> A young filly sets out to explore the islands and oceans off the coast of Baltimare. What strange and interesting places lie beyond the horizon?
The morning air was humid with a slight chill, as the sun had not yet risen all the way. Perfect conditions for adventure.
Of course, there was hardly a time that wasn't good for adventure.
There was one problem, however. Every adventurer worth her salt needs a good craft, and every good craft needs an equally good name. A ship with a stupid name would make a laughing stock of any serious adventurer.
The thing is, you're not that good at coming up with names. ...Or making a craft that can stay afloat for more than a minute.
But hey, that would be an issue for another time.
The title is everything, after all - or at least half the struggle, anyway.
What does our aspiring adventurer do?
>>25686291
Well get up, go outside, and get looking for that adventure!
>>25686291
Find someone that knows how to make crafts.
>>25686328
>>25686360
Come to think of it, you wonder why you're trying to go this alone. Sure, saying you built the most awesome craft on your island all by yourself would be impressive, but let's face it: you aren't exactly the best craftsmare there is.
You could look around to see if there are any books - hopefully with pictures - on how to make your raft better.
You also think your friend might know how to help better, but you're not sure exactly where on your island he is. You don't think he could be too far away though.
What do you do?
>>25686550
Lets us look for our friend
Two minds are always better than one
>>25686550
Do we know any places that would have a lot of books?
Let's look for our friend, is he in the usual spot?
>>25686550
Let's recruit our friend. He can be our first crew member.
>>25686550
Every good captain needs a good first mate.
>>25686587
>>25686605
>>25686640
>>25686685
You look through the few books you brought out to the workshop with you for inspiration, but you don't find anything useful after a quick skimming.
Maybe your friend could help you better.
You decide to try to find your friend Bodi. After a quick descent down the pathway from your house, you walk over to a small set of rocks sticking up out of the tide - his usual spot for meditation - and sure enough, he's sitting right there.
You're not sure if you wanna disturb his meditation, but then again he does this a lot, and you really need help with your amazing leaky sinky raft.
What do you do?
>>25687256
Compromise. Wait a few minutes and THEN talk to him and say you need help building a raft.
>>25687256
If he does this a lot he can do it later too.
Disturb that hippie
>>25687256
Try out this meditating stuff.
>>25687276
>>25687300
>>25687369
(Last one for the night, guys. I'll pick up again tomorrow most likely)
You're not sure if you should disturb Bodi or not. In fact, you seem rather torn between leaving him be, and getting him to help you.
You contemplate this for a while, tossing the idea over for a minute or so.
"Hey! Bodi!"
You got tired of waiting.
There's noo answer to your call, so you try it again. When he fails to notice you, you toss a pebble at his shoulder.
"Huh? Oh hey," Bodi says, turning to face you with a small smile.
"Sorry, I didn't hear you before, heh. Anyway, what did you want?"
What do you do?
>>25687731
Congratulations, you just got promoted.
>>25687731
You're my first mate now, come on we have to build a boat.
>>25687731
"Hey could you help me out with something?"
Then proceed to smile
I want to see the sea
>>25687731
Ask how much he knows about boats.
Ask for help in building a boat.
>>25693396OHHHH WE'VE GOT THIS NOTIONTHAT WE'D QUITE LIKE TO SAIL THE OCEAN
>>25687811
>>25687927
>>25687934
>>25688394
>>25693396
>>25691768
>>25695802
"Could you help me out with something?"
A few seconds pass in silence as you stand beaming at Bodi. After he realizes you didn't have anything to add to the question, he leans his head forward a bit and raises his eyebrows.
"Yeah, sure. But, like... what did you want help with?"
Before he can react you belt out the reason you came over here a little louder than you meant to: You need help with your ship! Well, it's more like a raft, but a ship sounds more impressive. After blinking a few times to clear the slight ringing in his ears, Bodi nods and smiles.
"Oh, so you're working on your raft again, huh? Glad you're not giving up on it yet."
As the two of you walk back towards your raft, Bodi lists how he can help you.
"Well, I don't know much about shipmaking, man, but my guardian taught me the basics in case I needed it."
After you both arrive to your glorious craft, you put a foreleg around Bodi's withers and gesture broadly towards your, well, project, for lack of a better term.
"Huh..."
He pauses for a moment before smiling again. "Yeah, I can help you build a better one."
"Well Congrats!!" You shout excitedly, thumping him on the back. "You've been promoted to first mate, buckeye!"
"Heh, thanks," Bodi says after rolling his shoulder a bit. "But we're not sailing that anytime soon. It needs, like..." He pauses for a bit to chuckle. "to stay above the water. No offence, man, but we need to go get some straighter beams. And some more rope. Also, some kind of like pitch would be rad."
What do you do?
>>25696272
Y'know what's straight? Tables. Lets get some tables. Also glue.
>>25696272
Ok, you go find pitch and rope.
I'll get some long hard wood.
For you, I mean us...
>>25696428
>>25696534
(I got my desktop back up and running, so my updates won't look so terrible anymore)
You nod and agree to get the beams if he can go find the pitch and rope.
"Sure thing, man. I'll be back in a little bit" Bodi says as he leaves you to your work. After he leaves, you rack your mind for where to find straighter beams... or anything else that would work for a raft's base.
Now, where to find some long, hard wood around here. You meander around the back of your shed until you see an old table. Your eyes light up when you see it. It's perfect!
Well, maybe not perfect yet, but it's a heckofa lot better than the kindling you made earlier. You're pretty sure that gravel would stay afloat better than what you had before.
You drag the table to your now empty work area and flip it upside down. There, that should do it! You also beef the flag from your old crappy raft and lay it on the ground next to the new and better raft.
Bodi said he'd go and get pitch and rope, but you still need some glue and maybe a few other things you can't think of at the moment.
What do you do?
>>25697402
Now we just need some boards, nails and a hammer. Then we can put them on the table legs so we can be INSIDE the table while we explore. We also need some kind of sealant. Some culk would be good.
I have no idea what I'm doing.
>>25697402
Don't we need a sail or at least a paddle?
>>25697513
>>25697534
Nails, hammer, and paddles sound good.
>>25697402
We need a sail and a mast. A strong sheet might do it.
>>25697600
time to get to work
>>25697513
>>25697534
>>25697558
>>25697600
>>25698052
You realized that you probably shouldn't have put the can of nails away, so you go get them and put the can inside the tableraft. And as for a sail... well, you have a blanket? Well, it's more like a canvas than a blanket. It was some ugly thing your mom used to use in the sunroom, but it's been in storage forever, so you figured she wouldn't notice it was missing.
You'll have to wait until Bodi gets back before you can put a mast up. Everything you have is too small to use, and the wood you think would fit is a bit too heavy for you to lift on your own. You keep the flag near the tableraft in the meantime however.
You know, standing inside this thing, you realize that it's a bit small to go sailing anywhere with. You might need to make it bigger somehow. You figure you'll ask Bodi about that too when he shows up again.
So... nails, sail, table, flag that we can't install yet... Oh wait, how's this thing gonna stay afloat? It's heavier than the bundle you had before. Maybe you should put something underneath it?
What do you do until Bodi returns?
>>25698241
We got any bottles lying around? Sealing them while they're full of air and sticking them to the bottom might work. That or we could layer more wood on the bottom.
>>25698241
I think this filly may be retarded, but on the other hand I have no better an idea of how to build a raft, so I guess we're all in the right place.
>>25698241
Saw the legs off?
>>25698241
do we have an innertube?
>>25698241
I have no idea how to boat.
>>25698311
>>25698364
>>25698386
>>25698400
(Last one for the night, folks.)
You wonder if you have any empty bottles or something similar around the yard you could use for the cause. You know that whatever you use, it has to be able to withstand the conditions of the sea, so that rules out the pool floaties you have. As you walk around the back of your house, you see some old plastic barrels that your dad used to use for storing cleaners in. Those might work!
About the time you get the barrels back to the work area, Bodi returns from his own search for materials. He has a small wagon loaded with jars of a black sticky substance, and a small coil of rope as well.
When he sees the progress you've made, he stops, looks between you, the barrels and the table and lets out a small chuckle.
"Well... I guess that works. It wouldn't work very well without the barrels though, so good thinking on that, man. But... the table looks a bit small for both of us."
You nod and tell him about the mast as well. "Ah. Well, like I guess we could try cutting it and adding some stuff to the center - like a piece of flat wood or some logs or something. And yeah, I can totally help with dragging a mast beam over."
After a good while later of working and sawing the table, you start to get hungry and realize that you've spent the better part of the morning working on your amazing raft. You ask Bodi if he's hungry as well, and you're answered with a nod. "Yeah man, I suppose I'm a bit hungry. Were you gonna take lunch?"
