Movie Night!

[actualwizard]

Who: Anyone who wants to come watch Dinosaur movies
Where: The Movie Theater, Fourth Floor
When: Friday April 8th, 8pm
Rating: PG-13 for Raptors
Summary: Jurassic Park Movie Night
The Story:



As soon as people start showing up in the theater, a gentle song begins playing in the background. They will see the obvious screen on the back wall, but what's more, the seating is surrounded by prehistoric foliage. And in that foliage, stands a hand full of herbivorous dinosaurs. They seem to be grazing on the vegetation without a care in the world. If someone reaches out to touch, the holograms will destabilize as their hand passes right through them only to form back together once the disruption is gone. Even the vegetation seems to be a holographic projection along with the imitated grass floor and night sky. In the four corners of the room, set into the ceiling, are small domes that flicker ever so slightly as they cast and regulate the projections. The occasional T-Rex roar will echo in the background of the music, making the small herd of Parasaurolophus look up with a fright, then lower their heads back down.

The lights dim and the movie begins, the noise surrounding the holograms quiets as to not interrupt from the movies, only to return during the short breaks between films.

If you stray over to the refreshments table, thick brush and tall grass will conceal a deadly pair of raptors lurking. Appropriately themed snacks are set up on the table, including a few sweet treats courtesy of Darcy (including jello shots).

Occasionally, an unwary snacker will come to a fright as one or both of said hunters will pop out of the grass with a sharp, chittering cry. Lucky for the unfortunate victim, the jumpscare is all there is to worry about. The tricky little raptors will slink back down into the grass and lie in wait for their next victim. Don't spill your popcorn, its just an illusion.

You're welcome.

Comments

[fatherlesskind]

[She really hadn't realised that? Well, a lot of people do seem to think Thedas sounds weird. Maybe most other people come from more similar places. Alistair shrugs and grins, waving the matter aside airily.]

It's not so bad. Being able to have hot water whenever I want it is almost worth the kidnapping. And I really like the magic boxes. It would be handy back home to be able to talk to people who aren't there.

[Without relying on letters that can take weeks or longer to arrive. But despite her comment about Wonderland not being that different from the place she just came from, with the way she talks about humans and everything it seems like that's not her home so-]

So what's your home-home like?

[And look, look! He's still behaving himself! This is interesting and she hasn't called him dumb again so maybe she's alright after all.]

[slapfight]

[magic... boxes?? oh he must mean the communicators. golly, he really isn't from earth. that changes everything about her research on the humans in this place.

that question is a powderkeg of various feelings, however, and she glances to the side with a haughty expression that seems to be covering up a great deal of sadness. she's a terrible liar.] It's... organized. Everything fits together neatly and everyone knows what they're meant to do. Every gem is made for a specific purpose to further the Gempire and serve our Diamonds.

It was uncomplicated.

[fatherlesskind]

[Now he feels bad. Alistair knows what it's like to miss home and there's plenty of people from Thedas in Wonderland that he can talk to if he gets homesick. Has he seen anyone else who looks like Peridot though?]

Ah- [Her description reminds him of what he's heard of the qunari. Everyone having a role to fulfill, one that is assigned to them. It doesn't seem as terrible as the Chantry had led him to believe growing up but there is always the question of what happens if someone dislikes their assigned role. He does know better than to get into that sort of debate here and now though.] It sounds really different. From here. And from what most people- humans, are like.... It must be hard for you.

[slapfight]

I'm adapting. [she crosses her arms over her chest and looks mildly sullen.] Learning. And I'm beginning to understand that things back home might not have been what I imagined them to be.

[but she can't help but feel homesick, even a little, even if there wasn't nothing there she ought to really miss.] And besides, even if I weren't in Wonderland, I could never go back.

[fatherlesskind]

[Ah. So maybe there were questions about how her people did things too. He feels bad for her - it must be hard learning that maybe your people aren't everything you believed them to be. Yet even with such doubts, being separated from the place she thinks of as home couldn't be easy.]

You were exiled from your home? I'm sorry. I can't imagine what that would be like. [Alistair winces. That sounds so insincere but he doesn't know what else he can say. Her grouchy attitude makes more sense now - though he's definitely not saying that. He's not that tactless.] ...Have you been away from it long?

[slapfight]

I wasn't exiled. [so defensive.] ...Not officially, anyway. [she clears her throat and stands up a little straighter] Once you've called your superior a "clod," it's difficult to imagine you'll be allowed back... Alive, anyway.

[she rocks back on her heels, trying to sound nonchalant now. she slipped before, and now she's trying to make up for it. she's fine. everything is fine. she doesn't need sympathy.] I don't have an accurate log of exactly how long, but I'd say it's been well over a hundred Earth rotations.

