here, nobody needed to know her. She was a nameless face in the crowd, far from her small town and too-small-city. With another glance at the boy playing violin - who had picked up a much different song that Nat only knew from her ex's cousin's wedding years ago - a seedling of doubt planted itself within Nat. Was this really a good idea? Were any of these people really good for her? She could almost hear Nancy's voice now, "You need to make friends, Nathalia, you can't cower in the dark forever!" Geez. Talk about harsh.

To keep herself from spiralling too far too fast, Nat turned her attention to a man as he slumped against a railing opposite to the rest of the group. He looked like he felt just about as shitty as Nat. With that sense of comradery in mind, the brunette skirted around the edges of the group to join him. She watched him in silence for a moment, unsure of how to really approach someone she's going to be spending several months with on an island, before finally deciding enough was enough.

"Hey, cowboy," she drawled, trying - and failing - to hide her accent, which had gotten worse with her unfortunate state. "Not used to being out on sea?" She tried to keep her tone light and teasing, but to be honest, it had been a while since Nat talked to somebody who wasn't law enforcement, a bartender, or her godmother. She tried not to think of how depressing that was.

 

[AreSneksSly]

Tobias Winfrey
[#48c758]
Location: Boat | Interactions: Hana ( StaidFoal ) | Mood: Dying | Outfit: Summer Boi​

Even though the little "PYEH?!" from Hana was rather cute, Toby had not anticipated it and reacted with a little jolt of his own, albeit without the accompaniment of a yell. Immediately he considered backtracking and quietly forgetting this whole debacle ever happened, but his legs were unresponsive and he stayed rooted in place instead, holding out the pen like a very strange statue. His face was starting to heat up, warming in embarrassment at his own awkwardness.

"Y-Yes!" was her response to his previous question, carefully taking the pen back and putting it away. Tobias’ mind lagged for a moment as he wondered what the hell he was going to do now, when Hana rose from her seat and bowed to him, uttering a strained apology. A frown tugged at Toby once he saw how nervous the girl was. His heart constricted for a moment, upset at himself for having put his friend through this, and he instinctively felt the urge to soothe her nerves with a smile. “It wasn’t a big deal really, I just wanted to…”

The soft melody of a classic piece drew his attention away from Hana, making the brunette turn his gaze away from her for a moment to look at the source of the sound. It was the man from the brown-haired duo playing the tune, letting the somber song drift through the boat, taking Toby’s words with it. “Yeah…” he muttered in response to Hana. He had barely registered her words, his attention stolen by the show.

The man played with finesse, striking Tobias with awe at his talent. Toby was never adept in the music department, possessing a terrible sense of rhythm. ‘My brain was never built for it, I guess,’ would often be his response if one were to ask why he couldn’t play an instrument or dance for the life for him.

Still staring through Flight of the Bumblebee, he finally cracked a smile when Cotton-Eyed Joe started up. It was simply subconscious, just a result of some faint association that his mind had made with a positive memory, but Toby’s smile grew into a grin when he finally recognized the tune. The addition of the violinist’s off-key singing made a laugh rise in Toby’s throat. He barely managed to stop it from floating out, producing an ugly snort instead.

The brunette’s fist shot up to hover over his mouth, and he felt his face get significantly warmer. ‘Shit, fuck, what the hell was that dude, I can’t believe you just--’ screamed his mind, only making his face heat up as his brain reeled at the fact that he had just snorted in front of Hana.

Hesitantly, he looked back at the woman he hoped to god hadn’t noticed that to see she was still rather embarrassed, though not as frazzled as before. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to distract myself from you..." she said.

“It’s alright, I was distracted too. I mean, who wouldn’t after that stellar performance,” he said. He had put an emphasis on stellar; not as a sarcastic slight to the man who played, but more in reference to that horrid yet beautiful rendition of Cotton-Eyed Joe. Hana bowed to him again, before lifting her head to look at him. Toby promptly reacted with a slight jump, his body tensing up and his thoughts entering a swirl of emotions as he awaited her inevitable horror.

