[VIDEO]

[patchricide]

[WE INTERRUPT YOUR DEMONS AND MAYHEM TO BRING YOU...]

[Based on the setup of the ACE camera, this isn't just an impromptu video recording. Allura looks like she took extra care in preparing her own appearance (complete with earrings that are more sparkly than usual) and the backdrop, the common area of her team's shared units in the ______ Suites.]

Hello, everyone! I hope this day is finding all of you well. First, I'd like to take a moment to thank those of you who came to my father's assistance after his investigation of the Kaittos flora went off the rails. It's much appreciated, and you'll be happy to know that the vines should all be gone now.

[With a small emphasis on 'should'. Her eyes sweep the room briefly, as if she's expecting those seeds to burst open and photobomb her recording. So far, though, so good!]

But that's not why I'm making this video. Today, I am celebrating Grogory Day! ... I have to confess, though, that I don't know if it actually is Grogory Day. Attempting to convert the Altean calendar is a troublingly complicated matter, but...

Regardless! Grogory Day started as a celebration of peace accords, and grew into a holiday of peace and friendship. And you can all join in, too! All you have to do is give compliments to the people you meet — such as, "Your hair looks fantastic today!" or "You have such a handsome smile!" Another way to celebrate is by doing something nice for a stranger, just because you can.

With that in mind, I would also like to offer a special Grogory Day drink, to my neighbors in the Suites and anyone else who would like to stop by! It's not quite the traditional Grogory Day drink, but — I found something that should work, in the Kaittos market. It's blue and sweet, at least!

[... it's very sweet. Very, very sweet. Drink at your own risk.]

You've all been very patient, listening to me ramble on like this! Happy Grogory Day to all of you, and I hope to see all your gorgeous faces today!


[TL;DR: Reply or Action, get free compliments and a holiday greeting.]

Comments

[VIDEO]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

Okay wait wait wait...

[Darin is currently replying from his bed, where he is taking a much needed day to relax. He's also upside down because he's hanging off his mattress.]

So, there's an Altean holiday where people just compliment one another and drink themselves silly?

Soooooo...what's in the drink? And how strong is it?

[Darin no it's not that kind of drink.]

[VIDEO]

[patchricide]

That's right! For example: The color of your hair really brings out the green in your eyes!

[She is treating herself to a glass of the juice right now. It's super blue. Neon blue. it might be glowing, but it's hard to tell from the video.]

I'm not sure? It would be different if it was a traditional Grogory Day drink, but this one is just different Kaittos fruits, I think. The good news is that we shouldn't have to worry about the juice exploding!

[Unlike the whole plants from the planet, evidently.]

Re: [VIDEO]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

That's...huh. Moving on.

So it's just...fruit juice? As in no alcohol? How do you celebrate something without alcohol?

[VIDEO]

[patchricide]

[O h n o, did he not like it? Maybe because he's self conscious about his hair? What else can she compliment him about?]

— And you always know how to make things fun! Happy Grogory Day!

[He might have figured out the trick to getting extra compliments.]

I don't... think that's in it, no... [She checks the bottle, looking for some kind of list of ingredients.] But it's delicious, and it's sure to bring a smile to your face! Just try some!

Re: [VIDEO] ------->[ACTION]

[forgeabettertomorrow]

H-Happy Grogory Day...um. Thanks...

[He is not used to favorable compliments out of the blue.]

[Nevertheless, he rolls backwards out of bed and runs a hand through his mussed up hair and wanders out of his room.]

It's delicious, huh? Alright, I'll try a glass.

[Action]

[alformthearm]

[Guess who's poking his head around the door not long after.]

You'll be pleased to know that nothing has since exploded upon planting some of the seeds.

But more importantly, a Happy Grogory Day to you, dear Allura. You're every bit as beautiful as your mother.

[Action]

[patchricide]

[She beams at him.]

Good! Have they taken to the soil in the station Greenery, then?

[A moment later, she stands to go give him a big hug.] I'm not surprised you had no trouble with those, though. You're still the most brilliant mind to ever come from our world. Happy Grogory Day to you, too!

[alformthearm]

To the soil, yes! But I've promised to keep them apart from the rest of the Greenery until proven that they won't try to overtake anything.

[He slips into the room, arms outspread to take in that hug and return it in full as he chuckles.]

It helps that the initial discovery had been easy to narrow down just what had set off the rapid growth. Force of impact seems to jumpstart its germination process dramatically, but while it's short-lived, its expansion is impressive! And the way the vines grow, they're inclined to entangle anything that might unfortunately be in its path.

[He may have...found an empty room to replicate this theory, without him being in the middle of it.]

[patchricide]

Really? Do we have any room for other Kaittos plants, outside the greenery?

There were some flowers that I picked up some seeds for, but... I'm starting to wonder how friendly the other plants are, too. After all, there were so many plants, and that wasn't the only one that I saw exploding.

Maybe they need to be... erm, violent to their neighboring plants, to have the best chance to survive?

[She's not as smart as her father, but she can be a little nerdy, okay? It's easy to pick things up when around nerds.]

video

[beeped]

So... your special drink is kool-aid?

