( open. ) firefighter calendar mingle!

[yuwon]

WHO: everyone!
WHAT: the firefighters put out a calendar every year and guess who is getting everyone involved.
WHERE: the venue for the photoshoot, somewhere in the city.
WHEN: within the first week of their arrival.
WARNINGS: nudity or partial nudity? will update warnings as they come.

The firefighters are looking for models to assist in their yearly calendar. Last year due to some mishaps, they missed the due date for this beloved tradition in the city, and so are not looking to really make sure everything is flawless this year. Since is no error for mistakes, they are even recruiting people to model as firefighters, as well as looking for people who can act as temporary photographers— in a city as busy as this one, it isn’t always easy booking a photographer for certain time slots.


1. As a photographer they are tasked to make the calendar spicy, but also unique! They figure one of the best selling points is variety. No more poses, the more avant-garde, the weirder even, the better! Like if your thing is posing with a carton of eggs, you do you!
2. Models are incentivized and even ranked (this is arbitrary, so I leave that all to you), so maybe this can also lift the competitive spirit of some! Or maybe you just really want to make some extra kryptos!
3. Outside of photographers and models, also looking for people who can enhance the overall experience. Do coffee runs for everyone, while also hyping or judging the models! Whatever they say fit! People can even stumble into these roles thinking they were here for a completing different reason! Or go out on an errand to come back and suddenly everyone is not as they once were.
4. Just have fun and free to make up your own scenarios! Even if it's walking in like 🧍‍♂️ I thought this was a pizza party.

NOTE: hi, this is the log for the firefighter calendar!

everyone is free to put up their top levels and tag around as they see fit. you can see it as you were messaged by someone randomly on the network about an opportunity to make additional kyptos, or they could have even found an ad. whatever works!

Comments

shalem | arknights | open

[prozaic]

the photographer

All right then. That pose is fine, but raise your head a little more, please.

[How about having the most polite photographer around? Shalem smiles, expression soft despite the tired circles under his eyes. Then he lowers the camera, allowing it to hang from his neck via the strap, and heads towards his current model.] Are you uncomfortable? Is it the clothes, or the hair?

Please bear with it a little, otherwise the make-up might fade or wipe off, and we'll have to take longer. Don't worry, I'll watch out for you, hm?

[Look, he wants this done quickly so they can move on. The dark circles on his face are not for show, after all. He's tired... and, well, a bit uncomfortable with the amount of people and noise in this one building.]

modeling

[The thing about Shalem's pretty face and preference for covering up is that he's hiding what he actually looks like-- he's actually kinda jacked, hence why the firefighters are insistent on having him model as well. He really can't fight against the horde when they're unanimous like this. And have a number of handsome, well-built men around as well.

He is a weak, weak man.

So here he is, hair tied up in a neater tail than usual, scarred arms bare, and cleavage scandalously exposed, posing for the camera. For his photographer however, if he notices them having trouble just trying to find the right angles or simply getting shots they're happy with, he'll wander over with his hands behind his back, curious, and a little amused.]

It's not as easy as it seems, does it? [he chuckles softly, but it's not meant to be condescending in any way.] We could take a break and I'll give you a few tips, or perhaps we could continue, and I'll pose the way I want to, and you needn't do much but press the shutter. What do you say?

wildcard
[ make something up! shalem will be here all day modeling, taking pics, and sometimes dressing others up because he's just like that. feel free to pm if you want to plot it out first. ]

modeling

[likemybooks]

[ Taryon has chickened out of the photoshoot the moment he realized he had to remove much of his clothing and stand around a bunch of people, but to make up for that cowardice, he's decided to help carry around makeup supplies and snacks. While hanging around photoshoots, his attention is drawn between observing the photographer work the camera and the stage.

He can see the appeal of the calendar. Not being in one, he's too shy at the moment, but having pages of attractive men at his desk would make his day better. And there are many, many photoshoots that he's drawn to.

Although he fights the urge to watch when an Outsider is on stage.

Once Shalem finishes this shot and the crew disperses, Taryon approaches him with a double thumbs-up. ] Excellent work, good man. I think that will be well-received by the editors.

[prozaic]

Oh, you were watching? [Shalem had no idea. His time modeling here felt much like being on the stage, where everything melts away and all he has is the script, that sinks down into his bones and makes him move. Gives him someone else to be for a while, and leaves him breathless and tired but elated by the end.