Thankfully, she didn’t seem to recognize him, instead turning her attention to his footwear. Toby hadn’t realized it at the time, but the pen was open. Glancing down at his feet he lifted a leg to squint at the side of his shoe. There was a small dark smudge on the side of one of his sneakers, but he put it down before she could catch a glance, choosing to throw her a grin. “It didn’t get on anything, don’t worry. I just wanted to hand it back to you in case it rolled off the boat or something.”

Just as he finished his sentence, the boat’s whistle screamed and the ship roared to life. Instantly Tobias felt his stomach curl and thrash about. He stumbled a bit before he sat on the seat beside Hana’s. The world was rocking, every neuron in Toby’s mind telling him this was very, very wrong. The man found himself craving sweet land, and they had barely left the port. ‘This is going to be a long ride,’ Tobias decided.

Gripping the armrest, Toby let himself adjust to the new movement for a moment, before swallowing the lump in his throat and looking at Hana, grin fixed painfully onto his face. “Sorry about that, I... haven’t grown my seafaring legs, if you catch my drift, haha!” The laughter was terribly forced, a mask with a face that was scribbled over by a child and thrown into the toilet. Even his body language betrayed him at that moment, bending over with an arm wrapped around his stomach. Still, Tobias wore that grin, keen on making sure that Hana didn’t worry about some dumb stranger.

‘I need to introduce myself to her,’ whispered the voice in his head with a surprising amount of clarity. It may have been just his brain’s way of getting him distracted, but Toby decided that it was a good plan.

Carefully, and using the armrest as a hold, Tobias rose to his feet. “Hi there, my name’s Tobias,” he said. It had a little bit of a shake in it as Toby struggled to keep his head from banging against the floor, but it was calm and not too direct. He had a genuine smile too, which he saw as an achievement.

 

[ClownPope]

mood

Relaxed

location

On the boat

outfit

here

tags

Tommy RoseAstasia

Charles Andersen

Charles watched others arrive. Offering only a nod of recognition each time someone passed him. It was mostly quiet, which made him feel a tad better. He wasn't the only one who was nervous, some even downright ill. He felt odd watching them and dropped his gaze down to his feet. After a few moments, it seemed some started discussing between themselves. That was good too, the silence was beginning to also turn awkward.
Charles began tapping on the edge of the bench he sat on. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. His posture opened up slightly from the stiff statuesque pose he had forced himself into when he first sat down. Well, he might as well get this out of the way now. They'd have to introduce themselves eventually, so why not while they're all in one spot. "Um-" He didn't get far when someone stood and began playing their violin. Although taken a little off guard his shoulders relaxed and he just listened along. He didn't want to interrupt. Someone had mentioned playing in the text chat. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember who but of course when he tried to think of it his brain wouldn't grasp it.
When the flight of the bumblebees rounded down and cotton-eyed joe started he couldn't hold his laughter back. It erupted from down in his chest. That type of laughter catches you off guard. It wasn't really as funny as he was making it out to be but it was one of those things where once you laugh you can't stop. He quickly covered his face with his hands as it tapered off, then shook his head. A big grin spread across his face as he called across the cabin, his voice deep and slightly rough. "Hell yeah man, you know how to play devil went down to Georgia?" It seemed the display worked to take his mind off of how nervous he was.
When the boat lurched forward he gripped the edge of his seat. Internally fighting with the thoughts of the movement. Don't think about it. It's fine, you're fine. You've been on boats before. You're not dead, you're not dying. You're fine. Don't think about the water. Don't think about it. Damn it you're thinking about it. He forced himself out of it. The only visible difference being the slight rocking that went against the movement of the boat. It was silly but it made him feel slightly better. "Knew a dude who played in High school, couldn't count on his hands how many times someone asked him that." If he talked he could stop himself from hyper-focusing on it. "Never been too musical myself except singing, but my pipes ain't up for anymore." He let out a small chuckle.

coded by reveriee

Spoiler: plain text version

Charles Anderson [#F05F3B]

