Halloween 2023

[indigo_league]

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

Comments

[outofsynth]

Rodeo definitely approves of her seeing where he comes from. He's happy as a trained Pokémon, but that doesn't make him immune from missing his old home sometimes.

"Laser swords...?" Whoever the Jedi are, they sound dangerous. He shudders a little. "No wonder your armour is so important to you."

She doesn't seem to be as strict with it as Mando, but it's clearly still something she values a great deal.

[mywayistheway]

Taakur scoots a little closer to Rodeo. Can you tell she admires him? She can’t wait to grow up and be big and strong like he is, winning gym battles.

“These days, it mostly protects us from blasters,” Bo admits. “Our armor is like a second skin and is just as culturally important as it is in battle.”

She didn’t want to leave Min with a completely negative view of the Jedi though so she continues.

“Mandalorians and the Jedi don’t fight anymore. In fact I’ve fought beside some of them. Though they’re mostly gone now. But there are some who wield power like them that are far more dangerous.”

[outofsynth]

Technically Rodeo has never participated in any gym battles, but he may neglect to mention that part. The flattery is kind of nice, and it's not like he hasn't won some tough battles. Just not on such a competitive level.

"I guess things can change," Min concedes. It's the same in his world, though he knows often tensions can linger long after any conflicts are supposedly over. "Too bad it's not for a good reason."

Because honestly? The Jedi sound bad enough from Bo's explanation. If there's someone worse, he wouldn't want to meet them.

[mywayistheway]

"The Jedi are not bad people," Bo-Katan clarifies. "We just didn't always get along. Even in modern times I don't always understand some of the things they do. But they've helped me and my people, on more than one occasion. So you could say I owe them a debt of gratitude."

She knows that there are some who would disagree with her. However, it would not be right for her to speak ill of those who had done so much for her. Bo-Katan simply presented Min-Gi with the facts.

[outofsynth]

"That's good. I'm glad they didn't turn out to be so bad."

He is, even though he's not sure how he would feel knowing someone he was speaking to might have those kinds of abilities. Reality is often more complex than just the idea on its, own, and it sounds like that holds true here.

[mywayistheway]

"My sister Satine was actually in love with a Jedi, you know."

No matter how much Satine tried to hide it, she knew. You could only hide so much from your family after all.

[outofsynth]

"She was?"

He knows that kind of thing isn't uncommon, but it must have been difficult, even with family who seem as level-headed as Bo-Katan.

[mywayistheway]

"Yes..." Bo-Katan says distantly, as if her thoughts are going far away.

"When she was young, and on the run from Mandalorian zealots who wanted to assassinate her. The Jedi sent two of their own to protect her. She fell for the young Padawan. But they split ways. Jedi are not allowed to have such relationships. I didn't meet him until many years later, during the battle that saw my sister murdered."

[outofsynth]

Min would have more questions, but finding out what happened to her sister puts an immediate stop to that.

"I'm sorry. That must have been hard."

What else is there to say to finding out something like that?

[mywayistheway]

There isn’t much else to say and Bo herself is quiet for a few moments. Trying to keep her emotions reigned in as she took in a breath and continued.

“It’s harder knowing that I played a part in it.”

[outofsynth]

Oh. Oh. That adds a new complication he hadn't anticipated. Min glances aside to make sure their Pokémon are still absorbed in their own conversation, which they thankfully are.

"That can't be true."

Bo doesn't seem the type to do that on purpose, and from what he's seen of her she's far too careful to have somehow managed to play an accidental role in something that bad, but mostly he just wants to be reassuring and isn't sure what else he can say that might help.

[mywayistheway]

“I didn’t cause it directly, but I helped put things in motion.”

It was a long time ago, and the guilt had run deep. Seeing Satine and earning her forgiveness tonight was like a balm to her soul. But she couldn’t deny the facts.

“It’s a long story, but I was young and stupid. I joined a group who directly opposed my sister. I opposed her.”

[outofsynth]

That surprises him, but it's not as though he can argue something he wasn't there for. That won't help, and while he's never had siblings he does know those relationships aren't always easy even if it's hard to picture them getting that bad. It's hard to imagine her doing something like that, but in the end she's not someone he's had chance to really get to know just yet. Maybe Bo seems as sensible as she does because she's made such serious mistakes, not because it was something that came naturally to her.

It's hard to know what to say to that, but he can't just not say anything.

"I... have no idea what that must be like."

It feels a bit empty, honestly, for the weight of what she's just told him.

[mywayistheway]

"Be glad you don't."

And Bo wasn't going to try to make him understand either unless he really wanted to.

"Like I said its a long story, and this isn't the place to get into such things anyway. I'll just say that I thought I was doing the right thing."

But well, she knows better now. And his guess that she's the way she is now is because she's learned from her mistakes would definitely be accurate. She's a much different person than she used to be.

[outofsynth]

Min-Gi has no desire to dig deeper than she invites him to. Not on such a personal topic. Maybe he privately has questions, but in the end it's not his business. He's not about to upset Bo by making her relive it anymore than she has, especially on a night meant to bring everyone together.

He nods in acknowledgement, maybe a little relieved the conversation is turning away from such painful topics.

"You're right. You should have the chance to enjoy the night." These kinds of gatherings only happen a few times a year, and this is Bo's first opportunity to be around so many people from other worlds. "Do you... need some space?"

[mywayistheway]

Honestly, enjoying the night was going to be difficult. But she was going to try to get in as much enjoyment as she could. His question causing her to laugh dryly.

"No. I get plenty of space most of the time. It's nice to actually have someone to talk to face to face."

She spends a lot of time traveling on her own after all.

[outofsynth]

He can understand that. She is still quite new, and while none of the natives of this world avoid them as such, they're hard to get too close to. It can definitely get a bit lonely until you've travelled enough to register enough warps. She's lucky enough to know someone, but since Mando's been around a while he's probably not doing as much travelling.

"That's why it's nice when someone puts on events like this. It can be hard to get to get together with too many people otherwise."

[mywayistheway]

Well there's that, but there's also the fact that she walks around in full body armor. Some people kind of find her intimidating. And rightly so to be honest.

"We are spread out aren't we?"

Between the two regions and all the cities it would be hard to get everyone in one place.

"Do parties happen like this often?"

[outofsynth]

"A few times a year," Min-Gi answers. It's hard to be more specific than that when he's only been here a little over a year himself, but he's pretty sure at least two of those are annual rather than one off events.

"This and prom are supposed to happen every year, but sometimes there'll be other kinds of gathering as well."

[mywayistheway]

“Prom?” Brows raise in confusion as that’s clearly a word that’s foreign to her.

“What is that supposed to be?”

A party she would assume but different from this one?

[outofsynth]

Prom isn't an unfamiliar word to him, but he still pauses before he answers. The proms here aren't the same thing as his formals back home, even if does feel like it's just as big a deal.

"In my world it's a school dance," he decides to start with. "Dancing's a big part of it here too, but it seems like there's usually more to it than that. Like this year we got to vote on who the newest member of the Elite Four would be."