[The camera swims into focus to reveal one, Claire Bennet, trying to adjust it. Once this feat is accomplished, she sits back a little, folding her arms over the table she's sitting at, and pushes her hair out of her face in exasperation. Her fingertips are all dusty black, and there's a smear across the inside of her wrist, the same color.]

So it's pretty much come to everyone's attention that there's a curse going on today. This whole rating system thing. Hot or Not. Scales of one through ten.

[Ginny Weasley's red hair comes into focus as the camera's lens pulls back and adjusts to fit both girls in the frame. They're both wearing blue, obviously just having gotten home from work. Claire's roommate is not really paying attention: she is hunched over something on the floor, scribbling with a giant, black, ominous marker.]

Since I'm compelled, I'm hoping we can just make this easier. Instead of me hunting you down, why don't you just come to me and we can get this over with? If there's anything that this curse is teaching me, it's that everyone here is basically dying to know how attractive everyone else thinks they are.

[She pauses, looks up toward the ceiling, and then laughs.]

Oh, yeah, and that apparently most people here are above a six. But I'm personally not making any promises.

[As Claire talks, Ginny sits back on her heels to survey her finished work. She then picks up and raises the sign, waving it in the background with a silent laugh, pointing at Claire with her free hand; the bold word is visible before the feed cuts off: HOT.]

[The distinct sound of heeled boots cuts through the Network, accompanied by the jingle-jangle of a dog tag against a collar and four little feet hurrying to keep up with larger strides]

I don't know how my mom did this every day. On the beach. I think Mister Muggles has more energy than a two-year-old on meth. Anyway Ginny and I - Mister Muggles you can't poop there.

[Silence for a moment, and then Claire's voice returns with a hint of agitation.]

Ginny and I reviewed all the people who were interested in moving in, and we decided to go with Dawn and Alice, if you guys are still looking for a place. Sorry it took so long to get back to you, but you know how things around here can get. You can stop by whenever and have a look at the apartment and pick up keys. Someone should always be around to help you get stuff moved in and -

[She cuts off to take a deep breath, seemingly from walking and saying too much all at once. Mister Muggles' tags sound closer to the receiver whenever she speaks again, as if she's picked him up.]

Peter - not... my uncle. The blond one. Whenever you wanna start training me, I'm up for it. It'll be nice to actually do something productive other than making way too many cupcakes and trying not to eat them.

[Pause, tiny little jangling footsteps again.]

But let's make it sometime after I'm not tripping over an ankle biter. And after... today. Hopefully everyone else is doing better. People seem to be freaking out more than usual out here. Which is understandable. Blood, you know, does that.

[Pause again, awkwardly.]

Sooooo, yeah... over and out.

( private | unhackable )

01. Fix things
02. Save the world
03. Kill Stop Sylar from hurting anyone else
04. Be a really great waitress
05. Read more books
06. Go running
07. Learn how to fix a car
08. Find a couple other roommates
09. Stop blaming my father for everything - both of them
10. Grow these bangs out
11. Get more involved and to stop breaking promises, spoken or otherwise
12. Have more Mario Kart tournaments

It's funny. I got to the end of that list business, and now I'm cursed into making about a hundred more. Maybe Jamie was right. Maybe I should have gotten professional help. Or List Mace.

I hope everyone had a good Christmas, as good as can be expected in a place like this anyway. We've got so many leftovers that Ginny and I could probably feed a small army until about July. If anyone has a sudden, burning urge for a ham sandwich, just knock on our door and hold your hands out. Speaking of knocking on doors...

We finally decided, like I mentioned up there, that we're ready to start, well... interviewing, I guess, for other roommates. If anyone needs a place to stay - boy, girl, it - it doesn't matter. Just let us know. It's a really nice apartment, pretty spacious, too, so even if you ended up hating us, you could just disappear into a bedroom or something. The only problem is that boys used to live here, and I'm really not sure if the smell ever came out.

