{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift","title":"Beyond the Rift","subtitle":"Beyond the Rift","author":{"name":"Beyond the Rift"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"service.feed","type":"application\/x.atom+xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom","title":"Beyond the Rift"}}],"updated":"2012-05-28T18:19:03Z","entry":[{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:585353","author":{"name":"Gracin Collinsworth"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/585353.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=585353"}}],"title":"\u2660 001 ; open } { i don't know what you've done to me, but i swear this much is true","published":"2012-01-21T06:54:02Z","updated":"2012-05-28T18:01:05Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"paz mendoza"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"lena austen"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"gracin collinsworth"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"rutherford briggs"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"stefan salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"julian cuevas"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"npc"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"mio hongo"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"scarlett langford"}}],"content":"Gracin Collinsworth<\/b> is really impressed with how far the Crowbar\u2019s come.

The architecture has always been impressive. The fact, Gracin isn\u2019t sure as to how you could cram so much compromise into one place. Wanderers and weaklings left and right, and normally this isn\u2019t a place he would ever set foot in under any other circumstances, but he is there to make a point. He\u2019s in Chicago<\/i> to make a point, otherwise he and Sheridan would be far from here, and he would have some other piece of business to attend to, but orders are orders and Gracin always obeys his. Bad things usually tend to happen if he doesn\u2019t.

He knows from the minute he walks in the door that he stands out. He\u2019s well dressed and well mannered\u2014most of the people in here wouldn\u2019t know proper etiquette if it decided to bite them\u2014and his disdain with the place is obvious, but this is a power play, and he isn\u2019t about to back out now. He makes his way to the bar and sits on one of the stools, his fingers making a face at the sticky substance that happens to on the top of the wood finish. He sighs, before looking up at the bartender with a thin smile.

\u201cDalmore \u201962,\u201d he says, before holding up his hand. \u201cTwo fingers.\u201d

In a different part of Chicago, lurking in the darkness of Grant Park, Paz Mendoza<\/b> is cleaning up after another kill. This time around, however, it isn\u2019t a human\u2014Wanderer or otherwise. She was<\/i> looking for some fresh blood on her hands, but instead she finds some kind of beast that has fallen through the Rift instead. She\u2019s covered in oozing blue blood, and has a corpse to deal with, but this isn\u2019t really anything new for her.

It doesn\u2019t stop her from feeling disgusted with the situation.

Never let it be said that she doesn\u2019t clean up her messes, however. She drags the body out of the public view, pouring gasoline over the corpse. Striking the match, she looks it over for the moment, sneering at this mess that the Rifts leave for them to clean up, before dropping the match onto the pile and letting it burn. The smell will attract someone sooner or later, but that\u2019s not really her problem, is it?

Finally, in a back alley alongside a bar in the grittier area of Chicago, Stefan Salvatore<\/b> is escorting a pretty blond into one of the darker corners of the alley. It\u2019s unclear if she\u2019s there of her own free will or not, but she seems pretty relaxed with him, so at first there\u2019s no reason to be alarmed. In fact, it looks to be your standard make out session until Stefan sinks his fangs into her neck and drinks her completely dry of blood.

Yes, he\u2019s aware that this isn\u2019t the healthiest way to be dealing with his issues, but he\u2019s having a good time. And he should be allowed to have a good time in Chicago. He has always loved this town.

Once he finishes with his \u2018date,\u2019 he lets her body drop to the ground, before turning and making his way out of the alleyway and back onto the street. After a quick check to make sure he isn\u2019t covered in blood and that his face is clean, he slides his hands into his pockets and starts walking. His appetite is sated for now, but give it a little time and that could change. Especially if the right morsel happens to come along."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:585078","author":{"name":"Shaun Phillip Mason"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/585078.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=585078"}}],"title":"[Openish] The little voice in my head won't let me forget","published":"2012-01-18T21:13:07Z","updated":"2012-01-18T21:13:07Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"angel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shaun mason"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"georgia mason"}}],"content":"Shaun Mason is having an argument with either himself or the dalmation puppy in his lap. Or so it would appear, to anyone sneaking up on him in the common room he's sitting in, muttering under his breath as he scritches Vector under her chin and behind her ears. What most people, unless they were psychic, wouldn't realise is that he's having an argument with someone else entirely, even if that someone is a figment of his imagination.

She knows something's wrong, Shaun, she's not stupid.<\/i>

\"No she doesn't,\" he snaps, soft enough you'd have to be next to him to make the words out. \"She doesn't have to know. Just drop the subject, George. I'm fine<\/i>.\"

You're still having arguments with the voice in your head, I think you're a bit beyond \"fine\".<\/i>

Ah, psychosis. And puppies!"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:584911","author":{"name":"\u2767 \u0454\u2113\u0454\u03b7a g\u03b9\u2113\u0432\u0454\u044f\u0442"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/584911.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=584911"}}],"title":"[open\/joint post] i can see you on the horizon like a storm that\u2019s soon to be.","published":"2012-01-17T02:50:11Z","updated":"2012-01-17T02:52:05Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"martha jones"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"connor hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"katherine pierce"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"lucky spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"ethan hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"mark barnes"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"bela talbot"}}],"content":"Elena Gilbert<\/b> doesn't wallow.

She refuses to lock herself up in her room and cry about what she can't fix, even if her life has admittedly been an emotional rollercoaster the past week. More so than usual, and she's been down and worried. Stefan found his way to Chicago and it's not at all what she expected it to be, but she's determined to see it through regardless. Despite this resolve and overwhelming concern of hers, life doesn't just stop. She's been in Chicago for over a year, built a life of her own that she genuinely loves, and it's what she's trying to hold on to when the rest seems to have fallen apart. Again. She doesn't want to and won't give up on her loved ones, but she also has to live her life. A lesson she learned and is still learning.

While she's doing everything she can do to find Stefan and help Damon in the process, she can't ignore everything else. If she focuses on what happened that day at the Park, she'll drown and Elena doesn't accept that of herself. She survives this, too.

Her day starts out fairly normal. She gets up bright and early and makes her way to the Kashtta Tower's gym. There's a punching bag with her name on it and Elena pounds on it until her arms are sore. Once she's showered and switched the gym gear for her everyday clothing, she cuts her way through Grant Park. This alternate Chicago has experienced heavy snowfall, and while Elena's wearing her boots, she slips and nearly falls to the ground with a thud, holding on to the first thing that she can.

It's just<\/i> that kind of day.

Then it's time for school, and while her mind is definitely not<\/i> in any of her classes, she makes it through most of the day. The day itself is a blur, as she's distracted and going through the motions, but she does.

At lunch time, she's making her way across campus grounds to find her usual and favorite spot to eat.

--------

Katherine Pierce<\/b> has had an interesting few weeks. Where first she made sure to establish herself, find a place to live and figure out exactly who from Mystic Falls had traveled over the rainbow, she now has better, more important things to do. The apartment she shares with a doctor who's almost never home makes it convenient if a vampire she doesn't want entering comes by. Her roommate hadn't objected - much - to her presence but she'd made sure he would be agreeable. Besides, she lives in a certain lap of luxury. It comes from remembering the 19th century. She likes baths that double as jacuzzis and huge guest bedrooms. She can give or take TV but the right show can pull her in - when she has the time.

