(january catch-all) 2021 IS OFF TO A WEIRD START

[vestigemods]

JANUARY CATCH-ALL

► AT LEAST YOU FINALLY GET TO REST?

Though the new year starts off uneventful enough, with sunny skies and an inch or two of snow melting away with each new day, that good fortune lasts a whopping two whole days. At 5 AM on the 3rd, those slumbering fall into an even deeper sleep, and those still awake (or already awake, you overachievers) find themselves struck with an abrupt and insurmountable wave of exhaustion. It's all you can really do to lie down deliberately rather than collapse altogether, let alone making it to any sort of bed. And this is how the population of the containment zone remains for fourteen whole days, dead to the world (figuratively, of course) and to anything which may or may not be occurring around them.

Then, sometime throughout the 16th, you wake up - though the ambient ache in your neck, back, and joints may make you wish that you hadn't. It's almost as if you slept wrong, or... y'know, slept on the floor, apparently. (At the very least, those who were outside at maintenance time were moved indoors for the duration of it, though they were moved to the nearest available building so... have fun waking up in someone else's cabin, I guess.)

The first time you notice the date (on your phone, or maybe someone else breaks the news in their own confusion or panic), you probably struggle to believe it. Two weeks that you've been asleep. It doesn't feel like two weeks - you're clean, only mildly hungry or thirsty, with only a faint weakness in your muscles as you stand. It almost feels more likely that the Technicians adjusted the date overnight to alarm you. Perhaps you might even believe it, but for the evidence otherwise. The milk in your fridge has expired. The snow outside your door is fresh and untouched, with no sign of your passage supposedly yesterday. And the animals are gone, as well. Perhaps not a sign of how long you've slept, but certainly a sign that something isn't right.

If you expected an explanation, you aren't going to get one. Unless by 'explanation' you mean 'goddamn blizzard'.

A GODDAMN BLIZZARD

Because that's exactly what sets in on the 20th, a gale-force blizzard with increasingly limited visibility. Here's hoping you were smart enough to set out for home as soon as it began, because you aren't given more than a couple of hours before navigating outdoors is damn near impossible, between the visibility issue and the rapidly-deepening blanket of snow. As the afternoon fades to evening, it only seems to be getting worse. Those cabins with appropriately-slanted roofs find that the snow slides down to pile heavily against the cabin's exterior walls and door. Those cabins with a flat or gently-sloped roofs, on the other hand, are at strong risk of a part of their roof (and thus ceiling) collapsing under the weight of all that snow. As if having a blizzard outside the cabin wasn't bad enough.

And then things get just a little bit worse. Just before sunset, the cabins' electricity starts to flicker - just a little at first, but increasing in intensity until it finally goes out altogether a half hour later. This lasts through the night, and while it may seem promising that electricity within the town itself remains steady, that too goes into a blackout just before dawn.

This blackout lingers through the 21st and into the 22nd, cold seeping in through the windows and cracks as you huddle near the fire or generator-run space heater and hope for the best... But even the best isn't pleasant in the slightest. The lack of internal heat lets the doors and windows freeze shut, and snow piles high enough around the house's exterior that you'd have to climb out an upstairs window in order to exit. Not only is it cold as hell, but everyone's more-or-less trapped in it for now.

But not even the cold and the dark can last forever, and the blizzard lets up to a light dusting of snow mid-day on the 22nd. That evening, the power flickers back on as well, but some cabins/apartments/buildings may find that it's less consistent than others, continuing to flicker dangerously throughout the next day or so. But that doesn't mean the ordeal is over yet. The snow may have slowed to an almost laughable sprinkle and the sun may shine warm and bright in the rapidly-clearing sky, but that still leaves each cabin or building piled up with snow nearly as deep as you are tall (except you, Vivi - it's about twice your height). Might want to start digging yourself out, since it'll take nearly the rest of the month to melt down to reasonable levels if you don't.

► MOD NOTES

• This is the January Catch-All Log, for all log top-levels throughout the month. Large gatherings (parties, meetings, etc) are still encouraged to post their own logs for organizational purposes!
  
• This log also encompasses both Annual Maintenance (Jan 3rd - 16th) + Hey, Who Turned Out The Lights? (Jan 20th - 22nd), discussed at the bottom of the January Bulletin.
  
• Because this is a catch-all for everywhere + all month, try to remember to label your top-levels with identifying information like the IC date and location of each prompt (whether in the subject or in the prompt title within the comment), and be sure to clearly indicate event prompts.
  
