newtralize | Deerington Inbox

[There's a box on the doorstep. A box wrapped in bright red foil, a silky silver ribbon tied around it with a bow on top. Inside the box is a book called "Between Planets", a potted plant, and a lint roller. On top of the pile is a simple piece of white cardstock paper with elegant cursive words penned in red ink (notice a pattern?), as if written with a quill or a fountain pen.

Happy holidays.

Who could have sent it? Well, all that red looks a lot like the red a certain someone likes to wear, right? Who apparently has a quirky sense of humour.]

_{[Hey, magical brother from another mother.]}

So what would it take to get a little Hogwarts-style Yule going for the holidays? Don't get me wrong, Brakebills was great on our end of the pond, but prepubescent me has ALWAYS wanted a wizard Christmas.

Think about it. We could pool the best of both worlds.

_{[Say yes. Say yes!]}

Oh!

That was

Well, that was mildly terrifying. I didn't realize this would make such a loud noise when receiving messages.

Uhm. What do you mean Hogwarts-style Yule?

[He's a little slow with replying back. He's doing his best, but phones are very new to him.]

[it took him a few days but success tastes like delicious cinnamon.

Newt will find a bag on his doorstep with a rather fancy array of ribbons and bows decorating it. A note reads]

Thank you for sharing. It may not be liquid courage, but it tastes pretty damn close.

X Eliot

[inside the bag is a bottle of amber liquid. The previous label had been peeled off. If Newt tries it he'll find it to be a close homemade version of firewhiskey]

_{[Oh, you precious, precious man.]}

Volume control will safe your life. The keys with triangle symbols on them.

And I'm talking about the Christmas celebrations you had at Hogwarts. You might say they're the stuff of legend to us Yanks.

[He has never had a phone before, okay!!! Especially one so advanced.]

I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this if I'm being quite honest. I keep forgetting I have it.

It wouldn't be particularly hard to recreate it to some extent. I wouldn't be able to replicate the size of the Great Hall without immense difficulty, but the decorations and such is pretty simple. I can, if you want.

You'll get used to it. Cellular technology is a magic user's best friend!

_{[Not really, but it sounds nice, doesn't it?]}

Hard yes! Count me in, full stop. Can we do butterbeer? Please say we can do butterbeer! You know, competing to recreate the closest recipe was one of our school traditions, except no one who could tell who got the closest. You could be the definitive authority!

_{[This is rad.

So. Rad.]}

There really is no use to a phone when I could just apparate or use floo powder. Owl post isn't all that bad either, although not as quick if it's long distance.

[He can't hold his briefcase, a phone, and his wand all at once. The phone is just not going to work for him.]

Do we have a particular location we're decorating? Your place I presume? You seem rather excited about this. Perhaps I am merely desensitized to it, but I have never thought of how we celebrate the seasons to be that mind blowing. I did grow up with it though.

I didn't celebrate last year though due to traveling.

[Celebrating it with people seems less dreary than alone two years in a row.]

_{[Someone clearly hasn't figured out the device can wrap around his wrist yet...]}

Think of it like a Howler that won't blow up in your face and you'll be fine. Perfect for those days you're too lazy to put on pants.

And wherever you want, my man! Your place, my place, appropriating someone's campus dorm room for cramped the school aesthetic... We can get our party on anywhere.

All the more reason to go all out this year, right? We'll make it one to remember, and you can make up for last year and educate an American magical adept in the process.

_{[Yeah, he's excited, okay.]}

[Newt is the grandpa who doesn't know how to use technology. Ignore the fact he isn't even thirty yet.]

That sounds...awful still. I don't really want something yelling at me regardless if it burns itself up after or not.

I always put on pants. I don't understand.

[Josh is probably the most confusing man he has met out of everyone he has met for now.]

I'd prefer your place, but mostly because I worry that the niffler will pilfer everything from everyone who comes here. He's getting better about it, but I'm still finding stuff that is clearly not from my place or something he should have.

I think you might have a rather inaccurate idea about the amount of space we had at Hogwarts. The common room was fairly roomy and so were the rooms. They weren't cramped at all. [Hogwarts was a huge ass castle.]

I can come over and decorate your place whenever you wish though. That shouldn't be any problem and I have plenty of time on my hands.

IF YOU CAN STILL READ THIS, YOU'VE ALREADY MASTERED TEXT YELLING.

I'd compare texting to Ginny and Tom Riddle's pen pal relationship with the diary, but that might go over your head and break the time continuum all at once. I'll give you some lessons as a thank you, let's go with that instead. How's that?

