sphererpmod: (Default)
Sphere Mods ([personal profile] sphererpmod) wrote in [community profile] thespherelogs2019-09-02 08:19 pm

Fourth Wall Month!

Who: Everyone and visiting Characters!
What: The Fourth Wall log!
When: The month of September!.
Where: All over.
Notes: If you have any questions about how this all works, please head over here to the Fourth Wall info post!.

Fourth Wall Log!
Company's coming!
So the Sphere is malfunctioning and there’s new arrivals here. In order to give them somewhere to sleep and rest, the Sphere has given them all temporary housing in dorm dome number two! That means sunken beds, three squares a day that are already prepared for you and clothing in the closets that just happen to be to your character’s taste. (And you know if they happen to die then you’ve got a nice space to Rez.) All and all it’s a nice little home base for people to have. There’s several common areas for mingling, and all though there aren’t individual rooms for the characters who are staying there, the domes also provide screens for privacy. Don’t worry, no one’s spying on you or something. Probably.

John (one of our resident NPCs here, who is a doctor and also a ghost but shush) knows the importance of family, and she knows how tough it can be when people arrive in a place they don’t know. The visitors haven’t really had the same experience as people brought in the traditional way, so John has stationed herself in the dorms with a sort of ipad thing, and she’s offering to take people’s information and to show them how things like the network work. She’s also there to hold hands and deal with any medical issues that these new arrivals may just happen to have. If people don’t want to talk to her, that’s totally fine! She won’t push. But she’ll also provide directions to places if people need them. Or at least point them in the general places that they need to go.

Speaking things out into the void.
This is a prompt for visiting characters to be able to put out a network post without actually joining the network community! Upon waking in The Sphere, each character (even temporary ones!) are fitted with a small golden circle behind their right ear. This is how they are connected to the network through a neural link. Touch and hold the button to create a broadcast of one of three types:
  1. Audio. Your character thinks audible words onto the network.
  2. Writing: Your character thinks text into the network.
  3. Video. Your character projects a broadcast of a video of themselves onto the network.
Replies are determined by the player. The network needs to be accessed by choice, so character broadcasts are not automatically beamed directly into people’s heads. The Sphere isn’t that rude.

Private messages are allowed by pressing and holding and pressing and holding again as you picture the person in your mind. This can be an image or a name, err more on the side of things being more accessible than less.

God let people have their pumpkin spice lattes, Karen!
It’s September, and that means that fall has hit the Sphere hard. Well, as hard as any place can be without having actual seasons or sunlight. So, in the artificial sun of the Sphere, what there is instead of colder weather and leaves changing is a new festival. The festival, which if you ask someone who’s been there for a while is in celebration of the most fall thing in the entire world: pumpkin spice. That’s right, there’s an entire festival just centered around pumpkin spice flavored things! Of course, the people of the Sphere do try and make an effort to invoke the spirit of the season, with large garlands of fake brightly colored leaves lining the street. The scents of pumpkin spice fill the air and there are small fire pits near Adirondack chairs that are clustered together with all the things to make s’mores.

For those not pumpkin minded, there are also a fair amount of apples picked from the Sphere orchards, and a few small knives. Some older women promise that if people can peel the apples in a long spiral and throw them behind them, then the peel will form the initial of the person that the thrower is destined to marry. Of course there is also bobbing for apples and pumpkin carving.

In both the merchant dome and the agricultural dome there’s massive tables brimming with enough pumpkin foods to make Harry Potter jealous. There’s all sorts of pumpkin baked goods, pumpkin ravioli, roasted pumpkin and vegetables and there’s even roasted meats with pumpkin sauce! There's also drinks of both the alcoholic and non alcoholic sort: pumpkin beer, pumpkin spice wine, pumpkin spice vodka, apple spiced whiskey and so on! At each place is a coffee cart with a poor overworked barista who is doling out every sort of pumpkin coffee, hot chocolate and tea imaginable including yes pumpkin spice lattes.

We're waiting for the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.
There’s even a pumpkin carving contest in the agricultural dome! Pumpkins of different sizes ranging from small sugar ones to ones that could comfortably form a children’s fort are stacked around, and there are picnic tables set in newspaper and with things like knives and scoopers and nails and even drills for those people who want to remove the pumpkin guts or use them to do some carving. Everyone who participates receives a ribbon as well as a bag of toasted pumpkin seeds to take home.

They hope you really like pumpkin seeds. There’s a ton of them.

