"Hey, this is Emille Barton. You got my voicemail, meaning I'm not pickin' up my phone for whatever reason. Probably because I have the volume on my stereo pumped up to an absolutely obnoxious level.

Leave a message, and I'll get back to you. As... Soon as I look at my phone and realize I have a message.

*boop*"

--

To leave a voice message, press 1.
To start over on a voice message, press 7.
To send a text message, press 2.
To start a voice conference, press 3.
To send a page, press 4.
To back out because you're not sure which option to go with, you indecisive jerk, or to delete a message in progress, press 0.


( OOC Info )

If anyone was dumb enough to go after the pumpkins yesterday... Go, you. General rule of the City: If you don't recall something being there before, you should probably avoid it.

Though, I guess there's something to be said for the fact that it's kinda hard to die in this place during these days. I mean, what, people always seem to come back when there's a curse out to kill people, right? Er... Not always. Sometimes we get unlucky.

Hey, out of curiosity, and on an entirely unrelated note, how many of you out there're actually part of a musical group? I'm trying to put something together, some regular gigs for groups, or anyone that can handle a small rock show environment. I just want to know if there's actually a crowd for this. Hell, even if you just want to LISTEN to some of this kinda stuff, just let me know. Surveys are always good, right?

( [private to Kara||unhackable] )

Another one of these days, huh?...

Every once in a while, we have these... weird-ass weekends where almost anything goes. Everyone's affected by something else. It can be really funny, horrifically depressing, or just downright terrifying. Sometimes, it doesn't really even have an impact on your life.

Kinda makes me wonder: Anyone ever get affected by a curse, yet barely even noticed? Like, a lying curse, but you never really were confronted about anything, meaning you hardly lied at all. A nudity curse, but you stayed in bed all day simply because? I've had a few of 'em, like... Like that cannibal curse a while back. I don't really eat, is the thing; I felt the hunger, but it didn't overwhelm me. Just... thoughts that crossed my mind, but by the end of the day, I didn't even try to bite anyone. Had a beer, watched a movie, and I was good to go.

Take me, for instance. Right now, I've got a bunch of cuts all over me that're bleedin'. Not too bad, except this one pretty deep wound. Took me a while to figure out why they're there, but they're old cuts and stuff I got a while back. Including this one I got when I was mugged... They're wrapped up pretty nice, so it's really not getting much in the way. Plus, you kinda feel a little badassed when you're all bloodied and bandaged and still walkin'.

On a separate subject: I've been thinkin' of what else I could do with my time here. I mean, there's not a hell of a lot of people who've been here for too long. That... Well, that makes some things difficult. Like, I've always wanted to start up my own recording studio. An actual record label here in the City. Problem, though? Not a lot of people who can organize well enough to do a few sessions simply because they're not here long enough. And I'm not exactly sure what would happen to their CDs if they disappear. Would they stick around? Or would they vanish like the rest of 'em? That would be pretty nasty for business. Who'd buy a CD that won't even stick around for more than a few days?

Maybe I could start up my own music club. Somethin' I could organize. Somethin' more specialized. A small concert hall. The City's own CBGB. There's usually enough small acts that can get together and do a show. If that rockstar curse was any indication, there's at least some people out there who truly have the talent for it. But maybe rockers are in a very unfortunate minority here. I don't really "get" the demographics of this place yet, since it's constantly changing. But maybe there's a compromise that can be made here. Something.

Then again, for all that, I'd have to rebuild my social life. I need to go out for drinks with people, make some new friends. stuff like that. I'm still pretty down, but I gotta keep myself moving, right? That's what's important.

[ooc: Affected by the Souvenirs You Never Lose curse. Video reply at risk of your own constitution; she's a bleeder.]

... First, everyone gets pyrokinesis. Now, everyone knows what it's like to be a professional musician.

Either the deities are trying to make me look bland and "normal," or these aspects of my life really are crazy enough to warrant curses around them.

No, I'm not egotistical enough to think they're deliberately targeting me. But considering my position, it's a really odd coincidence.



( [private to friends||unhackable] )

This curse almost seems custom-tailored for me.

So people have the ability to start fires, right? If it's anything like my own abilities, here's some advice:

1) Don't freak out. The more you spaz in the event of a fire, the more likely it has a chance to spread. Take a deep breath. It's not often that a fire spreads too quickly for you to control it if you've got a calm mind.