A lunch break does sound pretty good by this point. You could still work a bit longer if you really wanted to though. What do you do?
>>25699185
I'm not a man, Bodi, I'm a filly.
We also need to modify the table sufficiently so the rightful owners don't drag it back inside.
>>25699185
Maybe if we got two tables and attached the together it'd be big enough.
>>25699185
You can't work on an empty stomach. Get some food.
>>25699245
how do we build food
>>25700309
Ask Bodi if he can build food.
>>25700309
Let's forage for food then even though I'm sure this filly lives in a house.
beb
>>25704154
we must lib
>>25699185
is it still night?
>>25699219
>>25699245
>>25700309
>>25701803
>>25702728
>>25706572
You decide it's time for lunch. Setting down your tools, the two of you make your way back towards your house to raid the pantry for whatever you can find to eat. You think that there's a loaf of bread and maybe some cheese you could pilfer.
"Hey Bodi!" You call, spinning around and trotting towards some shrubs. On a whim, you decide that you need to forage for food, even though you have stuff inside the house.
"Yeah?" he responds, watching you curiously to see what you're up to.
"You're good at building... but do you know how to build food?" You ask with a laugh, grabbing some berries you forget the name to. Your mom uses these in food sometimes though, so you know they're not poisonous or anything.
'Heh, yeah," Bodi replies with a chuckle, "I think I can make food, man."
"I, am not a man." You retort, sticking out your tongue at Bodi. "I am a filly!" Your expression looks more comedic than you intended however, as you're carrying a branch of berries in your mouth. Bodi answers with another chuckle, shaking his head slowly and grinning.
Having found some good food, you both retire to your house for lunch, scavenging the pantry for some bread, apple juice and a few wedges of cheese. With your berries, it makes a good midday meal.
"Well," You begin to ask after the two of you finish off your meal. "ready to get back to work?"
"Sure. I'm up for anything, filly-man." Bodi answers with a smile.
You turn away to burp into your foreleg; your belly's way of saying it's full. You should probably get back to work if you wanna finish the raft today and have time to test it out, but you don't have to if you don't want to.
What do you do?
>>25707321
The sea wait for no man!
Filly.
>>25707321
Let's work into the evening and then stop since we have to be inside the house before dark.
>>25707385
>>25707402
You want to get the raft done as soon as possible so you can test it out tonight or tomorrow, depending on what time you finish.
Returning to work, you manage to finish sawing the table in half, attach the center boards to the raft, and coat the entirety of the craft in the pitch that Bodi brought. Since it needs to cure, you actually aren't able to lash the barrels to the hull for a few hours.
You have other work to do, however. While the pitch dries, you begin crafting the cabin of the raft - Bodi mentioned that a cabin might be a good idea to keep things dry. The only thing you thought of to use was your toybox, but sacrifices are necessary sometimes for progress.
One messy room later, you manage to drag the toybox to the work area and remove the lid so you can get things ready to use it as a cabin. Bodi will need to coat that in pitch as well.
Whatever he's using smells terrible, and the smell is really strong. It makes you a little light-headed, but you're thankful that there's ventillation where you're both working.
When the pitch cures to a point where you can work with the table again, you and Bodi lash the barrels together with rope, and attach the mast pole. By the time you finish installing the cabin, you realize that the sun is already near the horizon. Time sure flies when you're having fun.
You stand back and admire your work.
"Wow..." you mutter. "It looks... really good!"
You couldn't be happier at your craft. Well, you could be, assuming this thing passes the float test. That would have to be saved for daylight though.
"Yup. I think it'll be rad once it's tested." Bodi says with a nod.
Well, there's still a little light outside. Not enough for working on the raft anymore tonight, but there's still things you both can do.
What do you do?
>>25708057
Go inside and work on a sick flag design.
>>25708057
Maybe get a tarp to stretch around the table. That might keep us even dryer.
If no tarp then we need to make paddles and a flag.
>>25708057
Ask bodi's mom if he can spend the night at your house?
>>25708057
Where are supplies going to go?
>>25708094
>>25708129
>>25708134
>>25708418
Bodi mentions that he should get going soon, as he doesn't wanna bug you anymore thiis evening.
"Hey, wait," You call, stopping him as he was in the process of packing up. "You wanna stay over? We can work on the flag tonight!" Bodi thinks for a moment before nodding.
"Sure thing. I'll ask my guardian if I can stay over. I don't think she'll say no, so I guess I'll be back over here soon. That way we can test this tomorrow! We need to do something about supplies. Anyway, Later, man!"
Bodi cleans up his area before leaving towards his cottage to see if he can stay over. He'll most likely be back at some random point tonight not too far from now.
In the meantime, you gather the tools that need put away for the evening and return them to their rightful spots before heading inside.
Once in your room, you spread a few blank pages across the floor and grab a few markers. It's time to get planning your awesome flag!
As you soon discover, though, coming up with an awesome design isn't as easy as it sounds.There are so many different things you could use! You suppose you should figure out what you want the flag to mean.
What do you do?
>>25708956
How about a star? Stars are cool.
>>25708956
Well the crew is Erf and Pegasus.
So I say a Horseshoe with crosswings.
Like so
>>25709016
This with stars, yeah~
>>25709036
I like it.
>>25709036
That looks pretty great, actually.
>>25709036
((I like that a lot. Great call.))
>>25708999
>>25709022
>>25709061
>>25709066
You spend a little while doodling ideas, but you can't seem to think of anything noteworthy. You need something that shows off your team! Out of ideas, you look down at the horseshoe that you were doodling, and you wonder... first you add a wing to one side, than the other... now it just needs something. After a few moments, you decide that it needs a star!
One star later, and you look back at your drawing, feeling excited. That'll work perfectly!
You're inturrupted from your achivement by a familiar voice.
"Hey, she said I could come over. I didn't see you downstairs, so I wondered where you-"
You didn't give Bodi the chance to finish as you sprung up, turned around and proudly showed off your amazing flag.
"Fee! I got veh fwag design!" You exclaimed, paper in mouth.
"Huh. Can I have it for a sec?" Bodi asked. You place the paper in his hooves, and as he looks at it you point out the design.
"See? There's a hoofshoe for me, and wings for you, and a star because it's cool. You like it?"
Bodi chuckles. "Yeah. I like it, man. It's pretty good."
>Continued in the next post
>>25709460
You giggle and mention that now you can officially test the raft tomorrow.
"Mhm," Bodi agrees before remembering something. "Oh yeah, about the cabin. It'll work for now, but with us both inside there's not a lot of room for rations or anything. We'll have to work something out if you wanted to take it anywhere further than the other side of Naue."
You slowly nod as you think about what he said. The island you lived on was not too big, but with all the weird currents around the area it would be dumb to not plan on something going wrong if you were to sail off the coast any.
"Okay. We can add something if this works." You say with a smile. The foodbox would be one of the final touches to the raft, other than naming the silly thing.
It seems you've already done what you were going to do this evening. By now the sun has just about set, and other than dinner, there's nothing you really have planned for the evening.
What do you do?
>>25709469
Carry a lot of food in saddle bags?
Let's eat dinner and then take a bath.
>>25709527
((Last one for the night))
You both head downstairs for dinner, joining with your mom for cooked cabbage and apples. The meal goes nicely, and you make small talk, but nothing too exciting ocurrs. After the meal, your mom helps Bodi get a bedroll set up in your room on the ground while you head to the bathroom.
There's nothing quite like relaxing in a poofy bubblebath, and you smile as you make the bath nice and bubbly. Bodi will be in for a bath after you're done.
After a while you finish your bath and head back to your room, nice and clean from the day's adventures, and ready for another day of adventure tomorrow. While Bodi takes his bath, you think about the raft and how cool it will be when it floats during your test tomorrow.
Bodi returns after a while, and flops on his bedroll as you sit up to look down at him. It's getting late, and while you could just go to bed now, you could also do something like talk about the name of the raft.
What do you do?
We could call the ship summer wind?
We could call it the adventure bringer too. Since it brings us to adventures.
>>25710225
We should discuss it.
And also Bodi's verbal tick, man.
>>25710833
He needs help, man.
You know what else this boat needs? life jackets.
bump from 10
>>25710564
>>25710833
You lay in bed thinking about what to name your awesome raft. there's so many possibilities! You want it to be named something adventerous, as you plan on doing just that.
Bodi finishes his bath and enters your room while you're pondering names. Settling into his sleeping arrangement, he looks up at the ceiling, and you look over at him as you ask about names.
"So... I was thinking about what to name our raft! How does 'Summer Wind' sound?"
"Hmm... it's okay." He responds.
"What about 'the Adventure Bringer?"
Bodi scrunches his mouth to one side in contemplation. "Well... it's a bit long, you know?"
