Harvest Festival - Open to All - Prizes to Win

[hythlodaeus]

Who: Hythlodaeus, Emet-Selch, Ghosts & You
Where: Egglysium Lodge & Ranch (South of Goldenrod)
When: Mid-October to Mid-November
Summary: Festivities abound! There are games to play, frights to have, shiny applin to win, and ghosts to catch.


Hythlodaeus' sprawling ranch has been all done up for the spooky harvest season- including himself. He's dressed as a Grim Reaper, face paint and all. The premises consists of a large lodge, a couple barns, a stable, and a sizeable lake all positioned on the hilly fields. Bales of hay dot the land. Should you show up as the sun sets, dozens of jack-o-lanterns light the path up to the main area where lights and decorations are strung around. The main decor theme seems to be "skeleton", and the visitors may enjoy the projected interpretation of such pokemon skeletons as spinaraks, gengars, and grimers.

There is food aplenty on the tables, mostly consisting of hot stews, fresh pies, doughnuts, and ciders. For the adults, Hythlodaeus will spike the cider with some spiced rum if asked. There is a modest price tag on these items, though there is a sign stating that wearing a costume earns free food. You did remember to wear a costume, right? Or perhaps there is something in your bag or around you could cobble to convince the proprietor?



Haunted Hay Ride

Once the sun sets, you may queue up with a buddy or dare to ride alone with only the cart driver as your company. The cart driver is, of course, Hythlodaeus. His cart horses are none other than his shiny Rapidash done up quite appropriately in their own skeleton paint. As you ride, ghost pokemon will come up to spook you... And only some of them are trained for the event! There are a rather lot of wild ghosts out here in no small part by Hythlodaeus' own breeding efforts. Hythlodaeus may have befriended them, but he cannot guarantee that one might not attack!

... Not that he warns you of this specifically. Well, in any case, if they're wild, they can be caught, too, right? There are Yamask, Drifloon, Sandyghast, Shuppets, Sinistea, and Ghastly, not to mention the wild swaming Pumpkaboo! There are some Pokemon actors, of course. Will you be harangued by a roaring Zoroark? Perhaps the Gyarados in the lake might jump out to surprise you as the cart slows by the water and the sandyghast form from the sandy banks.

((ooc: Players can ride solo or with a friend. If you would like to ride solo, I can work all the various spooks, otherwise feel free to take control of the ride!))

Bobbing for Applin

((ooc: So, I have a stock of shiny applin that can actually be won here. Please reply to the post below this one letting me know that your character is trying this out so I can keep it all tidy. I will roll a die for you. Depending on how this goes, I'll allow extra tries. Great rewards may follow. Feel free to react to others' fortune or misfortune.))

By the lake, there are four enormous wooden tubs filled with water and by the looks of it, green apples. Hythlodaeus has strung a banner across two trees reading TRICK OR TREAT. Should you try to simply reach for one, they will seemingly just float away... But if you bob for one properly, try not to bite down too hard! As you take the Pokemon from your mouth, you might or might not notice the green coming away slightly.

Only some of these are the genuine article, but they will let you know in short order... in the shape of a Sucker Punch. What has he been breeding these things with?! Well... He might let you keep it for your trouble.

Hay Maze

As you approach the maze built with bales of hay, you realize that all the food tables are on the other size of it, and it looks like the quickest way might actually be to go straight through. I mean, c'mon, it was made for kids, right? It can't be that hard...

Well. That's what you thought twenty minutes ago. You were following your nose to the feast, but that seems to have led you astray. Will you take the right turns to get out, or will the different scents confuse you? As you look up and see all the cutiefly, you note that there might be some foul play at work. Should you take enough wrong turns, you will find yourself in the center, greeted by an enormous Tropius costumed like a pumpkin just eating stacks of pumpkin pies. And by its engorged belly are some pokemon eggs painted like pumpkins... Do you dare approach?

((ooc: those are some pretty special Tropius eggs there! Feel free to play with each other or engage with the Tropius. He will see if you are worthy of one of his kin. Or perhaps a half eaten pie.))

Cutiefly Races

There really is something for everyone, huh? As you approach the little race track, you note the Cutieflies dressed and ready to race. What must this all be about? There are nine cutieflies altogether, and aren't they darling?

1- Werewolf
2- Vampire
3- Mummy
4- Ghost
5- Witch
6- Skeleton
7- Devil
8- Zombie
9- Spider

Who will win, for all the marbles? The marbles being a bag of candycorn, that is. You can buy a bag of candycorn for just 50p or make your own bets amongst one another. Well, until the end.

