[Today Riley can be found hanging out in the back of Needle in a Haystack. She's sitting on top of a pile of boxes, leaning back on one hand as she smiles at the recording she's making. Today she's feeling pretty good about things. Especially about the thing she wants to ask about.]

Okay so people in the past of my world used to celebrate birthdays a lot. They apparently had parties and all that to go "whoo hoo! I lived to see another year!" Now, where I'm from we've pretty much lost that because, well, reasons.

[She shrugs like "Apocalypse. What are you gonna do?"]

But here's a question for all of you. How do you celebrate your birthdays? Parties? Presents? Food? Nothing? I wanna know because I want to know all that stuff that I've been missing out on all these years because like hell was anyone going to be celebrating the grand existence of me. Even if they totally should have.

[That makes her laugh a little.]

Tell me about your birthday stuff. It's time to share again!

[He's standing in the middle of a living room, not one of the common areas in the God Houses. Despite being pretty spacious, it's equally empty. Maybe even recognizable for anyone who's been here a while and seen some of the Guardian posts of the past.]

Here again, huh? Alice are you still here? [Yeah, talking to both Alices.] Ellie, Hibiki, Ritsuka? Doctor?

Looks like the gods didn't want to get rid of me so they brought me back to help. That means that 'G' Ice Rink is in business again and I'll find some way to make it useful in the war effort. Maybe it can be a shelter for anyone whose homes aren't safe or something.

[Jamie flops on the couch.]

What's been happening since I left?

I have an odd request for everyone, or at least those that will listen to me. I was wondering if anyone of you wanted a...hug.

[The last part is said quietly like he's scared to just say the word at the moment. It would normally be unusual considering he love to give affectionate hugs. The hallucinations had brought and old fear he had to the forefront of his mind even after they've dissipated]

If a hug is too much, I can give you a handshake or pat on the shoulder. Anything is fine now, I just think a gentle touch is just something that everyone could use at least once in while. Just give me a call if you need one...

[The before ends it, he whispers someone to himself, only those with good hearing will catch it.]

I just need to feel that everyone is alive.

[On screen today - Kanji's trying to look the smartest, coolest and calmest he's ever looked. It's definitely not perfect, though, but he starts...]

Hey.

I realised, yesterday... It's been a long time since I came here. And people here have done a lot for me. I know it wasn't, really, but it feels like it was just a coupla days ago a load of you helped me out when I was just a kid. It meant a lot to me.

So - I wanna pay folks back.

Do somethin' to help out that ain't just my job, you know? And what I can do is sew and fix things. Clothes are damn expensive at the moment. With the way things are, we've all gotta try and get by.

What I'm thinkin' of doing is runnin' some kinda - uh, workshop to show anyone who wants the basics of sewing things. How to fix buttons, how to fix basic holes and that sorta thing. I can do some'f the more complicated bits, too, if anyone wants.

So, anyone interested? Come by Everyday Sunshine later. If this works, an' nothing gets in the way, I might do a few more'a these. What d'you think?

[Anyone who does follow him up on his offer will find him setting up a couple of tables of sewing and craft equipment, and hoping for the best...]

Action:

There's a stray kid wandering around the city today, a lanky young boy - when did he even get here? He looks lost, baffled, and more than a little wary and scared. He shouldn't be here! This place is grey, it's ugly, and more than anything, it's not his home.

Every so often, he stops and looks in shop windows as he passes them. Toy shops and craft shops, mostly. Trying to pretend like he isn't looking at that stuff, though; he's going to be a man about it! He doesn't need the cute stuff! He doesn't need to look at the singing flowers, or the weird bunnies or that stuff, either...
(Fooling no-one.)

In time, he can be found seated on a bench in the park, fiddling around with a bracelet that he's not sure how he got. Okay, it's very pretty, but - ]

Video:

- Ah! What's this doing? 'Recording' - huh?

[Poke, poke. The transmission flicks off, then shortly on again, with a slightly less surprised looking kid.]

Uh ... hi...

