[ Video | Open ]
I want to thank everyone who showed up today's Sign Language class. I know we've lost a few students in the past few weeks, but I appreciate everyone's adjustments to their partners. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to say this in the class, but... thank you all! [ She smiles, turning to look toward her handiwork. The scene behind her is that of the public bathing area, but things are... different. Candles are strewn about, incense has been set up, and tables piled high with wigs, make-up, and other beauty products are all lined against open spaces that are unoccupied by the baths themselves, or low stools.

Doesn't it just make you curious?

Here is where switches the privacy settings~ ]

( [ Filtered from: Diva, men ] )

( [ Private | Diva ] )

(ooc: Same as previous times~ Event-style tagging, threadjacking and mingling highly encouraged! || Party-crashers are welcome this time, thanks to Jeanne's lack of stealth -- but please try not to outnumber the actual guests? Thank you! ♥)

(ETA: I wanted to emphasize that action is encouraged, and you don't have to tell me (or Jeanne) before tagging in. Have fun!)

[Harry is, once again, doing some more exploring of the dome! This time, his wanderings have brought him to the pet cafe, where he is sitting down, looking curiously at a little black puppy. It's strange - the only dogs he's ever known are Aunt Marge's and the less said the better, or Fang who's way too big but nice, or Fluffy, who is...a three-headed hellhound. There's just no other way of saying it. So he's not used to puppies, basically. This one seems okay, and it doesn't look dangerous...

And it's actually very friendly, Harry realizes belatedly as he ends up with an armful of warm puppy. Said puppy nudges his hand and barks - but not, Harry realizes, in an angry way.

It wants...something? Harry's not sure what, for a moment, but he figures it out pretty quickly: dogs like being petted, right?

... This really isn't so bad, he decides.

tl;dr: there's a kid in the pet cafe befriending a puppy. Bother?]

[ Jade is in a wide open park, running through his artes. he's been doing this every day, feeling out the boundaries of the "seal" placed on him by Acumen and... pushing at it. he believes he's starting to get a handle on its exact composition, though he has to give it many props; he managed to undo the last seal placed on him much more quickly... so far, he's not even completely sure he's making progress.

so, this amounts to him making big, splashy magical displays, for anyone in the area to notice.

a little bit later in the morning, he pauses, taking a break in the exercise to turn on his communicator and murmur, only slightly breathless from all of the exertion ]

The limitations imposed by this place are rather frustrating, aren't they?

[ even though the words should be irritated, there's a little curl of amusement in his voice; on some level, he's enjoying the challenge. ]

Acumen's systems tick over to midnight, and somewhere in the depths of the holding facility, dozens of little silver spheres shiver and come to life. They rise up into the air, dangling little bouquets of mistletoe, and hover in waiting for the door to open again. And when it does, they swoop out and work their way into the dome proper, making it out just in time for daybreak.

Now they're scattered all over the dome, Anissina's gifts and Eggman's souvenirs. They're seeking out people to bring together in the holiday spirit...

Whether they like it or not!


[Comment here and other people will comment to you. Details and index here. Please specify your time of day and location in your tag!]

Night was falling, the smell of spices were in the air and Jennifer was busy putting the last finishing touches on all the hard work everyone had done to get the athletic complex decked out and festive.

Walking through the front door, you'll see a table where you can put all your presents on for now with a tree sitting behind it. Don't worry, the bots will make sure no one but Jennifer takes any gifts off the table! There's also a series of volunteers ready and willing to help you out of your coats if you need it, but otherwise, please don't hesitate to shed off a few layers.

It might be a little warm if you don't.

Inside the main entrance, Jennifer's taken care to section off the room into the main dancing area and a stage salvaged from the Valentine's Day auction off to the side for the performances later on. Surrounding the outer edges, are tables and settees salvaged from the Shelter so that those who wish to watch can do so in comfort. Do be careful though. Scented candles are lit on each table to provide a soft light to balance out the harshness of the lights over the dance floor.

And of course there's food. Punch and egg-nog and shrimp and cheese and a myriad of other finger foods. There are cookies decorated with frosting and lemon bars and cranberries and a giant bowl of sugared dates. Marzipan is scattered across the table and a small gingerbread house sits as a centerpiece, but the cake is the main attraction.

But the cake comes with a price. Anyone who wants a piece, must do what it says on the toothpick first. Have fun! And no cheating. Someone might be watching to make sure no one does.

Music is already playing and Jennifer's leaving things up to the host club to make sure people start dancing, because what's sadder then a ball with no dancing? Do make sure to enjoy yourselves. It's why we're all here!

((ooc: The first thread is for the cake game and will list various things you must do. The second is for performers to do their act so we can group reactions together in one spot. And last, mingle, threadjack, and have merry with whatever your characters want to do in the rest of the post!