Here, in Chicago? She hasn't really had any. Between keeping tabs on Stefan while also keeping her distance as well as learning her descendant's schedule, she hasn't really had a \"day off.\"

The past weekend, she'd decided to drop in on Elena's life. She didn't bother straightening her hair or really pretending at all, at least she hadn't planned on it.

Her day is pretty simple. A latte from the coffee shop down the street before taking a drive to the other side of town to Elena's school, the University of Chicago. She peruses the campus bookstore. She lingers on campus, stopping by the coffee cart for another cup. It's the college<\/i> thing to do, it seems. Katherine never went to college. Not properly. And stalking Stefan to his college didn't count. But, Stefan was not her priority. Katherine had been trying to get a hold of Elena's life. It had been so much easier in Mystic Falls. She had had Isobel and John and it had been a small town. Chicago was nothing like Mystic Falls. She missed that simplicity. She sits on a bench for a while, people watching, trying to match names to faces she doesn't recognize. She doesn't like it, losing the upperhand and she wants it back.

Which is why she makes the effort to stay ahead of Elena, of Damon. And that's why she drops down into the chair across from Elena's, a tray in hand.

\"I must say, the food here isn't as nearly as poor as I assumed it'd be. I'm not usually a taco girl. But, they had all the fixings,\" she says, picking up one taco with her hands and taking a bite. \"Yum,\" she says, her mouthful before setting down the taco and using her napkin to wipe her mouth. \"And how's your day going?\" she asks once she's swallowed, tilting her head.




[ OOC: Katherine Pierce<\/a> and Elena Gilbert<\/a> look exactly alike, and have double the bad history. This is a joint Katherine (the vampire!) and Elena (the doppelganger!) post for shenanigans that involve face confusions! Specify in the subject line if you want a thread with only Katherine throughout her day, only Elena throughout her day, or both of them together as they meet up with each other at the end--at your own peril. Your character can also interact with both of them individually at different points throughout the day for double the confusion, as Katherine tends to like pretending she's Elena. :D<\/small> ]"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:584616","author":{"name":"Anna Milton"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/584616.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=584616"}}],"title":"\u03b1 || 001. not finished","published":"2012-01-14T18:07:28Z","updated":"2012-01-14T18:07:28Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"anna"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"castiel"}}],"content":"

It had pulled her inward, like a force of wind suddenly being pressed to every inch of her from the inside out. The power, nearly all-consuming, still felt as if it would overwhelm her if she let it. It became her. It possessed her with all of its infiniteness and light.

Then it's gone. With a slight flicker of shock of her own countenance, she stands unsure and unaware. Her breath is held tight within her, the feeling as though if she were to exhale, if she were to let go<\/i> something horrible would happen.

It's Chicago and Anna<\/b> knows this. This is wrong, though, and Anna knows this too. It feels crowded, not in the bustling city way but in the 'there are too many here'<\/i> way. When she exhales something does happen, her knees buckle and she nearly folds to the ground. Palms press to the rough surface of the sidewalk, feeling the cold that seeps into her. Looking around, she rises back to her feet and finds a bench to sit on.

Drawing in a slow breath, she shuts her eyes and reaches out.

\"Castiel.\" She can feel him, but she doesn't go to him. It's simply a comfort to know that even with all of the wrong that's surrounding her, she can find one thing that seems right."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:584376","author":{"name":"Tyler Lockwood"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/584376.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=584376"}}],"title":"And I'll Find Strength In Pain, And I Will Change My Ways [Open; Grant Park]","published":"2012-01-13T12:56:51Z","updated":"2012-01-13T12:56:51Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"shawn spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"tyler lockwood"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"katherine pierce"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}}],"content":"Tyler<\/b>'s not sure what's going on. He feels breathless as he comes to. The last thing he remembered was passing out after a transformation. His mother is supposed to be helping him help rescue Caroline. But his mother isn't here. And this definitely isn't the caverns beneath the Lockwood estate either.

Which begs the question, where is he? He rises to his feet, the disorienting feeling wearing off rather quickly. There are some perks to being a werewolf. It looks like he's in a park. How he got there, he has no idea. He kind of wishes whoever had put him here would have given him something other than these stretch shorts he wore for his transformations to wear though.

But whatever. He has bigger issues right now. \"Hello?\" He cried out, trying to see if he could gather anyone's attention. \"Anyone here? What the hell is going on?\" Is something seriously going whack in Mystic Falls again, or what? It suddenly seems like a good idea to check to see if anyone else he knows is here.

\"Matt? Bonnie? Jeremy? Elena? Anyone I know? Anybody here can tell me what the hell is going on?\"

He's tempted to call Caroline's name, but wherever this is, she can't be here right? She's still in danger. Which is why he needs to get home and quick. He has to help her. He owes her that much. And a hell of a lot more."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:584010","author":{"name":"\u2765 \u2113\u0454\u03b7a a\u03c5\u0455\u0442\u0454\u03b7"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/584010.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=584010"}}],"title":"[locked] and a heaviness in my head.","published":"2012-01-10T09:43:50Z","updated":"2012-01-10T20:07:29Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"lena austen"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jessica ryan"}}],"content":"[ OOC: Continued from here<\/a><\/small> ]

It's been a while since Lena talked to a younger demon.

There was something about meeting this one that struck a chord.

Not that Lena saw herself<\/i> exactly as she was all those years ago, but there were enough similarities she couldn't help but take to her. She remembers being that uncertain. She remembers being that disbelieving. And she remembers the difference it made when Sonny reached out enough times she decided to accept.

It made all the difference in the world, not that Lena's exactly thinking of a Pay It Forward<\/i> kind of deal.

Still. She likes the girl. Lena Austen<\/b> decided to buy Jess Ryan<\/b> a cup of coffee as they deviate from the magical toy store. She can more or less figure what the younger girl is thinking, and maybe it's something Lena can help with. Even if it isn't, it will have been good to meet her, to let her know she's around if she ever has questions.

\"What'll you be having? It's on me,\" she says to Jess once they step into the coffee house."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:583918","author":{"name":"Tonks"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/583918.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=583918"}}],"title":"[open] my beacon's been moved under moon and star","published":"2012-01-10T01:28:14Z","updated":"2012-01-10T01:28:14Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"david stutler"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"tonks"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"hermione granger"}}],"content":"When Nymphadora Tonks had been late, late in a way that was specific to women, in late November, she hadn't thought anything of it. Her mind had been elsewhere, focused on Doyle's disappearance<\/a>. She didn't even realize that she skipped the month entirely. It wasn't an unusual event for her. Tonks had never been exactly regular in that department.

As normal as skipping one month was for her, she never skipped two in a row. She noticed this time.

No, she couldn't possibly be! She hadn't been sick. She hadn't even so much had a stomach ache let alone anything more. It wasn't possible. Metamorphmagis didn't... Well, there wasn't a whole lot known about Metamorphmagis, they were rare. Even growing up Tonks had not been able to ask anyone directly about herself The more she thought about it, the more panicked she became.

This was not a happy accident.

On the second day in January, after she had gathered the ingredients and after the celebration of the New Year, Tonks set to work on brewing a potion. It was the wizarding equivalent of peeing on a stick. There was no St. Mungos for her to visit. It was this or wait. Tonks didn't want to wait.