Anyway, if you think you might be interested, we've just got a few questions we'd like you to answer:

( GINNY AND CLAIRE'S FLATMATE QUESTIONS )

Thanks and good luck!

( private to Sylar | unhackable )

( HO HO HO(S) )

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everything tastes alright. It got a little rushed there at the end. And if anyone needs receipts for returns or anything, just let me know.

[ooc: Claire will have been running around all day, so if anyone would like to use this as a bump-into-post, that would be boss. Otherwise, just assume these were all dropped off in the morning/afternoon by Claire Bennet + Santa hat. Also, as always, please assume these gifts are like 10 times cheaper than they appear to be. Happy Holidays, Poly!]

( private | unhackable )

I need to get this out of the way before this place lets me say anything else, since apparently letters to Santa that'll never even get delivered are all the rage these days. Does anyone here actually even still believe in Santa?

Naughty →

✳ I probably shouldn't have crashed that plane, even if it was for the greater good
✳ Traveled back in time with Hiro: you shouldn't really screw around in the past
✳ Brody
✳ That thing with West, back in Costa Verde
✳ Left Sylar in that building
✳ Punched Jackie in the face - like two years ago - even if she deserved it
✳ Lied to my dad about a boy
✳ Lied to my dad about a boy to the extent that it really, really screwed things up
✳ Probably caused my parents to separate
✳ Stole money from Lyle's drawer he doesn't think I know about
✳ Beat up Elle
✳ Kissed people I shouldn't have, even if, technically, I don't feel like that's my fault or anyone's fault

Nice →

✳ Helped Doyle get away from the government. Actually, everyone I helped get away from the government.
✳ Got Elle help, never mind the consequences, and stopped a plane from coming down. All in the same trip
✳ Offered Ginny a place to stay
✳ Good Christmas intentions
✳ Left Sylar in that building
✳ Told Chase I would try to make nice with Eden
✳ Didn't pound on the ceiling with a broom for a week
✳ Bought Mr. Muggles a sweater. Because it's cold
✳ Made coffee deliveries a new Thing
✳ Mexico
✳ Protected Angela
✳ Boxed up everyone's things for safe-keeping, just in case they come back

A few of those feel a little out of place, all things considered, but whatever. They're out there. It's done. Let's move on. Please, let's move on.

Just a warning, Ginny Weasley moved in with me. Which means a lot for both the two of us and for everyone around us. I've never really gotten to live with another girl my age, so I kind of... apologize to anyone in Building 12 who's been bothered by all the thumping and banging around while she was moving in, but I'm pretty sure everything's settled now. I think after the holidays are over, we're going to be looking for a couple more roommates, though, since this place has four bedrooms and between the two of us, that's a lot of rent to cover. So if anyone is looking for a new place to stay it's... something to keep in mind, I guess?

Anyway, other than that, I'm getting kind of a late start on Christmas shopping, so everyone should feel free to leave me some sort of clue or hint or treasure map with an X on it so I can have some idea of what to get people this year. Seriously, or you're just going to end up getting a bunch of cookies and cupcakes like last year. Baking might be a hobby, but I get the whole Baking Overdrive Thing Around the Holidays from my mom, and I don't think it's going away anytime soon.

It's hard to believe that this'll be my second Christmas here. And the second one away from family.

I'm never really sure what to say when I come back to this place or what to express. Resentment? Excitement? Hola? Fortunately the last couple of times that I left and came back, I was kind of spared the decision making and just got to go through the motions instead, but this time it was different. I don't know why - maybe it's got something to do with what's going on and what's gone on at home - but I'm not really complaining about it. Am I farthest ahead now?

It's good to be back, even though I know a lot of people are... gone. That never changes about this place. I guess I'm just disappointed that I didn't get to say goodbye, but I know they knew - know - that I would've wanted to if I had the chance. Sorry I -

That doesn't take away from the fact that there are still people here that I'm happy to see again, and the only reason I haven't started pounding on the ceiling with a broom is because I can be polite.

