ximilialog | OPEN ● ● ● Every Christmas is Last Christmas

OPEN ● ● ● Every Christmas is Last Christmas

CHARACTERS: the doctor (12), the doctor (11), clara oswald, river song, and all of you
LOCATION: the mess hall, the kitchens, the simulation room
DATE: december 24th, 25th
CONTENT: team tardis throws a big christmas party for the station
WARNINGS: none for now, will warn as needed (no fires!!!)

PART I
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS ...

1.0 Inside the kitchen and mess hall, Orbers will find the entire place decked out to the nines (Or elevens! Hohoho). No one knows how this all came together, but you will find almost everything Christmas related decorated along the walls and tables.

Hanging all around the walls are blue Christmas stockings! Each stocking will have the name of Orber etched in gold knitting. Inside each stocking is an array of personalized treats (if your character is a smoker, for example, then they will find a pack of cigarettes, a lighter, etc.)

On the tables at each place setting there are various coloured paper crowns for Orbers to decorate on their head – courtesy of Clara Oswald and her assistant, the Doctor (the chinny one) – and Christmas crackers to share with friends. Go on, then! Pull that cracker, see the assortment of sweets and surprises you’ve received. As far as refreshments go, there is plenty to share amongst everyone! There is eggnog, "naughty" eggnog, cookies, cakes, candy canes and sugar gumdrops. It is a downright delightful spread of treats to indulge and tide you over for before you feast with your teammates.

2.0 Before the main feast is prepared, there are plenty of activities to keep you (or a friend or two) occupied. Do you see those Christmas trees on almost every corner of the station? Yeah, the Doctor(s) got awfully distracted (something about if a hot dog is a sandwich) and these bare trees could use some decorative love. Or perhaps you can express your creative talents in the kitchen, where you may want to test out a new recipe to share with the rest of the class. Whether it be a savoury or a sweet dish, there is sure to be at least one person who might like it.

There is also a magician’s kit lying around if you want to take a crack at learning a few new tricks to show off to others! Or if you wish to partake in any group activity, there is a stack of board games and a deck of cards to play a friendly game of Go Fish! Who knows? The game-world’s your oyster.

3.0 By evening, the mess hall will be set up with napkins and plates and cutlery of varying Christmas-y colours. It isn’t perfect, but nothing ever really is, is it? Especially after the Doctor (the cross Scots one) might have very nearly burned the kitchens down a little earlier – something about improving the heat for the roast. Still, it’s finally time for the Christmas feast! And oh, what a smell there is wafting through the large space. There’s plenty of delicious food to go around – especially using much of the ingredients that had come in through the last supply drop. There are varying plates of savoury and sweet dishes, some recognizable, some a little more ... eclectic (you use what space ingredients you’re given, after all), but all of what the hosts have prepared look ... surprisingly edible, some of it even delicious. Roast veg, gravy, stuffing, biscuits, gingerbread, hot cocoa, marshmallows, something mulled, and sweets!

Of course, the more food, the merrier! If you’ve taken part in the cooking and baking from earlier, arriving with your own special Signature Dish, the Doctors (yes, both of them!) will be so pleased to see it join the rest of the feast.

And for those who might have run across the Doctor’s enthusiastic ramblings on Jammie Dodgers at one point will finally get a chance to try them. They’ll be stacked up to resemble a tree on a plate, sprinkled with (edible) glitter in blue and silver.

PART II
SIMPLY HAVING A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS TIME

4.0 Christmas Morning finds everyone with an open invitation to the simulation room to attend a very merry Christmas morning. Step inside and be taken away to a warm and cozy living room that is elaborately decorated for the holiday. You’ve been decorated for the occasion too, decked out in pajamas and a robe. With slippers to match, everyone that’s a part of Christmas morning will look like they’re ready to play their part in the festivities. There’s a fire crackling in the fireplace, the smell of cinnamon and clove in the air, and the distant sound of traditional Christmas songs playing on an antique radio over in the corner of the room. There’s also a tree, of course, one that almost seems too large to be in such a quaint place. It’s fully decorated, absolutely covered with a variety of kitschy ornaments like Santa Claus on a T-Rex or bears in tutus. There also happen to be ornaments of every single orber present on the station, presented in the form of ridiculous looking little elves.

