[VOICE]

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

The first thing I ever said on the Network, three years ago, was a line from Tennyson's Ulysses; that's the end of the poem. It's still one of my favorites, even now. It reminds me of home, but of the City too; even if we have nowhere, here, to travel, some work of noble note remains. There are always new things to be seen.

Sometimes it seems like I've lived here much longer than I have; we've seen and done and known so much, I can't imagine how it's all happened in only a few years. Other times it feels like no time has passed at all. Three years; a handful of plays; hundreds of books, I'm sure; and dozens of people I never could have met, anywhere else.

I'm glad to be here. I always will be, no matter what.

[Community Post]

[VOICE | Glass City (but not for long)]

I know this isn't the safest thing, and I'm sorry if it upsets anyone. But... well.

If you haven't heard, they've said that the price for going over to the Desert is this: every hour spent there means one more day you'll have to stay in the City.

[A long pause.]

Anyway, Todd and Justin and I are going to cross over. For a while, anyway. [Which means as long as they can get away with it, racking up time, but he doesn't feel like he needs to say it.] We'll bring over anything we can get that it seems like people might need-- bottles of water, and food, and things like that-- but if anyone there can hear this, if there's anything special that we wouldn't think of... Try to let us know, and we'll do what we can.

[Another long pause. Then, quietly:]

Good luck, everyone.


[ooc; this would've been posted earlier today, so all comments will be still from Glass as they prep to go over, unless otherwise noted. ♥]

[Community Post]

Well, it's always nice to see everyone-- I'm afraid I haven't made so much progress on getting the next play together since last time you all came, but maybe we can time it, now, for next time.

But I'm glad you've come, of course. I always am.


[ooc: standard disclaimer applies! Please no other Neils (tho face doubles are fiiiiine) and don't outright tell him he doesn't exist. Otherwise, s'all good. ALSO this post is as always eternally backdating friendly! Hit me, bb!

EXTRA BONUS POINTS FOR VISITING CASTMATES? 8D who will be kept forever chained to the carousel]

I won't waste time, since these never last long enough to spend as much time as i'd like with all the people who've come to visit.

Who's here? Death, Life? Justin? Charlie? Anyone from home? Anyone I haven't met yet? I'm always glad for the company. Not that the City's boring, it never is, but you can never meet enough new people, I think!




[ooc: standard disclaimer applies! Please no other Neils (tho face doubles are fiiiiine) and don't outright tell him he doesn't exist. Otherwise, s'all good. ALSO this post is as always eternally backdating friendly! Hit me, bb!]

Curses like the long one last month are always interesting-- like playing a role written just for me, being someone I'm not but who I might have been. I didn't really mind this one-- I know sometimes those get bad, for some people, but well, school is just school, how bad can it be?

It was strange, though; imagining things were so different than they are. What life would be like if I'd had a twin brother, if I'd been at a different school, if... well. Anyway, what I really wanted to talk about is what I did, because everyone knows what happens during curses isn't always real, this is important to me and I think I'd rather give up the secret than have people think it didn't mean anything. Sometimes secrets are meant to be shared.

There is a Dead Poets Society.

I almost wrote there was, but really I think because of the nature of the Society, it can't really cease to exist. Not all the Dead Poets are dead, but the poets who are dead are still Dead Poets. Here, especially; I mean, there's no reason to think Henry David Thoreau couldn't walk into the bookstore tomorrow afternoon. So even if there weren't any meetings after... everything happened, at home, there'd still be a Society; and maybe someday someone will share the secret again like Mr. Keating did with us. And even if they don't, even if no one ever talks about it again... it's just a name and a structure to something that's always been there. There will always be Poets, because the human race will always be filled with passion. And so, there will be members, even if they don't know the words for it.

I'm not sure this makes any sense, to anyone who wasn't there. But I wanted to say it.

Some of you are Dead Poets, and some of you don't know that you are. But I hope you're all making the most of it, whoever you might be.

Anyway.

I need one more actor from you, City! Our cast for The Importance of Being Earnest is just one person short of being full-- but right now, we've no one playing Merriman. So, if there's anyone who'd like to try their hand at acting, we'd love to have you. Even if you've never been in a play before! We're happy to have newcomers.

And... Everyone else in the play-- we'll have to start full rehearsals soon, what days work best for you? I do hope you've started working on your lines?