As an ooc gift meme was suggested instead of actually threading out every gift exchange, we will be doing that instead, but we highly encourage you to still seek out your gift recipients and build CR in the post as you will.

Also, mistletoe can be found neatly tucked inside wreaths at the main entrance to the Athletic complex and also from the cloak room leading into the dance hall. Be nice! Ask permission first.))

ETA: Directory (Edited 12/28 10:30pm/22:30 EST/-05:00 GMT, new marked with ***)

Cake Game: Reply to Cake: Midori - Mistletoe Cake: Road - Dancing Cake: Ryu - Dancing Cake: Otoha - Singing Cake: Wisely - Compliment Cake: Alucard - Dancing Cake: Orihime - Ornament Cake: Hikaru - Mistletoe Cake: Yuuki - Song Cake: Kaworu - Mistletoe Cake: Milly - Dancing Cake: Tyki - Mistletoe Cake: Hiling - Mistletoe/Dancing Performances: Reply to Performance: Naoya Performance: Lacus Performance: Choir Individual: Saki Individual: Ryoji Individual: Peregrine Mendicant Individual: Wolfram Individual: Zelda Group: Kaworu, Hiling or both Individual: Himawari Individual: Feferi Individual: Cain Individual: Jeanne Individual: Ashton Individual: Midori Individual: Cosmo Individual: Fou Individual: Greed Individual: Minako Individual: Eridan Individual: Orihime

Individual: Fran Individual: Allen Individual: Tyki Individual: Chibiusa Individual: Hikaru Individual: Dean Individual: Harry Potter Individual: Wisely Individual: Axel Individual: Kamrui Fuuma Individual: Ushiro Individual: Maleficent Individual: Kaoru Individual: Zelman Individual: Yuuki Individual: Kyouya Individual: Joshua Individual: Yuuri Individual: Sam Individual: Zero Individual: Kitty (aoa) Individual: Juri Individual: Alma Individual: Lavi Individual: Milly Individual: Rinoa Rain of Flowers: Sakura Individual: C.C. Individual: Takashi Jun Individual: Suzaku Individual: Kanda Individual: Jade Individual: Duo Individual: MOMO Individual: Kitty (evo) ***Individual: Ciel

[Hiling sits slouched forward on the stool at the club, sipping her martini. She needed to get out of the house; a distraction. But it was too cold for her to want to wander far. Her glass nearly empty, she sets it down and stares at it, spacing out.]

( Video: Private to Kaworu )

[The video cuts on, but there's snow covering it. A hand comes up to wipe it away and Alma is there grinning, snow clumps all over his head. He looks a little tired, but he has been up since before dawn and most of his day has been spent outside.]

Everybody should play in the snow more! There's so many things you can do! I read about this game where teams try to make really big snowballs and the one with the biggest wins. We can do that and put them together to make the biggest snowman!

Right now, I'm making an igloo! Anybody want to help? Castiel, you should come and we can make snow angels!

[thoughtful look] Fou? Yu? Are you two busy? We haven't gotten to talk or do anything together in a while. You should come make snowballs with me! Please?

{OOC: needed to post this. Heading to work in about an hour, but I'll tag as soon as I get back!}

Strange... I had thought it would yet be some time before snow came. I am usually more attentive than that.

[Fran is curiously regarding the things that have changed in her park, stepping almost silently through the snow as she drifts calmly back to the tree where she had settled her few belongings earlier.]

Winry. I have the schematics for the Strahl, should you still care to see them.

[It was mid-morning when Winry woke up to find herself at a desk in the computer lab. Last night, she stayed up rather late trying to do some additional learning on top of her classwork and ended up dozing off for the rest of the night. Having turned the volume down on her communicator to focus, she's slept through the morning announcement as well as the good bit of morning excitement. But then she, like a few others, doesn't exactly see anything different today.

It's just as well, since she figured out plans for today, to find a place to live in outside of the shelter. Her room has started to feel cramped and hardly large enough to do her business in, much less accommodate somewhat larger potential customers. A good, small house or maybe even apartment would do well, it'd just be a matter of finding a nice one in a good location. A little help wouldn't hurt at all, either.

After stopping by the convenience store for a quick breakfast, she turns the volume back up on her communicator to make her "calls". She's pretty cheerful as she starts to broadcast.]

Hey Ed? Al? Are you two up yet? I was wondering if you two could help me out a bit today.

((OOC: Open to anyone.))

[ ...well, isn't this just fascinating.

you might find Jade wandering very sedately down the street; he's easy to spot because, at least at the moment, he has an orb of light in the air above him. he needs the light, almost less for actually seeing than for the furious scribbling he's doing in a very small notebook.

to himself, as he walks: ] An escalation, certainly... But what does it mean?

