IC Novus City

[MaryGold]

SETH EL MAHDY
GHOUL

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

His balcony-mate's sharp, affronted even, reaction did not bring Seth pleasure. He wasn't purposely attempting to start a fight, but he would be lying if there wasn't a sliver of amusement he felt at his reaction. How quick he was to clarify to a random nonsense question that held no real meaning behind it. Perhaps he really had been dumped, if not tonight then some time earlier. That or very single for a long time. But he wasn't going to push, not when he was in no position to tease further about relationships and their failings.

He tilted his head back and snorted at his sarcastic retort. Seth didn't think before responding nor did he choose simply not to respond. He was a man of action. "Clearly something told me to come out here and harass a white haired snake. Perhaps it was lord Jarunog's calling." he rolled his head to the side and met his gaze of green, his eyes looked away just for a moment to take in the rest for his appearance. There were no obvious tells of his Sarpa status, but he knew the smell. And guessing by his "graceful' air, he had to be higher on the class scale.

The redhead rolled his head back and stared at the twinkling lights from the tall and short buildings alike. There wasn't a lot to like about this city except that it was where his son was, but there were times the night looked pretty even amongst displeasing company. "And why aren't you in costume?" A question he hadn't known that itched at the back of his skull the second he saw him. To be curious about him at all was silly, but since they were already shooting back and forth. "Did you forget that today was Halloween?" As if anyone wasn't in costume.

"Unless you're going as …" His head swiveled to look back at him, conspicuously examining him from top to bottom. "No, I'm getting just a man."

「 @Dusk 」​

 

[Reverie]

hh

hh

JANUARY

January crossed his arms in front of his chest. The redhead's manners showed no sign of improvement. He didn't expect it. And truthfully, he was almost pleased that this man wasn't acting nice for the show of it. But that didn't stop January from being annoyed by every word out of his mouth. Calling him out hadn't helped, apparently only hardening his demeanour. There was no accounting for class with this one.

Fuck you was what January wanted to say, but he would not be so tasteless.

"And I'm supposed to care what he tells you to do?" He asked derisively. So his unwelcome companion was a ghoul, was he? January considered pretending he didn't know Lord Jarunog's identity in an attempt to annoy the man, but he couldn't quite bring himself to look like an uneducated fool. Even to annoy someone.

January wasn't going to dignify the accusation that he'd forgotten it was Halloween with a response, and only returned a cold glare. A cold glare which remained, unflinching, as the other man made an obvious examination of him. The silver-haired Sarpa was used to people scrutinizing him, and did not falter in the slightest under the other man's gaze. January may not have been in costume, but he had dressed nicely and was confident in his appearance. His clothes were expensive and his trim ornate. He raised his chin slightly, and waited.

"I didn't intend to attend," January stated honestly. "And I have no interest in wearing something thrown together last minute." The green-eyed man was not going to admit he wasn't wearing a costume because he hadn't been able to think of something he liked that was feasible in a proper amount of time.

"Not all of us have something lying around," he continued. Whether the uniform belonged to the man or not, January couldn't imagine he had it made for him. "At least my clothes fit."

"Maybe you should get a tailor to look at that." He added, almost dismissively.

「 @MaryGold 」

LOCATION | INTERACTIONS | MENTIONS

credits

 

[MaryGold]

SETH EL MAHDY
GHOUL

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

Seth's brow twitched, and his teeth clamped down onto the side of his tongue. He wasn't holding himself back, Seth never made any effort to bite his tongue or squander his temper or annoyance unless he was in a position where it was necessary. A necessity that rarely ever happened, and this situation wasn't one of them. No, he was simply stewing in his own bad attitude.

Everything said by his companion could be summarized as nothing less than useless garbage that fed into minor annoyances. But his plucking succeeded to strike a chord when he spoke against his costume - uniform. It was something to recognized with great honor of seeing, let alone being able to wear, with all the real and heavy metals on display. But it was true that it was ill-fitting on him now. Where his muscles were once larger and filled in the fabric perfectly, it was now loose, heavy on his frame that had grown slant since he stepped away from active duty. It wrinkled on him and now like it, he felt … less.

