→ i don't want a lot for christmas, there is just one thing i need

[creatio]

CHARACTERS: Barbie House Residents & You.
LOCATIONS: That pink little number where superpowered girls live.
WARNINGS: None in post, please let me know if I need to change that.
SUMMARY: Ugly sweater party time.

( If you know Kimberly and Clary at all, then you'll know there's been a festive treat in the works for a while. People will have received their personally designed invitations during the week, but neither of them have been shy in mentioning the party while wandering the city laden with shopping bags. The house is suitably decorated - enough mistletoe to potentially be a biohazard - but with a little help from the world's best ( and most stylish ) warlock Magnus Bane, it's definitely looking the part. And if it's a little small, well outside is covered in lights too, an army of space heaters dotted in their garden to make things as cosy as possible.

There's multiple flavours of punch, though be wary of the one that smells overwhelmingly of gingerbread, someone was a little heavy handed with the liquer. If that doesn't float your boat then the living room table is laid out with different drinks and snacks, some more festive than others. Eat, drink, be merry. And if you hear Blue Christmas at any point in their festive playlist, please track down Baby and give him a hug ( or a drink ... or one of those sprigs of mistletoe. )

The only rule ( and it's definitely a rule ) wear a Christmas sweater or suffer the wrath of women scorned. Though maybe not something with tassles or baubles, Simba might be after them. )

Comments

clary fray ( open. )

[creatio]

( Clary's Christmas sweater is a work of art and she'll not hear anyone saying otherwise. She's definitely in the spirit of it anyway, tacky festive jewellry on and a halo of tinsel on top of her head. Her good mood is obvious, even when she's pulling apologetic faces for those who've unwaringly tasted the alcoholic Gingerbread monstrosity. She tried, okay. And at least it'll warm people up.

She's also one of the first to pull her friends up to dance any time All I Want For Christmas comes on, obnoxiously miming the words to make people laugh. At some point she'll be found carrying Simba around and ambushing people under the mistletoe with him, demanding he gets his fair share of smooches. If she's without him, then it's cheek kisses all the way - no blood will be spilt tonight, Herondale.

Though if she finds Alec, she is 100% smacking her lips on his face, girl cooties, gross. )

[risers]

[ just for the record — alec got the memo. he chose not to follow said memo. ]

[ minus the christmas sweater, alec's dressed casually, with reindeer antlers on his head. someone needs to be the grinch who stole christmas, right? well, he's arrived. not too long after he sweeps into the pink little house does he find simba. ]

[ looking down at his only friend, he shakes his head. ] What has she done to you?

[ with his friend in his arms, alec searches for clary. it's not hard to find her, with that flame of hair and the ridiculous christmas sweater. approaching her, he shakes his head disapprovingly. ] You could get arrested for this.

[ "this" being simba's get-up. ]

[obdurates]

( Certain obligations are beyond escaping; such as a holiday party thrown by a tiny person filled with stubborn refusal at his attempts to escape. Let it be known that Jace Herondale, shadowhunter extraordinaire, the greatest™, has been forcibly domesticated and is in attendance, even following the ridiculous dress code. His dedication to being the grinchest grinch to have ever grinched has been broken up by the repeated cups of eggnog. Still, he's continually made faces at the music selection, wanting nothing to do with a sleigh ride.

Maybe the most tragic thing of all is the fact that his parabatai has stolen Jace's excuse for disappearing; simba, the little orange ball of fur, rests comfortably in the arms of his brother.

That's why Clary is now the recipient of his attention and nearby hovering; he has a gingerbread cookie in one hand, eyebrows slightly furrowed, prodding her gently with an elbow )

I can't believe you made me wear this. ( Granted, Clary did give him a little leeway, hence the dinosaur. ) I should've joined Alec in protest.

[coyandcryptic]

[She can't surprise-cheek-kiss someone if he cheek-kisses her first! Magnus, despite the wealth of glitter and sparkle, can be surprisingly stealthy at times. Although it probably helps that Clary is distracted, readjusting Simba's ensemble.]

Hello, biscuit, we match. I'm glad someone else thinks Christmas unicorns are an excellent idea. And hello again to you, don't you look handsome!

[Yes, he adores Simba already, he'd adored Simba earlier when he'd been decorating and had accidentally covered him in blue glitter when he'd run through a cloud of magic at the wrong time. Simba gets a smooch on the nose.]

kimberly hart • open.

