[Well, Asgard, as you've probably figured out by now, it's body swap day! And actually, you've already seen the other half of this swap, which is why Diva doesn't bother with the "well this is weird" speech. She is lounging on her bedroom floor, and Rapunzel's usually quite lovely and well-kept hair is... not so. It looks approximately like this, but like for ten feet.

But. Diva is playing it cool. Because being in a 100% human body means something that Diva has never had to deal with before.]

Hey, I'm really hungry. I didn't know humans got hungry this easily. It's weird. It takes me like two weeks to be this hungry! [She makes an upset noise] But... What kind of food is there to eat? I don't really know much about it, I guess.

[She makes a reluctant face like this is a severe blow to her pride to admit] But, um... This is kind of a lot of hair, so I can't really go anywhere without... tripping on it. And that really hurts, you know! It's too fragile. [hmphs!!] So what kind of food should I eat? Or... if someone would cook me something, I guess that would be really nice too.

[After a pause, she adds,] I would appreciate that a lot, actually.

((ooc; as with everyone else, replied will be coming from tangledup, aww yiis))

[ A loud, short, and sudden shriek breaks the opening silence. She was kneeling at the lip of a tub when she made the mistake of glancing in the mirror because now her neck aches (she slept in the goddamn bath) and she is in Diva's body.

And her balance is so completely fouled with eleven less pounds of hair that she falls forward immediately upon standing and smashes her brand new nose into the porcelain. ]

...eech. [ But what she does following the initial panic and expletive is a bit more clever, even as it plays more like a strip show taking itself too seriously. She stands, whips Diva's hair around a bit, and after feeling herself up from head to toe (and back again twice), confides in the tap: ] Is this what everyone's head feels like? It's so...cold. And light. And my voice is so hi—

[ Which is about when she notices the renegade bracelet recording. Though instead of freaking out or scrambling to end the message or even reacting at all to any of this weirdness she simply bites a lip. Rapunzel is only good under pressure because she always expects the worst anyway. ] I'm sorry. It seems like I only make recordings when I need something. I mean, I didn't make this one on purpose. But I am going to ask for something while I'm here so it's... sort of leading up to the demand-making part in the end anyway and - well - aha. Okay.

Does... anyone maybe want to find some Y. pestis-free blood for a fourth shopping list scavenger hunt? Maybe? Heh.

[ replies will come from cambiante! ]

[Samantha opted, when setting up the feed, to go with voice only. She still looked like hell, and she didn't need anyone seeing or asking stupid questions. It wasn't their business. But, after speaking to Conan, she'd resolved that it was time to stop trying to hide from this place any further. When she spoke, her voice had a tired quality to it, but was still strong.]

So, Asgard.

I wanted to discuss something with those of you who will still speak with me right now. These powers that we have. Most of the people I see seem to think of them as a good thing, a blessing of sorts, or at least they partially make up for the tricks you had in your homeworlds. Right.

Here's the thing I wanted to talk about. Most I've spoken to seem to think of these powers as something that's being used to help other people around here, or to protect people that can't protect themselves. How do you people handle the fact that any of them can be abused, misused or mishandled? What do people around here do to prepare themselves to be protected if those powers get used for the wrong reasons? I've been thinking a lot lately about how people could protect themselves from some of these powers, and it worries me.

Not all of us are nice people, you know.

So, I have a quick question.

[There is the sound of a rustling bag and then the sound of someone crunching down on something. Since it's Finnick and he likes sweets, it's probably just a sugar cube. There is a few moments of silence still before he speaks again.]

I've noticed that some people get really surprised when they encounter someone that doesn't want to leave this place. Is there anyone out there that doesn't want to go back to their world? Besides the obvious people I know of course.

We can't be the only ones that want to stay, right?

[Hello, again, Asgard. Thankfully, Regina is in her robes, not showing off skin. It looks as if she's exhausted, glancing up to the sky, with a slow breath.

And another. Her head drops in her arms with a groan, with labored breathing for a moment. Muffled are her strains of pain as she tries to gasp for air.]

No. Please! Not now! I'm not-

[Out of the blue, she lets out an agonized cry, dropping to her feet, clutching her stomach, rolling in pain. It's so painful that tears start brimming at the corner of her eyes, she rolls into a fetal position with her head bowed to the ground, about ready to cry. She clutches her own shoulders tightly enough to tear fabric. All the while she tries to main composure.]

PLEASE! Turn back! TURN BACK!

[She stays in that position a little while longer, holding back choked sobs, shaking. In attempt to soothe herself, she starts to rock her own body, but the pain is too intense that she still strains in agony.]

I'm so hungry...

So hungry.

Make it stop!