When she was done with its brewing, Tonks reached up and pulled a hair from the top of her head. She then dropped it into the potion. Tonks was not a religious person but never had she prayed so hard as she did in that moment. Please not gold... Any color but gold...<\/i>

For a moment, Tonks thought she might get her wish. The potion was slow to turn. It remained cream in color for a few moments before eventually shifting. By the time it was done, it shimmered a bright gold.

No!<\/i> Tonks picked up the sauce pan and dumped the contents into the sink. She had brewed it wrong. The ingredients did not possess the same qualities here as they did back home. She refused to accept the results and so she again brewed the potion. The results were the same.

Nymphadora Tonks did not want to be pregnant.

On the third of January, Tonks contacted<\/a> Martha Jones.

Martha confirmed what Tonks feared.<\/a>

Sometime on the fifth of January, late at night, Tonks found herself walking through Grant Park. Tonks doesn't remember how she got there or where she was before. Most of her day has been a daze.

She stops walking, suddenly. \"Give him back...\"

Tonks looks up at the night sky. \"GIVE HIM BACK! YOU DON'T NEED HIM! I DO!\" She doesn't care if anyone can hear her or see her yelling into the air. Up until this point she's either been afraid or numb. It isn't until it just bubbles out of her that she realizes how angry she is.

It's not fair.

\"IT'S NOT FAIR! JUST RETURN HIM LONG ENOUGH SO I CAN MURDER HIM! YOU CAN HAVE HIM BACK AFTER! THAT'S FAIR!\"

Tonks wants to throw things. She wants to hurt someone or something until it feels as miserable and terrified as she does. It's not fair.

What is she going to do now?"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:583536","author":{"name":"Dean Winchester"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/583536.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=583536"}}],"title":"[OTA] Risin' up, back on the street. Did my time, took my chances.","published":"2012-01-09T08:23:17Z","updated":"2012-01-09T11:10:54Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"sam winchester"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"dean winchester"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jo harvelle"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jonathan crane"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"castiel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"bela talbot"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jessica ryan"}}],"content":"One minute he's in a motel in Concrete, Washington; brushing his teeth before bed, just minding his own business, and the next he's walking down an empty street, holding a tube of toothpaste in his hand. Not exactly his weapon of choice either.

Dean Winchester can't seem to figure out how he got here, but then again, stranger things have happened in the past so he's not exactly surprised -- just a little ticked off maybe considering this is probably another one of Castiel's holy interruptions. The last time Dean found himself in another city altogether, he was back in Lawrence, Kansas, and the year was 1973.\u00a0

Hell, he gets that he's not the kind of guy who'd go right ahead and believe whatever anyone tells him; most times a little show and tell is usually required, but Castiel couldn't have given him some kind of an explanation first before doing the time bendy crap?

\"Dick.\"

Annoyed, he disposes the toothpaste by way of a careless, over the shoulder toss, and turns the corner, expecting to bump into the angel anytime now.

-----

[ Sam Winchester's Place -- locked to Sam and Castiel<\/small> ]

Hours later.

Dean has no idea what just happened, except he's staring at the reflection of a dog in the mirror. He cocks his head to the side and makes to touch his own face, but he's somehow not getting there. The little dog in the mirror seems to be having a spastic fit, or it's waving at him.

The elevator doors ding open just then, and Dean feels somewhat relieved. As entertaining as that chihuahua is, he's had enough of the trick mirror. The dog\u00a0is now trying to wiggle its way out of the lump of clothing\u00a0on the floor, and Dean turns around to find himself staring up at the rows and rows of giant doors in the hallway.

Oh, boy.

Truth be told, he has no idea why he's here even, except -- call it animal instinct maybe. There's something about this place...\u00a0

Now, if only he can reach one of the giant doorknobs.

\"Hello? Anybody here?\"<\/s>

YAP! YAP YAP!"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:583372","author":{"name":"Bonnie McCullough"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/583372.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=583372"}}],"title":"[open] Hello, rift, Bonnie is going through you. (grant park)","published":"2012-01-07T08:27:55Z","updated":"2012-01-07T08:27:55Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"bonnie mccullough"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"connor hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"damon salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}}],"content":"The eve of summer solstice, she had been in a cemetery.

There weren't many other people in Fell's Church who celebrated the day, so she'd been alone, in the same grove of trees she was fond of doing spells in. There was the park, of course, and all sorts of forests she could have gone to, but the ring of trees by the cemetery was unique, she'd never found another place like it. Sometimes, she felt like she'd stepped through time and entered a Druid's grove in ancient England.

Of course, she'd never actually stepped through any real<\/i> fabrics of time before.

But tonight, as Bonnie had been lighting candles and setting them in a circle around her, one had fallen and slowly rolled down the grassy incline, down past her sheltering trees. Well, six candles wouldn't do. The spell definitely required seven.

Pulling her gauzy white dress up so that it wouldn't catch around her feet, the petite vampire stood and ran after the candle. She needed to get this spell done, and it was almost midnight.

She ran through the trees--but the candle wasn't there.

And when she turned, neither was her grove. Instead, there were other trees. Different trees. And a different landscape.

Bonnie wasn't sure what had just happened, or if this were all actually a dream and not real life, but something felt wrong. Everything looked<\/i> wrong. And before she could stop it or think about why she was doing it, she began singing a song by The Smiths.

\"Take me out tonight. Take me anywhere, I don't care I don't care, I don't care. And in the darkened underpass I thought Oh God, my chance has come at last, but then a strange fear gripped me and I just couldn't ask...\"<\/i>

As she sang, she turned in a circle, wide eyed, brown eyes frantically darting here and there and trying to spot something familiar."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:583111","author":{"name":"Stefan Salvatore"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/583111.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=583111"}}],"title":"\u03a9 001 ; open } { i got the surprise, surprise of my life -- i had to stop and stare","published":"2012-01-06T21:37:57Z","updated":"2012-05-28T17:42:57Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"stefan salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"katherine pierce"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"damon salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}}],"content":"The first thing he notices is that the sun\u2019s up.

It wouldn\u2019t have been such a big deal if they had actually been driving all night, but Stefan knows for a fact that they haven\u2019t. In fact, the clock on the car radio proves<\/i> that. The digital read out says just after one AM, but from the looks of things, it was suddenly closer to one PM<\/i>. That, and they seem to have just magically appeared in Chicago. Needless to say, Stefan is very<\/i> confused.

\u201cWhat \u2026 just happened?\u201d

For Katherine, all her attention is on Stefan. It\u2019s on Stefan until she realizes the interior of her car has impeccably good lighting for the middle of the night. It\u2019s a hop and a skip to realizing it\u2019s not her car, but the sun above them. Katherine\u2019s good, but keeping Stefan\u2019s eyes on her for four hours? She\u2019s not that good.

She looks front before leaning back.

\u201cThe sun came up, Stefan.\u201d She says it, stating the obvious. But, a glance down at the clock proves that she\u2019s really not that good. \u201cSomehow...\u201d

He straightens from where he\u2019s sitting, the frown still written all over his face as he glances around. \u201cThis is Chicago,\u201d he states, also indicating the obvious. He\u2019s spent enough time in it to know it when he sees it. \u201cWhen \u2026 did we get to Chicago?\u201d

Katherine, too, glances around. She can\u2019t say she\u2019s expecting a return to this city any time soon. It wasn\u2019t even on her itinerary. Not that she had an itinerary set in stone. It\u2019s just better to flee to cities she hasn\u2019t been spotted in. Chicago? She\u2019s been in before. Several times. Then again, it\u2019s not possible for them to be<\/i> in Chicago.

