There's No Place Like Traumabonding for the Holidays

[beebs]

HOLIDAY MURDERGAME WHERE ARE THEY NOW MEME



It's the hap-happiest season of all, and what better way to celebrate than by remembering that one (or more) horribly traumatic experience that permanently changed the face of not only your relationships but possibly your outlook on life itself?

Any character (including NPCs!) who's ever been in any murdergame is invited! Feel free to share with your friends!

Regardless of how you choose to use this meme, there's two blanket rules:
1) Make sure the header of your comment has your character's name, home canon, and murdergame listed. If you used the same account for several murdergames, you can use the same toplevel for all of them.
2) No blank comments! First and foremost this is a chance to catch up with old murdergame buddies, and maybe make new ones if you choose! Thus, your comment should go into whatever degree of detail you like describing what life has been like since the murdergame ended. Did life go back to normal? Did they get married? Have a kid? Move to another universe entirely and start over with their found family? Have they kept in touch? Go into as much detail as you want, just put something!

You can use this meme to set up any kind of "canon" or canon-compliant holiday threads with your castmates, big holiday party or no.

OR... you can pretend that there's an interdimensional all-murdergame nondescript winter holiday party that you've been invited to attend! Maybe the Curtains narrators made sure the Denny's was conveniently empty (don't mind the weird old guy in the woods out back), or maybe there was some other convenient arrangement. Either way, you received an invite, and you're here now! So spike the eggnog and check for mistletoe, because the night is probably going to get wild.

(If you're not down for one option or the other, just note that somewhere in your top-level.)

Have fun, and Happy Holidays!

Comments

Farrah Salieri | We Are The Tigers | It’s Curtains R3

[brokeforgood]

[Since her escape from an evil school run by a choir teacher that really wanted her to die again— Farrah’s thrived. She lives in a magical mansion with her dad and her dad. She makes time to visit dad and yell at the old man in his back yard. She also spends time in new york city with her dad. Sometimes she visits Tokyo or Corona (of the rapunzel variety)—- and wherever she goes? People hear her.

She’ll crash any party, but she’s also down for smaller holiday prompts! But if it’s a holiday party? Well, you can probably find her either stealing some booze, or crouched in the corner with a notepad, scribbling out a new cheer, muttering to herself—-]

Go! Fight! Work that sass!

Just like santa shakes that—-

[Or maybe… you’re not familiar to her—- She’ll wave, her face devoid of any emotion that says she’s kidding, and in a voice way too chipper, asks— ]

Oh, hey! Who kidnapped you and forced you to kill your friends? Was it an evil lunch lady?

[in_a_bottle]

A bunch of people who ascended to godhood and decided that the best way to make their new world involved running a game for a wish, and half of them voted to make it murder. [Ai looks up from fixing her makeup.] I really wish I were kidding.

Shirayuki Hime | HappinessCharge Precure! | It's Curtains R1

[rockthistown]

[Thanks to the R3s' victory, this is the first year since 2016 that Hime's actually been allowed to age. Granted, she's aging normally rather than jumping up to what she would've been, so she still looks the same and I don't have to commission an adult design and icons, but she seems ecstatic -- almost enough not to be terrified of strangers.

Almost. She still might hide in the coat rack if she doesn't see any Curtains R1s around.

Otherwise, she'll be smiling and taking in the decorations and activities, and possibly judging the food.]

Misumaru Yurika | Martian Successor Nadesico | Airlocked R1/R5

[ratherdoweddings]

[Yurika is very good, it turns out, at two things: avoiding mistletoe and being there when you are under it with someone else. Apologies to any ships, your escapades will be reported to everyone else in the next ten minutes.

Otherwise, she seems to be in a good mood as she moves around the party, humming and greeting everyone she meets.]

Oh, how are things? There must've been a lot of resources put towards this party. I don't even recognize half these people!

[Or you could find her just kind of dozing off in a corner after doing the rounds a few times. Possibly snuggling your present or other belonging you left on the couch. Parties get tiring!]

[imnotfat]

[The hums and cheerfulness face the usual disdain, but at least it's a far more mellow one than usual, instead of meant to push her away]

You could afford to be less cheerful and more alert. Be prepared if there are any signs of initiating once another one of those ridiculous games.

