MarinaNova Asylum

( Back to the pits after a day in the sun )

...What do you do when you...really really want something, but you know you shouldn't have it? Like...being allergic to chocolate, but you really love chocolate. How do you make yourself stop wanting things that are bad for you?

[Or bad for other people. Her voice is hesitant, but she can't think of what else to do. After an evident pause she also asks]

And...is there anyone who is good at...wood carving? Such as carving words and nice, clear designs into wood? I want to decorate my house, but I'm not good at it. [A truth and a lie.] I can draw what I want for someone else...if they're willing.

[She adds a bit quickly.] I can do something for you in return, too.

Uh, guys? I think I know what happened to the giant sea creature we had knock, knock, knocking on our lack of a door a few days ago.

[He pans the video down to what one of the street food carts in sector 0 is serving today.]

Too soon?

[ the feed clicks on, showing a very consternated young woman. and then off. and then on! off! on! off! betty has no idea what she's doing, but there's a switch and she's flipping it back and forth angrily because she can't tell whether it's on or off and didn't pay as close attention to her welcome speech as she should have. ]

Stupid, bloody -- [ off. on. ] -- piece of -- [ off. on. ] -- even is this -- [ off. on, steadily now that she's taken the damn thing off and looked at what she was doing. that helps! but now she looks like she's about to cry and is trying very hard to be stiff upper lip about it. ]

What kind of prison gives you some comic book gadget, anyway? [ she takes some deep breaths now that the battle of the weird head thing is over. deep and calming, leading to an awkward pause as she realizes just what was on that list of crimes. now she's afraid and offended. ]

You know, that list of crimes is a bunch of bunk. If they think building bombs to stop Hitler is a crime then they're a bunch of Nazis!

[ probably (most assuredly) not the best first impression, but the feed clicks off again before she has a chance to fix it. ]

[ It's a wonderful, stormy day here in Squall Asylum and vacation time is officially over! Your gracious overlords have worked out a light itinerary for you today and they expect you to keep it.

Get in line to pick up your food rations for the day. Eat breakfast if you have time for it, or perhaps you'd rather skip this one time and save yourself the discomfort during the two hours of exercise that follow. Jogging, jumping jacks or perhaps impromptu team sports, whatever you end up doing you bet you'll come out exercised in the end!

Should you not want to participate... well. We have ways to make you join in. Anyone reluctant to get their heart rate up will get a helpful electric prod by one of the bots until they comply. Tough cookies.

Luckily you'll get a chance to wash off that sweat (hope you're not shy, the wash room can get crowded) before it's time for the silent game for an hour, followed by lunch. The day is not over yet though! There's still time for a couple of hours of hard labor tending to the crops, doing laundry or perhaps breaking bricks in the yard. To make sure none of the inmates are broken this is also the time for mandatory physical checkups — bots will guide you to the hospital. No ifs or buts. The violation of personal privacy is for your own good, we promise.

Isn't it nice, being in prison? ]

((ooc: This mingle takes place during all of day 222. A bullet-point for of the itinerary can be found here, where we also encourage you to direct any questions. Event info is here if you need it. ))

[It's been a long, exhausting day for everyone. Zatanna included. A day full of confusion...and a day of loss.]

[For some, more than others. As evident by the very tired look on her face as she does her best to address the Network as a whole in something resembling a dry, humorous tone. Extra dry, very little humor.]

Alright, since it looks like nobody else is going to ask it, might as well be me: ...what happened to our pets?

[Focusing on one thing at a time to distract her from the other individual who's since gone missing.]

[Wake up and smell the lack of coffee. You're on a bunk bed. Maybe you're a top and maybe you're a bottom. There are five other people in your room. Maybe they're friends or enemies or faces you barely recognize if at all. It doesn't matter much. You can leave this room and you don't need to come back to it.

You should get your rations though. You're probably hungry. You're definitely a little sluggish of body. What happened to that bruise you got sparing yesterday? What happened to your newly dyed hair? Mystery, mystery... Move along. Find the public bathrooms and do your business with a hundred of your closest friends.

Find the kiosk and get your rations. Careful not to let anyone steal them. You won't get more until tomorrow and the bots won't care. They aren't here to hold your hand. If you get sick or hurt and they deem it necessary they will take you to the hospital whether you wish it or not. But why dwell on such things? You're here now and you might as well enjoy it. You even get a free day today.]

(OOC: OOC info. This mingle takes place in the Main shelter over the morning hours.

[Buffy appears on the screen with her 'General' expression on. She's all business right now.]

Okay, so you've heard that the situation seems to be going down...or south or six feet under---let's stay away from that one. Anyway the Defense Force is working on doing what we can to keep everyone safe. We've got a plan for this! Really. Or you know...we've been working on one the last few days. Kitty is doing the 'business' side of things which leaves me to do the PR side of things.

Obviously, things on the scary and creepy scale is rising, but we don't need to panic. That's a movie, isn't it, Xander? Don't panic? Right, back to the plan. No panicking. Get to a centralized area like the Athletic Complex or some other large building. Bring a blanket, pillow and make a slumber party of it. The Defense Force is going to be doing patrols and checking in on everyone.