You frown slightly in thought and try to come up with more ideas. What seems like a long time passes in silence before Bodi speaks up again.
"What about 'Makawni?'"
"What?"
"Makawni. It means 'the wind'"
You look up at the ceiling, pondering the name.
"What about 'Freedom?'" you ask.
"Maybe," Bodi replies.
Well, it seems that you still haven't agreed as to what name to use. What do you do?
>>25717050
It's hard to think of a name that says we have an insatiable appetite for adventure.
though I like makawni because it makes me think "where the wind takes us."
how about " the explorer"
>>25717050
The Horizon?
>>25717050
Bodi's a fuckin nerd.
What kinda name is Makawni? Is that in some pegasus language?
Stick to names we can pronounce, ya hippy.
>>25717050
How about the "Sand Dollar?"
We need a captains hat and Bodi needs to wear a bandana.
>>25717164
>>25717194
>>25717196
>>25717220
>>25717989
The two of you toss around ideas for names for some time without really reaching a conclusive agreement.
"The explorer?"
"Hmm... What about Sand dollar?"
"Horizon?"
That last name seemed to strike a chord with you. You run the name by a few more times, getting a feel for the way it sounds.
"Horizon... the Horizon... I like it!"
"Mhm, I like it too, man" Bodi replies. "And it's neat because it also means how we're exploring th horizon with it."
It's settled. Tomorrow morning, you and Bodi are going to make a trial run of the Horizon. You also need to paint the name on the hull somewhere so everyone can know it's name.
But that will be tomorrow. For now, you try to not get too excited - you wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise.
A few more minutes pass in stillness before you speak again.
"Hey Bodi?"
"Yeah?"
"We should make hats tomorrow. I can be the captain, cuz the raft was my idea. You can have a cool bandana for your first mate outfit!"
Bodi chuckles at this, grinning a bit. "Sure, if that's what you want, man."
A few moments of relative quiet pass as you suddenly think of another question.
"Hey Bodi?"
"Yeah?"
"Why do you say 'man' all the time?"
Bodi makes a contemplative face for a moment before he responds. "Well... I guess I'm not sure. Like... uh, I guess I picked it up from my guardian Koko. I guess it just, like, stuck or something."
You respond with a quiet 'huh' as you mull it over while stretching a little. You had always wondered why he always spoke like that.
Things are getting quiet again, though the two of you aren't asleep yet. You could always call it a night now, or you could ask Bodi some more questions.
What do you do?
>>25718213
Adventurers need their sleep.
>>25718213
Try to sleep. Tell bodi to have a good night and thank him for helping you so much today.
>>25718213
What time is it, currently? A few more questions back and forth couldn't hurt if the night's still young. We could still be up bright and early to test things out.
Ask about Koko. Also ask the extent of his sailor smarts.Will he need us to protect him if we run into monsters?
>>25718271
>>25718311
>>25718798
As you lay there you realize how tired you actually are from all the construction you've been doing. Maybe you can ask Bodi more about Koko tomorrow. As tired as you are, It doesn't take long at all to fall sound asleep.
The next day dawns just as brisk and humid as the last one, but at the moment you don't realize it from under your covers inside your room. By the time you wake up, you notice that Bodi's spot is already empty. He must already be downstairs.
The first order of business once you fully wake up is to use the filly's room. One pit stop later, and you're ready to head downstairs for some breakfast. You still don't see Bodi as you head into the kitchen and get some cereal ready. You wonder where he is for a bit, but you figure if nothing else he's probably back at his normal meditation spot. That colt likes the sunrise a bit too much, perhaps.
One quick breakfast later, and you're ready to go on another adventure! What should the first order of business be? It's a new day, and the possibilities are endless.
What do you do?
>>25719094
Let's go pick up bodi so he can help us look for a paddle for the boat and we also need a some kind of tarp.
>>25719124
(Last one for the night)
You head outside to find Bodi, and sure enough, he's in the same place he normally is in the mornings: on the large rock down the pathway from your house, in a small inlet where the water laps up around the rock's face. He claims it's the best place on the island for meditating. He's probably right however, as it is pretty calming there.
You need to get his attention again, but this time, instead of tossing a pebble at him you decide to drape over his back for the heck of it.
"Heeeeeey, ready for finishing the raft?" you ask excitedly. Today was the day you were going to test the Horizon! The anticipation was getting to be a little bit too much. You could already see yourself sailing across the ocean; sails raised, wind buffetting your mane and the salty air invigorating your body. You wondered how fast your raft could actually sail. You don't think it would be as fast as a boat, but a boat isn't as cool as the Horizon will be once it's finalized.
Bodi comes out of a meditative state and smiles, looking over at you before responding.
"Morning! And yeah man, we're going to finish testing that thing soon. Don't worry: it'll be seaworthy here in no time."
You giggle in giddy anticipation. Your excitement is paused for a millisecond as you remember something.
"Oh yeah, hey Bodi. We still need a paddle or something, right?"
"Mhm," he answers you. "And something to cover the cabin, I think. Do you have, like, a tarp or something we can use?"
You shrug. You're not sure what you have anymore.
"Alright. Well, I have a paddle or two at my cottage. I'll go get them if you wanna get the other stuff prepped for the test float."
You nod and hop off of him, trotting back to the workstation and your beloved raft. Let's see... other than a tarp of some sort, attatching the sail to the mast, making the flag and writing the name on the raft, you're not sure what else needs done before you test it out.
What do you do?
>>25719966
Let's find some paint and a brush and write our name on the ship since that's the easiest thing to do right now. Plus it will take time for the paint to dry.
>>25719966
Acquire parental permission
beb
find hat!
>>25720036
>>25723875
Paint and hat bump.
I hope we find something awesome on our first adventure.
>>25720036
>>25720331
>>25723875
>>25724814
>>25725788
You wonder what your mom would say about your awesome raft. It had to be the coolest raft on the island! Then again, you did use a lot of her stuff...
You figure you'd ask her after it passes the float test. No sense in explaining the situation if all your hard work was for nothing.
Looking at The Horizon, you remember that you still need to paint the name on the side! Rushing into the back downstairs room of your house, you procure some red paint and a brush before galloping out to the raft. A few strokes later, and your raft is official! It has to float now: it has a good name. It would be stupid to name your craft only for it to sink on the first trial.
Well, that takes care of the name. But what was there left to to? You chew your lip in thought before it hits you: your captain's hat! Every good captain ever has a hat worthy of adventure. It just so happens that you have an old play hat your mom bought for you last year that will do perfectly! Rushing inside again, you find the hat and place it on your head.
>Item added: Plain Captain's Hat
Now that you have your hat, you... Oh yeah, Bodi needs a bandanna still! You look around for a while, but soon realize that you don't actually have any bandannas. Bummer.
Well, you have your captain's hat, so that's a good start at least. Bodi still hasn't came back with the paddle yet.
What do you do?
>>25726770
craft bandana from other mom things
>>25726770
What about the flag and tarp?
>>25726770
Maybe bodi will find his own bandanna. Or maybe we can go to a store and buy one? They shouldn't be expensive. It's just a square cloth.
>>25726815
>>25726851
>>25726788
You think about where you can get a wicked cool bandanna for Bodi. The general store across the bridge might have one - you'll check to see if they have one the next time you're there... which might be sooner thatn later as you'll most likely go there anyway to get some supplies for your maden voyage. That is, once you get your raft afloat for good.
As you think about fashion accessories for your first mate, Bodi returns with the paddle.
"took me longer to get it than I thought," he starts explaining. "Like, it was pretty far buried under everything. Koko and I don't use paddles that often, man. We usually stick to boards instead, ya know?"
"It's cool. Oh, and did we need a tarp still? I couldn't find any good ones." you tell him before mentioning your lack of bandannas with an apology.
"Ah, well we might need to buy one or something. And It's fine, man. I don't have to wear a bandanna."
"No. You're getting a bandanna!" You explain, gesturing wildly. "my first mate needs an awesome bandanna! Even if I have to make one myself!"
Bodi responds with a chuckle. "Whatever you say, man."
The two of you then proceed to make the flag, painting and sewing a white horseshoe and wings - and a star - in the center of some red canvas you hoped your mom wouldn't miss too much. It's finished before too long, and the two of you hoist it up to let it fly free and proud.
"It's... beautiful." You say slowly, gazing up at the callsign of adventure. You feel a rush of energy surge through you as you look up at the flag, letting you know that the horizon awaits. ...you also realized that you gave your raft the perfect name.
"Well," Bodi asks. "ready?"
What do, aspiring adventurer?
>>25727550
Tie a rope to the ship and then try to push it out to sea. Time for the float test.
>>25727550
Carry awesome Horizon raft to the shore and set off for testing its seaworthiness.
