A TOWN IN THE RIGGING

A cat rode above the villagers on a white-sailed boat. Below them was magpieswings; behind the camera was 360NoScope_JFK. On Homestead, the town-planning expedition had acquired passengers before confirming whether its proposed destination had any land.

I admired the order of priorities. Roofs could wait; apparently, residents could not.

That afternoon, 360NoScope_JFK had arrived excited to play on a server again. Boofreon welcomed them and offered to answer questions. Before long, the newcomer was sharing pictures of acquired “citizens,” then admitting in #general that the planned town site was something of a geographical gamble.

There was also the matter of transport. 360NoScope_JFK reported taking someone's boat near spawn, called the operation “grand theft nautical,” and promised a replacement. The apology belonged in the travel account as much as the scenery.

Then a photograph showed vine-draped stone towers rising from the water. “We've made it,” came the follow-up. The uncertain destination had become somewhere worth showing the neighbours.

magpieswings had introduced themself as someone who liked community building and gathering resources. By evening, they had harvested a cherry; later came fishing, including a gold-adorned crate. A town needed more than passengers, and this was a promising set of interests to bring ashore.