(no subject)

[prettypurpleparlor]

[The handwriting on the rock is Muffet's usual delicately intricate purple script, for once posing a question of her own instead of replying to someone else:]

When you first arrived here, what do you wish people had told you? What were the questions that would have been the most helpful to have answered?

Alternately, for those only recently arrived, what questions would you most like to ask those of us who have been here longer?

Comments

[covertizer]

How to dry my phone out, so that maybe I could ask the Storyteller to make it work again.

[ I mean. He's not lying. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Honestly, that's legit. She kind of misses technology.]

Normally my advice would involve putting it in a bag of dry rice or pasta to leech out the moisture, but food like that isn't in ready supply here, unfortunately.

[covertizer]

That's the go to back home but... no one had rice.

Or, Yuka did but she'd given it away to someone.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[She pauses, thinking back. Yuka... yes, hadn't she- oh dear. Well, that's a bit awkward.]

Ah, it seems I may owe you an apology, then- unless she had another bag of rice, she gave that one to me because I was doing a fair bit of the cooking around our camp at the time. I'm afraid there isn't much left of it by now.

[Muffet is pretty good at making stuff last, but that was a good six months ago and she's feeding anyone in need of it when they ask for help, there's only so long you can stretch one bag of rice. Even with magic.]

[covertizer]

[ Oh.

RIP cellphone, you had a chance and it was taken away for the sake of dinner. ]

Ohhh, you're the culprit.

[ Ah well. ]

From what I gather, if water hadn't done my phone in the battery would be long dead by now, so it's a bit of a non-issue really.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Alas, it seems I must admit my guilt in this.

[You'd think it would be difficult to convey playful melodrama through text, but somehow Muffet manages.]

Still, might I offer to make it up to you? There isn't enough rice left for drying out your phone, but I believe I have just enough to make you a decent meal. It seems only fair that you should get to have some.

[covertizer]

[ I mean. ]

I'm not going to say no to free food. [ Especially not here, where food isn't found as easily as walking into a shop and buying it. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

An entirely sensible attitude. Where would you like to meet?

[In theory she could just leave the food in front of the rock so he sees it next time he comes by, but in practice that seems likely to get it eaten long before he has the chance to try it.]

[covertizer]

[ Well. Where does anyone meet in this place? Akira doesn't have anywhere to be or go, so... he'll be patient, and just wait by the rock until Muffet shows up again.

Why arrange a separate meeting place when they could just meet at the rock? ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[That certainly works out- Muffet passes by the rock again relatively soon, as she's often traveling around the island for one reason or another. Seeing someone sitting right by the message she left, she has an inkling that this is likely her erstwhile conversation partner, and greets him with a playful smile.]

Hello, dearie. My name is Muffet, I don't believe we've met... at least, not in person.

[covertizer]

Hello.

[ Ah, his elaborate plan of just sitting where he was until someone showed up worked. Wonderful. He waves a little, hiding a grin behind his other hand. ]

I don't believe we've met face to face before either. The pleasure's all mine.

[prettypurpleparlor]

My, how sweet of you to say. Might I ask the name of such a charming fellow?

[She's having fun, really- it's nice to be a little silly sometimes, with how serious everything on this island can get.]

[despairing_hope]

How to survive on an island.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Were there any particular survival skills that come to mind? How to start a fire, perhaps, or how to fish...?

[crosslaced]

Are you starting something?

[prettypurpleparlor]

I'm considering putting together a guide for the new arrivals, since we seem to get them on a regular basis.

[crosslaced]

Off the top of my head:

-How to use the mana pool.
-Where to find shelter and food. A ration supply for newcomers would be ideal, but unlikely with our current circumstances.
-Fire starting, navigation.
-Names of people who know what they're doing, and are willing to help if someone finds themselves in trouble. A newcomer doesn't have the skills to feed themselves, for example, who do they go to?

A record of islands and events that have happened would also be useful, in my experience. But it needs storage space where it won't be damaged by the salt in the air.

[prettypurpleparlor]

All useful points, thank you.

A list of those available for help would have to change as people come and go from the island, but I've been maintaining a list of departures as well, so it wouldn't be much of a stretch to combine the two- or to begin keeping a history, as well.

As for maintaining all this information... I have a handful of ideas, but I'll need to ask the Storyteller about some of them, to see if they would work.

[crosslaced]

Safe journeys. Let me know if you need assistance.

[prettypurpleparlor]

My thanks. And please feel free to ask, should you want my help with something in return.

[souldeterminant]

a lot of things

[Unsigned, but written in the same blocky, exact scrawl that they've always used.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet has a vague guess at who might have written this response, but she can't be completely sure. Her reply, therefore, is gently neutral, phrased to avoid any unwanted demands.]

Entirely a fair response, although any specifics you care to bring up would be appreciated.

[souldeterminant]

[She won't have to wonder much longer, or puzzle out her suspicions. The next time she happens to pass the message board again, if she does, Frisk will be sitting next to it -- simply in the sand, one arm looped around their drawn-up knees, the other scratching an idle line back and forth across the rock's face with plain white chalk.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[She approaches the rock to check on further replies, and is somehow not surprised to see them sitting there. She hadn't anticipated meeting them here, but it feels like it's been time for them to talk for a while now.]

[Remembering their agreement, she looks around carefully to see if anyone else is listening, and it's not until she's certain no one else is in earshot that she greets them with a quiet:]

Hello, Frisk.

[souldeterminant]

Hi.

[Frisk turns to her and transfers the chalk to their other hand, rubbing their fingers together to dust some of its residue from their fingertips. They offer the chalk out to her with an open palm.]