[recoined]

( kimberly hart is all about that party bass. her sweater, for the record, is obviously a winner; the pinterest-worthy crown of greenery and bright red berries atop her head is the pink ranger's best nod to the color scheme of the season. as a matter of fact, there's no pink on her to be found at all — even her beloved barbie house is bedecked in reds and greens and whites in the spirit of the season.

she spends most of the evening, however, purposely not crossing paths with the giant ginger cat monstrosity she shares residence with. sorry, clary — no matter how much you insist, she will not be smooching a cat under the mistletoe. her boyfriend, though? or any number of friends who cross ways with her under the sprigs of green dotted just about everywhere in the barbie house? absolutely. be prepared for enthusiastic kissing, either on the cheek or the hand or maybe even a good old-fashioned mouth to mouth smooch if she's feeling particularly festive... good luck avoiding it if you're not.

if you'd like to dance, or maybe just want to flop onto a cozy couch inside or the hastily-arranged seating arrangement outdoors, kimberly's your girl. just please don't ask her to drink anything that smells like rubbing alcohol and allspice. go for the red punch, please. she'd prefer not to die tonight from gingerbread liqueur poisoning. )

[risers]

[ the only christmas cheer on alec is the reindeer antlers on his head. otherwise, he's dressed casually in comfortable slacks and a red shirt. this is the most he'll be doing for the party. he's here for clary (and to steal simba), and when clary doesn't have his best friend in her hands, he's looking for the only one who understands him. ]

[ he looks now, behind furniture and doors. he's close to meowing to let simba know it's okay, he won't make him do anything he doesn't want to do. right now, he'll keep searching, and wishing he had a rune to track down cats. ]

[ spotting kimberly, he beelines over to her, but not without looking here and there for simba. ] Have you seen Clary's cat?

[creatio]

( It's official. Clary is drunk. But at least she's not sloppy drunk, mostly beaming helplessly at people because she's happy, spending her time alternating between throwing terrible shapes to terrible music and luring Jace under the mistletoe. When she finds Kimberly, she throws an arm around her shoulders enthusiastically, squishing her a little so they're pressed cheek to cheek. )

This was such an awesome idea.

( The party. But also, people they love all in the same place. )

Are you having fun? I'm having fun.

robbie reyes ▸ota

[acuerdo]

[ robbie's sweater is hilarious if for no reason other than it implies something that's definitely not true. between days at the garage, working out at sucker punch, and a very active relationship, robbie doesn't actually have time for multiple ladies.

at least it's funny.

robbie's been tasked with decorating duties pre-party. you didn't think the tinsel and mistletoe hung itself did you? the joys of being a tall, so don't be surprised if he spends a good deal of time sitting on the couch nursing a hot toddy and ginger molasses cookies while he regains his energy. he may or may not be alone, as simba often curls up on the ever-present blanket on the couch.

he's not a fan of simba, so if you spot him shooing the ginger ball of fur away, please don't hesitate to rescue him. who knew big bad flaming skull dudes were such wusses? definitely not anyone who lives in casa de barbie.

later, he'll join in on impromptu games (think: 'never have i ever' and 'cards against humanity' type things). isn't this a fun way to get to know cadelle's resident motorcycle jacket wearing badass (don't listen to kim when she calls him a marshmallow btw. it's all lies.)

and if you happen to bump into him under the mistletoe... well... ]

[buenpastor]

[ is 'your girlfriend told me you were possessed and now i'm concerned' a look? because if it's a look that's the one tomas is giving robbie. he can sense demonic presence back home, but he's not getting anything from robbie, maybe kimberly is teasing him, it wouldn't be the first time. ]

Hello.

[ being suddenly approached by a priest is probably always a little alarming, but tomas is out of practice when it comes to talking to people. ]

[creatio]

( Obviously she's talked to Robbie before. He's here enough that she'd have to be the rudest, most antisocial person to not have. But they've never really hung out. Usually it's a morning greeting or an awkward avoidance of eye contact if she's walked in on something she shouldn't. So when she finds him chilling on the couch without Kimberly, she decides it's as good a time as any to bridge that gap. She's not interrupting anything. He's not even cuddling Simba.

Clary scoops the cat up into her arms with a hum, plopping down beside Robbie and letting tiny paws knead at her leggings. )

I never got to say thanks for helping with all the decorations. You totally saved us from trying to construct a stepladder out of furniture.

( Shadowhunters do not have a levitating rune, sadly. )

derek hale • open

[duelo]

Derek honestly cannot remember the last time he attended a holiday party. He was probably...fifteen years old. Maybe younger. The holidays haven't been his thing for a very long time, but he's trying to turn over a new leaf and enjoying — or at least trying to — the holiday this year is a part of that.

