(no subject)

[sphererpmod]

Who: Everyone!
What: January's welcome log. Oh also part one of the Ghost 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 Year A New You

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 revelries 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.

Ghosts of years ago.

So, for the past three months or so now, there have been ghosts intermittently showing up in the Sphere. Some ghosts are ones you know, some ghosts aren't, but for the most part there has been very little lasting interaction. Until now. As there's introspection happening, the ghosts are more and more drawn to it, but only now there's something less intelligent in their eyes: there's a hunger. Ghosts are trying to leech off the life forces of everyone in the Sphere, and the best way to stop them is not to be alone. But either way, death is stalking the feast, and it's haunting you.

Comments

Dave Strider | OTA

[ironicoolly]

A New Day Has Come

Seriously? Are they for real with this shit? Granted, maybe Mobius is a hard act to follow; a literal dream world that grants its citizens their every wish is kind of impossible to top, but come the fuck on. Dave's pretty sure actual graveyards are more lively than this on New Year's. The no-caffeine thing comes as only a mild annoyance (thank god they've at least got apple juice up in this motherfucker), but the food...

Dave furrows his brows behind his shades. Talk about bland. Bread, bread, and more bread. "Haven't these people heard you're supposed to give more options at these shindigs than just the choice between rye and white?" he muses aloud.

Ghosts

He's trying to ignore it - he really is - because this particular ghost has a face he knows too well and a propensity for getting his goat that he's really only learned to combat by, well, slapping on his best poker face and ignoring her shenanigans.

Don't even look at it, Strider, is the stance he appears to be taking of the girl with the insufferable cocksure grin on her face currently resting an elbow on his shoulder as she leans against him.

It's fine. Totally, 100% fine.

Ghosts

[eatdavesbabies]

Bro is still not sure what this horseshit is in full, but he’s not happy to be here. He was about to have a rematch with a Dersite that just didn’t know how to stay down. This place, meanwhile, has just been unbelievably lame and a waste of his goddamn time. This place is not even worth giving a fuck about.

Well. Maybe it is a little bit, considering one of the three other humans worth giving a fuck about is here.

Bro just comes over like it’s fucking nothing when he approaches Dave. Rests his own elbow on Dave’s other shoulder.

“Sup?” Is the simple greeting Bro gives.

[ironicoolly]

Ah, yes; just what he needed - though, from the weight resting against his other shoulder, Dave supposes this one is more tangible. The real deal, even.

"Not much. Just enjoying my new occupation as armrest I guess. Pay's kind of shit, if I'm being honest, but so's everything else in this joint so I'm pretty sure this place ain't even capable of having a single thing that can't be quantified as resting firmly in the category of 'shit' which, as I'm learning, is apparently broader than I thought it was. It's an experience."

His voice is completely flat.

[eatdavesbabies]

“Food’s shit, setting’s shit. Let’s not talk about the decor or ambiance. If I was a more ruthless man I’d get my ass on Yelp and give it a two star review.”

Bro isn’t really sure what he did to deserve getting shunted into this place. He didn’t really expect fate or destiny or whatever horse shit tried to say it drove the out of control bus that is existence to make any sense since the only possible destination is a ditch with a blazing tire fire at the bottom of it. Dave at least is here. And older.

Much older.

There’s a lot of things he wants to ask. To know about what he went through, what his life was like. How the fuck did Bro miss all this? Best to ask the real important questions.

“Who’s Casperetta?” he asks, pointing at the ghost girl.

[ironicoolly]

Man, how does he even begin to explain? The thing with Bro is that Dave is never really sure what kind of answer he expects. A non-answer like the types Bro himself is so fond of? Something witty and scathing? A combination of both?

He doesn't have the energy for this (for reasons that may have to do with the fact that this ghost has been latched onto him for a good while now), so he decides it's best not to overthink it.

"Former coworker, kind of. One of those types who looks like a complete goodie-two-shoes all the way up until she lets her hair down and reveals she's actually a complete sadist whose idea of foreplay probably involves stabbing you like fifty times in a row with the world's tiniest knife."

He's... a little perturbed by the fact that this place seems to have conjured her up for him, but he's not about to let that show.

"You probably would've liked her."