It's good to be back. It's good to be back when things have changed so much at home. I hope everyone's doing okay and hasn't been attacked for ice cream or shoes or whatever. Sorry I didn't say anything as soon as I got back last night, but there was a lot of crap up here to sort through, and it was pretty late. I guess that mostly extends to Peter. But -

What'd I miss?

[ooc: sob 8:30AM class = bedtime for me. I'll grab any tags in the morning! Goodnight guys ilu ♥!]

[the device clicks on deliberately, and the sound of hurried breathing and hard, fast footsteps can be heard not far away]

So it's pretty obvious by now that something's going on up at the prison. To say the least. I've checked the network a couple times, and all I keep seeing are posts of people being trapped and tortured and the deities just sitting back and laughing about it, which is definitely along the lines of Not Good, given the way this place operates. And I don't know about everyone else here, but that's not really how we handle things where I come from, so.

[there's a substantial pause while Claire considers her words and also manages to run into someone as she brings her network device closer to her mouth]

So I'm going up there to see what I can do personally. People that I know are in there, and I'm not going to sit around and just hope they figure out how to get out themselves. I figure being indestructible's gotta come in handy sometime, right? If anyone has the means to help out and wants to, let me know. If anyone needs help, let me know, and I'll try my best to get to you. Or make sure someone does. Or... I don't really know. If you're inside, and you can tell me anything, that'd be really helpful.

[the pause that follows is distinctly awkward]

Pe [she takes a breath] That's it, I guess.

[the sound clicks off]

So how long do you typically wait before you know that someone is gone for good?

Zach left. I don't know when. He knew he was going. He even left a letter. It makes me feel like it was final. People keep saying that it's selfish to wish that their friends could stay here instead of going home, where they're needed and where they need to finish things or move on through their lives. I think that's stupid.

I'll never - He would've wanted to say goodbye to everyone, if he could, so consider this one from him.

[ooc; sleeping very soon. will grab tags tomorrow <33333]

( private | unhackable )

I've been putting off finishing the list thing up for a long time now, and more than actually having nothing to list, these days I guess I just feel like I've got nothing to say. Or maybe it's just me being unwilling to accept finality or something. It's been over a year. I've done things here that I never thought I'd do - whether here or at home - and... that's great I guess. I don't have any fancy words or eloquent sayings, no real thoughtful questions to ask. If I had to describe myself in one word, I think it would be 'zen.'

Posting just to say that you're in a centered place and that you're mostly okay with things just seems so superficial, though, since a lot of people aren't zen and we shouldn't be zen in a place like this. The clock keeps ticking in the Underground, the deities probably keep laughing the longer we try for bigger and better poetry, that kind of thing. But we're all just... here. I think some people are bored, I think some people are fine, and I think the rest of us are just skating by on the surface, and that's fine, too. But I just spent a lot of time putting off finishing the list thing again,, so let's get right to it:

97. What do you do when your little pet puff ball doesn't fit into your pocket anymore? I feel like I have empty nest syndrome or something.
98. Going off of what I said earlier about some people in this place being bored, not all of us can just throw a party whenever we want. That being said, it's been a long time since we had a crazy Mario Party tournament, and I feel like my couch is ready for a little action. Hiro needs a break and - I think people need a break from the doom and gloom, so if anyone is interested, let me know. Yes, there will be pastries involved.
99. For anyone who's gotten hurt lately, get well.
100. This list is finished.

So. That's that. In other news: Peter! you can't escape dinner. Tonight. I'm paying and you're not getting out of it. I think I -

( private | unhackable )

[filtered to friends; unhackable]

I'm sorry for what I said or did last weekend, as belated as this apology is. That's not who I am, and that's not who I want to be, and that's not who I'm going to be. Maybe it was just a curse, but when you turn into a potential version of yourself, it kind of shakes up the whole 'this is just a curse' idea. So I just wanted to apologize.