\u201cStefan, we\u2019re miles from Chicago. It\u2019s not --\u201d But, she gives another look around. She smiles to herself. Funny coming out of her mouth. She should know, anything is possible. An original vampire can follow her to the ends of the Earth. Her first thought is that witch Bonnie having something to do with it, but like she\u2019s that powerful. \u201cApparently, we got to Chicago a few seconds ago.\u201d

Someone honks behind them.

Katherine starts the ignition, trying to decide her next move. Instead, she decides to voice her thought.

\u201cBonnie?\u201d

It certainly can\u2019t be Klaus. She hasn\u2019t yet convinced Stefan to get revenge on the hybrid. He has no reason to round up a witch to send them to -- Chicago. She\u2019s officially confused.

He shakes his head as he watches the buildings pass. \u201cShe doesn\u2019t have this kind of power. Not yet, anyway. The witches cut her off.\u201d Unfortunately for her, but that\u2019s what happens when you try to mess with the laws of nature -- or at least that\u2019s what he\u2019s heard. \u201cAnd why would she send us<\/i> to Chicago? If anything, she\u2019d want to bring us back<\/i> to Mystic Falls.\u201d

\u201cRight. For bringing Gilbert back,\u201d she says, recalling her trip to the cemetery with Jeremy, Anna, and Damon. That was how she had found out about Mikael. She slows the car down, coming to a stop at a traffic light. \u201cHow should I know? I\u2019m only included in your plans when you deem me useful<\/i>.\u201d Bonnie had never seemed to be the smartest witch. \u201cWitches make mistakes don\u2019t they?\u201d she asks, resting an elbow against the door. No, they really don\u2019t. \u201cI\u2019m less interested in how<\/i> we were brought to Chicago then in how we were brought to Chicago with the sun<\/i> all ready up.\u201d

It\u2019s not like she\u2019s seen either kind of magic. Transportation or time manipulation. But, one is a little scarier than the other. And a little more helpful if she could get her hands on a time-manipulating witch. Another card to slide into her deck.

\u201cWhere to?\u201d Because, she\u2019s at a loss. Her first instinct is to set a course for Stefan\u2019s old apartment but, then she\u2019d be revealing that she knows about it. So, she lets Stefan take the wheel - so-to-speak.

There are too many locations to mention. Stefan spent a fair amount of the twenties in Chicago, and there were so many options. \u201cGloria\u2019s,\u201d he suggests first. \u201cI know she\u2019s not there, but at least it will give us a point of orientation.\u201d Going back to his old apartment would not be good for his pysche right now. Sorry, Katherine.

\u201cGloria\u2019s it is,\u201d Katherine says, looking in the rear view and changing lanes. She won\u2019\u2019t say no to a drink when they get there. She wonders who took over after Gloria\u2019s... untimely demise. She hopes he hasn\u2019t forgotten what they were just talking about. But, is now the time to remind him? \u201cI\u2019d say, Klaus. but -- what would he gain in sending my car off to Chicago?\u201d One thing she knows for sure. Stefan will never be \u2018free\u2019 no matter what Klaus says.

\u201cEspecially considering he probably doesn\u2019t know that I\u2019m with you,\u201d he sighs, watching the buildings as they go. The frown on his face slowly deepens as he realizes that these buildings don\u2019t look exactly the same as he remembers them. He straightens more in the seat, before following one building back as they pass it. \u201cThat doesn\u2019t belong there.\u201d

She sighs, sitting up a little more, no longer resting her head against her hand. \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d Katherine asks, paying attention to the street sign up ahead. \u201cDid they rename -\u201d But, she passes it because that street is insignificant. Gloria\u2019s is three streets down. \u201cStefan...\u201d

\u201cPull over.\u201d Making it all the way to Gloria\u2019s seems pointless at this point, considering none of the landmarks are the same. Something is up in a major way, and he can\u2019t just stay where he is and do nothing about it. His hand fishes into his pocket for his phone, and then thinks better of it, and turns to her instead. \u201cSee if you can call Damon again.\u201d

Katherine does as she\u2019s asked, if only because Stefan is more familiar with his surroundings here. She pulls up to the curb, putting the car in park. She doesn\u2019t say anything about Stefan not being the one to reach out to his brother. Eventually, it\u2019ll come out that Stefan saved his brother but that\u2019s not either of their problem currently. Katherine fishes her phone out of her bag. Holding it in her hand, she presses a button. Another one.

\u201cI don\u2019t have a signal,\u201d she says, holding her phone out to him.

He takes the phone from her and does the same, trying to get some kind of signal, but there was nothing. Her phone wouldn\u2019t connect. This was not a good thing, but Stefan wasn\u2019t going to let the panic overwhelm him. Not yet. He takes a deep breath, before handing it back to her. \u201cSomething\u2019s wrong.\u201d

\u201cYou think?\u201d he asks, taking the phone back, pressing send just in case they aren\u2019t really being punked. \u201cLet me guess, this isn\u2019t the Chicago you or I remember...\u201d she says, hands on the steering wheel as she looks around them. She pulls the parking break. \u201cI would say, this is more than... wrong. It\u2019s off.\u201d

Stefan starts to get out of the car when she pulls the parking break, trying to get a better view. Certain things are the same. That\u2019s Grant Park, not too far from them, and he recognizes some of the buildings, but things are \u2026 different. Too different for Stefan to just ignore it. \u201cVery off.\u201d

Katherine turns the ignition off, waits for a car to pass and then climbs out, closing the door behind her. She looks behind them. Something is different. Buildings have slightly changed.

\u201cGreat,\u201d she says, leaning against the car.

There are so many different ways to play this but Stefan doesn\u2019t even know where to start. Every instinct he has says turn around and head home, but considering they don\u2019t know how they got to Chicago in the first place, he\u2019s not sure that\u2019s the best move to make. Instead he glances down at his watch, and then at the area around them. There are people there. They probably have some kind of information.

\u201cWe should split up. We\u2019ll cover more ground that way.\u201d He straightens and makes his way around the car. \u201cWe meet back here in an hour?\u201d It seems like a reasonable amount of time.

Katherine, too, is at a loss. But, as far as she\u2019s concerned staying as far away from Mystic Falls and Klaus as she can is her best course of action. So, like Stefan, she has pretty much the same idea. But, she has reservations. Is he going to be all right on his own? With all of these feelings<\/i> coursing through him? She decides that she doesn\u2019t care. She was going to send him off alone, anyway. So, splitting up. She\u2019s down.

\u201cAn hour,\u201d she says, moving around the car. \u201cBack here.\u201d

He nods. \u201cI\u2019ll head through the park, if you\u2019re in the mood for something a little more urban?\u201d

\u201cI\u2019ll head uptown.\u201d Urban or not, she shrugs. Maybe she\u2019ll find a drink. She opens the car door, leans in and grabs her bag before closing it again.

Stefan nods, before pushing away from the car and heading towards the park. \u201cGood luck.\u201d

\u201cYou too,\u201d she says, quieter, before heading in the opposite direction.