2) If this curse decides, even though you have the ability to spew fire, that you can still CATCH fire and actually burn? [Which is very likely, knowing this city.] You have a good window of opportunity to place yourself in some water. Ocean-water, fountain-water, turn on the shower... Whatever. It won't cook you right away. I'd say you have a good ten to fifteen seconds of breathing room before it truly manages to cook you to the point where severe medical assistance is needed.

3) Never underestimate how far and how wide your firespray can be. It's very easy to lick yourself with the fire, thus turning the whole thing around on yourself. That's why you should always examine your immediate surroundings for anything possibly explosive; this includes aerosol cans of any kind, any metallic containment tanks... The obvious stuff.

4) Keep yourself in wide, open areas until you've got everything under control. Giving yourself a good berth will help others avoid any incident if they have plenty of options for leaving the area.

5) This is sort of an addendum to number 1, but... Stay calm! I've had way too many instances where I've ignited something simply because I got pissed off at something or someone. Keep a level head, and there won't be any accidents.

That's all I can think of for now.  I guess I should feel glad about today, though; I feel just slightly more normal when the whole city's burning. [And it isn't my fault.]

Is that a weird thing to say? ... Kinda sound like a supervillain or somethin'.

Today, I did something insanely depressing. I made a list of all the friends that've left the City. I don't know why, exactly, maybe it was because of Thelma leaving, but... Now it just has me thinking about all the people I had around me. I had plenty of friends, and I didn't even spend much time with 'em. Took 'em for granted, just about.

Part of me really doesn't wanna be here anymore. But the other part of me is sayin' I've never been this well off in the past few years. As much as the curses can suck, in the end, I still see this place more as home than anywhere else. Not as though "home" was all that unkind to me; it was just a state of mind. I hated myself, I hated the fact that I was so distant with everyone. I hated the fact that the only way I could get a connection was... Well, one night stands. I stuck around with any one person longer than that, I started to get these nasty nightmares, from the night I discovered what I was capable of doing.

Here, though... I found a whole bunch of people capable of doing amazing, awesome, terrifying things. And I felt a little more normal. In my world, there were definitely rumors of people who were actually... y'know. Werewolves. Vampires. Angels, demons, aliens, but... I only ever knew a few people who'd come across any of 'em. I never felt like what I had was pretty normal by comparison. I felt a bit freakish. But here...

Then there's the nightmares. Sure, I fooled around just a little while I was here, but Thelma changed that for me. I... I was able to confront those fears of intimacy. I was able to... get over some of my shit. And I'm a better person for it. I'm not sure how long it would've taken me to do that back "home," but considering I was in a nasty rut of same-shit-different-day, it wouldn't've been any time soon.

I'm still figuring out what to do. I've got an empty apartment, an empty bed. Maybe she'll come back. I'm hoping so, but...

... I can't just sit around waiting. I need something substantial.

... And yet, I'm not sick of ice cream.

That was.. one of the more inane curses [not like they're not inane to begin with]. A curse focusing on the lengths people will go to eat some frozen dairy? For sex or glory, that's somewhat a more understandable motivation, but damn.

On second thought, this curse was fine. 'Cuz I know as soon as I start criticizing a curse, something absolutely painful's gonna be right around the corner.

( [filtered to friends||unhackable] )

... Yeah, we deserve a day like this.

Be back soon, drinking and storing as much as I can.

( A note for the City. Vulgarity involved. )

I'm fine, guys. As it turns out, even an exploding prison can't keep me down.

Guess that has to say something.

[All that's left of Emille's former cell is a pile of rubble and a warped, twisted sheet of metal that once was the locked door. Doors all along the hall have been blown out and emptied. It's been a dozen or so hours since she had broken out, and is currently in hiding, using a large pile of rubble as a concealing shelter. A video feed comes up, though very little is seen due to the only light source being from the communicator screen. She looks a bit bloodied, but the skin is unbruised and uncut. She's weary, fatigued.]

I've got... a good number of people on this floor out. Guards haven't found me yet, though there were a few close calls.

[A brief pause.]

Personal note: Practice the strength of the explosions. Otherwise you're gonna get a brick to your head again.

[She reaches up, rubbing her forehead, wincing softly. A few flakes of dried blood are wiped away with little effort.]

Fuck... I just need a little more time, get a few more out. Make sure the--

[Her attention diverts quickly as the sound of heavy footsteps is heard. She goes silent... Until a cry of "There she is!" is heard.]

