(no subject)

[sphererpmod]

Holiday mingle log

It’s the most wonderful (welcome) time of the year

Christmas is coming earlier and earlier every year, which isn't a surprise but hey they're starting the Christmas/Winter stuff the week before thanksgiving. Because why not. this month’s party takes place in the Merchant dome. But it’s not the everyday appearance of the merchant dome. No, for the next five days the Merchant dome’s appearance has been altered to look like a sort of Bavarian Christmas Market. There are small clusters of tables every so often, so people can just sit and chat and eat and drink.

Some enterprising person has even managed to make it snow through some unknown means. It’s not cold, but the snow is soft and steady and slowly building up.

The entire dome, all of the streets and all of the merchant stalls are practically glowing with white fairy lights that are strung everywhere. Vendors in their stalls gleefully cry out to paterons passing by, offering them free food or drinks. The food consists of the sort of things that one might expect to find in a place like this: sausages on buns and on sticks, pretzels, pizza, loads of cookies of every variety that one could think of, including elaborately decorated gingerbread, chocolates, fruits, french fries. Think winter fair food, and be as absurd and as complicated and extra as you want. It is a fair, after all. Go nuts. Drinks are also along the same line: hot cider, mulled wine, hot buttered rum, hot chocolate both with booze and without, as well as all the normal things: water, coffee, tea, milk, soda, and a variety of fruit juices that you’ve both heard of and not.

But food isn’t the only free thing that people are giving away! They’re also offering characters hats and gloves and scarves, small toys, books, delicate ornaments, perfumes, wine… it’s a giant welcome party after all, and these people are cheerful and happy. Even offering to pay just gets met with laughter and being told not to worry about it.

Fun and frivolity.

There are even carnival rides set up! A medium sized ferris wheel, a carousel, a giant slide and ice skating ring are all along the outside of the stalls.

At the far end of the dome, the snow has fallen deeper and held to several inches. Wouldn’t you know it just happens to be perfect snowball snow! So, there of course needs to be a snowball fight! What did you think those free mittens and gloves and scarves are for after all? The snowball fight can be organized into teams, or one on one depending on the player’s choice. This is a friendly fight, of course, so no rocks or slush balls or anything. Well, probably not. No one in the Sphere is your mother.

So you want some summer?.

While the welcome party rages on in the merchant dome, people have made a smaller party in one of the recreation domes. Around the pools, as a matter of fact. There’s almost like a small barbecue clustered around the largest of the three pools, and the light is constant and sunny here. The large pool is olympic sized, and is a sparkling blue. It’s fresh water, and probably clean enough to drink. I still wouldn’t drink it. The second pool is slightly smaller and more kidney shaped with a gradual sand mound at one end of it. This pool is salt water and looks a bit more like a beach than a pool. The third pool is a kiddie pool, complete with a splash pad, that’s running. Buckets drop, it’s got one of those mushroom things, and sprinkler jets. There aren’t any kids though, so people are welcome to go nuts.

Bathing suits and towels are provided in the changing rooms. There’s frozen and fruity drinks flowing freely, along with finger food and snacks. Loud music is playing from a local band that’s just generally of a pop sort. There’s people dancing rather in a rather haphazard fashion, but the dance floor is there and present!

Oh yeah, and there's definitely the baths and everything too!

Network.

In the Sphere, the network is neural, and accessed via touching the glowing golden circle behind your character’s ear. They can identify themselves with a screen name if you so desire, but messages should be one of three ways or a combination of them. 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.

Welcome to my nightmare.

For anyone within the architecture dome, the library dome, the sunlight rec dome and any personal dome that people chose, around midnight people will have a curiously tired sensation. They just need to rest their eyes for a moment, or some may fall asleep for longer. No matter the length of time that the character is out, the nightmare infects them, and when they wake they will be filled with a curious but urgent sensation.

They have lost something. The loss can be a physical object, an emotion, a memory, a person or perhaps a sense of self. If the lost person is currently present in the game, they will be unable to be seen by the character who is experiencing the waking nightmare. Urgency will grip the character, because the longer the sensation goes on for, the worse it becomes. Characters can search and scrounge for their loss everywhere, but until the nightmare is over, they will not find whatever it is. Even if it is themselves. Instead, they may be frantic, angry, or just play old scared to death. They need to find this at whatever cost. Where they may find it is something that their own brains will settle on, but of course until the nightmare is over, they will not be able to.

The nightmare ends with either the character falling into a normal, restful sleep naturally or through some other means (someone might mention the infirmary has sedation medication just for the is purpose, or that there’s always a brick) or when they are woken with the intervention of someone else. The intervention of someone else is entirely up to you, and can come from a player character or a NPC, depending on how the player is feeling with the thread. By intervention we mean someone who is able to talk the person out of the nightmare, or to slap or shake them out, or to use some sort of trick that shows them that they are indeed inside of a nightmare. The knowledge that someone is affected by a nightmare must come from an external source, and should come from a character that your character would trust. After all, would you believe someone who told you that you were in a nightmare if you didn’t know that? That said, the best way to deal with waking someone is to remove them from the affected domes. Too bad you don’t know which domes are affected.