Charles watched others arrive. Offering only a nod of recognition each time someone passed him. It was mostly quiet, which made him feel a tad better. He wasn't the only one who was nervous, some even downright ill. He felt odd watching them and dropped his gaze down to his feet. After a few moments, it seemed some started discussing between themselves. That was good too, the silence was beginning to also turn awkward.
Charles began tapping on the edge of the bench he sat on. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. His posture opened up slightly from the stiff statuesque pose he had forced himself into when he first sat down. Well, he might as well get this out of the way now. They'd have to introduce themselves eventually, so why not while they're all in one spot. "Um-" He didn't get far when someone stood and began playing their violin. Although taken a little off guard his shoulders relaxed and he just listened along. He didn't want to interrupt. Someone had mentioned playing in the text chat. His brow furrowed as he tried to remember who but of course when he tried to think of it his brain wouldn't grasp it.
When the flight of the bumblebees rounded down and cotton-eyed joe started he couldn't hold his laughter back. It erupted from down in his chest. That type of laughter catches you off guard. It wasn't really as funny as he was making it out to be but it was one of those things where once you laugh you can't stop. He quickly covered his face with his hands as it tapered off, then shook his head. A big grin spread across his face as he called across the cabin, his voice deep and slightly rough. "Hell yeah man, you know how to play devil went down to Georgia?" It seemed the display worked to take his mind off of how nervous he was.
When the boat lurched forward he gripped the edge of his seat. Internally fighting with the thoughts of the movement. Don't think about it. It's fine, you're fine. You've been on boats before. You're not dead, you're not dying. You're fine. Don't think about the water. Don't think about it. Damn it you're thinking about it. He forced himself out of it. The only visible difference being the slight rocking that went against the movement of the boat. It was silly but it made him feel slightly better. "Knew a dude who played in High school, couldn't count on his hands how many times someone asked him that." If he talked he could stop himself from hyper-focusing on it. "Never been too musical myself except singing, but my pipes ain't up for anymore." He let out a small chuckle.

Mood: Relaxed
Location: On the boat
Outfit: here
Tags: RoseAstasia

 

[Kidzait]

Between his anxiety, seasickness, and the rendition of cotton eye joe played on one string, Boone was considering jumping in the water and swimming back to shore. At this distance from shore he could probably make it, considering he still knew how to swim. Even still, drowning wasn't a terrible option.

He was seconds away from removing his shoes and leaving someone without a partner when someone spoke up behind him.

"Hey, cowboy," someone fake drawled, "Not used to being out on sea?"

Boone glanced to his right and gave a weak smile at the woman. How was she already able to place him in the crowd? He had been here just as long and he couldn't say anyone's name for sure. Maybe there was a section in the chat about appearance I missed… he rationalized, not realizing he was the only one wearing blue jeans.

"Yepper. How'd'you guess?" he asked as playfully as he could, "I'm not even wearing the hat" Boone knew in the back of his mind that 'cowboy' was going to be his nickname for a while. Didn't matter if he wasn't an actual cowboy. Even he would admit that from the outside, that's exactly what it seemed like he did for a living.

Boone risked a longer look at the woman by his side, making sure to be obvious for the dramatic flare, "oh and you are…" he stretched the last syllable to give himself time to think. The woman next to him had skin so kissed by the sun that it had to be more than platonic. Boone couldn't tell if her eyes were always such a blue that he was unsure if it was a real color or a trick of reflection from the ocean. Despite all this, he completely blanked on a name and began to glance at the other people on the boat, still holding the last syllable in 'are'. "Ok! You got me! No one looks like how I imagined" he finally admitted, "wanna help me out, friend?"

Seems like now that the violin's song is done, people are getting back to introductions and small talk. This was where Boone struggled. If it wasn't for the experiment and the tropical island setting, he was sure he would be wandering the USA in his camper, only speaking with dinner staff and station attendants. Boone both worried for that outcome and longed for it.

 

[Sage Orion 0312]

Ramona Rowan

______________________________________________
Location: Boat
Interactions: peach moon Kidzait ClownPope AreSneksSly queenbean RoseAstasia
Outfit: Boho Outfit & Backpack
Dialogue Code: #95f9b5
______________________________________________

“Grice huh?” Ramona couldn’t help but chuckle.
She found the nervous combination of words, as well as their owner, far too adorable.
“I like that! Very original.”

The redhead cast her gaze around the area, primarily taking note of the ocean.
“What is it about nature that always takes my breath away?” she wondered to herself.

