R1 DEADLAND

[lockdownmods]

[it’s strange, for the people who were already dead, the shift in scenery is sudden and complete. For those who have just arrived? It’s like you’re back where you left?

How strange.

But if you ever need her, you can always reach out to the guardian of this place.]

LOCATIONS
Note: locations lag a week behind the living counterparts

Comments

Happy Birthday to Yuuki (Mingle!!)

[starswink]

[Saturday's breakfast is a bit "fancier" than it's been all of the week that Yoosung's started, because Mishima made a request and it happens to be his birthday, so of course he's going to make them coincide. So you can find him in the morning making sweet crepes in all of the suggested flavors - strawberry (which will be the best crepes for their simplicity), chestnut cream (kinda good), and sweet potato (not so good, but Yoosung tried.) He's also made some stuffed with ground beef and egg for the carnivores. Everyone gets a crepe!

Then later in the afternoon, Yoosung will nudge people towards the simulation room - which may seem extremely redundant at this point, but hey, it's still the only part of the landscape they can control directly. Outside of the actual simulation chamber, there's a plate with a deeply purple cake, and cans of grape fanta (there is a correlation.) The frosting is just vanilla with food coloring, swirled on at the ends - amateurish but still fairly cute, even if the whole concept clearly came from the craven mind of a college boy. And of course, candles. After much debate, they went with 17.

As for what's IN the simulation? Why, an RPG Quest of course. Pick a class, fight some monsters, get some treasure! The setting is a number of randomly-generated dungeons to explore in a mysterious kingdom. It's very pretty, there's lots of flowers. Yoosung likes flowers, don't judge. He worked pretty hard on this thing!]

god clearly i need to eventually make multiple threads for this but first CREPES

[supportrole]

[ It's probably a little ironic that the most exciting birthday Mishima has had in years is only happening after he's dead. In his first and third years of middle school, some of the jerks in his class had used the day to bully him even more than normal; he only got a free pass the second year because it had fallen on a Sunday. By high school, he'd made sure not to even let anyone know when it was.

Here, though, he has more friends -- or at least people who probably have somewhat positive feelings about him -- than he ever did back home (as sad as that is, and which is also a little ironic, considering why he's here). So in contrast to the recent years of keeping his head down, this time he went out of his way to let everyone know that this was his day, even if it isn't technically the 6211th day of his existence. (Okay, yeah, maybe he did have an ulterior motive with that calendar. So sue him.)

And he has enough faith in his closest friend here that for once, he feels free to just be excited about it, without the usual dread of disappointment lingering in the back of his mind.

Arriving at the cafeteria that morning and the wandering into the kitchen confirms that his faith wasn't misplaced. ]

Oh man. You're seriously making all of them?

CREPES ARE PRIORITY HERE!

[starswink]

[Yoosung waves when he enters, looking up from the batter he's spreading out thin to meet Yuuki's wide eyes. It feels good to see him so excited... Yoosung is taking his role of party planner seriously, but he's rarely done that kind of thing on his own. He puffs his chest out just a little, proud as he explains.]

Well I'm not so shy about asking for ingredients now that I know they're just made here! And it's still breakfast for everyone too, so might as well make a variety, right?

[He doesn't mean to downplay that he's doing something special for his friend though. Because he's being counted on here, and that's important.]

But... you also left your birthday preparations to me. I want you to be really happy today, hehe.

[supportrole]

[ That is true... they can't exactly waste resources when none of this stuff actually exists in the first place, so maybe they can afford to be a little greedier than they have been so far. That said, it's not the number of ingredients he's awed by here so much as the effort going into making them all!

And-- while it's not like it's any surprise at all that Yoosung wants him to be happy, it's kind of nice to hear someone give voice to that sentiment today. ]

Thanks. [ Smiling, he runs his hand through his hair, still a little messier than usual this early in the morning. ] It's... kind of been a while since I had one I was looking forward to like this, so I really appreciate it.

[ He can feel a bit of color rising in his cheeks, and he quickly shakes his head, as if that would successfully chase it away. ]

And I'm sure everyone else will too! I mean, this is a pretty awesome breakfast compared to the usual stuff.

