[open / +a mingle activity for younger characters!] sports + food = good lyfe

[blitzcheer]

Who: Tidus & You!
Where: Kitchen carriage, dining, wherever he gets teleported to, and sports gym!
When: Quicksand 1 - 6 (before mission time)
What: Cooking, teleporting, and a kid-teen friendly exercise/obstacle course!
Warnings: Should be none!

1. cooking, morning and dinner ( p-p-p-pancakes and panfried meals)

You know what Tidus wants to do?

He wants to cook.

And what a good month to have that urge, with Purple on meal duties. He doesn't usually bother to take charge in the kitchen for chores, sticking with helping out if he's interested. But this time? Why not. They've got new foods, with enough of a selection that he goes for it: writing down his name for a breakfast and dinner shift after going through the ingredients, and making a call later over the ICPs:

"Hey, Tidus here! I'm cooking for breakfast tomorrow. If any newbies don't know how the kitchen works, or you just wanna cook some food, come 'n' help out - I'm thinking pancakes, smoothies, and pan frittata for breakfast."

For dinner, it's the same set-up, Tidus inviting others to join him for whatever reason, just with a different menu: fish and veggie skewer bites, pan-fried rice with vegetables and meat, and even squash and pineapple fried up with a few veggies.

a: cooking

Whichever time you'll meet him, he'll be found in the kitchen, readying the ingredients and the pans he'll need. He's got a bud in one ear playing music that he hums along to, so you might need to speak up to get his attention. But he's got a good view of the doorway, and will usually give someone he sees a 'Sup!' or 'Morning!' - depending on the time, of course.

Are you here to learn a few things? Do you just want to help out? Or maybe you're just here because you are = Tidus will accept any and all reasons, so long as it doesn't include intentional disasters.

b: it's eatin' time

There's a giddiness that comes with the apprehension of having enough, but surprisingly, it works out. Tidus is skilled at making more than he needs to, and it shows by the spread set out on the end of the dining table close to the kitchen. Oats have been set out, fresh sliced fruits (strawberries, banana, apple, and more), an oatmeal bake of pineapple and cinnamon, yoghurt, and bowls to pick and mix the selection from.

There's also the promised pancakes, and some slices of frittata - a meaty version with turkey bacon mixed in, but a veggie variety too. Tidus will come out to top up the heated food when it's getting low, or you can come into the kitchen to let him know - or even come in, and try out the smoothie maker they have set ready too.

(Don't worry, there's plenty of fruits and vegetables left for the month.)

Truthfully, he's nervous on the inside, both for breakfast and when dinner rolls around, and he hangs around the kitchen just in case. But you know he'll play it cool when and if anyone comes inside during eating times, smiling, and definitely not in a 'oh man I hope everything's okay' way.

2. your very own dreamboy (teleporting shenanigans)

There's more than just food to worry about, though. Since Praeus, some of Tidus's Diagad powers have started to show themselves, with somewhat positive results. The ability to show up around whoever wants him near, or who he asks - pretty handy, and it hasn't been messing up too much since he's started practising.

Life won't let him keep that up.

Because all it takes is a stray thought, either from Tidus or anyone else; not even anything deliberate, but just thinking about him gives him a feeling. Like someone is talking to him, and he thinks to answer them, turning his head to respond--

And he's gone from wherever he was - the sports gym, sitting in bed, sitting in a chair - and appears wherever that person was. And the feeling they receive from Tidus is much the same. Did they just hear Tidus? Feel him? -- now he's right there, usually toppling over something or walking straight into places that shouldn't be walked (and if there's something in the way - you bet you're hearing an 'ouch!' as he knocks unfortunate body parts.)

And it only gets worse, when Allen's bad luck power just makes him show up around random people without any stray thought.

(help)

3. a teen and younger obstacle course

Link leads to its own top-level available for younger characters to tag and do activities! Older folks allowed for teaching moves and w/e, if they're supporting the younger folks.

Toplevels:

Molly Hayes
Madoka Kaname - Bow and Arrow
Ken Amada - Spear fighting
Little One/Buttercup
Peter Parker - Chaperoning
Ple Two
Roland Crane - Swordfighting

Feel free to message me over journal or at blitzoff if you have questions or want to plot!

Comments

[miseris_socios]

He nods and moves her legs so they're pointing correctly and her hands so she's holding the spear a little more comfortably.

"It gets easier the more you use it. It feels really awkward at first, and you'll feel like you can't hit anything... but the more that you practice the easier it gets."

[happyends]

"You're supposed to hold it like this..?" It's more said - or half-mumbled - to herself than to Ken as she tries to feel the weight of it in her hands like this. It feels a little odd to hold it this way, but it's more just since she's not used to holding a spear in general.

Still, she tries to keep the pose for a few moments, just to try and remember what exactly it feels like in case she ever has to do it on the fly.

"It feels like I'd have to think a lot while moving with it like this.." At least now she's speaking up more, rather than just talking to herself. "You know, to make sure I don't accidentally hit myself with the back end."

[miseris_socios]

"It gets more natural the more you practice. I should probably order some more of different sizes... if more people want to learn, it'll be smart to have some that'll fit them. And there's shorter spears, too." He hasn't used a lot of them - he'd been concerned about keeping people at a distance, not what might be the best fitting for him.

"That's part of why it's a practice spear, though - it's designed to not hurt too much if you bonk yourself by accident."

[happyends]

The awkward smile on Madoka's face seems that she'd rather just not accidentally bonk herself at all, hard or otherwise..