She then noticed one of the passengers walk towards the center of the deck with a violin in hand. Promptly he pulled his bow across the strings and began playing a haunting melody. Notes of Nocturne in C# swirled around the vicinity, causing the individuals on board to relax.

Fond memories started to stir in Ramona’s mind. Her parents, being the wealthy business owners they are, often held events with a live orchestra. Growing up she heard a lot of classical music but had always had a soft spot for Chopin. The first time she had heard this melody in particular was at the age of 5. One of the waiters picked Mona up and danced with her, making her feel like a princess in some fairytale.

“That’s gotta be Tombo.” Ray grinned looking back at the violin player.
“He mentioned over the group chat that he played a bunch of instruments.”

The passengers on deck continued to listen to the next song in silence. That is, until the first few notes of Cotton Eyed Joe began to play.
Laughing outright Ramona started clapping her hands to the beat of the song, barely hearing Astrid’s commentary on the entertainment.

“Yes I’m all for it!” She smiled, bouncing up and down before walking out towards the middle of the floor where Tommy stood.

Simply enjoying the present moment, Ramona continued clapping and began to dance around without a care in the world. Her movements were by no means coordinated, having mostly consisted of twirls and two steps. But some would note a wild grace in her dance. Raising her voice, she started to sing along with Tommy. Their voices were extremely off-key as a few giggles bubbled in between the lyrics.

“What a great start to this trip.” Ramona thought fondly.
“This is such a wonderful moment.”

The song ended far too soon. But once the final notes faded, Ramona cheered for the wonderful artist in question.
“Ohmygoodness yes! Way to go Tommy!”

She couldn’t help but noticed the pleased albeit embarrassed expression on his face.
Her next thoughts were consumed by a few of the other passengers on the ship. While she was dancing, she noticed a few people looking miserable and a little green.

“Dangit I KNEW I should have brought my essential oils.” She thought as she made her way towards her suitcase on the ground.

Kneeling down, she began rifling through her belongings in the hope of finding a good alternative. Ramona was addicted to few things in life. One of which being tea. She was a total tea snob. It had crossed her mind while packing that the island probably had plenty of drinks available. But she worried that all they had was the common Bigelow brand.

“Ah-ha!” She exclaimed triumphantly.

Pulling out a metal box she rifled through its contents before finding what she was looking for. In her hands were four tea bags. Peppermint tea to be exact. Ramona once spent a month living out of a van in the woods of Manitoba. Her time mostly consisted of reading a bunch of books and learning as much as she could. Some topics included a few texts on plant medicine. Peppermint had been known to ease nausea as well as other things. She, herself, often drank peppermint tea to calm bellyaches.

As if in a whirlwind, she approached a cute cowboy in blue jeans sitting next to a Sunkissed goddess.
“Is everyone on this island a model?” She wondered.

“Hello friends! I’m Ramona and this is for you.”
She proceeded to hand each of them a teabag, ignoring their bewildered expressions. She was quite used to coming across as a little insane.
“I know this sounds odd… But if you smell this it will help ease your nausea.”

With a little wave she walked away. Moving towards another contestant with palm leaves all over his shirt. Aside from looking a little green he also appeared extremely nervous. Almost as anxious as the person he was talking to.

“… my name’s Tobias.”

“Ah… so THAT’s Tobias.” Ramona thought before gently tapping on his shoulder.
“What a cutie pie.”

“Hi! I’m Ramona.” She smiled before clearing her throat and handing him a bag.
“This is for you. If you smell it, it will calm your nausea.”

Without wanting to interrupt the conversation any more than she already had, Ramona had already moved on to the next person.
Her final target was the muscular gentleman sitting by himself.

“Hello there!” She practically sang as she handed him the final bag.
“I’m Ray, and I also love Charlie Daniels.”

At the man’s confused expression, she prattled on.
“Smell this. It will make your tummy feel better.”

After accomplishing her mission, her mind shifted once more. Remembering the fact that she had (rather rudely) left Astrid mid-conversation.
“Dangit Ramona. There you go getting distracted again.”

“Excuse me.” She said to Charles before whirling around and walking back towards her pastel pal.

“I’m so sorry about that.” Ramona murmured before sitting down in her original seat.
“I often find myself wandering around without a thought sometimes.”

Hitting her head a few times she chuckled awkwardly.
“Stupid ADHD.”