You have good answers here.

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet takes the chalk with a fond smile and a 'thank you', toying with it absently in one hand as she looks over the answers on the rock for anything new.]

So I do. Hopefully, I'll be able to do something helpful with them.

[souldeterminant]

[Helpfully, Frisk points to a passage they think is new; or at least one they hadn't seen the last time they were here. They retract their hand and fold it back over their knees.]

What did you ask all this for?

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet gives it a look over, nodding thoughtfully.]

I was hoping to assemble a guide for newcomers, to give them some useful basic information without having to run around hoping people with more experience will be willing to answer their questions.

[souldeterminant]

That's a nice thing to do.

[Earnestly, without judgment. But then, they've always known Muffet was far more generous than a first impression might leave.]

What do you have so far?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Thank you, dearie.

[She knows they're a kind person, but she still appreciates their compliment.]

Largely it seems to be focused on wilderness survival skills- how to obtain food, water, shelter, and so on- and how to get around using the mana pools. I suspect a general explanation of the situation as we understand it would help, too.

[souldeterminant]

[Frisk nods. And then, promptly, they ask:]

Is there anything on how to FIGHT?

[prettypurpleparlor]

Nothing so far, although that would probably end up being part of wilderness survival- how to recognize and avoid some of the more dangerous creatures around here, and how to handle them if they can't be avoided.

Explaining the situation might also help with keeping people from fighting, too...

[You know, just start off with a simple "by the way, other worlds means that people might look weird to you sometimes, so don't freak out about that".]

[proficienciesouttheass]

HARD TO TELL, YOU KNOW? HINDSIGHT IS 20/20 BUT NOT LIKE WE WOULD HAVE KNOWN TO ASK.

I GUESS IF PEOPLE TOLD ME MORE ABOUT THE STORYTELLER I COULD'VE STARTED GETTING STUFF EARLIER.

ALSO, HUH, SOME STUFF THAT HAPPENED TO MY FRIENDS. BAD STUFF.

I WAS CARELESS. I WOULD'VE WORKED HARDER TO PROTECT EVERYONE.

NOT MAKING THAT MISTAKE AGAIN.




WHAT ABOUT YOU?

- MAGNUS

[prettypurpleparlor]

[Muffet blinks briefly, surprised, then smiles. He's the first one to ask about her own thoughts on the matter, and she finds that she appreciates the consideration.]

I hope that you and your friends fare better from now on, then. It sounds like they're lucky to have you.

Personally, I think I would have liked to be told that there were people from a lot of different species here, instead of the two that I was used to. I kept mistaking elves for humans, it was all terribly awkward.

[In her defense, elves look much closer to the average human than they do to the average monster, at least the monsters where she comes from.]

That, and it would have been nice to know that certain types of magic don't work quite as well here without having to exhaust myself trying to learn my new limits.

[proficienciesouttheass]

I THINK WE'LL BE FINE. THEY'RE ALL PRETTY STRONG, TOO, THIS PLACE JUST KIND OF SUCKED AWAY A LOT OF THEIR MAGIC, WHICH IS TOTAL ASS.

AND YEAH, GUESS IT MUST BE WEIRD TO SEE A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT PEOPLES YOU'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!

YOU CAN DO MAGIC TOO?

[prettypurpleparlor]

It is strange, but I find it rather fascinating, too. Learning about new worlds and new people is one of the things I enjoy about this place.

And yes, I can do a bit or two of magic. Most of my abilities seem to be working well enough, but my green magic- that's for healing- seems to take much more effort than it should.

[proficienciesouttheass]

YEAH, THAT'S PRETTY COOL! SEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT PLACES MYSELF, SO LIKE, ITS NOT THAT NEW. BUT SOME PEOPLE COME FROM INTERESTING PLACES.

OH. CAN YOU MAKE MAGIC WEBS?

[ Rude, Magnus.]

[prettypurpleparlor]

[At least she enjoys talking about herself?]

As a matter of fact, yes. I can also do more ordinary silk, of course, but my purple magic allows me to create binding threads if I so choose.

[proficienciesouttheass]

[ To be fair, he's just crass. He doesn't actually mean to be rude or insulting. Though he tends to overstep some lines. ]

OH WOW THAT SOUNDS FUCKING TERRIFYING!

[prettypurpleparlor]

Well, it rather depends on which side of the magic one is on at the time.

[Translation: only if you piss her off.]

[proficienciesouttheass]

YEAH, THAT'S FAIR.
SO, CAN YOU LIKE TURN PEOPLE INTO PUPPETS AND STUFF? OR IS IT JUST STICKY MAGIC WEBS?

[ When he leaves that message, he spends quite some time thinking about the details of this stuff. Maybe too much. It takes some effort to talk about spider stuff quite that much, but the delay between responses helps ease the heebie jeebies. ]

[prettypurpleparlor]

I suppose I could drag someone around by the string, but it would be in the sense of pulling them along, not controlling their body.

[So, like literal puppet strings and not creepy mind control.]

[proficienciesouttheass]

WOW. STILL PRETTY FUCKING CREEPY.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Well, I do try not to use it willy-nilly. Tying someone up with no warning would be rather impolite, after all.

[proficienciesouttheass]

YEAH, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION. PROBABLY.

[Hey, Mags, children read this rock.]

Wrapped unless you'd like to do more.

[prettypurpleparlor]

Indeed.

[Muffet is aware that children read this rock, which is why she is shutting this shit down before it drifts further into innuendo territory.]