"This is no costume," Seth seethed when the words finally came to him, and then they were falling out all at once. "I would expect the likes of you with your acquired wealth and status to at least recognize the authenticity and prestige of this uniform, you sourpuss bast-"

His phone began blaring baby shark ringtone and censoring his raising voice in the process. It was Nubs, or more accurately Rana. She had to be calling to let Nubs say goodnight, they never missed wishing each other a goodnight. In an instant, he was hopping up from his seat and opening the door back into the party, it was about time he left.

Though, before he was swallowed by the cacophony of music and conversation and swarming bodies indoors, he gave a final stabbing glare at his ex-balcony mate.

「 @Dusk 」​

 

[wreninanest]

TIME STAMP: FIVE DAYS LATER

FORECAST​

DATE: November 5th, 2035. Friday.

TIME: Up to the players for their scenes.

WEATHER: 44.3°F (6.8°C). Chilly but sunny.

CITY ACTIVITY​

With winter approaching, the weather is growing chillier. People are breaking out their coats and scarves.

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

He was sort of bummed that the Crave! Content Creator Gala (they couldn't have found another C word to complete the title?) was being held so close by. Of course, the distance between Hallen and Novus was still a short plane ride away, even a drive if he felt like it, but he would've preferred a longer flight. Disrupting his sleep early in the morning to get onto the plane, only to be allotted 90 minutes to catch up on his rest was genuinely diabolical. Check in to the event was early as hell because who the fuck was awake and functioning at noon, since there was some sort of media briefing they all needed to attend before cameras started rolling, but man, his G Fuel was not kicking in.

Maybe it would've helped if he didn't need an hour every morning to get his hair and makeup just right. Ugh.

By the time he'd gotten off of the plane, his dark circles were worse than ever (though he didn't mind all that much because he sort of felt that they lent themselves well to his aesthetic), but he sure was tired. Still, he greeted the other content creators and streamers that he recognized when they approached him. A long form let's player there. A gimmick painter who made large scale renditions of memes with acrylic paint there. There were even a few other cosplayers that he'd recorded dance shorts with, all decked out in their cleanest looks for the gala.

His group chat notifications were going fucking insane. He'd muted them previously, but since he was going to be seeing them all for the weekend, he'd decided to finally let the notifs pour in, but they were certainly chatty. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but it wasn't the evening yet and his energy levels wouldn't be up for another couple hours. He sat through the briefings and walked through the tours as a zombie, until finally, the sun began to set and he was ready to act like a normal human being.

Between vlogs, cameos and collabs around the venue, he'd sent a text to his friend, who he'd had yet to see. Salem was more of an artsy type compared to him, honestly kind of cool in a way that Eun-ji found difficult to replicate. They practically collaborated weekly at this point, after hitting it off being introduced to each other by another friend, but they'd never met in person.

'yo. im gonna die where r u'

With how busy the damn day was though, they never crossed paths. Eun-ji never thought that where they'd be meeting for the first time was at the buffet table, ravenous after barely having any free time to eat. As though caught in the act doing something wrong, Eun-ji stared at the face he'd seen time and time again on late night Discord calls, hands full of free jalapeno poppers. And then he grinned, letting it reach his eyes, visible even without having to pull up his mask.

"I died by the way. If you care." he joked, voice warm without even starting with a greeting, referencing his earlier text.

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.

 

[MaryGold]

SALEM
NAGA

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

Flight, briefing, meetings, pictures, and interviewing. Then more meetings, more pictures, more networking. It was Salem's first time at the Crave! Content Creator Gala and in the midst of his own excitement at receiving an invitation, he had forgotten how much work went into creating content. With such a largely held event, there were so many others filming and vlogging for their own individual channels and streams. He was far from home and the only thing keeping him going ware pure perseverance.

Nagas were incredibly durable.

As soon as he found the food table, however, he slipped from whoever's camera he was in front of to grab a plate. It was only a shame that the event wasn't so fancy that they were served. The only time he had gone this long without eating was to finish editing a video all day and all night before it's scheduled update. He had vowed never to go through such desperate circumstances again, and yet here he was now, empty bellied for nearly twenty hours. How he was still standing? He hadn't a clue.