When the dark comes, people hunker down between the false stars above, with blankets all around them, the scent of pumpkin in the air. Flashlights and small lanterns are distributed by people, and when asked what’s going on, they’ll say that they’re waiting for The Great Pumpkin. Children whisper the name excitedly, and even some of the more inebriated adults do the same. Either way, at midnight the largest pumpkin rises above the crowd to gasps of shock and awe before it just magically changes into the types of candy and small toys that one would expect to come from an excellently stocked pinata.

The color of magical bounty.
In the rec dome, some magically gifted people have conjured up massive piles of dried leaves for people to frolic in. And when I say massive, I mean massive. It’s almost like an entire forest of leaves that’s thankfully free of all of the problems that come with jumping in leaves. With no animals in the Sphere, there’s not any of their presents hiding in the leaves and anything sharp hasn’t been created! Which means that it’s great for things like jumping in, burying things in and of course leaf fights.

If your character is missing nature, the area smells exactly how one would expect a late September walk in the woods to smell: it’s almost as if you’re there! The sunlight in the dome has also been altered a bit where the leaves are located, so it’s cooler, and a slight wind seems to be in the air, stirring the leaves every so often. It’s enough to encourage sweaters and scarves, that have been provided by people if they’d like them. The scarves and sweaters all seem to be of the handmade variety, and just the tiniest bit irregular, with one sleeve longer than the other, or the fringe on a scarf being slightly askew, that sort of thing. But they’re still lovely and soft and warm and smell of dryer sheets and leaves.

And we're flying, flying far beyond...
So the Sphere saw that everyone just loved the fireflies last month so this month it decided that what the city needs is to fly for real! So in the Rec dome, there’s a marked pad that people can step on that lets people fly around this particular dome for 30 minutes at a go using the same sort of controls that the communications behind your ear has! Press quickly once to go up and twice to go down. The clearance in the dome clocks in somewhere around 400 feet so there’s plenty of room for flying and even going up and touching the top of the dome and staring out into the abyss of water.

Be careful though because sometimes if you stare too long into the abyss, things just happen to stare back at you and then there are things in the deep water that you may not expect. Or that you might. Giant fish and squid may just find all this unusual activity quite interesting. But don’t worry the dome won’t crack. Guess what! You are now the fish in the aquarium for them! Or you know the bird flying past the cat in the window.

Wanna go to a real party? (CW: Mentions of drugs and alcohol.)
If people are looking for more illicit entertainment, and discreet inquiries are made, a passcode to the Black Market hidden behind some of the stalls is offered. The entrance is hidden enough that someone needs to be looking for it, and there is a rather large bouncer guarding the door and asking for the proper passcode. The passcode of the day happens to be I hate pumpkin.

Inside the black market is large, but much more dimly lit than the regular market dome. There are various pockets of people clustered under bright neon lights. The lights, someone confides to you, are code for what they’re offering. And nearly everything is on offer if a person has the ability to make a trade. Things from home, character skills and even favors tend to be the currency here, but watch out: the hawkers within are shrewd and sharp. If they make a deal with someone, it’s nearly always going to favor them. Eventually.

There’s also a large and loud party happening inside. Think of a rave with a large amount of people who happened to be a bit out of their minds. Drugs aren’t given freely here, they’re too valuable, but should someone want to figure out what they’re rolling on, eventually someone will ask or offer. The drug that they are currently using is called ‘self’ and it’s something that affects your character in an intensely personal way. For some, it’s an experience like your favorite cocktail mixed with vicodin, and for others it’s just like being drunk. For still more people, it’s like ecstasy without the side effects.

The drug has no physically addictive properties. It does however cause a hangover. The Sphere doesn't want to take all the fun out of imbibing too much.

photo inspiration

guerin: (Image59)

[personal profile] guerin 2019-09-21 07:25 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Michael settles on the bench and he takes a drink from the whiskey once he settles down stretching his legs out and his other hand slips out of his jacket when she offers the cup. ]

I don't usually do lattes. [ He said, or coffee all that often but when he did it was usually black. He takes a sip all the same and then hands her the cup back. ]

Damn that's sweet. [ Even with the whiskey kick. ]
shockinglyold: (Default)

[personal profile] shockinglyold 2019-09-21 09:08 pm (UTC)(link)
I rather like that fact, but I like em both.
unbrokening: (Default)

