thespherelogs | (no subject)

Entry tags:

(no subject)

Who: Everyone
What: The open July log.
When: The month of July.
Where: All over.
Notes: N/A

July Open Log

Time to shine, sparkle and become renewed.

So the fighting has finished, the filtering system is turned back on and the water has retreated. Of course, all that water rushing in and having been there for so long means that there is a giant mess in most parts of the Sphere, where water alternated between coming up to one’s ankles, all the way to one’s knees. Even the smaller private domes were affected with lesser amounts of water, leaving dirt and sediment and kelp behind along with an assortment of other sea life.

Now we all remember what happened last time something grew inside the Sphere right? Thankfully, there’s been a fair amount of supplies that have been accrued, and it involves gloves, face masks and a good damn amount of bleach to go with those large scrub brushes. There’s also huge pails of soapy water that are used to clean up things from the bleach. Everything is wet and it smells a bit like an indoor swimming pool, but it’s definitely safer to be safe than sorry.

So pick up a brush and pitch in. Those who do may find a little extra something from the Council delivered to their homes in a basket. Those who don’t may find themselves a little bit on the Council’s unofficial shitlist. And given that Max runs the Black Market, it’s not a great place to find yourself. Maybe you were sort of shoved towards this and were doing it haphazardly. Maybe you give a damn. Either way, food and water will come to you, and everyone will be better once this place is cleaned up.

Or so people keep telling ya anyway.

about that bucket of water that you’re wearing.

Of course, if there’s one thing that history and eighties movies have taught us, it’s that where there’s giant buckets of soapy water around, and hoses, and big sponges, then there’s bound to be one thing that happens: a water fight. And a big one at that. Kids (or kids at heart) have been not so subtlety wandering around with buckets filled with cold water, or sponges dipped in them and a few of them have hoses. There’s no bleach in them thankfully (because it’s all fun and games until someone gets a chemical burn) but the water fight is a good way to let off some of the tension that the folks in the Sphere have been getting up too.

So are you a victim, or are you a perpetrator. Do you care either way? But it doesn’t matter because this fight is huge and when there’s this much water flying around, there really isn’t any space for anyone to be a bystander here. Sorry.

with a suitcase full of summertime

Do y’all know what we happened to miss while we were underwater?! The summer solstice. And once things are all cleaned and cleared up, your resident summertime goddess ain’t gonna let it pass without knowing it, and it’s something the inhabitants of the Sphere take to like ducks to water. Wine and dancing is flowing all around and there’s a few fiddlers and jazz musicians dancing around. Because when the queen of the underworld prods ya gently, you get up and do it.

As the night and people’s alcohol levels rise, people start to become more daring with the fire. After all, everything is all cleaned but probably still slightly damp from what had happened, so there’s no problem with people swinging poi around, or using hula hoops set alight. There are even some among us who happen to be going out and jumping over bonfires in order to create good luck for the new year to great cheers of the people around them.

and baby you should see me in a (flower) crown

Do you know what else is a thing during this? Flower crowns. There are tons of flower crowns and various people are sitting around and teaching people how to make their own. The materials, including fresh flowers of all varieties are scattered around the field in the agricultural dome, and people are sitting criss-cross applesauce in order to add ribbons to the stems. For those people who are loathe to wear them, it almost becomes a game for other people to plant them on those resilient folks heads. People use magic or guile or just plain old tossing them in order to make it so that they land on people’s heads. More than that, a group of people will audibly cheer each time one lands. (And of course jeer when they lose one.)

exploration: teeth and bones.

After what had happened, there really is no putting back the seals on the doors to the places that were opened up, even though the council has tried with some of them. There are some doors that are deemed too dangerous to let anyone go inside of (lava and ghosts are not good things to let loose inside the Sphere, no matter how fun it would be at the time) but the door in the infirmary (in the morgue) needs to be open for practical purposes. Which may not be great for people who work in the infirmary, but there it is.

