In the year 2077, on a recently-discovered and now tourist-infested pacific island, hidden danger is stirring. A girl meets a strange magitech Phoenix, who grants her the power to unravel a magical conspiracy and save the day, as Mahou Shojou Sunset!
Pilot Discovers Uncharted Pacific Island
- Newspaper excerpt, dated August 9th, 2027
On July 27th, a seaplane on a routine flight to Palau, Micronesia from Wewak, Papua New Guinea, was sent off-course by an unexpected squall, and arrived at an atoll unmarked on any maps. Landing to assess his plane's condition and regain his bearings, the pilot later reported, he found the islands uninhabited and untouched save for wildlife, confirming his suspicions that this was a new discovery. He was able to successfully complete his original flight plan soon after, before reporting his findings.
Initial surveys indicate the atoll is not just a recently-formed result of undersea volcanic activity, but one that has been present for thousands of years, simply overlooked by chance until now. Pacific governments are currently in talks about who may lay legal claim to the island, as it does not fall within any current borders, and the United Nations is drafting a proposal to establish a scientific research outpost to study the atoll's insulated ecosystem.
The pilot, Ebara Nobori, has issued a brief blanket press statement on his discovery. "I am incredibly grateful for this unexpected event, which has already been life-changing, and is sure to continue to be. Perhaps it can change the world too… But also, I wish to remain humble about this. I hope that they do not name it after me, haha; I just got lucky." He has declined further comment or any interviews.
Top Thirty Tourist Destinations This Summer!
- Magazine excerpt, dated June 15th, 2052
21. Join the celebration on Nobori Island a quarter century in the making!
Discovered and settled relatively recently, Nobori Island is already a hopping tourist destination for you and your family! In fact, this year on July 29, it will be exactly twenty-five years after it was stumbled upon and named by the pilot Eburu Nobori. The entire island will be celebrating this day, and you're invited! Enjoy the sparkling seas, sailing, hot springs, and more as you join the countdown, and the central island's comprehensive train system will make it easy to get from destination to destination in a flash!
MIRAJ Mission Order: Operation "Candid Tower"
- Document Classified Above Top Secret, dated August 8th, 2070
Agents NH and KH will be dispatched to Site "Wandering Pebble" for an extended undercover investigation mission. Subjects of focus will be the circumstances of the site's discovery, and the anomalous readings from the areas of interest noted by remote surveillance. Primary goal is threat assessment and intelligence-gathering, direct confrontation to be avoided. Mission is expected to last several months to a year, pending findings; all necessary accommodations will be prepared for their arrival. Further briefing will be carried out en-route.
- Addendum, dated November 2nd, 2070
Operation "Candid Tower" concluded, on account of both agents' premature expiration. Site "Wandering Pebble" is to remain under remote surveillance, and containment countermeasures will be put into place in case threat level rises to red or greater. Threat level now raised to goldenrod. No further operations to be carried out at the site, barring further changes.
Nobori Atoll's 50th Anniversary Approaches
- Nobori Island Tourism Website article blurb, dated January 8th, 2077
Welcome To Nobori Island! As the youngest Pacific community, we would like to formally invite you to attend the official 50th anniversary celebration of our lovely island's discovery. On July 27, with the shining waves, warm sandy beaches, and our own fireworks blazing brightly beneath a tropical rainbow, we hope to make this a special occasion to remember! For more information, click here.
Flashes of sensation and emotion, contextless yet consistent in their terror, haunt your dreams.
"Keahi."
A tiny floatplane, buffeted by intense winds on the cusp of a new discovery.
"Wake up."
An eclipse high overhead, and a separate black sun on the northern horizon.
"Please wake up."
Two figures, one in heavy armor, one in a revealing dress, standing over a helpless enemy.
"Keahi, if that is your name…"
A prowling beast made of mist, stalking the underbrush and the streets, seeking a host.
"It is time to wake up!"
Ribbons of energy flowing for miles, weaving together into a chaotic yet sturdy tapestry.
"You need to break free now!"
The floatplane flies straight up, into the eclipse, consumed amid the darkness and screams.
"WAKE UP!"
Ribbons of mist dissolve into countless scattered beasts that scare the island out of the sea.
"KEAHI!"
Two figures stand above a fallen enemy, and as one deals the finishing blow, a burst of green flashes from the black sun, the red sun on the horizon, rising and setting in the same moment. Flocks of birds exploding into being around you with each blink, as you try to clear the afterimage from your eyes…
"Very well, then, if it must come to this."
Pain explodes across your side, rocketing you upright and awake.
"Keahi, yes? It is time for you to wake up."
You at least have enough awareness to immediately correct the mistake. "That's not my name." Glancing down at yourself, tank top riding up, it's not hard to spot the fresh welt on your exposed torso. "You bit me!" You accuse the robotic bird sitting on your bed, before doing a double-take.
The… thing… does at least look mildly apologetic, or at least the closest to it that the limited expressiveness a clockwork and avian face can convey. "I'm sorry. You were having nightmares, and your alarm had been going off. Your mother, I believe? Was calling for a 'Keahi' before she left, so I assumed that that was you."
"Well, you assumed… not wrong, but not right. It's my nickname, I guess? It's complicated." You surreptitiously glance over its metal feathers to the pill bottles on your nightstand, relieved to see them untouched.
"…Hang on, can we back up a second? To the part where I'm talking to a… whatever you are? Some sort of fucking robo-birb-thing?"