[Togami says, ever the life of the party, huh. Look, after having gone through this song and dance three times he'd like very much to avoid a fourth, especially if it's some jumbo version with far more people than usual.

But yeah, gatherings of a lot of random people tend to get his guard up, for obvious reasons]

Stella of Solaria | Fate: The Winx Saga | Ars Arcana

[strongestfeelings]

[Also was trapped in an evil school— but hers was magic. Both in canon and in the murdergame. Stella found someone who truly cared about her—- only for him to become the first murder victim. So she hatched a plan to survive: by killing the next person who made the mistake of showing care about her. Consensually! Her plans fell apart, and she spent her afterlife sulking and making out.

She’s run away with Wu to the Earth Kingdom, where she’s helped him regain his crown, and used all of her royalty training to help him properly run a kingdom. If you choose a smaller holiday prompt, she’s probably throwing a holiday party in the earth kingdom, and is wearing something dashing. It’ll be designer, and matching whatever Wu’s wearing. She probably picked something for Zenos to wear too, but like, it’s always a guess if he decides to wear it or not. Her mother hasn’t been murdered, but Stella’s made sure to remove her from power and lock her away in a dungeon, and she’s letting her uncle play ruler while she spends her time off world.

Her fellow Ars companions are greeted with decorum and a smile—- but anyone else, if we’re choosing a multi murdergame mingle experience, will probably a bitchy once over as she tries to decide what she thinks of them.

Or they might catch her staring at the decorations (if the party isn’t hers—) ]

Really? Paper snowflakes and crepe paper in blue? How unoriginal can you be? I would never—-

[or come up with your own prompt. the worlds your oyster.]

[pyriscence]

Stella! Stella!

[ Sorry, did you say 'decorum'?? Bryn saw her like, last week, and was talking to her in the gc this morning but she still comes rushing over to greet her like she hasn't seen her in a year. ]

I've no idea what any of this is supposed to be celebrating, but what a spectacular party!

Kawasumi Mai | Kanon | Airlocked R2

[nojohnyouare]

[Even without her unofficial role of Deadland Welcoming Committee, Mai is trying to be helpful. Even if she's not good at social things. She walks around, trying all the food, linefacing at people, and trying to make conversation...]

...Have you tried it. The chicken.

[Key word: trying.

She's also got a little mechanical bear following her, though occasionally he'll wander off and attempt to vacuum up things that fall on the floor.]

[hellochildren]

[For maximum comedic effect-]

I...believe zat might be considered a form of cannibalism.

[Even if not, it feels a little morbid, even for him.]

Ayazuki Mei | Meiji Tokyo Renka | Ars Arcana

[ghostsguysgyuudon]

[Mei shows up in all her 1885 fashion glory, looking around in awe. To other Ars characters, she might hang back and look over:]

I didn't exactly expect this many people... Do you think they'll have fried chicken? Or what kind of holiday food do you usually get where you're from?

[Or, alternately, no matter who you are, she might bump into you as she follows the wait staff in a beef-induced daze.]

Roast beef, roast beef... Wah! I'm sorry, are you okay?

[pyriscence]

You're supposed to eat fried chicken this time of year? I suppose something hot to fill your belly would be best for the winter months...

[ Bryn has absolutely no clue what Christmas is, but she's having a good time. ]

Usually for our sorts of winter feasts, it's all about emptying out what might spoil from your stores before they have a chance to rot and take everything else with them...

Somnus Lucis Caelum | Final Fantasy XV | Ars Arcana

[encelevenemus]

[his majesty king buzzkill is fortunately not in a massive tin can]

[he is, however, faintly glowing in the manner that most ghosts probably would and wallflowering like that wall desperately needs his support.]



[and staying far away from the airlocked side of the room]

[pyriscence]

[ . . . She's staring a little in shock. Like she's seen a ghost! (canned studio laughter) ]

You really showed up to another party! I can't believe it!