Salem did still have half a mind to remember he should film or take pictures of something to post on his community board. He needed his own proof to present to his followers that he attended, and showing them the food served was always a safe choice (second to taking pictures with the other creators they may also be following). And though the food wasn't being served, they were the furthest thing from cheap and what was provided.

His mouth was watering as he reached into the back pocket of his pants and pulled out his phone. The first notification that caught his eye was the blue text block from Eun-Ji. A little smile snuck onto his face as he unlocked his phone to read the message in full. Dramatic, per usual.

He loved Eun-Ji. He was one of the few people he collaborated with that he could truly call his friend, inside and outside their work. Part of the reason he was so excited to get invited to the Gala was to meet the masked man in person. They had spoken through mics and text messages so much, but it was still so odd he had never been in the same physical space as him.

But before he keeled over when he did face him, he wanted to grab a bite to eat. Or several. Salem served himself a plate of the first dish in front of him and then stuffed him mouth full of whatever fried green that was steaming hot on the table. The spicy and savory flavors burst into his mouth, begging him to serve himself more and to fully be enthralled with the spread. He had to meet the catering company later.

"I died by the way. If you care."

Salem looked up to face the face he had seen hundreds of times before, liver and in video. Except this time he could see every detail that that camera all failed to pick up. His eyes were more distinctly gray, the bags under them darker but went well with his eyeliner and long lashes, and he was even paler in real life than on camera. He was as pretty as the characters he cosplayed. There was a reason he had so many followers.

"Of course I care. Can't you see me eating my feelings?" He joked with a stuffed mouth and as soon as he did, turned his face and covered his mouth to swallow. "I was going to find you - or your body after I ate something. I was kidnapped all day."

Everyone who had ever known Salem knew he wasn't the type to be shaken or overly emotional. He was known to be very mellow and stable. Yet, even he heard the slight shake in his voice. He was nervous and excited, both. When face to face with Eun-Ji the food seemed less important. He wasn't even sure if he was still hungry.

「 @PavellumPendulum 」​

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

He suddenly wondered if he looked cool enough. The tight black turtleneck he was wearing lacked any sleeves, the lean vanity muscle of his arms on display, his skin pale and nearly untouched by the sun. His pants were more akin to streetwear, dark washed and less skin tight, decorative chains hanging from his belt loops, his palms encased by fingerless gloves, matching the black of his mask. He was accessorized to the nines, with rings on his fingers and his best piercings on. In truth, his red sunglasses made it difficult to see anyone properly, especially when he was indoors, but they were certainly tying the whole look together.

Though he'd been sneaking back and forth into corners to non-nonchalantly eat his snacks under his mask without anyone seeing his face properly, he put a pin in that activity, now that Salem had been found. It was funny, to see him from an angle that hadn't been predetermined by his streaming set up. Salem was only a few inches shorter than him...

Eun-ji lowered his glasses smoothly, as though he were following a bit, but it was more to see those green eyes properly, now that they weren't separated by a screen. His uneaten jalapeno poppers were shoved into a napkin for late night snacking, which he would most certainly indulge in, as he always did.

He desperately hoped he looked cool.

"Well, you found me. And my body." His voice came out just right, as though he was a fucking movie star. He was doing it! "You mind if I kidnap you next?" The celestine slid his glasses back into place, a grin under his mask, his posture relaxed, "There's a promised snack taste test stream calling your name."

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.

 

[MaryGold]

SALEM
NAGA

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

Behind those wine colored glasses, Salem could see the smile in Eun-Ji's eyes with every skin crinkle and twinkle of light in his pretty dark pupils. And though he could have stopped the impulse to push his forehead away playfully with a single finger, he chose to fall into it happily, performing the gesture gently in response to his very dorkish and somehow still charming theatrics. "You couldn't have chosen a better to kidnap me then. I. Am Hungry." Salem announced, growling his R harder than normal. Then, not to emphasize the point, he tossed another piece of fried something into his mouth.

