MarinaNova Asylum

[ It is a gorgeous day down here at the bottom of the sea and what better day to have an Olympics! The obstacle course is set up, the towels are fluffed, the medals have been polished to a high sheen and every orange within sight has been sliced.

Okay. Maybe not every orange. A lot of them. Enough to fuel a whole prison full of athletes, so athlete away! We can't waste all these oranges! ]


((ooc: Event information can be found here! There will be no individual threads for the separate events, but you are encouraged and welcome to detail in your headers or starter tags what your characters are up to! ))

[Welcome to the school fair brought to you by Euphemia and a lot of hard working volunteers. Things may seem a little more homemade and less polished and plentiful than they do during a warden-run celebration, but everything was done with a lot of heart. As you walk around you'll find:

Informational booth. There is a brightly-colored booth when you first come in adorned with school catalogs and multi-colored gift bags featuring pens, pencils, highlighters, notebooks, bookmarks, binders, and more. Euphie will be there much of the day enabling new students and teachers.

Booths for classes and activities. Teachers were all encouraged to have displays or games or just be there to talk about what they offer for however long they're willing. Leaders of organizations that exist or that they want to create can do the same. And if someone wants to make a kissing booth or something no one will stop them!

Food. They are set up in sector 0 with all the food carts hosting a variety of street foods, perfect for eating on the move. There are also tables set up with desserts including cake pops, carmel corn, and cookies-on-a-stick as well as coolers with non-alcoholic beverages.

Games. There's a duck pond where you pull out a rubber ducky and get a simple prize that corresponds to the number on it. There's also a ring toss and a target hitting game with a paint ball gun. Since it's a school fair there are also some learning games like a trivia challenge. Chess boards have also been set up for people to enjoy, including one giant chess board where you can use the giant pieces or your friends. You'll also find life-size Jenga blocks. Don't worry, they are a light weight material in case they collapse on you.

Giant Puzzle. In the morning there is a large-scale puzzle set up surrounded by paints and brushes. The puzzle is already assembled, but blank. Each piece is larger than your head. People are encouraged to paint on it until it has all been filled. That afternoon it will be broken up for people to reassemble.

Stage. There's a small stage with a variety of instruments lined up in hopes of people showing off various talents from singing, to playing music, to dancing, to reading poetry, or juggling. Whatever they might want to share!]

(OOC: Everyone is sooo welcome to get engaged! Do something fun, weird, dangerous with a booth or the stage or anything in your comments. Need some extra plotting?)

|[ EDUCATIONAL FACILITY: ROOM 5 ]|

[The truth is Rudy really doesn't know the first thing about teaching, and he doesn't particularly care to figure it out; but this is a good excuse to set up a studio and get some brownie points with the powers that be. He's got to keep busy, after all.

He's in the studio early, setting up a few simple tableaux of items for his 'students' to draw or paint-- the ubiquitous bowl of fruit; a collection of random, mismatched glassware; a tumbled pile of loose fabric, draped over a wooden box; a bouquet of cut flowers laid on their sides.

As for himself, he's got a large pad of paper off to the side of the room, and by the time the class officially starts, he's already sketching vague charcoal lines.

Now it's a matter of seeing whether anyone shows up.]


|[ooc; backdated to early this dayweek~ this will be a bit more of a mingle, please feel free to bounce around in threads and do whatever! I will get around as much as I can and hopefully class on 258 will have a bit more substance.]|

[Nathan is a smart boy. He’s quick to catch on and even quicker to realize that being a prisoner in a giant underwater bubble with disembodied overseers is a lot more exciting than being a prisoner in a psychiatric facility. Being crazy—and Nathan has never had greater faith in his lack of sanity than when he woke up under the sea in an orange jumpsuit—adds slightly more excitement to the equation than he might like, but he’s willing to test this new prison before getting homesick.

He sets aside some time to get acquainted with the rules, the map, and the remarkably urban prison before trying to send any messages, sulking aimlessly about Sector 0 and into Sector 1. Nathan doesn’t mean to sulk, honestly. The fifteen year-old is no broodier or more morose here than he was at home, but the teenager finds it hard to shed a sulking air. The habitually-hunched shoulders, sickly pallor, and inability to maintain eye contact do nothing to help him in this regard.

His attention inevitably turns to the headset. It seems simple enough to operate, and he has nothing to lose by trying to call someone. He is, after all, probably experiencing some kind of weird dream or hallucination. What’s the worst that could happen if he moves that little button to “voice”?]

