melodiesoflife | (no subject)

Who: Johnny D'Amico, Sparks Nevada, or Graham Specter and YOU.
What: Christmas time shenanigans
When: throughout December
Where: Christmas
Warnings: it's these guys.

Graham Specter, Santa Claus Village, week of Dec. 14
[As things get closer to Christmas, Graham finally decides to show up and help at the Village. There's still some things that need to be put together as far as scenery and decorations go, and he could be a great asset to getting things completely finished with plenty of time. Graham decides to give it a try, but finds it really, really dull. Building is never as fun as breaking things down, and it's doubly dull when it's all Christmas-related claptrap.

Graham can be found lying despondently on the snowy ground in front of some new lamp post displays he erected, tools lying around him.]

I have never been subjected to such torture. Has my soul been crushed under the false pretenses of Christmas cheer!? Just let the snow cover me up so that I can freeze over until the spring!

--

Sparks Nevada, Aqures Ixen, throughout December
[Sparks has decided to volunteer at the city's ice skating rink, renting out skates and handing out warm drinks to the tourists and visitors. An attraction like this is just another way of getting this city back in order after everything it's been through, so he'd decided to lend a helping hand. During one of the quieter moments at the rink, his moogle Red has actually managed to convince him onto the ice after a lot of coaxing.

The marshal has spent too long on a desert planet before arriving in Crystallis, and can't even recall the last time he tried ice skating. Has he even done it before? He doesn't remember. Things on the ice are slow going for him, as he stiffly and slowly tries to make his way around the rink behind Red, doing everything he can to stay upright.]

C'mon, kupo! Are you worried you might fall or something?

I-- no. I just-- Forget it. That's some big talk comin' from someone who can fly.

--

Johnny D'Amico, Santa Claus Village, second and third weeks of December
[After returning from Mysidia, Johnny completely keeps away from everyone for about a week solid. Some stuff happened there that he was totally mortified over, his pride seriously hurt. Eventually he drags himself out to get back to work, and he'd at least spent that time locked away home working on learning some more Christmas songs to play on guitar.

He travels to the Christmas village and decides to help out, thinking maybe that will pull him out of the doldrums. They could always use some muscle when it comes to setting up. And when not doing that, he can be found out somewhere public playing some carols for the visitors. The holiday mood has put people in a mood for more tipping and less complaining, which he's really grateful for.

If you don't spot him doing either of these, there will be points where he's actively looking for his friends, especially closer to Christmas. His guitar in its case on his back, he also carries a bag of gifts with him. It's not much, since he never has a lot of money, but he does what he can. When he spots you walking around too, he'll stop you to say hi.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[It's just another day of Graham being Graham. He stays laying on the ground, blinking up at Ales with those sleepy eyes.]

What's happened to me is the building of this place! The tedium of such a chore is killing me faster than this place is being built. I'll be dead before I ever get a chance to take it all down! And if that's the case, what's the point? What's the point to anything I do?!

[He covers his face with his hands and flails back and forth a bit, sending bits of snow flying.]

[He looks up at the chain of holly that stretches from lamppost to lamppost, and while it looks beautiful, it must have been a chore to get it all up there. A boring, repetitive, and dangerous chore.]

If decorating puts you in such a bad mood, you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. Lesson learned. [He steps back and covers his face with his hands as the snow flies.] Look, can you stop throwing a tantrum in the middle of the street?

[In the blink of an eye, Graham's wrench swings down right next to Ales, narrowly but deliberately missing him. Graham doesn't like being told he's having a tantrum. He's still laying in the snow, but he's lying on his stomach now, frowning at Ales.]

I thought that perhaps holiday cheer would be contagious and I would feel what everyone else does about this sort of work. Instead it's the opposite! But I've also been promised that once this nonsense comes to an end, I get to take it all down if I also help put it up. But now it's taking every fiber of my being to not just rip it down right now!

[He stands up now and looks at his handiwork, smacking his wrench off his hand. He's thinking about doing it anyway.]

WHAT THE- [He jumps back, holding onto his hat before realizing it missed him. His heart is beating fast after that near-death experience, and each heavy breath hangs in the frozen air while he stares at the wrench nested deep into the snow beside him.

He glares at Graham.] Then deal with it that doesn't involve almost killing me! Come on, get up. [He shoves Graham's shoulder.] Go tear apart, I don't know, that decoration you put up. Then redecorate and take it down until you feel better about it, whatever. Until you can leave and work on something else.

[Ales lightly kicks his booted feet against his body. This man is sometimes isn't worth the trouble that he has to go through to entertain him.]

[He sits up, glaring down at Ales. He'd be in a lot more trouble if Graham didn't like him as he did. His eyes turn to the decorations above them that Graham helped assemble and hang, and he feels worse than ever.]

I could, I could start to tear down and rebuild and tear down and rebuild and tear down and rebuild... But what does that get us? Nothing but stagnation! A static existence trapped forever in a Christmas hellscape! I'd be driven to madness in no time flat. Doomed to a life of false cheer and empty celebrations! Stuck in this cycle, the holiday would suddenly lose all sense of meaning. No, I don't want to live this nightmare over and over. I just want it to. All. Come. Down!

[With that, he leaps to his feet and immediately starts to take apart that lamp post he had put up minutes earlier. And he might not stop there.]

[And Ales glares right back at Graham until he gets up. He stands to the side with this arms crossed and watches him take everything down. There, he's happy. Then he'll have to put it up again and be upset, followed by dismantling it once more. It's a neverending cycle of death and rebirth. Ales should expect some of the ornaments to take responsibility and fight against the periodic destruction of their lamppost; the Calamity of Christmas decorations.]

Where are you going? [To lie in another patch of snow?]

[Graham would appreciate the poetry of said cycle if he wasn't busy wordlessly yelling as he took down the next nearest lamp post. And he's going for the next, too.

This isn't looking good.]

[What are you--oh my god.

Ales runs after Graham and wishes he had something on him to throw. That wooden decoration he just tossed away will have to do, and Ales chucks it at his head.]

GRAHAM!! [He runs leaned over, his snout pointed right in front of his body. His feat tap lightly against the cover of snow as he catches up to him.] NOT EVERYTHING!