[eatdavesbabies]

Despite the layer of obnoxious ass irony that Bro wrapped the question in, it was a sincere one. He is interested to the nines as to what Dave’s life has been like until now. He can’t express that like a functional fucking adult, since he’s never been that and has never known how.

“I would never cockblock bro,” Bro says flatly. “Guess you had more help getting the job done than early reports thought.”

[ironicoolly]

That earns a short laugh from Dave. "Just for the record, she didn't wanna fuck me. Fuck with me, yeah. Fuck my shit up? Probably. But she wasn't into me like that, or if she was she was good at hiding it, I guess."

A pause.

"Wait. Who the fuck is reporting on me?"

[eatdavesbabies]

“I got ears everywhere, bro,” Bro says, not at all sounding like an ominous dickweasel. “Guess some wires got crossed, because the buzz I got was there were four Sburb players that get to shape shit.”

[ironicoolly]

Dave goes rigid the moment the word "Sburb" falls from Bro's lips. Visions of heat and death - of the sensation of falling - flash through his mind.

He shoves his hands into his pockets and tries to picture something else. "She's not from Sburb," he says, totally nonplussed. "That shit game is old news, Bro."

[eatdavesbabies]

Poker face never failing, Bro considers that bit of intel. That little nugget. Alright then.

“Already got business done, huh?” Bro asks. “Met this senorita in your new world. She must have some cajones to talk to a god like that.” Bro approves deeply. Maybe not so much she’d fuck with Dave specifically, but to give attitude to gods? That is a sentiment with which Bro Strider could be down.

[ironicoolly]

What the fuck? How much did Bro know about Sburb? Way more than he let on, apparently, which, in retrospect, isn't so surprising. It's not like he's exactly known for sharing his knowledge with the world.

Puppet porn? Yes. Anything else? Not so much.

"Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure the only thing that came close to terrifying her was mushy shit. Friendship talk. Legit affection. That kind of stuff."

He can just picture her now sticking a tongue out in disgust in hurling death threats at anyone foolish enough to display such sentiments within hearing distance of her.

"Like I said; you probably would've liked her."

[eatdavesbabies]

Bro just nods at that. Dunking on friendship nonsense? Sounds good to him. He can pretty much immediately like her for that. Sounds like the girl knew how to keep her cool. That’s respectable, to know your roll like that.

“She sounds legit,” Bro says.

Bro holds out a fist for the ghost girl to pound. Cause he is pretty sure she knew what’s up with life.

[ironicoolly]

For a brief moment, the ghost of the girl turns to Bro, eyes wandering from his face to his fist multiple times, speculatively. Then she lets out a tiny bark of a laugh and dissipates.

Dave stands up a little straighter without the weight pressing down on him.

"Guess the feeling wasn't mutual."

[eatdavesbabies]

“I can respect that,” Bro says. And he does. Bro will take having someone laugh in his face over feigned respect. The former should be saluted, the latter only held in contempt. The bitch apparently wears her misanthropy on her sleeve, and that’s something Bro just wishes more people would do.

“We’d best be making our own exits, stage left,” Bro says. “She has the right idea with that.”

[ironicoolly]

"You aren't gonna find any arguments from me."

Fuck this place, seriously. If he could poof himself out of existence here and back to where he came from the way he's sure she just did, he'd do just that. "The most bumping thing about this shit party's the ghosts, anyway."

So with that being said, Dave makes a hasty exit with Bro, not keen on wasting any more time here. It's back to their... dome. Ugh. It's like he got teleported straight into a low-budget Syfy show. Dave's lips purse slightly into a frown as he gives their current place of residence a once-over.

"Home sweet home."

Yeah, he really can't sound any less enthusiastic to be here.

[eatdavesbabies]

“When the dead are the pulse of the party you know you fucked up,” Bro agrees.

Bro does not give a single flying fuck about this place. He doesn’t hate it. Well. He doesn’t hate it yet. For the most part he’s ambivalent to it. It’s just a place, not his, but Bro has to wonder if any place ever really fucking was.

Bro paces the dome, disgusted and nonplussed. This place is a disgrace. It has no good way to defend it and security is severely lacking. How the fuck is Bro supposed to live somewhere that doesn’t have security cameras to the nines?

Then Bro finds the bedroom. “Check it out,” Bro says, looking at the single bed. Then the dressers. Well lookie lookie. The dressers are fingerprint activated. That’s cute. That’s neat. Bro is still hoping Dave will think you move important shit out of his, because it won’t take Bro long to crack it.