Oh, sonofabitch--

[That is then followed by the communicator cutting out just after the sound of what seemed like a small bomb or grenade going off. The video cuts back in, the sight of the wall bobbing back and forth and rushing by all that's seen, with Emille's own heavy breathing and pattering of her bare, sprinting feet the only audio.

End video sequence.]

[The audio cuts in abruptly, followed by clattering of the device against a stoney ground, and the sound of flesh hitting metal.]

Lemme out!! You can't do this!! I-- I didn't even mean to do it!!

[More banging against the doorway, until it ceases suddenly. Everything goes quiet... then a soft thud. Emille's voice seems a bit closer to the device now, defeated and sullen.]

... Great. This is... just great. Maybe they'll... I dunno. Let me out soon. Realize it was all a big mistake.

Or I'll rot in here because of a stupid accident.

... I am so fuckin' screwed.

[The voice doesn't seem directed at the device, or much of anything... Emille simply trying to reason with herself. She goes silent, only the sound of breathing heard over the network.]

[ooc: Locked in for the accidental murder of her ex. She's completely unaware of the communicator next to her, so feel free to chime in.]

Okay, City, you got me. I'm surprised.

A fuckin' mountain.

But... This isn't exactly a curse, is it? It's just a mountain. Unless you're lookin' to do some redecorating. In which case, couldn't you have just done a little visual style change? Guess I shouldn't complain, though. Gives us a new place to go and check out.

... Hey, maybe some camping's in order.

Okay, is the bad poetry jam finally over? Someone please tell me it's over. Seriously, I just... shut off the network as soon as I realized it was a curse.

So, uh, brief recap on things:

I died, got turned into a stuffed lion, fairly certain someone I know is actually some kind of supervillain or something... What else? Been fairly good about not getting cursed a majority of the time. The big ones hit hard, though. Despite all that... I still believe this place is the best thing that's ever happened to me.

I mean, don't get me wrong. Dying sucks, even if it's just temporary. A lot of these curses have just been huge pains in the ass, but I think I finally might have the hang of rolling with the punches.

But back to my point... My life was a bit shitty before. I didn't really have any friends. Had nightmares all the time, the kind that make you never wanna sleep again. I couldn't get close to anyone, and my music didn't go anywhere. I was just doing it for the money. I was... hitting a horrible dead end. And if I didn't show up here that day, I probably would have kept on that endless path.

I don't know. I'm just regurgitating a lot of what's been on my mind lately. Just need a place to put it.

... I guess the one big thing I'm happy about is that I wound up here. My life was kinda shitty before popping into the City. Much as I hate this place sometimes... I've never been happier.

Of course... Sometimes I do get annoyed when I blab about stuff like that while cursed thank you City.

... Oh, this is just...

I--

...

Well, it's better than some of the past curses, anyway.

[ooc: Toy Story curse. D'aww, she a widdle lion cub <3]

Sonofabitch... I thought those dreams were gone.

Okay, I'm noticin' I'm not alone in this... Dreams're, well... They're fucked up right now. I lay down for a nap, and I wake up in a cold sweat.

Maybe the smart thing is to... To just stay awake. Not like it's particularly hard for me, but... Damn.

Thinkin' o' blastin' some heavy metal through the network, see if it helps anyone keep their eyes open.

... Yeah. Okay. Maybe this shouldn't boost my self esteem, but for anyone asking where I was during yesterday's curse, I totally called in sick. I think I won out in the end, though.

... I don't feel like gettin' outta bed...

... 'S' kinda nice, actually. Layin' in the, uh... blankets. Not doin' nothin'.

Haven't done this in a good, long time.

Dude, we should totally get one of those cuddleparties goin'. But... someone else arrange it. Don' feel like... y'know. Yeah.

[ooc: Fatigue Day curse!]

... Hey! I remember this!

... I don't like this.

... I'm not sure what yesterday was supposed to be, but I'll have you know, I stayed right in my goddamn room and avoided every second of it.

This... has been a really weird month. Not sure what else to say. It snowed... That was weird. I wound up in a skirt yet again. Uh... My violin was pimped quite briefly, and I wore frilly underpants. I'd say this month is wrapping up pretty nicely.

We are in the clear for the month, though, right? ... 'Cuz, uh, I kinda just want it wrapped up.

( [private to Thelma||unhackable] )