• ( ! ) For the sake of organization, a top-level has been provided for all Annual Maintenance shenanigans and exclusively those. Please put any shared dream prompts under the top-level for the sake of organization, while any non-dream prompts should be posted as a regular top-level as normal.
  
• Cell phone signal does work during the blackout, but inconsistently! If you'd like to play with the trapped/isolated feelings, feel free to say they can't get a message out/in (or that it takes a long time to do so) even if others are able to more easily.
  
• Any questions can be directed to this top-level or, for a quicker response, to Trace on discord/plurk.

Comments

ANNUAL MAINTENANCE shared dream top-levels

[vestigemods]

( All top-levels/prompts taking place within the shared dreams between the 3rd and 16th go here! )

dream: ghosts & hosts, drowning in the lake - OTA

[legbreakings]

[ It is a beautiful day and Jiang Cheng is drowning.

He is in the shallows of the lake, a giant commotion of splashing water and strangled screams as the water around him is doing its best to suck him into the deep - much as it had in the middle of the lake when he first woke up in the containment zone. The rest of the lake is calm and placid, completely unaffected.

A half-translucent girl, bloated and rotting, with seaweed tangled in her hair, is hovering over him, her feet dipping into the water. Her face is complacent and a little curious, her head tilted to the side. ]

ghosts & hosts, for Wei Wuxian

[legbreakings]

[ Sandu sinks deep into the chest of the beast - sinking in too fast, too easily, too quickly even for something that is rotten, this feels hollow until he finally meets resistance.

Curious, or maybe just frantic, maybe just feeling closer to madness than anything else, he yanks the sword to make a large slash and cuts open the chest cavity wide to reveal the empty expanse he isn't even surprised to find.

He laughs, a choked, teary noisy, and sinks to his feet. Reaches out and scoops out the heart, pierced right in the middle by Sandu. A human heart, no longer beating now but still warm and gushing blood over his fingers.

And as the heart bleeds over his fingers, something almost like memories bleeds into his mind. There is the cackling laughter, the jeering, there is a voice almost Wei Wuxian gloating as his mother dies and then there is Wei Wuxian, the one he knows, not the one with the twisted smile and cruel voice in a forest, alone...

He died alone. He will die alone. Has died alone. He is dead. Will be dead. Again. Tears flash through his mind, an embrace, a message, a plea for ten minutes...

He will die alone.

Still clutching the bloody heart, Jiang Cheng finds himself staggering into the forest, still uncertain if he actually wants to find him - he laughed! He jeered! Or did he? There is a trail of resentment to follow, strong enough almost to make him nauseous as different contradicting memories blur with reality, all of them only having one thing in common and that is being soaked in resentment, but he stubbornly keeps following that trail deeper into the woods.

He needs to find him, before he dies alone. Again. ]

Dream: H̸̠͉͖͌̓̋̽E̵̯͐ͅĻ̵͛̕̚L̶̨͈̪̗͑̀̀̚Ơ̵̢̠̣̐̏̚ — OTA

[singularwidower]

cw: buried alive, blood, general horror nonsense from daemon's canon.

Weakness

The first sign that something is wrong is a subtle sense that he is being gently vibrated out from within his own skin. Daemon looks up from his mending project and toward his cabin window. He can't see anyone and when he sends out a psychic probe not only does it not register anything, he suddenly feels like there are two Daemon's inside of his mind.

The second one, the one that's not him, reaches out with a psychic communication thread on broadcast, clutching at every mind in the vicinity even as Daemon tries to make himself stop. Because he gets this, he does, this feels like he's sliding headfirst down a muddy slope straight into the Twisted Kingdom and to be fair to this other self, he also does not want to return. Just not enough to possibly harm those unused to psychic communication.

*Anchor me!* his other self howls at the first mind he latches onto.

Daemon stumbles down the front steps of his cabin and toward the lake and whoever his other self managed to find, trying to keep his thoughts to himself. "Don't listen to me," he says, like that will help when he is broadcasting mentally. Still, the other him isn't wrong that an anchor would be beneficial. Gritting his teeth, he manages, "But—are you real?"

Lowlight Reel (Slight Memshare)

This time Daemon sees the creature as he comes around the corner of a building in town too close. For a moment he feels torn in two, thoughts ripped from his head and placed...elsewhere. Replaced with someone else's. Scraps and images.

