January Welcome Event

[sphererpmod]

Who: Everyone!
What: January's welcome log.
When: Jan 1st-7th
Where: All over the place.
Warnings:
Notes: This is your January welcome log with Sphere New Year Traditions. Come in, go nuts.


A new day has come.

So unlike many other places, the Sphere doesn’t celebrate New Years on New Year’s Eve. Instead they celebrate it in s three day festival commencing on January first to the third. The festival starts on the first at dawn with people waking up early to watch the first unofficial sunrise in the Sphere. Unlike most other days, this sunrise is universal, moving into each of the domes and filling them with such a bright light that it looks like an idealized version of a bright summer’s day. Groups of people join together to watch it in the dormitory dorms as well as in several public areas. The agriculture dome and the recreational domes are popular places for such activities and there are several places where there appear to be flowers blooming and almost the sound of birdsong.

Also in the more public places, there are large tables filled up with what seems to be a standard light breakfast of fruit, cheese and various loaves of bread, including a particular loaf of bread that everyone is given either in their attendance or in the dome itself. It’s a circular loaf with nuts on it that’s perfect for sharing. Indeed people keep trying to share a piece with the characters around them.

One thing that’s missing though? None of the places seem to have any sort of caffeine in any form. If questioned about it, someone knowledgeable will respond: “you can’t have caffeine until the sun sets!” The words come with a good natured laugh and characters are then handed a glass of fruit juice.

Out with the old and in with the new.

As the sun is about to set on the first day, crowds gather in the rec dome. There in the middle of the area there’s a large bonfire set up. The smoke billows up towards the top of the dome before it disappears. People gathered around the fires are throwing old possessions into it, some of which are their own and some of them are the possessions of the people who had left. The idea is to unburden yourself of things to face the new year with a clean slate.

There are smaller fires around, and they burn different colors with the smoke being sweet smelling and light. Some people show the newcomers how to gather the smoke in their hands and release it over their heads, in order to clear out dark thoughts and whatever is troubling people. The smoke gives people a slight feeling of euphoria, and makes them feel as if whatever is happening isn’t quite as bad as they think it is.

And we’re dancing through life.

On the second day, the public domes are fairly dead. The merchant dome is closed and only a few restaurants are open, and only those are for delivery. The entire city almost seems to be holding their breath and waiting for something. When the clock turns to eight pm, it’s almost as if the entire city is lit in a combination of stars and candlelight. In the gardens in the Rec dome, a large ball has been set up. Everyone in the city has been given their ideal fancy dress outfit, including mask in order to wear to it. The idea behind it is that the characters are in the middle of their transitional state. Day one was the day they put their old life behind them, and day three will be the day that they form their new selves for the year ahead. Which is why at the ball, people wear masks and have the option to give into some of the things that they wouldn’t normally do.

Wanna eat that there whole pint of ice cream? Go nuts. Wanna drink a bottle of vodka? Hey it’s your liver and it’s not like you can die! Wanna hook up in a dark corner with a stranger. It’s your life and there’s some nice velvet couches over there; out of sight and out of mind.

Dinner is in the form of an elaborate meal, sort of along the idea of Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, no expense is spared and everything is extremely well done and extravagant. Rich food, insane desserts, open bar, everything this night is too excess. At various points in the evening, the sky which has been showing stars shifts into things like fireworks, and glowy nebuleuses, causing people to burst into spontaneous bouts of applause.

All the while, there are various and shifting dance floors with an assortment of music to dance to, including classical, swing, fiddles, big band, pop, R&B, and basically anything that you can think of. The dances that people do there are as varied as the population, the drunkenness level and of course the all important dances of people's native Caucasia.

The party goes until dawn, at which point, the drunken releveries spill onto the streets, and people return to their personal domes singing loudly and off key.

A new day a new you

So despite however much you may have done the night before, or whatever else you may have engaged in, and however long you may have stayed awake for, when your head hits the pillow, you wake up feeling well great for lack of a better word. You have no hangover, you're not tired, you're not in pain, and any heavy or dark thoughts will suddenly seem not at all so bad. It may be better than you've felt in your entire time in the Sphere, or better than a long time depending on how things are at home.

Either way, when you wake up, day is late (even if your character doesn't normally sleep) and there is a crowd of people in the agriculture dome. People are there working together in order to plant new things in the greenhouse. They're planting baby plants that will grow to feed people in the new year, according to Annie, and it's all about breathing new life into the world.