Once he finished appeasing the hunger god that was his stomach, for the moment, he carried on. "Now, does are snack testing consist of everything at this buffet and at a dining room table, or whatever commodities they serve and in a hotel room." He bumped his shoulder against his and nudged him in the direction of a table, any table, to sit. "Either way, I hope you're as ready to stuff your face as I am. I think we'll hav eto make a meal of these snacks."

He could only hope he wouldn't look too unattractive or disgusting while scarfing down his only meal of the day for stream. It would probably only be worse when he'd be sitting directly next to someone as pretty as Eun-Ji for their in-person together live stream ever. However, maybe this surprise would make them not comment on any crumbs or liquids drizzling down his chin accidentally.

「 @PavellumPendulum 」​

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

Salem rolled his R like it was candy in his mouth. Why was Eun-ji the one doing blatant thirst traps on Instagram? Salem could probably find a proper niche in it himself, with his warmly tanned skin and amiable voice. Eun-ji felt himself grow a tinge hot under the collar, thrown off by the somehow playful intensity, but he kept himself on topic, following the other man's lead when he nudged him towards a table. Chuckling, he sat himself down at one of the empty ones, pulling out his phone and rummaging through his little sling bag, to set up his mini tripod. Though people were mingling here, many were doing the same as him: vlogging, setting up video equipment or already streaming for others.

"How about I set everythin' up and you grab plates and stack each of 'em with one of everything?" he gave Salem the quest with his eyes crinkling up at the edges from his grin, "We can eat what's here first... And there's a cool import store down the street where we can grab other random shit to eat afterwards too."

He'd done a modest amount of research, so he knew that the little convenience store had a mix of Asian and Middle-Eastern foods and snacks on sale. They'd probably be able to find enough interesting things to put together a video after the stream with all that. Flicking his phone on with it set up on the tripod, he messed with the stream settings and wrote up a quick announcement, tagging Salem in it.

'flash mukbang stream w/ hysteria in 5. b ready to get hungry'

Within seconds, both of their phones were going off with notifications, with commenters screaming to the heavens 'WHIPSTERIA STREAM'.

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.

 

[MaryGold]

SALEM
NAGA

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

"Say less," Salem set the plate he held in his hand onto their chosen table. It was not the prettiest looking plate, but it was the tastiest. There was an entire possibility that he only though that because of his own hunger, but he would save it for a later time. A time after he ate much more aesthetically pleasing decorated plates for their viewers to eat with their eyes.

They would only really be snacking on their streamers' visuals though. As evidenced by the numerous tweets vibrating his phone without break. Salem only freed his phone from his pocket to read a few before some began to get a little unhinged. There always had to be the few who openly shared their thirst in detail about wanting to eat certain body parts of their entertainers.

"Don't get too lonely without me or stars forbid, die without me." He nudged his arm once again with his shoulder. "Again. I'll be quick."

Or a little less quick than he had imagined he'd be when he took off. Salem selected every food that appeared and smelled mouthwatering, filling his nostrils with spices and sugars. He plated them more like a chef than a streamer, taking care to erase the crumbs or spills on the plate that disturbed its design. He was never one to do less but always more.

Taking the plates back, using both his arms and every part, he slowly took step after step to the table. The greatest challenge was for him not to disturb their places rather than not drop them. "Help." He said to Eun-Ji, once he was close enough.

「 @PavellumPendulum 」​

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

Eun-ji snickered a little into his mask at the nudging, but pretended that he was working very seriously, setting everything up as Salem disappeared into the buffet. In all honesty, stream set up was a breeze nowadays with all of the apps and equipment becoming more widely used and thus more accessible. Everyone wanted to be someone. He supposed that everyone here was just lucky that they were some of the few that actually got to be someone, to a certain extent. Popularity was always a raging shitshow that varied by the hour, of course, but there were some luxuries that came with playing the game.

His hair kept slipping into view while he worked, tired of holding its shape after doing so all day. Mildly irritated, Eun-ji batted the pale strands out of his eyes, wishing he'd gelled them a little more powerfully, even if it would've ended up crunchy. Eventually though, he finished up before Salem returned, with plates that smelled like a feast on all their own.