So, when he gets the invitation, it sits on his kitchen table for a couple of days, ignored, before he decides that he should read it again and probably actually consider going. He's finished his shopping, he's cut back on his hours at CriminALES — thanks to the ridiculous checks that he received to handle his more pressing expenses, however embarrassingly so — and he's been trying to find a good place to volunteer his time between Christmas shopping for the first time in a decade, but in the meantime, he's available. He might as well.

He can't help it, the first thing Derek notices when he walks in is the plethora of mistletoe, which immediately brings to mind his sister nearly dying of mistletoe poisoning which, consequently, led to his abandonment of the Alpha spark. It almost killed her, but only almost, and it changed his life for the better, in the end. He doesn't see mistletoe and think of kissing; he sees it and thinks of a turning point in his life. A good one, but still. It triggers a lot of unexpected feelings — he really should've seen that coming — but there's a lot going on that makes it easy to be distracted. He wonders if Natasha is here...and if she is, who she is. He's admittedly not very good at the OkCuddle app and hasn't reached out much, if at all, opting instead to respond to incoming messages and leave it at that. It hadn't occurred to him, that he ought to just look her up. Not that he's sure this gift of pleasure thing is the right thing, since he forewent the obvious sexual innuendo in favor of some bath salts and something the lady at the counter had called a bath bomb, which she assured Derek was a good thing in spite of the sound of it. That's supposed to relax someone, he gathers, so that's pleasurable, right?

He'll likely be found eating...and often. Sometimes, he'll go outside to peel off the damn sweater the invitation insisted was the only "rule" to showing up, because it's too hot to keep it on the whole night without letting his body breathe through the cotton t-shirt he's wearing under it.

(( I'll totally match your style if you have a heavy preference for action tags ))

[creatio]

( Clary catches up to him after his third escape attempt, sticking her head out out of the door just as he peels his sweater free. At first he'd struck her as a smoker, but she'd witnessed this routine and figured it out. It's definitely cold enough for her that she wraps her arms around herself as she comes outside, but she doesn't question him standing in the snow with just a t-shirt. )

You can leave it off.

( No, she's not being a creepy pervert. ) The sweater, I mean. I am not as tyrannical as some people would have you believe. ( AKA Alec. ) It's getting kind of hot inside anyway.

( He's been looking uncomfortable too, she wants people to be happy. )

( ooc you don't need to match styles with me if you don't want!! )

jo schumacher ❤ open

[righthandgirl]

The idea of a Christmas party where one has to wear a Christmas sweater is, let's be honest, amazing. Jo hasn't ever been to a holiday party where that was a rule, but she digs the concept and makes a mental note to consider making wardrobe requirements a thing for any parties she might organize in the future. Usually, she doesn't bother doing that unless there's a reason to, but hey. She might just for fun in a place like this.

She comes laden with gifts of her favorite wine for the hostesses and proudly wearing her sweater, a bright smile on her face a healthy Christmas spirit in place. This is the best holiday of the year, in her opinion, and she does not intend to enjoy it any less just because she's away from home.

Parties are where Jo feels completely comfortable because she's so often Dave's handler for them that they're practically a second job back home. For that reason, she is able to put herself in work-mode, in a way, and it's so much more comfortable for her to approach people. She's likely to strike up conversation if you happen to be standing close enough to her for long enough, and she'll probably be drinking, so there's always the fact that a little liquid courage certainly helps with starting conversations.

(( I'll totally match your style if you have a heavy preference for action tags ))

[creatio]

( Clary definitely thinks the sweater thing was a good idea. It's proven popular, and it gets people talking to each other. Even Alec's lack of one has brought about conversation. It's just a shame this is a once a year thing, unless she wants to invent elaborate and fake shadowhunter holidays to have a dress code.

Clary doesn't recognise Jo, but that's not new. Kimberly has a different circle of friends than she does. It doesn't stop her from approaching the other girl with a smile and a glass of punch. )

Hi. You were the one who brought the wine, right? I wanted to say thank you.

tomas ortega ♰ ota

[buenpastor]

[ tomas looks 300% out of place, he's clean shaven but he's older than most of the crowd by at least ten years, and if that weren't enough he's also in his traditional black shirt and collar.

now, on the one hand, he could be a stripper. he definitely has the built for it, strong arms, wide shoulders, he probably has abs under the shirt. on the other hand, there's a chance he's actually a priest and does anyone actually want to try to guess and get it wrong?

he mostly wallflower, which isn't very different from what he was like when he actually had the age to attend these things. he drinks some eggnog and stays as far away from the mistletoe as he can. he becomes more active, as the party goes on, mostly in making sure the kids don't fall on their faces and make it to the bathroom if they need to puke. he is also an open ear to any drunken feelings anyone might be willing to share, he's a good, responsible adult who totally knows how to relate with The Youth. ]

