victory_road | Halloween 2023

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Halloween 2023

The last few hours before dusk sees you all arriving at a large, stately home just outside of Lavender Town.

Unlike previous years, where Halloween had you visiting dilapidated castles, this manor home is in perfect condition. Age hasn't crumbled the walls or worn away the dark roof, but rather it sits on the manor like a heavy, proud crown, a testament to the many long years it has stood here while everything around it changed but it stayed forever the same. Candlelight flickers in its many windows, while it casts a dark shadow against the slowly setting sun. The gravel crunches under your feet as you make it up the long drive and a cold wind chills you to your very bones, even through the layers of whatever costume you've chosen to wear.

Then the manor's large double doors fling up. Two long shadows stretch down across the driveway towards you, light spilling around two silhouettes standing in the opened door, beckoning, inviting. Soy doffs his hat, while Riegfried bows deep, his hare ears nearly brushing the ground.

"Welcome to our Halloween Feast."

Inside the Manor

Not all of the Manor is available for you to explore. In fact, it's really just the ground floor that has been decorated and made available for your use. And even then, what rooms are available to you depends on the time of evening.

Contest portion

Early in the evening, several large rooms on the left of the Manor are open to your character.

The largest of these rooms has a stage and chairs set up, clearly where the contest will be held. Soy can be found in this room, in case you need to discuss some things with him ahead of your performance like lighting cues or other things you might need.

In addition to this, a dressing and prop room have also been made available. Need some last-minute adjustments on your costume? Desperate to find one final prop to really make your performance shine? Why not peruse the items Riegfried and Soy have brought with them for you to use? This is also a good place to have a chat with some others -- perhaps you like to scope out the competition before the performances start, or you are a newbie looking for some advice. Either way, this is the best place to find it!

Haunted Ball

Once the contest has concluded, and night has well and truly fallen, characters will be able to enter the large room on the right of the Manor.

The Ball Room has been decked out in enough black lace and dark velvet to make any classical vampire quite jealous. The ceiling has been decorated with spider silk that sways ever so slightly, casting flicking shadows on the walls in the candlelight. And while there are some seats and benches along the edges of the room, most of it is left free for people to dance and mingle. On a small podium in the corner of the room, a band of ghouls and zombies (costumes, we hope!) plays the kind of spooky tunes that are still, somehow, upbeat enough to dance to.

As folks dance and make merry and the evening carries on, one might note a spectral shape gliding around the dance floor, observing, before finally nudging its ghostly nose against a hand here and there and suddenly the ballroom floor is a lot more crowded.

More details about this part of the event can be found here

Outside the Manor

If you run out of interesting things to do inside (or you need some fresh air), why not visit the sprawling yard behind the Manor? It too has been decorated for the occasion -- carved pumpkins sit everywhere, candles burning merrily inside and on top of them. As night falls, a trained flock of zubat swoop low over the garden, adding that extra hint of spookiness to the air. Don't worry, they've been trained not to get caught in anyone's hair!

Food

The garden is clearly where Riegfried and Soy have put the less formal Halloween Activities, starting with a fair few food stalls. There is a stand where you can get drinks, offering things like tea and coffee, hot chocolate for the kids (or the young at heart) and mulled cider for the adults. No one shall go parched tonight!

Food is also available in various flavours, from various sorts of candy (cotton and otherwise) to more hearty snacks. No need to worry if your character isn't into all of this sweet stuff! There is piping hot soup and other common festival foods available as well for those seeking a break from all the sugar.

One stand in particular draws attention though, not for the food on offer --though those Candied Apples do look mighty tasty!-- but rather for the unusual pokemon that sits both proudly on the booth itself as well as the sign above the stand. Rumour has it that if you feed one of these Syrupy Apples to your Applin, you might just see something amazing!

Maze

A large corn maze has been grown towards the back of the sprawling yard. Riegfried and Soy have made sure to make it a little more exciting than your average maze though.

A small warp pad will transport you to the middle of the maze, from where you'll have to find your way out, guided only by lantern light (please remember to pick one of the lanterns before warping in!). And as if that isn't spooky enough, the maze has been stocked full of Pokemon ready to give you a little fright. Try not to run towards that dead end now!

