sanctuary holiday party

[mehanizovati]

Who: Anyone, open to all
What: Sanctuary's holiday party, low key since it's a hectic irl month. There will be a handwave thread for just that.
When: the last week of december
Where: sanctuary

Content Warnings: alcohol, others to be put in headers



Welcome to Sanctuary's attempt at a holiday party. It's open door, feel free to have heard about from word of mouth, a friend, just walking by and being curious.

It's also half planned by a man who doesn't know the first thing about any winter holidays, so that will probably be fine.


The kitchen is the drop off area for people who brought food. It's also open for people who want to prepare something themselves. The general instruction for anyone who asked what to bring was nostalgic food, something from their world, something from their preferred holiday this time of year. Because of that the selection is a bit wacky, but a lot of the staples are there.

Like cookies of various sorts, hot chocolate, a big bowl of some spiked drink that people are hopefully guarding from the wayward youth. Feel free to take a turn doing so or making it worse. Otherwise it's pretty much just a buffet of people moving in and out, taking a plate to wander.


Ugly sweaters are apparently a tradition so there's a pile of them in one of the rooms, brought by none other than Vi. Anyone is welcome to go and steal one, they're terrible. Imagine what Trench thrift stores would have in terms of ugly holiday sweaters and despair.

Music wafts through the rooms as well, again a weird combination of whatever holiday music seemed appropriate. The central room to the party has a tree, only it's made of metal and looks more on the menacing side than festive. Presents can be placed under there, ones that will be sent to Koz Orphanage for their own celebrations.

Speaking of there's a table for making decorations. Craft stuff, glitter and glue, origami and instructions on how to make stars and simple chains. It's clearly meant more for the Koz kids when they visit but no one's going to stop anyone from unleashing their muse over here. In fact it's encouraged to hang the decorations up when done wherever you'd like, including the increasingly cluttered, dangerous metal tree.

It's more than likely mistletoe ended up tacked up somewhere. Hey, at least it's not Trench bullshit magic mistletoe, it can be easily ignored.


Outside lights are strung up everywhere, the snow is fresh and it's a lot quieter in general. Not a bad place to wander, or to start hurling snow at people so it's immediately less quiet.

Comments

PLOTTING/HANDWAVING

[mehanizovati]

it's busy as stated, feel free to use this to plot and/or handwave party time

<b>Character name:</b> <b>What they're up to:</b> <b>Threading or handwaving?:</b> Planning a top level? Just doing tag-outs? Just want to handwave what they're doing in the background?

[faceblocks]

Character name: Vi
What they're up to: Mingling, eating, folding paper stars and animals and helping kids with this (hey Palamedes), gifting sweaters to people, commenting on sweaters, checking out people's hair, offering to braid it, bringing super greasy fabulous approximations of definitely not above board seafood (?) as close to Jericho's as possible. Also SNOWBALL FIGHTS!
Threading or handwaving?: Handwaving!

[mehanizovati]

please pelt viktor in the face with a snowball. also at some point he'd just come up wearing the ugliest sweater he can find in the pile straightfaced like hey good job. cheers.

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul will refuse to participate in the snowball fight until he is hit in the face with one. Then it is war! Also, Vi can feel free to comment on his ugly sweater, it is a thing of beauty to behold.

[stayscared]

Character name: Mike Enslin
What they're up to: Finding a few of his conjured hellsweaters in the pile, dropping off gifts at the tree for kids, at the craft station making the gifts look more interesting/making labels for specific kids, picking up an ugly sweater for himself. (And maybe for his friends.) Dropping off sugar cookies for the kids to decorate with conjured icing. Tries to dip out AGAIN, but is persuaded to stay and read to a few Koz kids. Will set up a corner for that. Yes, he will do the voices. Wearing a novelty tie covered in candy canes, AND A DARK COLORED SHIRT...and an eyepatch. (the kids keep calling him silly/stupid (affectionate) for wearing it).
Threading or handwaving?: Handwaving but I can thread a thing if someone wants that.

[poorlittlesange]

jgy would come hang out in the reading corner with mike c: I'm down to either thread or handwave.

[androidvictoriam]

Character name: Danse
What they're up to: Sampling every single edible thing in the vicinity, nodding approvingly at the tree's forbidding aura, putting on an ugly sweater over an even uglier orange jumpsuit, attempting to insert cheesy Cold War-era songs into the music selection, awkwardly-but-kindly encouraging the orphans' artistic pursuits, standing obliviously under mistletoe because it's extinct where he comes from, periodically patrolling outside with a laser rifle just in case anything attacks
Threading or handwaving?: Hopefully threading! I'm working on a toplevel and glad to tag around.