>>25727625
>>25727749
The time has arrived for the float testing of The Horizon, and you couldn't be any happier. You giggle repeatedly as you make a pathway to the nearest body of water, making sure there's nothing in the way of The Horizon.
Now, moving the raft itself was a little more tricky than you imagined, as it weighed a bit more than you realized. It was a struggle at times to drag the raft down to the water, but somehow, finally, you managed to slip the raft into a shallow and calm section of the bank, tying a rope to it so it doesn't drift away on you.
"Ohmygosheeehheeheheewedidit!" You squeal, hopping in place glefully, watching your craft sit in place above the water. Bodi smiles and adds "mhm, it floats, but we still need to see if it'll hold up to any kinds of pressure or anything."
The two of you then proceed to hop, stomp, dance, rock back and forward, and otherwise stress-test the raft like suger-crazed foals. The raft holds surprisingly well! You do notice that you're going to need to put a tarp over the cabin after all. Oh well. Maybe the store will have one that you can afford.
"Well," Bodi says in his usual calm demeanor, "It floats."
No dip, Bodi.
Well, it seems your craft is official after all! What is the next course of action, young adventurer and successful raft-crafter?
>>25728298
Shopping for essentials. Tarp and bandanna.
>>25728298
Let's go to the store and get that tarp. Make sure you pull the ship to shore and also tie it to something. Let's also pack up some food like sandwiches.
>>25728362
>>25728369
((Well, I derped and forgot to color the flag and part of the mast on the last update. My bad. Just pretend the insignia's there.))
You nod eagerly, ready to be off on your grand adventure... though you should go get a tarp first. And a bandanna.
"you really want that bandanna, don't you," Bodi says with a laugh. You scrunch your face and tell him that he needs to just accept it already. He's going to wear one before the day's over with.
You beam at Bodi and ask if we can use the brand new raft to sail to the store.
"Nah man, remember?" Bodi replies, Pan's is on the top of that big rock face on the other side of the bridge. We'd have to sail a ways away before we could find a good place to moor. We'd be better just to walk it this time."
That's right. You remember that the best way towards Pan's Primitives and poltices, the only general store for a good ways around that side of the Naue islands, was by land. That's just how the topography was. You didn't know why they built where they did, but pan was weird anyway.
You remember that you need bits in order to buy anything. You think you have about 40 or so, but you're not sure exactly what you have.
What do you do?
>>25728828
Check to see how many bits we have.
>>25728828
Grab bits and head for the store. We can count them on the way.
>>25728872
>>25728899
((Last one for the night, guys.))
You tell Bodi that you need to go back home to get your bit pouch before you can head to the store. He nods as you flop off the raft and into the shallow water, splashing everything around yourself and causing Bodi to chuckle before doing the same.
When you arrive back at your house, you trot back into your room and scrounge for your bit purse. It takes you a minute or so to actually locate it, and you drape it around your neck before heading back outside to meet Bodi on your porch.
>Item added: Small coin purse
Along the way, you count up your bits to see what your shopping limit is.
>Total # of bits = 43
"Well, it's not a whole super lot," you say to Bodi. "forty-three bits. I hope the tarp isn't expensive."
Bodi shrugs. "I dunno, man. It shouldn't be."
"Cuz I still need to buy you that bandanna!"
"Pfft" Bodi retorts, snickering a bit. "You and that bandanna..."
The two of you keep walking along untill you come up to the bridge. It spans quite a length, and it's hard to see the other side from here.
"Oh," Bodi says, "Koko said she wanted a few things from Pan's for something she's working on. She already has a tab so I don't need to bring anything." You shrug in approval: you don't mind staying a little longer to get some stuff for Bodi.
From here it'll still be a good half hour or so to go over the bridge and climb up to the store. You can pass the time in quiet, or you could find something to do or talk about to keep you interested. What do you do?
>>25729341
Think we can start up a tab and get that tarp?
>>25731957
If we have a good way to pay it off
>>25733474
doing chores or asking for an early birthday present?
10
>>25731957
>>25733474
>>25734414
You have a hunch that the tarp will cost a lot. Hopefully it won't break your bank, but you aren't sure. Maybe you could ask your mom how much a tarp costs? It'd be quicker to go home and check than it would be to trek all the way to the store, only to be dissappointed.
The two of you decide to turn around and go back to your place. You need to ask mom if she knows how much a tarp costs, and if it's too much what you can do to earn bits.
You find your mother MOMNAME, a tall unicorn with a white mane and pinkish red highlights at her desk in the main floor of your house.
"Hey mom," you begin, "how much does a tarp cost?"
"A tarp?" MOMNAME replies, making a few more notes on some paper she was writing on. "Why do you need a tarp, dear? Are you covering something outside?" You say you're trying to keep water off of your raft, and you need a tarp. MOMNAME turns to look at you and Bodi in slight confusion. "Um, I think they're about 40 bits or so, but I'm not sure exactly. You have a raft? Oh, is that what you were doing out in the backyard yesterday?"
You nod eagerly. "Yup. We're gonna explore!"
(1/2)
>>25736546
(( I realized I massively derped on the last post there. Your mom's name is Heartwine.
Uuugh, my bad, heh.))
Your mom looks at you in concern. "Dawn, you know that the waters around here can be pretty dangerous. I don't want you going out too far from shore, alright honey? Bad things can happen out there, and I've heard talk that there's been some strange magical storms out on the waters. Nopony can explain why they're there, and I don't want you getting hurt."
"It's okay mommy," You respond with a wide smile. "Bodi's coming with me! He's good at sailing, and he said that we're going to go to the shore."
Your mom tilts her head slightly, a concerned smile still visible on her features. "Alright... But do be very careful. I want you back before sundown, you hear? The sea isn't so kind at night if you don't know what you're doing."
You nod before mentioning the need for bits. You only have 43, and would like to make some extra money for supplies.
"Well..." Heartwine begins. "You could always clean the house." You frown slightly at this, and your mom responds with saying that the garden could use some weeding. There's also some flowers that she needs delivered to her friend, if you feel like playing gofor. Each job would probably bring you about 5 bits, and the delivery job about 10. What do you do?
(2/2)
>>25736574
Let's get rid of some weeds and then ask for a payment in advance for delivering the flowers. Then we can head straight to the store after we give the flowers to her friend.
>>25736574
MOMNAME isn't such a bad name for a mom.I do that kind of placeholder thing in my writing too, ha, it happens.
How long would each take? And is the friend on the way to the general store?
I say delivery first and weeding too if can do both; cleaning a house probably might be a lengthy chore.
>>25736574
Lets split up so we can do two jobs at one and do the delivery on the way to the store. Ask for the bits in advance for the last one so we wont have to make two trips.
>>25736574
Ask Brodi if he's okay doing one job while we do the other. We can do the flower job last on the way to the store.
>>25736600
>>25736628
>>25736653
>>25736673
You think about your mom's offer for a minute before asking if you can do one job while Bodi does the other.
"Um... I guess you can. I'm giving Bodi the money for whatever he does, though. It would be his, not yours, dear."
You nod in agreement before turning to ask Bodi what job he'd like to do. He says he'd rather weed, as he doesn't want to misplace anyting in your house. Your mom probably wouldn't want him cleaning up your messes anyway.
You also ask mom if you can get paid in advance for the delivery.
"How about you ask again once you finish the other jobs, dear." Your mom says with a small giggle.
Now comes the fun part of cleaning, except it's more dull necessity than actual fun. But hey, bits are bits, and you need to buy a tarp and supplies. It's just your house too, so it's not so bad. Bodi heads around back to weed - after hearing which plants to leave alone, that is. You can see him weeding from a few windows along the back wall of the house while you work.
It takes a good few hours to finish doing the chores, and you return to your mom once the both of you finish (and Bodi washes up a bit).
"All finished? Alright, give me a second, dear." Your mom says as she gives you your payment.
"Can we have the flowers now?" You ask.
Your mom gives you a parcel of flowers and other herbs. "I need you to deliver this to Willow for me, alright?"
You nod and accept the parcel.
>Item get: Mom's Parcel
>total bits = 63
You know your mom and Willow Whispsers are good friends and trade herbs back and forward frequenty. Willow helps out with the general store's poltices, but she doesn't live there and doesn't work there today.
"Do you remember where she lives?"
"umm..."
"She's in the blue house on walnut street, near the aquarium, remember?"
You say you think you can get there.
"It's not a big town, dear. You'll find it easily."
It's about midday outside. Is there anything you need to do or get before you leave?
>>25737283
Nah, I think we're set to go.
>>25737283
Eat some lunch? I don't think we'll be home for awhile. Then we can deliver this.
>>25737349
Yeah, lunch so we don't nibble on the flower delivery, then off we can go.
>>25737347
>>25737349
>>25737478
You are feeling somewhat hungry, and you don't know how long the trip into town will take. You ask your mom if she's hungry and wants anything to eat.
