legionworld | VALOR'S DAY [Modplot]

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VALOR'S DAY [Modplot]

VALOR'S DAYUniversally celebrated through the United Planets, this yearly holiday celebrates the hero Valor, a Daxamite responsible for helping many UP species like the Braalians and Winathians to colonize their worlds over a thousand years ago. Valor's Day has over time evolved into a general holiday that promotes togetherness, charity, and good will through the galaxy.

Valor's Day celebrations through the UP are know for their displays of multi-colored lights, decorated trees, garlands of various plants and flowers, and "goodwill" carols. Valor's Day is also associated with Valor pageants and "origin" plays, and the playing of the blootsplort horn and tringlebells. Traditionally, gifts are given between different individuals, with each species having their own specific gift-giving traditions.

Legion World is no exception when it comes to the festivities. Garlands of rainbow flowers and wreathes of fragrant grasses decorate the halls and common areas. In some places where it won't interfere in Legion operations, goodwill carols play. The music is played on alien instruments and is probably very different compared to what some of the Legionnaires might be used to hearing around winter holidays, but it has the same mix of cheer and brightness as Christmas carols.

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In one of the larger common areas, a Valoriste has been arranged. The name of this web-like collection of strings of lights has no direct translation in many of the displacee Legionnaires' languages, and is decorated in colorful glass and paper ornaments. Each light is meant to represent a world touched by Valor, or that later joined the UP because of Valor seeding worlds throughout the galaxy.

There are tables in this large common area filled with Valor's Day treats, like star-shaped smintz cookies, cheesy boofs, and chocolate-covered soystix. There's also spiced trippaple cider and delicious blue grognod (which tastes similar to eggnog) to drink.

The atmospheric lights of the tree make it a great place to exchange Valor's Day gifts. Either Legionnaire can leave their gifts here for others to find, or exchange them in person around the tree.

[ooc: Players are allowed to either post lists of gifts as being left for others to open while they're not around, or play out specific scenes of people exchanging gifts in person.]

Tringlesprigs have been placed around Legion World, and have a similar gimmick to mistletoe, though any form of friendly affection is considered appropriate, such as handshakes, hugs, or even something as simple as words expressing a Valor's Day greeting. People can also just ignore tringlesprigs or decline the tradition if they're not interested.

Normally. Right now something a little abnormal is going on.

Earlier in the day, the Roboticans brought a fractured and faulty baby AI to Brainiac 5 to see if the errors can be fixed so that the Robotican child can be saved. But due to its very high intelligence and curiosity, it has escaped digital containment and is hopping from computer system to computer system to explore. After seeing all the decorations and looking up the customs behind them, it's now trapping pairs of people under the tringlesprigs with forcefields projected from Legion World's internal defenses.

"BREET! Tringleringletralalala!" singsongs a robotic, childlike voice from a nearby speaker, every time some of them are caught. "It's Valor's Day! Follow the rules! If you do it, then you can go!"

Every Legionnaire has already had the custom explained to them, so they at least know of the many ways they can escape.

[ooc: Characters do not have to kiss to escape -- even something as simple as a hug, handshake, or effusive declaration of liking someone (whether true or false) can do it.]

Due to the many cold-climate habitats in the habitat areas, there's more than enough snow to go around and Legion World is cool enough that it's possible for it not melt absolutely immediately. This means abundant opportunities to sneak up and snowball someone in the back of the head, or put snow down the back of their shirts.

In the Habitat Area itself, there's a nice wooded alien habitat covered in snow and ice, where Legionnaires can get into an honest-to-goodness no-holds-barred snowball fight if they want -- and the transuits can keep them warm enough to not be bothered by the cold.

Down on the planet Earth, there are countless Valor's Day celebrations, due to the planet being such a multicultural hub, filled with many of the different species that were touched by Valor.

Collections of lights can be seen all over, vendors are selling Valor's Day treats and drinks from a variety of alien cultures, and carolers are singing goodwill carols in public squares. In some places, musicians are playing beautiful music on the blootsplort horn and tringlebells, and public Valor's Day pageants and performances can be viewed in parks and other areas, usually acted out by children. These stories tell of the great and selfless Daxamite hero Valor, who saved countless people that were kidnapped and genetically altered by the cruel Dominators, and helped them establish their own worlds and cultures.