[mehanizovati]

danse thank you for appreciating his menacing metal tree art

i'd love to have them meet though, he'd be so fascinated by danse's world and whatever he'd have to say about power armor, etc. i'd love to do a thread for them to meet if you're up for it (and don't mind me being a bit slow)

[dohaeris]

Character name: sansa stark
What they're up to: exchanging gifts, reaching her limit at ugly sweaters, making decorations, helping the kids make decorations, eating sweets, drinking responsibly, tailoring christmas presents as needed, building snow castles??
Threading or handwaving?: hopefully topleveling....eventually.....definitely tagging around!! absolutely up for handwaving anything. please put tinsel in her hair

[opheliac]

Character name: jinx
What they're up to: mingling, eating all the food, NOT helping the kids cause she's a mean ass (learn how to fend for yourselves, weaklings), will wear an ugly sweater because vi brought them, sticking her own ornaments to tree because it looks boring (small explosives that COULD go off if you turn a little dial. its paint), doing arts & crafts cause that's fun, stealing mistletoe cause she might can use it for something ( ¯\_(ツ)_/¯), outside and enjoying the lights.
Threading or handwaving?: .........................UH. depends...... on my tags....... if i do TL, it'll be like... one of these things i've listed above, not at all. or maybe i'll just tag around. we'll see!!

[poorlittlesange]

Character name: Jin Guangyao
What they're up to: The guy who shows up to the holiday party with a few copies of his curriculum vitae, just in case. (He doesn't actually do this, but he does have an elevator pitch prepared.) He'll stop by to help Palamedes wrangle some orphans and may create an origami swan that will fly on its own, and will probably hang out around Mike in his reading corner. Will also circulate and keep an eye out for anyone who looks Well Connected. Talk to him about public works and the importance of freely available clean drinking water, etc.

He's avoiding the mistletoe as soon as he wises up to what that's about.
Threading or handwaving?: I am keen to thread and handwave!

[megatheorem]

Character name: local novelist palamedes
What they're up to: Spending most of his time glued to the crafts table with his gaggle of children, possibly literally glued if the kids get rowdy. He IS wearing a hideous sweater and delighting in it. Sometimes he might wander away to his worm-on-a-string office just to chill out, friends and buds are welcome to join him in this. He doesn't like... eating food... but he will concede to drinking hot chocolate with nothing in it or he'll get antsy. If you catch him under the mistletoe you get a polite forehead kiss, you know, like a dad would give. Endure.

Also he may be bringing local his ghost daughter Bethany, complete with wards that make her visible to everyone!! She's very nervous and would like to have friends, so please be nice to Bethany.

Threading or handwaving?: ready 2 handwave, willing to thread, undecided about topleveling atm

[mehanizovati]

Character name: viktor
What they're up to: he's technically one of the hosts of this party. that means he's avoiding people by spending a lot of time outside and occasionally sneaking back to his lab. when faced with the consequences of being party host he'll be keeping a vague eye out. he'll happily talk about the dumb tree. he could be convinced into a bad sweater because he thinks they're pretty funny despite himself
Threading or handwaving?: probably just tag outs and handwaving!

[wolfhunted]

Character name: Robyn Goodfellowe
What they're up to: Mingling, eating, and likely going to try her hand at making decorations even if that's meant for kids a bit younger than her. Will probably try on an ugly sweater and still unironically love it anyway. She's not familiar with the whole mistletoe thing, but she'll likely avoid it when she finds out it's for kissing since that's not something she's prepared for yet.
Threading or handwaving?: Definitely threading! Not sure if I'll put up a top level yet, but I'll definitely tag around. I'm also willing to handwave if that's what anyone prefers.

[aetherweaver]

Character name: Nara'a Sunvara
What they're up to: Eating anything that fits in his mouth, watching the children and maybe doing some papercrafts with them or telling them stories, being baffled at the tree, being baffled at the ugly sweaters, being baffled at the mistletoe... he's going to be wearing a big red coat as is the Tradition, please feel free to confuse it for a Santa coat. He's also going to use his rogue training and sneak presents under the tree - they're mostly practical things like clothes or small leather satchels.
Threading or handwaving?: Depends on how work goes... if I can Not Die this week I may throw one up.