But that doesn't mean that she's already going to give up. She's holding the spear, after all, which means she's basically halfway there already! Now all she's got to do is make it start moving, right?

"So.. how exactly do you always swing the spear when you hold it, Ken-kun?" She's often way too busy during missions to see him fight, even if they ever are near each other, after all. It's hard to spend time observing how other people fight when you're busy trying to protect yourself.

[miseris_socios]

"It's less of a swing and more of a forward stab." He carefully moves to put his hands on hers and moves them to thrust the spear out in front of them, away from anyone. "It's like that, but faster. I can also spin around on it but that's... more of an advanced thing."

Or maybe just a him thing? He's not sure - he's never really met another spear user.

"Usually my goals in a fight are to move fast, keep the enemy a good distance away from me, and to find where they slip up their guard. Most things are used to fighting bigger people and they have armor or techniques that count on that. I can get in underneath stuff and find the vulnerable points."

[happyends]

"It sounds like you've got so much to think about during battle.."

Not that Madoka doesn't when she's doing her archery, but she feels like she has a little bit more time to think there. Most of the time when she's shooting things, they're still pretty far away. Even though you still have some room when it comes to a long weapon like a spear, the enemy is still much more close up..

Hence why she sounds kind of genuinely impressed as she looks at him to say: "You can think about so much so quickly."

[miseris_socios]

"I guess? I'm... I guess I don't think about it as much as I did when I started. I used to be afraid to stab anything at all... but I had to."

Shadows don't care if you're nervous or not. They just want to eat part of your psyche, so they're not exactly going to hesitate.

"I saw you with your arrows... you have to think about a lot when you're firing those, don't you?"

[happyends]

Madoka hums, seeming to think for a moment before she answers.

"A little bit.. I mean, aiming isn't always easy." It sure is easy while you're just practising with targets that don't move, but a real battle is never like that. And they have definitely fought some stuff that was fast.

"But I still think a spear seems more difficult.."

Then again, it could just be because she's used to one of these things, and not to the other.

"Because the enemy is so much closer, you know? You'd be in real trouble if you did something wrong, while with archery you usually have another moment to think of something before stuff gets really scary and dangerous." In her experience, anyway.

[miseris_socios]

"I guess it depends on your perspective. You're trying something new, so of course it feels more difficult."

It's not exactly a competition. "But you're right. That's part of why I worked hard to be quick on my feet. Learning how to slide around and spin was really helpful once I got a little more used to using the spear itself."

But that's advanced stuff, and he's not going to try to get her to do that on the first day.

[happyends]

"Don't you ever get scared?"

She figures not, or he wouldn't be fighting the way he does, despite being even younger than her. But Madoka still can't help but ask, since.. well, for a girl like her, having grown up the way she does.. It's hard for her to imagine a kid fighting with a spear up close to enemies and not being scared.

There's a lot on the line, after all. Like your very life itself.

"I mean.. It's a lot, being that close to enemies.. I think I would really freak out if it were me." But then again, Madoka is aware she's more of a weenie more easily scared than most people.

[miseris_socios]

"... It's not scary anymore, but sometimes it's a bit... uneasy? Especially when facing opponents that are basically people." That last mission was a little rough for him, having to fight off warriors while others were getting the equalizers set up.

"Monsters are easier. You don't feel bad about hurting them. But people... I know some of the things people can do. Monsters are driven by instinct. People are worse, and a lot scarier."

[happyends]

See, at first she assumes it's harder for him since.. well, fighting people is like fighting something that's just like you. It's much easier to see a human as a person than it is to see a monster as a person - depending on the kind of monster, anyway.

And that much seems to be true, since he mentions not feeling bad about having to hurt them. But then Ken seems to catch her off guard when he mentions something right after that's so much different from what Madoka was expecting. Her eyes grow a little wider in surprise.

"Why.. do you think people would be worse than monsters in that sort of way..?"

What kind of people has Ken seen? What kind of experiences does he have that he'd say that?

[miseris_socios]

He shifts a little uncomfortably. "People can be cruel. Monsters just want to kill you and get it over with. People... can be cruel."

He'd never seen what Sakaki had done, but he'd heard enough about it to know that it was nothing good.

"Monsters act. People think. And plan, and can trap you. They're scary because you know they can think like you, and people can think of some really cruel ways to fight each other."

[happyends]

"Why do they do that though..?"

It's not like Madoka is totally naive. She's seen and heard enough, after all. There were stories about murderers and serial killers and the like all over the news, but it always felt so far away from her. Like something she never had to deal with.

And the cruel people she met back home.. well, Kyubey wasn't exactly human. Not in the slightest. And Kyoko, who had initially seemed cruel, turned out to be warm and soft deep down.

So it feels harder to understand when she's never personally encountered it the way he has.

"Aren't we all people..?"

[miseris_socios]

He's not sure this is an appropriate fun times conversation, but he pushes on.

"We are. But not everyone is as nice as you, Madoka. Some people are really cruel and just... want the world to burn."

Or plunge into eternal despair and darkness. Either works.

[happyends]

There's a brief pause, an inhale of air, and then: "I don't understand feeling like that."

It's not a denial of what he's saying. Madoka doesn't think he's lying about that, partially because she knows there's just bad people out there. But understanding them or how they think?

That's so far beyond a regular and kind girl like Madoka.

".. those people must not be able to feel guilty, or something like that.."

[miseris_socios]

"Yeah... I think that's about right. They don't feel like most people do."

He takes a deep breath and steps back. "Do you want to keep going?"