[ooc; play post here! also, as always, please no fourth-walling the Society. XD responses may be late after 5 east-coast time.]

[Slipped between the pages of Todd's current poetry notebook]

I almost wonder if it's too soon, after everything last month... if that's even over, I know they never found... well. Maybe we should just be grateful for the time we have, after all, this is what passes for a quiet month so far.

Who knows how long that will last.

With everything that went on last month I'm afraid I've gotten rather behind on trying to recruit for our next play... But I suppose there's no time like the present to pick up where we left off. For anyone who hadn't heard about it, or who wasn't here last time I spoke about it-- We'll be putting on a production of Oscar Wilde's

The Importance of Being Earnest.

Right now, we haven't quite sorted out the roles but we have Rosella, Cain, and myself; and I believe Justin was going to help out as crew. But! As you can see, that means we're still in need of more, both on stage and backstage. Anyone's welcome who'd like to take part-- whether you've ever been in a play or not, we're happy to have you, so just... let me know!



[ooc; may be a bit sporadic tagging but I will do my best <3]

I was just... wondering...

I know there are a lot of curses going on this weekend, but-- has anyone heard from Justin Pendleton? I know that on Friday he was out in the Graveyard, digging... and I haven't heard from him since that evening. There were other people looking, too, weren't there? Are they okay?

( On Growth )

Well, I missed the last one, I hope that will do.

Anyway. More importantly! Thanks to Rosella's tireless efforts in coaxing the Library to cooperate, we've got our next play decided upon:

The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde

If anyone's interested in joining the cast-- anyone from before or anyone new, first-time actors are always welcome!-- please let me know, and try to get a hold of a copy of the book. We've got a couple in the shop and there are likely more in the Library. It isn't very long at all and I think you'll enjoy it. Once I've got a better idea of how many people we have to work with we can set a time for auditions and rehearsals and all of that, and figure out when to schedule the performance for-- but it's much smaller than Midsummer so, I can't imagine we'll need more than a month or two. Probably.

And well, that's all I have to write about for now. I hope you'll join us; or at least, that you'll come and see it when we perform!

[ooc; sjfds will make an OOC organization post for the play eventually <3 link is just there for your reference.]

( On Pain; cut for length )



Reading pirate stories, I always wondered exactly what grog was. I think it's safe to say, it's pretty unpleasant. Um. I'd apologize for whatever I did this weekend but honestly, I don't think we were very effective pirates.

Only a few more days til my deal ends.

It's a beautiful day, City. Make the most of it.

I need your advice. I'm looking for something to read, something that isn't poetry. Knowing I can't just makes me want to read more! Anything, really. Novels or essays or, I don't even know, so long as you like it.

Call it a change in perspective.

There are a hundred thousand lines that'd suit today and I can't remember one. Still. It's a small price to pay.

|[Private to the Deities]|

Well, this would be the place to start.

If one of you has the time, I'd like to talk to you about a deal we made, a while ago. Thank you.


---

|[Private to Yvaine | Separate, later in the day]|

All right. It's done, or at least, it will be at midnight tonight. I didn't have to give up anything I can't live without for a while at least. So whenever and wherever you'd like me to meet you...

...I can't tell you how much this means to me.

[VIDEO;]
[Blurry hands cover the picture first as Neil positions the camera on some surface, then draws back and sits in front of it. He looks resigned; this isn't a post he wants to make, but since he has no choice he's trying to be dignified about it.

On his shirt, on the left breast just above his heart, a bright, ornate, scarlet S is embroidered. He looks down at it, tugs absently at his loosed collar; if you've got a keen eye, you might see the same mark stained on his skin. It's inescapable.]

I was going to talk about something nice. I wanted to see if anyone wanted to have a big snowball fight later this week, since winter's almost over and it seems a shame not to have one and I did promise someone I would. [Neil smiles, a little weakly. He's killing time, postponing the inevitable, and he knows it.] So who's in? I was thinking Friday maybe, as long as it doesn't get any warmer before then.

[He nods, looking a little better now. Having managed to say his piece in spite of the compulsion to talk about his letter makes him feel a little less powerless, though he isn't eager to discuss the mark.]

So. The curse.

[He hesitates, takes a breath.]

I get this one, I never read the book actually but I know what it means. It isn't a secret, even if I don't like talking about it... I'm not proud. But I won't lie, either.

S, for suicide.