Afterwards, there are different things like yoga and meditation classes, and people just spread out smiling among the flowers. No one is as pushy as normal, it's just kind of there. They're just kind of there, stretching, enjoying the sunshine and just kind of chilling.

Later, people set up a large sort of barbecue and outdoor kitchen. Food is cooked communally, and people will ask your character to come and cook. Even if you can't cook, passing out food or cleaning up. This is a community building activity people tell ya, so you can go with it or not. But the rest of the city is, so please enjoy some delicious food your characters may or may not have a hand in cooking or giving out. Wine and fruit juice is in a wide abundance here, as is water and caffeinated drinks. A few people can even be found having some harder stuff (vodka and whiskey) if your character looks to be in need of it.

And the end of the night, the sky above the dome lights up with aurora borealis, in brilliant lights and hues, and there are what appear to be a smattering of actual, living fireflies buzzing lazily around. People who are here longer than the characters seem puzzled, and more than a few children and adults are out catching them between their palms.


Inspiration images

Comments

[nobasisinfact]

It's possible that her personality was just poor. I wasn't fond of the ideas she had in regard to your sleeping.

[He totally listened to her sleep notes.]

[11calls]

[She knows he listened to her sleepnotes when he listened to the show. She just wishes that he hadn't.

But she's glad that she's not had the same whole nightmares that she did there.]

You just don't like the idea that she told me to sleep with someone I trusted.

[nobasisinfact]

It wasn't sound advice, and it hasn't worked very well now that you are.

[No, he didn't like it, he didn't like her.]

[11calls]

Hey, I sleep a lot better when you're around than when you don't you know.

[Which was true, without a doubt, honestly.]

But yeah, I could have done without the whole "sleep with someone, do pot, have wine, masturbate, blah blah blah" thing. There's just something really off putting about her. Even if Nic still sees her which seems like a huge conflict of interest.

[nobasisinfact]

Everything Nic does is a huge conflict of interests.

[The comment is dry. He hasn't been very pleased with Nic's recent choices.]

[11calls]

You're still mad he didn't stay on with me when I watched the tape, aren't you?

[Because she's still mad about it. And she hasn't mentioned the feelings conversation.]

[nobasisinfact]

[There's a long pause.]

Yes.

[11calls]

[And she's just going to eye him for a minute.]

But that's not the only reason is it?

[nobasisinfact]

I don't agree with his methods, or much else that he's done recently.

[Nic's judgment sucks. See Tanis]

[11calls]

[Alex's gaze just grows distant for a moment, and a hurt frown appears on her face as she think of Nic and agrees with him.]

He's really been a fucking idiot.

[nobasisinfact]

Yes.

[11calls]

[That makes Alex laugh, she can't help it.]

So, is he more of an idiot than I am? You know, when I am being an idiot.

[nobasisinfact]

I would say you're about even.

[11calls]

[Alex looks offended, perhaps doubly so because of her massive headache.]

Hey, I never drank cult tea and I don't work for Warren like Nic works for Cameron Ellis.

[nobasisinfact]

If Simon told you to, you might. And I wouldn't let you work for Warren.

[11calls]

[Now it's Alex's turn to look offended. Again.]

I would not drink drugged cult tea from a cult that I knew had been out drugging people with drugged tea! Even if Simon says. And I wouldn't work for Warren anyway. He totally creeps me out remember?

[nobasisinfact]

In a James Bond sort of way.

[She is never, EVER living that down.]

[11calls]

[Alex just gave a squeak of indignation.]

You're going to see that's in my obit, aren't you? Like just make Nic take out the file and update it right in front of you.

[Because of course her obituary is on file at the station. And she approved it. Just in case.]

[nobasisinfact]

I hadn't thought of doing that.

[Way to give him ideas.]

[11calls]

[Oh god damn it.]

Oh god, you're going to now though aren't you?

[nobasisinfact]

Do you really think that's something I would do?

[He would SO do it.]

[11calls]

[Alex is just going to give him an eye.]

Oh you would absolutely do it.

[nobasisinfact]

[He can't help smirking at that.]

[11calls]

[And she can't help poking him with that.]

If that gets added to my obituary, I'm going to figure out how to come back as a ghost and haunt you, Richard Strand.

[nobasisinfact]

Ghosts aren't real, and seeing as I'm significantly older I'll probably die first.