Around the tree and scattered around the floor are opened gift boxes, wrapping paper strewn about. Toys from the boxes are discarded on the floor and around the room, plastic dinosaurs and robots that come to life when you wind them up. There are ridiculous looking squeaky alien toys, marshmallow launchers, and even a giant stuffed giraffe. Who could all of these toys belong to?

There also happen to be gifts beneath the tree for everyone. There aren’t any labels on the gifts so feel free to choose whichever one you like (but only one, there won’t be any greedy Scrooges here on Christmas!). No matter what size package that is chosen, big or small, there’s a sweater inside: an ugly Christmas sweater for everyone. One that can be put on over your pajamas to take part in an ugly sweater contest once everyone has unwrapped their gifts.

And of course no Christmas morning is complete without some sort of breakfast. Set up in the corner of the room is a small table with pastries and cocoa, with a big bowl of mini marshmallows. There’s coffee present too, for those that prefer their breakfast with a little less sugar. There’s plenty of seating around the living room to grab a leather chair or a spot on the fluffy couch. Or maybe sit in one of the red velvet chairs over by the windows to watch the slow and steady snowfall over a picturesque view of the British countryside.

5.0 As the events of the morning slowly come to an end, the simulation shifts to a quiet little town. There’s snow on rooftops and colorful lights lining buildings that manage to glisten and glow even in the daylight. The entire street is completely over the top with decoration; fresh garlands that smell of pleasant pine, miniature christmas trees decorated from top to bottom, and vibrant red bows are just about everywhere. There’s no hustle and bustle here, just a relaxed afternoon in the most Christmasy town ever.

The smell of cider and gingerbread baking are in the air, brought on by a bakery that’s open for a visit. Want to make a gingerbread house? There are materials set out to do that. There are things for gingerbread people too, if that’s more your bag.

There’s a bookstore filled with all kinds of books. If you’re not from Earth and are curious about Christmas, there’s plenty of children’s books on the matter waiting for you to enjoy. They’re set up on an elaborate display up front, though anyone is free to browse around and look through what else they have to offer.

A toy store, magician’s shop, and a boisterous pub round off the shops found on the street. There’s street vendors selling chestnuts that have been roasted over an open fire, wassail, and marshmallows for roasting. There’s also a band playing live music, Christmas carols of course. Join in and sing along or don’t. No one’s going to judge you either way. Take your time to enjoy everything or rush through because it’s too much Christmas, all in your face at once. Either way, the marketplace is present for hours in the afternoon and leading into the evening hours.

6.0 As night falls everyone is guided out of town and down a candle lit path that leads to a frozen over pond. It’s been set up for ice skating, with skates set aside for anyone that wants a pair. There’s baubles of lights set out all around the area, and the moon hangs high overhead. No seriously, the moon looks incredibly huge tonight. It’s blue glow reflects on the ice along with the warm yellow glow of all the lights. It’s a welcoming atmosphere, inviting anyone that’s brave enough to put on skates and take part.

The band from the Christmas market earlier are back to play throughout the night, playing quieter songs mixed in with lively pieces that are meant to get people speed skating around the ice.

Set a short distance away from the ice is a long table, with plenty of mismatched seats. Fairy lights twinkle overhead, and are also glowing from inside glass canisters that make up the centerpieces on the table. There’s dark blue galaxy dinnerware at every place, and a small feast spread out so no matter where someone sits there’s plenty within reach. It always manages to stay warm, and nothing ever seems to run out. It’s a perfect place to take a break and grab a quick meal, or just sit and chat with someone while you both enjoy a drink.

The area around the pond can be explored, so go crazy playing in the snow or whatever it is you want to do there. Just don’t wander too far off from the group. There may or may not be razor-toothed snowmen keeping you from going too far. They may hiss or blow snow in your face, but they probably won’t try to bite anyone.