"Oh, I already ate, honey. Thank you though! Did you want anything?"
You say you just want something fast, and your mom nods. "Okay. Sandwiches it is!"
After some sandwitches, you feel ready to head into town. You and Bodi retrace your steps along the pathway leading away from your house, and before too long you arrive, once again, at the bridge.
"Well, here we are again," Bodi says with a chuckle, stepping onto the wooden bridge.
"Mhm" you agree, folowing him across the bridges and onto the mainland.
The route into town takes about a half hour as well, but you are moving further east from the general store as you head torwards town. as you arrive to the houses, you try to remember what Willow's house looked like, and where it actually was. It was blue, right? your mom said it was blue, and next to the aquarium.
You think you find it as you head down Walnut street. it's a sort of dark blueish color, and it's somewhat close to the aquarium. This could be it. You think. Bodi shrugs when you look at him: he doesn't know what Willow or her house look like.
What do you do?
>>25738156
Knock.
>>25738156
Knock on the door and see if willow answers.
>>25738156
There a doorbell? If not, knock.
>>25738231
>>25738234
>>25738276
You knock. You knock on the porch posts, the concrete floor of the porch, the screen door, and the front -or back, you're not sure - door. You're not sure if anyone is actually home, and you feel deflated a little. You knock again, and finally, you hear a faint "Oh! Hold on a sec!" calling from inside, much to your relief. Before too long, the door opens up to reveal a curious middle-aged mare with long, thin hair and oversized glasses.
"Why hello there, Dawn!" Willow beams. "What brings you here? Did your mother send you? Oh, and who's your friend?"
You nod and hoof the parcel to Willow before introducing Bodi.
>Item removed: Mom's Parcel
"Oh, so this is Bodi. Nice to meet you!"
Bodi waves at Willow and smiles. Willow opens the door the rest of the way before taking the parcel and turning around and retreating into her house.
Do you follow her?
((Sorry to leave off here, but this'll be it for the evening, guys. Also, I might start a little later tomorrow as I have a Christmas thing I gotta go to. I'll try to get a few more updates tomorrow, but we'll see how things go. ))
>>25738774
I kind of want to but it would be rude just to walk into someone's house unless they invite you in.
>>25739213
She left the door open.
>>25738774
Enter domicile, ask if any quick jobs to do for more bits.
bob
>>25739289
I guess you're right.
>>25739213
Have to agree. At least if we have nothing more to ask her. There's otherwise no real reason to enter since we have other places to be.
I vote wait for her to return.
bump from 10
Bump from 10
bump it now
Who's excited to ride our boat?
>>25746929
Dawn and Bodi
>>25739213
>>25740355
>>25741489
You're unsure if you should follow her inside or not. She just kinda seemed to disappear on you.
You contimplate leaving for the store when you hear her laugh and call from inside.
"Hah..oh, I forgot to invite you in, didn't I? I'm sure you two are thirsty after the trip here. I've got tea, I think. Or lemonade, maybe. I'll have to check to see if I have any mix left... "
Some tea does sound good after the walk here, and Willow is friends with your mom, so you're sure it'd be alright to go inside.
Willow pours a glass of tea for you and Bodi, and she picks up for herself what looks like a gourd chopped in half with a wide metal straw sticking out of the top of it. It's filled almost to the brim with what looks like really green tea leaves, and there's steam coming from the top of the cup.
"So! Were you two in town just for this? Or did you have somewhere else you needed to be..."
You tell her that you're going to the general store to buy a tarp for your raft, but you needed money so you delivered this package. You decide to ask Willow if she had anything that needed done for bits.
"Haha, well I'm sure that cleaning this place would be too much a chore!" She exclaims with a loud giggle. Looking around, you see it's quite cluttered with various trinkets, plants, books and gardening tools.
"Hmm... well you might be able to water the plants in the greenhouse around back if you wanted. It'd pay... I dunno.. does four bits sound good?"
Do you take her up on her offer, or do something else?
>>25749349
Make it five and we have a deal!
>>25749349
>>25749370 Haggle a bit, but yeah, five sounds good if not that for just watering plants.
>>25749370
>>25749417
You try to haggle for a better price for watering the plants.
>super-scientific coin flip said heads: haggle successful
"Okay, I suppose I can give you five for this," Willow says, guiding you towards... her greenhouse. It's rather large inside, and while it's not completely full of plants there's still quite a few various flowers and herbs for you to water.
"If you see any wilty parts let me know! I need to keep my plants healthy..."
Well, better get to work. The two of you divide and conquer, you taking one side and Bodi the other. Even with the extra help, it still takes you a good hour to finish watering. Once you're done you put the watering cans Willow lent you back where you got them from.
"No wilty parts? Yay!" Willow exclaims. "Oh. Yes, here's your bits!" Willow hoofs over 5 bits.
>total bits = 67
"You tell your mom she has a nice filly, okay?"
Your nod, not quite sure how else to respond. Thinking back, you see that you made more bits than just by delivering the parcel. You could try to earn more money, or just get going.
Well, young entrepreneur, what do you do now?
>>25749823
I think we should be set. Let's go to the store and get that tarp and also bodi's bandanna.
>>25749823
It is time for hardwork to be rewarded, gotta get that tarp and awesome first mate headgear. Bid farewell to Willow and let's move out~
beb
>>25749850
>>25749876
((Last one for the night, guys. Sorry for the short session. ))
You need to get headed towards Pan's if you want to get home and sail anywhere before the end of the day. Thanking Willow for the bits and tea, you excuse yourself from her home and head into town.
About half an hour later you cross the last of the distance to Pan's Primitives and Poltices, a rather odd wooden building near the top of a large hill by the water's edge. Time to get some supplies!
As you enter, you meet a wrinkled old stallion wearing a duckbill hat sitting behind a counter reading a book. He sets the book on the counter as you draw closer.
"Hello there!" he calls in a crackly voice. "Lookin' fer somethin' or another?"
You say you're looking for a tarp, and you ask him how much a good one costs.
"About 44 bits, missy."
A bit more than you hoped, but not terrible given your boosted income. Purchasing the tarp will take your purse down to 23 bits. You think you find a good bandanna for Bodi, and that goes for about 3 bits.
Well, young shopper, you have 20 bits to work with to get supplies for your raft. Pan's Primitives has many campsite materials and tools, as well as grocery items and clothing.
What do you do?
money is so hard to use
>>25750586
Don't even know where our adventure is going! Ahh... some anon suggested life jackets earlier, so there's a good idea. Could probably get provisions like food and water from home (if not, get those here). Same for potential weaponry, either at home or here.
Don't know otherwise without having a plan other than sailing off in the Horizon to places unknown.
Adventure bump!
>>25750586
Since we live on an island, he might know what kind of foods would be good for a voyage. Also don't forget to get some basic tools like a compass and knife.
Let's get some food.
Traveling at sea will be a lot of fun.
up from 10
beb
Let's bump shall we?
10
>>25751734
>>25751886
>>25753545
Looking around at the wares inside the store, you realize... you don't really know where to begin. What does a pony even take on an adventure?
Taking a moment to do the math, you figure that after buying a tarp and bandanna- and the bandannas, while all the same price, come in red, orange, white, green, blue and black varities - you'll have 23 bits to work with.
So... supplies... Well, you figure that you could snatch a few water bottles from your kitchen at home, so you won't need those, but as for other food, well... you decide to ask the stallion behind the counter who may or may not be the owner as well.
"Supplies for a voyage? My, they're starting younger and younger these days." The shopkeep says with a chuckle, taking out a pen and pad of paper. "Well, first thing's first: you'll need some dry food and clean water."
You mention you have water already, but don't know what to do for food.
"Well, we have oat bars in stock, and canned goods behind me if you don't have any. 3 bits for the oat bars and a bit a piece for the canned veggies."
You also mention that you need tools for sea travel.
"Tools?" the pony you assume is Pan asks. "You mean like a compass, sextant and whatnot?"
You nod. You have life jackets at home you can beef for the trip, but a compass is what you need. That, and maybe a knife.
"Well... a compass runs about 7 bits, and a good knife about 15. A not-so-good knife, about 8."
Ugh... more math. You take a minute to figure things out, and you reckon that after getting the tarp, bandanna of choice colour, a compass and flimsy knife, you'd have... 7 bits to spend on food.
What do?
>>25760198
We need that compass. We also need two oat bars and 2 canned veggies. That's 15 bits. I'm assuming we have a can opener at home we can take too. Can we have a tab and owe you 10 bits?
We can get that good knife. We just need to do more chores tomorrow.
>>25760327
This sounds pretty good. Can start our own tab.