[ Locked to the Defense Force ]

Okay, so investigative team needs to be investigating. We need to be patrolling, making sure that people are okay and maybe suggesting they go to one of the more central buildings in the different sectors. As I mentioned, Kitty is all over the detail side of things and the Plan B things. Not that we're going to need a plan B. Plan A hasn't even panned all the way out yet. If you've got questions, you can talk to me or Kitty. Buffy in charge will definitely not be a trending thing. It's just a trying to fill in so Kitty can do important things.

[Buffy can be found in any of the 'safe' buildings or in the Defense Force headquarters at various times. She's doing exactly what is advertised on the tin, patrolling and trying to organize things so that Kitty can work on other things.]

Just thought I'd come on and let those who were friends of hers know that Jessica Hamby's gone.

[ home? she hopes. she hopes jason's gone home, too, but all this talk of getting lost in the dimensional stabilizer makes her both wonder if they're gone from their world forever and quickly deny any possibility of that happening. ]

I'm real sorry, but maybe this is for the best?

Welcome or welcome back to Paranormal Studies.

[Sam starts off with another disclaimer-type comment for the new students as he did at the beginning of his last class about how this isn't a class on hunting.]
( Wendigo )

Questions & Discussion

Okay, I think that's everything I had. Has anyone else ever heard of or encountered a Wendigo or something similar? Or are there any questions?

(OOC: Backdated to late afternoon. Mingle style. Notifs are off so tag Sam during class with questions or catch him before or after. Use your discretion with the links provided. Sam didn't necessarily cover every detail, but feel free to bring more into it. Warnings for talk of cannibalism and torture.)

( Closed to Miranda )

[ open action ]

Bak had no intentions of replacing Komui or Fou or anyone else for that matter. But his desolate wanderings had taken him by the pet shop on a whim. To pick up some random chew toy for Lee, Miranda's vulpix. Anything to keep her from crying. If he could!

Except...

There was a dog staring at him, watching his every move as he shuffled through the shop. It was unnerving and not just because it reminded him of Komui. N o p e. It's that look in his eye. Like Bak was a favorite chew toy. And Bak was threw with being tossed around!

So, if you happen to wander into the shop this afternoon, never fear the tirade going on inside. Bak's just letting off a little steam and pointing fingers. And for what it's worth, that puppy is taking it pretty damn calmly and only with a few minor wags of his tail. Y e p. Just like Komui. That unrepentant jerk! He was gonna miss you. ]</small>

[Oz has been hiding away since the loss of control over emotions for everyone in the dome. He’d lost control of the wolf and ultimately hurt people. Badly. That doesn’t sit well with Oz. But having locked himself away for awhile was all he could do before he had to accept his punishment. He doesn’t open a video post. It’s just a voice. The fewer people who see him locked away in a cage, the better.]

Hey. It’s Oz. So… chores. I have to help with three of them. Any takers?

[PLAY BALL!

Or cheerlead.

Or watch.

Or heckle.

It's an event everyone can enjoy!

There are some traditional snacks on hand. No alcohol sadly, but you can still have soda, hot dogs, and popcorn among other things. The bleachers provide enough seating for those who want to see exactly how vampires, humans, demons, mutants, etc. all play together. Not to mention some of them only recently even learned what baseball was. Never a dull moment at least.

In the end, it's the Flying Knights who win in this fairly evenly matched game, but there was some impressive action for both teams It should be an interesting season.]

(OOC: MINGLE! This is event style! Just put in your header whether your character is in the crowd, the purple dragons, the flying knights, cheerleading, before the game, or after the game or any combination! Please assume there was adequate IC announcement of this event!

Backdated to earlier in the day. Roster. It is not yet updated with recent additions from the last Yuuri post.)

[Sawyer's holding up the tacky dolphin shirt from Bullseye in front of his chest, like he's seriously considering it.] Whaddya think? Comes in my size. I think it brings out my eyes.

[ The feed clicks on, and Damara looks into the camera for a good moment. Not that you'd be able to tell where she's looking-- she has completely white eyes.

Her voice is very, very accented-- but thanks to the communicator's translating, it's not impossible to understand her here, in MarinaNova. ]

I am told I am in prison. I am given a list of crimes. Fair enough.

But I have a question. How do you capture a ghost? How do you bring the dead to stay among the living? This is no dream bubble.

Maybe I should be grateful. I think that I might be.

One question more. Can you understand me?

[Sam looks out over his fellow inmates, now students, wondering—again—if this was a good idea. He wanted to increase his stream of rehabilitation points "income" and this seemed like a plan. Good or not, here he comes. He clears his throat and gives them a smile.]

I should probably start by explaining what this class is about. It's Paranormal Studies which can include a lot of different things, and I'm going to be using my own world and experiences as a base. I know things can work differently in different [Micropause] versions of the world and on different worlds [For all you aliens in the audience.] so we'll talk about that too.

Some of the topics we'll cover might go into sensitive territory. There are people here who might fit into the subject of paranormal activity. That doesn't mean everything I'm going to say will fit those people. If there is one thing I've learned it's that there is always more to know, and life can always surprise you.