Ardyn somethingorother | Final Fantasy XV | Airlocked r2/r5

[burninglight]

[Intergalactic soap opera star Ardyn, meanwhile, is as personable as ever. Galaxy pigeon perched comfortably on his shoulder, he is calmly refusing to acknowledge the elephant in the room and having the time of his life out of spite.]

What a charming gathering we have here. There's quite a few more of us around than usual, that's...exciting.

[That's a word for it.]

[nojohnyouare]

They look friendly. ...Some of them.

[Only some. Mai blinks once at Ardyn and sips her drink that probably doesn't even have alcohol. (The attempt at drinking vodka straight from the bottle may have put her off of it.)]

Better than the Christmas we had in the simulation. Probably.

Jade Curtiss | Tales of the Abyss | WCB r4

[nekromanteia]

[Is there a bar? There had better be, because he's at it. With a drink in his hand and a smile screaming condescension on his face, Jade looks very pleasant on the surface. Or like he's plotting how best to burn the building down as a diversion to escape social obligations.]

[It's a valid strategy.]

[brokeforgood]

Uh oh, mister—- You better go quick, those two are trying to kill each other again —- [Has she seen this man in her life before? No way. Is she counting on him hustling off in the direction she gestured in? Yes.

She’s already reaching for his drink.]

Dylan Dalmatian | 101 Dalmatian Street | Castle Whimsical R2

[canismajorcontrolfreak]

[Dylan is doing relatively okay, despite the general trauma that comes with going through a murdergame. Family has been helping, though the new adoptive members more than his fellow Dalmatians, since talking about death near puppies is absolutely inappropriate, and talking about it with his parents sounds terrifying in a way that's hard to describe.

So when an invitation for an interdimentional Christmas party came, meant specifically for anyone who's gone thru the song and dance of this murder mystery hullabaloo, also known as a break from having to think about all that, he decided to take the chance.

So if you're a fellow child coming from an all child murdergame, he'll probably wave and walk over to you.]

I'm...not the only one thinking this is the absolute weirdest Christmas party ever, right?

[And if you're a new person, well...he's not the most social, especially with humans, but he'll be willing to talk, if anyone approaches a dog and expects a conversation from him.]

[nojohnyouare]

[Where there is dog-san, there is Mai. She doesn't say much even to humans, so she hasn't actually done more than exist in his general direction until a little foot-tall robot bear toddles over and gives a confused "rrr?"]

Bear-san. Not food.

[Bear-san whines, though placated when Mai picks him up and sets him on a table full of crumbs, which he enthusiastically vacuums up. Mai looks down to Dylan again.]

...Sorry.

magica de spell | ducktales | unknown seas r2

[magycks]

[ Who even invited her to this? Unclear! The point is she's here, she's hovering like 80% of the time, and she's annoying as all get-out -- so you can reasonably surmise, if you know her from your death cruise to nowhere, that nothing meaningful has changed. While she'll make bitchy small talk with the people she knows, she's more interested in checking out, and pestering, strangers. She just kind of keeps popping up behind people and launching into conversation as if she knows them and they've been chatting for ages! Like, for example: ]

So, what's your story? Blood ritual, boring underwater cram school, unfettered capitalism...?

[perceivedrevalry]

[The wonders of murdergames is that the surlier characters really have to learn how to handle the more annoying kind of people. Someone appearing behind him and asking unsolicited questions barely gets a reaction from him]

Angels bringing random people to solve their own petty issues through a competition. It's nothing even remotely worthwhile to talk about.

[They're all dead, so who cares. Their games and plans are of no consequence anymore]

Akira Kurusu and Ren Amamiya | Airlocked r4/ SCP r1/6

[le_mat]

[So Akira shows up fashionably late, as always. For those that haven't seen him since the end of r5 (unlikely as he likes to visit people constantly) he's filled out quite a bit, and is dressed in crisp business casual blacks with the recognizable flairs of living in a card game world for years. He's smoozing like a champ, even more than he did as a teenager and just generally playing his role as social arm candy to the nines. He looks rich and hot and he knows it.