[hearuthinking]

Character name: Jason Kolchek
What they're up to: Co-hosting the party. Going around making sure everyone's having a good time. Wearing an ugly sweater, of course! Will probably be making cookies at some point. Making decorations for the kids. The go-to guy for anyone who wants to know WTF Christmas even is.
Threading or handwaving?: I'll tag around or top-level if anyone wants to do a thing with him. If not, feel free to handwave that you chatted with him or saw him around.

[survivalthroughhate]

Character name: Darth Maul
What they're up to: Hanging around at the edges of the festivities. Obviously, he's not much of a party person with his anti-social nature, but the Vileblood effects made him decide to attend. He'll be bringing by some meat seasoned to taste like something from Dathomir, making it very savory with some odd spices flavoring it as well. Please eat some or he'll be highly offended at the snub. He'll also be drinking something warm while contemplating the snow outside, which is a good place to talk to him if you want to catch him in a good mood.

Some presents will be put under the tree for the orphanage but you definitely want to check them before sending them out-- because they're filled with knives. Many, many sharp knives. He sees nothing wrong with this. He'll be stealing this ugly sweater for his own since it's in his colors and everything. It has shoulder pads and is a glorious thing to behold. He'll duck out early from the festivities, which is probably a good thing for everyone else.
Threading or handwaving?: Gonna put up a brief top-level but totally up to handwave anything, I know it's a busy time of year for everyone!

for jin guangyo

[mehanizovati]

[mid party viktor is somewhat forced to be more present, largely because abigail and likely others gave him the stink eye about it. to be fair they're right, he has part host duty he's trying to dodge now that it's actually happening. to be fair to him he doesn't like parties, gatherings of large groups of people and doesn't celebrate any winter holidays.

people he cares a lot about do so here they are.

he likely saw jin guangyao when he was with pal and the kids, which is why he decides to approach. he hasn't gotten on his ugly sweater yet but he has a glass of something heavily spiked in hand, other hand resting on his cane.] If there is one thing I have learned about these holidays is the music is questionable.

[poorlittlesange]

[jin guangyao is definitely not wearing an ugly sweater. but he does have one of them neatly folded over one forearm, evidently pilfered as a souvenir (for whom is anyone's guess, though likely not huaisang.) from afar he is now admiring his small flock of animated origami swans who, with the barest application of both cinnabar and spiritual power, are moving their paper wings about for the children's amusement. it pleases him put his capabilities to use for no purpose other than to demonstrate that something can be done--and truly, it takes so little to make a child happy.

he is still watching the scene, expression contemplative but otherwise difficult to read, when he spots viktor's approach and hears his observations about the music. that brings a politic little smile to the corners of his lips and he laughs, just a little.] This one would never wish to cast aspersions, [said with just enough of a glint in his eyes to suggest that talking around the idea of aspersions is an acceptable compromise tho. then, because he is terminally incapable of being rude even in jest, he rounds his arms in a small, precise little bow.]

This one is called Jin Guangyao. Am I to understand that you helped to arrange this gathering? If so, I must commend you on your efforts. [that much is sincerely said, definitely. definitely probably.]

for jin guangyao but also openish!

[stayscared]

[a big comfortable chair has been set aside in a corner - there's a low table filled with little cups containing snacks, and plenty of pillows, some flat, some overstuffed like beanbag chairs, a few toys for occupying hands while the koz children (and anyone else who wants to hear children's tales) listen. presently, mike wears a (dark colored) dress shirt with a printed tie - a melange of candy canes in all different colors, though, it's a little harder to spot now that it's been topped by a whopper of a sweater. it jingles a little when he moves, and he uses that to his own advantage by weaving jingle sounds into the narrative now and then.

no, they aren't christmas stories, or even holiday stories, really - but mike has also woven snow into them, a reindeer or two, and anything else he's heard in passing from other people in trench about any winter holidays, as long as it's not too terrifying. (yes, trench itself is terrifying, but come on, there's a time and a place) it's not as if he is bullshitting (certainly not) but an embellishment here and there might make the stories just a little more immersive.

he has just finished reading julián is a mermaid, and next up is the princess in black.

one boy yells out catwings! before mike explains that yes, there will be more catwings, just not tonight.

and who knows, you might find a version of yourself making its way into the story as he reads, pausing to show any illustrations for as long as they might care to look.

there is a rule. there is an exepectation that there is no crunching during storytime. because---]

Wait, what is that? Princess Magnolia looked up from her scone and whispered "Who is crunching? Do you hear that?"

Oh, no! It's the Crunchappotamus. [his face falls sadly.] I don't think I can finish. It's already eaten the moat, [a hand to his ear as the crunching continues] and yup, there go the hedges and, awww no. Next it's the whole castle. If it eats the castle there's not going to be any more---

[the crunching stops. three children look at another expectantly until she gives a sheepish smile, finishing her snack.

mike does not care about the crunching, and it started as a game, anyway.