<\/a>

[You can either grab Stefan or Katherine separately, or meet them both when they're coming back to the car. Just specify who, and we'll tag accordingly.]<\/small>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:582662","author":{"name":"Caroline Forbes"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/582662.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=582662"}}],"title":"\u2102 002 ] [ out for cake","published":"2012-01-06T05:00:00Z","updated":"2012-01-06T05:01:31Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"castiel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"damon salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sam winchester"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shawn spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"caroline forbes"}}],"content":"

Today is Caroline's<\/b> eighteenth birthday. If anyone had ever told her that she'd be turning a year older in an alternate Chicago, she would've thought they were crazy. This time last year things had been so different, but they just seem to continue changing. Which is why, for tonight, Caroline is seeking out a tiny bit of normal.

Sure, maybe her friends aren't all here and the people she has met seem a bit more okay<\/i> with being kidnapped to an alternate version of a city, but she isn't going to let her own thoughts distract her. She's picked Hackney's on Printers' Row<\/b> for the event. It's not quite a nightclub type bar and to be honest, it's probably the closest thing to the Grill that she's been able to find in Chicago. Plus, the burgers are amazing.

Sending out a few non-formal invites, she is mostly just waiting to see who will show up. She's hoping for a roaring success and no deaths. No deaths, no kidnappings, no vervain-ings, no... no bad things.

For once, she wants to be at a special party, in a pretty dress, with her friends and not have it end in disaster.

Especially because it's her birthday.


(ooc: TVD cast is welcome and so are party crashers that want to meet the birthday girl!)<\/small>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:582493","author":{"name":"Georgia Carolyn Mason"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/582493.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=582493"}}],"title":"Maybe this year will be better than the last...","published":"2012-01-03T20:34:01Z","updated":"2012-01-03T20:34:01Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"michael vaughn"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adam hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shaun mason"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"georgia mason"}}],"content":"Nobody expects to wake up in the morning having lost several months somewhere along the way. Which is why, when Georgia rolls out of bed, grumbling and cursing, because the dumb dog won't stop whining, she doesn't check her journal or a calendar or the internet or anything. And also why when she gets dressed, it's appropriate clothing for early November, not for a snowy and windy January.

She shoves her sunglasses on, heads down to the lobby with the puppy trailing at her heels, and actually gets two or three steps outside before the cold hits her.

The puppy bounds into the snow without pause, bouncing around in gleeful abandon at the sudden change in environment. Georgia is less pleased by the situation. For a second, all she can do is stand there staring in horror, breathless from the sudden shock of icy wind. \"Holy fuck<\/i>!\"

She starts to duck back inside, but stops halfway in, remembering that there's a relatively helpless, totally brainless living thing she can't exactly abandon in the snow. It would freeze to death, and then, against all better judgment, she'd feel bad. Hovering in the doorway, Georgia leans down to clap her hands and try to get the dog's attention. \"Hey, dog. Dog<\/i>! Come! Oooover here! ...come inside before you freeze to death, you spotty little idiot. If I have to come out and get you, I swear to god I will skin you and make a tiny rug.\"

The puppy cheerfully ignores her. Getting its attention would probably be easier if she'd bothered to give the thing a name before now..."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:582172","author":{"name":"Angel"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/582172.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=582172"}}],"title":"[ open ] always pushing up the hill searching for the thrill of it","published":"2012-01-02T01:41:59Z","updated":"2012-01-02T01:41:59Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"martha jones"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"angel"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}}],"content":"If you wander through Grant Park you may witness a man staring up at the sun. If he's not staring incredulously at the ball of light in the sky, he's seated on a bench, flipping through a journal. It's not exactly his first walk through the park, figuratively speaking, when it comes to dimensional travel. But, because of what he is, he hardly ever gets the chance to actually be in the sun. He can count three times and one -- can't count. As far as Buffy and everyone else is concerned, that time never happened. But, there's no reason to think of such maudlin things.

Angel's sword leans against the bench.

He catches bits and pieces about Chicago - which is apparently where he's ended up. There are building names he doesn't recognize. But, this park. Grant Park. That's a real park. So, of all places to be brought to by the Senior Partners -- in the sunlight -- Chicago isn't exactly on his radar. This must be an alternate Chicago. Or, Hell's version of Chicago.

Angel notes that this doesn't feel like hell. He's been there, done that and this is nothing<\/i> like that. He wonders if he should be grateful. He turns a page and can't help but think about his team left behind, about soldiers down before them. Doyle. Cordelia. Everything culminates in -- Grant Park, Chicago. How anticlimactic. Maybe this is way for the Partners to tip the scales. Pull Angel from the fray, stop him from slaying the dragon that he was itching<\/i> to slay -- and drop him.

In Grant Park."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:581946","author":{"name":"Shaylee Faolan (OC)"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/581946.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=581946"}}],"title":"[open] Howl for me","published":"2011-12-30T03:51:02Z","updated":"2011-12-30T03:51:02Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"alek hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elizabeth burke"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shaylee faolan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"leon warner"}}],"content":"It's a dark, clear night in Chicago, but there's no moon to be found in the sky. There's the typical amount of urban noise, but somehow it feels quieter. Or maybe it only seems that way to Shaylee because she's never been to Chicago- but had imagined that all American cities were louder than this. She's thankful that whatever brought her here had the decency to bring her in her winter school clothes. The heavy robes are usually a bloody pain, but as the Chicago wind tries to nip at her, the dark wool holds back the icy beast.

Shaylee glances up and smiles at the dark moon. It's her night, and she wonders if that has something to do with all of this. Her mother has always said that her gifts were stronger when the moon was in the phase of her birth. But if that is the case, then where is Eva? Surely her twin would have plenty of strength to follow along.

For now, the sixteen year old is content to explore this place. Some might wonder why she's out on her own so late at night. Others might recognize her as out of place, as so many are in Chicago. But she doesn't look afraid of it. She may not understand it, but Shaylee is anything but afraid of whatever is happening."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:581819","author":{"name":"Mr. Edward Magorium"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/581819.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=581819"}}],"title":"a well-deserved gift","published":"2011-12-29T20:03:06Z","updated":"2011-12-29T20:03:06Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"millie"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"lena austen"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"mark barnes"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"dusty baker"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"hermione granger"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"noah evans"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"theta"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"mr. magorium"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"helen magnus"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"scout"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"michael vaughn"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"lucky spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"kenzie douglas"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shaylee faolan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"ben casey"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"leon warner"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sonny"}}],"content":"[A few days ago, Mr. Magorium was met with the surprise of his life<\/a>.

And, given how long a life his has been, it was some<\/i> surprise.]<\/span>

Edward Magorium steps outside of his toy store and home in proper<\/i> gear this afternoon. His scarf is candy-cane striped, his jacket is puffy and brown, and his shoes are—well, the same. His toes are freezing, but that's no matter, because today is a very big day for him. He doesn't mind the cold toes or the way the breeze is making his hair stand further up than usual; his mind is focused on one thing and one thing only.

It's time to re-open his store.

He's long forgotten how it felt to run the store on his own and Mahoney's absence is weighing heavily on his heart, but he's managed to get everything as organized as it should be. There's even a "HELP WANTED" sign in the window, scribbled in multicolored ink.

In his arms sits a pile of papers, each a different color, all advertising the grand re-opening of Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium. He waits for a particularly strong gust of wind, then smiles and tosses the stack into the air. The people on the sidewalk all stop when they see the fliers take wing, mouths slowly opening at the sight of each one literally flying to their intended spots: a telephone pole here, a wall there, under a car's windshield wiper...