In New Metropolis especially, there are some gorgeous sights, such a massive colorful Valoriste in the city center, and the cathedral of lights in downtown New Metropolis. Any Legionnaires that want to take in the sights off Legion World with their fellow teammates will find much to do, see, hear, and buy.

It is common for Legionnaires to engage in charity works all around the UP during or around the holiday, whether they do that by visiting sick children recovering from gene therapies in children's hospitals, spending time with the elderly, rebuilding homes on Naltor destroyed in the recent disaster, or visiting refugee Xanthan children and bringing toys.

While the UP takes care of its own and there are low incidences of illness or poverty, there are still people in the UP that occasionally need a hand and any Legionnaires that want to team up together, push up their sleeves, and help out, can always find something to do.

If players have their own setting or scenario that doesn't fit one of the others, they can play it out there.

There are a series of gifts left under the tree shittily wrapped in what looks like newspaper. Where did Dave even find actual newspaper in the spacefuture? It's a mystery.

One bundle is labeled "to wash". Upon opening, it's revealed to be a brown t-shirt with a chest pocket, a cute little cartoon printed on and around the pocket.

Another package has a tag that reads "to reaper". Inside is a cheery decorative throw pillow. Something nice to spruce up a room, maybe.

One present is oddly warm and looks like one large box until unwrapped, where it turns out to be a stack of pizza boxes. All contain that spacefuture hawaiian pizza with no ham and extra pineapple. The tag reads "to grif".

There's a small box in there labeled "to kubo". Inside is a memory chip with some handwritten instructions on how to access the file on it on a comm device. The file in question is a pretty fucking sick remix of one of Kubo's own performances. And right next to that gift is another little bundle labeled "to mrs kubos mom", containing a hair scrunchie with a fun design, because hey, you gotta be able to tie back long hair if you're gonna be sword-fighting. Dave thought it was pretty considerate of him.

The ony thing left unwrapped is a life-sized cardboard cutout of Will Smith left standing tucked as close to the tree as Dave could get it. The image appears photoshopped, however -- skin turned greyscale, eyes colored in with yellow and green, and a pair of candy corn-colored horns stuck on his head. There's a tag on a ribbon looped around cardboard Will Smith's neck reading "to karkat <3 dave". He figures anyone getting nosy will just interpret it as his regular brand of bullshit anyway.

And anyone else Dave's ever spoken to will find a thoughtful card with their name on it. Happy Valor's Day, y'all.

Jason's not expecting much. He'll be skipping most of the festivities. He will, however, pop gifts down for everyone.

What do they get? Action figures. Of themselves. The high quality ones that are programmed with poses, phrases, holographic power displays, reprogrammable uniforms, and limited AI so that they can actually 'interact' to an extent.

Nita's entirely okay with affectionate gestures, so she hasn't been making any real effort to avoid the tringlesprig danger zones. A lot of Legion staff have gotten a peck on the cheek paired with a friendly laugh since the tiny Robotican terror escaped into the computer systems, and really, what kind of monster objects to getting a kiss from the half-human personification of a ray of sunshine?

She looks over at her fellow prisoner with a tolerant half smile. "You can tell it's a little kid because it hasn't gotten bored with this yet."

Locus does not appreciate being trapped under the not-mistletoe, which he will now be doing everything in his power to avoid from now on, but it doesn't help him now. He'd thought to simple ignore the festive decoration. Turns out this rogue AI has other ideas.

It's always the AI, isn't it?

So there he stands, stuck, like some terrifying Tin Man out of the Wizard of Oz, unable to move until someone 'follows the rules' and sets him loose again. Which, given his intimidating appearance, he doesn't expect to happen for some time.

This is, in a word?

Unfortunate.

It turns out that Wash is absolutely a smartass in terms of gift-giving. Most of his packages are wrapped a bit messily, as that's what happens when the local spacefuture girl scout troop is outside a shopping center offering to wrap packages in exchange for donations to charity and you're feeling generous.