[ironicoolly]

Scrutinizing this place would be different if he were on his own. With Bro with him, it brings another rising feeling of dread with him as he begins to remember why he hated living with his brother. He's already picturing smuppets covering every inch of the furniture, the hallways.

And then there's the way Bro gestures to the bed and the dressers. Dave can feel the hairs on his neck stand on end; there will be no privacy of his own to be had here, he can already tell that much for a fact.

But, perhaps more pressingly at the moment...

"Did they seriously only give us one bed."

Yes, it's big enough for two people to share, but for fuck's sake.

New Day!

[spoiledbugboy]

Haga isn't the type to mingle or to go to parties, but hey, he isn't about to decline free food. Specially when it looks quite tasty. The fruits spread around the large table look quite plump, and the cheese also looks appealing. The breads are also nice. In fairness, because he's not very keen on meat, being a pescetarian and all, he honestly thinks this is a pretty good feast to have on New Year's.

Apparently though, not everyone shares his opinion.

"Hm?" Haga turns to the source of the voice near him, mouth full of grapes which he swallows before speaking up. "Eh, I think the variety here is pretty good."

[ironicoolly]

Wow, who dares contradict him?

"My bad, I didn't know we were no standards central over here."

[spoiledbugboy]

"Hey! I'll have you know I have pretty good standards!"

What's with this guy? And here Haga thought he had an attitude problem.

"Dare I ask what's so terrible about all this?"

[ironicoolly]

"Nah. You wouldn't get it; you're sporting the dorkiest haircut and pair of glasses I've ever seen a dude dare to go outside with, so you're gonna have to forgive me for not being keen on believing you've got standards for shit."

Seriously, what kind of shit barber did this guy go to?

"Your hair looks like an unmowed lawn."

[spoiledbugboy]

Welp, you see that color rising to Haga's face? Yep, he's pretty miffed now.

"Excuse me?? I like my hair and my looks just the way they are, thank you!" He huffs, angrily placing slices of pineapple on his plate.

"Just because you got some lame sunglasses on that doesn't make you an authority in fashion and coolness." Honestly, who this guy thinks he is, insulting him right off the bat like that?

[ironicoolly]

He scoffs. "No shit lame shades don't make you 'an authority in fashion and coolness.' Only a complete douchebag would attach that much importance to a piece of dumb eyewear, which is sort of the joke; I'm wearing them as a parodic tribute to these jokers, whereas you're completely unironic with your shit. See the difference?"

Dave doesn't bother to wait for Haga's reply before he continues.

"You should probably get your eyes checked again; see if your eyesight's gotten any worse since you had those goofy lenses fitted. It'd explain a few things."

[spoiledbugboy]

OK, Haga thought he was pretty insufferable, but even he was being able to keep his awful behavior in check while at the Sphere. This guy is just straight up insulting him for no reason!

"What's your problem with me anyway?" Haga protests a little louder than he intends to, fingers gripping the plate on his hand in clear anger. "I'm perfectly fine with my looks and my 'goofy glasses', and if you got an issue with that I honestly don't care!"

But... with the way he's red in the face and stammering he clearly cares.

"You've know me for like a minute and already got a problem with what I eat and how I look! Do you even know how to say something nice??" Not that Haga has any right to talk, but still.

[ironicoolly]

Dave laughs a touch mockingly at Haga's assertion that he doesn't care. He'd go into all the reasons why that clearly isn't the case - why Haga's declaration otherwise is downright comical - but sometimes, laughter is the only answer one needs. Besides; that last part of Haga's little tirade is far more deserving of commenting on.

The corner of Dave's lips turn upward just a twinge, settling into the mildest of smirks - the kind one has to sort of squint at to really see. "Sure, I know how to say something nice."

His words come out smooth and calm, a slow lilt to them to emphasize just how relaxed and in-his-element he is. He can't remember the last time he got to rile someone up like this, and part of him wonders how a certain coworker back home would feel if she could see him right now. Knowing her, she'd probably make a wisecrack about how he's much more fun like this and that maybe, if he let this side of himself show more often, she might actually have something resembling a tiny degree of respect for him.

That's neither here nor there, though.

"But if a dog wants a bone, he's typically gotta do something to earn it."