Let's partyyyyyyy! [open]

[livingdeadgirl]

Who: EVERYONE.
What: A meet-and-greet party for everybody in Anchor!
When: early October
Where: the VR room lobby
Warnings: none yet
Format: go wild!

[ The day before, a wild network post appears, from the username @aa : ]

hi everyone!
i just wanted to let you all know
the meet and greet party previously discussed in this space
will be held tomorrow afternoon!

it will take place in the vr room lobby
and of course everyone is invited
refreshments and games will be provided
but if you would like a little extra challenge
please feel free to bring something to share!

attendance is mandatory!
(lol just kidding)
seriously though i do hope to see all of you there ;)

[ She's also posted handwritten signs to that effect in the mess hall and several of the staircases. Just in case! ]

---

The day of, a party appears in the VR Room lobby area, as promised!

Though it's not brightly lit, the lights there are are brightly colored, creating a chilled-out evening atmosphere like you'd find at a club. Plush chairs and couches are interspersed throughout the room, and there's been a solid attempt to clean the place up, or at least do something about all the dust.

A shortage of conventional party supplies has forced Ami and Cho to get creative, so the tables and parts of the wall are decorated with paper flowers, and the buffet table is presided over by a number of ... weird, pink, glitter-covered, vaguely animal-shaped sculptures made out of spare plastic pipes and stuff. With googly eyes. If nothing else they're a conversation piece.

FOOD: The main offering is barbecue! There's a pretty wide assortment of meats, all of which Cho has certified safe for human consumption, and also certified delicious. Chips, dried fruit, and a few different desserts are available, including homemade chocolate chip cookies that Ami made herself (wich Cho's help). All the trays are helpfully labeled, including allergy information.

Any and all potluck submissions are welcome as well! Just set it down over here and make a little card of your own.

DRINKS: Sadly, the coffee machine is still out of order. But there is a cooler stocked with ice and a few different choices of juice and soda. Alcoholic selections are limited to two types of pre-mixed drinks, which are intentionally weak on the alcohol, but at least they're not tequila sunrises. If guests want anything stronger, they'll need to bring it themselves.

ENTERTAINMENT: In fiddling with the controls, Ami got the overhead speakers to play some music, but couldn't figure out how to modify the playlist, so it's just one song on loop. Maybe if she keeps the volume kind of low, no one will notice. No live music is scheduled, but if anyone wants to bring a guitar and jam for a while, they will be more than welcome to.

And most of the arcade games are online! Anyone for Fruit Ninja? Air hockey? Dance Dance Retribution? Virtual Billiards? Or perhaps you'd like to try out a full-simulation game in the VR Rooms proper? Now's as good a time as any!

Oh, and don't forget to enter the raffle! The winner will be chosen randomly and announced a few hours into the party.

Comments

[sleepyhollowed]

[It's okay. Kieran's a tall, mostly sturdy bean pole of a guy. He can handle some leaning.]

Eh, I don't blame 'em fer tryin', then.

['Trying' is the key word. Those robots didn't seem like the most reliable when it came to doing anything useful.]

That said, this party is much better. Could use more singin', though.

[Someone get a guitar and place some real music!!!]

[itsnotaonesie]

[Oh good, sometimes Peter just needs to lean on a dude.]

Aw man, I wish I'd thought to get some kind of karaoke machine up and running for this. Er-- that's a machine that shows you song lyrics and plays music that you can sing along with.

[But nope all we have is this weirdo techno music, if ONLY someone had a guitar!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[sleepyhollowed]

[Sometimes we all need to just lean on a dude.]

Wait, it does both of those things at once?

How's it show you the lyrics while playin' the music?

[Also are you insinuating that Kieran has a guitar because he's a cowboy because SIR, THAT IS A STEREOTYPE.]

[itsnotaonesie]

Well, you remember the screen in the arrival area? You could see a guy and hear him talking. This is kind of the same idea, only the screen shows words instead of a guy, and instead of someone talking, it plays music.

[YEEEEHAW BUCKEROO]

[sleepyhollowed]

[Ignoring those BLATANT STEREOTYPES, Kieran's eyes widen as Peter explains what a karaoke machine is.]

Woah!!! Who thought of somethin' like that?

[He's completely AMAZED. Even though he can't read lyrics, just the idea of a karaoke machine is super cool.]

[itsnotaonesie]

Pretty sure it was Japan. If there isn't already one just hidden in a closet somewhere, I'll see if I can whip one together for the next time we do something like this.

[Bro you're gonna be reading like a CHAMP by then]

[sleepyhollowed]

Yeah, could ya? I wanna see how it works.

[Everyone’s spoiling him with all of these cool gadgets from the future!!!]

You think it’ll have any songs from my time?

[It probably won’t.]

[itsnotaonesie]

Probably, yeah! I'm sure we have plenty of parts sitting around that I could use for it.

[Peter just wants an excuse to make stuff. Not that he needs an excuse, but y'know.]

That I don't know. We'd probably have to be the ones to program the songs into it. I'm not actually sure how to do that part, but I think we can figure it out.

[sleepyhollowed]

[Kieran catches the gist of what Peter means and nods in understanding. He’s a little bummed that he might not get to sing some of his campfire songs to some sweet karaoke tunes, but that’s okay. Just because some machine can’t play it doesn’t mean he’s he can’t still teach someone who can play an instrument about them.]

If anyone can figure out how to do something like that [whatever ‘that’ is], it’s you!

But that doesn’t have to be fer a while. Take some time to relax first!