Ren, being the younger, hasn't changed nearly as much, but that but of broadness Akira has is starting to show too, and his hair cropped shorter. He's dressed more casually and seems happy to give updates on his and Nine's life. He doesn't mingle as much as his spacefaring counterpart, but no Joker is completely anti-social so he's happy to chat, even if he's the... quieter it the two.

That is until the two meet . It's fine at first, though Akira is more unsettled than Ren, who has met plenty of Akiras now. They chat for awhile, both drinking, and eventually get to each other's lovelives. It's starts by Akira calling out how Ren just HAPPENED to marry a blonde dumbass and wow that's familiar!

Only for the more spiteful Ren to mutter about how at least he didn't hook up with a proxy to the guy that tried to kill him.

So... They might be throwing down over by the booze. Oops.]

[serrata]

[ Yuuri's been to enough parties and endured enough interdimensional shenanigans that she's not... expecting to see two of them hanging around but somehow, it isn't that much of a surprise. She's content to leave them to her own devices (IS THAT REALLY WISE, YUURI???) at least until their tussling starts getting really loud. Now that just won't do, will it?

Without missing a beat, Yuuri casually marches over and, in the manner of a person wrangling a pair of feral cats, grabs both of them by the ear and Does Not Let Go. ]

I think that's just about enough trouble out of the two of you for now, don't you?

solomon | fgo (sort of)/scp | scp r5 npc/scp r6

[finalring]

[ solomon was probably here from the start—it would be bad manners to not arrive on time, after all! nevertheless, he seems to be more interested in people watching and looking around for any possible anomalies.

well, this place is in of itself an anomaly, isn’t it? the foundation has hardly reported on it, aside from the fact that it exists. perhaps, an euclid…? hm.

either way, that won’t stop him from walking around with a glass, occasionally approaching people that he either doesn’t recognize or hasn’t seen in a while. ]

Well, hello, there! Interesting party we have, no?

[trentequatre]

[what]



[the fuck]

I might dare to say 'interesting' is now a gross understatement.

Ryoko Shinonome | 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim | We Could Be R3

[nmc0204]

[ Rebuilding human civilization and doing your college entrance exams keeps a girl busy, so Ryoko's probably a little fashionably late to the party – though it's a good sign that she's shown up at all. The R3 crew will have seen her semi-recently for their little summer escapade and she looks much the same as she did back then; fluffy hair all grown out and almost passable as a normal, healthy teenager. She's bundled up against the cold because this is still Ryoko and once she's shed most of her protective layers, she's left in a cute if subdued winter sweater which is her only concession to the festive atmosphere.

She seems happy enough, though – she spends most of her time here catching up with the R3s she hasn't seen in a while and can, god forbid, occasionally be found snacking at the buffet table like a human with a healthy appetite. Mostly though, she's just sort of vibing at the outer edges of the party – not wallflowering exactly, but just chilling and taking in the pleasant atmosphere of being at a party full of people you care about.

She's mostly here to hang out and chat, but if you're one of the R3 gang, she might suddenly pause mid conversation with an– ] Oh. I almost forgot. Just a second.

[ She goes rooting around in her bag and produces... a wrapped box of the recipient's favourite kind of chocolate and/or snacks. This is the best she could manage!! She's not good at gifts!! ]

Here. Merry Christmas.

[underthesunlight]

[Receiving any kind of gift was unexpected for Marissa. She blinks and takes the package, managing to smile at Ryoko]

Thanks! I...don't really have anything to give you right now, but I will next time. A double gift.

[This is her first Christmas party since the game...and since her entire life got turned topsy-turvy by circumstances beyond her control. She has been at a bit of a loss, but beginning to remember how it's like to do normal things like 'celebrating the holidays']

There was so little warning I couldn't figure out if I had to bring something.

[That and also she doesn't have any savings. Trying to figure out her life in a world not her own is a lot of hard work, and so far she hasn't managed to build any finances]

thomasin | the witch | airlocked r1/r5 & castle w r2

[curdle]

[ Against all odds, there are, in fact, two versions of the little Puritan girl running around this party! Thomasin from Closetland, who is still living in Closetland, is 15 and has never celebrated Christmas before in her life, let alone any other holiday. Her cap is gone, her long hair pulled back in a braid, and she is maybe freaking out a little at the implications of so many people being here! She sticks near most of the children she knows, and she stares at anyone she thinks might be devil-adjacent with her big ol' eyes -- but she also has never had any food half as rich as this, so the panic is intermittently broken up by her staring in wonder at, like, a glass of eggnog she's drinking or burning her tongue on one of those mini hotdogs.