Mr. Magorium stuffs his hands into his pockets and grins. "The store is officially open! Come one, come all, to the Wonder Emporium!"

And with that, he disappears back inside the small, colorful building that's nestled comfortably between a real estate office and a high-rise apartment.

The curious will find what looks like a toy store at first glance, but is much, much <\/i>more. It's magical in every<\/i> sense of the word. The balls bounce of their own accord, the teddy bears hug back, the planes fly, and the puppets dance. Blocks hobble around, waiting to become part of something great; toy soldiers march across counter tops; the fire engines squirt water onto plastic fires. Children and adults alike are welcome to play with whatever they like, free of charge. There's a spot for reading (and you can get any book you want, seriously, just ask), a spot for painting, a spot for building. There's the Door of Rooms, which opens to whatever the dial is set to, and the dial settings depend on who wants to open it. There's a wall of stuffed animals, each one waiting for a new friend.

It's everything your young imagination ever dreamed of and wished for. When you step inside, no matter how bad a day you've had or what's chasing you, all those feelings and monsters will disappear. It's impossible (no, really<\/i>) to be unhappy here. This is a safe space, perhaps the safest, and Mr. Magorium is happy to offer it to anyone who wants to come inside and remember how it feels to be young again, to anyone who wants to—at least temporarily—let go."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:581471","author":{"name":"Ghost of Christmas Present"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/581471.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=581471"}}],"title":"[Ghost of Christmas Present miniplot!][Super Open!] ","published":"2011-12-21T04:54:07Z","updated":"2011-12-21T04:54:07Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"jonathan crane"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sonny"}}],"content":"Merry Christmas, Chicago!

Or it will be for anyone who runs into the jolly fellow lumbering through the Chicago streets. His large frame and massive red hair and beard move with the chilling winds. He doesn't seem bothered by the cold, though. His robes are keeping him warm, and the joy in his heart does well to help with that as well.

\"D'ohoho! Come out and know me better, man!\" His arms spread wide as he greets any and every one who walk by. \"It's Christmas Day! What better time to spread good health and cheer? Ohohoho!\"

If you hang out and watch him long enough, he'll break into song<\/a>! And the Rift may<\/i> compel a few to join in with him as well. Because every one knows the words to songs when there's Christmas magic in the air.

If you aren't feeling in the Christmas spirit, fear not! This ghost of Christmas is used to dealing with an old nose-to-the-grindstone Scrooge. Just come out! And know him better, man!

...Did he already say that?"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:581185","author":{"name":"Scarlett Langford"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/581185.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=581185"}}],"title":"[Locked] She screamed out kicking on her side, and said I've lost control again.","published":"2011-12-21T04:23:24Z","updated":"2011-12-21T04:23:24Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"leon warner"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"scarlett langford"}}],"content":"[OOC: READ WITH CAUTION. This post is about a fight. So expect violence. :x]<\/b>

Most people, when faced with posting a secret publicly on the journal network, would probably go and hide for a few days. Most people would go and just curl up in embarrassment or probably try and ignore that it’s ever happened. And then there’s some who would calmly sit down with someone and talk about their troubles and worries.

Scarlett Langford is not most people.

There’s hatred pumping through her veins as she storms through the streets of Chicago. Her powers have gone haywire, and as she rages, people are briefly hit with their own fears. There’s shrieks and cries amongst the crowds as she unconsciously ignites peoples miseries. They start panicking until she’s out of their way and then look about in confusion.

She doesn’t care about these people; she doesn’t even care if they’re miserable. She’s out for blood right now. Leon Warner’s blood, to be exact. She’s always had a problem with him since he was so high and mighty about her smoking in school. Smarmy fucker. Who does he fucking think he is? Now, after everything on the journals, she’s going to hit him with every inch of anger she has. He’s asking for it.

Everything everyone else has said to her is gone. Lucky, Peter and Seth's words have fallen on deaf ears. What she knows best is to hate, there is no comfort for her from them. Just anger and her fists. 

All she needs to do is find him, and until she does, she’s going to rage on through the streets, through the park. Her anger has no end right now.

And maybe then, when she’s thrown enough punches, she might feel something.
"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:581002","author":{"name":"Maura Isles"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/581002.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=581002"}}],"title":"[ closed to Jane -- backdated to the weekend after Thanksgiving ] Baby It's Cold Outside","published":"2011-12-09T05:57:52Z","updated":"2011-12-09T05:57:52Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"jane rizzoli"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"maura isles"}}],"content":"The past few months here have been interesting, to say the very least. The most surprising revelation of all was what the Rift had done to her, bestowed her with an ability that felt like a curse, but could just as easily be a gift to so many others. There's no real way to reconcile it, no way to rid herself of it, and it's not something she takes lightly. For a few weeks there, she'd even been afraid to do autopsies, until she had determined that only skin-to-skin contact with the dead brought them back to life. It's strange at times, looking at a corpse on her table and knowing she has the ability to bring them back from the dead. It goes against everything she believes, though, and though it's not always an easy<\/i> decision, she doesn't doubt that it's the right one. The dead have to stay dead.

Despite everything, she's met some wonderful people here. And Jane is with her. The holidays will certainly be...stranger this year, but Maura has no doubt they'll be enjoyable, she'll make sure of it. Whether or not Jane is agreeable to all of Maura's festive ideas is another matter entirely.

It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, and that means it's time to begin Christmas decorating. While they're each enjoying a cup of coffee with their pancakes, Maura ponders, \"I wonder if they have Christmas trees here. I think we should take advantage of the day off, and start decorating.\""},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:580608","author":{"name":"notameliapond"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/580608.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=580608"}}],"title":"On the Run From Daleks (Amy Pond's Arrival Post)","published":"2011-12-07T05:43:49Z","updated":"2011-12-07T05:48:40Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"martha jones"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"crowley"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"amy pond"}}],"content":"Amy is running through another endless bloody corridor from an invasion of Daleks. She looks over her shoulder, and they're still there, rolling along and catching up even though they look like they should lumber along slower than a snail. \"I thought you lot got wiped out of existence!\"

The Daleks don't answer, of course, because they have the upper hand, they think. Amy hopes she's right and they don't. They're done with gloating, have already revealed their master plot (something about trying to kill off all of humanity by changing the chemical composition of all the water on the planet, which plot River, Rory, and Amy promptly foiled), and are trying to get to the exterminating already.

\"We rebooted the universe!\" River looks smashing in a blue silk evening dress, impossibly high heels held in one hand and a really large gun in the other. \"There was always a chance they'd come back. Daleks are hard to kill!\"

River takes aim, still running, and shoots the lead Dalek in the eyestalk. It sputters to a halt and sparks fly from its armor.

\"One down!\" calls Amy. Unlike her daughter, Amy has trainers on: a bright red pair of Converse that she found in the TARDIS and stole over the Doctor's protestations. Unlike bow ties and fezzes, these shoes are<\/i> cool. They're also really good for running for her life in.

\"We're going to have to split up!\" calls out Rory. There are three corridors up ahead, which is perfect, because if they can get the Daleks to split up, they're going to be easier to stop.

Amy nods at Rory, a little low on breath, and ignores the fact that will also make the three of them more vulnerable. The Doctor is lying low, pretending to be dead, so it's not like he's going to show up, sonic screwdriver in hand and idiotic hat on his head, to save the day once again. They're going to have to rely on themselves.