Spoiler: Plain Text

______________________________________________
Location: Boat
Interactions: peach moon Kidzait ClownPope AreSneksSly queenbean RoseAstasia
Outfit: Boho Outfit & Backpack
Dialogue Code: #95f9b5
______________________________________________

“Grice huh?” Ramona couldn’t help but chuckle.
She found the nervous combination of words, as well as their owner, far too adorable.
“I like that! Very original.”

The redhead cast her gaze around the area, primarily taking note of the ocean.
“What is it about nature that always takes my breath away?” she wondered to herself.

She then noticed one of the passengers walk towards the center of the deck with a violin in hand. Promptly he pulled his bow across the strings and began playing a haunting melody. Notes of Nocturne in C# swirled around the vicinity, causing the individuals on board to relax.

Fond memories started to stir in Ramona’s mind. Her parents, being the wealthy business owners they are, often held events with a live orchestra. Growing up she heard a lot of classical music but had always had a soft spot for Chopin. The first time she had heard this melody in particular was at the age of 5. One of the waiters picked Mona up and danced with her, making her feel like a princess in some fairytale.

“That’s gotta be Tombo.” Ray grinned looking back at the violin player.
“He mentioned over the group chat that he played a bunch of instruments.”

The passengers on deck continued to listen to the next song in silence. That is, until the first few notes of Cotton Eyed Joe began to play.
Laughing outright Ramona started clapping her hands to the beat of the song, barely hearing Astrid’s commentary on the entertainment.

“Yes I’m all for it!” She smiled, bouncing up and down before walking out towards the middle of the floor where Tommy stood.

Simply enjoying the present moment, Ramona continued clapping and began to dance around without a care in the world. Her movements were by no means coordinated, having mostly consisted of twirls and two steps. But some would note a wild grace in her dance. Raising her voice, she started to sing along with Tommy. Their voices were extremely off-key as a few giggles bubbled in between the lyrics.

“What a great start to this trip.” Ramona thought fondly.
“This is such a wonderful moment.”

The song ended far too soon. But once the final notes faded, Ramona cheered for the wonderful artist in question.
“Ohmygoodness yes! Way to go Tommy!”

She couldn’t help but noticed the pleased albeit embarrassed expression on his face.
Her next thoughts were consumed by a few of the other passengers on the ship. While she was dancing, she noticed a few people looking miserable and a little green.

“Dangit I KNEW I should have brought my essential oils.” She thought as she made her way towards her suitcase on the ground.

Kneeling down, she began rifling through her belongings in the hope of finding a good alternative. Ramona was addicted to few things in life. One of which being tea. She was a total tea snob. It had crossed her mind while packing that the island probably had plenty of drinks available. But she worried that all they had was the common Bigelow brand.

“Ah-ha!” She exclaimed triumphantly.

Pulling out a metal box she rifled through its contents before finding what she was looking for. In her hands were four tea bags. Peppermint tea to be exact. Ramona once spent a month living out of a van in the woods of Manitoba. Her time mostly consisted of reading a bunch of books and learning as much as she could. Some topics included a few texts on plant medicine. Peppermint had been known to ease nausea as well as other things. She, herself, often drank peppermint tea to calm bellyaches.

As if in a whirlwind, she approached a cute cowboy in blue jeans sitting next to a Sunkissed goddess.
“Is everyone on this island a model?” She wondered.

“Hello friends! I’m Ramona and this is for you.”
She proceeded to hand each of them a teabag, ignoring their bewildered expressions. She was quite used to coming across as a little insane.
“I know this sounds odd… But if you smell this it will help ease your nausea.”

With a little wave she walked away. Moving towards another contestant with palm leaves all over his shirt. Aside from looking a little green he also appeared extremely nervous. Almost as anxious as the person he was talking to.

“… my name’s Tobias.”

“Ah… so THAT’s Tobias.” Ramona thought before gently tapping on his shoulder.
“What a cutie pie.”

“Hi! I’m Ramona.” She smiled before clearing her throat and handing him a bag.
“This is for you. If you smell it, it will calm your nausea.”

Without wanting to interrupt the conversation any more than she already had, Ramona had already moved on to the next person.
Her final target was the muscular gentleman sitting by himself.