Likewise, can also ask Bodi to help pay since he has some bits too, though don't know how many. Would say piggyback on Koko's tab, but that'd be immoral.
>>25760327
>>25760439
You scrunch your face in thought. You need the stuff, but you're not sure if you'd have all the necessary bits for the groceries. You sigh, thinking that you'll have to postpone your trip for another day, when Bodi speaks up.
"Can we start a tab?"
"A tab?" the shopkeep asks. "Well... I would need to know that you two would be able to pay for this later. I don't think I've seen you here before.
"But you know my mom, right?" You ask. "she's friends with Willow Whispers?"
The shopkeep rubs his chin in thought. "Willow's frind, huh? I think I've seen her in here a few times..."
"Do you know Koko?" Bodi chimes in.
"Koko? Ah, yes. She's a regular here."
"Well I'm like her kid. Sort of." Bodi replies. "So you can tell her if we can't pay, man. We can pay for the big things now, but, like, can we have a tab for the food?"
the shopkeep ponders this for a moment before nodding. "Alright, I can get a tab going. Koko's a good customer of mine, and I trust her to keep you two responsible. Not that I don't trust you, you know. I just know how finances can be when you're young."
The two of you thank the shopkeep before purchasing the items you were planning on getting, minus the food.
>Item get: tarp
>Item get: Plain Bandanna
>Item get: Compass
>Item get: Flimsy knife
You also stock up with 4 cans of beans, 4 cans fruit and 6 oat bars, giving you a tab of 11 bits. Not too bad.
>Total bits = 7
Well, now that the math is out of the way, what do you do, young shoppers? Do you look for more stuff, or get back home?
>>25761057
Go back home.
>>25761057
Time to finish The Horizon.
>>25761086
>>25761116
((Last one for the night, guys. I'll try to start earlier tomorrow if I can.))
Time to go home! Home to test The Horizon on her first voyage! You feel giddy and giggly and impatient as ever as you and Bodi carry your equipment back down the hill, across the bridge and back to your workstation. It's already past midday, and the sun is starting its slow descent towards the literal horizon.
One strapped tarp, bandanna'd companion, and stocked cabin later, and you're FINALLY ready!
You stand back and beam widely, first at the boat, then at Bodi.
"Well, ready to test it out, man?"
Duh. You've been ready for what felt like more that three days. You nod eagerly and hop on board, holding the compass dramatically and pointing north emphatically even though you don't think your destination is nortward.
"So, where were we going again?" You ask, helping Bodi push off the bank and out of the inlet.
"To the other side of the island close to here, "Bodi replies, beginning to paddle as there isn't much of a breeze at the moment to push your sail.
"Okay, cool!" You reply, looking around excitedly at your changing surroundings. You were finally getting a taste of sailing - on your own craft that you built yourself - and it was exciting. You already felt free, and it was invigorating: even if the paddling you two were currently doing was a little less than exciting on its own.
It seems that the path you're taking is mostly along the banks, in case any leaks spring up that you're unaware of. Nothing seems to be happening so far, however.
You also have about half an hour or so before you reach your destination on the other island near yours. What do you do to pass the time while you paddle?
>>25761926
Expound on the setting by relating local legends and stories
>>25761926
>>25762215 < This. Recanting old tales and spinning a yarn is always a good time while sailing.
beb
>>25762927
rip
>>25761926
We should thank bodi for helping us get this far.
bumping to 1
bump it
>>25761926
Sing sea shanties.
bump from page 10
>>25762215
>>25762427
>>25765032
You start humming contentedly to yourself for a few minutes, gazing at the slowly morphing landscape to your side as the two of you paddle onwards around the curve of your island. Eventually you stop humming and look towards Bodi with a smile.
"Hey, thanks for helping with the raft, and with everything else, too!"
"No problem, man," Bodi replies with the same laid-back smile he usually wears.
"Hey Bodi," You begin. "know any old sea stories?"
"Sea stories? Well, like, do you wanna hear about funny stuff like the the mossponies? Or old legends like the one about the Meallán?"
"The mellon?" You ask, a bit confused.
"Nah. It's 'MEL-awn', not 'mellon.' I guess they sound the same, but they're totally different things."
"Tell me about the mellons!" You say with a giggle.
"It's MEL- heh, whatever, man." Bodi says with a chuckle before looking forward at the sea.
"The story of the Meallán is one that Koko told me about. They say that during the darkness of night out on the open sea, the Meallán appears and makes sailors vanish. Ponies, griffons, doesn't matter..."
He nods slowly before continuing. "They say the Meallán is like nothing of this world. Not many who see it live to tell the tale, and those that do are... different when they come back. Nopony knows what happens to them, man. They just come back changed, telling stories about all kinds of crazy things. There was this one stallion who saw a part of the Meallán and came back an old pony."
You stare earnestly at Bodi while re recants his tale. "Well, is it true? Is the mellons real?"
"MEL-awn," Bodi corrects. "And nopony knows. That's why it's a legend." He looks back at you with a slight smirk. "Koko says she's met the old stallion. He lives on an island sorta near hear. Maybe we can make a trip there tomorrow or something. I think it might be about a day's trip on this raft."
(1/2)
>>25770059
>>25768163
You nod eagerly. You'll have to make sure you pay a visit to this stallion, if you can find him! Your excitement for adventure makes you feel like singing something, well, adventure-y. Some sea shanties would be cool, but you don't really know the words to any songs, so you just make something up on the spot. It's more fun that way anyhow.
"Bodi, don't be grody;
We're off on adventure!
Sailing, we're ailing
if the ocean's waves we can't see!
Our eyes on, the Horizon;
sailing 'till the break of Dawn!
While singing your imporovised shanties, you spy the other island drawing closer - in fact, you're already almost there! You'll be there in about a minute or so, and you could actually hop off and swim there if you wanted to.
In fact, you do just that once you're close to shore: jumping off The Horizon, you swim the last few feet torwards land.
"We made it" Bodi sais with a small smile, before getting hit with a splash of water by your hoof.
Well now, young and official sailors, you made it to land. There's a cool rock formation that Bodi can show you not too far from here, but you have the whole island to explore. What do you do?
>>25770133
Seeing a rock formation sounds quick. Let's go do that and then start exploring. Don't forget to tie your boat to something so it doesn't float away.
>>25770217
Pretty much what I was gonna suggest, so all of this.
>>25770217
>>25770656
Bodi ties the raft to a stake, and the two of you splash around for a few minutes before heading to shore.
"Hey, wanna see something funny?" Bodi asks with a sly grin. You wonder what's up, so you nod.
"heh... well, follow me, man."
Bodi leads you up a series of planed ridges in the ground, taking you up till you reach an overlook.
"Heh, see it?" He asks with a snicker.
You look down at the view before you, and...
"...Is that a butt?"
"Heh, yeah~ sure is." Bodi says with another snicker. "I dunno who did this, but like, it's dumb funny, you know?"
You pause for a moment before turning towards Bodi.
"You mean you took me over to this island to show me groundbutts?" You ask with a grin.
"Yeah. I found it like that, but I thought it neede like a cutie mark, so I drug those logs down there to give it one."
"Bodi, you're retarded," you say, punching his shoulder and giggling. "Are all the things on this island gonna be butts?"
"Nah, I don't think so," Bodi replies, still grinning.
Well, that wasn't quite what you expected. there's still more to this island, however, even if it isn't all that big. What do you do?
>>25771106
Head for the highest point. Lets take a look around.
>>25771106
Heh... Butt Island.
>>25771106
Start walking along the coast and see what you find? Or try to find any clearing and just walk forward.
>>25771147
>>25771166
>>25771175
((Some stuff came up, so sorry for the delay))
Not sure what else there is on the island, you and Bodi retrace your steps downwards and off the butt overlook, traveling along the coastline and looking for the highest point on the island.
you see a fairly large hill after a few minutes of walking and talking, and you make your way towards its peak.
"Wow, nice view from here," you say. "I can see the raft, and our island from here!"
"Mhm, it's pretty nice," Bodi says with a smile.
Looking around, you notice that, in addition to the butt, a lot of wispy shrubs and dunes, rocks and pebbles, the island isn't that noteworthy. There's not much else to see here that's exciting on its own merit. It's nice to know there's a little island you two can go play at whenever though.
The sky is starting to get darker as the sun draws closer to the horizon a little more. What do you do now, adventurer?
>>25772204
Yo we need to build a small club house here.
It's time to go home. Mom said to get back before dark.
>>25772204
Lets head home. Wouldn't want to bump into any mellons.
bodi must smoke a shitton of weed
what kind of name for a pony is bodi anyway
seriously was he born high or something
>>25772223
>>25772275
(Last one for the evening, fellas)
You realize that you should probably be going home now. Your mom said to be back before dark, and you're a little spooked by Bodi's story. The two of you look out over the hill for another minute in quiet, enjoying the view, before heading back down and along the coastline torwards your raft.