Hello? [His voice is smaller and more hesitant than he would like it to be. Some of that hesitance is related to how stupid he feels. Who designed these headsets? He probably looks like he’s talking to himself, and he’s not that kind of crazy.] Can anyone hear me?

I don’t know who I’m calling, so if you can hear this, just… call back, I guess. [The teenager fumbles for a slightly less awkward sentence to hang up with.] …Thanks. Bye.

[Or awkward is good, too.]

So, barring further unfortunate invasions of prehistoric beasts or other disasters, I’m happy to announce I’ll be starting an art class tomorrow. Short notice, I know, but don’t worry if you can’t clear your schedule; latecomers will be more than welcome. This isn’t going to be too formal, anyway. Days ending in fours and eights, starting at nine in the morning sharp... but I’ll keep the studio open through the afternoon, unless someone kicks us out. Classroom five. All skill levels and media are welcome-- I’ll set up a still life or something, unless any adventurous souls want to talk about modeling.

Questions, comments? I’m not going to do sign-ups-- just show up if you’re interested, and bring along some appropriate supplies. Paints, clay, anything you like. At the very least a pencil and pad will get you a long way.

|[ooc; official course info here. Will post a mingle-type thing for it next week <3]|

[ Today is a day where most would be at risk of oversleeping.The dome lies dark like in the dead of night. The sun hasn’t risen today, streetlights casting a dull yellow glow and occasionally flickering out into nothing, only to spark back to life a moment later. There is no electric flicker from the kiosk. The Wardens are still. The wardens are silent.

The dome isn’t silent. There is a rustling of leaves, a snapping of twigs. Claws, scraping against concrete. The inhuman screech of an animal in peril, an animal hunting, an animal hunted. A screech that promises sharp claws and sharper teeth and blood.

The dome isn’t still either. There is something moving, thick as a shadow, tangible as a chill down your spine. Something that doesn’t belong here, something that snuck in when no one was looking. A boogeyman under the bed. A ghost in the closet. A will o’ the wisp, blinking in and out of existence under the flickering streetlights. Whatever it is it’s moving, leaving a trail of cold, dead fear wherever it passes. Something dark. A shadow so pitch black that it blots out the very lights in your heart, dragging your fears out screaming and kicking, reducing even the strongest, toughest man to a blubbering baby.

Perhaps best to stay in bed today, Marina. ]

((OOC: Event information HERE. We ask the winners of the raffle to fill out a simple survey and then tag into the Vapor thread HERE! Happy mingling, Marinanites! ))

Welcome, new arrivals, and hello to everyone. I wanted to take just a moment to tell or remind everyone about our school. Education is so important to everyone whether you've finished the curriculum of your world or not. We have many wonderful teachers with a wide variety of classes at different levels. Students and new faculty and administration are always much appreciated and welcome.

I was hoping maybe some of you would consider taking on a class. Hopefully, you've seen our course catalog in your welcome basket to see what we offer. Some of you won't get them until tomorrow* of course, but there is still so much we could teach.

We don't have any language classes. We used to offer English and Japanese. It would be wonderful to add those or any others again. We need more sciences, math, art, crafts, agriculture, sewing, dance, philosophy, physical fitness or self defense and of course any special interest classes you might think of.

I was also thinking we might have a school fair at some point once it can be organized. That way everyone could learn more about the classes and get to know each other better. If anyone would like to help with that or to take on any new classes, please let me know!


(OOC: *Welcome baskets won't arrive until Day 251 due to the Fear Itself Event. Please use the link above to add any new class you'd like to start!)

[There are multiple peg boards set up in Sector 0 today—some tall, some short, some on wheels, some long, some magenta with glitter! But what do they all have in common? They are covered in pictures with familiar faces.

Maybe the face is many years younger and surrounded by family or maybe it's a shot taken in Marina (version 1 or 2!). Maybe it was a time when no cameras were present and yet here is the evidence of that moment in all it's candid glory.

You could have grabbed that really embarrassing or incriminating one and thought you were safe only to find out there were three duplicates! Sweet, horrific, sad, casual, posed, past, or present—the wardens are good at variety, so enjoy!]

(OOC: Plotting post for sharing pictures people might find on the boards.)

[ normally helen makes her communications visible. she likes to see whom she's speaking with. today, however, is slightly different. it's still early in the day and goodness only knows where she is, but after recent events, she's not certain she can handle regaining her gentleman friend only to lose one of her best friends. ]

Out of curiosity, as I've found her difficult to locate recently... has anyone been able to contact Rebekah lately? I haven't seen her in a few days and I was wondering if perhaps we've simply missed each other.