So... there's that. I just want to get past it, and I feel like apologizing is the first step.
[/filter]

There have been a lot of philosophical questions on the network lately, to the point where I'm starting to wonder if maybe I signed up for a class and didn't realize it. I think it's a good thing sometimes. It gets you thinking, at least, makes you wonder about things that maybe you don't think about everyday. At least, I know I don't sit around in my pajamas, eating cereal, and questioning the mysteries of the universe. Maybe the mysteries of what I'm going to have for a snack later, but that's about as far as the universe goes at buttcrack-o'clock in the morning and retarded-c'lock at night.

After this weekend, though, I'm kind of left with a lot of questions as far as relationships go. And I don't just mean romantic attachments or anything like that, but all relationships: friendships, family, mock-family, hero worship. I think after a while you have to start wondering if they're all worth it in the end and how healthy they are at all. I'm not saying that the relationships that I've got personally with people aren't worth it. I think they are. I think they're a big part of who I am today and why I'm not completely crazy by now, and I love the people in my life for all the things that they do, but at some point you have to stop and wonder: is it fair to keep people in your life even though you know they'll end up getting hurt or that they might end up hurting you?

Everyone has a different situation in life, something else that they may or may not become. And, yeah, you can say, 'it's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all' or that everyone is probably going to get hurt at some point in their life, and it's unhealthy to try and protect them or yourself from that. I should know. My dad took all the steps that he could to protect me from every last possible threat in the known universe. Even paper cuts. I know that people are going to get hurt, and that people are going to hurt me, but I guess the question is this: if you knew something about yourself was going to hurt you and hurt people you cared about ahead of time, would you still risk it just to have it for the moment? Is it actually worth it?

I made something different. Any volunteers?

[ooc: and class now. back soon <333]

This is Claire Bennet, and I'm looking for Peter Petrelli.

If you've got any sense of self-preservation, you'll point me in his direction as fast as you can, and you'll stay out of my way after you've done it, all things considered. Some of you are far too close to his caliber to be completely off of my radar, even four years later, and it's not like I ever forget a name or a face or an intention.

Clock's ticking. I've waited - worked - I haven't got all night.

You wouldn't deny a niece her only uncle, would you?

( private | unhackable )

( friends | unhackable )

Despite not updating in FOREVER, I've got a couple things to point out. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be doing them in list form because A COUPLE PEOPLE ripped me off, and it's important that I stay original.

First of all, in case people hadn't noticed, we're in a circus. I think there is a tent somewhere. I've got the sudden urge to blast Britney Spears from the speakers in the living room and give all the guys I live with identity crises. But I feel like it could potentially be worth it, especially if there were top hats involved, and especially because I know Hiro enjoys a little Britney.

Second of all, it's weird how small things can make so many bigger things seem completely insubstantial. I know people have cliches like 'it's the little things that matter' and 'less is more,' even though that one is usually applied to make-up, but there's a reason that they're cliches and a reason that they get used so frequently. I know that people around here have been having a rough couple weeks - a rough month is more likely, actually - but I hope some small part of everyone is at least a little bit happy, or is at least trying to get there. It's hard to find and hold onto in this place sometimes, but there are always reasons to be optimistic, even if it's hard to pinpoint because you're currently a dancing pony.

Lastly, smile. It's so much easier to do than frown.

PS. If anyone makes fun of me for this, I'll sit on you.

...Okay fine, one tiny list.

91. I think I've got a list addiction. Do they have a psychological term for that?
92. In eight more numbers, I'll be off lists forever.
93. Even more important personally than having ghosts running around, and especially because it's really belated, I'm sorry if I got really awkwardly truthful with people at the beginning of the month. Some things are just supposed to stay behind locked doors, but this place wouldn't really be this place if it stayed that way.
94. What is your favorite summer dessert?
95. Anyone need one? Anyone? Bueller?
96. He's been quiet lately. I finally found him in a coffee mug.