Comments

richie tozier | it (2017)

[badimpression]

→ it's the most wonderful time of the year!

[At first, Richie is honestly too preoccupied waiting for this to twist into something real nasty to have any fun.

But when enough time passes and no balloons burst into blood or carnival rides come to life, he starts to relax. Let his guard down. Have fun. Sue him. This is weird as shit and he's still not entirely sure it's even real, but how long can a kid resist free food and toys? Not long, is the verdict.

He might be skinny and gawky as hell, but either Richie has an appetite the size of a horse, or no one has been feeding this kid right, because he's coming back for seconds and then thirds, eventually garnering dubious looks from those handing out the free food as he makes a stack of pizza slices in one hand.]

Haha, get it? The leaning tower of Pizza.

[He can also be found coasting casually around the stalls laden with cider and rum, waiting for the opportunity to pinch something he's certain he won't be handed.]

→ network • video; un: garbageman

What the fuck? Woah. Is this on all the time? What kinda gross pervert invented this shit? Is this a gross pervert city? I knew all the free shit was too good to be true!

[Richie immediately gets distracted and switches topics, holding up a bottle of wine he successfully snagged, took one sip of and spat out again- but will tip in a toast towards the camera, as if he's been enjoying it. When he speaks again, it's in a truly atrocious British accent.]

But it does have it's charms, I do say!

→ welcome to my nightmare.

[He doesn't remember falling asleep. The last thing he actually recalls is digging through the library dome, avidly searching for any trace of comics among the volumes. But when he wakes, that's not what Richie is worried about.

There's an urgent buzzing under his skin. A nagging sensation that reminds him of being at school, on the first day of classes, and knowing his backpack is lighter than it should be, but not knowing why yet. His fingers itch, and his tongue feels heavy in his mouth. He can't sit still, instead pacing back and forth for lack of a direction to walk in, until eventually he's crawling on his knees to look under stacks, lifting books and dumping them out of the way, and generally making a right mess of things in his distress.

Something is gone, and he doesn't-

Richie opens his mouth wide, heart sinking, but doesn't make a noise. He's lost his voice.]

video.

[wheezed]

Is that wine? What the fuck Richie?

( of course Eddie looks like a pissy little killjoy, projected directly into Richie's mind with his grumpy expression and his rolling eyes and folded arms. He's practically radiating judgement. )

As if you're even going to drink it, stupid, it's disgusting.

video. thanks thank you

[badimpression]

Well spotted, gent! What great eyes you have!

[He drops the accent when Eddie questions him, immediately rising to the challenge in his voice.]

Of course I'll fucking drink it! I already did!

[wheezed]

No you haven't you liar! ( Eddie's experience with wine can be entirely summed up in the handful of church services he's attended in his life, and even then only in the two tiny sips he reluctantly agreed to more recently. safe to say he's not an expert by any means.

but he's absolutely an expert in richie, and for some god unknown reason he's irritated enough by this little display that it seems a great idea to just...goad him on. ) Doing the British guy isn't going to distract me, you can see how full the bottle is!

cw emeto

[badimpression]

Yeah, so it's my second! I liked it so much I went back for more! Just like your mom!

[It's nothing new for them to build on each other until one of them does something stupid, and it looks like this time, Richie is the idiot stepping up to bat.

He tilts the bottle up, scrunches up his face, and chugs.

There are a few seconds where he valiantly swallows and it seems like he's got this on lock- and then Richie sputters and coughs, wine spilling down his front as he bends in half and empties his mouth onto the snow. He doesn't vomit- but it looks like he's close, judging from the way he gags.]

[wheezed]

( right as the bottle goes up, Eddie becomes very aware of the mistake that he's made. egging on Richie became such a huge focus for him that he completely forgot about this part, where a projection of Richie throwing up would end up in his actual mind.

Richie gags, so Eddie gags, and he physically turns around as if it makes any difference whatsoever. )

Oh my God! Richie! What the fuck? ( Eddie doesn't scream this exactly....but it's hard to find a more accurate word for the high strung retort that comes the moment he gets control of himself. ) That's the stupidest thing I've ever seen, what's wrong with you?!

[badimpression]

[If Richie had the presence of mind to be paying more attention right now, he'd find the way Eddie turns around, as if that's gonna fucking do anything, to be completely hilarious.

Instead, he's busy spitting onto the ground until his mouth doesn't taste so foul. Then, with the ease of someone used to making a mess of themselves for the goof, he shrugs exaggeratedly.]

What can I say? I prefer the vintage.

video, un: s.uris

[stantheman]

[ Really, Richie?

But after two years without Richie he can't even come up with a good roast. ]

Richie. [ There's a grin on Stan's face, one of those rarer unguarded expressions. ]

It's not a pervert city.

thank GOD

[badimpression]

[Stan! And with such a genuine grin on his face that Richie can't help but grin back, pleased to see another pal in this weird place.]