I can talk to people on here, right? Um... so [nervously, he almost mutters-] ...has anyone seen my parents? Their names are Hayao and Aiko Tatsumi... Ma? Dad? Are you here too? I'm - I'm in the park and I'm not sure where everything is... where am I?


((OOC: Yes, Kanji's been de-aged. Enjoy your temporary bitty with issues.))

[Action; Gefion Park]

[It's a rare day off, which means Hibiki can be found sitting on a bench watching her animals at play! She really doesn't have enough time to spend with them, so she's happy to see that they seem to be enjoying the outdoors on this sunny day.

Happy, and a little... tired, actually.

By the time people come across her, she may well have just nodded off in her seat, her form slumped slightly to the side as she rests. The sheep, hummingbird, gusk and Cyndaquil currently running/scampering/flying around don't seem to have noticed, but there is a small hamster on her shoulder now nibbling on a bit of her hair.

...Someone may want to wake the poor girl up.]

[Video]

[And later, a video call! She is clearly pretty uncomfortable, her hands twisting and fidgeting in front of her.]

I... I didn't really want to ask about it before. I thought I could take care of it, but there's so much going on...

[Deep breath, Hibiki. It's okay to ask for help, remember? With a short gulp, she continues.]

I... have a lot of pets. But I can't take care of them as much as they need it. I work with the medical team and the suppliers. I just--

[Her expression falls as she falters.]

...I can't take care of them by myself anymore.

[As loathe as she is to admit it. Even at home, she had managed to take care of Shii-chan even while juggling her work, but here...

It seems she's bitten off more than she can chew.]

I don't know what to do with them... I have a sheep, a hummingbird, a gusk, a Cyndaquil, and a hamster. They're all really great, and they're well behaved, s-so...

I don't want to have to get rid of them... but I want to make sure they get cared for. What should I do...?

[It's almost like a plea. These animals - each one reminds her of people she can no longer see. To give them away just doesn't seem right. But neglecting them hardly seems proper, either.]

[Video]

[Hibiki looks a bit different today. Where her hair is usually neatly tied in a side ponytail, it's instead rather mussed up, much like she'd not only just awoken, but also decided to blow dry it for good measure. Bunched up around her shoulders and covering her body entirely is her coverlet, which is... odd, given that it should be warming up these days. Her eyes look a little red, too - has she been crying again...?

For those who know her well and are especially sharp-eyed, it's apparent she's lost about a year or so of growth as well. That could only mean...]

H-hello. [Her voice is quiet, stammering. She's trying her best to smile, but it's clearly strained.] I... went home for the first time, but now it looks like I've come back. I guess something must have happened to my connection, but the gods were able to bring me here again.

[...And a good thing, too.]

...I got to see everybody for the first time in forever. I didn't get to finish everything I wanted, but--

[Her voice cuts off abruptly, and she tries again.]

--That just means I have to try my best here, too. To make sure they'll all be safe there.

[Even if... she probably won't be able to see them again, whether they win the war or not. She hurriedly uses the coverlet to dab at her eyes, still keeping it snug around her.]

U-umm... I'm not sure how long I was away yet. I remember a dream about a tree, but after that, I think I must have left, so...

[The last words come out rushed and jumbled just before she cuts the feed.]

If-someone-could-tell-me-what-happened-I'd-like-that-thank-you!

[Click.]

[Adachi looks extremely uncomfortable one what amounts to a massive video chat with an entire city. The fact that he's holding his head like its about to split open doesn't seem to be helping him any.]

U-uh... hey, Asgard?

[Wow that was timid; he might have been overplaying it a little, but his head was killing him at the moment.]

Did anything... weird happen to anybody last night? 'Cause weird sure happened to me.

[He started rubbing at his head, moving his hand away to reveal a nice bruise where his head had hit his bed post when he blacked out.]

...feel like m'on a bender without the actual bend.

( Text - Option A )

Naegi here. Sorry for disappearing... I lost my bracelet and I apparently greyed out... so I'm pretty behind on things. I'm still interested in setting up a flower and little produce shop! I just need to get around to it, now that I'm back... So if anyone still wants to run it with me, just let me know! :)

If anyone can also catch me up on what has happened since, well, two weeks ago, that'll be really nice.