The pokemon in the maze are available for capture. In fact, Riegfried and Soy encourage you to make a new friend or two in their haunted maze.

Available Pokemon: Zubat, Gastly, Murkrow, Misdreavus, Shuppet, Duskull, Drifloon, Yamask, Galarian Yamask, Litwick, Phantump, Pumpkaboo, Sinistea, Impidimp, Greavard, Gimmighoul

Bonfire

Set a bit away from the food stalls, and very safely away from the maze, is a large bonfire. October nights, after all, can get quite cold, and it will be nice to warm yourself up next to the fire. And maybe put all manner of things on a stick and roast them above the fire.

At the bonfire, you'll also find Riegfried. You've only ever seen him in his role as a contest or prom host, but today he's here to show you he's got one more hidden talent. Yes, by the light of the bonfire, Riegfried will be telling ghost stories. Why not sit for a spell, drink some hot choco and listen to the frightening tale of man door hand hook car door.

(Of course, Riegfried cannot be there the whole night. He still has contest duties to attend to too, so whenever he is absent, why not try your hand at telling a spooky story yourself? Tell people what goes bump in the night back in your home world)

Contest submissions | Shiny draw | Witches' judgement | Greavard event info

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There it is!

[He couldn’t help but laugh a little with him. Shiro’s laugh was contagious. And he was happy to see him have some fun. What a real blast he was having. He didn’t have to pretend a thing.]

The little bit of fun was ready to burst out of you, finally good to see it.

[Another chuckle.]

Edited 2023-11-05 15:37 (UTC)

Okay, okay! You pried it out of me.

[That's not even remotely true. He's having fun, he has to admit it, a little. On the other hand, Astarion isn't doing anything except trying to dance. There's no angle here - no one pushing him to get back out there.]

[Just a dance.]

I'm weak to spinning, I guess.

A man telling me his weakness already?

[Friendly teasing. The dance slows and the song changes, so he stopped. He allowed Shiro a moment of reprieve, letting him have the floor to what he wanted to do next.]

This MUST be a special night. And it's still young.

One of them, one of them-!

[Once they stop, he's still grinning. Pushing his hand through his hair to adjust it.]

Halloween's supposed to be magic or... something. Maybe it's that.

Perhaps. Elves are magical beings, I would know. Mm, maybe, I was never an active user of it.

[The way Astarion wanted to toy with him a bit was...nice. There was so much sincere teasing that came out of him that it just felt comfortable. Like he was meant for this, somehow. Not that it needed to make sense completely. It didn't. Astarion didn't understand why he felt so comfortable like this with Shiro. It was going to stay that way, Astarion didn't feel like navigating anything complicated or new.

He just wanted to stay like this.]

I guess all I have to show for it are pointy ears.

At least here, everyone's on the same non-magical level.

[Does that help? Maybe it helps.]

And hey, one of my closest friends has pointed ears. First Allura, and now I've met this new guy who's shaping up to be pretty great to be around.

[Two friends with pointy ears! Congrats, Astarion, you're in the circle now.]

For better or worse, depending on who you ask.

[Shiro hopefully didn't need to be reminded of how it could be better for him. Besides, Astarion was more of an Arcane Trickster, a flavor of Rogue. His magic was tricking locks and traps, being a natural deceiver.

Except for some reason with Shiro...he hadn't needed to pretend so much.

So when Shiro mentioned close friends, and this "new guy", all somewhat flirty charm disappeared. Instead, a bright expression with eyes that softened. Friend. A word that his emotional capacity still couldn't completely handle. But he loved that word, and he loved how it felt. Having a friend felt so great, he didn't even know it was possible for him. Until Tav. Now Shiro.]

Really? He's a lucky fellow.

Better, I like to think.

[Given their past conversations and all. Frankly, it's just nice to see the other man having fun.]

[Another laugh, with Shiro stepping slightly off the dance floor as couples start slow dancing all over the floor. Probably best to talk when they're not in the way of other people, right? He likes the light in Astarion's expression - it's a good look on him. Actually happy. It's a good look on a lot of people.]

He could probably do better. But - I'm happy to have him around. I think this world is going to be really good for him.

