NOW DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES —

[happyheartsstaff]

HARVEST FESTIVAL

10/01 - 10/23

The sun rises early in the garden, the air cool and crisp. Gentle breezes occasionally stir up fallen leaves of orange and red. The sun never heats the day enough for it to become warm despite shining until late in the afternoon, creating perfect sweater weather. Hotel staff are stationed out in the garden to provide ladders and baskets for apple picking, instructions on how to operate the hand cranked presses for cider, ingredients and recipes for cobbler and tarts cooked over the fire. Long tables are set up by the pumpkin patch in between the festive scarecrows, lined with paints and carving tools.

As the sun sets, more bonfires are lit while small, twinkling lights appear in the trees. Cider made during the day is heated over the fire, along with hot chocolate, hot dogs and marshmallows for s'mores. Blankets appear folded neatly in baskets by the fires, and there always seems to be a storyteller near by willing to spin tales of ghosts and goblins.

The longer Oysters spend in the garden, the more hints they may pick up that all is not as idyllic as it seems. The scarecrows seem to grow more numerous every day, spreading from the pumpkin patch to the rest of the garden. Asute Oysters may notice that some of the scarecrows seem somehow familiar. Is that one wearing the same clothes as a family member? Does another have the eyes of a former lover, the facial features of a long dead enemy? None will be exact replicas, they are after all only made of straw, but the resemblance will be undeniable. Now that it has been noticed, Oysters will begin to see the scarecrow all over the garden, and will hear indecipherable whispers that are also all too familiar.

The scarecrows can be demolished, should any Oysters have a particular tendency towards violence. Their faces will twist into expressions of horror at any scarecrow destruction, mouths open in silent screams. They will be back in the garden the next day as though nothing happened. Those Oysters who choose fire as their method of destruction will find a much different reaction — these scarecrows will scream in the voice of the person they bear resemblance to until they are reduced to ash. They will not return the next day.

Determined Oysters who tire of the garden, or who maybe wish to test their luck at escaping, can find the entrance to the hedge maze that borders the entire garden. Hotel staff will warn against it, of course, but it can still be entered. No matter what time of day it is in the garden, it will be night in the hedge maze, with no lanterns to guide the way. The entrance back to the garden will glow warm and bright for only a few moments after stepping inside, and will then disappear entirely.

It seems there is no way to go but forward.

The deeper into the maze, the darker it gets, as though even the moon and stars are growing dim. Oysters may catch sounds of soft breathing in the night, and may even observe that the hedge wall itself seems to sway as though something just beyond it — or in it — is moving. Those who enter the maze will find themselves wandering for what feels like hours, days. Does that turn look familiar? Have you been down this way before? Who can tell, when nothing about the maze ever seems to change.

Eventually, Oysters will find that they have been lead back to the garden, exhausted and hungry, though no time at all has passed for everyone else.

THEY FOLLOW

10/23 - 10/30

At the end of the third week of October, the garden will no longer be accessible. The entrance to where it once was will simply be gone.

"Why would it be there?" hotel staff will ask if questioned about it. "The festival is over."

But it seems not everything in the garden wanted to stay there.

The scarecrows will begin to appear inside the hotel itself. At first it is in public areas, always just out of reach, voices faint and distant. They being to grow closer as the month winds down, voices growing louder, until eventually Oysters may find them in their bedrooms, hiding in their closets or showers. Their voices are curses now, death threats and words of warning filling the air despite that their lips never move.

It becomes apparent that there is something moving outside the hotel windows, where before there had only been twilight looming over the lake and forest, and the skyscrapers in the distance. Whatever it is that lurks outside is too quick to be seen out of anything but the corner of one's eye, a creature made of shadows. Before long, it will no longer be movement outside that may catch Oysters' eyes, but something in the corners of their room. The breathing heard once in the hedge maze will now follow Oysters, sometimes right behind them, sometimes just out of arms' reach. Always, there is the ever present looming feeling of eyes staring at you from behind.

Oysters may notice that they don't seem to be the only ones effected. Hotel staff are more tense than ever, paranoid and afraid, constantly looking over their shoulder.

