event } you're never gonna fit in much, kid.

[seeingyou]

WHO: Open to all passengers.
WHAT: Teen time!
WHERE: Anywhere on Navi.
WHEN: The next two weeks (Sept. 11-25).
WARNINGS: Add these to your comment subject lines as needed! And if your teen angst includes a body count, please report it on the death page.

When Navi wanders through this particular nebular cloud, you may find yourself feeling sleepy. Wouldn’t a nap be fantastic right now? Of course it would be. Treat yourself - you deserve it.

When you wake, however … that’s perhaps less of a treat. Where are you? (Or maybe who are you?) How did you get here? And why, when you look in the mirror, do you look so much older than you remember?

Comments

Richard Strand | The Black Tapes

[imarealistnotacynic]

Richard Strand as an adult sleeps curled in on himself. He cuddles, wraps himself around his partner. As a teenager he sprawled, secure in his own safety because he didn't have a wife or a girlfriend or a daughter to be responsible for. That's how Richard has fallen asleep - waking up before panicking.

He's always been gangly. He looked like some uncle his mother told him about. All glasses and knobby knees. Staggering into the bathroom - a bathroom - and staring at himself in the mirror he...

He looks like his father. He's filled out and he's got the old man's beard. Pulling at it he's got - gray. Gray in his beard and gray at his temples and when he went to bed he was 16. Sure he'd gone to bed late, worrying about mother did that - but she wasn't here. This wasn't his room he was just here with a really creepy painting and-

At least all of his clothes fit, even if none of this stuff is stuff he'd actually wear. Settling on the only flannel and trying to digest every ache and pain in this...altered body before slipping out the door.

In the cafeteria

Richard Strand mentally is a 16 year old boy and he's trying to adjust to being what his mother called a bottomless pit to being an adult - and not just an adult but an old adult.

So he's made what looks like an absolutely hideous burger smothered in bacon and cheese and bacon cheese fries and Richard Strand senior would vomit if he saw it but Richie digs in, watching other people warily.

When he does spot somebody he looks uncomfortable before wiping his face.

"-ugh. Am I not-" chewing noises, "Am I not supposed to take the food?"

Around the Ship

Richie is either staring out the window or just running his hands along the hallway before grinning at the nearest person.

"Can you believe it?! It's like star trek! a real space ship!"

around the ship!

[misterbrekker]

The recent nightmares had lead to Kaz withdrawing and making himself scarce around the ship, but ever since the ice thawed and the hallucinations calmed down he's been surfacing more often. Things had returned to normal, right?

Currently, he's making his way down the same hallway Richard Strand is running his hands along, his cane tapping an uneven rhythm as he makes his way towards the observation room. His eyes shoot a sideways glance at the other man, but otherwise he doesn't seem interested in acknowledging him at all, content to continue about minding his own business. Indeed, as Richie starts talking, Kaz doesn't even break stride, continuing for a couple steps until something brings him to a stop.

He has no idea what star trek is, and frankly doesn't care, but something about the man's excitement strikes him as off. They haven't formally met yet, but Kaz has a knack for remembering faces, and he's pretty sure this is one that's been here at least since he got here. Has it taken him this long to puzzle out they were on a ship? As Kaz glances at the man, he quirks a curious brow, not bothering to try and soften his unimpressed and humorless expression.

"You don't say."

yee

[imarealistnotacynic]

"I do." Richard straightens and grins, "Listen I signed the petition. I loved Kirk and Spock. Not that weird...writing stuff but I liked seeing the zines and stuff. My father didn't like me reading them but Wayne would bust them out occasionally and they were engaging..."

He pauses, "...Wait. I apologize." He straightens, "I'm Richard Strand. It's nice to meet you."

Fingers crossed the guy doesn't notice a tremor in his fingers about all of this. He's a giant and he's old the past day he was 16 and stressing out about his mother, trying to think of something to do to help her.

It occurs to him then that this might be a dream. Like the dreams of Bobby. He'd babysat the boy like, twice but he haunted him every single night, pointing into the distance, looking heartbroken.

A shadow crosses Richard's face, but he plasters a smile on.

Around the ship

[albatrossomen]

"A what?"

It's a window by the time Murmur comes upon him, and while he does have to admit the view is fantastic he's much more intrigued by what the human is wearing. So far they were all dressed very strange, they spoke strange, they used strange words. Everything about this was distressing but perhaps the worst part of it all was the silence. And that he couldn't leave. Both of those were equally upsetting.