He feels the fleeting edges of the thoughts given away: the scrape of his bloodied knee against the roof of the grave he's buried himself in, relief at the safety of so much earth between him and those hunting him; the glorious freefall of diving into the psychic abyss and turning sharply before he can shatter his own mind; the more prosaic taste of poison, the kind he mixes himself every month so he doesn't end up with an irritated venom sac and a fever.

The moment ends and the creature is gone, and Daemon is left staring at...presumably the source of the bits of pieces that had briefly been shoved inside his head.

Wildcard~

HMU on discord or plurk for any other dreamstuff, too. I match brackets or prose! Also wibbly wobbly is fine, imho, since I know these seem like very specific prompts. XD

Lan Jingyi | MDZS | OTA

[gusumouthcannon]

Fruit Swordsperson Challenge (Yikes! App)

Jingyi has discovered the Yikes app.
Jingyi has a budding addiction to the Yikes app.
Jingyi is cornering the next person to pass by into doing something fun(!) so he can record it and put it up on Yikes.

The explanation is this, which he launches into as soon as he spots his next candidate: "Okay so you just have to hold my sword and when I throw this at you, you just have to hit it before it hits you." He is holding various past-ripe winter fruits that he has collected from the grocery store. The selection of apples, one miserable banana, and...well, that's a potato. Still. They don't look too squishy. "And then you get a score, depending on how many you hit or do not. And then we go find someone else and see how they do!"

What do fish have to do with anything? (NEF App)

Jingyi is...baffled, to say the least. He found the app and its profiles and his profile in particular.

Case in point: Jingyi's Profile.

So now he is hanging out, in public (hanging out around the town proper on a bench nearby, or next to the lake, or in his living room), fussing with his phone. The next person who walks by gets a, "Do you have one of these?" and the phone with his profile open unceremoniously thrust beneath their nose.

"Dragon" out of Bed in the Morning—Backdated to ~Dec 20thish

Morning at the Bachelor Pad dawns winter-late and brings with it gifts! Namely, upon the front porch, Jingyi has discovered that the technicians made good on their promise of a ghost-eating dragon.

He is. Over the moon.

The thing is a pale blue, recognizably Lan blue, and a bit long and noodly with little wings and white tufts of downy feather stuff along its spine and at its joints. He has not yet named it, just figured out that it is, indeed, friendly, as specified.

(That morning): He does not actually kick the front door in. He does spiritually kick the front door in and break about eighteen different Lan rules by shouting, "MY DRAGON GOT HERE!!" while holding said dragon in his arms like a long-suffering cat.

(That afternoon): Jingyi honestly has no idea how to take care of a dragon. Cloud Recesses has never allowed pets, so his knowledge of animal husbandry is restricted to rabbits and horses, and he has certainly never lived with any type of animal indoors. Maybe the dragon is a little like a dog? Dogs need...walks? So here he is, taking his dragon for a walk along the lakeshore. It (he?) seems to like sniffing around the icy edge of the frozen lake, at least, and getting the fuzzy down all over its legs muddy-wet.

What Year is It?—Jan 16+

At the end of the two weeks, Jingyi drags himself to consciousness at early o'clock as usual and drags himself down to the kitchen to start making breakfast equally as usual. He notices nothing amiss until he is in the middle of eating said breakfast, dragon curled up on his lap and refusing to move, and he is poking around his phone. The date is wrong? Er. That is...weird.

Come to think of it, more of the perishables had gone and perished a lot faster than he had anticipated. (Thank goodness for all of Gilia's preserved stuff.)

The rest of the day feels a bit subtly off, too.

Anyone he encounters, either in his house or as he wanders into town to go to the grocery store to restock on said perishables (dragon at his heels, just in case of rogue ghosts; he had the weirdest dreams last night), gets a casual hello and a, "Hey, so, did you wake up to anything weird this morning?"

Blackout Conditions (Closed to Cabinmates~)—Jan 21st

To be fair, Jingyi is used to not having electricity, so he copes like he would if he were stuck anywhere in a creepy cabin in a horror bubble full of ghosts and bullshit. He lights candles and camps out in the living room on the couch as the snow piles up past the windows.

The biggest issue is the forced inactivity. Jingyi is all but bouncing off the walls, and for the moment, going through his sword forms seems like the thing to do, right? He is pretty focused on waving his sword around without knocking anything over; anyone coming in takes him right by surprise as he swings toward them with a startled stabbing motion.

Wildcard!