He flips his hair out of his face, careful not to smudge his make-up lest it become difficult to remove later.]

I'm sorry, I didn't know.

[likemybooks]

Well - as much as I had do. [ He folds his hands at waist height. ] I've become a bit of an assistant around here, so I have to stand by for any requests. [He pauses.] And I'm learning a lot about cameras. I wasn't aware of the attention needed to lighting levels and color settings.

Oh, you need... [He reaches into his side pack and pulls out a hair tie.] I've also got cloaks in case you're cold.

[prozaic]

You needn't worry about that. The lights were warm enough. [Warm, not hot.] It felt quite like basking during a summer day.

[Because of course a man like him would consider a summer day pleasant. His serpentine features have been hidden away by the cloaking device forced on him when he left the base, even his ears are short and only slightly pointy. He wouldn't have recognized himself it weren't for his lavender hair persisting through the surface changes.

But underneath the illusion, Shalem is still the same sort of person. He still likes the warmth, is still cooler than his normal, and thus hot lights are a pleasant feeling on his skin.]

I did bundle up before coming out as well, and that should be enough to tide me over until I return to base.

[likemybooks]

[Some people like sunbathing. Taryon, meanwhile, gets burned if he's outside too long.]

Oh. Alright. [That eases some of his own worries. Looking good isn't worth the annoyance of being cold...not that he's reconsidering the offer to model!] I suppose being surrounded by those guys keep you warm.

[Wait.]

I mean- all of your body heat. It keeps everyone hot. Warm. Not cold.

[prozaic]

[Shalem knows what he meant to say-- and of course understands exactly what else he was thinking. All he can do is chuckle.]

Yes, those handsome men are definitely enough to keep someone warm, aren't they?

[He would look at some of them just for the sight, but that would be rude.]

I did model because those men asked it of me.

[likemybooks]

[He squeezes his eyes and angles his neck back to wince at the situation that he is fully responsible for getting into.]

I suppose... [Taryon definitely would handle the cold if he were surrounded by buff, shirtless men. He drops his head and takes a deep breath before assuming a more normal position.]

How are you not distracted up there?

[prozaic]

[He'd feel bad and apologise, but he's having a bit too much fun teasing his new friend-- it's the serpent in him, he supposes.]

I was very distracted. [That's a lie.]

I just soothed myself with the thought that they're looking at me, and thus wanted to show them my best side.

[likemybooks]

[Taryon makes a face. Modeling sounds even worse than before.]

You managed to hide it well, considering the situation. But it's finally over, and you can avoid those guys forever.

[prozaic]

Hmmm? [Oh, were they not on the same page?

Shalem just has to laugh again, because he's really not annoyed by all of the attention.]

I'm not offended by them. In fact, I wouldn't want to avoid them forever. They're pretty easy on the eyes, you see, and I like to keep coming back to what I enjoy looking at.

[likemybooks]

[Taryon's eyes drift over to the crowd of hunks chatting over snacks.]

Well, yes, I agree with that part. [But that is the root of the problem.] But I feel like...I don't want to make it weird, is all. It's not something I think I can do.

[A hand tugs at the collar of his shirt. Call him sheltered, but he's slow to strip even at a beach vacation.]

...But it does look fun.

[prozaic]

Is it a problem with talking to men? [Shalem taps at his chin.]

Too dazzled by them that you forget your words?

wildcard.

[yuwon]

[ a lot more people came to help the station out than he initially expected. while he doesn't actually have a horse in this race, nor does he necessarily care about how profitable this venture was to the fire department, it didn't mean he wasn't going to at least pretend to fulfill his role here. obviously, the other outsiders probably knew about this entire farce, but it didn't necessarily mean other eyes could potentially be on them.

acting the part of a good host, he turns to him, arms crossed. it's only for a short break, but he figures he should at least offer some words. ] Have you done this before? [ idk, maybe something about him struck him as the different of ~experience~. or maybe, because it's so rare to see someone who had zero reservations of it all.

though, he is also eying out his scars. pretty common here, huh? or he seems to think. ]

[prozaic]

[If it weren't for the restrictions on him, the hologram or cloaking, or however it works here, people would have been able to see his scales and find even more to do with him. Right now in fact, the man currently speaking to him would have been able to see his tail flick-- but no. Right now Shalem just looks like a pale imitation of himself, and even his ears have been shortened. Still pointed, but short.]