"You let it out!" a hotel staff may shout, unprompted.

None will answer questions if pressed further.

"Why should we? We told you not to. You never listen to us."

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

10/31

On the morning of Halloween, the movement of the shadows stops. The scarecrows are no where to be found, their disembodied voices silent. The oppressive feeling of surveillance seems to have lifted, and even the hotel staff seem to be in better moods.

A ballroom has opened up off of the hotel lobby, decorated for the Halloween party that is announced to be later that day. There are stations set up for karaoke, pumpkin carvings, bobbing for apples, piñatas, and a stage being laid for dancing and a costume contest at the end of the night.

Many of the hotel staff are already in costumes, and will encourage Oysters to select one from This Elegant Thimble for themselves.

The first part of the party goes off without a hitch, but as it gets later, the lights begin to flicker. Or maybe it's the shadows themselves that begin to shift and waver, coiling in on themselves and coming alive. Screams come from the hotel staff at the party before the shadows have finished solidifying, and they retreat to barricade themselves in a staff only area as some of the shadows break off to chase them.

The majority turn their focus on the Oysters. The shadows move as one at first but quickly begin to take on an individuality. All have wickedly curved claws and a mouth of sharp teeth, but their fighting styles slowly start to diversify as they take more solid form. Their features become more unique, and they develop voices — the same voices once connected with the scarecrows. Oysters will quickly find themselves facing off against shades of the people they know, and these shades are not afraid to play dirty and pretend to be the people they look like.

If you have any questions, please leave them over here! Like the scarecrows, the shades can be destroyed with fire. The monster will retreat from the hotel back into the hedge maze once many of its shades have been destroyed.

PREMISE RULES FAQ TAKEN RESERVES APPLICATION MOD CONTACT HIATUS & DROPS WORLD INFO NPCS CALENDAR AC REWARDS PLAYER CONTACT

© tessisamess

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Lan Wangji (novel) | mdzs | ota

[inquiryguqin]

I. Harvest Festival
Lan Wangji wants to enjoy being outdoors as much as he can. So everyday, he goes to the garden and enjoys the festive month. Everything is in abundance, and he might have taken a liking to the apple-dishes of tarts, cobblers, and pies. He enjoys drinking the apple ciders, and joining the nightly gatherings for campfire food and s'mores to listen and tell scary ghost stories.

With the lessons offered, he collected pumpkins from the pumpkin patch and with the right tools, he learns how to paint and carve to make Jack-o-lanterns, and his pieces can be seen with the others. Some of his pumpkins that he carves look like rabbits, cats, and foxes and putting in a light inside the pumpkin, their shadows can be seen on the walls.

II. They follow
CW: anxiety, stalking, paranoia, hallucinations, scarecrow, creepiness

After sometime in the middle of the month, he starts to take notice of them. The scarecrows. They gathered in the pumpkin patch at first, and then over the garden. At first, they look normal, but over time they look creepy. The scarecrows carry a creepy resemblance to his lan clan. Some of them wear head-bands and white robes. Once in a while, he'll see a scarecrow that looks eerily like Xue Yang and at times, it looks like Wei Wuxian. At first he suspects it was nothing, thinking it's a harmless trick of the hotel.

However, it's unsettling and his intuition senses something sinister about them, that perhaps it's something more than that. They seem to be facing the maze, but he ignores them, knowing he does not want to experience the maze again. It was then that each day he goes to the pumpkin patch and garden, he started to notice they are following him, stalking him everywhere he goes and each day, they're never in the same place twice. He stopped going to the garden and pumpkin patch since then.

It was then they start appearing in the hotel, following him. Whenever he needs to eat at the buffet, he sees a scarecrow there. He spots them at the window looking like shadows, waiting outside the hotel either facing at him, eyes at him, or looking at the maze. If he blinks or take a look they're gone, or at the corner of the halls. Sometimes, he hears them breathing as if they're right behind him , whispering threats but it's hard to make out what they're saying, in the voice of the people he knows, but once he turns around they vanish. They seem to be everywhere, stalking him as if eyes are on him, and even followed when he leaves the bedroom. He discovered placing the pumpkins he decorated in his room, he doesn't see them, but he shuts the door and the windows to be sure.