On 11/15, everyone who has participated in the races will be entered into the final race. The winner will obtain their very own shiny cutiefly.


This is not a mod run event. If you have questions or concerns, feel free to post below, DM me or message me at horsechiffon on plurk or Horse#8008 on Discord. Zorn is also helping with it, and he's Zornsable on plurk!

Please feel free to use this as a backdrop for your own purposes as well! The pumpkaboo and gourgeist swarm should be overlapping with part of this.

Comments

OTA any time!

[shiro2hero]

Well - Halloween was not his favorite holiday. And big parties even less so. Though, this one didn't seem like it would be too terrible, and people had been nagging him to get out of the house more often - not just to work. Or for workouts on the beach. He'd cobbled together a fairly decent costume out of the various closets in the house. It's not half bad, really. And riding in on his Mudsdale, Terra completes the look.

But hey - it can't be too bad a party if there's Free Food - which is where he'll start off. Sharing the snacks with his pokemon (either Mudsdale, Umbreon, or a barely visible Gengar), accepting regular cider for himself. He'll chat with anyone who stops by. And probably share his food, too.

The Hay Maze seems like a lot of fun, and you can catch him there, as well. Probably staring at a dead end in mildly irritated confusion. "I swear this was the right way..." Oh well. Maybe he needs your helping hand? Or maybe he comes upon you being lost as well. Who can say no to a space cowboy?

Or there's the Hay Ride. Shiro doesn't really plan on riding with anyone in particular, but his Gengar is insistent on going. He'll happily climb on with someone in need of a partner. "It's supposedly haunted," he'll say to whoever happens to be in the cart too, grinning. His Gengar, hovering on his other side, will nod, vigorously. "Think we'll be okay?"

... or maybe you want to choose your own adventure? He'll be here all night, folks.


((ooc: anyone is welcome for any prompt whenever! Shiro's open to any kind of thread, new or old CR! ))

foods

[wrappedwarm]

[Or not... Because while Mikasa was wearing an outfit there was so much food she couldn't pick. She'd brought her Poliwag out to see if anything caught his eye, but Poly had the same dilemma. His large round eyes staring at everything.

For now she was on her tiptoes, leaning up to look at a display of candy apples. So many toppings.]>

[shiro2hero]

[If someone could ignore the sight of a kid staring longingly at candy apples, then, they had no heart. Shiro's there to get a refill on the cider, and can't help but notice.]

See one you like?

[Sure, it's free, but if she wants one, he's happy to get it.]

[wrappedwarm]

[She was so close, the brim of her hat was bending as it pressed against the plastic pane shielding the apples. Shiro only got a half glance before she went back to the apples.]

They all look nice... [Litrally spoiled by choice.]

[shiro2hero]

Yeah, they do, huh?

[It's fine, he knows he's not nearly as interesting as the apples. He leans on the counter too, looking them over...]

I like the ones with the rainbow sprinkles. If I got one, would you want to try?

[wrappedwarm]

[She shrunk back a little, so she could actually see the man who was speaking... Though even without her face pressing into the display pane, she couldn't really see him. Too tall, too much hat blocking her view.]

What do the rainbow sprinkles taste like?

[Those are a lot of colours, that must mean many flavours. Right? That's entirely how this works, like how all the ice creams Armin showed her tasted different.]

[shiro2hero]

Hm. Just sugar, really - just sweet. But it's fun to have all the colors.

[That's why he likes them. Really. The colors, and, somewhere, the childish joy of just having sprinkles on your treat.]

The ones with nuts are all right, too. They're a little salty to go with the caramel.

[wrappedwarm]

[She was learning so much about food. Like how they could make coloured shapes of sugar. It really was amazing.]

I like them... [They were good eating when she'd lived in the mountains. Though it'd been awhile since she could collect them, they didn't grow as well near the city. But, she pointed at a random apple.] I'll have a sprinkle one. [Like he'd mentioned. That seemed the safest.]

[shiro2hero]

Okay then. Sprinkles it is!

[A brief order later, he's handed a big candy apple, smothered in sprinkles. Shiro steps back, and, with a silly little flourish, holds it out to her.]

There you go. If you don't like it, you can try mine. [Because he's gonna get his own, with the peanuts.]

[wrappedwarm]

[Don't say that Shiro, she might actually just take a bite out of it. But she took the stick carefully, dipping her slightly.]

Thank you. I'll like it... [She was from a place where not liking food wasn't an option. But she really did like her fruits. Mainly berries, but apples were food too.