You’re-.

[His eyes could turn into marshmallows, soft and actually sweet.]

You’re so stupid.

[He wasn’t actually insulting him, seeing as his expression could hardly change.]

If he has a friend like you, he couldn’t do any better. I’d hammer that into your skull.

You have no idea how much those sentiments mean.

[He blinks for a moment, taken aback. It takes his brain a moment to process this. Before it clicks, and Shiro just shakes his head, the smile turning self-depreciating.]

Hah, well. I clearly don't, no. But... thank you. I appreciate the sentiment.

[Even if he doesn't see how that could be true... Hooray for self-worth issues.]

You do realize, I could count the number of friends I ever had on one measly hand. And we still just met, yet the kind of man you are...it's been easier to trust than it had been for anyone I ever met.

[Even Tav, who he tried to use before he started feeling guilty about it. Shiro just came, and he had no reason to use him for anything other than company. That was so novel and new.

Shiro truly had no clue still about the life he led, even if he knew the basics.

They were still in the party, but Astarion suddenly felt light years away. Even walking away from the dancing crowds, he felt like he was in another universe. This had happened too many times around Shiro to like, but it just happened.

His mind went to a worse place. Cazador would have used Astarion to potentially have doomed men like Shiro. Never again, he wanted nothing in this world to take Shiro away...and that scared him all over.]

That's... [That's a lot to take in. And he'd normally have shaken his head again, laughed it off, gently. But not here. Not now.] Thank you. It does mean a lot to hear that.

[From just the little bit he's heard about the other man's life, it means a lot. Frankly, Shiro doesn't know why that would be, either. It's not the first time it's happened. He just tries to be kind. Maybe that's enough?]

[He looks away for a second, to wave to someone else he knows, and when he looks back... oh. Uh oh. It doesn't look like his friend is on this planet for a second here. He shifts his weight forward a bit, more to one side than approaching from the front - he'd like to reach a hand out, but holds back. Just in case.]

Hey. [There's a lull in the music. He can speak quietly.] Astarion - hey. You - need to get some air? I think I could use some.

[…what was WRONG with him??

Why doesn’t all of his posturing just stay still? This was now the third time in which he insisted on being weird and not himself. Or at least, the self he found so easy to use for hundreds of years. Why does he just insist on exploding his feelings in front of this man?

Was he really this damaged? After everything?

Was he really this screwed up? Astarion pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to find the shiny coat of paint to hide his scarred person. Didn’t work.]

As much as I love this little party, that sounds nice.

Okay. C'mon. I think there's a bonfire outside - They were just setting up when I saw. Shouldn't be crowded.

[Not yet, not while the party is still going on.]

[There's still no judgment here. Not from Shiro. Not when he's been there too. When his mind has wandered off to places he really... really does not want to revisit. You don't get to control when it happens. But what he does think, is that maybe he should ask Armin where his therapy cat came from. Luna's been invaluable here. Maybe... his new friend would benefit too.]

Anyone asks, I'm the one with the issue here. [He grins, as he says it.] Me and my wallflower self.

[Once they're both ready, he'll lead the way. Out of the party and to the bonfire, which, as expected, isn't even remotely crowded. Maybe one or two people, but the majority of the benches are open.]

[The crisp air found him and he began to breathe a little easier away from the party. As much as he put on an act of being the charming stranger, he found it nice to have little breaks from being so social like that. Not that he wasn’t having fun in there, but moments of quiet like this became invaluable.

There was a time when even looking at stars was a luxury, or camping in the woods. He was away and doing something for himself without anyone taking it away. At least not, he didn’t mind sharing it.]

But I found you, didn’t I?

[…and thank the gods]

Mhm, not that spending time in the quiet isn’t nice.

You've got good eyes.

[He smiles, slightly, and moves to sit on one of the empty benches - away from the few other people out and enjoying the bonfire. Not that there's many, with the party in full swing. Still, he figures the more privacy the better right now.]

[It's a little chilly out, even with the fire roaring. More than expected. He might have to go find a jacket or a blanket, in a bit.]

Yeah... yeah, it is. I think we're far enough out we can even see a couple stars.