[recoined]

( she might be the hostess with the mostest when it comes to super cute sweaters and festive accessories, but she hadn't planned the entire thing, so kimberly's more than willing to assume that a friend hired a man with some dance moves to liven up the party. it wouldn't be the weirdest thing she'd experienced thus far in this city, nor completely out of the question. maybe it was alec's idea of a joke.

no, that's unlikely. alec can't tell a joke to save his life.

in any case... tomas, have a friendly, slightly punch-drunk — okay, maybe punch-tipsy is a better term — teenager, bouncing up with all the cheer the season calls for. )

So, Magic Mike... what's your track? R Kelly? Ludacris? Maybe a little reggaeton?

( no, kimberly hart does not come from a long line of spanish-influenced musical listeners, but she does have other influences. sometimes. when she's listening. )

[creatio]

( When Kimberly had told Clary there was a priest at the party, she'd just laughed. But then she spots Tomas filling a cup of eggnog.

There's a priest.

Like, seriously.

But Clary's feeling very gungho about the whole thing, she's been doing her best to make sure everyone's having a good time and enjoying themselves. That people are happy. So she's not going to be shy about wandering over to him by the punch, smiling when she fills up her cup with more gingerbread monstrosity.

( Hysterically, she thinks about the fact that he's a priest and she has literal angel blood running through her veins, but that might be the alcohol just making it funnier. Wisely, she keeps quiet. ) ) Hi. I'm Clary. Hostess number two. I don't think we've met.

[coyandcryptic]

[Is that a priest?

Moving through the party, Magnus catches tantalizing glimpses of the black shirt and a flash of white beneath his chin, but he waits several more minutes before he can quite summon the nerve to go up and speak to him. Yes, it isn't obvious what Magnus is at first glance, but he doesn't have many dealings with Catholic priests. He can't imagine one would react very well if it was brought up.

Then again, this is a priest at Clary's party, and Clary is a Shadowhunter. And he's stalked watched him long enough to see he's attempting to be as good an influence as possible on the partygoers, just like Magnus plans to be. So they have that in common. Finally it's his curiosity that gets the better of him and he sidles up with a glass of the gingerbread monstrosity, magically doctored now to be palatable.]

Father. You look like you could use a breath of air, care to join me?

buffy summers | ota

[gr8muppetyodin]

[ Once upon a time Buffy had been cool. She had been stylish. She had been in the know. A couple months after meeting Kimberly Hart and stepping foot in the Barbie House, she was feeling out of date and every year of the time gap despite there only being physically two years between the girls.

Buffy felt like Nana Summers, so it was only appropriate that the dress code was an ugly sweater. Something that hadn't been hip in her day. Just a genuine wardrobe faux pas or the result of overenthusastic and crafty parents or grandparents.

Still, Buffy loved Christmas. Buffy loved parties. And Buffy was just going to try and make her peace with the pink house now that there were no ghosts inside it. At least Robbie didn't make her feel old.

She might have been tempting Simba with the tinsel on her sweater, but while the cat wasn't noticing her she headed for the punch and definitely avoided the one smelling like gingerbread.

She was also already cataloguing each and every sprig of mistletoe to see just how flexible and just how much interpretive dance and gymnastic moves would be needed to avoid them all. ]

[recoined]

( luckily for buffy, there's little that will get in the way of enjoying a christmas house party. it's music and booze and food, and there are plenty of people to meet and mingle with while on the scene. she should enjoy herself. that's the goal of throwing a party at this time of year, anyway.

by the time kimberly finds the blonde, she's had a cup or two of thankfully non-gingerbreaded punch, and her cheeks are flushed to match the red of her own sweater. buffy's, though... she can't help but flash an approving grin as she gets a better look. )

Damn, ghostbuster, nice threads.

[obdurates]

( Oh, how the mighty have fallen. In most situations, his confidence at being able to pull something off was unwavering, dancing happily across the line of sheer arrogance. Not this, not now. They've both been forced to join the ugly sweater club. She stood out; the lights impossible to miss, and the relief that washed over him couldn't be understated. At least he wasn't the only one.

She'd also positioned herself near the punch bowl; which has been one of the few things keeping Jace from doing a fairly accurate Scrooge impression. Simba having long since abandoned him to receive attention from the other guests, he made his way over to Buffy, setting down the now empty cup for a refill to be later claimed)

Think you might put the tree to shame. ( Not an insult, just light teasing, and Jace made a face at the current song selection ) I swear to the angel if Frosty comes on again, I'll take out every snowman in the city.