York receives a thumb drive with a rather large data file on it: it's the equivalent of a book of puzzles for him and Delta to work on. Supposedly, at least one of them is completely unsolvable. They'll just have to test that theory.

Chief's package opens to reveal a very old but still in box Xenomorph figurine.

Reinhardt's is a small bag, in which is a single beer koozie with "IT'S HAMMER TIME" printed on the front in large, obnoxious font.

Nita receives a plastic shark fin on a headband, with a note reading, "Wear it while you're swimming."

Pidge, Kubo, and Dipper each receive an envelope with a piece of paper and a card. The paper reads "Class canceled the week of Valor Day." and the card is a single Get Out Of Class Free coupon, to be used at any time, no excuse required.

Reaper receives a perfect replica of his missing gun, made, uselessly, out of a hunk of solid plastic. The attached note reads, "You were naughty this year."

Grif receives a box of spacefuture twinkies, because why not.

One final package is addressed to Locus, wrapped neatly and in completely different paper, and with no From name on the label. Inside is a copy of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

Wash, to say the least, is not pleased. He'd thought he'd marked all the tringlesprig locations in his HUD; evidently he'd missed this one the first time around, or it's new. Either way, he stares at the offending plant, and then the singing speaker, as though they're to blame (as opposed to Tiny Tim the AI) and the force of his withering glare will make them let him go.

No dice.

So he just heaves a sigh. "We should probably get this over with."

Wash isn't particularly fond of tringlesprigs or Locus, so this situational venn diagram overlap is particularly awful. But here they are, stuck under spacefuture mistletoe, until some kid decides they've made nice well enough to let them go.

"God dammit."

Given that the previous movie night had been something of a disaster, that Parker had requested something with more explosions, and that Scream wasn't exactly seasonally appropriate, Wash had opted for Die Hard instead. Per usual, the film is set up on a projector in one of Legion World's larger lounges, with comfy furniture scattered throughout the room and tables piled high with snacks and drinks. The food and drink have taken a more seasonal bent: there's hot chocolate and eggnog, and in addition to the normal pizzas, Wash has convinced the kitchen to provide several chocolate and peppermint dessert pizzas, along with an assortment of other holiday snacks. There is, of course, popcorn, because you can't beat a classic.

One new addition to movie night is the sign by the door, naming the movie in question and listing its MPAA rating and the reasons it got an R. At least people won't be too terribly surprised this time.

It's either accidental or subconscious- he needs to do a lot of walking back and forth to transfer his avalanche of gifts (Wash wasn't wrong) from his official quarters to his habitat for an unboxing video and even though he keeps taking different paths to get there he still finds himself stopped, arms full of whatever, under one of these tringlesprig things. Delta mapping out routes to avoid them hasn't worked either to their mutual mild confusion.

Still.

Knowing that it's a kid at fault here just trying to make the holidays more holiday like keeps him from getting irritated. Handing out handshakes or hugs or whatever isn't all that terrible, even if it does stall out his transfer of packages quite a bit. Whoever he's stuck with always gets a smile, a wave and a quick question: "I'm easy, man, whatever you're good with, so am I."

"Indeed."

It's a shame mutual disdain for this particular insistance on tradition isn't enough to free them, as it's as close as they're likely to come to anything the two of them can agree upon.

Can you feel the sideeye happening under his helmet, Wash? Because it is happening.

York sidles in with hot cider under one arm and as close as he could swing to gingerbread cookies under the other. They aren't iced or anything but they taste right and they're roughly uniform in size (having Delta is good for precision), both are deposited on their respective tables while he snags a plate for himself and finds somewhere to sprawl. "We running through the gamut or just the one?"

Because there's a whole list of Die Hard movies set at Christmas and they are all ridiculously awesome. His family would marathon the lot of them when he was younger but that was- well. Forever ago. Now he's happy to settle and quietly snark till the film starts.

Edited 2016-12-19 19:56 (UTC)

[South's new so it's not like she had a lot of time to prepare. Or a lot of people to prepare for. She does bother for a couple things for those who initially welcomed her;

York gets a spray breath freshener 'so you don't smell like a brewery after we hang out'

Kubo gets a pair of sunglasses (South drew a tongue-out smiley face over the left eye) and a loaf of bread with the note 'pre-porter' stuck on it.