🎄 After all of that is said and done, Orbers may find themselves drawn towards a small bonfire billowing from the center of this quaint little town. But it isn’t just the scent of warm Maplewood dancing underneath your nose. There sitting on top of a milk-crate is The Doctor (12) playing a jaunty little tune from his electric guitar. Orbers are more than welcome to sit around the bonfire and reflect on these past few months and where they might find themselves in the future.

If you find yourselves by your lonesome fear not! The Doctor (11) will be there offer you a hug (or smooch if you’re feeling saucy).

No matter what strife you have been through this year, just remember ...

Each and every one of your lives is a story. So best make it a good one.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

（ there is a cultural nuance he is missing, and yet — he grasps enough to guess at what erik is saying. he felt the same, to learn of the way the rinne festival had shifted away from an opportunity to pay respects to one's ancestors to an occasion for gifts. ）

Does the commercialization of the holiday obfuscate the sentiment for you?

（ he's asking from that place of understanding — he is here, participating because he was asked to, yet it is not the sort of thing he enjoys or wishes to attend to for his own sake. ）

[ erik purses his lips for a moment. ]

It becomes about wealth. Or it pushes out the people who don't celebrate it by pretending it's secular when it's not. Feels there's too much history involved for me to just . . . push it aside.

（ he nods, accepting that. ）

I understand.

（ the uchiha were a wealthy clan, and itachi had needed for nothing growing up — yet they had still lived sparely, without excessive, lavish comforts. he puts no value on wealth and never has, but it is an easy thing to dismiss when you have never been in want of it. the innocent hope of a child to receive a gift their families cannot hope to provide can only ever be an injustice. ）

Are there other occasions you prefer to celebrate?

Not really. I was poor and I was an orphan. Doesn't really leave you room to celebrate.

[ another loose shrug. the answer comes easily, even if parts of it are buried. there's a lot he remembers, but so much he doesn't. he doesn't remember his last phone call to his mother. he doesn't remember if there were birthdays or parties. not in oakland, when people lived on the meagre edges.

the pain washed it all away. ]

（ he grew up in the aftermath of a war that his country may have lost if not for the yondaime hokage. there was no real social program in place then to accommodate orphans, and to have only one living parent was far more common than both. he was lucky. shisui was not.

he regards erik a moment, expression unreadable, and then gestures for him to sit in the overstuffed chair opposite him. ）

It is a difficult circumstance in which to grow up. I am sorry if this celebration is dredging up that history.

[ erik pulls it up, turning it around and sitting with his arms resting on the backrest. ]

S'fine. And not really. Can't really miss what you didn't have, right? And everyone's got it tough in their own way.

（ he thinks, oddly enough, of naruto. that brief conversation they had on the swingset once upon a time so long ago. how the boy had tried so hard to shrug off his own pain, to bury it beneath indifference and determination. but rejection stung enough that a moment's kindness had given the boy cause to worry for him, a stranger who had done nothing more than offer brief attention. it was the reason he had ultimately decided to entrust sasuke to him.

looking at erik — he does wonder. ）

Yes. But understanding that comes at a cost.

（ your childhood ends when you have to make that determination. that your suffering is acceptable only because it is not worse. ）

[ costs and benefits. erik's never been one for economics, though he knows the theory. there were no benefits to erik, so in every decision, in every turn, he was let go. foregone. until he built his benefits. as a soldier. as an assassin. until he accumulated so much knowledge and strength that he was a legend. killmonger.

but killmonger's dead now. there's just erik and n'jadaka, sharing a space. killing will no longer open doors for him. it won't get the world to take him back. ]

It just means I pay it forward. I bring it up to have these convos about Christmas, I do my part in makin' sure there are less kids like me.

[ a little cheekily. ]

See? Benefit.

May I ask a personal question?

（ he is, as ever, unfailingly polite. ）

[ erik gives a little snort. ]

Sure, go for it.

When you think of peace, what do you imagine?