Text him, maybe, if you saw his Yikes fruit challenges, or want to give him shit about his NEF profile, or you'd like to help him train his poor dragon to not try and murder any fierce corpses(coughcough).

NEF

[bombshelled]

Lana's just walking through town, on her way to pick up some groceries at Foodland, when she's stopped by one of those ancient Asian weirdos that are all over the containment zone. At least this one seems to be around her age.

When he thrusts his phone into her face, she blinks, taken aback for a minute. She reads the profile, gives Jingyi's forehead ribbon a suspicious glance, then backs up a step, pulling out her phone and showing him her own profile.

"Yeah. When I asked the Technicians to give us some apps, I didn't think they would include one like this..."

Yikes App

[toosmall]

Vivi is admittedly shocked when this young man comes over to him. He's quite excited and talking about swords and fruit and hitting things. He kind of just blinks a little owlishly up at him while he explains things before nervously twiddling his thumbs.

"I dunno that sounds like it could be kinda dangerous. I've never used a sword before!" It also looks almost as big as Vivi. Are you SURE, Jingyi?

"Wh-What if I hit the fruit with my magic?"

jan 16th

[kinkprofessor]

While not familiar with one another, Quin doesn't look quite like most people would have recognized anyway. His hair is longer now and pulled up into a small, haphazard ponytail. His usually clean-shaven face is dusted with scruff. There are dark circles under his eyes; despite sleeping for two weeks, he feels like he hasn't rested at all.

Or, rather, he hates how much he did rest and therefore hasn't slept since. Two weeks. Two! It's ludicrous. There was so much he could have done, productivity lost and lamented... The man stares down a can of something or other in the store before the question snaps him out of his existential dread.

"To the fact that I'd been asleep for two weeks, yes." He's not usually so short. It's been a bad day.

cabinmates

[mannerless]

Wei Wuxian understands restlessness. He himself is quite restless, though he's been attempting to pretend he isn't by way of meditating. Not by choice, mind you. New core and whatnot.

Anyway, he's only just hop-skipped his way down the stairs to scavenge the kitchen, ducking unobtrusively past the Lan boy and his training, when a goddamn sword cuts swiftly through the air in his direction. Eyes widen, and he ducks sharply backwards by reflex, the sword passing far too close for comfort.

(Only after the fact does he recall Lan Zhan's wish - it wouldn't have cut him at all. He'll never quite get used to that.)

Wei Ying straightens back up now, scowling faintly. "What if I'd been Sizhui, hm?" But the scolding is weak, he's not actually all that bothered, quite a bit more focused on ducking into the kitchen to peruse the cupboards by the light of his phone. "Ah - before I forget, I've been warned not to open the fridge until the lights come back. Something about 'letting the cold out'." As if they're at all lacking in cold, at the moment.

yikes app, because i can't resist

[daozhangs]

Having noticed the headband from afar and adjusted his route to come meet the Lan junior with whom he isn't yet acquainted, it's safe to say that Xiao Xingchen quite literally walked right into this. Alas, he only quite realizes it after the disciple launches headlong into an explanation of what Xingchen is apparently to do for him. He's to have fruit thrown at him... and then chop that fruit in midair?

A bit silly, but not outside of his realm of capability.

His lips curve in the slightest smile as he asks, "Might I use my own sword?" Frostwork is, after all, strapped across his back.

Naminé | Kingdom Hearts

[lethechained]

A. || FOODLAND | JANUARY 20th

[ The door rattles ominously as it shuts against the harsh wind. Panting from her run, Naminé turns around to face the glass, then proceeds to brush the fresh snow out of the fringe of her hair. The flakes still caught in her eyelashes present something of a nuisance, but once she’s done swiping at them (and scrubbing more thoroughly at one eye with the back of her hand when she’s promptly introduced to how uncomfortable it is to get snow on the outside of one’s cornea) it’s not hard to see the situation progressing outside.

The grocery store doesn’t provide much in the way of heat, but it makes a good enough pitstop for the present moment. The blonde’s clothing is still flecked with snow as she considers the weather, watching the windows shift from the rushing air with her arms pressed tightly around her body. Her secondhand knowledge has never taught her much about blizzards, but even now as the storm is just beginning, she’s got a sneaking suspicion that it bears worrying over. ]

… Is anyone else here?