Grif gets a gift card to a convenience store. It's for the equivalent of about $5.

Jason gets a pack of gum and an energy drink

Hiccup gets a stick of deodorant

It's cold in Legion World and there's plenty of snow- so. Time to set up little (under six inches tall) snowmen posed in increasingly absurd dioramas in windows and on countertops, in door ways, anywhere there's a chance someone will walk by and see them. Occasionally they're made up to look like little snow-man replicas of various legionaries, helmets for armorbros, little lightening bolts embedded to mimic the Flash's uniform, winged feet and a bathingsuit for Nita- a twig Shamisen for Kubo. Packing in a long sidecut with a tiny laptop for Sombra takes time but, hey, he's got plenty. Parker gets a bowl of pudding. A tiny one. Almost every legionnaire down to Kid Q and Brainy have their own snow-man dopplegangers placed around Legionworld. Sometimes they're placed near Tinglesprig to lure people underneath, even, because York thinks he's hilarious.

"Kids love the holidays because of these little traditions. Every-time someone plays along it makes them feel even better." And Brainy had mentioned that the kid had been sick. Human, digital, robotican- being sick sucks and is scary. Playing along doens't really hurt anyone and it makes a little kid feel less scared so-

He offers Nita a hand, grinning. "Happy Valor Day, Nita."

South isn't usually one for random displays of affection and she's irritated at being stuck against her will with whoever, but she'll begrudgingly participate. Although sometimes it's amusing to watch the other person squirm uncomfortably before doing what's required to get them freed.

"What's the matter? Do I make you nervous?"

Locus debated ignoring the invitation entirely. But he reasons that without friends, no one will be that eager to pester him, and he can only sit alone his room drinking for so long before it starts to get a little maudlin. Even for him.

He doesn't even bother putting his armor back on before making his way to the lounge. There's a moment or two of discomfort when he arrives initially, looking over the spread of food and drink before spying an empty seat on the couch. It risks sitting beside someone else, but again, he's reasonably sure he won't be pestered.

Without his armor, after all, he wouldn't look familiar to anyone here. Save maybe one person.

So one hot chocolate later, he's settled on the edge of the couch, warming his hands and idly watching people file into the room while waiting for the movie to begin.

Somewhere between arriving and before the movie starts up York finds Locus, of all people, settled in a corner all on his own. On the one hand that's how Locus rolls and he's not surprised by it. On the other- keeping someone at his blind side makes him comfortable and a physical buffer between some of the more social people could help.

Or York is just looking for excuses to have some company. Who cares, it's the holidays, he doesn't think twice about levering himself up and dropping next to Locus on the sofa, casually (carefully) nudging their shoulders together. "Hey buddy. Didn't think I'd see you here."

It had been an open invitation; Wash had figured that those who hadn't been to previous movie nights could get the rundown from those that had, or could just ask him themselves. Either way, it's good to have some new faces in the mix.

Like the one on the end of the couch. He's absolutely certain that he's never seen this person before; despite that, something in his gut is insisting that no, this guy is familiar. He grabs a mug of cider (courtesy of York) and brandy (courtesy of his own damn self) and sits on the other end of the couch. He's indulging his curiosity and couching it in the friendly spirit of the holidays and movie night, because it's a solid excuse. "Hey. Ever seen this one before?"

Well. So much for that notion, then.

There's a faint look of surprise as York drops down without much prelude, though he reels it in with a quiet huff. "Neither did I," he admits quietly, before lifting his shoulders a vague little shrug. He couldn't say for certain what had brought him here, why he couldn't have just stayed in his biome and let the evening pass untroubled.

Not always the most self-aware, Locus.

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VALOR'S DAY [Modplot]

GIFT EXCHANGE

UNDER THE TRINGLESPRIGS

SNOWBALL FIGHTS AND PRANKS

VALOR'S DAY FIELD TRIPS

CHARITY

WILDCARD

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GET UR ADORABLE CHEEK KISSES (or other show of affection) HERE

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MOVIE NIGHT

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Snowman Prank

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