[fatherlesskind]

[He's not going to laugh. He's not going to laugh. Hearing that she left her home because she insulted a superior though comes as no surprise at all. Executing someone because of a not even very insulting insult is an extreme response to what shouldn't have been a big deal unless her people are utterly devoid of a sense of humour and overreact to everything... but it's not a surprise that Peridot had done such a thing even if that was the case.]

Lucky for me they're less strict in the Chantry. Making fun of my superiors just got me laps and chores. [He might have occasionally scrubbed the floors until his hands ached or run around in his armour until he was ready to pass out but he'd never needed to flee the country.

That sounds like he's making fun of her though and he's not trying to for once. Even if he has to ask-] Was it really that big a deal? The name-calling. How could anyone get that upset by it?

['Clod' isn't even much of an insult. He's been called worse by old revered mothers.]

[slapfight]

[to be fair, she severely overestimates the thought Yellow Diamond put into the whole thing. her massive ego just won't allow her to consider any other option. Yellow Diamond made it her personal mission to destroy her in her mind.

She wrings her hands. To be fair, calling someone a clod is much more insulting to gems than it is to humans, but that's hard to explain and anyway this isn't about gem vulgarity.]

It wasn't the insult... It was the intent behind it. I disobeyed her directive. I failed my mission. The insult was just the final crack in my gem.

[fatherlesskind]

Oh. [That makes more sense. Failing in one's duty is the sort of thing that any group tends to take poorly and coupled with insulting a superior after that failure.... yeah, he can see how that would end badly.] And I guess your people aren't big on second chances, huh?

[Or the mission she'd failed had been her second chance. In which case, while he still feels bad for her... It seems a bit much she's insulting his intelligence having failed missions more than once.]

[slapfight]

By the nature of how we're made, there isn't any precedent for error, but mistakes made by a novice or an incompetent can be corrected. I committed treason by failing mine.

[fatherlesskind]

[To be honest he doesn't quite get what she's trying to say. She mentions being made again and with this talk of purposes and everything he's beginning to wonder if she isn't more like a golem than a human. One like Shale with free will but without all the talk of crushing heads. Thankfully.

But that still doesn't make her 'crime' any more comprehensible.] That doesn't make sense. Everyone makes mistakes. You can't call it treason or everyone is going to be a traitor.

[slapfight]

That's not how it works on Homeworld. [said quietly with a hint of stubbornness.] If you're experienced enough to understand your objective, then refusing to carry it out point-blank is treasonous. [a dark chuckle.] It wasn't really much of a mistake if I meant to do it and I don't regret it, I guess.

I'm still working out how I feel about it.

[fatherlesskind]

[That makes a lot more sense. Rulers get all kinds of grumpy when people don't follow their orders and it's not unheard of for that to lead to execution or exile.]

What did they want you to do? [As grumpy and bossy as Peridot can be she doesn't seem to be a bad person. If she refused to follow an order he's inclined to think there was a good reason for it and it wasn't just her being grouchy. Not when that refusal constituted treason.] Because it sounds to me like they were ordering you to do something wrong and not doing it was the right thing to do.

[slapfight]

That's what everyone tells me. [going against what is borderline programming when she's never done anything but be obedient, if not a bit arrogant (okay more than a bit), is still difficult for her. her heart is certain she made the right choice, but her head says differently and she's never had to reconcile the two before.

she presses the tips of her fingers together awkwardly.] I... refused to allow the Earth to be destroyed. I even offered logical and sound counter-arguments for why I refused, but when my- [cringe] when Yellow Diamond refused to listen to reason, I insulted her.

[and there it is. the whole picture.]

[fatherlesskind]

You definitely made the right choice. [That much is easy to see and she clearly knows it. She said she doesn't regret her choice but-]

It's still hard, doing the right thing when you've been ordered to do something else. I'm not proud to say I don't always manage it myself. [He smiles faintly.] I know it can't help much but for what it's worth I think you're brave and a lot smarter than anyone who'd want you to do something terrible.

[slapfight]

[uh-oh. here comes the blush. which on her makes her look a little more blue than green. she chuckles awkwardly, staring at the ground.] Wow. Thanks.

[mudballs, he's actually not a horrible annoying giant flesh-clod. still, it's hard to admit she's wrong, so she struggles for a second and then...] I suppose you can make a better second impression.

[fatherlesskind]

[OK, that's impossible not to smile at. He brightens further at the grudging near compliment, voice taking on a teasing note as he replies.]

See? What did I tell you? I'm lovable! [And in danger of ruining what good impression he's managed to make if he's allowed to keep talking. Fortunately for this budding maybe-friendship the lights begin to dim at that moment, the screen lighting up as the movie is about to start.]

Time to grab a seat I guess. [Alistair reaches out to briefly pet her cat.] I'll talk to you later.