“Hello there!” She practically sang as she handed him the final bag.
“I’m Ray, and I also love Charlie Daniels.”

At the man’s confused expression, she prattled on.
“Smell this. It will make your tummy feel better.”

After accomplishing her mission, her mind shifted once more. Remembering the fact that she had (rather rudely) left Astrid mid-conversation.
“Dangit Ramona. There you go getting distracted again.”

“Excuse me.” She said to Charles before whirling around and walking back towards her pastel pal.

“I’m so sorry about that.” Ramona murmured before sitting down in her original seat.
“I often find myself wandering around without a thought sometimes.”

Hitting her head a few times she chuckled awkwardly.
“Stupid ADHD.”

 

[RoseAstasia]

"That's some neat playing you did on the violin, although your singing can use some adjustment. The spirit's there just not the right pitch. What other songs can you cover?"

"Hell yeah man, you know how to play devil went down to Georgia? Knew a dude who played in High school, couldn't count on his hands how many times someone asked him that. Never been too musical myself except singing, but my pipes ain't up for anymore."

Tommy

Tommy smiles at sebas, “thank you, though the terrible singing was merely a facade. I sing better than that normally, I just thought it would help to pleasantly shock everyone and calm people’s nerves to hear me like that. I play by ear, so I can cover any song I hear after a little practice.”

he looks to charles, “I haven’t actually been asked to play that often, people usually request classical songs from me and have to tell me what it sounds like in general. However, I do know a little bit of devil went down to Georgia.”, he plays the intro to Devil went down to Georgia, “that’s all I‘ll play of it for now. I probably ought to put my violin away.“, he listens to the soft chatter of people talkin around, “I don't wanna distract everyone from their conversations too much.”

interactions: Life. ClownPope

 

[StaidFoal]

Hana Imai
#F7DA64


Location: Boat
Interactions: AreSneksSly (Tobias)
Mentions: Sage Orion 0312 (Ramona)​

"Yokatta... (That's good...)" she whispered at his answer to the open-sharpie-question. A wave of relief noticeably washed over Hana, putting a hand over her chest as she exhaled, also releasing the weight that momentarily gripped her heart. The boat's whistle then tore through the air, swaying Hana slightly as she peered out the window. Took a while for it to get moving, she thought. "Um..." When she turned back to Tobias, however, he now sat on the seat beside her's—which made her thankful that she sat up to bow—and clutched the armrest, looking painfully worse for wear. Are you okay? she thought of asking, but has there ever been a case where asking that didn't have an obvious answer? But what else do people say?

Hana zipped her lips as he urgently tried and failed to hide his uneasiness. If he wanted to hide it that badly, wouldn't it have been courtesy to play along...? While the rest of her body remained frozen in place, she opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. 'Y-You look—' she mouthed, but not at all loud enough for anyone to hear. Her eyes widened as the man forced himself onto his feet. N-No, don't get up! she mentally screamed, blanking out as he introduced himself; even his words held the same emaciation as his own state of being.

"Um..." she began, though still drawing void for what to address next. Fortunately for Hana, rescue came as a red-haired girl.

Hana didn't even notice her sneak up on the two. With a swift introduction of her name, Ramona passed a little bag for his nausea, then darting over to the next person. Looking around, she'd gone to almost everyone on the boat. She's like a storm... Hana could only stare in awe. She's... She's so amazing! "I didn't realize so many other people were seasick," she remarked, unintentionally telling how obvious Toby's mask was. Still reeling from the absolute extrovert that rounded through everyone, Hana turned back to the guy she was talking with. What did he say his name was? Tobias... Her eyes lit up with recognition, bringing a hand over her ajar mouth. Tobias Winfrey?! The guy version of Tammy?!

"The guy I texted..." She gently nodded to herself, remembering how she marveled at the coincidence. And to finally put a face to him... At that moment, Hana's nervousness went away, replaced with an earnest excitement. "Tight! So you're Roby? I—" An excitement that lasted exactly one second. The blush returned to her cheeks, and her voice died down to its natural quiet. "I am Imai, Hana... Please just call me Hana..." For third time within the same two minutes, she bowed. "I'm sorry. That's usually why I don't get ahead of myself, haha..." The laugh mirrored his own in terms of authenticity.