[ She calls it out after a moment’s thought and another few seconds’ hesitation. Her voice isn’t naturally loud, though the howling wind is; perhaps it’s better to take a look. Shifting, she proceeds a few extra steps into the store, glancing around for any sign of company. ]

The wind is getting pretty bad out there…!


B. || OUTSIDE - THE ROAD | JANUARY 20th

[ This was probably not her single greatest idea.

Staying in the chilly Foodland to wait out a storm that only seemed to be getting more intense had felt like the greater risk at the time. Now, though, as the frigid air drives right through her extra layers of clothing which are already coated with white on the windward side, Naminé finds she regrets her urgency about getting back to the comfort of her own cabin. The poor trembling thing trudges through the snow with as much purpose as she can still manage to have when each step seems harder, slim arms wrapped around herself to muster all the insulation that her laughably small frame can afford her.

Although a minute or two ago she’d been pretty confident that she was headed the right direction, she finds herself squinting just a little harder now to try to spot the same trees she was using as landmarks the moment before.

It really is continuing to get worse, isn’t it? ]


C. || CABINS | JANUARY 23

[ If one happens to be concerned enough to investigate the state of their neighbors (and enterprising enough to make a way out of their own home first) they might happen to be sufficiently nearby to hear the abrupt squawk of surprise and subsequent rushing noise as some of the snow in front of this particular cabin’s door sinks out of place. Judging by the positioning of it, the occupant was trying to dig themselves a way out, but…

Well. This is going to be a long day for her, apparently. (Maybe she should have invested in a shovel.) ]


D. || WILDCARD

[ Choose your own (snow-related) adventure. ]

C

[moonape]

[Since the blizzard stopped, Winston has been doing his best to clear out the snow blocking people into their cabins. By the 23rd he's dug a few cabins out, people in them or not, and he's even pulled out his Tesla Cannon to melt the snow away. But when he hears someone having a bit of a time, he'll jump on over to land on the roof of their cabin. Sorry for the thump!]

Hello there, do not be alarmed. I'm here to help you with your snow problem!

[Winston clears his throat.]

It'd be safer if you stepped back away from your door, close it first if you can.

[If and when that's done, he'll just hang from the edge of the roof with one hand and start scooping away snow with the other. At least until he's got some room to get down in there himself.]

You okay in there?

[An important question to be sure. Do they need food and water? He can finish with snow clearing after if they're in desperate need.]

B (oh look, i remembered to tag this)

[mannerless]

( wei wuxian, for his part, knows a thing or two about inclement weather and the value of not being stuck in it (thanks, november) - so when it seems as though the light dusting of snow is getting heavier rather than going away, he makes for the road without wasting any more time perusing the storefronts.

(the birthday gift can wait. lan zhan has never been one for caring about such things, anyway.)

but apparently, it isn't quite enough. by the time he's left town, the visibility is already fairly poor, which is nonsense, really - here wei ying actually showed a shred of precaution for once, and what does he get for it? this. haven't the technicians ever heard that rewarding such things is critical? how else is he to learn?

by the time he reaches the patch of road where namine (unbeknownst to him just yet) has gotten herself turned around, he's settled into boring meditation exercises for nothing better to do. 'happy birthday, lan zhan,' he'll say, 'for your gift, i took a whole fifteen mindful breaths on the way home. please try to contain your overwhelming pride and joy.' and then, of course, he'll feel terrible because lan zhan actually will feel pride and joy and that just won't do, this was hardly a proper effort. and-

is that someone up ahead?

wei ying squints against the elements, one sleeved hand lifting up to shield his eyes, and yes, that is someone. someone small, a child perhaps - a child who absolutely shouldn't be out in this. (gods, but he hopes they don't live back in town. he'll do it, he'll take them all the way back, but he won't like it.) pressing his lips together a moment, he calls, ) Hey, can you hear me? ( a shout into the wind. then the hand shielding his eyes becomes an arm blocking the top of his face, his head dropping a bit to brace as he takes up a jog to catch up.

slowing to a stop once he's close enough to be heard a bit better, his arm drops and he takes a good look at them for the first time... hey, he knows that face. isn't that sizhui's friend, from the birthday message? she has a name, what was her name? ) Namine, ( he says - a greeting, but with a slight note of recognition that suggests he's just remembered what she told him to call her.

a glance left, then right (he's not sure why - to see if she's got shelter nearby somehow? to see if she's alone? it's mostly just reflex) before he steps in and wraps a hand around her upper arm, supportive but not too tight. ) Hey, are you alright?

