Amy wasn't really in a party mood. But a closed door invitation only party was good for her rep, and she could use the extra money a boost in popularity might bring, because they were an income shy on the house, now. And what finally got her moving was the thought that people popped up at Christmas. If Rory was going to reappear... it would be at a Christmas party.

So she went all out on decorations. She sent out the invitations and sent them through the Doctors. Well... River got hers directly, as would Arelene, because she didn't know if the Doctors knew her. As for Rose.... Her invitation would go through Eleven, with a note to him, that she is only invited because of what he had said, and that if Rose starts drama or trouble... she would be out on her rear in the snow.

After a talk with Ten, her plan for a dry party was changed to a very limited bar.

And on the 23rd, she'd be finishing up decorations in the afternoon, with the Eleven told that was when the party started, and told Ten and Twelve that they were welcome to help decorate at that time. Eleven, she knew, would be late, which was why he was given the earlier time.

So come noon, she was decorating a fake tree, painted Tardis blue, with bright silver tinsel and lights. The walls and hearth were already started, and the table was set with a place for everyone invited... and one for Rory, beside hers. Since it was a potluck, she didn't have to cook for everyone, thankfully. At least, not a full meal. So she made a few medium sized servings of things, enough for a few people. Yorkshire pudding, fish fingers and custard, a glazed spiral ham - which she will not admit to having bought pre-cooked and simply added honey and tossed it in the oven - and a banana coconut cream pie. That might have come from a mix. Hush. She made sure all the boxes were thrown out well before even the decorators were due.

she had the last of the food that needed to be cooked cooking, she had a christmas selection of music playing, and she was dancing around, getting everything ready.


Evening - Party time

After leaving someone else to finish the last bits, she went up to get showered and changed. And she looked splendid when she came down. Well, for a casual party, anyway. A trim snug green sweater, short skirt, long red scarf, black stockings, cute green flats. It was time to play host and start letting guests in, always looking for that one particular face every time she opened the door...

( Locked to Sunset Summit Apartments, Floor 6 )

_____________________________________________________

( Open to All )

[This is how Ted spends his evenings in boot camp: farting around on the phone. This time it's seasonal.]

Last year around this yuletide time, many were in the dark as to who Santa Claus, that mysterious, nigh-omnipresent gift giver, really was. Allow me to illuminate.

A little under 1700 years ago, the true faith wasn't as organized as it ought to have been. Emperor Constantine set to fix that, summoning bishops to his First Ecunemical Council to see what was and was not orthodox.

Saint Nicholas, from whom the name "Santa Claus" comes, was one such, having under his belt a variety of saintly good deeds. Raising the dead, baptizing his own jailer, rescuing slaves from captivity, and yes, the anonymous gift-giving he's so well known for. It started out as leaving bits of gold in shoes for unmarried daughters; you needed a good dowry for that in those times.

But back to the council. The primary controversy centered around whether the Son of God was equivalent to God Himself. The answer is "yes", by the way, but they hadn't reached such an accord just then. A fierce debate raged, with St. Nick on the side of the affirmative, while the ones impugning Christ's divinity were headed up by the heresiarch Arius.

Most of us, at one time or another, have had the misfortune of weathering nonsense about a subject we like. Given that the subject was God and that, being a bishop, Saint Nicholas loved Him very much, it grew to be profoundly intolerable.

[There's a dramatic pause as Ted's voice turns to a more excited pitch.]

So he smote that heretic with his fist! Knocked him down flatter than a pine tree, hahaha!

[You can hear the rustling of leaves as Ted sat back down, recovering from his own enthusiasm.]

As you might expect, that's not very seemly behavior for a bishop, so they put him in jail. No jail could hold him for long, of course; Christ himself had a hand in his release. If that's not vindication, I don't know what is. Once the dust settled, the council saw the light and accepted the truth. A happy ending if ever there was one. Unless you're an Arian, of course. You'd better not be!

St. Nicholas, in addition to his holiday rounds, continues to be the patron saint of children and those who brave the dangers of the sea; thank God for him.

So, if you find any heretics who aggressively won't give Christ His due, be sure to "deck their halls". It's what Santa would want.

[Was that the moral of the story, Ted?]

Oh, and uh, be of good cheer, of course. It's very early, but merry Christmas!

[There's a good shot of fingers playing over a sitar, and it sounds like the melody to Silent Night, because it's December, and look this is his job.]

Hey everyone!

[Demyx sounds somewhat less enthusiastic than usual, but still polite enough.]

Are you having a party this holiday season? I know all the Christmas songs - and if I don't know yours, I can learn it by ear!

Book me now for parties, gatherings, whatever!

[He hates Christmas so much, but hey, have to make a living.]

[There's also no mention as to why Demyx has been laying low as of late.]