Not that... he even understood being upset. He walked a little strange when he approached the window and the man, like he didn't quite know how to make legs work properly. Fortunately he was a fast learner but it was still taking some practice.

"Do you know what's happening here?"

This human seemed to have an idea, maybe he had answers.

Re: Around the ship

[imarealistnotacynic]

"I got shanghai'd onto a space ship." Richard looks over and cocks an eyebrow, "I mean- there's more to it I think but are you okay?"

He catches that wobble. Turning to study the angel he cocks his head, "I think this is a dream. Maybe. I mean I'm old and I'm not ...this old. No matter what anybody says."

He gestures, "It's ...a really realistic dream." It's not. Somehow he knows it's not. But he missed out on a whole life if that's the case and he doesn't want to face that quite yet."

cafeteria!

[dealwiththe]

"You can take whatever food you like, as far as I'm concerned," Lucifer says casually, strolling in wearing black silk boxers and a matching robe over an expanse of bare chest. He's here to raid the fridge a bit, as well, though the food he picks out is mostly finger food, which he's piling on a plate.

"Work up an appetite did you? Finally worked through that UST with Alex?"

The innuendo is clear. Lucifer is oblivious to any change - after all, it's not like he knows Strand intimately. As far as he can tell, it's just, well. Richard Strand.

Re: cafeteria!

[imarealistnotacynic]

First. What? Second, Richard swallows his sandwich and blinks at the other man before setting it down carefully. What is UST - and who - more importantly - is Alex.

"I. No." Work through implies partner. So wait on this ghost death unreal space ship I'm seeing somebody? "I mean not yet. We're close though and I was just-starving I suppose."

He snorts, "We can't all be you." Dressed like that, presumably hanging out with beautiful people, "Hugh Hefner."

For Simon.

[imarealistnotacynic]

Richard Strand has achieved one of the few comfortable shirts his adult self has and a dark red flannel. He's also hungover. Like really hungover.

It might be because he had nightmares. Really bad nightmares. Nightmares about a song. Nightmares about a boy screaming his name in the woods. He's sitting in front of the fire and he's being watched. If he turns he'll see the real shadows. They'll devour him. Eat him.

The second something passes him he lets out a whimpering sob.

"Not so loud please. Please Mister." He'd dragged himself here for coffee and maybe something bread-shaped because that's how you solve this. Only he's been frozen with a flannel shirt over his head.

[bilocates]

Simon had been trying to dodge people to the best of his ability, but restricting the amount he was reaching out and bilocating made that harder. Which meant, inevitably, he'd not be able to dodge Richard Strand forever.

Simon walked almost silently, so when Richard freaked out he had to pause. Looming like a creaking and bent tree he seemed to study him intently.

"What's wrong with you?"

Not exactly the nicest way to address him.

Murmur | OTA

[albatrossomen]

Awakening:

If there's one thing Murmur's learned on this voyage thus far it's that he is not as impervious as he once believed. Things that he didn't think could affect him do, the link with Navi and the other passengers a rather persistent reminder that even he couldn't escape the inconvenient whims of a chaotic universe taking the piss out of him. Even when he knew it was coming. Perhaps especially when he knew it was coming.

And that was why, uncharacteristically, he'd retired to his own cabin for the "rest hours." When it hit, he didn't want to risk putting Jack in danger just in case he mistook her for a threat.

That would later prove to be a wise decision. Upon waking, trapped in a foreign vessel, hearing no songs of the Choirs nor the Word, he panicked. When Murmur panics he does one of two things: First he will attempt to flee, given that he quickly found he could not do that the second course of action was to encase himself and the entire room in ice. After a time of that failing to solve any of his problems or questions he finally managed to stumble his way out into the hallway in a flurry of over-sized awkward wings and feathers skittering across his own ice flow.

This is fine.

Exploring:

The whole physical body thing was still proving to be a dreadful hindrance. Humans either had too many limbs or too few and Murmur wasn't entirely which was the case. Either way, attempting to pilot this monkey suit was very much like one of those old VR games where the controls barely worked, the camera didn't seem to be put in the correct position, and for whatever reason your person wasn't able to step over a small stone or low shrub. To put it bluntly, he was poorly optimized.

This resulted in a man staggering through the hallways very awkwardly as he tried to brute force learning to walk on two legs. It was working in a manner of speaking, but definitely looked weird. He'd put away the wings once he realized they really weren't helping with balance but don't worry, they'll probably show up again at any time.