Thankfully, they have another plan, which does involve splitting up. Amy's the distraction, so that Rory and River can close the trap up tight. Not that they can let the Daleks know that. She runs for the middle door and dives through it, bracing herself to land on the cold, hard floor.

She lands on some kind of floor, but it's not the pitted concrete floor that she's familiar with. Less bruises, at least, but still. She stands up, dusts herself off, and looks around. She's in some kind of a basement. It's a little dark, and a little creepy looking, but Amy's seen creepier. She's still going to keep herself alert.

If Amy knew anything about where she's ended up, she'd know she's in the rift in the Kashtta Tower. She doesn't, though, and she doesn't want to call out for Rory and River just yet. Something tells her that she needs to keep quiet and to find out where she is before she starts shouting for her husband and her daughter."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:580585","author":{"name":"Mods"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/580585.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=580585"}}],"title":"[party post] And to all a good night","published":"2011-12-02T02:50:31Z","updated":"2011-12-02T03:02:58Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"elizabeth burke"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sarah monroe"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"spencer reid"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"xander harris"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"neal caffrey"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sybill trelawney"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"connor hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jonathan crane"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"luna lovegood"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"alek hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jolene"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shawn spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"mark barnes"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"cassie riddle"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"charlie wellman"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"noah evans"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"tay barnam"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"theta"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"kurt wallander"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"peter burke"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"damon salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"aurora"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sam winchester"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"lucky spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"ethan hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"kim whitmore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"seth miller"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"tonks"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"remus lupin"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"bela talbot"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"don flack"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"martha jones"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"nick andros"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"harry potter"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"abigail eddings"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"nikolas cassadine"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adam hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"rachel banks"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"dusty baker"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"hermione granger"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"crowley"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jo harvelle"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"helen magnus"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"dylan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"pearl"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jessica ryan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"kenzie douglas"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"david stutler"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sara ellis"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sophie devereaux"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sonny"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"scarlett langford"}}],"content":"[OOC: Annual winter post. :3 Both Decembers, the comments have been up in the thousands. The post is open all of December until January for all\/any winter\/holiday shenanigans. Quick reminder, you are encouraged to tag around, tag to other threads as well as making your own. Feel free to spam! :D]<\/small>

This December in Chicago is as filled with shenanigans as the previous ones were. There's decorating happening in the Tower, in houses, in apartments, and out on the streets too. In addition to decorating, there is shopping happening. There are stores throughout the city, and they're open and filled with discounts this month for all the gift buying needs that one might have.

Grant Park is filled with Rift-made igloos and snow forts this year, all attached by snow tunnels that cannot be torn down for the entire month. The park also has trees that throw snowballs, and snowmen that occasionally come to life. Some snowmen are pranksters, throwing snowballs at passer-bys and making it seem like it was thrown by someone else. Other snowmen are happy, friendly types who help build more snowforts and play with the children. There's an ice rink in the middle of the park with a magical shelf that holds ice skates for any size. Throughout the month, epic snowball fights will take place!

Reindeer have escaped into the park and city, and some of them can fly. There are bags of corn around the park that one might feel compelled to eat, and anyone who eats them can take flight for an hour or two too. There are sleds throughout the city with reindeer attached, and there's no telling where that sleigh ride might take you but one might feel compelled to jump in.

Throughout the city, there are people giving away free hot chocolate. The taste of the hot chocolate will fill anyone who drinks it, warm them, and make them happy, no matter how blue they may feel. Mistletoe pops up in random places, hanging from the sky inexplicably, forcing any two people who pass by to share a kiss.

One day of the month, the snow is actually rainbow sherbert, which is protected by Rift from dirt, pee, or anything else that could get into it. Take out a spoon and dig in! On another day, the city takes on sudden blizzard like conditions at noon, which would be bad to be stuck out in so get inside, fast as you can or hide in those snow forts! Every night for a week, the sky becomes filled with the Aurora Borealis<\/a>, and any small wish for a tiny gift like cookies or a book will come true.

One morning, you might wake up to a giant present beside your bed... or one morning, you might wake up inside<\/i> a giant present beside some stranger's bed.

The possibilities (as always) are endless."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:580116","author":{"name":"Pearl"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/580116.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=580116"}}],"title":"[Open] Pearl Steps Through the Rift (Grant Park)","published":"2011-11-30T03:35:42Z","updated":"2011-11-30T03:42:48Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"don flack"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"damon salvatore"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"pearl"}}],"content":"Thirty seconds ago, Pearl had been walking through an antique shop, trying to find a pair of rings that looked old enough that she might have owned them before the United States had its little unpleasantness. Suits made of fine fabrics paired with classic jewelry spoke of old money. Everything depended on giving the right impression. Then she and Anna and Harper could begin to build a new life for themselves here in New York, far away from Mystic Falls and anyone associated with that place.

Between one step and the next, Pearl found herself in a park. Her white heels sank into the mud. With a sigh, she stepped forward, balancing on her toes, until she found a cement path. The nighttime air was cool and there were few people out and about. Not a safe place to loiter, perhaps?

This was not<\/i> the sort of thing that Pearl found normal, not even in the world of the supernatural. She paused and looked around the park. There were trees, not a forest's worth like she remembered from a hundred years ago, but the most startling thing was a giant crater in the middle of the park. That didn't seem to be something any human government would leave if they could help it.

Where was she? More importantly, where were Anna and Harper?

Open to anyone! Thank you for all the lovely well-wishes in my earlier OOC intro post.<\/small>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:580067","author":{"name":"Buffy Summers"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/580067.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=580067"}}],"title":"\u271d 003 ; party post } { happy ending is near, long as i'm here with you","published":"2011-11-23T19:24:47Z","updated":"2012-05-28T18:19:03Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"don flack"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"martha jones"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jonathan crane"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"harry potter"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"shawn spencer"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"cassie riddle"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"hermione granger"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"trinity mcfasater"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"buffy summers"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"elena gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"richard rahl"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"phoebe donovan"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sam winchester"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"michael vaughn"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"tonks"}}],"content":"As far as Buffy is concerned, this has probably been the easiest six months that she's had in a long time.

It isn't so much that she's lost the responsibility. There are still times when she worries about the Slayers that she left behind, and what's waiting for her and Willow in the future, but at the end of the day, she knows that she's not getting out of Chicago. There's a level of acceptance there that she has to face, and for the first time in a long time, she's happy<\/i>. She has a job she loves, she's back to patrolling just to patrol. She's not on the supernatural's most wanted list. She's just a girl who happens to hunt monsters. It's something she's never had, and it allows her to have a life<\/i>. That, in the end, is what makes this better.

There are things she's left behind, things she misses, things she still wants to protect, but for right now, she's okay with where she is. She's useful as a Slayer and she's useful as Buffy, and in the end, it's the kind of balance she's always wanted to find.

Yes, okay, occasionally she turns into an elephant, but there's downsides to everything.

That's part of the reason why she decides to hold Thanksgiving. She really did mean what she wrote in the journal, and that the invitation is in fact open to everyone. She's arranged the tables in the cafeteria in a bit more of a friendlier circle, and set them up so that people can mix and mingle as they choose. She winds up making a couple turkeys just in case, and the room is covered in decorations and candles, and once it's all set to her liking, she stands in the middle and just smiles.

\"Yeah,\" she nods. \"This is good.\"

Now she just has to wait for people to show.