WHO: Whitley Schnee, all of the contestants and judges who signed up, and anyone who wishes to spectate!
WHAT: The moment of truth has arrived! Who's makes the best entree? The best dessert? How many judges will go home with food poisoning unrelated to Chara totally not using actual buttercups in their pie? Let's find out!
WHEN: November 20th, Early evening
WHERE: Genessia City

===

[ Once all contestants and judges are at the venue, and enough time has passed for the audience to settle into place, Whitley takes center stage with a broad smile and a polite bow. ]

Good evening, culinary enthusiasts, and welcome to the Genessia World Cooking Championship! We have an impressive lineup of contestants ready to show us what they're capable of - but first, allow me to introduce our panel of judges.

[ He lifts one hand to gesture to a table at one end of the room, where the five judges are seated, with an extra seat remaining for Whitley himself. As he introduces each he allows a moment for them to stand and wave to the crowd, should they so desire: ]

Shinjiro Aragaki, Alice Nakiri, Gwen Stacy, Aeslyn Blackrose, and Demyx - as well as myself, of course! A truly diverse array of palettes if ever there was one, but we'll see which entries are superb enough to wow us all. We'll begin first with the entrees, then allow a short intermission before moving onto the desserts.

[ He claps his hands together in front of himself, nodding sharpy. ]

I don't think there's any need to say more, and truth be told I'm famished, so without further ado - will all chefs making entrees please find your stations!


(( OOC: First and foremost, thank you everyone who signed up! As you may have noticed we had exactly five people sign up to be judges, so EVERYONE WHO SIGNED UP TO BE A JUDGE IS IN! As for how the contest will work now, there will be headers below for each entry with the chef's name, their dish, and their meta score from the random number generator plus their experience bonus. Chefs may comment in those threads to describe their process and what may have gone right or wrong, while judges are free to react as if they are tasting the dish!

That should about cover things, but if there are any questions feel free to shoot me a PM!

p.s. yes these are seriously the numbers I rolled so make of that what you will ))

[Video]

I know it's been a few days, but... [Arelen's blushing slightly, and not wanting to look at the camera. After a few moments, she closes her eyes, takes a breath, and faces it so she's on screen properly.]

I only remember acting strange, and, well... doing things I normally would have done... or said.

[Frustrated sigh as the blush gets brighter.]

I just wanted to apologize for my actions a few nights ago at the Halloween party. I was stupid, and I drank way too much.

So... [Purses her lips and looks away again, growling at herself for having to do this, and takes another breath, composing herself, and looks to the camera again, sincerity in her eyes.]

I'm sorry if I offended anyone or made anyone feel uncomfortable.

[She looks to the side, frowning, then clicks the feed off.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Action- Apartment]

( We've lived too long, too close... so call off your ghost... )

Who: Everyone
What: Halloween Party
Where: Nova City - After Life
When: 4 PM October 31st to who knows how early of November 1st
Warnings: B for boos and booze. Also Gale is there so that deserves a warning in itself. Is spooky.

----

Welcome to After Life. The entrance of the Nova City nightclub has the additional illumination courtesy of a purple neon bat to welcome the party goers, which that little bat seems more inviting than the almost ominous fog coming out of the front doors. Just beyond the door are a variety of glowsticks, should one feel so inclined to equip themselves with them for the night. The varying colored glass tables are trimmed with fake cobwebs with little spider lights illuminating from beneath it while at each table's end has a jack-o'-lantern of different carvings with color changing LED lights inside. The club's colored strobe lighting reflects off of the club's crystalline walls to help lend to the atmosphere in an almost eerie manner, even adding additional color to the fog hovering over the floor.


As the party begins, Gale makes a special introduction to the ladies who helped make the party possible- Yang Xiao Long, Ayame Sasaki, Gwen Stacy and Mikaela Banes. He wouldn't let the party go on without the much deserved recognition for them.

( You better be good - You better beware )

[Demyx looks the same as always, except for something pretty interesting happening as he's suddenly sprouted wings from behind.]

So hey, I took a trip to Nova City. It's kinda cool, cause I can hover now!

[He's hovering, it just can't be seen since the phone is pointed at his face.]

Uh, but it didn't stop when I left, so yeah, I guess I have wings now?

[Oh well, probably not something to worry about.]



[Action]

[Demyx is now hovering around Genessia proper, because hovering is fun, even if it's only a few inches off the ground. He doesn't exactly have his sitar though since he can't summon it, but that's a small detail. Seems like he wandered into Nova City and got changed into a fairy, although he didn't get any smaller than he already normally is.]

[Zexion appears on the screen and he does not look happy in the slightest. Although perhaps he should be- he seems to be alive, after all, despite that the last thing he remembers, that shouldn't be the case. His frown deepens. He wants to ask how that's possible, but he's not sure if anyone here will have the answer to that, or if he even really wants it right now.]

Hello?

[He shifts in his seat like he's uncomfortable or unsure of himself. To be fair, he's much more familiar with books than he is with technology, and he's not entirely sure if videotaping himself is a good idea, but it's potentially the fastest way to get information.]