Mostly he can be found either with a hand on the wall staring up at the ceiling in a mixture of confusion and wonder. Or staring out a window somewhere as if searching the stars might give some answers. However, if he spots another living soul he might just approach. Surely someone must have some answers.

awakening, because the possibility of round 2 of their first meeting is too good

[dealwiththe]

And for better or worse, he stumbles nearly into one (1) man-shaped Devil. It's a good thing he paused in the hall to momentarily adjust his cuffs before continuing, otherwise he might be caught on the ice as well. Wouldn't that be embarrassing.

"What's happened to you?" he asks casually, raising his eyebrows at his fellow angel. "Bad dreams? Don't tell me you're molting or something."

Mahzian is having a no good very bad day

[albatrossomen]

You know what would make being stuck in a monkey body you don't know how to work even worse? Being stuck in that body and running into the Devil Himself.

Murmur freezes... or he would if he weren't still slipping around on the ice rink of his own foolish creation. So instead he attempts to freeze and instead just slams awkwardly into a wall with one wing flailing rather uselessly.

"You!" Oh no, oh what does he do? This is definitely bad, worst spot to be in. Is this Hell? No of course it's not hell, but what is it? "Are you responsible for this?" Given that he's absolutely not exactly in fighting form maybe he could just... ask? He could just ask.

For Mur!

[imarealistnotacynic]

Richie is drunk.

Okay maybe not that drunk (no. He is drunk.) He knows he needs to find something to eat but staggering around and grinning at people - he can do that he's an adult and he had to have a lot because his body's an adult body.

That is...disconcerting. He shouldn't be that used to drinking. His life must not be entirely ...perfect.

Which is disconcerting. Spotting the angel however he points.

"Hey. Angel. I have a question. Does God suck?"

[albatrossomen]

Oh he's definitely drunk, Mahzian could smell him from across the ship. So much so that when Richard approached he couldn't help but scrunch his nose in mild distaste. There wasn't much more expression going on there, a kind of blank emotionless stare as he watched the strange mon-human approach him.

After their last altercation he was inclined to ignore the strange hairless ape, but with a starter like that.


He whirled on Richard, and while he didn't raise his voice there was a distinct and sharp drop in temperature. Something, almost like anger flickered across those strangely blank features of his.

"I would mind my tone, monkey." He hissed softly.

Alex Reagan | The Black Tapes Podcast | OTA

[11calls]

Pre event, extremely late night, closed to Kaz.

Despite how Alex was currently dividing her time between the two cats who passed as men in her life (because she definitely is a dog person surrounded by cats) it doesn't mean that she sleeps particularly easily. Or much most nights, honestly. At some point, she's really going to need to like talk to Murmur about blessing her room again, but considering she's doing this to help keep Simon connected to his body, then it would be counterproductive to do it at the moment. Demons and angels didn't really get along at the best of times and this isn't that.

But it being a Simon night means that Alex is on the fourth floor and not the sixth, which means that it's definitely far more convenient to head to the kitchens in order to make some tea. Granted, she's straight up drank weed tea and it hadn't helped and she hates chamomile but there's something about the ritual that helps to soothe Alex's nerves. Padding barefoot into the kitchen wearing an oversized t-shirt over a pair of shorts, she moves to fill the kettle before asking the other person in the kitchen: "do you want a cup of tea?" It's only polite, considering she's making a cup for herself.

The first morning: Closed to Simon.
So the first thing that Alex notices on waking up is how tired she still feels. It hadn't been that late when she went to bed, and she always sleeps like the dead for a while, but right now it feels like she hasn't slept at all. Not only does it feel like she hasn't slept but when she wakes up places on her ache as if she'd like pulled a muscle or something in her neck. Fumbling one hand out for her glasses, the first thing that Alex notices is that they are definitely not the right shape. Alex's glasses are definitely not as round as these ones are, but considering that these are the only ones that she finds, she shoves them onto her face anyway and is relieved when they actually bring an extremely blurry world into focus.

Of course, that's just the sight of the world--the actual world itself doesn't make any sense whatsoever. The room isn't hers, and like there is definitely a boy who is in a bed above her and Alex is laying on a mattress on the floor in a room that she doesn't know. "Uh...." It's not the most articulate thing that she's ever said, but somehow, 'what the fuck' doesn't seem like the best idea at the moment.