[ooc; Regina's demonic nature catching the better with her because of emotional strain. She may go berserk, or just be like this for a while.]

[The feed turns on, and a very beautiful young woman appears on the screen -- one who looks more than a little concerned over her current situation. She's standing in front of Freya's Welcome Hall at the moment.] I think this should work.

[There's a pause -- Asami's taking a look at her surroundings before she returns to face the screen.] If there is anyone out there who can help me, please. My name is Asami -- Asami Sato -- and I need to get back home to Republic City.

And even if there's no way of me getting back, there has to be some means of communication that I can use, right?

Please let me know. I just need to at least let my friends know that I'm okay.

[And after a whole afternoon of exploring and using this new bracelet of hers to answer some questions of her own, Eve has finally sat down somewhere in her respective Welcome Hall to scan the network. It seemed like another social tool, albeit a freakish and magical one, so she figured it would be a good idea to make use of it.

Making sure she looks confident and presentable, she turns on the video function with a friendly smile. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right and without looking like a total newbie.]

Y'know, when I started to do my Christmas to-do list, I guess I must have forgotten to include "get kidnapped by Norse mythology". My bad. [Laughing, just a bit. She's actually annoyed by this, but she won't let it show any time soon.] Anyways... this is for introductions, right? Right.

Name's Eve Samson. Human, 17, and from a small watery planet known as Earth. I doubt there's many of you haven't heard of it. [Seeing as the majority of the people she spotted looked human, of course. But maybe that was just an assumption, all things considered.] Not... that it matters much, since I'm not there anymore. I was placed in some district called Baldr, and I dunno what that means, but I'm guessing I should be thankful I'm not in the one named after the dude who banged a horse. I think.

[Smoooooth, gurl, sharing her teeny fraction of Norse mythology knowledge right there. She pauses for a moment, as if trying to decide what to say next, before sighing and continuing.]

I already looked through this for some answers, so I'll skip the newbie questions and get to the juicy bits. Two juicy bits, to be precise.

One, how many of you here aren't human? I want names, species and current status. [Saying this like she's completely and utterly entitled to this information, yep...] And, two... does anyone know where to find a medieval Burger King or something like that? I'm starving.

[The video feed opens up to panning between two rooms in Baldr house - 201 and 203 specifically.  They're refurnished to fit his preference, aka pretty classy, rich guy stuff, as he would put it himself.  Don't ask how he got it.  Just.  Don't.]

Hey, so I'm cleaning up these rooms, trying to make 'em into one big one for myself.  Anyone wanna help me tear down this wall?  Uh, someone who can make keys would be pretty good too.  Have to pick the lock every time I want to get in.  It's not like anybody's using them, so it's fine if I do, right?

Maybe I should be advertising my sweet bachelor pad for the lonely women of Asgard, heheh. [He grins. It's only half-joking...] Haven't had a dry spell since I was about fifteen, geez...

Anyway, hey, Ange, you get bored of staying with those freaks in your house, come hang out with your old man!  Nobody ever visits me, it's not like I'm in a home.

Text

[It's been a while since he's shown himself on the network. Shu's been dwelling on things way too much lately and he needs to talk things out with someone. Anyone really. Being taken off the battle front gave him some time for self reflecting. Back home he wasn't fortunate enough to have this sort of free time so he may as well take advantage of it.]

What do you think about when the people you care for leave one after another?

You can't go back to the things were before. It's impossible.

There's only one option for you left. To move forward.

How do you cope with that? How do you move on? It's different for everyone, I guess.


Action

[1.If you're awake at 3 am you can find Shu laying in a patch of grass near the Gefion Park in the Baldr district. Bumming around late at night stargazing.

He couldn't sleep at all and going outside didn't seem like a bad idea. Given everything that happened to him back at home, he wasn't really at fault for being so uneasy. The amount of stress he gained within a few weeks was too much for him to handle. Serious issues piled up and he was forced to sort them all out as a leader. For once it was nice to finally be able to sit down and relax.

There were some headphones in his ear and he was listening to the band Egoist. The vocalist was Inori Yuzuriha and he happened to be a big fan of her voice.

With that being said attempts at calling out to him using your voice might end up in failure. Music's too loud. Try shaking or bothering him.

2. Alternatively if anyone caught Shu while he was leaving his room/home at Odin you're free to catch him around wandering too. ]

[ OH NO. If you're up at seven in the morning, you'll catch Taiwan immediately walking out of Loki's welcome hall to Freya's wearing a huge shirt that obviously isn't hers. Why? Totally worksafe reasons are why. YOU CAN ASK HER ABOUT THEM, THOUGH. Later on, she'll be asking this question to the network: ]

Is it normal to sleep with your best friend? I dunno, I mean, it's okay if you do it sometimes when he's lonely, right? We've known each other for ages, so I think that makes it more okay. Though I think he probably didn't need me when the dragons on his boxers were so shiny! [ ...Why is her phrasing so bad... ]

Oh, what about taking baths with him? Is that normal, too? And holding hands? And eating food from the same plate? [ Now she just looks worse. ]

What do you guys do with your best friends?