If I'm to believe the information that was given to me upon my arrival, I've arrived in a world that I cannot leave. Is that accurate?

[He did already try to leave via darkness, but clearly that didn't work, or else he wouldn't still be here.]

Man, we gotta get some shit started, so I'mma start it, right here, right now!

Gonna play a li'l game we call Marry, Shag, Cliff!

For the uninitiated, 's a game were y' make a comment, and then some other asshole's gonna give y' a list a three people, an' y' gotta come back with which one y' wanna spend yer life with, which one y' wanna hook it up with all night long- hell yeah!- an' which one y' wanna ever so gently shove off a really tall cliff. Sharp rocks is definitely at the bottom.

Who's in?

[ooc note: PLEASE TAG EACH OTHER AND GO CRAZY. Namur partially just wants to sit back and popcorn.gif as people embarrass each other ngl.]

Who: Demyx and Larxene (Arelen)
Where: their apartment
When: Oct 4th, late morning
What: She's trying, she really is.
Warnings: Language mostly. Will update as needed.


( protège-moi de mes désirs )

[A teenager is on the screen, and aside from the blue hair, pink-red eyes and blue-ish skin she seems... normal?]

Okay, like. I get the whole deal with the all the cute info given after I popped outta that weirdo pod in a lake. [Sonata no, that's not a lake.] But like I'm supposed to go and sing a big important thing with Aria and Adagio and I'm pretty sure if I don't show up I'm gonna be in biiiiiiig trouble.

So can anyone tell me how to get back to like, Canterlot High?

[The screen is tilted at an odd angle, as if someone just hit the communicator with a wandering hand, but the view it's clear, Cassian Andor's bedroom. The clues of figuring that one are that the camera shows Cassian himself in his bed, jacket lost somewhere on the floor and shirt half undone.]

I will never get tired of having lips.

[The voice comes from Cassian's company: a tall, blond man, who is not only very handsy with him but trying to suck a lovebite into Cassian's neck. That earns him a moan and a stifled laugh.]

Good, because I'll never get tired of your lips.

[He curls his fingers into the man's hair and yanks his head up, pulling him into a rough kiss.]

[ TEXT -> ACTION ] | [ Backdated Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday ]

(( OOC: if your character is someone who expressed interest in meeting up with Shinjiro later on, they will receive the following text message on their CPU, sometime during the above days. ))


want to hang out?

if your free today.

[ AUDIO ] | [ Backdated to Monday afternoon ]

Uh, there -

[ There's some shuffling sound, like he's setting the phone up somewhere, still. ]

Right. So.

... I ain't good at this, either the talkin or the - well.

But just writin it seemed ... not enough, and. All of you are probably sick of seein my face, so.

[ There's a brief pause, before he goes on. He sounds very, very tired, but his voice is nonetheless serious, and firm. ]

I frightened the hell outta a lot of you.

I said a lot of stuff, some of it to some people I don't even know.

And, it's complicated, but I can say that - while it wasn't all me, it was a part of me. So, yeah, I ain't gonna pretend it isn't my fault.

I'm sorry.

[ He swallows. ]

I am sorry.

I'm not gonna. Just sit around feelin guilty, though. Not -

[ Coughs. ]

- Yeah. So.

Up to you if you take this seriously.

But let me know if I can make it up to you.

[ And then the audio is turned off. ]

[....just kidding! PANIC A LOT!]

HELLLLLOOOOOOO??

Where is everypony??

[At the moment, the camera is facing the sky, as it's on the ground. Not very pony friendly, honestly. Fortunately, Pinkie can be seen with the camera angle below her, calling out to...whomever she's looking for.]

Did we go overboard with hide and seek, Gummy? This doesn't even look like Ponyville...

[Looking up, a small alligator pops out from her mane, blinking quietly in response.]

...yeah, I didn't think so, too. [There's a giggle at how silly she feels at even thinking that.] But what are these...things? They don't even look like ponies!

[Judging eye squint]

So...weird.

[He turns on the camera and he's in an open space. He rolls his shoulders. If he's going to exercise, he'll go with what he knows.]

Hey! Does anyone want to spar with me?

[They should probably consider this carefully, if they're not used to it.]

Larxene said I'm getting fat.

[OOC: After Shinjiro's video message]

As the suspect has just announced, there is currently a dangerous individual at large. Despite his video making it look otherwise, he remains contained within a currently heavily guarded subarchway.

Although he styles himself a vigilante, citizens are asked to proceed with caution until the threat has been removed, just in case of a breakthrough. Law enforcement is working with experts to resolve the situation speedily.

Other vigilantes are strongly discouraged from engaging inside or outside the subarchway; the Guardian's office will not take responsibility for self-endangering behavior.

[also OOC, not part of the text message, but relevant to the plot, Blaze's files