( Video - Option B )

[ Some hours after sending out that text and being home... Naegi comes on video, in just an plain white undershirt, and not in his usually seen hoodie (gasp!). What could have happened to separate this poor boy from it?! Let's find out. ]

U-Um, I know it's weird to ask, but while I was gone, did it become normal for hoodies to disappear? Every single time I try to put one on, it just vanishes. I've kind of run out of tops to wear now, because of it.

I've even tried making hoodies with my powers, but those disappear too!

[ Pulling up a nice hoodie that he made out of leaves and vines (what a productive way of using his growing powers...), putting it on, and poof! It magically just disappears. Naegi has a pretty much defeated look on his face... ]

See? I lost my favourite one with this, and I really want to get it back, so does anyone know where they all go, or how to make this stop? I'm feeling kind of naked without any...

[ And with that defeated look, turning that off... ]

(( ooc; Naegi is struck with a curse where all of his hoodies will disappear for a day or two! Feel free to tag twice if you want to reply to both options! Tags will be slow, but will certainly backtag! ))

[Video]

[Ah, such a beautiful day to have off! Which means that the natural place for a growing child like her would be...

...Indoors?]

Hello everybody! Over the past few days a lot of people have asked me about Runic Magic, so I thought... Since I have the day off, if anyone would like to come learn the basics, I can teach them! I'll take breaks around lunch and dinner, but I'll come right back once I finish, so please feel free to come at any time if you are interested in learning!

[--And something seems to occur to her right then.]

We've gotten a lot of new people, haven't we...? If you don't know what Runic Magic is, it's a different type of magic from the powers the gods give you. Instead of drawing from the gods, it draws from the world itself. It can be used for all kinds of things, like conjuring bread or making your clothes invisible... things like that! And we're discovering more and more spells every day! Anyone can learn it, so if you'd like to give it a try, just come visit!

I'll be in the Grimoire's Sigil headquarters. It's right by the Draupnir Theater in Freyr-sama's district, so you can't miss it!

[Action]

[And as promised, she can be found sitting at a table in the Grimoire's Sigil HQ, a book on Runic Magic spread open as she scribbles some new circles on a paper with plain ink. Nothing magical here - it's all just practice and half-thought up ideas.

...And a couple of cat faces if you actually look, but can you really fault a kid for getting distracted every once in a while during her studies? Either way, the moment she hears someone around she'll look up right away.]

Oh-! Did you come here for lessons?

[Sam has been essentially silent for the past two or three weeks.

He's been researching -- something that's been disrupted due to Asgard falling apart at the seams for what feels like the tenth time this month, but Sam has finally reached a conclusion. A pretty obvious one, if he says so himself. And so he turns on the video feed, looking tired -- drawn, with messy hair, almost like he hasn't slept in a few days (which, let's be real, he totally hasn't), and he draws in a deep breath before speaking.]

This world isn't going to last much longer unless we do something.

( CUT FOR LENGTH BECAUSE SAM DOESN'T SHUT UP )

[The guy opening the feed is obviously Ryan, just different-- his face has lost some of its previous youthful look, the lines and angles of it a little more pronounced now, and the scruff on his jaw has been allowed to grow longer than he used to keep it. So has his hair, which is pulled back into a messy tail, and he's apparently improved his fashion sense at least slightly: from what's visible on the video, his button-down shirt and argyle vest actually fit him instead of being baggy.

Once he starts, it's clear there's less of the usual eagerness and earnest manner in Ryan's face or voice, his demeanor more calm.]

Sorry for the disappearing act there. Figures you get dragged right back through the rabbit hole to home at the worst times, huh? [There's a flicker of a smile there, a brief shrug.] Been a while. Well, not for you guys, apparently, but suffice to say it's really disorienting to find out you can be gone that long when it's only been a couple days for everybody else.

