010 - Fa La La La La

[silentrunning]

[Chell's standing in the lobby, staring at a nut cracker, journal in hand. After a few minutes of wondering what the hell these little doll things are, she cracks open her journal and writes a question to the residents at large.]

What are these little wooden doll things?

[She experimentally pokes at the nutcracker she was just staring at. they're so weird!]

OOC: Open for kisses.

Comments

[written]

[lioneyed]

I keep seeing them around, too. I'm not sure if they're meant to be decorative or vaguely threatening.

[eat_me_beat_me]

They're called nutcrackers. They're just stupid Christmas decorations.

[silentrunning]

[Now the biiig question. Chell scribbles back a message.]

What's Christmas?

Re: [written]

[silentrunning]

[She writes back quickly.]

I vote for vaguely threatening.

[lioneyed]

I wouldn't want to get my hand caught in one, certainly.

[eat_me_beat_me]

Well it's supposed to be a religious holiday where Christians celebrate the birth of their lord and savior, Jesus. But it's really just turned into another excuse for people to get shit-faced, yell at their families and be guilted into giving people crap gifts that they don't need and will probably just end up shoving into their closets until next year when they re-gift it to someone else. [She shrugs] It's more fun when you're a kid and you believe in Santa Claus.

Ahahahahaha EPIC! I'm such a scrooge but that's how I feel too most of the time. You win a cookie.

[silentrunning]

[She searches her brain. Santa... Santa... Where had she heard something about that before... OH! She writes back quickly.]

Do you mean the overweight man in the red clothing who delivers wrapped parcels to children by somehow squeezing himself down a chimney? If a chimney is for letting smoke escape from a fireplace, how does he get down without burning? Are his clothes flame retardant? Does he have an ASHPD?

[And then she catches Nora's words about "IF you believe in Santa Clause]

Ah! So he is a story adults tell children to gain cooperation and compliance? That would make sense.

[silentrunning]

[Have another scrawl...]

I believe you could remove a finger with them.

[written]

[lioneyed]

Perhaps. I'm not keen to test it.

Re: [written]

[silentrunning]

Nor am I. But if you had an enemy... :)

[She ends that sentence with an elipsis and a smiley to show she's entirely joking of course.
]

YAY cookie! om nom

[eat_me_beat_me]

Yeah, him. [she pauses] Uh I don't know what an ASHPD is but he's supposed to be magic or something. Like he shrinks down to fit down the chimney and he uses magic to get back out again.

[She nods]

Yeah. You only get presents if you're good. If you get on the naughty list Santa doesn't give you anything. That's how the story goes, at least.

Re: YAY cookie! om nom

[silentrunning]

[Chell laughs.]

"Well. I will not get gifts. I have destroyed the lobby. Oh well."

[lioneyed]

True, though I'm not sure how I'd convince any enemy to try it out.

[eat_me_beat_me]

With the amount of shit that I've done I'm surprised he doesn't have me making presents!

[silentrunning]

[Chell laughs in spite of herself before writing back.

Two questions.
1. What sort of presents would YOU give the residents here?
And 2. What's the worst act of mayhem you've ever committed either here or where you are from? Or actually the worst here and the worst where you are from?

[She wants your exploits!]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[Nora thinks about this for a moment before replying]

I think I'd give people paintings. Show them something important, either something that happened or something they need to know or remember. Maybe something to get them thinking.

As far as the worst thing I've ever done? Well here we went on a loss where a bunch of us kinda trashed the town... it was fun but we felt bad afterwards.

Back home is another story. So our school didn't like Mark broadcasting like he was... neither did the government. They called the FCC - the Federal Communications Commission - to stop him. They brought out these big yellow vans that would be able to triangulate the signal and find out where he was broadcasting from so they could nab him. I thought he was going to give up, actually. I didn't think he was going to broadcast and risk getting caught. 10 PM rolls around and instead of broadcasting he comes climbing in through my window [she laughs] He tells me he needs my help. So I climb out the window with him and see he's rigged up his mom's jeep so he could broadcast from it. He needed my help to drive him around so the FCC couldn't find him. I think he broadcast for longer than anyone thought he'd be able to, actually. It took the 2 FCC vans, 3 cop cars and a fucking helicopter to finally corner us.

[pause]

We got arrested and thrown in Juvie. It wasn't long after that we both got sucked here.

[silentrunning]

[Chell lets out a low whistle, which'll probably carry pretty well over the journal. And then she writes back.]

That is either the most brilliant or the most crazy thing I ever heard. I'll go with brilliant. So, you all ran from the government... Is that kind of like running from the person who is testing you? If so, I could draw some parallells. You all speak your minds. It is wonderful. Never stop speaking up.

[She means that too. If Nora ever does turn into a sheep, she will be knocking on her friend's door and demanding an explanation. But she knows Nora well enough to know that's not gonna happen. But it bears repeating.]

As for the paintings as Christmas presents, that would be amazing gifts. And people who are really annoying could have paintings with ...

[She breaks off writing for a minute.]

I can't think of anything to paint for the people who are really mean and obnoxious.

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She smiles. She'll always be proud of what she and Mark did that day. It feels so long ago, now, even though she knows she'll just go right back there when she leaves here.]

Don't worry, I won't. And yeah I guess it's like running from that testing facility of yours. Just getting away from people who wanna tell you what to do and how to live. No one has the right to do that. No one.

[She thinks for a moment]

Something scary to remind them of what a fucked up place this is and what could happen to them if they keep being dicks.

[silentrunning]

[Chell likes the idea of the scary pictures to remind people of their dicktitude. And she likes what Nora said. She grins to herself, and draws a star in the journal. And lucky Nora. Her pen happens to be gold, but she doesn't know the significance of that.]

[eat_me_beat_me]

[She snorts, chuckling.]

Could give 'em all gold stars, too.

[silentrunning]

[Chell's confused...]

What's the significance of gold stars? I... did not know there was any. I just happened to be using a gold pen.

[eat_me_beat_me]

It's supposed to be a kind of reward. Like, they'd give gold star stickers to little kids when they do a good job. But lots of people use it ironically, now. Like a "Yeah. You tried and failed. Good job dipshit. Here's a gold star."

[silentrunning]

[Chell chuckles and writes back.]

So, the next time someone's being a total ass and trying to crown themself king of the Castle or something then they can have a gold star? I like that idea!

[eat_me_beat_me]

Yes! You should start doing that. We both should. Cover assholes in gold stars.