[Like Ursaring Major and Minor. Or Ponytasus, the winged horse.]

The stars...yes.

[He settled down on that bench and felt the chilly air wash away his doubts, he wasn't cold yet, the fire made some odd comfort mentally.]

The constellations here I have noticed are different from mine. I suppose that's to be expected but I admit I've taken this privilege to, well, "study" them.

Edited 2023-11-13 16:42 (UTC)

Yeah - they're a little different than I knew, too. But, there's an observatory near where I live.

[He works there, in fact.]

That one? [We're just going to start pointing out stars now.] That's Ursaring Major. The big bear.

[Astarion laughed. It was a chuckle that went from his toes to his lips. Unconsciously his hair grazed Shiro’s head. Clearly, there was a comfort here that he wasn’t even aware of.

He wasn’t aware of it at all. None of it. He would kick himself for it.]

I keep forgetting you know so much about the stars.

[Another chuckle.]

I’ve grown to like it.

[That makes two of them. Shiro, frankly, is just glad to make him laugh - make him amused enough to forget whatever had gone through his head back there. It was a familiar expression. He knows he'd appreciate it if anyone did the same for him, without prying.]

Well... yeah. I forgot to mention, earlier, but back in my world? I was a pilot up there. I flew ships, up in the stars.

[This seems like a very safe topic. He'll probably have to elaborate, but that's fine!]

A pilot...in the stars.

[That caused him to drift off, not in a bad way. He looked up at the stars again, oh to fly up there...being free. Find perhaps new worlds and places. Be away from the moral coil of the earth and see the world from the eyes of something beyond yourself.

...Who was he, Gale??

For two hundred years, he couldn't even dream of anything other than survival or otherwise. His world was Cazador's, with his dorm he shared with his "siblings" and the kennels he was taken to almost every single night. What were having dreams like? What was having anything other than nightmares? Had he ever had dreams at all? Before any of it? He couldn't even remember his own life before being dead.

Still. Still yet.]

"Little star". I wonder if my mother and father looked at the stars and thought of me.

[His parents, he hadn't thought of him in all of those years at all.]

What did you do up there?

Yeah.

[It's quiet, distant himself. It's one of the few things he misses while he's here. Flying with a pokemon is great, it's vastly different than piloting, but that's the problem. He misses piloting desperately.]

[He looks over at his new friend, concern etched into his features again, hearing him.]

They must have, to give you a name like that. [And Shiro hopes it's a reassuring statement. Or at least, a comforting one.]

I was... All I wanted to be was an explorer, you know? See brand new worlds. Be the first person to set foot on unexplored territory. And we made it - so far. Further out than any human ever had.

[It honestly wasn't either. Astarion had no feelings toward his real family. They thought he was dead, he couldn't remember their faces. That wasn't the life he led now. But he was giving Shiro his undivided attention.]

Sounds...

[A beat, there was no way around it.]

Incredible, actually. To have no limits and see whatever you want, anyone else be damned.

It was... everything I wanted, ever. My whole life.

[And then? Then the abduction, the captivity. The arena. The darkness and the hands groping out of it sinking their way into every nightmare.]

[Space never stopped being beautiful. It just got a lot more horrifying.]

I'd take everyone I know here up with me, if I could. Even if we couldn't leave orbit... It'd be worth it to see the stars again.

[Like they used to be. Because there's no witch here. There's no arena. The horror is pushed into the far corners again.]

[Astarion watched him very closely. A desire to do something wonderful, and being stopped...in order to be someone's pet. Against his will. But still holding on to those dreams of his. Because they mattered more than anything. Hope. Something he tried to rediscover himself after so long of being a puppet, a slave awaiting death.

He wished he could be there with him with big dreams, but he didn't know how to truly want anything for himself. All he knew back then was keeping any shred of self that wasn't Cazador's.

He subconsciously reached over with a hand, nearly shaking doing so...wanting to touch his beautiful dreams but gingerly placing his hand on Shiro's. He hoped it was okay, maybe it wasn't. He removed it just as quick as he did it.]

I've been having this whole lease on life these days. I have a hard time thinking anything is impossible, maybe a silly little vampire spawn's dream. But it's still mine too.

Halloween 2023

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