[At least some habits stay the same regardless of time; he pauses there to adjust his glasses, brushing a stray lock of hair back behind one ear while he's at it.]

Anyway, couple questions now that I'm back here. First off, if anyone experienced with ice magic has some spare time... looks like I've got a few things to start learning. [He holds his left hand in view to demonstrate, the ring on it now back in place, and frost collects at his fingertips.] Just when I'd been getting more used to the body control, too, but I'm not complaining about it-- just rather not play catch-up on this without a little help, you know?

And second question-- I could also use somebody experienced with runes. I was planning on learning them myself, just about the time things decided to start going to shit more insistently than usual, but there just hasn't been a lot of time for that. Figured it's probably easier to find somebody else to get this done and go right for what I need here; I'm specifically looking for help with runes for tracking and any similar functions you know of. If you need more detail you're free to ask, I'm just trying not to go full t-l-d-r here.

[Ryan pauses there, frowning thoughtfully, before he adds on--] And if I went and missed out on meetings or anything, or you guys just need to talk... obviously you know I'm here, ping me and I'll be over, or we can just chat over this. Wouldn't say no to a few familiar faces.

((brief ooc note- he's been out of Asgard for a couple days on a canon update, Ryan has had a few years at home before returning. I'll have a write-up on that and hopefully some updated icons soon!))

( the video begins with doctor mccoy, sitting at a desk in his room in sigyn. he looks particularly business-like, hair combed and expression serious, hands folded in front of him. before he speaks, he clears his throat—it’s almost as if he’s still a little uncomfortable to be addressing so many people at once, but that’s the only sign of it. )

Figure it’s best to get this out of the way while we’ve got the time. ( before another disaster or attack happens, he means. ) I like having a frame of reference—makes it easier to deal with people, and treat ‘em too, when you have to. I know we’re all working off the same magical system, here, but it’s better to account for specifics all the same.

That being said, here’s a list. Fill it out if you want, don’t bother telling me why not if you don’t want to. You can be as specific, or as vague, as you want, or leave out questions entirely if they bother you. If it makes you feel better, you can secure it and have my word as a doctor that I’ll keep it confidential.

( attached is this text form: )

name:
age:
species:
location prior to asgard: planet, city, country, realm, etc.
is your world more familiar with magic, technology/science, or both?:
which power did you receive in asgard?:
did you have any skills, powers or abilities that you lost once here?:
are conditions here generally better, worse, or the same as your prior location?:

That’s about all. Not much else to do on a rainy day, is there.

( ooc / a textbox, for convenience: <tt><big><b>name:</b> <b>age:</b> <b>species:</b> <b>location prior to asgard:</b> planet, city, country, realm, etc. <b>is your world more familiar with magic, technology/science, or both?:</b> <b>which power did you receive in asgard?:</b> <b>did you have any skills, powers or abilities that you lost once here?:</b> <b>are conditions here generally better, worse, or the same as your prior location?:</b></tt> )

[ The Doctor's taking a day off, so he's at home when he makes this video. More exactly, in the workshop of Thor 103, so there's a great deal of clutter behind him but if people pay attention they might make out that most of it seem to be toys, both complete and not.

He hardly ever takes full days off, but today he has a mission, and it's very important. Also very awesome, if you ask him, so he smiles at the camera and waves enthusiastically. ]

Hello, Travellers!

I've been making things. More specifically, I've been making toys. More toys than Alice and Clem can use, and they're sort of starting to pile up. So I figured I'd give some away. I was thinking I'd make a stall for it on the street, but I'll let you lot get first dibs because I love you so much.

[ He winks, and fiddles with the screen so he can turn it in another direction. There's a train track on the floor, along with a toy train chugging along. Beside the train tracks are loads of cars, planes, helicopters and animals, some made of wood and some metal or plastic. There's also a few Frisbees, blocks with carvings of letters or numbers or symbols to build with and, speaking of building, he has plenty of buildings and vehicles that are half built, with the pieces to finish. Do it yourself, and all that.

Then the screen comes back to him, and he holds out a rat made from fabric. ]

Also some things that could double as pet toys.