The observatory: OTA

Uh. This is just way too weird. All of it's way too weird, but somehow being in space is even weirder than not being in the right body, so thus Alex finds herself in the observatory. Well, the observatory-come-piano bar, and yes, Alex is definitely going to be partaking of that, thank you very much. Dressed in simple jeans and a t-shirt (because who the hell wears a blazer or cardigan and scarf in outer space) Alex is currently sitting on one of the chairs cross-legged. She's got a glass of clear stuff in one hand, and when she sips it, Alex's face just shifts upwards and she coughs as if her throat is currently on fire which it feels like it is. Sputtering she just asks: "how do people drink this straight?" Because Alex Reagan until now has only drunk hard stuff in the form of jungle-juice like concoctions and koolaid.

OTA SPACE

[imarealistnotacynic]

Richie has seen naked ladies since arriving and also cute girls and his father isn't here. It's a shame Wayne isn't but then it'd be weird. Unless Wayne got old too.

And he was old. Looking at his face was upsetting. the first few days but now he looks distingiushed. He's getting used to it.

So when he sees the woman closer to his age well he could talk to her.

"What are you drinking?" Says the professor looking guy in a black shirt, flannel, and jeans. Throw in glasses and a salt and pepper beard he looks like s professor going through a mid life crisis.

[11calls]

For a moment, Alex just blinked at him, and then she looked around as if to determine that she was the one the man was actually speaking to. He's old, he looks almost as old as her dad and it takes her a minute to realize that she doesn't look like the sixteen year old that she is back home. She looks like someone who is older than that so it's really not that weird that he was talking to her.

Clearing her throat, Alex put on a smile that was a little shy. "I think it's supposed to be vodka. Vodka is the clear one, right?"

First morning

[bilocates]

This whole shared sleeping arrangement thing was strange, even if it did work to stop Simon from doing his bilocating to stalk thing. Whether or not that was improving his link to the world they know as "real" or not was still uncertain. At least he didn't feel stretched as taffy-thin as he had before.

Of course, fate was never so kind as to let anyone attempt to heal unhindered.

Initially Simon intended to stay in bed a little longer. It wasn't like he had anything pressing to do right now and for once he was actually almost sleeping comfortably. Almost. But Alex's confusion coupled with her unusually spoken greeting prodded him awake. He stirred, rolling over just enough to squint at her in the dim of the artificial light.

"Something wrong?" He muttered irritably. You know where the bathroom is Alex, why is this suddenly weird?

[11calls]

Alex is just going to stare at the boy for a minute. He seems her age and he's cute but also that doesn't answer the question about what she's doing here. Staring at him in the thin light is hard, but Alex is going to keep doing it as she tries to find her words. Whatever else, he doesn't sound Canadian: he sounds American and finding herself in a boy's room is definitely weird enough without the American accent. God, her dad is going to kill her and that's not counting what her mom is going to do. Shit. Shit.

"Shit." She finally says it aloud as she draws her knees up to her chest, and Alex is both surprised and annoyed that they seem to creak. Did she get hurt? Was that what happened and that's why she doesn't know where she is. And then there's a quick utterance because Alex's jumping to conclusion is always present even if it doesn't have her normal rightness attached to it because she's not had the experience to develop it yet. Sorry Simon. Her hand brushes to her head, and her hair is longer than normal and what the hell is happening.

"Did like I have an accident or something? Did I just wake up from a coma?" Cause Alex isn't clear thinking enough that someone in a coma wouldn't be sleeping on the floor of someone's bedroom. Her accent is way more pronounced than it normally is because she's not had the years to file most of it away (even if some of it still sticks around.)

tea time

[misterbrekker]

Kaz was still young, but he had plenty of time to develop piss poor sleeping habits. A lot of it stemmed from living on the streets of the Barrel at a young age, where if you stopped to rest too long in one place, you wound up robbed or killed. From there, it merely manifested naturally from his choice of career, where to stay ahead you had to operate at odd hours. Overall, he had a bad habit of going until he sat down in his office at the Slat or on his bed and sleep simply took him.

One would think that being removed from the dangers and distractions of home, he would find ample amount of time to pass by sleeping, but they'd be wrong. If anything, the lack of distraction and opportunity only made him feel even more restless, and that's why Alex finds him in the kitchen at this odd hour. He's still fully dressed, wearing his tailored suit complete with tie and gloves, not even bothering to entertain the idea of sleep just yet. He wears sleep deprivation well, though there is a distant weariness present if someone were observant enough to look for it.

When she wanders into the kitchen, he's standing at the counter with his cane propped against the shelf near his leg and his hands pressed against the countertop to help brace himself and keep the weight off his bad leg. He shoots her a cursory glance as she makes her way into the kitchen and comes closer, but otherwise doesn't move or say anything until she offers him tea. Admittedly, he's not used to people being so polite. Not unless they want something.

