( open ) happy moonsgiving, everyone! (forward dated to 11/15)

[crocodilesmiles]

Date & Time: All Day, November 15th, 3313
Location: Focused centrally on the Moon Base Cafeteria.
Characters: Any and all!
Summary: It's a feast on the moon under the guise of being a new sort of Thanksgiving! Food, drink, merriment, food comas... lend a helping hand, fill a few plates of goodies, and meet friends new and old!
Warnings: None right now. Please PM this account should anything go beyond a "my grandmother is also reading this and that is okay" level of appropriate.
Notes: Tag in action or prose, and please specify a time of day, location, or activity your character is participating in! (Set-up, the feast, clean up, etc.) Feel free to offer multiple prompts, as your heart desires! Also, Collette is asking for people to write something they're thankful for on butchers paper on the wall before getting their first plate of food. This is 100% optional!

In the morning, the setting up begins. It's hard to say what's a morning versus what isn't on the moon, but using the lighting system as a sort of guide, those who offered to help set up the feast or continue on with the cooking will all be there bright and early.

After things are cleaned, the cooking continues on while further set up of plateware and silverware and hard to break glasses are left to those helping hands with a mind for arrangement details. The whole of one section has been converted into a sort of buffet-style lineup, waiting for the dishes to be complete and set at ready. All varieties of the usual dietary fare have been offered, some in greater quantities than others.

Then comes the time where people stopping by or trickling in aren't just turned around or co-opted into assisting; it's feast time, though not before an announcement that each person getting a plate of food must write at least one thing they're thankful for on a large sheet of butcher paper taped up to the wall. There's a variety of colored markers and pens provided, from someone's personal (and eclectic) collection. It's a soft price to pay for free food and plenty of it!

When the feasting has wound down, so begins the clean up. Tired, drunk, well fed, over fed, or simply content, people will be shuffled out or dragged into helping turn the cafeteria back into working, normal form. What decorations were added will need collecting (or stealing), plates and dishes and cooking implements and pots and pans will need washing, and floors a good sweeping and waterless mopping before things are all back in order. Leftovers, if there are any, will need to be placed in sealable containers and put into refrigeration.

And then, blissfully unaware of anything impending on the horizon, to bed, or different haunts, for the night.

Comments

WRITINGS ON THE WALL

[crocodilesmiles]

You've been handed a pen, and pointed at the wall. What do you do? What do you say? Do you write a note? A word? Draw a picture? Hand the pen back, or stick the pen behind your ear?

For characters following along with the request to make a note of one thing they're thankful for on the butcher's paper taped to the wall by the buffet tables... this is the place to do it!

[commentboxtroll]

'I am incredibly thankful for mashed potatoes with gravy.'
- C.S.

[ Yep. That'll do. ]

[notpeterparker]

"I'm thankful I've met so many nice people here. - Carol"

[And under her message is a bunny drawing.]

[pactfulfilled]

[Way to put him on the spot. Asbel takes the pen, glancing from it to the wall. He's not much for expressing his own feelings, and it's kind of embarrassing, but... okay. Okay he'll do it! After a beat, he steps towards the wall and begins writing in neat, curled print.]

to all of my friends,
thank you for everything, but most importantly for allowing me to share in your lives.
- asbel lhant

[oldsoldiersneverdie]

[In neat, small-caps writing that is... probably far higher up the wall than many of the contributions:]

For family, no matter the relation.
-Nate

[vaccination]

[Ellie stares at the wall for a good long while. She knows what she's thankful for, but she doesn't feel comfortable writing it out for all to see. People can't take away what they don't know about.]

I'm thankful for food that isn't shitty.

[It's true.]

[governorkang]

[This one isn't signed, but the older-looking scrawling handwriting and the height at which it's written is a clue to whose it might be.]

For family.

Re: WRITINGS ON THE WALL

[copia]

[ it doesn't take this girl long to come up with what she wants to write, and she writes it in clean, neat print: ]

Thank you to everyone who has gone above and beyond for me during my time here. ♥ — Kaede K.