Thomasin from space, 20 years old and significantly more literate, doesn't love the implications! But she's a whole lot calmer about it. She's a few inches taller, wearing pants and a sweater, and her hair still stops just above her shoulders. She spends a lot of time around her fellow ex-Champions, particularly a certain goth as fuck hedgehog if she managed to drag him here, and she's brought some little homemade gifts for most of them! Some people get hats or scarves, a few have handkerchiefs with their names embroidered on, and everyone else can get a little drawstring bag full of dried Spumpkin seeds. The trepidation and bitterness with which she viewed occasions such as this, when she was younger and feared being hunted down again, has receded. She's simply glad to see familiar faces again, and to know the strangers too have escaped from their torments. And all of that would instantly change if either one of them noticed the other, but that's playercest we will not be delving into today!! ]

[imnotfat]

[Time has passed, but it seems Togami's personality hasn't changed much. Sure, he has mellowed down to the point of not being outright insulting towards random people, but he's still kind of unfriendly.

When faced with a homemade gift, though, he raises his eyebrows, taking it]

How considerate of you, I suppose.

[Because saying 'thanks' isn't part of his vocabulary even after this long. Still, the spirit of the word is there]

The Count of Monte Cristo | Fate Grand Order | WCB r3

[trentequatre]

[...Did that shadow just move?]

[Well, it's probably nothing. And there's definitely no glowing eye staring at you from the darkness.]

[Happy holidays.]

[nmc0204]

[ not even missing a beat: ] I can't give you your present if you're not corporeal.

[ Ryoko Is Used To This ]

Mielle Roscente | The Villainess Turns the Hourglass | Unknown Seas R3

[honeyedtea]

[ That Mielle shows up at all is probably more of a surprise than how she shows up, glued to Mafuyu's side as usual. Well, her Christmas 'fit is probably a bit of a surprise mostly for the fact that she is kind of rocking it?? Does she even know what lolita fashion is, or is she sticking to the thing that most resembles fancy frilly rofan webtoon fashion?? How did she afford a full lolita coord when you know for a fact she hasn't worked a single day in Mafuyu's world??? Some mysteries may never be solved.

Still, though. It's a party. This should be where she's most in her element, but she's finding it a little hard to just... mingle like she's used to doing. Maybe because it's becoming increasingly obvious that this is so not her kind of party. So she kind of... hovers around the edges of the party, trailing after Mafuyu and any of the other R3s if they can tolerate her for long enough to let her latch onto them for safety. In fact, they might get to hear her mutter under her breath to herself occasionally, not complaints but– ]

I really don't understand what the trees and the presents all have to do with each other...

[ She doesn't know about Christmas!!! I cannot believe I am now the one playing a character who might need to be taught about our lord jesus christ.

If she's approached by an unfamiliar face, though, she immediately brightens with the sweetest most darling smile you can imagine. If we're going to be at a party, then Mielle is going to win at being at parties, a normal thing to want and etc etc ]

It's a lovely gathering, isn't it? The decorations are so bright!

[specialyellthing]

[Sighing, off to the side as Mielle brightens at a stranger-- Zinda the Relentless looks glum--]

Goldie never sparkles like that at me anymore.

Misfire | Transformers IDW (2005) | Unknown Seas R3

[dullshooter]

[Since their adventures with capitalism underwater, Misfire's done about the barest minimum to change his life and continued with routine hijinks, which may or may not also have involved alternate universes where the hijinks are forever.

Don't worry about it.

What should be worried about is that Misfire looks...nowhere to be seen, but who is this handsome dark-haired, kinda scrungly, pink-dressed, passably human looking stranger? That hasn't touched food or drink, no less?

Watch the finger guns.]

Happy holidays, loser! [He'll greet basically everyone.] So, we gathered for another one of those things, or what?