What the fuck? You're here too? And apparently you've been here long enough that they've got you brainwashed! Snap out of it, Staniel! You don't have to defend the pervert city!

[As much as it's a joke, it does make Richie wonder-]

Uh... how long have you been here?

[stantheman]

You're an idiot.

[ But as usual, there's no particular malice or actual insult in Stan's words. ]

Like... a year... but I was somewhere else before. [ He's technically around 15 now but who's counting -- he's not. ]

[badimpression]

Well that sounds more like the Stan I know.

[Truthfully, though...? The more Richie looks, the more he notices differences. In Stan's face, his height- things that aren't so immediately apparent over video. It's more than mildly concerning and bewildering.

He adjusts his glasses and squints, wondering if maybe he's just seeing things wrong.]

Right... weird joke. Waiting for the punchline.

[stantheman]

[ Stan rolls his eyes. ]

Why are you squinting? And...there's no joke, Richie. I haven't seen you guys in a long time... It's just been Beverly. Well...there was this time where like I met grown up you and Beverly too but that was weird.

[ Really, that's a long story and he mostly wouldn't want to talk about it because of well -- old Beverly told him things. ]

video: marshes

[gristle]

You only got to think to be connected to the network, it doesn't send out things constantly.

Also, you didn't even grab the good stuff, Richie!

bevvvvvv <3

[badimpression]

Bev! Well thank fuck this place isn't just full of nerds.

[At this point, he's less surprised to see another Loser, and more surprised that the rest of them haven't shown up already. You know- they stick together.]

Anyway, maybe that's just what they want you to think, huh? I wouldn't go buying into that line of bullshit so easily. Can you prove it's not always on?

[gristle]

I mean, there are a lot of nerds, but some surprisingly cool ones.

[She may be a bit of a nerd now, but she's not gonna admit that. She actually likes school here because the teacher lets her learn about whatever she wants so that helps.]

Yeah, because if it was always on, then there'd be way more mental porn on the network, especially with you here.

[Because she's gotta tease him.]

[badimpression]

Cool nerds is an oxymoron, but I'll take your word for it, Red.

[Liking school? Who have you become, Miss Marsh!

Richie grins, wide and delighted, as if Bev has just given him the best gift of his life.]

Why, because all the hot babes will be having wet dreams about me on the network? It's not my fault that I can't control the appeal of all this!

[So clearly not what she meant.]

[gristle]

[Bev just snorts a little.]

I'm pretty sure all the hot babes on here would kick your ass you know.

It's the most wonderful time of the year

[garrrr]

I'm sure you're the first one to ever make that joke.

[ Gar grins at the kid. He hasn't seen a ton of kids around the sphere really. So it's kind of cool to run into one. ]

Your tower's about to topple over for real though. Better be careful, it's too good to waste.

[badimpression]

[Richie looks up at Gar warily, assessing him from behind his huge glasses. His grin doesn't seem dishonest or menacing though, just pretty genuine, and Richie ends up just shrugging at him.]

Well, they can't all be originals.

[And with that, he takes a disgustingly huge bite of the pizza, chewing clean through the end of three slices. One of them wobbles and slides out of his tower and hits the ground with a splat, and Richie looks down at it mournfully. He speaks through a mouthful of cheese:]

Dude. You jinxed me.

[garrrr]

[ Genuine would be a good word for Gar. He doesn't really have a mean or dishonest bone in his body. ]

Yeah there's some oldies but goodies. [ Gar concedes and then watches as the other takes a bite of the tower and then ... oh man. ]

That's just sad... At least you can get more though?

[ He's trying not to laugh. ]

[badimpression]

[Richie warms to that kind of attitude fast. He needs more folks like that in his life.]

Well, sure. But they won't be part of the first edition pizza tower gang. It's just not the same. Fuck me.

[He can see that grin! Richie is nothing if not desperate for validation, and encouraging laughter to find the surface is the most validating shit ever.

He kneels beside the fallen pizza slice, still balancing the rest, and lowers his head mournfully.]

Rest in pizza.

[badimpression]

[Richie spins around and drops the bottle of cider he was so close to successfully pilfering. Thankfully, it doesn't smash- it just lands soundlessly in the snow at Richie's feet, which stay heavily planted still as he stares ahead at the other boy.]

Bill.

[The last time he had seen him- the last time, for Richie, before he woke up here, was- well.

His ears start to ring a little, the memory so strong that he can still feel what it was like to be clocked clean in the face by someone he loves so much.

He scowls, and stoops to pick the bottle out of the snow, then starts cramming more under his arm.]

What are you gonna do? Report me to bizzaro world's authorities?

an entire month later IM SORRY i lov ur bill

[badimpression]

[Richie screws up his nose as he looks down at the drinks warily and stops stuffing his arms, but he doesn't put them back. Instead, he narrows his eyes at Bill, now a little worried himself.]

Why would you say that? D'you think this is- hang on, how do I even know you're him? Say some shit only Bill would say!