[ she doubts it. at this point, her instincts are screaming that rebekah's gone, but with the way things have gone, she has to be certain. elena's returned, so perhaps rebekah is simply hiding out. helen does know rebekah was responsible for killing her, however short that death was. ]

For those who might be new, the clinic in Sector 3 is open to any who might need medical attention and would rather not be seen by the bots in the hospital. Any one of the volunteers who work there are perfectly qualified to handle whatever may come through the doors.

[ and with that, she's going to quietly spend a good portion of today mourning her lost friend. rebekah was one of the first she made here and the strongest other than jean-luc and james. helen will certainly miss being able to go to rebekah to talk. ]

[ There were blankets set out in the lush parks of the prison, and on top a feast was spread out. Fine china and chubby pots of tea, delicate cake trays filled with tarts, biscuits and sandwiches; yes, anything the hungry and weary prisoners could wish for was laid out for their convenience.

The sun was shining brightly and a playful breeze rustles the leaves of the trees. Surely a wonderful day for a tea party! ]


((ooc: Mingle for your mingling needs! Event information can be found here! ))

So, aside from throwing the occasional costume party or dealing with an influx of confused strangers, what's the best way to keep busy around here? Asking as a confused stranger, obviously. Less confused than the other day, but still kind of at loose ends.

[The dark-haired fellow cracks a wry grin, which doesn't last too long. After all, sudden life sentences take some time to get used to.]

I guess you've got to find something to keep from going crazy, right? Or crazier, maybe. I'm trying to stay optimistic about this situation, though I'm not sure whether actually being in an underwater prison is better than hallucinating an underwater prison. I thought about trying to find work but everything seems to be in the capable metal hands of robots, so. I get the feeling my specialization's not in high demand.

[A shrug.]

Oh, and thanks to whoever sent over the big Cracker Barrel kind of basket. It was a nice gesture, even if it didn't have a ticket home in it.

So what do you recommend? There's only so much sight-seeing you can do, after all.

[ As mentioned by the wardens yesterday, Eric is hosting a costume party. The Blood Shack is lit by candles for the evening (he remembers the last party he had being interrupted by a power outage) and a small buffet of sorts has been erected. It furnishes mostly hors d'oeuvre and finer foods, things that Caroline picked out as Eric hasn't a clue about human food.

There is blood on tap (naturally) as well as a full bar. Eric has made certain to include water, sodas, tea and various non-alcoholic drinks.

The jukebox is playing a variety of music, but patrons are always invited to pick out their own music. The dance floor has a disco ball and there's the ever present 'dancing' pole on stage if someone gets brave. Tables are scattered about as are sofas and chairs so that people have a choice where they sit.

Enjoy yourself, mix, mingle and admire everyone's costume and everyone is required to have a costume in order to be here. ]

[ooc: I've turned off replies so if you want Eric's attention please tag his thread. Mingle here, have fun and be merry? Everyone is invited, including and especially newbies. ]

[ So this is what it comes down to. Either this is, somehow, what it claims to be, or - more likely - he's finally hit his psychotic break, the moment that his psyche finally dismantles from within and disengages from reality entirely. With how his entire life has been crafted around fitting in, escaping notice, surviving without being caught, it would make sense that his breakdown would revolve around finally being taken down as what he is. And what poetic justice there was to be found in the location of this bizarre facility.

It doesn't really matter what this is. Real or not, the way to get through this is the same as getting through anything else. Fit in, learn everything that I can, earn the trust of others. If there's a way out of this, I'll find it, but I'm not going to find it by lashing out. Stay with the code. Survive, and get back to what's important. What terrible timing, just when my counterpart and I were getting back to our game.

As the video turns on, he affects a friendly enough tone, though he doesn't go for anything overly happy because nobody should sound chipper about being in prison. Levity does help normal people, though - dry levity. ]

Interesting place you've set up here. It does read a bit more as vacation spot than a prison, but I guess that's not something I should be complaining about in my position. Though the jumpsuit I could honestly do without. I think it makes me look jaundiced - skin tone, you know.

[ He purses his lips and gives a small shrug with that, gesturing at his face.

I always had wondered how I'd look in one. At least I have that answer now. All the more reason to hang onto the code, I think. ]

So, I'm curious. Is everyone here treated to such a creative interpretation of their actions?

[ Enough of my charges were a reach that it seems like there could a theme to it, and it'd be a good start to get a feel for the place, how well I can keep up appearances... and maybe just how many playmates I have down here. It's oddly fitting, left at the bottom of an ocean. From another perspective, I might even appreciate the irony. ]