[video]

[highprofilerichkid]

Hey, everybody. I'm turning... twenty one? Twenty two? Have we decided how we're counting that year in the Dreaming yet?

Anyway, I'm having a party at my place. Everybody's welcome. Even if you don't like me, I do have a lot of ice cream. Just putting that out there.

[Attached is his address in the Sky Sector, and the date and time.

Some Foreigners – specifically, Aya, Raine, Jackie, Bucky, Valdis, Danny, Sonja and Miles – will also receive individual texts, consisting of an ASCII art birthday cake, a smiley face, and a link to this video message. Cute.]

Comments

video;

[wintershepherd]

Happy 21.5 birthday, Tony! We'll split the difference.

video;

[highprofilerichkid]

I think that makes it more confusing. Maybe I'll just start including a plus or minus one error margin in my age.

[Sure, Tony, that's less confusing.]

Re: video;

[wintershepherd]

Yeah, you shouldn't need a degree in statistics to live here, but...

Video

[backwordscompatible]

I'm counting it as a full year, for the record.

Also for the record? Your ice cream's amazing; Pepper's been bringing some by whenever we hang out.

Video

[highprofilerichkid]

Ice cream and breakfast are basically the only things Gene will let me cook. And only if I don't use robots.

[Tony is a menace in the kitchen. A MENACE.]

Video

[backwordscompatible]

And what happens if you do use robots?

[INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW.]

video; private

[upshore]

Happy birthday. I kind of...ignored mine. [When you're probably dead, there's no reason to count.]

Why are you inviting me specifically? I almost killed Pepper. Not exactly a reason to roll out the red carpet.

video; private

[highprofilerichkid]

Yeah, you're definitely not the first person to try to kill me or my friends. It's just kind of a thing in my life.

video; private

[upshore]

That's...not surprising, given her armor, I guess, but it does suck.

Wish I could say the same; I just got unlucky with mine. But now we all kind of have people wanting to kill us, so...yay? [Jazz hands.]

video; private

[jinzhong]

Whoa, how'd you do that? The cake - that's so cool!

And yeah, I'll definitely come. Happy birthday, man!

[He's gonna bring alcohol. As you do. Happy birthday, Tony, you get the good shit. And you don't even have to share.]

video; private

[highprofilerichkid]

It's just a bunch of text symbols. Like a more complicated emoji. [What, Jackie, you never spent entire class periods creating elaborate ASCII illustrations and sending them to your best friend instead of taking notes?]

It'll be great to have you. Hey, do you think you can make some milkshake cocktails?

[Boozy milkshakes: the highest and best use of both ice cream and booze.]

video; private

[jinzhong]

[Tony? Respectfully? The fuck is an emoji? Jackie never had a smartphone.]

Uh, sure, I guess. Never tried it before, but it sounds easy enough.

[BOOZESHAKES ARE THE HIGHEST CALLING OF MAN. Maybe if he likes them, he'll see about getting them at the Koi.]

And you've got the ice cream, which is good, 'cause I wouldn't know where else to get any.

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

Aw, you're a baby.

[Gene's teasing - due to Keeliai shenanigans, he went from being a few months younger than Tony to nearly a year older. He's 22 now and will turn 23 in October.]

I'm practically cradle-robbing.

video;

[highprofilerichkid]

There's no way to reply to that that isn't super weird, is there?

You're a jerk.

video;

[wrathfulkhan]

No, there isn't. [Gene grins cheekily.] And I know.

Many happy returns of the day, dork.

video

[no_light]

I'm not looking for a party, but I'd like to be informed if there's a decision how to count the years.

video

[highprofilerichkid]

...Yeah, sure. Why does it matter, though? You weren't around for that.

[It could be a joke, but Kylo doesn't look like he's joking. If he is, he's really committed to the deadpan humor shtick.]

video;

[lasergrenades]

It's totally not fair that you and Gene are older than me than you're supposed to be.

[Because clearly that's the important thing here.]

video;

[highprofilerichkid]

At least it's not because of time travel, right?

video;

[denyamenti]

Happy birthday, herset.

video;

[highprofilerichkid]

Uh, thanks.

I was going to ask if you're going to come, but Pepper's probably going to drag you to it no matter what, isn't she?

[Video]

[schrodingersghost]

21? Cool! It almost like you're an adult now.

[Video]

[highprofilerichkid]

Weird. Never heard of it. What are the specs on that? Can I file a patent for it?

so late shhhhh

[ruinsprofessor]

Happy birthday, Tony.

[A small but genuine smile.]

For my own part, I count it, since we physically aged during that time, and experienced things in the Dreaming. Unless you'd prefer to be twenty-one?

[highprofilerichkid]

Twenty-one isn't as big a deal here as it is back home, so I guess it doesn't matter. I get to celebrate it again when I go home anyway, right?