[Zel's just sitting on a rock out in the woods with his computer set down next to him. He's running a long strip of white cloth between his fingers, idly, and there's a simple iron halberd sticking up on the other side of him from the camera, apparently leaning against the rock.]

Zolf, Rodimus... it's been a long time.

[He sighs quietly and glances down at the computer.]

I assume this was the community's idea? Probably expecting something a bit more dramatic.

[A voice calls out from somewhere behind him, possibly recognizable as Amelia's. He looks over his shoulder to reply.]

Sorry, I'll be there in a minute.

Well, I ought to get going. I suppose these things won't stay, but since they're here now...

[He wraps the bandage around a tree, tying the halberd to it upright. He gives a slight, wistful smile before leaning down to turn the camera off.]

[Here we have Retasu being recorded in Cafe Mew Mew, but something's a little off. Namely, the fact that she's moving about with surprising between the tables, taking and passing out orders and plates. The video actually lasts a while, and she doesn't drop or fumble anything even once. It's actually a little uncanny.

Eventually, the video fades out, and then back in later with her in her room, looking rather more flustered.]

I wish you'd told me about that study session this afternoon ahead of time, Retasu. I'm afraid I probably made a fool of myself. I don't actually know much about Earth culture. Certainly not the parts of it you're supposed to know for school.

Attention, other people trapped in the mall surrounded by zombies.

We need to make a plan, or I don't think we're going to get out of this alive. Find somewhere to fortify, and try to stay safe.

First on the agenda - who has powers that haven't been taken away? I'm still strong, and still have my spells, but they're a lot weaker. Also, apparently having stone skin is just for looks at the moment. If we can figure out who can do what, we may have an easier time of it.

Also, does anyone know whether there's any food in this place? I don't know what the store names on the directory relate to; for all I know "Forever21" might sell 21 kinds of soup.

Addendum: Read this Please! According to dual_wield_hax, zombies can be killed by destruction of the brain. This means decapitation, crushing the skull, or piercing attacks directed at the head. If you want to put a zombie down for good, this is how.

[The video opens up to a background of trees. Zel appears to have opened up his computer while sitting on a rock in a clearing. He's looking intently just below the level of the camera - which is to say at the actual computer screen.]

Oh, good, it turned on. Sorry, it's running a little slow today and I wasn't sure how long it would take.

In the interests of the community deciding not to start recording at an embarrassing moment again, I may as well actually let you know of my own accord - I've left Seyruun. I'll admit I've gotten a bit used to being a chimera again, but that doesn't mean I don't want my real body back.

So I have a few leads on possible Clair Bible manuscripts. This will take a while - one of them's practically under Dynast Grauscherra's nose, up near the north pole. I could be on the road for a long time, but at least when I come back I'll be back to myself again. Hopefully the world won't try to end while I'm busy, but Lina and the others can take care of it without me.

Knowing my luck I'll run into them anyway.

This is liable to end up turning into a travelogue, honestly, so I may as well start by saying that the forests in Kalmaart are nice this time of year. Especially since bandits seem to be an endangered species these days.

Ah, well. I suppose I'll post again soon. See you later, community.

[Well, will you look at that. It's Zel's room, and someone in Zel's clothes lying on Zel's bed. But that doesn't look like Zel, does it? Not unless you remember Zel from waaaaaaaay back...

He sits up slowly, looking like he heard something familiar. His eyes widen for a moment before he rushes over to what is apparently his computer - before suddenly remembering himself and forcing himself to settle down. He gives the camera a sardonic, if slightly strained smile.]

Well, look who's back. You know, if you were going to punish me for not posting enough, two months seems like a bit long for it. Especially when you already decided to do this to me again.

[Then he relaxes, slowly, and his smile widens a little.]

And now I should stop making a complete fool of myself and talk to the people reading this instead of the community. As you can probably tell, I lost access for a while... though I guess I should reintroduce myself, for the benefit of people who've joined since I was human.

Hello, my name is Zelgadiss Graywords, and I've been on this community far too long.

[And then he picks up a little box that seems to have been sitting by the computer, and raises an eyebrow, smiling a little more - though he looks shocked to see what's inside.]