[personal profile] unbrokening 2019-09-21 09:30 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't think anything is impossible for you.
unbrokening: (Default)

[personal profile] unbrokening 2019-09-21 09:31 pm (UTC)(link)
They do not see it as often as they should.
ubbe: (Default)

[personal profile] ubbe 2019-09-21 10:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, I am. I suppose you have come across quite a few of those.
cannoned: (Default)

Re: PSL

[personal profile] cannoned 2019-09-22 12:23 am (UTC)(link)

"Warming? Hardly. It's barely a spring wind." Val just raises her tankard and finishes, before she sets the glass down on top of a nearby table in a final pronouncement that she's found the drink lacking. "On Asgard, we'd give such things to the infirm or to children." Is there a little bit of snobbery involved there, considering she'd elected to fuck off of Asgard for a good long time because of Hela? You bet. But Val honestly doesn't care.

However, because of who he is (at least part of the time anyway) Banner earns a large grin from her and she just asks quickly: "How are you, Bruce? Are you liking it here?"

gristle: (Default)

[personal profile] gristle 2019-09-22 12:26 am (UTC)(link)

That makes Bev laugh. "You know, I want to ask myself what we end up doing, but I don't wanna know, you know? Because like I wanna be surprised. I guess it's surprising already that I go to college. Back home, I never would have thought it. I didn't you know, like school very much." For a lot of reasons, mostly because of the bullies. Hopefully, it'd be better now given that she's got the Loser's club.

gristle: (ylfmYew)

[personal profile] gristle 2019-09-22 12:47 am (UTC)(link)
Well, even if he'd not said anything, Beverly definitely would have noticed the way that the knife came out the back of the kid's pumpkin. Of course if it was her, then she definitely would have said that it was an intentional thing, but he's not her. Still, she pokes at her pumpkin with her knife again, dragging it along the edge of the piece that she'd just broken off as if she could somehow salvage the design that she'd been doing. It's a losing battle for Beverly, considering the whole how important that piece was to the structure of the carving thing.

"Is this your first time carving a pumpkin?" Even though he looks to be her age, Bev has learned from Tommy that it doesn't mean that the other kids here had the experiences she does, so she's trying to be nice about it.
doubled_speed: (Default)

[personal profile] doubled_speed 2019-09-22 12:52 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, Tommy gets the not liking school. He gets out of the pile and holds a hand out to her.

"Well, I've got a pizza date with her in Chicago, provided, you know, our worlds are connected."
cannoned: (8)

[personal profile] cannoned 2019-09-22 12:53 am (UTC)(link)
Who in their right mind would let me have a kingdom?

[Yeah, that sounds really stupid considering... herself. But there's more important matters like: ]

Did Hela somehow escape?
postocular: (cnZX65W)

[personal profile] postocular 2019-09-22 12:56 am (UTC)(link)
He extricates his fist and the knife from the pumpkin, wiping off the excess pumpkin slime on his pant leg. His project is pretty much dead on arrival, but maybe he can look at it from a different perspective in a minute. He turns his attention to Beverly and offers an embarrassed shrug.

"It's.. been a few years, for sure. My parents and I used to do one every Halloween when I was younger. Lately, it's not really been a priority."
gristle: (ek18Nmj)

[personal profile] gristle 2019-09-22 01:01 am (UTC)(link)
It's because she's a girl isn't it?

[Because Sansa's told her some about her world, after all.]
gristle: (aDsDD9V)

[personal profile] gristle 2019-09-22 01:10 am (UTC)(link)
"It'd be really nice if they are, but I don't think people with abilities are like actually real in mine. Besides, if they were, I'd probably go kick down some doors for you." Or like kill people.

"But it's nice to think about!"
doubled_speed: (Rush of the Race)

[personal profile] doubled_speed 2019-09-22 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
Kick down some doors? Interesting thought.

"I mean, mutants weren't as out and obvious when you're from. Public awareness is new, mostly in my lifetime. That's the way it's always been. But tell me, which doors? Gonna fuck up the Shepherds?"
lovelylaica: (tune out)

[personal profile] lovelylaica 2019-09-22 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ She sighs. Maker, it's like trying to reason with Carver. ]

Qunari. There's no T's or K's in it. And it's not racist if I don't know you're not human. I asked you. You said there was nothing different about you. Which clearly isn't true. Just try telling the truth from the beginning next time if it bothers you so much when people get the wrong impression. Being a mage is normal to me but that doesn't mean it's normal for anybody else.