[ making his way back from the shelter on another blood pilfering acquisition trip. his route takes him through Sector 4, and that tree he'd sought out before. despite his bag laden with his perishable goods, he stops by it and maybe tries to listen. The tree does not speak to him, but it is comforting, anyway.

Eventually, though, he moves on toward his apartment. ]

Good morning, inmates. It is the 84th day of the third generation.

There is an issue that I would hear all of your opinions on, one regarding some inmate reactions to the blackout that occurred the night before last. It is imperative that you all understand that such events will naturally happen, so long as inmates have the free reign that they do. The only fail-safe method to ensure that nothing goes wrong is to reduce or remove that freedom.

So then, inmates of Marina Asylum, should the trust and freedom given to you be limited in exchange for a more smoothly operated system and facility? Or are some of you content to endure through some inconveniences, and retain the leniency you have now?

Inmates Fai D. Flourite and Toothless, your requests can be found at the entrance to Sector 0. Inmate Kefka Palazzo, your request will delivered by a remote unit.

[ Little late in the evening, but he did want to stop by and check out the new pond. The Koi are safe for now, he's not particularly hungry or looking to dampen the bandages on his arm digging around. So instead he sits at the edge, observing the pretty fishes. And maybe picking out his lunch for tomorrow. ]

[ the first thing that stands out is his face. he's very, very pale - beautiful even - except it's marred by his cold expression. in contrast, there's an amused lilt to his tone, effectively masking his irritation and annoyance ]

And here I was expecting garlic and crosses. Extra points for location though. Restraint...not so much. But I'm sure the warden will have plenty of time to improve -- as well as plenty of people to practice on.

[ a heavy rustle as he inspects the chain and the basket. conversationally- ] Though it should remember...He that is taken and put into prison or chains is not conquered, though overcome; for he is still an enemy.

[ pensive, taut silence and he chuckles. ] Fitting. With that in mind... [ trails off. he's obviously not going to finish that sentence. shifts ]

I probably shouldn't be bothering, but I thought it would be rude to go on unannounced. Seeing as I have enough time on hand, anyone care to introduce themselves?

[[sitting on one of the couches in the shelter! just...chilling...8)]]

I heard last year for Halloween there was a party. Nice, but not the only way to celebrate this time of year, is it? There's a lack of the innocent creativity that accompanies the current holiday. [Rayflo is smirking just a little.]

I spoke to Acumen and he gave me permission to host a little "game" if you will. As long as I get enough support. The objective? The one with the most candy wins.

So is anyone up for a fun time of "trick-or-treating" this Halloween?

[Raises an index finger.] And don't forget you agreed to help, Axel.

[ He's never really liked places without windows or that were closed off from the outside -- ships come to mind, though the shelter fits -- but he's never really been claustrophobic.

But, this morning, it almost feels like the walls are closing in; it started this morning with Allen, and has just gotten worse. He's starting to feel like he's going crazy. A little bit ago, he had started to panic again, then suddenly felt euphoric -- then angry -- melancholy -- giddy and... a few he can't put a name to.

He's been trying to leave the Shelter for at least a half an hour (maybe, he's sort of lost track of time) but right now he's just standing in a hallway, staring into space -- starts to smile, but it sours, and then he holds onto the sides of his head and starts laughing, slightly unhinged. ]

'm losing my mind...

((Lavi's "superpower/mutation" is empathy. He can't project his emotions on others, but until he gets what's going on, he's susceptible to being projected at/on.))

And just what is this supposed to be? Did everyone get one or do I have a secret admirer?

[Spike received some mail tonight and a drawing of a cat head didn't exactly make the sender clear to him. He might have had a guess if he knew the Kittys better, but he'd be wrong.]

[There's a long line of bamboo at the beach, their stalks curving gently over the quiet trickling of waves. Further back on the beach are colored lanterns and little tables with pens and sheets of paper and string.

You're supposed to write poems or notes to your loved ones who can't be with you today, right...?]


((event-style posting; comment here to get tagged by other people. sorry if this infringes on the people who posted recently, I was going to post this this morning but had to go out... consider this a post for people who don't have quite enough substance for their own action posts!))

[Fran has caught up with the one establishment in the dome where you can drink, and she happens to be interested in a glass of wine. She walks into the club and is immediately put off by the music, but nevertheless persists, drifting over to the counter and getting a glass from the robot manning the bar.

[Then she settles on a stool, at the end of the bar furthest from the music, and sips at her well-earned reward. Feel free to join her!]

[Rei hadn't come home last night.]

[She hadn't responded to any filtered calls, either.]

[She wasn't in the hospital, or her LCL tank.]

[He didn't want to admit that it was possible, but... he checks the list posted outside sector 0, anyway.]

[Upon reading her name listed, Tsukasa slides down against the wall, burying his head in his knees, starting to cry. He doesn't care who hears him, or how stupidly early it is.]