(ooc: sleeping soon, so tags in the morning!)

[This is Inori, sitting in the living room of the house she shares with Shu and Gai in Odin district. At the moment, she has a basket sitting beside her, one full of clothes that she is folding. Funnell is currently sitting beside and folding away as well, until a white kitten with a black spot on its back comes rolling by, tangled in something.

It appears to be one of Inori's rather lacy, pink bras. And the kitten is chewing on one of the straps while sitting in the left cup. Both folders stop to watch it with completely deadpan looks before Inori reaches out to take back her undergarment.]

Onigiri.... give that back. [She reaches for her bra, but the kitten continues to hang onto it. Inori glances at her bracelet, completely unfazed that this is on display.]

Why would a cat want to play with this? [She dangles the pink bra in full view for everyone to see.]

[The video starts with Diva staring at the camera with a frown, looking like there is something Very Important that she has to tell all of you. But if you manage to catch a glimpse at the pile of books next to her, you'll be able to guess that, no, that's not the case. They're all about vampires, both stories like TwiNightlight and more "serious" books about the supernatural.]

Ugh, so I've been in the library all day, because you know, it's been a long time since I've read anything about vampires... And you know, I apparently forgot a lot because this is all stupid!

[She picks up a random book and kind of shoves it into the camera, though her blue eyes peek over the top with her brow furrowed as she speaks. It's titled The Complete Book of Vampires]

Like, ways to kill them, I always knew that was stupid, but really? Sunlight, fire, holy water, garlic, crucifixes... And I mean, getting staked in the heart? [huffs] That's just rude!

[Diva sets the book down again, sitting back with her arms crossed. That said, one of the things she listed would kill her as a Chiropteran, but... Better to make people believe otherwise.] I mean, I know people think they're just things in stories, but still. And some of the things they can do are stupid too. Sparkling in the sunlight especially...

So, if that's what they're like in just stories, I'm curious. If you have vampires, you know, people that drink blood, where you come from, what are they like? At least Chiropterans don't have any weird things like this. Or I guess even things just in stories, since there's no way I'm reading any more of these stupid books.

I realize that this place is a far cry from normal, but I do have a question concerning the... natives and what makes them happy.

[Rachel, by the video, seems to be somewhere within the Odin district. She has an armful of books and her bracelet is turned on, precariously centered on her face as she tries to adjust everything -- but as her arm moves, it seems to show a collective of grey people staring at her.]

I was just walking home and a few of them started to follow me and I'm unsure on whether or not they want me to come with them or take me to their leader or -- well, it isn't as if any of them speak and -- this is so rude, they can probably hear me -- oh, no --

[And as Rachel turns, to face her followers, the books tip out of her arms to land on the ground. She curses softly to herself before she steps forward, to rescue a sheaf of sheet music from a puddle. And as she's about to proclaim that she doesn't have the money to replace it, one of the natives stoops to pick up one of her books -- and seems to point at the sheet music that she's borrowed from the library. She takes it gingerly before looking at it -- and she looks up at the taller being with a tentative smile.]

Do you like music -- ? Is that what you want to keep hear --

[And the feed shuts off as she hurries to pick up the rest of her things.]

[Now that the shock had worn off a little, and the water had gone down, Georgiana is determined to do something fun, or at least attempt to. If she was to prosper, she needed to explore at the very least, so that is what she was going to do. That and she really needed to get her mind off home, and her children especially Eliza. All very good reasons to go out and enjoy the day, so she was wondering around outside, not really going anywhere, because she didn't know where to go but... looking anyway.

The video cuts to her done up as well as she can do by herself, bodice, skirts, hair wild and curling everywhere under her large brimmed hat with more feathers than was useful to basically anything, but she's classy, because that just came with breeding. Though if you asked her, she's hardly dressed up at all. Addressing a network doesn't bother her so much after addressing huge crowds either, even if she doesn't understand exactly how it works. This whole not having to face her husband-who-slept-with-her-best-friend-and-then-it-got-worse every day thing was having a remarkable effect on her, especially after talking to others and realising the opportunity she was being afforded. So she's practicality sing-songy when she speaks into her bracelet, smile on her lips.]