Renfri | The Witcher

[thelesserevil]

[ individual prompts in the comments below, contact me for personalized prompts. will match prose or brackets ]

for Geralt, January 2nd

[thelesserevil]

[ Having successfully squatted in one of the empty apartments in the abandoned town, Renfri sticks close to the town in her explorations for the most part.

Today, however, her path has taken her in the direction of the farmhouse, and she finally comes across the horses.

Horses. She hadn't even known this place has horses. And there is nobody around to keep an eye on them on this meadow.

Not seeing anyone outside at first glance, she approaches the horses, clearly eyeing them for the best one like someone going horse shopping. Is she considering to take one? Well, yes. ]

OTA, January 17th, at the lakeside

[thelesserevil]

[ Renfri is not the most social inmate despite her regular complaints about the lack of a bar, but today she is sitting on a stone at the lake, fiddling with that phone she is slowly getting ever better at using and looking very upset.

As soon as she catches sight of another person, she approaches them, holding up the phone. ]

How do I tear out a page from this?

[ Someone has found her NEF profile and she's not happy. ]

Jiang Cheng | The Untamed

[legbreakings]

[ individual prompts in the comments below, contact me for personalized prompts. will match prose or brackets ]

January 19th, lakeside, OTA

[legbreakings]

[ There is a man with a dog to be seen on the main street of the nameless town (he still adamantly refuses to consider Virginville, not even in honor of Luusi's unfond remembrance).

Jiang Cheng is standing there, Blossom the quickly growing puppy taken off her leash walking nearby sniffing here and there or chasing after a snowflake and paying heartily little attention to him. Jiang Cheng, meanwhile, is looking increasingly exasperated as he goes ignored. ]

Blossom! We are here to be practicing! I know Wei Wuxian found you, but you'll never become a proper companion for night hunts if you don't outgrow his attention span!

lan sizhui ♪ the untamed

[deferences]

store runs and snow fun; (ota)

[two weeks. that's really, truly how long he'd (they'd? and if that's the case, how many?) fallen asleep for. disbelief aside, once the weakness in his muscles subsides, lan sizhui is up and moving around shortly thereafter. easiest way to distract himself from being unconscious for so long is doing something that has him too focused on the activity and he just ignores or forgets it, even if just for a little while.

so, the first thing he does is pile on as many layers as he can handle and fly into town on his sword for some luxury items; whatever fruits, veggies, snacks and perhaps a couple other perishables he can stuff into his backpack, he does, making sure certain things don't get crushed during his careful packing process.

if anyone familiar happens to be around, he cheerfully greets,] Hello, [and eagerly gestures them over with his free hand while the other fusses with an orange.] It's nice to see you're awake.

[or if it's someone he doesn't know, sizhui isn't afraid to help; he's been here so long, after all, it's the least he can do! (and there's obviously safety in numbers.)] Hi there! Do you need help finding anything? [like, a particular kind of food item or funny t-shirt? because this here's your guy!]


[after he's gotten somewhat replenished provisions-wise, still layered up, he ventures back outside into the snow to simply admire the way it covers everything in a pretty white blanket. it's quiet out here, sound muted by the snowhills and continuously falling flakes, but it doesn't take long for him to wander off his porch.

when he does, that's when he can be found building snowmen, making snowangels or testing his luck with some ice-skates out on the lake. whichever activity, he's doing it, earnestly and enthusiastically, even though his skating skills could use some work.

the point here, mostly, is that he keeps moving because he'd been sedentary for too long.]



phone apps; (ota)

[whether he's in town or nearby the cabins, there is a very likely chance sizhui can be caught messing with the new apps on their devices. the cute little filters being the main things but there is the off chance one might catch him attempting the ridiculous chickchuck game, too. the other game and ‘not enough fish’ don't appeal to him much, but hey, nobody's saying he can't be convinced.

mindlessly bouncing back and forth between the same two apps has to get tiring after a while, yeah?

should you be (un)lucky enough, perhaps the boy abruptly perks, turns toward you and offers,] Would you like to try this game or take a picture with me? They have a lot of those cute— [a moment's hesitation then,] Oh, ‘filters,’ I think.



not-so-fun blizzard; (cabinmates + people that end up stuck(?) there)

[whenever the lights start flickering, he doesn't initially think much of it, given the frightful weather outside, but he is wary. always makes sure there's wood to keep the fireplace going just in case despite it only being the slightest thought in the deep recesses of his mind. which is smart since the lights do eventually go out. good thing he's been collecting candles, albeit they're just bulk packages of tiny, mostly scentless tealights.

he lights them up and leaves glittering trails of flames in all the communal rooms, then if anyone needs any extras, he's right there to offer a few for their bedrooms or whatever else is necessary.] They won't last very long, so use them sparingly, but I hope they help.


