( ᴠɪɪ ♛ ᴠɪᴅᴇᴏ )

[girlybruiser]

[ The video opens to Haru's room, soft, feminine shades of blues and pinks all about her bedding and many pieces of her decor. As usual the plant stand is visible at the edge of the screen, a Venus flytrap sitting neatly with its trap currently closed. Rest in pieces, little fly.

Haru is laying on her stomach comfortably, a notebook to her side that's got different highlighted portions and a thicker textbook tucked underneath it. She glances into the feed with that ever affectionate smile of hers. ]

It seems for Americans turning twenty-one is an important coming of age event. It's the age you're legally and socially considered an adult, yes? Back home in Japan that age is twenty. In fact, there's a national holiday called Coming of Age Day surrounding that milestone. It's usually held the second Monday of January and municipal governments holds ceremonies at local city halls to congratulate and celebrate those becoming adults.

Participation has dwindled quite a bit over the years and nobody really dresses up formally for it anymore besides a lot of the women, but... I still think it's an important event to celebrate.

[ Her cheeks begin to a glow a shade of red, but her smile widens. ]

I'll be twenty on December 5th myself. Maybe not quite an adult in America, but officially exiting my teenage years. For that I'd like to celebrate this birthday with my friends once again and invite you all to a dinner party at my house in Heropa. We'll have food and drink, of course, but any suggestions would be great as well! I haven't held many birthday parties of my own choosing, after all.

[ And she adds, giggling: ] A furisode would be nice to wear for this occasion, but far too warm for Florida weather.

Comments

Video

[callmevision]

Congratulations on your ascension! And a firm earl;y happy birthday!

[ Have a friendly and smiling obviously mechanical being, who waves as he looked out the video. And is sitting somewhere high up, as well, the sky spread out behind him. ]

video

[girlybruiser]

[ She can't help herself from staring... that's a very red looking robot. ]

Um... thank you? "Ascension" sounds a little grand, to be honest...

Re: video

[callmevision]

Well, I suppose modern ways have given it such a sense. Originally, it simply meant rising.

I apologize if I misspoke, however.

[girlybruiser]

No need to apologize. I've never heard the term used for a birthday, but I suppose one ascends to adulthood, yes.

[ She giggles, smiling at him now. ]

[callmevision]

It just seemed since yours sounded more formal... that it might apply.

[ He grins at her, nodding. ]

In either sense, I do hope that it will be a good one for you.

[girlybruiser]

You're very kind to say so.

I think it'll be a good one! I've made many friends here so I'm just happy to celebrate it with them.

[codeoracle]

Ooooh we are going to have to make this biiiiig. Anything I can help with?

[girlybruiser]

Perhaps we should get invites out?

And we'll need to stock the fridge with more food and drink, too.

[codeoracle]

I can make some invites. Something different from my usual work though. [ Gotta keep that secret identity a secret, yo.]

We could take stuff from the cafe. No problem.

[girlybruiser]

Is that okay? I don't want to hurt the business by taking inventory!

video;

[storyseeker]

You could take a porter to one of the northern cities—winter's all too near up there.

And happy birthday, almost.

video

[girlybruiser]

[ She beams at the other woman. ]

Thank you!

Do you think having a party in a colder city would be doable?

video

[monster_san]

Happy birthday, Haru-san! It seems that we're close together that way--I'll be sixteen on the 12th. Really, I was surprised that twenty isn't a milestone here, given that it's the official end of the teen years.

I do wish Florida had more of a winter. Not freezing is nice, but I miss wearing furisodes and sweaters and scarves.

video

[girlybruiser]

It isn't for another week, but thank you, Fuu-chan!

I do, too. I miss earmuffs and fuzzy gloves and socks... but also the lovely coats that always were on mannequins in the windows.

video

[monster_san]

I often go up to the more northern cities at this time of year just so it actually feels like the season. The only way you can tell it's winter in Florida is when the mannequins start wearing Christmas ornaments as earrings.

video

[girlybruiser]

It's quite different, isn't it? I've never been able to imagine a holiday season without snow until I ended up here.

[video]

[batburgers]

Twenty already? Time flies around here.

[He hasn't seen Haru in a while, but it's good to see that she's still around and being her generally open and optimistic self.]

But really twenty-one is just the age when most people can legally do what they've already been doing since they were a teenager.

video

[girlybruiser]

[ She's glad to see Jason herself, offering a friendly smile as usual. ]

Is there a reason it's twenty-one in America? You can all vote at eighteen, can't you?

video

[batburgers]

Something to do with the fact the brain isn't nearly done developing until you're 22-25 and they don't trust anyone under that age not to kill half their brain cells before that.

Not that it stops any of the binge-drinking college kids they are trying to save from themselves in the first place.

video

[girlybruiser]

Oh! I suppose I understand that a little.

[ Pause. ]

Students certainly like to drink here. A lot of my classmates go to parties every weekend.

text; name reads "Tadashi"

[tadeadshi]

I think I read about something similar in this world, but I never heard about it back home.

Happy early birthday.

text

[girlybruiser]

Thank you!
Out of curiosity, do you mean the Coming of Age ceremony?

text

[tadeadshi]

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear.
Hearing about it makes me wonder if my older family ever experienced it.

text

[girlybruiser]

That's alright.

[ And because she's intrigued now, especially given the name, she texts in Japanese back: ]

Are you also from Japan?

[tadeadshi]

[God, he didn't realize how much he missed typing and speaking in Japanese until he sees the characters. He switches to match.]

My father was. I'm first generation American.