... Looks like even if I missed Christmas, it didn't miss me. I wasn't expecting to get a gift from a vampire, though.

[Zel is examining his wings with the aid of a mirror. Predictably, because even in generic fantasy universe men don't usually have backless shirts, he isn't wearing one. He doesn't seem to have noticed that his computer's recording.

At first glance, his wings look like simple pigeon's wings, and about to scale with a pigeon, too, these plain gray things. But then he shifts a little and the light glints off them like they're made of metal. As if he's expecting them to be sharp, he tests the edge with a finger, but it just slips along the side, revealing them to be solid rather than covered in separate feathers.]

Very lifelike, but a little unexpected. Wonder if it means anything.

[Zel looks slightly harried - and that's an awfully modern-looking storefront behind him in the video.]

Hey, everybody? I was wondering. Our anniversary's coming up, and I honestly have no idea what to get her. But she'll probably kill me if I don't get her something, so I'm, you know, looking for suggestions. What do you all think?

I'd go for something involving her primary interests, but most of that involves violence, and that isn't an anniversary thing so much as a Tuesday thing. So honestly I'm kind of stumped.

((OOC: "Of Course You Know My Wife" virus with the Boss. This is so going to end badly after it's over.))

All right, just so you know? There is absolutely no way I am actually eating this cupcake. Especially considering the date. I know what day it is on Earth by now. And here I was hoping that we'd keep going without viruses for a while...

Also, sorry to inflict this on the actual people on the community. I just couldn't think of any real way to tell the community itself.

[He tosses the cupcake off into the woods. But because the mun he apparently rolled a natural 1 the cupcake rebounds off of a tree in a patently impossible way and hits him in the face right before the video cuts out.

It cuts back in a few moments later as he's wiping the last of the frosting off his face.]

Apparently I'm stuck with this, then. Wonder what it's going to do, since I haven't been having inexplicably dirty thoughts yet.

((OOC: So yeah, a one was rolled, so his target is going to be the first responder anyway.))

[It might be hard to tell right away that this is Zel's video, because the focus of the picture is a big yellow dragon... even if that little tuft of hair on its head that flops over one eye might be familiar.

The dragon's shape passes over the angle of recording and vanishes - quite literally, as the tail was still in view when it disappeared in a flash of light. A few moments later, what appears to be a blond version of Zelgadiss comes into view and picks up his laptop.]

I really have to be more careful with this thing. It's a pain always having to come back and find it when I transform. At least that's one pack of bandits that won't be razing another village. After what they did... [His expression darkens for a moment.] Dragonbreath is probably a kinder fate than what the survivors would have had planned for them.

((OOC: What if virus - what if Rezo had hybridized Zel with a dragon? Yes, there are actual differences here, but they may not come up right away. Plz to be pretending icons are blond.))

[Hi, community, have an unusually distressed-looking Kano.]

Okay, this really isn't good. I wish these things wouldn't hit me while I'm trying to travel with people who don't know about the community.

Kano, I've woken up in your body. If I had to guess, you're probably in mine - it would make sense, at least. We need to talk. Soon, probably, before both our friends start thinking there's something wrong; I need to know what you ought to know so I can pass for you until the virus ends.

[Have what more long-running members of the community may recognize as a Zel. How much anyone else will is hard to say, since Zel isn't normally blue with patches of grayish stone present all over his skin - at least, not recently. Yes, Zel appears to be a chimera again.

He's also looking blue in the metaphorical sense, as he leans on the desk his laptop's on and sighs.]

I really hope this is a virus, because if this is permanent I think I'm going to find the person responsible and make them regret giving me superhuman strength again.

Have anyone else's viruses brought up things they'd rather forget? This one seems to be one of the ones that affects everyone differently.

((OOC: Zel's been hit by the physical regression virus, though he hasn't regressed very far - just back to before he made that deal with Eris :P ))

Well, apparently things are going to be getting interesting around here for some reason other than the community for once. And here I was hoping for a break after that mess with the Shadows.