He wonders if he's hallucinating or growing crazy and loosing his mind. He couldn't tell anyone of this, not his husband, his family or his friends. He asked the staff, but he ended up being the one accused and making stuff up, and even let them in, and he wonders if he's imagining all of this?

The staff weren't helpful in that regard. If anything, they accused him that it was him who let it out.

III. The Halloween party
For once, he didn't see the scarecrows and he isn't haunted by them. The day is quiet and he doesn't feel like he was being stalked or watched. So perhaps, it's the weird magic of the hotel. Today is the last day of the month, so after this, this is all over. With the upcoming party and it's his husband's birthday, to ease his mind with a distraction, he decides to humor himself by wearing a wizard costume. It was something to look forward to.

It's a spooky costume party at most, but it's fun. He dressed up as a wizard with a robe and hat, and a sparkling cape, holding a star-shaped wand as a prop. He helps himself to the food and drinks, and singing at the karaoke machines, having fun, and dance with his husband and singing in a duet battle over at the karaoke machines.
[ooc: Take place hours before monster break-in]

IV. Wildcard
[Anything else? Just hmu basing on the scenarios above! For plotting or questions, hmu here!]

festival

[scaredofdogs]

Wei Wuxian knows that Lan Wangji is in the gardens somewhere. He has been hunting around for him in all the normal places. It isn't until he spots the flash of white among all the orange pumpkins. He tip toes up to him as quietly as he possibly can.

Once behind him, Wei Wuxian drapes himself lazily over Lan Wangji's shoulders as he is sitting and carving his pumpkin. He rests his head against his husband's head as he watches him work on the design he is doing.

"What are you working on, lan Zhan?"

festival

[lucklessgege]

Xie Lian spots the other man near the apple treats and walks over offering a little bow in greeting a he approaches.

"The weather is quite lovely for being outside today."

A little bit cool but Xie Lian doesn't really notice it. Even if his robes are not all that heavy.

Wei Wuxian | MDZS | OTA

[scaredofdogs]

Pumpkins
Wei Wuxian will always spend as much time in the gardens as he possibly can. And today he has a nice hot mug of hot cider sitting on the table while he carves away at some pumpkins. He has never done anything like this before but it is all about being creative and so he enjoys learning this new skill. He carved a rabbit out of stone, he can certainly carve into pumpkin. He doesn't know what to do with it once they are done but at least it is a fun way to spend his time.

Scarecrows
There is definitely something following him. He can feel it and every time he turns around it is like another scarecrow is randomly showing up behind him. He finally gets tired of being followed and goes up to the scarecrow.

He doesn't like this thing and he doesn't like how it seems to be staring at him.

"Stop following me or I am going to turn you into a bonfire."

They follow
Wei Wuxian lays his forehead against the wall that the door to the garden used to be. He is whining softly in misery as he realizes their one chance of being outside is now gone and there is going to be no way to get it back until the hotel changes its mind.

He is moping as he moves away from the wall, dragging his feet miserably as he walks back in the direction of the lobby. As he turns a corner that same scarecrow glares back at him.

He stops walking and points at it angrily but before he can say anything the scarecrows starts yelling at him,"You're the one going to die. I will kill you in your sleep. Die Wei Wuxian Die!"

Wei Wuxian's eyes widen and he stumbles backwards. This is not going to be a good day.

Party
Wei Wuxian is so thankful that the scarecrow is gone. But more then that he is excited because it is his birthday and apparently a holiday and there is a party! The staff encouraged him to get a costume and as always he was drawn to the ones that were red and black. And so he was dressed as a vampire complete with fangs. He didn't need fake ones because he just used a little shape shifter fun to make his own.

He bounces around the party, enjoying the dancing and the drinks and the music and just having all kinds of fun.

He doesn't care who his partner is. He will grab anyone's hands who are just standing around and spin them around the dance floor enthusiastically.