[Which isn't to say that's the only thing he got from this, but it is the only thing he thinks to respond about.]

video

[patchricide]

I'm afraid I don't know what "coo lade" is. Is it an Earth thing!

But I'm sure it was an astute observation! Happy Grogory Day — I love your glasses!

[Weird alien, right? She doesn't know what Kool-Aid is, but she has learned what glasses are.]

[beeped]

Yeah--it's a drink that comes in different flavors and colors but mostly just tastes like sugar. It's great.

[It's the last sort of drink he should never be allowed to have. He adjusts his glasses.]

Happy Grogory Day, too! Your hair is nice.

[patchricide]

Thank you!

And it sounds great. Does it taste that way because it is mostly sugar? Because it shouldn't be that hard to make here, if we can find a decent supply.

And after all, this juice I bartered for is only going to last for a while, isn't it?

[Why shouldn't she help children go on a sugar rush in space?]

video

[vdova]

Is that all? Being nice to one another?

[ When in Rome! ]

I love your earrings. They're very pretty.

video

[patchricide]

That's all! Peace doesn't have to be complicated.

Thank you, and speaking of pretty? Your hair is beautiful. Happy Grogory Day!

[vdova]

[ Well! ]

Thank you. Happy Grogory Day. I'm curious about the drink — what's in it?

[patchricide]

Oh, different fruits from Kaittos. I'm afraid I didn't remember all their names...

[Juice. It's juice.]

But it's surprisingly close to what we would make on Altea. Different fruits, perhaps, but the same rich, sweet flavor.

[Because juice is juice is juice. If a planet has fruit, you can make fruit punch.]

video;

[shiro2hero]

I'm glad you're sharing this with everyone. I think this place could use a little cheering up.

[Okay, you got this. Just say the words.]

And I'm. Glad you're part of our team. That you've stayed with us this long. I don't know what we'd do without you.

[COMPLIMENTS? CHECK. NAILED IT. RIGHT???]

video;

[patchricide]

It was my pleasure! If I had made a guess of it the year before, I would have tried it then as well. Ah, but we must have entered the Hub by that point, right...?

[ignore the IC excuse for things that didn't come up OOCly until this year]

And thank you, Shiro! Although you're the one who's done the most good for our team with your leadership. Both in skill and in your guidance to the others. Happy Grogory Day!

video;

[shiro2hero]

We were all a little busy surviving last year. It ... wow. It's really been more than a year for us, hasn't it?

[it's a totally IC excuse shhh]

... That. That means a lot to hear. Especially from you. Thank you, Allura.

Thank you.

[Whoops, got a little bit sappy there in the end.]

video;

[patchricide]

Of course, Shiro. Anytime.

[She smiles, because hooray, everyone's getting in the spirit!]

But yes, it's been over a year. And an eventful year at that one. One of the reasons I wouldn't mind putting in some extra work to make this a permanent base for us — we haven't had much stability for our team, so we should start making some of our own.

video

[clussy]

(Suddenly the weirdness of this day was making a whole lot more sense to Eddie. He's a little red in the face.)

So that's why my best friend won't stop calling me cute.

(On a good day, he was lucky to get away with being called cute only once or twice. Today? It was every time they interacted. They interacted a lot. But Eddie is at that age where holidays were a pretty big deal. This felt like a holiday sort of like Saint Patrick's Day or Valentine's Day. Maybe not as big as Christmas, but worth celebrating in its own way.

Besides. What was bad about a holiday that revolved around nothing but kindness? Embarrassing as it was, Eddie could see the appeal.

So, his face reddening deeper, he stares off camera and mumbles a very shy:)

You're pretty.

video

[patchricide]

Oh, wonderful! That means others are joining in already!

[She's beaming about that. There's not all that many Alteans aboard the station, after all — especially not compared to all the humans here. It would have been easy for them to dismiss it as a quirky alien thing. But...!]

Well, I agree with your friend! You are cute! Happy Grogory Day!

video

[clussy]

(Eddie smiles a teensy bit. He actually really liked the idea of this holiday. Celebrating friendship through compliments? Sign him up.)

I sent some people I care about some nice messages. It seems like a cool holiday. I never heard of a holiday where you can celebrate your friends and stuff.

(At least that's the gist he's getting here about it.

Eddie does go spectacularly red though and slaps a hand onto his face, groaning quietly.)

Oh, God. Don't let him hear you say that.

(Mortification manifested. Systems shutting down. He drops his hand and sighs.)

Happy Grogory Day. (A beat.) Is your whole planet full of nice people? I mean, to have a whole holiday like this is kinda -. We definitely don't have anything like that back on earth.

video

[patchricide]

I'm not about to say that we were all nice. Every planet has its grouches!

But as a whole, Alteans were... perhaps a little more compassionate than the people of some other planets. Especially when it comes to the peoples of other planets — we Alteans dreamed of universal peace for generations.

[There's a worrying amount of past tense.]

That's why we started celebrating the peace accords with Crethesia, which was a large step towards that goal. And why I'm glad to be making friends with people from Earth and other planets here, as well.