[starswink]

[Aw, his bedhead is so fluffy! Yoosung's seen it before when they had a sleepover, but it's just endearing. If Yuuki wasn't already touching his own head, and if Yoosung wasn't busy cooking, maybe he'd reach out and ruffle it like an older brother after he confided that to him. He kinda gets it - he's felt lonely like that, too. But it still pulls on his heartstrings to know that his other birthdays, when he was still living, might have been significantly worse than this. He's exactly who Rika would say needed a magician of happiness, isn't he? That must be why Yoosung feels so gratified about becoming his friend and making his whole face glow with excitement. (He noticed it looks the same as it did when they were excited...)]

Haha... well, we'll see about that! I've never made crepes before, so I hope the taste is all right. I'm giving it my all.

[This crepe is finished cooking, so onto a plate it goes! Now he just has to fill it.]

What kind do you want?

[supportrole]

I mean, you haven't made anything bad since you've been cooking here, so I wouldn't be too worried.

[ He's not expecting a professional crepe stand product here anyway, and even if they do manage to turn out bad, he's not going to be any less grateful. Thought counts more than crepe quality!

That said, it looks pretty good when it slides onto his plate! ]

Hmm... Maybe chestnut? It's the first day of autumn too, so that seems like kind of a good way to kick it off.

[starswink]

Oh, you think? [He beams, totally flattered. Yoosung knows his cooking is hit-or-miss, but if they were all hits for someone then maybe he doesn't have to angst about the implications of being coded for imperfection.]

Yeah, that's true! Like I said, we gotta feel the seasons whatever way we can get~ [Though when he said that earlier, they were not aware that there could literally be no true changing seasons here...

Anyway, he takes the little bowl of the chestnut cream and spoons some into the middle of the crepe. The texture may be a bit too nutty, since he wasn't sure how long to puree the chestnuts or to mix them with the heavy cream. But overall it should still be sweet and tasty.

For all of the crepes, he has a little bit of powdered sugar to dust it with after he's finished folding it up. He also thought chocolate syrup would go well with either the strawberry or the chestnut, so he'll ask him if he wants some and if so, drizzle it on in the shape of a smiley face just like he'd do with the ketchup on omurice.]

There! Is that good?

[supportrole]

[ To be perfectly fair, Mishima doesn't exactly have high standards or a lot of strong opinions when it comes to food, so it's pretty easy to keep things out of the "miss" column for him, whether they're legitimate hits or not. But if his evaluation makes Yoosung happy, the details probably don't really matter!

He'll just take a little bit of chocolate drizzle on this one, since the chestnut flavor is kind of subtle already and he doesn't want to mask it too much. He'll go all out with it whenever he tries a strawberry one, though.

It's definitely different having breakfast crepes on a plate with a fork like this, compared to the fancy rolled-up ones you get at stands and carry around. But the flavor is similar, and it's obviously warm and fresh! ]

Mm-- Yeah, it is!

[ Sure, the filling could stand to be a little creamier, but he won't complain. ]

You want to try it and see how it turned out?

[ Cuts off a little piece and holds out fork? ]

[starswink]

Oh, sure. [Yoosung will definitely be cooking a lot more of these before he stops to eat some himself, so he's grateful for the little sample - and Yoosung lives in the moment enough that he just leans over and takes the bite straight off the fork in his hand.]

Mmm - good! [He backs off then, placing a hand on his cheek happily after he gets it down. He thinks the taste is fine too... Although, there are tears in his heart when he remembers that sharing food in quite this way is totally more what he'd imagined happening with his girlfriend than in the afterlife with his younger guy friend.... but this is not the time to make things weird, so he's just going to sweep that thought under the rug and retreat back behind the counter. More importantly, he's let the crepe linger on his palate and he should think about it.]

Hmm. Still, I wonder if it would help if I whipped the cream more...

[He can just try whisking this until someone else comes in or Mishima wants a strawberry one. Then again, maybe he just wants to stay busy.]

[supportrole]

Maybe, it's not quite as smooth as the stuff I've had before. Still tastes really good, though!

