video

[robitussin]

Who: opal, nightingale, and you
Broadcast: video!
Action: on the pathstone
When: now!

[When the feed turns on, it’s focused on... so many Christmas sweaters laying on a bed. There are more, hidden beneath those four and out of view of the camera; from what can be seen, it looks like there are at least three or four more. The camera swings around to two girls, one of whom has the most deadpan look on her face.]

I officially hate sponsor drops. I want none of this.

[The other one just looks kind of confused.]

I’m pretty sure this is another Earth reference or something that I’m missing here. What the fuck is wrong with Earth?

[It earns a snort out of Opal.]

There are many things wrong with Earth, and all of them are a long story. Don’t worry about it. Anyways, the point is that someone should come here and take these away because every single one is kind of the worst thing ever? Save us.

Either that or we can throw them out into space. That’s an option too. There’s a sun nearby to hurl these into, right?

[She sounds dead serious about this.]

...Maybe we should at least see if anyone wants them before we toss them into a sun? [But, she smiles.] I am totally saving shoving them out of an airlock as a plan B, though. Thank you for that.

[She glances back at the camera for a moment, though, giving the feed a Look.]

Seriously, though, get these far enough away that I never have to see them again.

[ooc: blue is opal, purple is nightingale!]

Comments

[experiencepoints]

Okay, I... think I follow? I'm still not sure what 'Christmas' even is, other than a holiday about the birth of a demigod, which I'm still not sure why that's something to celebrate.

[none of that makes sense except for 'not celebrating' and she is behind that 100%]

[passingthrough]

He's a very popular demigod. [She smiles a little. She should probably be more helpful than that but the description is cute.] Christmas took on a life of it's own beyond that too. It's got food, presents, trees, elves, decorations and it's own music that plays relentlessly and, of course, sweaters.

[experiencepoints]

-- Wait, elves? I thought Earth didn't have elves. And I get the sweaters, sort of, if it's in winter, but... None of the rest of that makes sense. Also, is it part of the holiday for the sweaters to be hideous?

[passingthrough]

It doesn't. [This is getting more clear, right?] They are fictional elves that make toys.

I think the hideous is just a side effect.

[experiencepoints]

... I'm very, very confused right now. And I think vaguely offended on Araj's behalf.

[passingthrough]

If Araj's an elf that's probably a good instinct.

It's a holiday that formed over centuries and takes bits and pieces from other holidays and is a little different for every culture that celebrates it. If you're confused it just means you're paying attention.

[experiencepoints]

She is. We've been friends since junior high. She's also an engineer.

Paying attention should not leave me even more confused!

[... or maybe she is just ridiculously sheltered from a horrible upbringing and doesn't understand how weird real traditions can get, but i mean.]

[passingthrough]

An engineer with the fleet? [As if you can't be an engineer anywhere else.]

[All Kitty can do for the rest is give a little shrug.] Not my holiday, what can I tell you?

[experiencepoints]

No. She's not here. She builds things for fun at home. She built a TV in shop class back in high school.

[She just sighs.]

Earth is bullshit.

[passingthrough]

Well, that seems a little rough. It is my homeworld.

[experiencepoints]

I will withdraw the complaints when it starts making sense.

[passingthrough]

Really? Tell me everything where you're from makes total sense.

[experiencepoints]

Everything where I'm from, that I can remember, makes total sense.

[passingthrough]

Try me. Bullet point your home.

[experiencepoints]

That sounds like a pain, so I'll pass.

[passingthrough]

In that case I'm assuming it's more complicated and confusing than you think.

[experiencepoints]

Not really. I just don't like talking about where all the holes in my memory are.

[passingthrough]

Well, sure, bring things down. [Not really a complaint. Just trying to keep things relatively light while giving her a sympathetic look.]

Cultures are made up of people and people are all different and so things change and evolve over time and it's hard to draw a straight line through how they came to be or what makes sense.

[experiencepoints]

I was trying to avoid that.

[she does look guilty, though. at least she knows she's depressing.]

If you study the development, though, it has to be logical.

[passingthrough]

Don't worry about it. [She feels bad for heading down that path.]

You probably haven't ever had anything explained by a historian or other expert. It might all be logical coming from them. It would probably also be a lot more information than you really care about.

[experiencepoints]

I mean, I remember a couple of college history classes...? Which was about one hundred-year period, but.

[that's helpful]

[passingthrough]

You were in college? What was your major?

[experiencepoints]

I dropped out before then.

But, I probably would have ended up picking one of the magic subjects.

[passingthrough]

I don't think our colleges had that subject. [Not that she ever went, but she's sure they didn't.]

[experiencepoints]

Makes sense. A lot of Earths don't have magic, right?