[itsnotaonesie]

[Please give us cowboy lessons, Kieran. Lesson one is cowboy songs.

He can't help but grin. Like yeah, he knows he's good at what he does, but he still appreciates the encouragement.]

Thanks, man. But yeah, I'm trying to chill a bit, might not start any new projects for a while.

[sleepyhollowed]

[okay but it’s going to cost about tree fiddy.]

Good! I’m glad to hear it.

You deserve a break. You’ve been workin’ real hard, Peter.

[itsnotaonesie]

[We don't have money here, but we do have trees!!!]

Almost feels like the only thing I know how to do anymore. Even now I kind of feel like I'm wasting my time, y'know? Like there's something else I need to be doing.

[sleepyhollowed]

[SOLD.]

[Kieran pulls away and grips Peter’s shoulder, turning him slightly so he can see the rest of the room.]

Everybody that’s here ain’t in any danger or desperate for any kinda help right now. Yer not wastin’ time by not doin’ somethin’ to help ‘em. But you would be wastin’ time not talkin’ to ‘em and gettin’ to know ‘em better.

That’s just as important as makin’ stuff or fixin’ things.

[itsnotaonesie]

[YESSS

Kieran has a point. Nobody's on fire and there's no radiation zombies or anything getting in and the robots aren't starting a robot uprising. Peter sighs, sagging a bit. Thank you Kieran for this cowboy wisdom.]

I-- I know. I mean, I think I do a pretty good job of getting around just, in general? But I guess I could always be better at it.

[sleepyhollowed]

[Sometimes we all need just a little bit of cowboy wisdom in our lives.]

[Kieran all but rolls his eyes—THIS TEENAGER!!!]

That ain’t the point!

The point is that you gotta let yerself loosen up a bit. If you start treatin’ gettin’ to know people like another job you gotta get better at, then yer just gonna stress yerself out even more.

[itsnotaonesie]

[Oh no he has disappointed his cowboy friend! Unacceptable!!!]

Dude.

That is so deep.

[What Peter means is "yes cowboy friend you are so right and I will definitely think about it and apply your sage cowboy advice to my life", but he's got a slight case of booze brain right now.]

[sleepyhollowed]

[Oh boy, Kieran can recognize booze brain from a mile away. Cowboys are kind of known for that kind of thing.]

No it ain't, but I'll take the compliment!

[He chuckles before throwing an arm around Peter again, both to help his buddy keep his balance as well as a show of friendship.]

Look, uh, I-I know what it's like to hafta grow up real fast, too. So I ain't just blowin' smoke up yer ass when I say take some time to have some fun. Have a couple of beers every now and then, get yerself a girlfriend, go fishin'.

Y'know, all that normal teenager stuff.

[Maybe like one of those things is normal teenager stuff in the 2000s, Kieran, stop.]

[itsnotaonesie]

[He does one of those dumb snortlaughs before tucking his arm around Kieran's back and giving him one of those one armed bro hugs. GOOD take this really dumb compliment.]

Oh, hey! I totally have a girlfriend now! Her name's Poison, she's the kinda short one with long black hair. Have you met her yet?

[sleepyhollowed]

[Kieran looks COMPLETELY SCANDALIZED]

[Except no, he doesn't. More like shocked but the happy kind of shocked. The kind of shocked when someone throws a surprise party for you and you totally didn't know about it, but you're also not a paranoid asshole so instead of freaking out that there are people in your house, you're pretty chill about it and just enjoy the fact that your friends really like you enough to put a lot of extra planning and taking time out of your day to make you feel special and loved.]

No kiddin'! Congratulations!

I ain't met her y--

[Wait.]

Hold on, didja say her name was Poison?

[itsnotaonesie]

[Peter grins a dopey grin, cheeks coloring juuust a bit but that could also be the booze. Dude he's so fuckin thrilled about his girlfriend you don't even know.]

Oh, yeah. I mean, her name's a little weird? But she's great. I mean, she's really great. I have got to introduce you some time. Oh! You should come over for dinner some time! She makes the best mushroom soup.

[sleepyhollowed]

[AWWW OH NO HE’S BEING CUTE ABOUT THIS.]

[Okay, Kieran won’t make the ‘poisonous mushroom’ joke he was holding onto. Not when Peter’s clearly so excited about his neato girlfriend.]

You sure do gotta introduce me! If she’s makin’ you this happy, she must be amazin’.

[itsnotaonesie]

[He's being very cute about this, he's even blushing and everything. A tiny bit. He can't be too cute or else everyone will get cavities, and nobody wants that.]

Oh yeah, I totally will. She's probably kicking around here somewhere, maybe I can-- [And then he just hops from right where he's standing and sticks himself up on the nearest wall, because spiders.]

[sleepyhollowed]

[See, this was all hella cute until Peter went and did that weird spider hop thing. As far as Kieran is concerned, one moment he's talking to his buddy about a cute girl and the next he's doing his weird Ceiling Boy shtick and that is jarring as fuck.]

[As such, Kieran yelps the moment Peter sticks himself to the wall, clutching at his chest and everything as he recovers.]

God!!! Y-Yer gonna give a feller a heart attack one of these days, Peter!!!

[itsnotaonesie]

[Ooooooh yeah right not everybody is used to Peter's weird spider shit. He looks super apologetic as he drops down from the wall and makes his way back to Kieran.]

S-sorry, sorry about that. I just- I wasn't thinking.

[sleepyhollowed]

[Kieran waves it off. Now he kind of feels bad, too!!!]

It's fine, honest!

Just, uh, w-warn me next time I guess? 'Til I get used to it, in any case.