[ She purses her lips as she mulls over his descriptions. ]

Wonder if I could do something like that with magic...
lovelylaica: (serious)

[personal profile] lovelylaica 2019-09-22 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Now, that is interesting. She tilts her head, curious. ]

So you were in Skyhold, then here, then went back to Skyhold before coming back here? How much time passed in Skyhold while you were gone, did you notice? Or... did they just assume you wandered off on your own volition while you were gone?
lovelylaica: (chilly)

[personal profile] lovelylaica 2019-09-22 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Silently, she looks at him, unable to hide the hope in her eyes. For some glimmer of recognition for some indication that he does know her, even if he doesn't realize it.

But there's nothing.

She keeps her chin up as resignation settles in. There's no point in prolonging this. ]


Thank you for indulging me, messere. I won't take any more of your time.

[ She hangs up. ]
lovelylaica: (eyes down)

[personal profile] lovelylaica 2019-09-22 02:26 am (UTC)(link)
[ Once again, somebody she might have claimed as an acquaintance, if not a friend (are any brave enough to claim Morrigan as a friend? Any other than the Hero herself?), has no idea who she is. She keeps smiling. ]

I'm from Ferelden, aren't I? Becoming familiar with Orlesian taste is the sort of distasteful thing one must do to survive in trying times.

[ She offers a hand. ]

Laica Hawke.
magneticfields: (who the fuck are you)

[personal profile] magneticfields 2019-09-22 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ He blinks, momentarily stunned at the young man's familiarity but also his incorrect information. ]

Who is Anya?

[ Is there some young woman claiming to be his daughter? No wonder there might be others claiming the same. ]
magneticfields: (half light annoyed)

[personal profile] magneticfields 2019-09-22 02:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ There have been times in Erik's life when he did his best to avoid recognition. Other times when he did the opposite. He is and has been known by many names, any of which he could be called by somebody who knew him in some part of his life.

There is one he never expected to hear. Certainly not from a grown woman. He notices her before she speaks, something about her striking a cord, something about her is familiar. Of course, she speaks first. And he loses the ability to respond for a moment. When he regains the ability to speak, there's only one name that comes to mind. ]


Nina?
magneticfields: (profile happy)

[personal profile] magneticfields 2019-09-22 02:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ Erik takes a breath and nods, glancing at Charles with a half-smile. It's not like words could change anything now. ]

Nina would have you wrapped around her finger within minutes.

[ The girl was possessed of lethal amounts of charm, disarming Erik handily whenever he attempted to discipline her. Magda was always better at it. But there were more immediate concerns as well. ]

So the school is not an option? Even as a consultant or adjunct?
doubled_speed: (Oh Son of a Witch)

[personal profile] doubled_speed 2019-09-22 02:38 am (UTC)(link)
Oooooh-kay this is definitely a weird world you're originally from.

[This is a bit shocking. Confusing. And yeah, Tommy's pacing. Which is really quick, what with the him not supposed to be slow.]

Okay, so your world is different. Which is really weird. Next thing you know, you'll be telling me you aren't Jewish and you didn't live through... I mean, this is so weird.
doubled_speed: (It's All Fun and Games Until This)

[personal profile] doubled_speed 2019-09-22 02:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Tommy rolls his eyes. He hadn't lied once to her. Hell, he even mentioned being a mutant at their first meeting, but whatever. She can be as little minded as she felt. Humans were always like that. She's so impossible.]

Listen, I'm used to really weird things from witches and the like, but whatever.

What I do? It's not something magic can do unless you've got a spell to slow time for you. Which is silly. Because this sucks.

[But he would never give it up.]
Edited 2019-09-22 02:45 (UTC)
toivory: (and that's the tea)

[personal profile] toivory 2019-09-22 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
I didn't, either, until I came here. I didn't do a lot of things until I came here.

[She leans back against the bench, her posture significantly more dignified than his.] We have pumpkin pies at home, but I do love the spices together. Warm, exciting. [She shrugged a bit, before taking the cup.]

Everything here is so sweet. It takes some getting used to.
toivory: (roses)

[personal profile] toivory 2019-09-22 04:55 am (UTC)(link)
[She stills for a moment, his words twisting up in her heart and pulling at in a way that made her swell with love for her brother.]

I'll do my best, then. But only if you promise you will find a time to visit Winterfell.
[With their new fast-travel system, traveling in Westeros took no time at all!]