[Mix, mingle and threadjack to your heart's content. Buffy will try and get around to everyone, but consider this the openest of open posts.]<\/small>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:579661","author":{"name":"Dr. Helen Magnus (Sanctuary)"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/579661.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=579661"}}],"title":"[Open\/Party post!] Home is whenever I'm with you","published":"2011-11-23T04:27:14Z","updated":"2011-11-23T04:27:14Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"helen magnus"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"harry potter"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"john callahan"}}],"content":"Helen rarely uses the journaling system in Chicago. It's fascinating to her, how the city stays interconnected, and while she does peek in to check on people, she hasn't actually used it at all during her stay. It seems, however, that this has changed for this one cause.

You see, Helen has been working on something for a few weeks now. She's been all but sequestered in an old, abandoned building for the greater part of that time, and has told very few people what she's been up to. But on this particular morning, a message is sent out, announcing that the grand opening Chicago's own Sanctuary will be taking place that day. It isn't a lot of notice, and Helen expects there to be some folks that miss out on the opening because of that, but it's more about getting the word out than anything else.

As anyone approaches, they would first be met with the sight of the newly restored exterior<\/a> of the run-down building that Helen had acquired. It had taken some work, but she'd found the best people in the city to get the job done. And it isn't just the building's facade that got a facelift, as upon entering the Sanctuary, any guest will be able to tell that the foyer<\/a> has also been given the same treatment. In fact, the entire building has been scrubbed down and redesigned to Helen's liking.

There's a sitting room to the left with a roaring fire and several chairs. To the right is Helen's office, which she may or may not be in, depending. Upstairs are several rooms, furnished as bedrooms. And tucked away in the back are rooms that are a tad more restricted, but if you ask the hostess nicely, you may get the full tour.

[Open party post! Pretend like I used Helen's journal to give some forewarning. Have at it, guys!]<\/small>"},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:579580","author":{"name":"ale\u0138\u0455andar \u043dale"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/579580.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=579580"}}],"title":"open \u2718 you're a wolf, boy, get out of this town.","published":"2011-11-21T07:51:05Z","updated":"2011-11-21T07:52:39Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"alek hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jeremy gilbert"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"leon warner"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"scout"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"jessica ryan"}}],"content":"Alek Hale<\/b> has lived in Chicago most of his life.

He has lived in it with his pack of werewolf brothers, raised solely by his mother until she passed away. There isn't much he knows about his own history aside from that--for good reason, some would say. He doesn't know who his father is. He doesn't know why so many things about them should be kept secret. There are many questions a boy his age grows to have when he starts searching, without knowing entirely what it is he's searching for. No one ever answered him, and Alek soon enough understood why they never said anything.

They didn't think he could handle the truth.

And now he's been smacked in the face with it, with a brother he didn't know he had, a brother that couldn't have cared less about Alek or the fact he didn't have a clue about his existence. Alek's a werewolf. Carrying the werewolf gene often means there's anger in your veins far more powerful than most people's. Rage that at times doesn't seem to fit your body.

Anger comes easily to him, and he gets into fights just as easily. He knows if he doesn't cool down, bad things could happen, whether it's a full moon or not. He ends up at a pool hall he visits frequently. It's a popular hangout, especially for the younger crowd, and he's looking for distractions. He starts by playing pool with whoever is game, he ends up almost getting into a fight, and ultimately, he ends up at the back, staring sullenly at a drink he can't bring himself to take a sip of just yet.

He hates everything sometimes."},{"id":"urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:beyondtherift:579174","author":{"name":"Adam"},"link":[{"@attributes":{"rel":"alternate","type":"text\/html","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/579174.html"}},{"@attributes":{"rel":"self","type":"text\/xml","href":"https:\/\/beyondtherift.livejournal.com\/data\/atom\/?itemid=579174"}}],"title":"I've come to know the wishlist of my father [open]","published":"2011-11-18T03:52:08Z","updated":"2011-11-18T11:57:38Z","category":[{"@attributes":{"term":"alek hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"sarah monroe"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"adam hale"}},{"@attributes":{"term":"paz mendoza"}}],"content":"[OOC: SO SORRY FOR ALL THE CURSING AND ASSHOLENESS IN THIS.]<\/small>

In all his fucking years alive, Adam never fucking expected that he'd be in Chicago for as long as he has been so far. It's not like this is the Best Place to be with all the shit that goes down here, all the fuckin' disasters that get this city talked about from one city to the next, all around the whole world. No wonder the Society wants it destroyed, goes against everything those pricks believe in and they're real fuckin full of themselves.

He's had a shit plate his whole fucking life, and that shit plate gets bigger and bigger every fucking year, folks. Never has it been bigger than it is right now. The only woman he ever loved, she's dead, and he killed his dad cause he was more pissed than scared for once but since<\/i> they're related and his dad's 'Mr. Honcho In Charge, Oldest Fucking Werewolf in the books'<\/i> that shit doesn't stick so Adam's been in Chicago for over two fucking weeks, hiding.

On this particular day, it's an average day for Adam. In other words, he is an ass and pisses off a lot of people. Feel free to find stumble on him at any time during this day of his.



In the morning, he's sitting out in front of the Sears Tower, smoking a cigarette. A group of elderly tourists approach him, looking up at the Tower and then down at him.

\"Excuse me, sonny, is this the Sears Tower.\"

\"...yeah.\" Long pause as he stares at them with one eyebrow raised. \"You<\/i> lot weren't... going to fucking go up there were you?\"

When they say yes, they were<\/i> and why and don't curse so much Young Man<\/i> like it fucking matters, like they haven't fucking heard it before, Adam rolls his eyes and proceeds to tell them that their bones are made of dust and sticks and their hearts are like fucking spoiled tomatoes and too much pressure means bam<\/i> tomato fucking paste in their chests and that's a lot of stress for old bints like them. The group of old women in their walkers proceed to chase him around, and Adam... just kind of skips ahead of them, shaking his head like he doesn't even get it.

Someone manages to get a hit on his arm with one of their purses, and he side-eyes them with a, \"The fuck?\"

In the afternoon, a child who had been whining for about fucking ten minutes straight, and he's not even exaggerating this shit. This kid was fucking going on and on about stupid shit, and then the mother caves<\/i> in like it's that fucking kids right to have a red fucking balloon. Jesus.

Even after he gets the balloon, he's throwing some big ruckus about how he wanted a blue one, but there's no blue one left... and Adam who is waiting in line for ONE fucking coffee is annoyed. He pops the kids balloon with a pin, and the kid starts crying. \"What the fuck?\" Is Adam's response, cause seriously. he didn't want<\/i> the fucking red one, doing the kid a favor. Try having a psycho killer for a dad for a change, see how much you complain about your Goddamned balloon.

Finally, in the evening, Adam's being thrown out of a bar and slapped by a very tall woman. \"You're lucky I don't fucking hit girls,\" Adam says as he picks himself up off the floor. She's probably an angel or somethign too though he'd be just as almost strong as a lot of angels because Adam has that Psychotic Fucking lineage.

See? The universe does catch your ass a break if you were born to a psycho. You get to be really<\/i> fucking strong.

\"Yay,\" he mutters against the pavement, pushing himself up again and making a face at the woman who turns away in disgust. Yep. Just a typical fucking day in Chicago with a guy who has the biggest fucking shit plate in the world.<\/a>"}]}