_{[They'll get you up to snuff, gramps.]}

Thieving critter. Got it. You're more than welcome. If we're going to be stuck here, I can't imagine a better way to spend the holidays.

That looks

Terribly aggressive. I'd prefer if you didn't type at me like that.

[He doesn't like it. :( Text yelling is scary. it's like being yelled at.]

I

Who? I don't know a Ginny or a Tom Riddle. Are these people I should know? I wouldn't say no to having a better grasp with this, but I don't actually use it too much either.

[Ironic, because he's not exactly great with face to face interaction.]

You met the niffler already. The small guy when we first met? He keeps stealing my cutlery from the drawers.

Did you want me to decorate your place right now??>/font>

Okay well, look, no one really texts like that unless they're old or an asshole, so you'll be fine.

Um, don't worry about it. All that matters is you being able to see my messages when I invite you over to my place for hang outs! And when the three-eyed dogs warn us we're all going to die. The important stuff. Everything else you can pick up as you go.

That depends. You sure you want to leave the little guy alone with your stuff?

Oh.

[The difference between hanging out and being warned they're all gonna die are very stark, you know. Josh. Please.]

Honestly, I don't know what else I need to use this for other than communicating.

It'll be fine. He doesn't leave the house anymore, so I think he has learned better to at least stay home. Getting my stuff back from him isn't that much of a problem.

I'll need to get some supplies first, but I can join you shortly after.

The most fun stuff Deerington doesn't even let us do. Nothing wrong with using your phone as a phone.

If you're sure! I have a roast going. I'll treat you to a Hoberman-style homecooked meal.

I'll see you soon then, Josh.

Thank you for the invitation.

[ There's gonna be a box on his door, and inside is a painting, a box of homemade cupcakes, and an assortment of teas.

Also definitely at last one (1) box of condoms because she thinks she's HILARIOUS.

Plus a note! ]

Happy birthday! Do something (or someone*!!!!) fun!

- Chloe

* If you actually choose this route, you tell me immediately.

Don't mention it! It's kind of a selfish invite. I'll do my best to make sure you don't regret it! Consider my home your home.

I suppose it'll be one blended magical home when we're done with it. Best Christmas held captive in another world ever!

_{[At some point during the festivities, Josh will pass off his gift: a wax seal set, which will hopefully make a homesick Hufflepuff feel a little more Hufflepuffy and a little less homesick. You know, for all those letters Newt will be writing in a bid to avoid learning to text. :')]}

[A package arrives on Newt's doorstep, labelled neatly with his name. Inside it contains...

a photo album, and hundreds of photographs, taken seemingly over the course of the year. Most of them are of outside and various places in Deerington, with people never being the subject of the photographs; it may seemingly be avoided at times.

There are also photos of the underground tunnels, the masked world, the amusement park, among many others. Perhaps if he asks around, he'll receive answers as to why he has so many...and who took them.]

[ There's a strange deer figurine outside Newt's door, with antlers covered in bright red plum blossoms...

The deer statue can be removed from the hospital and kept. If a character keeps the statue next to their bed, they'll have very odd flickering dreams that look like they're wandering Deerington but they'll hear a young girl's voice talking often. They'll be unable to figure out what exactly she's saying, but the voice will be familiar to them. They won't really know why, obviously, but they'll feel as if they've heard it before. ]

[ Before all this fuckery happened, she'd been intending to check in. So it's sometime in May that she's grabbing her FLUID to contact him. ]

hey
are you okay?
and don't pull any bullshit punches you know why i'm asking

What? Yes, I'm fine.
Why do you

[Oh. It does take him a moment because he idly has been kind of pushing it out of his mind. Not that it doesn't linger in his thoughts on a daily basis, but he can easily guess why she might be asking about how he's feeling.]

I'm getting by.

[That's like one of the most noncommittal answers one can give.]

hella vague
i can respect that

do you like cookies
or cupcakes
or both

I'm not sure what you were expecting me to say, honestly.

[He's very bad about talking about these things so he avoids it like the plague. There's a lot of not great things recently and while he has had outbursts about it here and there, he hasn't really sat down to parse through it all at all. Out of sight, out of mind. If only that were the case.]

Oh. I mean, I enjoy both. Why do you ask?

Deerington Inbox

delivery on the 22nd

text;

no subject

Delivery on the 27th

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Gonna handwave them actually meeting up if that's alright with you!

delivery on 2/24

i never hit send on this tag, sorry! yyy!

backdated to the birthday boy's party!

4/4 a package.

delivery

text; forward-dated to whenever they're both not children

no subject

no subject

no subject