defenderofdesmoines | MHA #2 | Friday Evening and probably onwards

MHA #2 | Friday Evening and probably onwards - the THIRD ANNUAL Christmas Rager!!

It was a Christmas miracle: an even tackier, way-too-early ugly sweater party.

With way, way too much alcohol, and a kinda ridiculous number of activities.

There were, of course, the ubiquitous plastic snowmen haunting (almost) every corner of the apartment, and one out on each of the Smokers' Balconies for good measure. There were strings of lights lining the ceiling, as well as tracing the edges of each window. There were cookies to decorate (and eat, because you definitely should eat, and there were moddable snacks aplenty as well.) While there was, of course, Christmas music playing, those with keen eyes (or at least, enough wherewithal to look around an apartment before you started potentially drinking heavily in it) might spot a karaoke machine that would come out later. One particularly tinsel-y corner had an abundance of Santa hats and reindeer antlers and wearable strings of lights to wear while taking photos, and in the guest room -- of course -- there was a much-fabled craft table, where you could make an ornament that didn't have to be in an immature shape, but definitely could be.

There was also, hovering slowly through the party, a drone with mistletoe dangling from it. A Mistle Drone, one might call it, even.

And, because this was the Christmas Rager, there was alcohol. There was so, so, so much alcohol. The kegs of Christmas ale had once been reordered, there was a Make Your Own hot chocolate and coffee bar, and while Annie would never argue that Summer's shot table wasn't the star of every party...this year was a little different. Mostly because of how they'd decided to serve Annie's punch: in a freestanding bathtub, just slightly off-center from the room.

Welcome to the third annual Christmas Rager. Hope you wore a sweater, because the hostesses both have glitter cannons in case you didn't show up festive enough!

[~~please hold for way too many threads~~ and we're off! open to literally every single adult on the island -- students are welcome to attempt to crash, but they'll be busted.]

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Now, Ulysses was no stranger to garish looks, but with the retro sweater he was sporting, he'd really outdone himself.

... It had been a (somewhat mean? but that was how they worked) gift from Carly that had somehow made its way over to the island when Ulysses had been yanked back from LA with some of his possessions over a year ago, and he felt weirdly emotional about wearing it now and he didn't want to talk about it, okay? Now where was the booze?

It was literally everywhere, Ulysses! Booze as far as the eye could see!

"Oh, Ulysses," Annie greeted him in almost-hushed admiration. "Your sweater is amazing. It might be the tackiest one I've seen yet."

Mostly thanks to the font, honestly. It was the most retro one she'd seen, too!

"Thanks," Ulysses said. Mostly sincere, even, because he was used to getting called tacky a lot, but for once it was in a good way! "Got it from a friend."

"Your friend has great -- by which I mean terrible -- taste," Annie told him with an approving nod. "A-plus. And welcome! Help yourself to, like, all the liquor in the world. I made punch in a bathtub."

See? It was behind her.

Ulysses was now peering at it, and, yeah:

"Thaaat is definitely a bathtub," he noted, with a little nod or two. "That's... inventive?"

"I saw it on TikTok," she told him, like that explained everything (and really, it kind of did?) "Summer and I always struggle with how to outdo the previous year, and now that's next-year Annie's problem."

It really might come down to live reindeer being involved next year, yeah.

"That," Ulysses said, considering it as he spoke, "sounds like a dangerous road." A pause. "Like, possibly for the structural integrity of the building."

Another.

"Or everyone's livers, I don't know."

"Diego suggested a tent for next time," Annie said, just ignoring the question of everyone's livers. "Easier cleanup that way, too."

Weird how Diego, who lived here, might have an interest in that.

Super weird!

Uly's head tilted a little. "Like, in here, or just completely somewhere else?"

"Maybe in the park or something," Annie said, actually considering this more than she had when Diego had suggested it. "And then we can just roll it up and pitch it all when we're done."

"Efficient," Ulysses decided, after a beat. "Can't really do that with an apartment."

Edited 2022-12-02 19:57 (UTC)

"Oh so you knew about the sweater rule?" Eddie clearly didn't, seeing as he was covered in glitter.

"Uh huh," Ulysses replied, eyeing his... general glitteriness a little longer than absolutely necessary. "And you... either didn't, or you just think a shit ton of glitter is basically the same thing."

And, wasn't it, really?

"I did not, and I accepted my punishment with grace," Eddie said. "Not the first time I've been covered in glitter, and it won't be the last."

Make of that what you will.

Ulysses had been here too long to really even question it, one way or the other. "Well," he said, instead, with another (thorough) glance. "It works on you."

He would've said that whether it did or not.

"Thank you," Eddie said, preening. "Your sweater is very...straightforward."

Ulysses managed a little huff through his nose as he glanced down at it. "Yeah, my friend Carly sort of... forced it upon me, back in LA. So, here it is."

"I like it," Eddie assured him. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I appreciate straightforward."

Ulysses snorted, faintly, his lips curving without his say-so. "You know, I kinda noticed?"

No shit.

"Also," he gestured at his sweater again, "you already knew this, anyway."

"I did," Eddie confirmed with a nod. Which caused more glitter to fly out of his hair. "Man I'm going to have glitter in my hair until after Christmas. No need to decorate now, I guess."

The bowling alley would just get red and green glitter everywhere from Eddie being round.

"Oh, yeah, you're gonna be finding that around until, like... June," Ulysses told him, sounding like he had some experience of his own. "Just sort of how it goes."

"I'm lucky I look so good in it," Eddie said with an easy shrug. "I will keep in mind that next year I'll need a sweater. I'm thinking something dark--Krampus-y."

Now that gave Ulysses pause. A little. Kind of made an 'eeesh' sort of face.

"I would... maybe re-think that?" he hazarded. "I'm not the only one still around who, uh, got kidnapped by that guy that one time."

Ulysses seemed to cycle through a few questions prompted by that announcement.

What he landed on was, "... How?"

Which was not the best one, Uly, what the hell.

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MHA #2 | Friday Evening and probably onwards - the THIRD ANNUAL Christmas Rager!!

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