[5055034455]

For making friends and finding family,
for bravery in all its forms,
for apologies and the people willing to accept them,
for the willingness to commit this sap to paper,
for this place, in spite of everything.

[And he leaves it unsigned. He figures this must apply to someone other than him, at least in part.]

[werewolfing]

[peter considers this for awhile, but ultimately he picks a corner of the paper and draws something like this, small and quick. definitely not the project assigned, but it feels like the right thing to do at the time.]

[hostage]

For a second chance.
And a third.
And a fourth.
And a fifth.
As many as it takes til it sticks I guess.

[Unsigned.]

before/during/after, open

[crocodilesmiles]

If it's before dinner's served, Collette can be seen helping arrange settings at the tables, moving things that fit well on her lap around, directing people for the things she can't do easily with a grin and a nudge. She avoided the kitchens, unless someone plops something down in front of her that needed chopping. There's no room for her in there, and she's fine with that.

Of course, it doesn't do much to explain how she ended up with fingerpaint on her hands, a smear of orange across her cheek and an amused quirk to her lips. "Okay," she said, "Not as planned. Hey, can you get my a napkin or a towel or something?" She didn't want to repaint her chair and wheels in the process of moving beforehand.

Then, during the feast, she stationed herself close to the top of the table, handing out pens and otherwise chatting and taking in the sight of anyone who came by. It didn't need to be all that many people. Collette was grateful for the familiar faces, and the new, all at once. With how chaotic the month had been, she hadn't even been able to keep up with the standard comings and goings of the Transport ranks.

And she was in a much better mood than she had been, though with her, it was difficult to tell how this version of cheery and upbeat was different than the previous. More spontaneity, perhaps. The stint back in her home city, no matter how different it really was from home, did a number for lifting her spirits in the best of ways.

"Did you know the turkey was going to be the States' national bird at one point?" If her history recall was flawed, then it was definitely flawed toward more interesting conversation pieces.

Later than that, she took her own space at a table, eating sparingly and sipping at water and pretending it being colder meant it tasted less stale.

By the time things wound down, Collette was barely managing to stay awake and still stubbornly trying to help with clean-up. Each time she started to fade, staring dazedly at a glass in hand, or a plate on a table, she'd shake her head and bring herself back to the present, like some wind-up toy kicking back into motion when it's almost wound completely down. "I swear to whoever there were totally not this many dishes this morning," she said by reflex, tossing a smile at anyone stopping by. "Okay, got another one coming to the kitchens! Are we clear yet out here?"

[crocodilesmiles]

( Mysteriously, sometime later, the words "+ those people stubborn enough to be my friends" get tacked on in neat, but clearly different, handwriting.

yvw! )

[commentboxtroll]

[ ruuuuude. ]

[crocodilesmiles]

( some of us can afford to be blunter ok ok )

[coiffeur]

I'm thankful for all the strong, kind women with compassionate hearts who make this world easier and better to live in ♥

I'm also thankful for my childhood friend who I was beside those early years and everyone back at home. I've been lucky and blessed to have all of them in my life.

[And he leaves it unsigned.]

[crocodilesmiles]

( Collette probably could leave her contribution as the two finger-paint generated orange turkey hands she made earlier that day, up near the top, before the paper had been hung up. It was straight out of elementary school projects, but it'd been fun, and the sort of levity she finds she enjoys more and more often.

In the end, she writes her own note, too, in flowing, round letters, falling back on the good handwriting she'd worked hard on growing up. )

For the chance, for the people, for the memories. ♥ -- C

Re: WRITINGS ON THE WALL

[beardedflannel]

I'm thankful for a second chance.

[And just underneath the scrawled script is an image, no signature included to either.

For him it means he's thankful for having Tess back, for having Ellie with him, for his little family. A second chance at it. At being a father. Best, however, to keep it vague.]