Modeling? No, not at all. [His tone doesn't sound like a lie, but it would definitely seem like one, after his performance.

Shalem just smiles, though, with the same confidence he had while posing for the camera.]

I was merely... having some fun.

[yuwon]

[ whether it's a lie or not, he supposes it wasn't his place to assess that, and so without utilizing his eyes, he simply decides to take the man's words at face value. ] You call this fun...?

[ he doesn't seem so much as judgmental as he is just genuinely surprised at the response. ] Looks like they found the perfect person for the job then. [ he seems to consider this briefly, before he continues. ]

What do you do? [ though, whether he means here, or back at home is completely unknown. ]

[prozaic]

I work as logistics for a pharmaceutical company. [He says that brightly, as if it's not at odds with his performance in front of the camera. Then again...]

It means I work closely with scientists, medics and pharmacists to ensure that they have what they need to continue their work.

[And a number of them can be rather temperamental.]

[yuwon]

[ honestly, yuwon nearly forgot what it was like to seek normal medical attention. as far as he knows, it was like clockwork— he'd push himself past his limits and then just pass out for a week. maybe this was proof people needed more help than just medical herbs and medicine balls.

that said, he gives a small shrug. ] In that way, maybe you're used the eyes on you. [ he says while tipping his chin in the direction of the cameras. ... and the inevitable implications of it being likely being shared/publicized.


... which yuwon didn't really think of until now. but, anyway: ] Do you like it?

[prozaic]

Hm? You mean eyes on me? [He looks down on himself, the body be worked hard to build in order to fight, and polished by those battles he prepared for. He gives his chest a pat, before looking back up.]

They're meant to be looking at me-- maybe people are, that is the life of a performer, or a model. If I were actually disturbed by people looking, I would have declined.

[Then he smiles.]

I don't mind them at all. [And yet he doesn't actually answer the question.]

[yuwon]

I see. And your work? [ he figures some probably did like a job with a good cause.

to be honest, it makes sense. sometimes he forgets that despite his own efforts to be lowkey, it's not like he's necessarily evaded the gaze of others. instead, the more swiftly he climbed the tower, the more his name became known. sometimes in life, you were in the spotlight whether you desired it or not.

which is why he can sympathize, even if he didn't see it as much of an issue as it was a pain in the ass. ] That's fair. Guess there are worse issues.

[prozaic]

I enjoy my work. It's quiet most of the time, save for when we have to scramble to fulfill orders or gain a shipment of new supplies.

[Of course, he finds tedious work relaxing. It's better than combat after all.]

[yuwon]

Do you also sell medicinal herbs? [ he figures it'd be worth asking. you can nevger stockpile too many. in the grand scheme of things, he's unlikely to be poisoned here, but it's hard to separate the world he knew from this one. ]

[prozaic]

No, not at all. Our medicine has been refined into pills, syrups, liquid solutions, and whatnot.

I know some work with medicinal herbs, but we never ship them in raw form like that. [Honestly, he thinks some of the doctors would have fits over having to grind herbs with a mortar and pestle and apply poultices, when they have state of the art machines manufacturing capsules and solutions for them.]

Trust me, I've packaged a good number of those myself.

[yuwon]

What's your best sellers? Or does more rare types of medicine exist? [ is that how it works for him? he doesn't actually know, but he likes the idea of acquiring more knowledge. he figures if there are things here he couldn't supplement with physical strength or power alone, it was worth opening his mind to. unlike at home where he knew every rare ingredient or herb necessary for his own growth, it wasn't like that here.

either way, he thinks this man would be a good person to keep in mind for any questions relating to this. ]

[prozaic]

Rhodes Island focuses its efforts on a specific disease. [Shalem keeps his tone mild, speaking like HR, or even public relations personnel, and his expression is placidly calm. Which, of course, means that this topic is quite grave.

Then he looks down, and starts to button his shirt up.]

Currently, said disease has no cure, and that's the main topic of the medics' research. What I help shipped are medicines to slow its progress and alleviate the pain and other symptoms, so peoples' quality of lives aren't impacted badly.