Once people drop through a hatched hole in the floor of the morgue, there’s tunnels extended out for several hundred yards, into the dark. If you have a flashlight, it’s clear to see that here and there the walls are etched with Latin, carved into the stone of the tunnels themselves in what looks more than a little bit like scratches rather than anything that resembles tool marks. The words are repeated at first, over and over: ”cave veniunt!" And "ossa et dentibus illius ruminandum!" Along with the repeated: “cave.”

The skeletons inside are supposed to have been all taken care of, but you can’t help the uneasy feeling that moves down your neck in the darkness, or the way that you can swear you can hear more than a little bit of a hiss of bone. There are things discarded here on the floor of the hallway, gathering more value with the deeper that you go, but is it worth being down here in the dark with the dead for that?

let's go to the movies, let's go see the stars

So, Alex made a post, and then she went and badgered Max into giving them the money to do it, so in the middle of the merchant dome, a large screen has been set up, and there’s space for people to have blankets or chairs from home set up in front of the screen. Various vendors have set up carts or stalls here and there, selling the sort of foods that one would expect at the movies (popcorn, homemade candies, soda, juice, wine and beer, nachos and that sort of thing) along with some that one may not expect: (full curry dinners, burgers, basically a bit like a food truck festival. If you can imagine it it’s there.)

Before the movie, there’s cartoons running, some familiar, and some not, and this is an event that people have seemed to have taken to well. Children run around here taken with the idea for the movie, and it’s a fun, summery festive sort of atmosphere with a community vibe, despite the wine and beer for sale.

we're heckling! it's good to be heckling again!

Well, at least until the movie starts anyway. Groundhog Day has a fair bit wrong with it honestly, and people are taking notice of that. After all, it was from the 80s, a period that wasn’t exactly known for its political correctness or sensitivity. And there’s the small fact that Bill Murry is kind of the worst as well. So, there are some people who have taken issue with the movie that has been chosen. Those people are definitely taking the Mystery Science Theatre approach to this movie, while others are taking issue with them doing that.

So which crowd do you join? Are you watching the movie quietly? Are you joining in the hecklers? Either way, it definitely seems like a fun night out.

photo inspiration

main navigation

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

About that bucket of water you're wearing

[Alex easily chips into doing some of the actual cleaning here in the Sphere, because it's easier than cooking and there's always something zen about it. Comfortable clothing was decided on before, things that she doesn't mind having wrecked, including a shirt that says: 'In my defense I was left unsupervised' and a pair of shorts. She'd been hard at work for a while when one of the taller teenage boys (and honestly, when you're 5'1" almost everyone is taller than you are) manages to dump an entire bucket of water mostly over the top of her head.

Sopping wet (and with a loud cry that is almost a yowl) Alex just rounds on the boy, and other people, because this is an act of war. Grabbing another bucket of water, Alex chases after him, but she's outpaced by him and his stupid legs. It's a valiant effort, flinging that water at his back, but it's one that's definitely in vain as instead the majority of it splashes onto the people nearby.

Oops.]

Oh my gawd! I'm so sorry!

And baby you should see me in a (flower) crown

[Okay, this was probably silly. Okay, maybe it is flat out silly, but Alex is going to do it anyway. After all, she's had a fair amount of stuff out of Persephone's flask which was lovely, and there was other forms of booze around. Which is probably why Alex is sitting cross-legged on the ground with a group of kids twisting and turning some of the yellow roses and baby's breath together with ivy and ribbons to make her own flower crown. The work is slightly off-center, and a little sloppy, but she still rests it on the top of her head, before she dots a deep curtsy to children as she stands up.

And the too-large crown slides right down off her head onto the ground.]

Oops.

Let's go to the movies.