[controlledvariable]

[She feels kind of ridiculous about this, but it seems important to Collette, so she has to write something.]

for the people who love me

[Her mom, Cass, Babs, Ellie, Collette, Dick, Saul, and everyone else, whether they're in Exsilium or not.

And there's a tiny bat symbol drawn at the end of the words, in lieu of a signature.]

[ready_to_bloom]

I'm thankful for the opportunities I have been given.

[It's something he reminds himself of every day.]

[charming_jerk]

[Johnny draws one of those hand turkey tracings. It looks terrible.]

OTA; pick a prompt segment or make up your own!

[pactfulfilled]

[A - Meet & Greet + Food]
[The atmosphere is great, and for Asbel, a source of comfort and cheer. He loves group gatherings like this where you can laugh and joke together, enjoy both the food and the company, and not have to worry about whether you're using the correct fork. And he's definitely enjoying both!]

Wow, everyone really outdid themselves! It all looks so good, I'm having trouble deciding.

[It's true. If it isn't a protein bar, it's definitely fair game! Asbel won't be pigging out (come on, he still has manners!), but he'll certainly eat enough. And if anyone meets his eye, he'll offer them a friendly smile, maybe even strike up a conversation or invite them to sit with him and his friends.]

[Later, plate cleaned, Asbel will lower his fork and sit back contentedly in his chair.] That was terrific. I don't think I could eat another bite.


[B - T is for Togetherness]
[Hope you didn't think you'd get out of a conversation. That's good, because Asbel's one of those people who finds silent dinners uncomfortable. And if you're anywhere close to him, he's going to make sure you're doing okay and enjoying yourself as much as he is. He doesn't need much prompting, really. He'll just go ahead and ask:]

So, how've you been?

[On a few brief occasions throughout the day, however, Asbel can be found gazing off at nothing in particular. He doesn't seem upset or tired, just...reflective? Maybe he's thinking about someone.]

[Yes, Asbel is thinking.]


[C - After Party: Clean-up Crew Edition]
[It's clean-up time! Asbel volunteered for this, and as such, he's taking his job very seriously. He'll help clear tables and scrape food off dishes, even put things back in their proper order. But most of Asbel's time is spent cleaning the floors. This sure takes him back! And oddly enough Asbel seems to be having fun scrubbing off the grime. To each his own, right?]

That should do it over here! All that's left now is the area by the door.

OTA | throughout the evening

[hostage]

[Jesse's there early and he leaves late. He promised Collette he'd help, after all. He delivers what he'd promised - a gigantic pumpkin pie with gingerbread crust, baked to perfection and served with vanilla ice cream - and he helps prepare some of the main course, as well. It's nice, being in the kitchen. It keeps him busy, keeps his mind from wandering too much, and there's really nothing more therapeutic than working with his hands. Anyone watching him prepare food for the first time will probably be surprised by just how meticulous he is when it comes to the work. It doesn't exactly match his image.

When dinner itself rolls around, Jesse gets up and down constantly to serve dishes and clear away empty ones. He eats very little himself, which could probably be dismissed by how busy he is, but maybe there's something bothering him. Although he's smiling and enjoying himself most of the night, he seems distracted. Even when he's sitting down, he's mostly pushing his food around on the plate and staring off.

He's at his most distant and pensive when cleanup time rolls around, falling completely silent while he takes the dishes away and wipes down tables. It's not that he's having a bad night. Things are just... weird.]

[vaccination]

[Ellie's eaten enough for several Jesse's. She's going back for her nth serving (with the slightest stubborn limp), but takes a moment to stop by and say hi. Or poke at. Same thing.]

Are you actually sitting down? I swear, you're going to give me motion sickness.

[She's watched him go back and forth for a while. Guess he likes to keep busy.]

[hostage]

[Jesse laughs as he glances over at her, then drops his head sheepishly. Has he been moving around that much?]

Sorry. Just got so much stuff to do.

[Not really, though.]