[pairtner]

I certainly would hope not. This is a time for festivities, not for bloodshed.

[...she doesn't recognize who this is, but since the, you know, impromptu crash course on socializing with random people face-to-face, she sure has gotten pretty natural at that. She sure is trying her hardest to keep up the usual facade of pretending to be human, though]

Deathsaurus | Transformers IDW (2005) | WCB R4

[dethzarasu]

[This isn't the bird that you're roasting, but instead, a bird that roasts.

Deathsaurus, being large and cumbersome, sticks to his alt-mode for however easier that actually makes things and hangs around the edges - mostly feeling awkward for being here in the first place. He loves good merrymaking, but primus that's a lot of humans.

He will, occassionally, try to strike up conversation.]

A fine party, isn't it? What's the cause of celebration? The vanquishing of an ancient foe?

[touchsensors]

It's the day the Santaliens visit Earth every year.

[hold onto your hats, we've got a one-way ticket to stupid]

Mumble Happyfeet | Happy Feet | It's Curtains R3

[prophetpriestandking]

[Dearest Mumble had no idea what the invite really entailed, but a party with his strange alien friends is enough for him. It's a lot bigger than anticipated, however, and he just wanders around looking rather overwhelmed.]

E-excuse me, you wouldn't happen to know why there are penguins everywhere...would you?

[He gestures to some of the decorations. Is this a secret penguin holiday?]

[mcfife]

It is because penguins are a symbol of power over the cruel winter's freezing fury. [Angus says with all the conviction of a man who definitely understands what this holiday is about. Thankfully he's gotten over the the notion of religious necromancy, but there's still plenty to figure out.] The humans seek your power to help them survive through the solstice, and while modern houses makes this easier, they still must remember their roots.

[Nailed it.]

Kirei Kotomine | Fate/stay night | Dangan Roleplay r2

[blackmass]

[And then there's this asshole.]

[Standing around with his arms neatly folded behind him in a dark purple suit and an aura of murderous Catholicism, Kirei is...actually looking pretty good for a shambling corpse however many years later.]

[...He looks content, and that's probably a bad thing for most people.]

[whatyouwant]

[Hello yes, there is a small tan dog at Kirei's feet staring up at him with big eyes.

Might you have food for a poor little pup, sir who smells very weird?]

Yuuri Wakasa | School-Live! | Airlocked R2 / R5

[serrata]

[ It's a Christmas party, so of course Yuuri's here. The last few years have been busy, but the comfortable sort of busy, the normal sort of busy – and certainly not busy enough that she can't spare an evening for a holiday gathering. Baby Haruka is back at home with a babysitter but Ruu's here at the party like usual and Yuuri's happy to let her mingle at her own pace.

Familiar faces get an enthusiastic greeting, of course – if it's been a hot minute since she's seen you, prepare for a patented Warm Rii-san Hug, because there's no escape. ]

Merry Christmas! It's so good to see you – it really is nice that we've managed to get together for the holidays so many years in a row, isn't it?

[ If you're one of the gang she sees on the regular, there's a bit less excitement but just as much warmth – she's sidling over with a pair of drinks in hand and look at that, one of them just happens to be your preferred party drink. This isn't even her party, but she's playing hostess... that's our Rii-san. ]

Here you go. Since we're the guests this time, I think we're allowed to be a little irresponsible.

[ ... or so she says, but a little later into the evening, you might find her hovering around a quiet corner of the party with her phone in her hand and a look of fussy worry around her that is so utterly and transparently Anxious First Time Mom Away From The Baby For Too Many Hours. ]

I should probably call to check everything's fine, don't you think? They said they'd call if anything was wrong, and they haven't, but...

[burninglight]

Yuuri, my dear, everything will be fine. And if it's not, I promise to personally wipe out all forms of life on the planet. Successfully, this time.

[ardyn,]

There's nothing to worry about.

Karen Minazuki 🦋 Yes! Precure 5 🦋 SCP R3, R4, R6

[oceanicbutterfly]

[At some point a GIANT DOOR appears out of nowhere at the venue and out steps the once and future student council president. That's right, now that she's in high school she ran again and won. Maybe the couple of extra mental years she got in the SCP-verse gave her an unfair advantage? In any case, she pretty much seems like the same old Karen, which will come as no surprise to most of her CR since she's definitely been keeping in touch. There've been a couple of vague incidents here and there that she hasn't gone into a lot of detail about and probably won't now. Just magical girl stuff. You understand.

She has been very good about feigning ignorance of the fourth wall, and as a reward I'm going to establish that her world's calendar is slightly out of sync with everyone else's so she can attend all the Christmas parties she wants and then still be free to celebrate with her friends and family at home.

For those who weren't in SCP, Karen is very interested to find out about the murdergames they were in, and she's trying very hard to make it sound like she's just curious. This act isn't an especially convincing one, and it falls apart entirely the minute she finds out about a game later than 2020.]

Dave Strider | Homestuck | Dangan Roleplay R3

[callbacks]

[From the beginning of the party, a tall, lanky man in perhaps his mid-twenties can be found chatting with almost anyone. He's dressed in a sharp French Kalosian suit and refuses to take off his sunglasses, which is perhaps a strange image for someone claiming to be a paleontologist. What's definitely stranger is the fact that he has a drop-dead gorgeous, sweet-faced wife and two cherubic, chubby-cheeked, adorable, blond toddlers wobbling about underfoot.

That's right. Certainly most of their tight-knit murder hotel buddies know by now, but the Strider-Everetts made spawn.

Dave occasionally appears from seemingly nowhere to scoop up one of the twins, bouncing them up into his arms and out of whatever trouble toddlers might toddle into. Like your murderous villains or whatnot.]

Oh shit, son. You better watch out, you better not et cetera, something something Santa Claus will eat your soul. Say hi to Aunt or Uncle Whozit here. [Child secured in the crook of his arm, he carefully takes a pudgy little hand and waves hello with it.] Happy Kwanzaa.

[mopocalypse]

Yaha, Dave-kun.

[It flows naturally, no matter how many years it's been. Haruka is here in her Foundation suit, albeit with a non-regulation red glittery tie pinned with a DCMC button, and the assorted sad children she's picked up from murdergame-prevention assignments are wandering around and stuffing their faces. She sticks a wrapped present into the crook of Dave's arm between him and his kid.]

Max | Airlocked

[theundertaken]

[Others from Airlocked will know that Max has settled a lot since the games finally ended. He still seems tired pretty often, but he's chill and well-kempt; his hair's pulled back into a shorter ponytail than he used to have, and his beard is trimmed, making him look...rather like some kind of Portland hipster, honestly! He shows up wearing a heavy coat, but it's warmer here, so he pretty quickly sheds it to reveal a characteristically bizarre sweater.

His ever-present therapy Shuppet floats at his side, occasionally sneaking away to stare and chirp at someone who is...you know, maybe not handling all of their murdergame trauma that well.]

Sorry. She, uh, eats bad feelings. [He grimaces broadly and takes a sip of (non-alcoholic!) nog. No need to elaborate there!] These weird get-togethers are like a buffet for her. Always a lot of new people, don't know where they keep coming from. Space? This stuff happening in space still?

[Does he even really wanna know? Eh, whatever, he's asking!

He can also be found hanging around the refreshments table. For such a stringy-looking guy, he sure is eating a lot of cookies.]

It's fine, I made these. Don't even know if this was a potluck, I just wanted these ones. Best way to know the good shit's gonna be there. Was it a potluck, or is this, like, Denny's-catered again. Are you one of the guys who knows what the Denny's is all about? What is that? Not that I'm against it.

[Of course, if you are from Airlocked...well, he's honestly always a little weird and awkward around the people who saw him at his absolute worst, but also you are the ones he actually knows, so:]

Hey. [.....] Did you see the guys literally singing like it was a musical?

[callbacks]

[Even with the sunglasses, it's easy to tell the twenty-something in the tailored suit is staring. Transfixed, even. His cup is held halfway to his face and has been for a full minute.]

...Your sweater... would make the gods weep, bro. [His voice is hushed, almost teary himself.] I've never seen anything so... so fuckin' beautiful.