[ooc: friends = anyone with a heart in her profile. For once. Mohinder is to blame for bright eyed optimism. How did that happen?]

( private | unhackable )

So that was fun. I've always said that there are curses here that are way more invasive than others - actually, I'm sure that a lot of people have said that - but that potentially could have been the worst. It's funny, I always thought dreams were supposed to be stupid things that didn't make sense or couldn't exist in reality. I guess some of them were impossibilities, but there was no walking on ceilings or taking the place of The Little Mermaid or anything like that. It was more like... walking through a diary in someone's brain. If all of those dreams were real or actually happened, that is.

To anyone whose dream I poked my head into or I walked into or knocked something over in: sorry. Believe me when I say it definitely wasn't my fault, and trust me when I say if I could do it over, I'd definitely close my eyes or knock myself out with a baseball bat. And you-

In more important news, my list is almost to 100. I didn't think that it'd actually take this long to get here, so kudos to all of you out there who read it and put up with it. Trudging on:

83. You see this guy? He's cool but a little bit spastic. Try not to give him a heart attack anytime soon.
84. Has anyone seen any actual cats and dogs falling from the sky? Because holy crap this is more rain than I've seen in Odessa, Costa Verde, and New York combined. I hope this doesn't mean we're going to have giant man-eating flowers ala Hook. ...Except I don't think they ate people. Anyway, I think someone stole my umbrella.
85. Tremors is a TERRIBLE movie, and now my sleep schedule is destroyed forever because it's only on at 5AM with all of the other really bad sci-fi crap.
86. Speaking of terrible movies, to all the guys I just happen to have to share a bathroom with: Thank you! Sam isn't really creepy, but I appreciate what you did all the same.
87. And speaking of my apartment, WHO IS STILL STAYING HERE? Can I get a headcount?
88. Yes, world, I did turn 18 last week. My attempts at being 17 forever were foiled, but I guess now I'm left with the question of what I'm supposed to do now that I'm 18. It doesn't feel any different than being 17. Except somewhere my dad is loading a shot gun even faster.
89. A cat and a dog? Could it work?
90. Hot chocolate anyone?

( save the cheerleader filter | heroes crew - sylar | unhackable )

( private to Sylar | unhackable )

( private || unhackable )

So the next person who offers me pot or tells me that my body is a wonderland is going to experience extreme pain in the groin region. I'd like to remind people that I am still 17 and free love is really not on my Top 10 List. Especially because free love usually isn't free and the price is usually herpes. I do, however, support saving the whales, so I guess I can accept a few of those buttons and fliers if someone's handing them out.

For anyone who doesn't know, yes, I did go home, and no, it was not daisies and peaches, but I did get my GED! College is on the horizon, even if I might end up taking a couple years off to travel and check out some things. Thoughts? Opinions? Blair Waldorf already told me it was a stupid idea, but that's not really polling the masses - sorry, Blair.

Sorry about the cryptic post when I did get back, too. Gunfire's no one's friend, but I feel like there's a McGruff Crime Dog out there somewhere who could tell you better than me. And less hypocritically, too. Me? I'm good at lists, so let's get this over and done with.

77. Neil! I give you apple pie~! Delicious, more nutritious than anything else I make, etc. I hope you're settling in okay.
78. No more naked people in my house again ever. Okay? Okay. I got bathrobes and extra towels in my closet, just in case.
79. No. Pot.
80. Alcohol really isn't the solution to all your problems. I'm actually pretty sure it just makes them ten times worse. And nauseous.
81. I think I missed someone's birthday out there in space land. I'm sorry.
82. This very nice man is a friend from home and also an officer of the law. So, really, guys NO MORE POT. Or I'm telling.

I think that's it. I hope everyone's doing okay. I know some new people showing up have put some other people on edge, but just remember: I live with three guys and they're all susceptible to whining and puppy eyes, if you need a hand.