[Relieved, his cursed duty discharged, Neil leans forward and hurriedly turns off the camera.]


[ooc; comments could potentially contain disturbing material, idk.]

Today is like any other day; free of rehearsals for the moment, Monsieur Perry is seated at a small café, lingering over a cup of black coffee and a cigarette. He's reading, but doesn't seem particularly entranced. He sets his book aside from time to time when someone greets him; an old friend, a new acquaintance, a fan of the theatre who recognizes him from last week's performance. Each gets a bright and charming smile, a few words in passing before they part ways, leaving him to his literary pursuits.


|[ooc; fml please pretend this is earlier? always backdating friendly. His story (and Todd's) is about the same as ever, except with more running-off-to-Paris-to-be-free and less dying. OPEN TO ALL. Feel free to recognize/know him, i am easy. <333]|

[The recording kicks off with some swift, shallow breaths, and a distant dry rumble-- the sound of dirt settling as it pours through a now-open door.]

I-I'm not sure where this goes. But I guess this is the only way out there is, so.

[Neil pauses. Given what he's heard-- what Cain said-- it's hard to be convinced that this pile of earth leads anywhere he wants to go. It's ironic; he's in the room where he died, facing what might be a grave, and though he ought to be dead he isn't. If he doesn't make it--

He takes a deep breath.]

I'll... try. I hope I see you all soon.

Okay.



[ooc; slow tags for a bit. Action for Todd, voice replies for others assumed to be after he gets hisself together <3]

[Audio]

I didn't mean to go through. I was only trying to see if I could find Anne, and while I was looking in it's like it moved to swallow me up and.

[There's a pause here as Neil tries to collect himself. He's managing not to sniffle, but not even trying to hide how distraught he is.]

I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I didn't know I'd fall through.

I want to come back. Please. I don't want to be here.

[Filtered from Todd]

Well, there was a curse yesterday and nothing seems off so far today-- so the party's on! I'll see everyone at seven?


[ooc; re this, though characters are totally free to come even if they didn't RSVP there ;3 kjjfgsdfg i apologize for being a failboat. will try to throw a log up laters? please pretend this was posted at some reasonable morning-ish hour sob.

EDIT; LOG!]

[Filtered away from Todd. Which is not difficult]

Okay, so, I'm not sure if he's mentioned it to anyone-- probably not-- but Todd's birthday is coming up really soon, and I'd like to throw a party for him. So, um-- consider this an invitation to all his friends, and all my friends, any even anyone who doesn't know him well but would like to, to join us for that. It'll be held November Sixth, unless there's a curse and we need to reschedule-- I'll let everyone know that morning, I guess.

I think we should be able to hold it in our apartment. probably. And-- I don't know if I should-- it's not like it's the kind of thing you can keep secret... Todd can't talk for the month. So I want this to be really special for him, because he deserves it. And, I guess this is his 18th birthday, too. Sort of, but not really since it hasn't really been a year, but.

I just want him to have a really nice time.

Anyway! If you think you're going to come, just let me know! So I have an idea of how much food to get, stuff like that.

And of course, don't tell him, because then it wouldn't be a surprise.


[ooc; orz i haven't had a chance to deal with the play stuff, fml, but can we handwave it and assume people are.. working on parts and soforth and. gaah /brainesplode. basically if your char wants in, Neil will find a way to involve them, anyway. :3 also MOSTLY A PLACEHOLDER most replies will be later tonight / tomorrow sobbb. we have company but i wanted this out there]

( Private; hackable )

( Filtered to the Deities )

If I made a fool of myself the other day, I'm sorry about it. I really didn't know I was cursed.


[ooc; on top of the Road Not Taken curse, he found this ;_; aaaangsssst. tags may be spotty for a while, costumewerk /m/,]

Is anyone else cursed today? Last time... I feel like there were more people talking about it. Maybe it's just too early...

Saturday was really crazy, wasn't it? I'm used to the idea that there are people out there who look like me, but... I didn't expect there to be so many. I enjoyed it though, mostly. Though I can see why some of you don't like it; after a while it must get very trying. I wonder where all of them come from, how they know so much about us...

I guess I should enjoy this while I can. What's everyone doing today?


[ooc; per Todd's deal, Neil is alive~ and. Todd is not. but Neil doesn't know that yet ;__; also if you want to squirt him feel free ffff <3]