[This was her idea, so of course Alex is here, whether or not she could actually drag anyone from her family along. Collecting some popcorn and a meat and vegetable thing onto a stick, she works her way along the crowd, heading towards a piece of land in the middle that she can plop down the blanket she's got in her bag on. Anyone who greets her is met with a smile, and when she finds her bit of land, Alex sets things down in order to shake out a large blanket from her oversized bag. After it's down, she adds a few throw pillows and a bottle of wine to her popcorn and kabab, before offering some of it to anyone who happens to be around.

No glasses for the wine, though. They're definitely doing this like savages.]

[Having felt absolutely useless during the time of the flood, Anne felt determined to help with the clean up. With her small court back home, part of her duties was to supervise the few maids they had, so while she hadn't really had do such chores herself, she knew well enough how to go about it.

With the given gloves and facemask (greatly appreciated against the smell of bleach), she didn't look the duchess in her workdress, her hair covered with a long kerchief. On the other hand, she was also too practical to wear anything that wouldn't stand against a hard wash.

She'd been cleaning for a good half hour before things started to get rough. She tried to ignore the rough housing in favor of her work, when she felt a great amount of water splashing against her back and left arm, causing her to let out a few rather unladylike words.]

Alex!? [she stood to see who was the culprit, shock replacing irritation.] I thought you were better than that.

[Alex just colors a bit, and she pulls the bucket to her side, as if doing that would somehow negate the fact that she'd been out for her own little piece of vengeance against the kid who had dumped the water on her. It doesn't work, not really, but it does help create a rather pathetic look on her face that goes along quite well with the drowned rat look and the wet droplets that have formed on her glasses.

Her voice is soft as she rushes to apologize, nearly tripping up against the words as she does so.]

Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Anne. I definitely wasn't aiming for you or anything! I was just trying to catch up with the kids who'd drenched me.

[And with that she just points to her soaked shirt and the way it's clinging uncomfortably.]

[She sighed, ringing out her skirts and sleeves. To look at her, Anne had wondered if the young woman intended to soak her, but then she looked over her shoulder to see the boys run off.]

And you could not be the bigger person and restrain yourself? [She might understand if the woman was younger, but Alex was near her age and employeed. She should be more responsible.]

No, I guess I couldn't.

[Annoyance flashes across Alex's face as Anne scolds her like that, and it's not as if Alex herself hadn't been the victim of a similar circumstance, as evidenced by the drowned cat look that she's sporting to go with that frown. It had been fun almost before, something to cut through all the leftover anxiety that she'd been feeling with... Well, everything honestly.

Memory shares aren't her favorite thing about the Sphere here, and when you add in everything from last month... It's not putting Alex in the best place, and she just wanted to cut lose.]

[She can read the expression easily, but she's not entirely moved. Having had to deal with much younger ladies, she was used to having a firm hand.

Inwardly, she did have to confess that she couldn't entirely blame her for the immaturity. Events had been stressful, she supposed acting out had to be expected. She just would've rather not been involved.]

Well, it's done now. [She pulled the facemask down on her neck, frowning at the sharp, bitter scent.] In truth I don't think any of us would remain dry with all that must be cleaned anyway

Yeah, I guess when you add that much sea water, and you're that worried about the moss growing back.

[Which for Alex, as one of the people who died from it, is definitely a legitimate concern. It can't not be, not when everything is just so... Well, present given the skeletons she can't help it.]

But it's good to feel like we're doing things to help.

[Water fight aside.]

With so much bleach, I doubt anything would grow back. [She tried to reassure her.] And when it is done for the day, you may show me what it is you like to do to relax.

[She doubted Alex was the sort to enjoy needlework or embroidery as a hobby, but she was interested in seeing what she was interested in.]

[If Anne ever suggested that Alex might like to do embroidery to relax there was a very good chance that she’d laugh. Alex can’t imagine anyone else suited to sitting and doing needlepoint than herself. But she raises her brows at the other woman.]

Are you sure about that?

Yes..[She wasn't entirely, not with how she said that.] Only, do recall I am a married woman. My husband is not here, but that does not change anything.

[Nevermind that Henry couldn't lay with her as a husband, that didn't change the fact that they were married.] What is it you do to relax?