Tell me, what do people do here for fun? Are there plays and theatre to see? Opera? Or another place one can hear music? Somewhere one could play a few rounds of cards, even? [she rather likes gambling, says her couple of thousand in debt, shhh...] Does anyone throw parties? I'm sure someone must, though I am not really sure how society works here. Do people still dance? [because that really would be her favourite thing, parties, dancing, music. At home it's lost it's lustre a little, but here? The whole thing glittered with prospect.]

At the very least, who does a lady have to flirt with to find a decent cup of tea? [because it really had been fun being able to flirt, and not having to worry about what society and the rest says] Or to get a glass of champagne? Company would be nice too, should anyone feel like enjoying mine and you have the time free. [yep, husband? What husband? Georgiana Cavendish has more freedom than she has had since she was married at seventeen, and by God if she wasn't going to enjoy it.]

[ooc// if action, find her wherever you like, she could of wandered near or far from Freya district.]

[so he heard that Gefion Park was a popular place! back home he liked taking a break from his knightly duties by laying out in the nearby forest, enjoying the sunshine. so he thinks exploring the park might be fun! maybe he'll even find a place he could relax like he did back home.

while walking in the park he notices he's being followed. by a small white rabbit.]

Ah... hello there, little one. [he crouches down to offer his hand for it to sniff] Do you live here? [the rabbit sniffs his hand but then... takes a little chomp on his finger]

O-Ow.. ah, are you hungry? While I may not be food, I may be able to find you some. Uh.. i-if you'd like. [the rabbit looks up at him & castor takes this response as permission to pick the fluffy thing up in his arms

SOOOO now he is wandering the park with a white bunny in his arms! feel free to approach!]

You know, this has been troubling me for some time.

[Hey, Asgard, it's that guy with the clocks for eyes. And this time, he's looking a bit confused.]

So...I had a few questions about a certain phenomenon that occurs often between two people. They go and they, erm, lock lips with one another. Sometimes they put their...[He makes a face.]...tongues in each others mouth. I have no idea why.

But, anyways, what purpose does it serve? Does it exchange genetic material through their saliva? Or is it used as an action to distract the other person? I mean, I've seen it among people who love each other, but...I often notice it between people who don't love each other either. So, it's not exactly a gesture of love, is it?

[A pause as he frowns.]

Basically, what I wanted to ask all of you: what is, exactly, the purpose of kissing?

[It's been awhile since Francis has actually been so bold as to post to the network. It's bad enough that he's commenting on other people's posts for crying out loud. He's been making a fool of himself on a more private scale and that SIMPLY WILL NOT DO. So no--this radio silence has officially been cut off for great justice.

Now, one could say that he's here to philosophize on your ass, or perhaps give love advice since, you know, he's so excellent in maintaining his own personal life. Perhaps he just wants to complain? He is French. It's only natural. However, as the video adjusts and Francis adjusts himself to fit just so into the frame looking mighty dapper today, it becomes clear that this isn't on his agenda. At all.]

My friends; some of you have seen me around and while others have not-- it seems as if Asgard is eagerly accepting more people within its borders, in which I must say hello. Welcome to this ah, surely unique experience. 

[rubbing his jaw, he divulges his imaginary audience with a bit of a grin] 

That is hardly the point of why I am here gracing you with my presence! Non, you see-- I am but a man that is seeking out companionship. An activity partner if you will. While I am not a shy man I hardly can indulge in spa days by myself. Imagine that-- myself, just hogging up all the attention with hardly anyone to talk to! 

Do tell me that there is someone out there that will save a man from his own?

[Why yes, he is bothering the good people of Asgard for a play date. He needs someone that is unattached to his current dilemmas to take his mind off of surly men things. NO HE IS NOT LONELY. NOT AT ALL. Why can't he ask to be rubbed down by a stranger in the company of someone who is a different shade of STRANGER?]

[She clearly has no idea what she's doing. For starters, the video is just of the wall to begin with. Mostly she's just hit buttons until something seemed to happen.]

Is this...? Oh dear, this is so dreadfully confusing. Well...

[Finally she comes into view, curls all arranged perfectly despite her absence of maids to attend her, or near enough. Admittedly, her hat is hiding most of it, but that was the novelty of such a large hat, and she was glad she had them, because doing her hair was going to become... difficult. Almost as difficult as lacing up her corset by herself.

She's also sitting on the stairs of the Welcome Hall, and somewhere between a frown and a pout on her face. She was doing alright with being here, some part of her was even excited... but... well she couldn't go out through the water. It would ruin her dress, and on top of everything else, she disliked feeling trapped, even if she was used to it.]

I'm told that others can see this? I'm a little confused but... does anyone know how to leave the buildings without... well, getting damp?

[She leans on her hand, sighing a little, just a bit bored too.]