[creatio]

( Honestly, Clary is even more delighted by Buffy's sweater than she has been about anyone's so far. It's definitely the most fun. So she makes a beeline for her at the punch, grinning widely. Simba may not have been amused, but she is. )

Okay, you win. Your sweater is literally the best I've seen. Is that a snow globe?

( Man, she'll have to step it up next year.

Clary pours herself a cup of punch, the gingerbread kind because she won't let Kimberly tell her 'I told you so'. She'll drink it all if she has to. At least she's stopped grimacing every time she takes a sip now. )

Are you having fun?

Baby | Open

[killertrack]

a. snow

[ Baby even being at the party feels like an effort. He wants to be there for his friends, and months ago, he wouldn’t even have hesitated to go along. It’s harder now, but he knows he can’t live like this - closed off, sad, moping - forever. Of all people, Isabelle would be the most disappointed by it if she knew.

So here he is, walking in to Kimberly and Clary’s house, wearing the loud, crazy Christmas sweater they apparently found for him. He feels too tall for this house, not for the first time, but he keeps himself going, walking through the house to find his guests, a friend, anyone he knows. He avoids the alcohol, at least for now, a red cup full of coke in hand as he makes his way to the back of the house, staring at the little yard covered in snow. ]

It’s beautiful, isn’t it? I’d never seen snow before.


b. mistletoe

[ Joe loves Christmas, so it’s always been kind of a joyous occasion in Baby’s memories. But one thing they’ve never done was the whole mistletoe thing. What was the point? They weren’t extremely touchy-feely anyway, and if they truly wanted to they could just hug anytime.

So, no mistletoe. Which is why he doesn’t even think about it as he stands in the middle of the hallway, the house crowded with guests. He finds himself pushed against someone, his hands automatically coming up to steady both of them. ]

Sorry -

[ Behind them someone exclaims ‘you gotta kiss now!’, a drunken, giggly, and Baby looks up, and immediately flushes. ]

Oh.

[ Mistletoe. ]

c. wild

[ Hit me up with anything! He is a little mopey but still wanting to make connections. ]

A.

[creatio]

( Clary had missed the Isabelle Fallout, unfortunately. She still feels a little guilty she did, that she wasn't there when he needed someone. Which is why she'd been so adamant about him joining them now, wanting Baby to at least have some kind of fun. He was going to. She'd make sure of it.

When she spots him, she makes a beeline his way. She's definitely not drinking coke, her cheeks are already a little rosy, but maybe that's just from being happy. She's merry. )

You'd never seen snow before? ( Actually a travesty. ) Okay, you, me, snowman making later. ( Finger Guns, before she's wrapping him into a hug. ) I'm glad you came.

Magnus Bane | OTA

[coyandcryptic]

[He'd already been to the house to decorate, and he's done a brilliant job if he says so himself. Red and green and gold in some rooms, silver and blue in others, it's not quite a theme but it certainly has sparkle. And of course as requested, or ordered, when he comes to the party as a guest, Magnus comes appropriately attired. Not only does the unicorn glow a pearly iridescent white (like real unicorns), occasionally it tosses its head and gallops around to the back of his sweater, rearing up like the proud beast it is.

Is there a contest for best worst holiday sweater, because Magnus came to win. It isn't long before the sweater is joined by light-up reindeer antlers, because it really did need something more. His hair is striped red and green, there's a gold shimmer on his cheeks, and anyone he talks to for more than a few minutes is going to come away glittering.

He probably won't be sitting, he'll be mingling through the party, making sure everyone has what they need, because even if it isn't his party he's a natural host. He'll happily dance with anyone, especially people who look a little hesitant, and eventually he'll make his way outside where things are a little more peaceful.]

[risers]

[ while he may wear reindeer antlers on his head, alec's dressed as casually as a mundane, save for the possible christmas colour of his shirt. wearing red is festive, isn't it? he lacks the ugly sweater (a purposeful decision of his own, since seeing clary fray all fired up is kind of amusing, even if it is exasperating), but what he doesn't have he makes up for with his friend. in his arms is simba, paws digging into the fabric of his shoulder. ]

[ there is also a post-it with a bauble drawn on it slapped against his chest where simba can't play with it. the post it is thanks to none other than clarissa fairchild. ]

[ alec is currently trying to hide from clary, even though he acts as normal as ever. ]

Hey. [ a big dopey grin crosses his face. the car shifts, but doesn't so much as move to break free. ] Nice job on the decor. Almost distracts from the ugly sweaters.