And that's not all of it either. So! Come on by and have a look. Thor 103. I'm here all day.

[ He reaches to turn it off, but stops. ]

Oh, and I can take requests! And I also repair toys, as long as they're not ruined beyond recognition, or possibly even in that case. I don't know. Never tried it, actually. I'd be willing to give it a go.

Or you could always just come by for tea and biscuits and company. I don't mind either way.

[ And finally he turns the recording off. ]

I understand recently many have been asking questions. I have a few of my own. [ Of course he does. It’s what Kaworu does best, after all: question people nonstop. This time it’s a fairly simple question (no it’s not) ]

What do you consider to be “home” and what do you consider to be “family”? Your home, your family – what defines it?


[ and as usual, for those who don’t wish to engage on a philosophical question, there is something else ]

I have tasted wine during the funeral. I’m not a fan, even though I was told it’d taste better as I drunk it. [ it didn’t taste better. ] However, I was also told there are sweeter drinks. Would anyone know about this? I promise I won’t drink too much, that was a onetime experiment. [ no, really. Not that drunk Kaworu is terrible; he just smiled a lot (even more) and talked way too much. He also got topless. He prefers to stay sober. ]

[ From all haggard appearance, he's quite hungover. Then again, so's half the city. Jaime slouches, unamused, against the back wall of the stables. Petals tangle in his rumpled hair, and one particularly loud orchid looks to have been actually knotted into place. ]

When we've all recovered, I've two questions. Three, if you feel generous.

Well, aren't you a perfect busybody! [ The orchid snaps, as Jaime casts his eyes skyward, imploring. ] Back in my day, rude little weeds like you didn't just trample all over, making everything their business! Back in my day --

[ Without warning, his hand leaps up to snatch the flower, crumpling around it tight. It wiggles and thrashes in his palm, but Jaime only grips tighter, until at last the struggling quiets. With a wary motion, he slowly lets go. The orchid hangs limp. ]

-- First. Many of us seem to have received a gift. If you will speak of it, I would ask what you received.

My second question is the graver. In your homes, what laws and systems govern men? What actions are crimes, and what measures taken against the criminal?

They ought to call you a criminal! [ Squeaks the orchid, faint and indignant. ] Ruffian! Knave!

Last, will someone help me cut this bloody thing out?

[Don't bother on wondering what's wrong with the bracelets today, travelers, because there's actually nothing wrong with them. The image is upside down because Jack is the one lying down like that, skinny legs resting on the back of the couch, his head almost touching the floor and making his hair spike in more directions than usual.

His question for the network sounds rather mundane and boring, especially for someone like Jack, but there's a grin on his face that shows there's more to it than it looks. Remember: never trust a prankster.]

Soooo. Pets are popular around here, right? Then tell me, what do you do when hair starts getting everywhere? [He pokes one of the cushions on the couch with his staff, and it's obvious he's exaggerating his story a little.] Extra points if it's rabbit fur you have tips for. Though I kinda doubt it because what I'm always seeing in the network is...

[His eyes widen.]

...dogs.

[And so does his grin. There's "mischief" written all over his expression. At times like this, Jack manages to look like the annoying teenager he died as.]

Geez, there's really have a huge amount of dogs around, isn't it? Do you guys think maybe I could borrow them from you? Rent them? Just for a day. It's for a little... experiment.

[Jack might just be vanishing very quickly off the screen, as if something very large has just grabbed him by his skinny ankles and hoisted him skywards. A gruff Aussie accent identifies the culprit of aforementioned Jacknabbing.]

NO! I don't want no bloody dingos running about the place. They're unhygienic. [And this has nothing to do with the fact he's petrified of them, nope.]

Hey! What are you-- [A snort.] Awww, it's our dear kangaroo jealous? Don't worry, Cottontail, your fur will forever be the only one in our--

[Jack can't finish because he's suddenly being shaken, and the feed ends... but not without showing a giant furry creature doing the shaking first.

Another normal day in the Guardians' home, yup.]