（ it may not be personal in the sense that it asks one to divulge secrets, but it is very much a request to draw back the veil of self. something that sharpens perception and grants clemency to the like-minded thoughts — wherever they may align. ）

[ now that is a very pointed question. which isn't surprising. ]

Depends on what kinda definition we're working with. World peace? Inner peace? What makes you think I've ever even imagined it?

You wish for a world with fewer children who have grown up like you. Unless you are killing them to reduce their numbers （ hey, he's met people for whom that logic would hold true, he doesn't say it with judgement or concern ） then it is possible what you envision is a world where so cruel a fate is obsolete. That, to me, is a form of peace.

（ he tilts his head to one side. ）

Am I wrong?

[ holy over-reaching conclusions, batman! erik blinks, not even sure where to start there. ]

Uh . . . not one I'd count personally. Being dead isn't really peace. It's just robbing people of agency. Dead's dead, man. How do you know it's peaceful?

You misunderstood me.

（ he shakes his head faintly. ）

I said unless that is what you are doing. I was not referring to death as peaceable, but rather the idea of a world in which children do not know that same suffering that shaped your early life.

（ he does find death as a concept to be peaceful, but it is not a belief he expects others to share. when you have longed for something so long, its embrace is a relief. ）

[ he frowns briefly. had he? it feels itachi revealed more of himself than erik had expected him to. a peaceful death. there had been a certain element of that, but erik had never feared or sought death. he simply recognized it as an ending. a loss is a loss and he's not a sore loser.

and he wouldn't let t'challa put chains on him. ]

Nah, my stuff's more to do with passing along resources. Equity. Restructuring governments and systems that prey on the weak.

Yes, but my point is that doing such a thing is a form of creating peace, given the role iniquity plays in conflict.

（ he looks down at the gifts in his lap. odd things, like little snapshots of how he is perceived by others here. goth, erik had said. he has never cared what people call him or what labels they choose to assign — he has alternatively been arrogant, a genius, a traitor, a clan-killer, a monster, and any number of other words that carry only the meaning others give them. he has worn them all in various measures.

he picks up the bottle of polish to study its color under the light. perhaps later he will touch up his battered nails. ）

Thus my question. Though it appears we perceive the nature of peace differently.

[ it's a dangerous line of thinking. one erik could feasibly admit to. after all, there's structural violence and there's the violence and extremism you use to counter it. ultimately, it's all just violence. violence is power. it can pave the way. pretending otherwise is . . . pointless.

still, he's not sure he could ever say it would have paved a way to peace. and he hadn't been looking for that. ]

Looks that way. But I've never been big on peace, I guess. It's a fine ideal but seems a bit too unrealistic.

It depends on the sort you are seeking.

（ he does not think humans will ever live side-by-each without being driven occasionally to war. it is not their nature. even if he had a thousand years, and full and free use of kotoamatsukami, it would only ever be a stopgap. ）

Hatred and cruelty are immutable facets of humanity. If peace is to be found, it must be in the moments between them.

[ he wonders about that. he hates the system and the people who blindly follow or enrich themselves through it, but hating humanity? all of them? he's not sure he's capable of that.

before that question would have been muted. now though. ]

Is that what you're looking for? Peace, free from the stuff you did before?

（ his gaze cuts upwards, settles on erik. the only man besides shikamaru to know to avoid his eyes — although the mangekyō does not require it, there are precious few alive who know that fact. ）

What is it you believe I've done?

[ that draws on a low chuckle. ]

Buddy. What haven't we done?

There is no 'we'.

（ it isn't said defensively, or angrily. it's just simple fact. they are not alike, and itachi is not one to seek out a sense of camaraderie. ）

Point stands, Mr. Pedantic.

[ he meant we in the most general sense instead of itachi and erik, but go figure. he wonders if itachi realizes how much he reveals in these instances. ]

（ words mean things, erik!! itachi's scrutiny lasts on him another heartbeat and then slants away as one of the other members of the crew enters the far side of the common room. he watches them for a moment as they hunt for their stocking, and then, idly: ）

Then, to answer your question — no. I am not looking for either of those things.

OPEN ● ● ● Every Christmas is Last Christmas

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cw: suicidal ideations

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