An Inspector Freion from Ruvinagald turned up at the court yesterday. He's looking for Lina Inverse, though I can't imagine why, and he's heard she has a tendency to turn up here in Seyruun. She isn't here at the moment, of course, but Amelia and her father, being the helpful people they are, have suggested that she and I can help him track her down. She was last spotted out on the Demon Sea, so we're taking some of Seyruun's fleet and heading that way.

I sort of wish we weren't taking an entire fleet, but Amelia is the princess. I just hoped Lina doesn't think we're after her and decide to Dragon Slave us all before we get to her...

In any case, I can't really use this that much around the others, so I might be on a little less often. Just a note.

((OOC: Zel probably won't really be around less than usual, but this is me starting up his next canon move, through Slayers Revolution.))

[Zelgadiss is plucking at the string on his wrist.]

Okay, this is... I'm assuming it's the community's doing. Especially since people without the strings can't see them, judging by some of the other posts here. I still want to know what these are, though. Just the fact of having a thread tied around my wrist and leading off... somewhere... doesn't seem like much for one of the community's viruses.

Wait... today is that holiday on Earth, isn't it? Valentine's Day? Perhaps these have something to do with that.

Has anyone else figured out what these do? Or where they lead?

[It's very dark for a few seconds as the feed begins, then something's lifted up, revealing an ordinary medieval-looking inn room and a younger-looking Zelgadiss. He sighs in relief.]

Whew... For a while I was afraid Master Rezo would find out. I hate keeping this place secret from him, but I have to think it's for the best. Especially with this virus going on.

Oh, it's recording? [He smiles sheepishly.] Hello, everyone. Sorry, I had to hide my laptop really fast and shoving it under the mattress was the first thing I thought of. I've been trying to keep the others from getting sucked into this place - especially Master Rezo - and if they found something like the laptop it wouldn't end well.

So, how is everybody doing?

((OOC: Genk!Zel is go. Have a much more idealistic - and shameless Rezo fanboy - Zel with requisite fake!memories. Feel free to have anyone else who's been aged down but stayed on the community recognize him.))

[You can hear running feet and someone breathing hard - it's muffled as if there's a layer of cloth in the way. Zel's laptop is recording from inside his bag. There's a howl like a wolf, somewhere off in the distance, then Zel's voice.]

Dammit! They're still on me!

[More howling now, closer - it almost sounds like words.]

((OOC: Okay, this is a weird one - Zelgadiss' sin is acedia, sorrow (which was basically in the Seven Deadly Sins list before it was replaced by sloth. He's being attacked and chased enough never to get a moment of rest or to reflect. At the moment it's wolf-men.))

[ The Ravenclaw Common Room is generally a bastion of studiousness, with rarely a voice raised too loud out of respect for those trying to get their work done. But tonight is a bit of a different story, with everyone coming together to celebrate their victory over Gryffindor in the first match of the Quidditch season.

The party is open to most all who wish to attend, although there's only two ways of making it inside: the ability to solve a complex riddle or accompanying someone who can. This should keep out the drunkards. It's still nothing too rowdy, though, with a lot of the stereotypical debauchery already being carried out over in the Gryffindor Common Room. Minato himself has just come from there, having been far too polite to decline an outright invitation.

At present, he is leaning against the white marble statue of Rowena Ravenclaw that graces the path leading up to the dormitories. He seems to be waiting for something -- or someone -- but to no current avail. In the meanwhile he'll simply admire the huge congratulatory banner that spans across that giant arched window that gives them such a nice view of the mountains in the daylight.

The sheer magnificence of such a wide, airy space... The dark blue carpet and matching silk drapery... The domed ceiling painted with stars... It all looks so beautiful in the low light. ]

Would someone be so kind as to worldhop me to Kirishima Kano's world? Payment shouldn't be too difficult to arrange.

How many people here have run into other members who are from their world, but in the past? I know I'm not the only one it's happened to.

Has anyone ever felt the urge to tell them about what's going to happen? Or to try to get to their timeline and prevent something that happened there?

((OOC: Feel free to call him out should he decide to fail at anon, since I've decided to be nice for once and let this actually lock :P))