Oh, I didn't mean anything like that!

[Alex shakes her head quickly, because she doesn't want Anne to think that she's hitting on her or something. Especially not when Alex is pretty practically married herself.]

I just meant like... The water thing was kind of fun but you don't seem like you appreciated that!

[Anne blinked at that, once more torn between laughing and keeping herself composed.] Oh that. I understand it was a bit of fun, but we are supposed to be cleaning up. It is all well and good to play games, but not while you are meant to be working.

[Especially not around others. Anne may have not been trained to work a paying job, but she knew how to manage a house hold; those who were playing around while they were supposed to be working caused low morale among those who did do their jobs.]

I don't know. I'm sort of really big into the whole 'all work and no play makes Alex a dull girl' thing.

[Which is saying something considering how often Alex does tend to throw herself into work. Of course her work isn't normally something physical like this is.]

(no subject)

4th_survived - 2019-08-01 02:38 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

11calls - 2019-08-02 01:33 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

4th_survived - 2019-08-02 02:24 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

11calls - 2019-08-04 00:25 (UTC) - Expand

[ The idea of an outdoor movie in the park actually excites Eric. Especially when it's a cheesy movie like Groundhog Day. Bringing along a bottle of mulled wine and a plastic container of cookies, he spots Alex and sits himself down next to her. ]

Of course you had to sit in front of all the action. I swear, my neck won't be the same after this movie.

[ As he's talking, he hands the container of baked goods over to Alex. Of course he made them for her. ]

[Alex is glad that at least someone is excited about the movie, because honestly she thought there'd be more than that and less of the heckling party in the back than there actually was. Next time (and there would be a next time!) they were going to go with a Disney movie or something. So, she just gives Eric a big smile and takes the container of baked good with a delighted laugh.]

Sorry, you know tall people and me.

[She wouldn't be able to see!]

[ He makes himself comfortable as best as he can, settling in to watch the movie. ]

I’m sure you’ll be forgiven. I’ll just make Aaron give me a massage later.

[ He throws her a wink. ]

That sounds like a good idea.

[The words come with a laugh, and she offers him one of the pillows that she'd brought along exactly for this situation, should her boyfriend decide to come. He didn't so Aaron gets to benefit for the whole laying down thing.]

[ He takes the pillow with a delighted thanks, putting it behind himself and readjusting. ]

I can't remember the last time I was at an outdoor movie. I miss it.

I bet. I'm glad I thought of it. It seems like a good idea, the heckling section not withstanding. Honestly, it reminds me of home. All we need is like... fireflies and I could be a kid again.

[A beat and a grin.]

Well, fireflies and a disney movie, but I thought someone might have tore me a new one for suggesting it.

At least they're doing it outside and not in a theater.

[ Oh, how he sighs wistfully. ]

I miss fireflies. Honestly, I just miss nature. Did you have a specific one in mind?

I think I would probably dump popcorn on their head if they did it in a theatre, honestly.

[The words come with a grin, so that may or may not be true honestly.

And then more seriously as she thinks about it:]

Lilo and Stitch, probably. Or considering where we are maybe Atlantis: The Lost Empire?

[ He laughs, shaking his head. It's a little too close to something he would've done before Aaron. His temper always had gotten the better of him. Thankfully, his partner helps mellow him out. ]

I wouldn't mind something classic like Lady and the Tramp or The Great Mouse Detective. Though I'll admit, it's been a long time since I've watched a Disney movie.

I love the Great Mouse Detective! Nothing in the world will ever convince me that Basil and Ratigan weren't exes who ended badly. Seriously. My tiny child self was convinced of it even!

[Alex just laughs softly, because how can she not.]

Oh good, it wasn't just me!

Nope, definitely wasn't! From what I've read online it's a pretty popular opinion!

[And one Alex will go to the grave believing.]

Alex Reagan | The Black Tapes Podcast

cleaning

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

movies

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject