[They cut his hair.]

[They cut his goddamned hair, the sons of bitches!]

[Not only that, but they took his sword! And then they had the gall to treat him like an idiot for not being able to read Western script--what the Hell did they expect? And when he tried to smoke, to take off some of the edge of the stress, they took his pipe.]

[When he finds his sword, there will be Hell to pay. For now, though, he's sitting in front of the door to the Headmaster's office, about to be called in and reprimanded. He's pretty sure he could take almost anyone some pompous Western schoolteacher with his eyes closed, and is very much considering it.]

[Quietly and dangerously] I've done nothing here to deserve this indignity. Where is my sword?

[They took his guns. They took his knife. Hell, they took his beard! He's dressed in an outfit that's vaguely familiar to him as being like Jake's school uniform, he has none of the things that have travelled with him since he was fourteen, and this world's even stolen his gunna in favour of a shoulder bag]

[But one thing they cannot take from him, because it will always show up in any school, is his bad habits]

[Roland's founding his own smoker's corner over here, in the traditional spot behind the bike shed. He found his tobacco pouch and rolling papers in the bottom of his new bag, and the knife on the multitool Zoe gave him, while lousy for skinning game or gutting kills, works just fine for cutting tobacco. He mutters irritably as he works. Something about detention and putting a round of lead in the next fatherless bastard to shout at him as if he were a child]

...and the bedamned tongue of this place, like the writer's world, but 'tis not my own, and 'tis little matter to them or anyone if I cannot read it. Gods, for a world where I could but find myself a bar, sit down, and drown this accursed mess in graf and smoke... I'd rather be in the desert again, stalking an unreachable quarry, rather return to the roses and the Tower rotting, for at least then I'd know my goals...

[Pauses, as he stares at the cigarette he's rolling, then he stands up abruptly, sticking it in his mouth and lighting up]

I'll not give this world dominion over me. Come what may.

[So why is he hiding behind the bike shed, he wonders, and starts back towards the main building, cigarette still dangling between his lips]

[Looking down at her schoolgirl outfit, more disturbed by it than she's letting on]

...Think I'm a bit old for this.

This is a private school, and there's absolutely nothing special about it.

You're human and stuck inside the limits of the courtyard.

If you ever wanted to go to a normal boarding school with lots of interesting subjects and normal teachers and nice food and nice dorms, this is your chance.

Also, the sky is made of candy and occasionally rains gumdrops.



Guys, we're putting the fun back in fundamental.

[Crowding was no obstacle for Kurt with his abilities to poof to and from places at will.  Of course, he had to know the whole mall inside and out before knowing where to teleport to, so that's where almost a full day of his life went into.  At least everyone's too busy shopping for the big sales to notice these teleportations... at least to Kurt's knowledge!  He would probably have less self-confidence if his image-inducer got smashed into something and went on the fritz!]

[His Secret Santa recipient is Roland.   Kurt never met the dude before, but who can resist an iPod Touch Dual-Screen Generation X?  That's exactly what the boy wonder spent his money on!]

[All he has to do is look for Roland now!  Mall-wide teleportation trips activate!]

((Need to put an OOC note here, will erase later.  I'll be at work for the whole day tomorrow as well as the morning of the day after, so I won't be able to tag back for about two days.  Same goes for red robin!))

[Kazooie? Christmas spirit? Only if she's on the recieving end of presents!]

Merry Christmas to me! I recieved five-hundred smackers and a scrap of page with some loser's name on it! I really shouldn't call him a loser if he gave me all this money!

So will it be 500 rounds of DDR or 2000 rounds of Pac-Man?

[And so money was already being burned at the arcade.]

renaissance2010
Turning to photography as a creative outlet during a valiant fight with breast cancer at age 34, renaissance10 survived and set up a photo contest to help raise funds for the Lavender Trust, a nonprofit that provides information and support to younger women with breast cancer. In the first two years, the competition brought in over £65,000 (that's $107,260.73 U.S.!), with entries from 130 countries last year. Renaissance10 recently joined LiveJournal to meet other passionate photographers and find supportive friends.

curiouscupcakes
Holy buttercream frosting! If you have a sweet tooth for sugary goodness or a wandering eye for whimsical confection, this is pure ecstasy iced in deliciousness. Hailing the beloved cupcake as the artisinal canvas of choice, you'll enjoy recipes, photos, and bountiful tips to bake up a batch, whether your taste leans toward French classics or funky and flavorful.

mission101
With New Years in the offing, it's an ideal time to reflect on past accomplishments, make peace with disappointments, and refocus the lens on future goals. This community welcomes you to create a bucket list of 101 things you plan to accomplish in the next 1,001 days. Offering support, guidance, and inspiration, this is a great way to jumpstart those pesky resolutions.

Cammi here!  I was in the game briefly as Kazooie the Breegull, but then stuff happened and I disappeared!  I'll try the bird again if the muse comes back, but for now,

I bring you Nightcrawler from X-Men High School Non-Musical Evolution!

'Gonna go bumpity bumpity splat the boy into the mall now! Anybody need a secret santa to bring them a present?

[Hijikata is used to being dragged to markets and festivals by Souji, and there's something about them that he almost enjoys, loath though he is to admit it.]

[...Well, Japanese markets and festivals. This is gaudy, crowded, noisy, and unfamiliar, not to mention lacking in his trap, and that's a good bit more than he can take happily. He's found a relatively quiet corner of bookstore, and is drinking piss-poor tea (gods in heaven, do Westerners not know how to brew it? It's almost as bad as his page's!), reading, and wondering just who "Gabranth" is. Whoever he is, he'd better be happy with a well-forged knife and the complete works of Basho. If he's not, Hiji probably wouldn't like him anyway.]

[Looks like Lotta found other things to spend her money on. Namely, some cheesy backdrops and a piece of posterboard which reads: ]

[Professional Christmas Portraits]

[A stereotypical tree and fireplace backdrop is up at the moment, with her camera on a tripod parked in front of it. And, of course, the woman herself is there, grinning as though she has some great genius plan. Yeah right.]

Com'on, step right on up and get your portrait taken; singles or groups, makes a perfect addition to any card or present r stocking that ain't quuiiiite full yet! Who ain't gonna love a lil' reminder of the guy or gal who cared enough to give them something? Nobody, that's who!

[The Fool's got a knife and some scraps of wood, and a lot of time on his hands. Ergo, the Fool is happy. You might not even notice him; he's sitting on a bench in the middle of the mall, dressed very androgynously in a high-necked white sweater and embroidered scarf, hair tied back in a ponytail, whittling pretty beads out of the wood. Who needs money to give nice Christmas presents? He's sorting them into two bags; the ones in the little red pouch are ones he thinks his friends might like, the ones in the black pouch are ones anyone can buy off him for a song, should he choose to offer them.]

... It's Christmas?

God, Jeannie is going to kill me. I haven't sent cards or anything! Presents are a rule, right? What do you even get a 5 year old girl, is she too young for barbies? I was thinking of getting her a physics set, but Sheppard said you aren't supposed to get them for five year olds. Personally, I think a physics set is exactly what a five year old needs but Jeannie is probably encouraging Sesame Street reruns or something. Can you believe it? When I was in sixth grade, I built an atomic bomb for my science fair project. It'll be a miracle if this kid can get past fission. What am I supposed to do?

Also, what kind of name is 'Yumi'?

[Yako is having a bit of difficulty with her present.

Presents.

...It seems to be a few baby bunnies and chicks, squirming around in cages and between them, the food and the star she got from Slender Man, she has no idea how she's going to transport these to Prussia. :| Care to offer her a little help.]

U-Ugh...Why did I think this was a good idea.

Bateman.

Of all the people I could have been chosen, all the names I might have drawn... Ah, well. I suppose there were worse combinations that could have been.

Has anyone seen him? I've a gift for the fatherless bastard.

[Holds up a small, gift-wrapped box]

[Liet and Poland have comandeered a little cafe on the third floor, and the room is decked out for a proper Eastern European Christmas (eve, but hey, you work with what you've got) meal, hay under the white tablecloth, four places set for the three guests, the works. Liet spent a large proportion of his 500 rubles on preparing this meal, so it had better be pretty damn good. His presents for Latvia and Poland are stacked near the table, for exchanging after the meal, after spending all day cooking, he left the kitchen, bought some new clothes, washed and changed while the food cooled]

[Now he's standing, in a crisp new white shirt, green sweater and trousers, waiting for Poland to come back from his Latvia-search, hopefully with, you know, Latvia. Nice family dinner is a go!]

[Mulan showed up to this world in girls' clothes, which is NOT what she wanted--she's hurrying to find some nice boyclothes and something to bind with before she runs into Shang again, and also wondering...

A) What Christmas is
B) Who Delirium is (and why she's buying her a gift, exactly)
and
C) If the stores around here even take super-old Chinese money.]

Uhm, excuse--oh, pardon--I didn't see you th--sorry--

[Also, D) WHY IT'S SO DAMN CROWDED.]

As I said, I drew you guys a Christmas card (kinda). It may now be Boxing Day, but hey.
( I CAN STILL GIVE OUT PRESENTS A DAY LATE! )