III. party

[inquiryguqin]

It's the last day of the month and the annoying scarecrows are gone. Perhaps the worst is over since he is tired and exhausted from their harassment.

Wearing a wizard costume and feeling the magic of the party, perhaps they can forget the hardship of the month. He holds his husband's hands and dances around to the music. Their numbers dwindled, he noticed. So many oysters were selected to go home, but some of them remain, but very few. It feels almost lonely, very lonely, but that shouldn't stop them for having a good time and happiness in the meanwhile.

"Happy birthday, Wei Ying." He smiles at him as they dance in a circle.

pumpkins

[billowing]

Being so bold, Lan Wangji takes Wei Ying's mug of cider, and takes a sip.

He quickly decides that it's alright, just too sweet, and he brings it over to Wei Ying to hold it for him as he carves.

COMMANDER SHEPARD ♥ MASS EFFECT ♥ OPEN

[earthborn]

i. Harvest Festival
It was... cute, at first. Shepard had never been planet-side for a harvest festival before. You got them, of course; every Colony built to last had an agrarian sector, and where you got grain you got autumn, even if it looked no different than any other season. And it wasn't just humans, of course, but who could say what was significant to an Asari culture about the damn food cycle? Shepard certainly never felt it. Some seasons were cold, some were warm, and halloween was just another excuse to drink and make a fool of yourself; her primary interaction with it had been in the form of a headache.

So, at first, it was mostly just cute. Scarecrows in clothes and little gourds or whatever. Food as decoration; stupid, but not unpleasant. That was before she found the jacket.

"What the fuck," She said, reaching out towards one of the by-now ubiquitous scarecrow displays. Shepard fingered the collar with a scowl, then glanced up to study the soft, sack-cloth features of the ugly thing. They were unremarkable, vaguely green, yes, but half-formed. Dents for eyes. The hint of a brow-ridge. A wrinkle that could be a mouth, if you squinted, "...What the fuck is this? Hey!"

She knows this jacket. She's seen it in club lighting and hard vacuum. Maybe it's not the same Jacket; impossible, really. But it was very like. And... what was impossible, here? Last month's.... Last month had been a wrenching, visceral reminder. Distracted, she turns away a minute, looking for the nearest Oyster.

"Hey, come look at this. I gotta know I'm not seeing things."


ii. The Maze
[Shepard is going into the maze. Someone should probably stop her. She's moving fast, head down, hands in pockets. She's looking at the ground, neither left nor right, deliberate pace. Someone should stop her. The Scarecrows are a lane, a crowd parted, a sea pushed aside. She doesn't look, she isn't seeing.

Someone should stop her.

She's stepping into the shadow of the hedge, now. Is there enough time? Will you go with her? Or will you try something else?]


iii. They Follow
It was like something out of her literal nightmares. The only thing that kept it from being a real rerun was the ridiculousness of it. The way it was... bright. Broad daylight. The way she could move as fast as she wanted and they kept popping up, like a joke. She stopped leaving her room after the first day, and when even that didn't work, Shepard only kept on the move.

"Sleep is for the weak," She muttered, into her coffee, and knew herself for weakness, but kept going anyways, "Fuck this."

By the end of the week she was breaking them, killing them, tearing them apart, just to stay sane; it seemed to make them angrier, which made it easier to do. Thane had never looked at her with anything like hostility. But even if they came back changed, they always came back.

That was when she tried burning one.

Not the one that wore Thane's coat; that was one too far. The one in white, that whispered in Mordin's voice that following her had been a mistake. That he had always mistrusted her, and knew her for a failure. She set up the bonfire by the poolside and only flinched once, when the screaming started. It was incredibly ugly, and loud, echoing on the tile, the ceiling, the wide open space over the water.

What made it worse was, that Shepard knew exactly what Mordin sounded like, when he was burning alive. She'd heard it before; how often had they faced down firebombs and incendiary fire together? IT sounded just the same, now. It was exactly the same. But she'd burned people to death before, and after that first hollowing shock... A noisy, unpleasant little bonfire.