You hop on as Bodi detaches the rope from the stake, and after he climbs on the two of you begin paddling the raft around so it faces your island.
The trip itself seems to take a little bit shorter than last time, as a slight breeze becomes a tailwind for you, speeding your little raft back towards home.
"We need to go back there sometime!" You exclaim, looking back towards the now-nicknamed butt island. "We can build a cool fort there. Nopony else is there too, so it'd be like a secret club!"
"Yeah, that'd be cool," Bodi says with a smile. "Heh, secret base on butt island."
"Hehe, butt islands."
The two of you snicker like the immature foals you are. Soon enough, the joke gets old and you look for other conversation, biding the time while you drift home.
The return trip is thankfully uneventful, though the wind does pick up more as you're offloading and mooring your craft in the little inlet near your house. You're thankful you made it back before sundown, and before the wind got too strong.
You still feel proud that you managed to make a raft that didn't sink on the first trip.
"I think we might need to put some kind of stabilizers on the sides, like, at some point," Bodi comments as you both walk up toward your house. "That way if we get some bad waters we won't get wobbled as much, ya know?"
You nod, not sure what you'd do for a stabilizer, but you trust Bodi knows what he's doing.He's helped you out so far, and hasn't let you down yet.
(1/2)
>>25773073
(2/2)
You make it back in time for dinner with your mom - your dad's out at work still and won't be back till later - and the three of you enjoy some kale and turnip salad, along with giant soft pretzels. During dinner you tell your mom about your adventures.
"I'm glad you made it back safe," Heartwine says with a soft smile. "Sounds like you two had quite an adventure!"
"Mhm, and we're going sailing again tomorrow!" You exclaim.
"Not before chores, dear."
"Fine. After chores though."
"So long as you're back by sundown. Also, I heard that it's supposed to be windy tomorrow, so be extra careful."
You and bodi nod, taking note of the incoming weather.
Well, you're back from your adventure, back on dry land for the evening, and you have a full belly. You can always crash for the night if you want, or stay awake and do something else.
What do you do?
>>25773083
sleep tight, sleepysail
>>25773083
Is Bodi staying the night? If so, we can make plans with him about Horizon stabilizing and more adventures~ If he's gone, though, then some thought about neat places to explore and snoozing.
>>25772330
mr bodi
>>25773083
If the weather is going to be bad tomorrow then it might be a good idea to think of the stabilizers sooner rather than later.
I think we can go to sleep bump.
>>25773083
Ask bodi if he's spending the night again. his guardian won't be worried right?
bumping up
Page 10 bump
>>25773390
>>25774505
>>25775927
>>25776650
>>25778636
((Sorry for the late start. Also, work was pretty tiring today so I'm probably only gonna get one more update in tonight after this one.))
You start winding down for the evening, deciding to take it reletively easy tonight. You had your fix of sailing for the day, so you're not as hyper either.
You ask Bodi if he can stay the night again.
"Well, I'll have to check in with Koko again, but yeah man, I don't mind."
Bodi waves and heads off back to his place. If things go well he'll most likely be back in a few minutes anyway. It's still breezy outside, and the temperature is perfect for relaxing on the porch.
You decide to wait on the upstairs balcony for Bodi to return, gazing out at the night-blackened sea and daydreaming about adventure. You can hear the surf lapping against the rocks of the shore along with the billowing breeze. Combined with the humid and mild temperature, the net effect is as soothing as can be.
You doze off and are awoken a few minutes later by Bodi, who waves again.
"Hey, Koko said I could stay. You look kinda tired though... You wanna just call it a night?"
You mumble something about stabilizers and rafts. "Yeah," Bodi says with a small chuckle, leading you towards your bed. "I'll add those tomorrow. You get to bed, man. You're zonked."
You had planned on staying up and charting out adventures with Bodi, but it seems that sleep got the better of you. It'll have to wait for tomorrow, it seems.
Morning breaks much like yesterday's did, albiet a bit more gusty and with some clouds floating to the northeast. Bodi is gone when you wake up, but he's most likely meditating again. What do you do?
>>25781682
Go down stairs and eat some breakfast. We need to get bits so we can pay off our tab. then in the second half of the day we can play.
>>25781722
((Last update for the night. I might make another post tomorrow morning since I have a little more time before work now))
Breakfast. Breakfast is first. You head downstairs and grab something to eat, figuring that you'll just bring something out to Bodi when you head out. Your meal is a quick affair, consisting of a few slices of toast with apple butter, and an orange on the side. You pack the same thing in a small tote to take with you as you head outside and down torwards Bodi's meditation spot.
The thing is, he's not there when you get to his usual spot. You look around for a bit, wondering if he didn't simply hide somewhere when he heard you coming. Your search confirms that he isn't there, and not sure where else to go, you return to your workshop. You find that Bodi's actually down by the boat, attaching what looks like a floaty on a stick to either side of the raft.
"I was looking for you!" You exclaim as you trot towards Bodi, giving the tote to him. "Made you this. What's that?"
"The stabilizers," he replies. "And thanks, man. Appreciate it."
Well, that was nice of Bodi to attatch the stabilizers for us. Now that we have more stability for our craft, we'll be better suited for travel in choppier waters.
"So, what do you wanna do now, Captain?" Bodi asks with a chuckle, munching on his toast.
You mention that you need to get bits to pay off that stupid tab at the general store.
"Oh yeah. Well, like, you wanna talk to your mom about work? I guess we could also talk to Koko. Maybe she has someething for us to do."
You can talk to your mom about possible jobs, see what Koko has, find some other way of earning bits, or forget the tab for now and do something else. What do you do?
>>25782388
Lets go see Koko.
>>25782388
(Sleep tight, sleepysail)
Yeah, let's go meet Koko since we already prodded our mom about bits yesterday.
Anyone else notice how Bodi speaks and acts like a mature adult despite the fact that he's supposed to be a kid? I personally believe Bodi is actually an alien; it would also explain his weird name, the fact that he says "man" all the time (what the fuck is a "man"? There aren't any in Equestria), and the fact that he lives with a guardian and presumably has no biological parents.
Now, you may ask, "Anon, if Bodi is an alien, why would he spend his days being friends with some semi-retarded filly in an isolated island community and helping her float around in a shitty raft?" My theory is that our player character's love of adventure leads her as an adult to a career as a ship captain and explorer, sailing the farthest reaches of Equestria's oceans and being the first pony to set hoof upon deserted shores.
Eventually, Equestria will establish a space program, and as an experienced and renowned adventurer, whatsherface volunteers to lead the first deep space expedition, where she makes contact with greater galactic civilization and ultimately plays a vital role in saving said civilization by bringing Equestria's lifestyle of order and harmony to the masses.
Bodi, of course, is a member of an alien race for which time is not linear, and has been sent to Equestria to initiate this sequence of events and thus ensure the galaxy's salvation.
>>25783349
Anon.
Go to bed.
((Well, I can't make an update before work like I thought I might, as I won't be able to get a picture out along with the update. I'll pick up later today however. Stay tuned, folks.
>>25783349
That's a very interesting theory, anon! Hadn't thought of things like that before. Bodi sure is strange, isn't he. I will say though that I'm not a huge fan of spaceponies, and while that's something to consider, I'm not sure if things will play out that way though. That's just my input on this however.
Also I hope I'm not doing too much metatalk here.
))
>>25786149
Staying tuned
Page 10 bump
Added Across the Ocean to the archive.
http://anonpone.pineapplecomputing.com/across/
Koko should give us some bits if we help her with something.
>>25791430
Thanks f.am
>>25791430
((Ooh, awesome. Thanks senpai!))
>>25791720
Bodi mentions that Koko might have some odd jobs for the two of you. She's always doing stuff, and she helps suppy herbs to Willow for resale at the general store. Bodi reassures you that even if she didn't have anything at the moment, then she'd most likely know someone who did.
"Why didn't you mention her earlier?" you ask as the two of you make your way to the other side of your island, towards Koko and Bodi's cottage.
"You never really asked, man." Bodi says with a shrug. "You seemed excited about your idea, so I just let it be."
Eventually, the two of you make it to the front door of Bodi's cottage. You visit here all the time, but you haven't really been inside all that often for some reason. Maybe it's because Bodi's always outside.
Anyways, upon entering you notice that the place smells of incense. Not in a weird or spooky way - the incense of choise for the day is pine, and it smells good yet strange to you as you don't have many pine trees around the area.
The room is filled with various plants in different stages of being prepared into medicines and poultices. On the back wall is a rack of drying herbs.
In the center of the room stands a rather white zebra with light pink stripes, donned in a large hat with blond dreds spilling out the back.
"Ah, hello Bodi and Dawn. What brings ya here, mon?"