Though the buffet wasn't the stuff of dreams, the organizers of the gala had at least put some effort into it, which was much appreciated. There was a variety of different cultures on display, with foods to suit nearly any needs, piled up in abundance, even with alternatives next to them in case one had to avoid gluten, or they were vegan or anything else. Eun-ji was pretty much used to chugging down energy drinks and snacking on spicy pork rinds all night as dinner, so this was genuinely a step up from his usual meals.

Eun-ji laughed aloud when Salem asked for his help and swiftly got up to assist in bringing the veritable towers the other man had collected for him. "You sure you didn't get a degree in architecture? This is wild." he chuckled, now that the food was on the table, in perfect view of their mobile stream set up, where two chairs awaited them.

Nonchalantly, he popped what looked like some sort of spiced meatball into his mouth after lifting his mask a bit, evidently cheating since the stream had not yet started, but he was hungry as fuck. "Mmm. Shit. I gotta get this camera rolling before we decimate this."

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.

 

[MaryGold]

SALEM
NAGA

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

The relief in having both his arms and hands back was instant. With the weight of their food off of his limbs, he reached at once for his glasses case buried in his own bag he had strapped over his shoulder. Whether the most influential streamer here or not, he was still a creator and fell into the same habits of filming and picture taking for short vlogs that were filtered and cut in the most aesthetically directed way possible.

But if he was to make any content tonight, he'd need his glasses. It was only for a moment he allowed his body to grow weak, shifting his blood vessels to allow him to see Eun-Ji clearly without them. It wasn't even an effort, but a natural response and he was more than pleased with what he saw. But for their followers.. Glasses would suffice for there sure to be outlandish comments.

Salem laughed softly as he found his seat beside Eun-Ji, bumping his shoulder just lightly against his. That move too was also natural. "I won't tell you if you don't." He slipped on his glasses. "I forgot my contacts." He quickly explained and did his best to ignore the salivating aromas of spices and sugars, hot and cold, wafting from their plates and invading his senses.

His stomach grumbled. "Okay, go. Action." He said, not so slowly. Any longer and they wouldn't just decimate the plates but perhaps the whole table.

Once the light was on, and the screen reflect their faces under the low lighting of the room, comments came flooding in.

- WJEFOJROFN AHHH IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING

- WHIPSTERIA TOGETHER AT LAST!!!!

Salem covered his mouth to keep himself from chuckling at the excitement, but the way his eyes folded betrayed him. He leaned over, turning his head so their viewers could neither hear what he was saying nor see the way he moved as he nearly pressed his cheek into Eun-Ji's when he spoke. "It's your stream, you start us off." He pulled back, leaving only a few inches between them as he met his eyes and raised his brows with a smile.

He settled back in his proper distance just in time to read the chat screaming through text worse than before.

「 @PavellumPendulum 」​

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

Salem's shoulder bumped his.

How weird was it, that they settled into such an easy rhythm, despite only spending time together online? He'd certainly hit it off with people he'd met through his online escapades, but Salem felt like an old friend. Eun-ji blinked at the glasses, newly added to his friend's face, making him look somewhat bookish, if stereotypes were to be excused. "You need to see to eat? I thought we were going face first into these things..." he joked, offering a little shrug to show that he wasn't about to be judgmental about it. He was wearing glasses too and they were completely for aesthetic reasons, not practical in any way, shape or form.

The stream began. Immediately, the number of viewers blasted through the roof, from ten, to one hundred, to a little over a thousand. The chat was moving a mile a minute, made even worse by Salem's cheek making contact with his own, head turned as though he were giving his mask a little peck.

Eun-ji throat ceased to remember what speaking was like. He laughed, only because his brain needed a hard reset, having felt the warmth of skin that wasn't his through the mask. Sure, he danced and made some more... Perhaps salacious content for the internet, but it wasn't like he spent a lot of time touching other people. Most of his time was spent in front of the computer, either for work or for play. All this casual affection was hitting him like a fucking truck.