This class isn't about hunting. It's about education, and I think we can all learn. You'll probably have a lot to teach me too. [His eyes may linger on a couple of students before he turns around to write, "Ghosts" on the board.]

( Lecture: Ghosts : Woman in White )

Questions & Discussion
That was already a lot, so who has questions and who wants to talk about their experiences?

(OOC: Mingle style. Notifs are off so tag Sam during class with questions or catch him before or after. Use your discretion with the links provided. Sam didn't necessarily cover every detail, but feel free to bring more into it. He will have additional ghost lectures though, so he wouldn't have gone into detail on poltergeists for example or given multiple case studies.)

[ It was mid-morning. The sky was clear and it was a (not so) very blustery day. It was cool but it was always cool. It was neither too warm nor too hot.

Lukewarm.

And that was just how Bak preferred it. Especially since he had in hand his very important, extra special concoction of wonderful forgetfulness on hand! Bak could stand teasing, but even this was getting ridiculous.

Hefting the bag a little higher so it fit snug into the crook between elbow and shoulder, he stepped off into wild world of Marinanova and promptly had to grab onto his hat.

Opps. He always forgot about that step down.

Taking another step, he nearly tripped again, this time on a rock. Frowning, Bak starred at the offending piece of debris and then he kicked it.

And yelped.

And then held his foot, dropping his bag in a near blinding rush of ”Eeeek!” as he dived for the paper bag, watching as with a POOF half of the contents disappeared into the wind, leaving him sneezing and dazed on the ground wondering what the heck had just happened. Clearly, his own formula had been getting the best of him. It happens when one sneaky scientist messes with the formula and Bak spent the better part of the morning putting the final touches of the mixture together.

Heightened emotions indeed.

Bak will rue this day assuming he survived it. ]

((ooc: Consider this post an open mingle and the start of the Marina Feelings Roulette Event! Creating your own posts is, as always, highly encouraged. And, unless you got an extra hefty dose of it right off the bat (re: by being in proximity to Bak when it happened) feelings should gradually start to go haywire later in the day with strongest feelings in the afternoon and tapering off again as evening descends. For more info on the details, please go here. Have fun!))

[ although the morning's rain prevented them from getting an early start on setting up, quinn and rebekah have managed to pull everything off in time for the dance to start. there's tables to sit at when you don't feel like dancing or enjoying the surf, lots of hawaiian-themed snacks and desserts to eat, grass skirts and leis available for those who wish to wear them, lanterns and torches everywhere, with live music provided by quinn, oz, jack, lacus, and anyone else who wishes to get up and sing!

the only thing this party's lacking is the booze, per quinn's intentions of having this be an alcohol-free party. however, that doesn't mean someone isn't going to spike the punch when she's not looking, so if you were planning on doing so -- have at it!

so, go ahead and dance it up with your dates, mingle with some new cr, hop around, and threadjack to your heart's content. festivities will carry on until sometime after midnight when clean up will commence. enjoy! ]

[ action/open ]

[ From long before the morning message -- since around midnight, actually -- until around noon, Dirk can be found working in the gardens in Sector Four. When it begins to rain, he scowls, but keeps his work up. He has a date to go on tonight; and he's fairly sure that if he skips out, that troll that is his pre-scratch self will further attempt to fuck things up with Jake. He can't allow that.

Do feel free to bother him. ]

[ voice/open/around 11AM ]

What a great day for rain.

Got a few things I wanted to mention before I'm too preoccupied. First: That wiki Crane was working on? Last night I added a page to answer a bunch of recurring newbie questions. Hopefully, it'll cut down on some of the repetitiveness of New Inmates Day.

Second: My friend Roxy and I have a project we're working on. You know, bettering ourselves for rehab and shit? Anyone who's good with computers is welcome to come help us out. Tony Stark, Penelope Garcia? You two might be interested. We're thinking of meeting in the computer lab tomorrow, around one PM. Who all's game?

Third: Just so everyone knows, I'm taking Jake English to the Sadie Hawkins dance tonight. This is not up for debate. [ He's just a smidgen defensive. Things have been getting under his skin lately. ]

( action/closed to flatmates )

[A pony! Lovely white and blue. But he's mad.] I've never hurt my wife. Ever. And I am not a criminal. I wouldn't be Prince of the Crystal Empire if I was. I don't belong here.

Everything I have done was to protect Equestria and the Crystal Empire. I want to speak with who's in charge here.

[A voice breaks the peace and quiet. It’s rather androgynous, rather rough from disuse, but loud and abrupt and demanding and bratty all the same.]

Whoa. This “crimes list” is fantastic. An outline of my accomplishments. Great and terrible. And I haven’t even done most of it yet?

But. “Cheating”? You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. I don’t cheat. Fix it. Put it right immediately. Maybe I’ll forget about your little “mistake.” And let you die quickly. Instead of slowly and painfully.

[And then Caliborn brushes it off, at least for now, because he has more important matters to attend to.]

Now. Where’s all my shit? Bring it to me.

I’m waiting.