What do you do?
>>25792797
We were wondering if you needed any jobs done or knew any ponies that need help with something. We're trying to make bits so we can pay back the store.
>>25792797
need to stock our raft with some of that dank
>>25792797
Zebra!
Ask about jobs. Tell her that she's raising a pretty smart colt for how much Bodi's helped with the raft too.
>>25792856
>>25792859
>>25792986
You ask Koko if she can part with some of that dank for your adventure. She looks at you quizzically, and responds only with the following haiku:
"A raft filled with dank,
tossed to the churning ocean
is likely to sink"
You pause for a moment, not sure what just hapened. Blinking a few times, you ask Koko if she has any jobs that you and Bodi can do. You need bits to pay off a tab at the general store.
"Having money issues at the port? I have a remedy of a different sort."
Leading you to a couple of barrels, Koko removes the lids and says that your job is literally sorting out what looks like teeth and bones from different fish and sea life. You need to sort out out the contents of the barrels, putting shark teeth in one bin and fish bones in the other.
"for bones and teeth, seven bits I'll bequeath. If the deal does not sell, I have other jobs as well."
What do you do?
>>25793742
barter and make it 8 bits! Let's do this!
>>25793742
Wow, how'd she get so many shark teeth?
>>25793742
Take the job and thank her for dropping hot rhymes
>>25793787
>>25793812
>>25794032
((Last one for the night, guys. ))
"Could we do it for eight?" You ask.
"For one more, you must also weigh your score." Koko says with a small nod.
So she wants you to weigh the baskets when you're done sorting. Alright, that shouldn't be a problem.
"hey," you tell Koko, "I like your rhymes."
"Thanks you, young filly," Koko replies, "for not finding it silly."
The two of you then get to work sorting teeth and bones into the different baskets. Koko trots off into the other room, humming a strange tune to herself as she resumes whatever work she was doing before you arrived.
"So... What's with all the teeth?" You ask Bodi.
"Dunno exactly, man," Bodi replies, " but I know she grinds them up or like, uses them somehow in medicines and potions and stuff. That stuff kind of confuses me, heh."
"What does? Potions?"
"Mhm. Too many rules and ingredients to follow, man." Bodi says with a chuckle. "I don't help her make potions a lot: I usually just scout for ingredients or help with some of the more simple medicines that don't involve, like, magic or anything. Not my thing."
The work is somewhat boring, but you get to look at all the little fish and shark teeth that you sort. Some of them are hard to grab with hooves, though, which makes things a little more difficult.
Soon enough you finish, and weigh the different baskets, making a note of their weights.
Now that your task is done, do you collect your payment and head out, look for other work, or do something else? What do you do?
>>25794213
We need more money to pay off our tab so more work I guess
Yeah, we need a little more money to pay off the tab. We're almost there though.
>>25796308
we can do it
What should we name the little club house we build on butt island?
Do you think that the island have any caves?
>>25799394
You want to play cave explorer on butt island?
>>25800179
Yes. That's exactly what I'm proposing. You cheeky shit.
I wonder if we're eventually going to end up working for everyone that lives here just so we can buy EVERYTHING!
>>25802106
Adventurers gotta start somewhere before they get riches and fame.
>>25802171
When's it our turn to be boss
>>25795136
>>25796308
>>25797454
>>25799394
>>25802171
You still need bits. You slightly wish you had a real job so you could afford things, but then again you know that ponies with jobs don't have a lot of free time. That's what they say, anyway.
Back to the task on hoof, you ask Koko if she has anything else you and Bodi can do for bits. This leads to the next few hours being spent dusting old tomes, braiding hemp rope, feeding some very odd fish in a tank in one corner of the cottage, and making soap out of ashes, incense and some sort of vegetable grease.
"What do you think about butt island?" You ask Bodi while you mix some ashes with the grease.
"Butt Island? I thought that was, heh, behind us." He responds with a small snicker
"Heehee, I thought it made a large impact!"
"It's bootyfull."
The two of you snicker like onery schoolfoals at the lame butt puns you're making. You have to pass the time somehow, right?
After everything is said and done, you come out 40 bits the richer. A few hours have passed, and it's past midday now. You have enough bits to pay the tab, for sure. You can pay the tab off now, or talk to Koko about something else. You can also visit somewhere else. What do you do?
>>25803349
Ask Koko if there's anywhere in particular worth sailing to
>>25803349
Oh boy, we can pay off that tab now.
Let's ask Koko about any interesting spots on the island.
>>25803365
>>25803387
"Hey Koko?" You ask. Koko responds with a hum, looking up from her work at you expectantly.
"We wanna sail around here, but we don't know where to go. Are there any cool places around here we can explore?"
"If you're looking for a place to go, then a map your paths will show" Koko answers, leading you to a large wall map of the area. She points to your island, showing the area surround you. Her hoof rests on your island, and you can see the surrounding land masses and islands.
"This hanging map I do now show, lists many places you can go."
She explains that there are a few small islands nearby -icluding butt island, Bodi mentions - and that if you were to travel further west, you can reach the mainlands. But that's a while away by raft.
the closest islands are a few hours away. there's butt island and a few islands nearby you haven't been too yet.
You also notice little marks all over the map, particularly to the north of your island.
What do you do?
>>25803996
Ask about the marks.
>>25803996
What do you know about that island to the southwest? would it be ok to go there?
>>25803996
Uh, guess Koko is only half zebra. Neat.
>>25804023
>>25804059
You ask about the marks all over the map.
"As the purple marks can tell, things... have not been going so well. mysterious storms are displayed where the marks are laid.
As for the lines in grey, that's where currents hold strongest sway."
You ask Koko what's on the island to the southwest.
"the land to the southwest, grain produce is what it's known for best."
She explains that a lot of food and crops grow on the far west side of the island. There's a lot of rocks on the east side, and a few small caverns that she collects mushrooms from when it's not flooded out.
With this in mind, what do you do?
>>25804292
Can we get a full view of the map?
>>25804292
Ask about the mellons.
>>25804292
any places we should avoid?
>>25804335
>>25804337
>>25804383
((Last one for the night, dudes))
You ask if you can study the map more.
"If a constant view is what you desire, a copy can be yours if you only inquire." Koko responds and pointing torwads a small closet, where she has a few copies of the map - minus the markings. She says that she can give you one when you leave if you want.
"Are the marks about the mellons?" You ask.
"MEL-awns" Bodi corrects. á
"Ah, the Meallán? That is correct, young Dawn. The marks you see show there, unknown dangers to beware. Not many souls the Meallán know: that is a secret they rarely show."
Koko explains that while not all the storms marked on the map are a direct result of the fabled Meallán, they have been showing signs of magical enhancement due to some unknown force and origin.
"Things have been getting strange, young foals. I would advise caution, while you venture torwards your goals."
You then ask Koko if there are any islands you should avoid, or places to watch out for.
"Mind the currents on the map, lest you fall into mishap. Other news to aid your plight: these storms happen most during night."
With this information in tow, what do you do?
>>25804800
Ask about the old pony Bodi mentioned.
>>25804800
Don't go out at night. Got it.
I think we're done here. We can pay off that tab now.
maps important
what do you think that land all the way to the right has? That's the most temping to explore.
bump from 10
We have a lot to explore.
>>25809599
And so much time to do it in
>>25810813
Do you think you'll find some amazing treasure in the future? Or make a new friend on one of the places we visit?
Page 10
>>25804945
>>25805906
>>25808088
>>25809599
"Hey Koko?" You ask. She responds with a hum. "Bodi told me something about an old stallion that saw the Mellon. Do you know anything about him?" You see Bodi open his mouth, then close it again and shake his head slowly. He must have given up trying to correct you.
"That stallion you ask of I know well, who survived the Meallán and lived to tell. His story is interesting: true for sure, but for his plight I know not remedy or cure."
She mentions that whatever Bodi said was most likely true. There was a sailing merchant who was trapped in a sudden and unexplained storm, which turned him into an old stallion. He doesn't talk much about it anymore as he doesn't know exactly what happened, and the things he does remember seeing and doing, nopony recalls seeing. He talks about having been taken to unknown waters that nopony has charted.
Koko also says that this stallion lives on the shoreline of the island just to the northwest of the island the General store and Willow are on, and due north from this island.
"What about the land to the right of the map?"
"This land?" Koko asks, putting her hoof on the island on the eastern end of the map.
"...is mixed with sand. Many merchants from other lands, make their trading posts on those sands."
She explains that a mix of Zebra, Griffon and pony merchants and sailors have a small trading community on that land mass, as it is situated near enough to the Griffonlands for them to form a trading route.
Armed with this info, what do you do?
>>25813490
What is that western most land masses? What are those?
The northenmost is the mainland right?