"Evenin', you lucky, lucky viewers." he managed to get out, making gestures at the camera as a greeting, "Welcome to the first ever... Live... In person... Collab Hysteria and Whiplash stream. You've seen us in two separate boxes on the same stream... And now we're in the same room. All your dreams come true." He winked, lowering his tinted glasses briefly, to the adoration of people screaming in chat, absolutely not focused on his announcement at all.

- DID SOMEONEFGC CLIP THat!!!!!?!?? KISS???
- gay
- STOP IT STOP IT I MISSED IT DO IT AGAIN
- Mama we are eating good tonight yum yum
- im getting whipsteria tattooed on my forehead yall
- Waitttt! I didn't know there was a stream tonight!!!!11!!

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.

 

[MaryGold]

SALEM
NAGA

LOCATION | INTERACTION | MENTIONS

"And this is why I had to put my glasses on. How could I miss all these wonderful messages?" Salem mused, the little smile on his face growing wider as he gently bumped his shoulder against Eun-Ji's in a playful manner. It was a brief point of contact, a bump that hardly carried any weight to it, less than his cheek pressing against his mask when he whispered into his ear. Especially so when Salem noticed the way his laugh could be interpreted as uncomfortable.

They had never once been in the same room before tonight and yet the affection had been completely natural to him, for him It seemed more highlighted now when they reacted to and read all the comments in real time sitting side by side. The thought that he could make Eun-Ji uncomfortable came to him the moment he read all the very "shippy" ones.

"And our promises will finally be fulfilled. We may not be at some fine dining establishment or the convenience store, but-" Slowly, for dramatic effect, Salem lifted his best plated plate of food into view of the camera, covering his face in the process. "We do have the food to try." And then he set it down much more quickly.

"Four hundred more viewers and I'll get Eun-Ji to eat the spiciest thing I found at the buffet." He joked, though the words were for their viewers, his green eyes couldn't stay stuck to the screen long and his head turned to look at Whiplash.

「 @PavellumPendulum 」​

 

[PavellumPendulum]

EUN-JI

The chat was moving a mile a minute. Though his streams with Salem often performed pretty well, only really get outperformed by his insane challenge streams (Apex but every time I die I eat a spoon of peanut butter had done numbers...), this was far surpassing anything else they'd done together. He could only imagine what his metrics would look like later, in slight awe. If the train was going, best to hop on and not let it lose steam!

Salem showed off the gargantuan plate of food with glee and Eun-ji was half-worried that it would tip over and start their stream off sticky, but he managed to keep it relatively stable putting it back on the table. His eyes crinkled behind his deep red lenses, a chuckle leaving his lips. The challenge made him snicker even louder.

"Bet. Y'all heard him. Make it happen. I'll eat a mouthful of whatever it is." he stated with complete sincerity, absolutely willing to pull through no matter how much pain it would put him in. He would say he had a pretty high spice tolerance from being korean in the first place. His favourite things to eat were savoury and spicy. Still, he wasn't infallible... Perhaps there was something at this buffet that could defeat his tastebuds.

He met Salem's eyes, just a little glance at each other. Something about it felt almost forbidden, simply because they'd only ever looked at each other through a screen. A tiny pulse of excitement shot through him, as though he were a kid passing notes in class. His eyes flicked back to the camera. "Let's get started, yeah? Check this out." he pulled a piece of flatbread from the pile as though he were playing Jenga. It was already covered in some sort of savoury sauce from the pile, so he held it up, letting the camera see. "This is... Kisra, I think? They really tried to be multicultural and stuff, I saw the labels on the food, which kinda slaps. Feel free to snipe me from the back if I pronounced that wrong."

Cutting the piece in half, he let Salem have the other piece, before digging in, turning his head slightly away from the camera so he could place the food in his mouth under his mask. The bread was flat but spongy, faintly sour but still pleasant, especially with whatever sauce had found it. Since he didn't want to keep looking away to take bites, he'd shoved the entire thing in his mouth, looking more like a squirrel than an influencer.

「 @MaryGold 」

code by wren.