[ As Mishima brings the fork back to his mouth for another bite, he briefly pauses at the realization that this is technically going to be kind of an indirect kiss. But-- well, that doesn't count if it's with another guy, he's pretty sure, even if it is the first one.

So he takes that bite, and enjoys it. ]

Oh! Actually, speaking of whipped cream, if we have just the regular kind, that would be pretty good as an extra topping.

ota

[donotlick]

[ Let's honestly just assume Hank is at every one of these "free food" events because he knows what he's about. Hank is there for crepes if anyone wants to bother him, but he's gonna hit up the birthday party because cake!! This cake looks weird as hell but Hank loves fruity shit so once he takes a bite and gets that familiar taste of grape fanta he's...... actually totally happy. ]

Shit, this is good.

[ Gross!!! Make pineapple next time and he'll lose it. ]

Guess we're doing the birthday thing, huh? Happy birthday, kid.

[starswink]

Hehe. I put the soda in the cake! I'm glad my experiment turned out well.

[Mishima hasn't minded any of his cooking experiments in the past so he felt bold enough to try them even for his birthday. If nothing else he figured the result would be lively. This cake turned out to be pretty crumbly, and the food coloring might rub off on your tongue. Yoosung's satisfied enough with his one slice.]

[donotlick]

That's what it is, huh? Thought it was kinda fruity.

[ But Hank loves all junk food, he is eating it up. ]

What made you go with grape? This his favorite flavor or something?

[starswink]

Maybe. I always see him drinking this soda. I figured he would think it's fun and special... Yuuki likes it when people pay attention to him.

[Though this may seem like a kind of basic thing, it's really true in this case...]

[donotlick]

Well, ain't that sweet.

[ Hank smirks. He ships it. ]

Real nice of you to pay attention like that.

[starswink]

[That's such a dad smirk. Why is he teasing him!?]

I'm not doing it to be nice~! It's just that...

[He pauses, having to think about how to put it.]

...Well, there's a lot of crappy adults who let him down. I want to look out for him and be a better one for him to depend on. Like I was his sunbae if this was real college, you know?

[sunbae is basically senpai]

[donotlick]

Sure you are.

[ That's what dads do, Yoosung. I'm sorry. I'm also sorry about this: ]

His "sunbae" huh? Is that like a step up from regular bae?

[starswink]

Fff-

[Yoosung picked the wrong moment to take a sip of his fanta. He's choking now. Cough...!!]

I-It's just someone with more experience! Like your upperclassman or your senior coworker!

[Yoosung's whining, maybe a little too much. He shouldn't make jokes about that, but well, he chuckles a little anyway. Maybe it's... nerves.]

I really don't know what he'd think about having a guy like me as his 'bae,' regular or otherwise. Bae is kind of an embarrassing term...

[donotlick]

Ohhh, gotcha. Hey, don't choke, kid.

[ Mmmhmm, sure. Sure. ]

Pet names in general aren't really my style, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who like that shit. You never know...

[supportrole]

[ because look at these fucking radiant lovingly drawn fanta cans ]

[donotlick]

[ This explains everything ]

[supportrole]

Oh! Thanks.

[ He wasn't really expecting Hank to show up to this, but that's cool? Honestly, he's just happy that people have shown up at all, and it's pretty obvious on his face. He never had an event centered on him like this when he was alive. ]

Yeah, I ended up just going with seventeen, even if it's technically a little late.

[donotlick]

[ Hank is here for the free food and also because a weird part of him can't stop wanting to make sure all the kids are doing ok. Don't tell anyone about the last part, though. ]

Yeah, guess it beats having to do the math and adjusting, huh? Seventeen ain't a bad year.

[supportrole]

I'm not sure about that, but it's off to a better start this time than it was the first time, at least.

[ Despite being dead this time. ]

The cake's pretty good, right? Apparently you can actually just use a can of soda in place of the eggs and stuff.

[donotlick]

[ Hank chuckles. ]

Shit, that bad?

[ I mean yeah, you're dead now, dude. Yikes. ]

I gotta say, I never would've thought of it, but it's damn good.

[ If it's unhealthy, Hank likes it. ]