Your new companion sniffs disdainfully, looking somehow much more distinctly offended at the description. "For your information, I am not just 'Some Sort Of Fucking Robo Birb Thing'." Spreading its wings suddenly, the span much wider than you were expecting from its size, it allows a shaft of sunlight streaming between your curtains to reflect off of the vividly scarlet-tinted metal. "I am a Phoenix. The divine Spirit-Construct who epitomizes all of Phoenix-kind, in fact."
That doesn't really answer anything, but you nod sagely anyway and pretend it does. "Okay, so, why are you here in my room?"
The fucking robo-birb-thing gives you one of the most condescendingly concerned looks you've been hit with in your life, (and you've been hit with a lot of those in the past few years, so you have an extensive history to compare against,) and sighs heavily. It's only thanks to your arms still being trapped under your covers that you don't immediately give in to the urge to wring its graceful mechanical neck. Well, that and the stinging in your side and how threateningly sharp its red steel beak looks, though the thought is tempting all the same.
Perhaps recognizing the danger in your eyes, it finally relents and looks away. "This is likely my fault as well. My memories are… damaged, and connecting with me last night must have affected yours as well. Let us do a simple test. If Keahi is not your name, then what is it?"
You hesitate, though for reasons wholly unrelated to this apparent snarl in your memories. There's one name you definitely don't want it to learn, though you know that's probably unavoidable sooner or later. You've gone with a few different ones recently instead, but none of them feel quite right for a girl like you. Keahi is probably the best of the bunch, at least? But you still wonder if you can do better.
"You can just call me…" [-] (Write-In)
The bird tilts its head to the side, small wire feathers like a peafowl's crest waving as it does, before it nods in acceptance. "That sounds very lovely. It is a pleasure to meet you."
"...Likewise." The whole situation is still pretty weird, to be perfectly honest. But you suppose, aside from that one assholish look and the bite that woke you up, this is going a whole lot better than you could ever expect from having a whole entire bird in your room… and not a small one, either! The fact that it's some sort of robot seems to help, but this is around the point you'd usually expect to be cowering from an angry goose while it breaks all your stuff, or something along those lines.
"As for the events of last night, please allow me to explain."
"No, no," you interject, feeling it coming back to you already. "I think I got this. It was pretty late at night, and I was…"
[-] "Bored to death. I decided to take the scenic route home from work, only for all that to happen. Go figure." [-] "Taking a break. Studying for exams was killing me, so I decided to go for a walk to clear my head. So much for that." [-] "Feeling adventurous. I tend to go exploring pretty often, really, but I don't usually run into any real trouble. Definitely not like this." [-] "Looking for something. Not sure what, I just felt something calling to me, I guess? Not sure if I found it, but I sure found something."
Hm, I wonder where these names for specific transforming female protagonists came from… nope, can't remember what kind of Quest they came from for the life of me
Ok, now for actual name.
[X] Kaname Hina
Hina means "sun", and last name is reference to Madoka Kaname.
I've added a header image; not a perfect depiction of the Phoenix, but it's at least in the right ballpark. I also have an in-progress map of the main island here that should provide a useful reference when it's done, but that might be a while yet, so just gonna focus on getting the story going first.
Also, I haven't forgotten about This Machine, to those who also follow that; I've actually been cooking something up for that recently that should be pretty cool, but has admittedly taken my focus off of the actual next update. ^^; At any rate, once that's done I hope to make real headway there soon, and in general strike a good balance of progress between these two (and the non-quest Magical Girl Parallel Inversion) going forward.
Hm, I wonder where these names for specific transforming female protagonists came from… nope, can't remember what kind of Quest they came from for the life of me
Also, I haven't forgotten about This Machine, to those who also follow that; I've actually been cooking something up for that recently that should be pretty cool,
I wonder how much of the dream we can take at face value. The floatplane seems an obvious point of reference to the pilot, at least, but some of the rest feels more metaphorical than literal. We will also need to keep a watch for anything hinting towards the demise of those secret agents. That aside, the dynamic between the protagonist and her new mascot familiar seems fun, though I wonder if it really does represent all phoenixes, or if it simply has a powerful ego?
[Joke] Alexandra Polinski
Red and green and a bit birdbrained... You already mentioned to me that you were entertaining the idea of reviving her through this, and while I understand your reasoning against that given the very different settings and contexts... I still think it would not be a terrible decision. Regardless, this is my real vote:
[X] Hinagi (日渚) Kalili
日 (hi) meaning "sun" or "day" and 渚 (nagi) meaning "beach" or "shore" feels appropriate for the setting.
Kalili is a type of Hawaiian flower often used as a surname, to retain that connection from the nickname, since I assume the protagonist is meant to have some amount of Hawaiian ancestry.
[X] "Looking for something. Not sure what, I just felt something calling to me, I guess? Not sure if I found it, but I sure found something."
As said above, this seems like the most obviously intriguing option.
[X] Hinagi (日渚) Kalili
[X] "Looking for something. Not sure what, I just felt something calling to me, I guess? Not sure if I found it, but I sure found something."
Red and green and a bit birdbrained... You already mentioned to me that you were entertaining the idea of reviving her through this, and while I understand your reasoning against that given the very different settings and contexts... I still think it would not be a terrible decision.
If that's what people want, I'll happily lean into it, but yeah, think chargen-ing someone new would just be the better option. I still do want to do something with Alexandra, but I wanna find the right time/place/method for that, and she's a little perpindicular in some ways to what I'm going for here. Not enough to shut the idea down entirely, but still.
[X] Hinagi (日渚) Kalili
[X] "Looking for something. Not sure what, I just felt something calling to me, I guess? Not sure if I found it, but I sure found something."