When in doubt, change the subject! Hana's sentience returned to reality, and the first thing she realized as her vision refocused was that she'd been staring daggers into Tobias during the entire exchange. Normally, she would've internally freaked out and ponder if it made him uncomfortable, but they were already past that milestone. You kind of look a bit like my friend I texted you about... Wouldn't saying that creep him out? Telling him he looks like a girl? Ultimately, Hana bit her lip. The weather never fails me! "You sure are nice weather today!" Indeed, it did get hotter for her.

 

[AreSneksSly]

Tobias Winfrey
[#48c758]
Location: Boat | Interactions: Hana ( StaidFoal ) | Mood: Eager!! | Outfit: Summer Boi​

In his nauseous state, Toby felt a few taps on his shoulder and he turned his head to see the woman with frizzy scarlet hair holding two small packets. “Hi! I’m Ramona,” she said with a sweet smile, handing over one of the bags. Tobias looked at it curiously. ”This is for you. If you smell it, it will calm your nausea.”

The man looked at her with a sort of shocked happiness, both confused at how she knew he was feeling seasick since he was hiding it so well, and incredibly thankful for the gift. It took him a moment to register Ramona’s name properly, but just as he opened his mouth to both thank and introduce himself to her, she was gone. Like a helpful spirit bearing gifts then disappearing into the woods.

Toby smiled. He would have to thank her later then. Glancing at the gift, Tobes was struck with the fact that randomly smelling bags in the open was kind of weird, especially if you were in a conversation with someone. ‘Does that mean I should save it for later then? But that would just be delaying my relief, right? I mean, it would also be pretty rude to Ramona if I ignored her gift, but Hana might be grossed out by me stuffing my nose into some mysterious packet containing an unknown powder. Wait, what is this anyway? It doesn’t look like something illegal, plus it smells kind of-’

"I didn't realize so many other people were seasick," Hana said, interrupting Tobias just as he was about to take a closer sniff. Toby let out a quiet “urk-” at the woman’s words. ‘Okay, so maybe I wasn’t hiding it well,’ the brunette thought to himself, his face flushing. Hana probably didn’t intend to be mean. Maybe she just wanted to subtly imply that whatever he was trying was not working and that he was better off.... not. Still, getting called out stung a little.

Peeking out of his brain for a moment, he realized Hana was muttering to herself about… something, before she turned to him with this giddy grin on her face. "Tight! So you're Roby? I—" she exclaimed, pausing for a moment. It had taken almost all of Toby’s willpower to stop himself from bursting out laughing as Hana’s blush returned and she shrunk in embarrassment. He didn’t mean to be rude but… Roby. Something about that simple slip up was so endearing yet hilarious to him and he couldn’t help but smile at it.

"I am Imai, Hana... Please just call me Hana..." she eked out, bowing once again. She also supplied a meek apology, followed by an awkward laugh. Tobias felt a pang of guilt for having felt the urge to chuckle earlier. “It’s nice to meet you Hana,” the man replied softly, giving her the gentlest smile he could manage. She was clearly mortified by her mistake, so even if he found it adorable, it would be best if he just refrained from addressing it.

The woman paused for a moment, before uttering, "You sure are nice weather today!" It was then that Toby guffawed, unable to stop himself. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, it’s just that-” he tried to say, before another giggle burst in his throat and he was left laughing again. ‘It wasn’t even that funny,’ he tried to reason with himself. But his brain was loopy and loopy brain thought this was the height of comedy.

As his lungs finally regained the air he lost, Toby managed to muster up enough energy to speak again. “I- pft- I must thank you for that Hana. I needed something to take my mind off things,” he said, wiping tears from his eyes with a genuine smile. “And yes, the weather is lovely today.” Feeling a lot better, Toby pondered over what to say next. Thinking back to her introduction in the text chat he remembered her saying some of her favourite dishes. He looked at Hana with a twinkle in his eye, excited at having found something he could talk to her about. “Say, you mentioned in the chat that you liked omurice and dorayaki; would you mind telling me what those are?” A bright spark went alight in his eyes and his tone became much more excited as he asked, "Have you ever tried cooking before?"