(please, pthumerians, do not let this be a thing that manifests this season - a thing that eats worlds by crunching.)

he will tell the story as he told the other, with voices and a bit of additional snow, maybe a reference to the moon that causes at least a couple children to laugh at him and tell him that's not how that works! - neither tale is overlong, but two is enough for the night, and there are other things for them to do - like the arts and crafts table, or perhaps ..sleep.]

[poorlittlesange]

[jin guangyao isn't making the rounds, exactly, because he doesn't know enough people here to make such a thing necessary, but he has been circulating nevertheless. mostly he listens; occasionally he introduces himself and engages in some pleasant small-talk, which he is demonstrably good at when the situation calls for it. and then, eventually, his wandering brings him here, to linger on the periphery of this reading circle with mike at its centre.

jin guangyao doesn't realize he's doing it--it's a very small expression, after all--but he's smiling, just a little. and then laughing (also just a little) at the--crunchapottamus? how absurd, and utterly charming. he would sooner throw himself in front of traffic than interrupt, and so he just waits, patient and content, until mike is finished.]

Darth Maul - OTA!

[survivalthroughhate]

Maul arrived late and would leave early. It was nothing personal and anyone who knew even a little bit about him would realize it was a surprise he decided to show up at all. The Vileblood effects had made him a bit unpredictable (moreso than usual), so here he was.

He left the food he'd brought in the kitchen, picked up a piping hot mug of something to drink, and promptly went outside where it was quieter. This was a good place to approach him if anyone wanted to talk to him while he was in a good mood, for the silent beauty of the outside world made him feel contemplative and a little less intense than he normally was.

Surprisingly, he also brought some packages for the orphanage, leaving them under the tree. He would refuse to tell what was inside them and only said it was a surprise. That in itself would be a good clue to open them up before handing them out to the kiddies, given Maul thought sharp knives were perfectly suitable gifts for little hands.

He also would sort carefully through the ugly sweaters to find one that fit his frame and was also to his liking. He didn't have a lot of clothing in general, so one would have thought he wasn't picky, but his apathy for clothes most of the time merely meant he was all the more discerning with the few items he did decide to acquire. Eventually, he settled on a sweater that was in his own color scheme. He'd ask the nearest person, "What do you think?" It was best to just give a diplomatic answer, no one wanted to be Force-Choked with all the festivities going on.

[centile]

Thankfully for Mob he has next to no real strong opinion on things like clothes, so when the very red and black man asks that he takes a moment to regard the sweater seriously before saying, "I like the colors."

His own sweater is. a lot. So really he'd have no room to say anything anyway. He does like how it jingles gently when he moves though.

for sansa

[centile]

[it's a nice party, even though mob doesn't know a whole lot about christmas to begin with. people seem happy, the food is nice, the sweaters are baffling- that's probably a good party.

though at the moment mob's not really part of it. instead he's in one of the hallways, crouched down and regarding a batcat a few feet away.

it's one of the ones that roams around sanctuary, slide inside under a little table in the hall to enjoy the warmth. it seems content enough to let mob watch it once mob made it clear he wasn't going to approach and disturb it, letting out a big yawn.]

Cute... [mob informs no one, unless someone happens to be walking by.]

[dohaeris]

[someone is walking by...two someones, actually, but lady tries not to scare the batcats. sansa, resolutely not dressed in a holiday sweater (though her silvery, faintly northern-style dress is covered in greyish greenery and red weirwood leaves, to be festive, and vi has braided tinsel into her hair), smiles at this new boy, and glances down at the batcat, who makes a small chirping noise.]

Yes, they're very sweet.

[addressing the boy of course, who's she quite sure she has seen around the sanctuary before––doing odd jobs, mostly, she thinks. the batcat approaches her and she crouches down, holding a hand out, which the batcat sniffs and headbutts (lady hangs back). she smiles back up at the boy.]

They're friendly, too. Perhaps we ought to start giving names to the ones who mean to stay here.

[she gives the batcat's head a few pets, then stands back up to face the boy.]

I don't know that we've been properly introduced. I'm Sansa.

[the batcat squeaks for more pets. sansa glances back down at her with a smile.]

You can pet her, if you like. Just let her sniff your hand first.

[not everyone knows how cats work...she's spent so much time trying to teach small children (and shouto todoroki) how to handle the batcats that this is a bit of a reflex.]