She stayed, and watched, then kicked the last embers into the water to sizzle. Maybe you've been watching her rampages escalate. Maybe you're here for the pool. Maybe you heard the screaming and now you've found yourself watching what you've just realized is an honest to god psychopath with whom you've been associating. But here you are.


iv. Ballroom Blitz
Shepard didn't know what was happening, but she did know a few things. First, she knew that to date there had been no interruption to the rule that all formal parties, without restriction, would eventually erupt in life-threatening violence. Secondly, she knew that she had not wanted to go to this one, any more than any of the others; she'd been on-edge and twitchy for weeks. Shepard liked to think she knew herself, and she was no fit company for anyone; the best one could hope for this party is that there would be fewer scarecrows. So that had been enough.

Thirdly, she knew that she had had nightmares exactly like this one. They'd ended in fire and shadow, and in horror. She knew what it felt like to not be able to breathe right. She knew that when the edges of the room went grey and black, when the whispers seemed louder than the screams, and it started to feel like she was breathing through a layer of wet cotton... it was definitely a bad sign.

Very bad.

And worst still when the thing with Thane's eyes steps up and calls her Siha, then lashes out with both fists.

the maze

[lunchbreaks]

A-Ah!

[ He tries to run after her but if anyone's seen him run, they'd wonder how he manages not to trip over air. ]

Wait right there! Stop! Ah!

ballroom blitz

[sizeofyourbaggage]

Sam knows better than to think this is it. Sure, everything's stopped feeling like a scene right out of a horror movie for the moment, but then - isn't that a scene out of a horror movie, too? But shit, he figures that whether he goes to this party or not, something horrible's gonna happen. He might as well enjoy himself for a little bit.

So he's dressed as prince charming, apparently, because that's what he'd found laid out in his room for him, and if they're gonna make this into a Halloween special and turn him into his costume, it could be worse.

But it's a different kind of Halloween special. The kind that comes with screams of terror and monsters in the shadows, with shades of all the peoples you let down.

And it's not like he doesn't have an idea of what to try. When he'd set the scarecrow of his father on fire, it'd been horrifying as fuck, sure, but it hadn't come back. When the shadows in here had first started solidifying and the staff barricaded themselves, shouting about them letting it out, when the shades started talking like the scarecrows had - trying fire on them is as good a guess as any, right?

But it's Riley. Sam had watched him burn alive once, and he knows without a doubt that he isn't strong enough to do it again.

He doesn't run, necessarily, but he does - ignore him, go chasing after another shade, focus on trying to find the people that he cares about.

When he sees one of the shades going up against Shepard, he's moving to her side in an instant, calling her name.

Wei Wuxian | The Untamed

[sadflutenoises]

Harvest Festival

It's a little while before he notices the changes throughout the hotel, mostly because he hasn't left the room much. Between his wedding and finding out that A-Yuan has gone... missing? Gone home? He has to hope that's what's happened. It's surprising how brisk it's gotten, but given how hot the summer was, it's kind of a nice change.

The scent of apples and the crisp leaves beneath his feet in the garden are a welcome distraction, and Wei Wuxian can be found there at all times of day; picking apples, reclining in trees, and trying new drinks by the fire. No matter the spooky stories, Wei Wuxian will have one better, leaning heavily on his favorite night hunts and putting his own spin on them to scare and who linger by the fire.

The supernatural is hardly new to him, and the themes of this coming season aren't quite like home, but they are a little remniscent of the Hungry Ghost's festival. He's quick to investigate the growing number of scarecrows, only to be wary of the familiar way some of them are dressed. He could swear one resembles Shijie, and A-Yuan, and it's hard not to feel an itch under his skin wondering if they've truly made it home or just been twisted by this place.

Late at night, Wei Wuxian finds himself wandering nearer and nearer the entrance to the maze, torn by what secrets might be held within. He knows he heard something there once. Would you talk him out of it? Or join him in searching through the dark?