[another thing he's somehow gathered his fair share of is blankets; two big, heavy comforters – one green, the other pastel blue – and an oversized fuzzy throw, all of which he's dragged out into the living room, gathered into a big pile and buried himself underneath beside the fire in a desperate attempt to keep warm. he's used to the cold but this is absolutely absurd!

to be honest, it's his hope that someone will join him and offer some company (alongside possible body heat) during the blackout. there's more than enough room in front of the fireplace, of course, and he has blankets to spare.


when sizhui isn't just a lump beneath the pile, he's striding around the room, either making food or tidying things up, but no matter what, he drifts from the task every so often to the nearest window, drawing pictures across the glass with the hand not holding his little tealight.

neverminding the fact it's taken him a few minutes to realize he isn't alone, once he has, his attention is on whoever has joined him, big doe eyes almost comically wide.]

What? [an innocent question, really, followed shortly after by a faint, almost sheepish-looking smile.] We have to entertain ourselves somehow, don't we? This... seems like a safe enough activity.

[and there's plenty of snow to keep the windows constantly fogged, they'll never run out of canvas.


but thank goodness, the precipitation does eventually stop. the moment it does and electricity comes back, regardless of it not being wholly steady, he dares venturing outside into the mess to at least start digging out the front door and some windows. not having a proper shovel proves difficult, though he's managing with his hands and an extremely delicate rolling process that works better than he would've anticipated.

this also helps because it lets him examine the glass after mounds have been pushed aside, make certain nothing is broken or cracked before keeping right on with the laborious snow removal.

something tells him this would be so much easier if he had a few endless fire talismans.]

Store run

[coolmotivestillevil]

[ It's never a great idea to go out during winter, not knowing what the weather will be like. Snow is more treacherous than rain. Still, the weather is nice enough, and if there happens to be food in Foodland right now, it doesn't hurt to get some more provisions. The farm isn't too far away from town and he's sure he'll be all right.

Ian Suzhui is at least not the worst person to encounter out in the wild, as much as Geralt would rather not encounter anyone at all. ]

Hm.

[ Yes, that's all he's giving for now, but it's soft enough to be amicable as he wanders over to browse the fruits and vegetables. ]

January 16th

[keeperofkeys]

She can't quite believe the date on her phone. Two weeks? Two entire weeks she's been asleep? It doesn't feel like it, but why would the technicians change the date on her phone?

Or why wouldn't they, perhaps.

The longest she'd fallen asleep like that was at the hospital, but that was only for a few days. She doesn't like the feeling that she's lost time.

Still, her food in the fridge is starting to go off, and she needs to venture out for supplies. So she bundles herself up and heads out into the snow.

Feel free to run into her somewhere along her trek, or bump into her while she's buying food.

Re: January 16th

[thelesserevil]

Renfri isn't exactly having fun either, she is feeling deeply disturbed as she aimlessly wanders the village, still trying to shake off the strange surreal memories of the past weeks.

Still, when she runs into a woman in warm winter clothes on the street, simply approaching her and asking if she made the same strange experiences still seems strange, and she finds herself hesitating, unwilling to be dismissed as a madwoman.

But she needs to know.

"Are you on the way to the food store?" she asks, approaching her with firm steps now that the decision has been made.

Winston | Overwatch | OTA

[moonape]

Of Cabins and Peanut Butter: 16th-19th

[After his arrival on the network, Winston can be seen having a look around the cabins and the immediate area. Big ol gorilla in his gear, jump pack on his back. He definitely stands out.

If he's not at the cabins he'll be in town checking out Foodland. I'm not saying you'll catch him checking out the peanut butter, but. Yeah. He's definitely considering stocking up.]

... hmm, I wonder if they have any bananas here too?


Tis the Season for a Blizzard: 22nd-???

[During the blizzard and the power being out, along with the heat, Winston had taken to collecting all the blankets and pillows in the cabin and making a big ol' nest in the living room. He's now thankful he did stock up on that peanut butter!

When the snow seems to stop piling up, Winston adventures out of his warm nest to open the door to his cabin. Oh boy.