"I'll pass," came the short reply, the sleep deprivation making the rough texture of his voice the slightest bit more abrasive, and the faintest hint of suspicion in his glance. As polite as everyone else had been so far, it still hadn't rubbed off on him to at least say thank you.

[11calls]

At this time of night, the wear and tear of Alex's longstanding battle with insomnia is evident. Time and necessity had made her very good at the strategic application of makeup, but in the middle of the night it's not something that she bothers with. Both of the people who's rooms she's staying in know all about it (and honestly are the cause of probably ninety percent of it between the two of them even if it wasn't their faults that it does) so there's nothing to hide from them even if she wanted too. The purple below her eyes has improved since she'd been here, thankfully but at this point it would probably never go away. She still doesn't sleep enough.

But if there's one thing that Alex Reagan has gotten very good at over the past three years, it's dealing with people who are assholes who have no manners--particularly men. So his rudeness doesn't faze her because at this point Alex always expects it. The lateness of the hour only means that it fazes her even less than normal. While she's waiting for the kettle to boil, her eyes don't leave him however and Alex is very good at reading people considering the time that she's spent as a reporter. She can see the exhaustion in him, and she understands the reasons why someone would be that tired but still dressed.

"Do you want some coffee?" There's no judgment in the question/offer, just an acknowledgement of the fact that people may have good reason for being awake in the middle of the night, even in space where they have no jobs or whatever. "I can make it in the French press. Best way to have coffee." Is Alex a coffee snob? Oh you bet she is!

piano bar, DUH

[dealwiththe]

Don't mind him, Alex, he's just sitting himself at the piano, fingers caressing the keys for a moment before he slides into something slow and jazzy, just for fun. Lucifer is as comfortable at the piano as he is anywhere, clearly more interested in the music than his audience, though eventually he does respond, not missing a note:

"That's why gin isn't usually my drink of choice." Indeed, the glass he set on the piano has amber-colored liquid in it. "A good whiskey is always best."

Ella Lopez | Lucifer | OTA

[anormie]

Space!

So, this is cool, they were on a space ship or she'd finally lost her mind as her abuela and brothers had always insisted that she would. Honestly, Ella wouldn't mind as long as she could stay here and didn't find herself waking up in a mental hospital or something. While this place lacked the seediness of Quark's Bar and the Whoopi Goldberg of Ten Forward, it was still a bar in space. Ella definitely has filched a bottle of what she hopes is tequila. Not only does she have a bottle of tequila, Ella is also smoking a joint without care. She's not going to argue with someone about it, she's just going to do it whatever the consequence's.

Breaking in: OTA will happen multiple times.

Ella as a teenager is definitely vastly different that the older woman who's body she inhabits is. Most of it comes from the way that her family is, especially her brothers. She boosts cars and steals things and definitely commits more than a few breaking and entering crimes. So as cool as waking up in space happened to be, Ella definitely is going to be trying to get into the locked cabins. She's pinched stuff from the garden and the kitchen already, and she's definitely trying a lock on a random door. "Come on baby," Ella coos the words, her focus entirely on the lock. "Open up for me. Come on."

ella fucks around and finds out... in a fun way

[dealwiththe]

Lucifer has found a number of new favorite things lately, most of them relating to the Detective. One of those things is lying in bed, awake, while she sleeps, so he can just sort of watch her. But not in a creepy way, just in a lovesick puppy kind of way.

Also her snoring makes it tough to sleep sometimes, so there's that.

Anyway, that's why he's awake when the little scritches and clicks start happening at the door, so he slides out of bed and throws a robe over his shoulders to answer it.

"Miss Lopez?" The robe is just hanging off his shoulders, not covering anything, really, so it's a good thing the world's greatest forensic scientist has already seen his junk that one time at the nudist colony, and that she's not a teenager...woops. "Is there something you need? Why are you breaking into our room?"

Luckily, Chloe is still sound asleep, and mostly covered by blankets, so she's just a mess of dark blonde hair in the background.

Breaking in

[imarealistnotacynic]

Richie is asleep, dead to the world with one of the books in his hand when he hears something at the door.

It jolts him awake because scratches on doors always do that. They'd do that when he was a child, they'd do that when Cheryl would crawl into his room crying that there was something out there.

He could face it this time. He could face it. So he creeps out of bed, wraps the blanket around himself, before he pulls on the door knob heedless of who might be on the other side.

"...Hey!-Hey? Hey...?"

He frowns down at Ella, "are you lost?"