With that, she tried to take a bite. Tried was the keyword. She'd not used enough force and her teeth just kinda left little indents in the chocolate where they'd scraped it.] It's hard...

[shiro2hero]

We can trade, too...

[He trails off, watching her try her best with the sticky, hard caramel. He grimaces, and looks over to the counter again.]

Hey, can we get a knife-?

[Or can they cut it up for her - ? Or? He looks back down at Mikasa.] We can have them cut it up for you. It might be easier.

[wrappedwarm]

[Just trying to gnaw her way through the apple while he spoke. Pausing to stare at him for a moment, then she lifted her hand. Holding the apple out for him.]

I don't have a knife here... [But then her eyes widened slightly. Then she reached into her cloak, pulling out a Pokeball and, BOOM, Pawniard. Holding up her knife-hands.]

[shiro2hero]

That's all right, they probably -

[Oh.]

[Well. That's one way to solve the problem, he supposes. Get the knife-hand pokemon to do it.]

Uh. Just be careful, all right?

Hay Maze

[heartofalioness]

Allura frowns a bit as she takes mote of the twists and turns they've made so far.

"So did I. All right, so back the way we came and the second left... maybe we should try that right instead?"

[shiro2hero]

"Sounds like a plan - "

It would be a plan. It'd be a great plan. Except when Shiro nods, turning back around to go the way they came ... he stops. And stares.

" - Allura. Which way did we come...?"

[heartofalioness]

What? Why would he ask that?

"It's this--" Oh. ..... Oh no. There's only a hay bale wall where there wasn't one half a minute ago. "... The walls shift."

[shiro2hero]

"... Of course they do."

Why wouldn't they? This better not be some kind of ghostly trap. Or something designed to scare them. He sighs, hard enough to fluff the hair hanging in his eyes.

"Why wouldn't they." Okay, focus. Deep breaths. "Let's just... start walking then."

[heartofalioness]

A soft sigh of her own, more annoyed than anxious.

"Let's... At least we're at a public gathering in friendly territory. We should be able to call for assistance if we truly need it."

[shiro2hero]

"Right - we're still safe. Don't worry."

Just in case she might be. It was hard for him to adjust to the lack of threats here, too. He'd been ready for a fight around every turn. His hand rests on Allura's shoulder for a moment, squeezing in support, before he turns toward his shadow.

"- Haunter?"

On cue, the Gengar slowly emerges, grinning widely. "Feel like directing us?"

[heartofalioness]

For herself? Only a little bit, if at all. A couple of weeks here are starting to remind her how to relax again. Honestly, she was more worried about Shiro possibly having an attack. (Then again, isn't she usually? It's just as good a coping mechanism, focusing on helping others.)

"Oh!" Allura chuckles a bit. Thankfully the prior warning about spooking and Haunter's friendliness has endeared her quickly to the Gengar. "That's actually rather clever!"

After all, the maze rules never said they couldn't.

[shiro2hero]

"Don't tell it that, you'll give it an ego like Blue's."

She won't. Haunter is far more grounded than the Gallade. Not literally, though, as evidenced by it nodding, and floating upwards. It dramatically lifts a hand to its eyes, scanning across the hay bales.

Then cartwheels in a direction.

"Well. Follow the leader."

[heartofalioness]

"As long as it's not an ego like Lance's..."

Said with genuinely loving teasing as they start on their way.

"Still, this is nice. I can't remember the last time I was part of a festival."

Sure, there was the party on Arus... until the conversation with Pidge and Sendak's assault, and the Voltron shows, but being able to just have fun and not worry about duties or potential attacks or disasters.

[shiro2hero]

"Nah, that's all Blue."

Seriously, that's why the Gallade has that name.

"Get used to it." There's a grin under the words, amused, pleased. "They have a lot of them. Most are human holidays... but sometimes people just want to throw a party."

We're just not going to talk about Prom, though.

[heartofalioness]

But Shirooooo, she hasn't had a chance to wear a pretty dress since the first episode of Season 3!

"That will be interesting." Her smile grows a little sober. "It will be nice, to learn about them more properly and experience them."

They don't have much time for that, either human or Altean holidays, only trading snippets of sentences in the middle of conversations before moving on to the next strategy or training plan.

[shiro2hero]

No, Prom is not fun, Prom is a nightmare and everyone gets hurt. Pretty clothing gets ruined.

"The next big one is probably in December - couple months away. There's a few holidays around the end of the month, like New Years."

He glances up at Haunter, to check and see they're going the right direction. And nods Allura around a corner. "I think you'll like that one."