Closing the door he ends up having to very awkwardly, it's already awkward enough fitting through the doors here, pull himself through a window on the second floor and up onto the roof. Surveying the white wonderland, Winston makes a leap for it!!!

He'll spend a lot of time clearing out the snow around his own cabin, and works to try and make his way to others. He's a big boy, he can do a lot of snow slinging. Do not be alarmed if you hear noises outside your door!

A polite knock will come eventually.]

Uh hello? Everyone okay in there?

Blizzard

[theprezident]

[ So, Rhys really needs to move out of this cabin. Where to go isn't the problem, the weather is, and the question of whether he wants to bring anything with him or not. And then they all fell asleep for a couple of weeks, and then there was a blizzard, and he just ... hasn't gotten around to it.

Something he's not sure whether he regrets or not when he finds himself snowed in. Would an apartment building be worse? Would there be another way out? Here, he can at least theoretically get one of the upper floor windows open and get out and-- What's that noise?

He makes his way to a window in time to see a huge ape digging the cabin out of the snow. It seems seeing Winston on the network really didn't do his size justice. He ends up staring long enough for the knock to sound. Rather than go back downstairs, though, he opens the window. ]

Up here, big guy! I'm okay!

closed to lan wangji (cas's cabin)

[useinsouciant]

He hasn't had much time to redecorate the place to his liking, yet. But he has pushed chairs and the coffee table out of the way so there's a nice, big space in the center of the room for meditation. He also doesn't have his usual collection of throw pillows with him, so he steals the cushions off the chairs, setting them on the floor instead.

There, much better.

His run to the Foodmart had been successful in that he'd found tea, so he puts a kettle on to heat up some water for when his guest arrives.

[taciturnly]

Pleasant surprises have been rather scarce as of late, but then Cas happened, and his weed, and his scars. The latter is an unfortunate detail, one he can sadly relate to. Guqin firmly secured on his back, he knows he won’t be performing any kind of miracle tonight, but he goes anyway, one steady step after another, a beeline to the cabin next door.

And so they are neighbors, too.

He knocks twice, mentally reviewing the wide selection of pieces he’s learned over the years. There are a few more added to his collection now, practiced during Wei Ying’s absence. If he hoped they’d never serve, he’s glad that they can, and he waits poised and patient, wisps of snow swirling around him.

Miles Morales ( Into the Spider-verse )

[shouldertouching]

( A. Blizzard )

[ It doesn't take long for Miles to get lost as winds and snow pick up. He's not quite learned his surroundings yet having just arrived and he's turned around on how to get to the place he had staked out as his own -- which is weird in and of itself. He kept expecting to hear his mom's voice telling him to wake up and eat breakfast before school.

He frowns as he sees a home and he's just too cold and having too hard a time navigating in the blizzard that he heads for it, shivering as he knocks on the door. ]

Please be someone nice...

[ He mumbles under his breath. ]

( B. Wildcard )

[ Definitely feel free to hit me up with something else! I'm wide open. ]

A

[moonape]

[As the storm really kicks up, Winston is glad he'd stocked up on the necessities.

"Necessities".

The fact he hears the knock at all is impressive, it's not quiet out there! When he opens the door it's a young human, they look like the storm could sweep them away.

Hopefully a genetically altered gorilla is nice in Miles' eyes?]

Oh goodness, come in come in!

[He's just shocked the kid is out in that mess! He urges him inside, motioning with a large hand as he back up from the door.]

Bernadetta von Varley

[cryingforever]

A. Sometime Jan 23rd

[ This is the worst.

First she woke up in a snow drift and nearly suffocated for it in her opinion. Second this place was strange and unfamiliar and definitely not her warm and cozy room back at Garreg Mach. Thirdly, she had her bow and arrows, which never boded well for the teenager. Finally there was some weird unopenable box in her pocket all shiny and glass and she didn't know what to make of it. Honestly it makes her want to scream in utter panic, but what if there's bears or lions or rabbits?

Instead, she mostly quietly sneaks about the trees, noticing an opening in the treeline....

Only to find a lake and cabins... And even worse...

People. ]

[ Anyone with any ounce of observational skill while they're cleaning up the snow from their cabin or going about their business will notice a purple haired teenager shaking behind a tree, bow and quiver of arrows attached to her back. She's absolutely not dressed for this weather but from her expression, the shaking might be from the weather or being terrified. Possibly both. ]

B. Wildcard

[ Sure why not? ]