They Follow

It's disappointing, to see the gardens vanish overnight. It was the closest they'd been to the outdoors, to breathing fresh air, and the activities were admittedly enjoyable, and hardly seemed dangerous. No new and strange teas, no relentless parties, no trouble to cause.

He can't help noticing the scarecrows popping up more and more though. It's been a long time since he heard the whisper of spirits and things that linger just out of sight, and it's enough to disquiet him. Every time he's sure it's a voice he knows, and worse, their words only seem to rend and curse.

Even staying in his room doesn't help. There are voices and shadows that move and while he's no stranger to either, this feels different, heavy in a way he can't explain. Wei Wuxian is proactive though, if nothing else, and makes good use of the tea he was gifted, giving him the familiar power over his talismans, if only for a little while. He's imbued as many as he can with wards to repel spirits and he's happy to share. Or, if your character is feeling particularly daring, he has talismans to lure and call to whatever is out there as well.

Happy Birthday Halloween

It does seem odd, that the oppressive things haunting the hotel seem to vanish so suddenly, and on his birthday no less. Stranger still is clothing he wakes up in. Still his favored reds and blacks, but not in a style he'd have chosen, not in the slightest.

It's obviously a celebration, just not one he's familiar with, and it really doesn't seem like the sort of thing he'd choose for his birthday. Even so, he's curious enough to look around, and might even try out some of the games.

If you see him early on, Wei Wuxian will be one of the first to try to drag you over to play, feeling better than he has for most of the month, now that things seem to be improving and those spirits or whatever they were have stopped haunting this place.

If you find him later though, he'll be pushing others toward the exit, dodging and running from foes he dares not fight. He knows that they're only wearing the faces of his loved ones, that the voices they speak with are stolen fakes, but he can't bring himself to raise a hand against them either.

Party

[inquiryguqin]

After the wedding, it was a quiet and somber month. Lan Wangji is very fond of his soul-twin's son, but he returned home and he figured it's for the best. He gave Wei Ying one of his jack-o-lantern pumpkins, an art protect he was working on, where he carve rabbits on them to cheer him up.

The month trickled by. The scarecrows make things very difficult to even live on the hotel. He figured by the end of the month, they'll be gone, thinking they're an extension of the hotel's tricks, even it's creepy with their harassment around and inside the hotel and their whispering death threats and the evil aura the scarecrows seem to have around them.

Eventually at last, it's the last day of the month, and he was looking for what next month brings. It's an unusual party of dressing up, but not unfun. He's one of the few people who attended the party, their numbers dwindled as a few has returned home over the last months and he was being dragged over to play with him, wearing a wizard robe and hat.

He blinks when he was being pulled over. Even after marriage, he is still his dearest friend. Softly, "Wei Ying...? Happy birthday. Do you wish to play? There's good food to eat and karaoke machines to play. I can sing a song for you if you like."

wildcard, cw: death, violence

[billowing]

Lan Wangji is hanging over a cliff's edge, ceaseless amounts of blood seeming to pour from his arm as it starts to go numb, but he doesn't relent. He'd lose all feeling in it permanently if it could only mean he wouldn't have to let go of what was on the opposite side.

There's almost enough leverage for him to swing his good arm around and save this situation, but he sees Jiang Wangyin come over, rising above the carnage of everyone else slaughtering each other over the piece of metal they think gives Wei Ying all his powers.

Help, he remembers saying, though whether aloud or with his eyes, he doesn't quite recall through the strain. He sees the sword too late, as it pierces the rock and he holds on tighter only to find that -

- He looks over the cliff to relive his worst nightmare of the last sixteen years only to find that instead of Wei Ying and his last parting smile, he's just let go of Sizhui, who looks frightened of the abyss below. He grasps at straws, trying to reach for the boy desperately, rises from his spot in anguish and with the taste of bile on his tongue, runs Jiang Wanyin through on his sword. He kicks the man off in disgust, and drops to his knees, and screams. For the first time in his life, he wails until his throat hurts, and cries until his vision blurs, and lets hate and anger consume him entirely.

He wakes up shouting, in a could sweat, shot up on the bed. The dust and blood dissolve and disappear in the twilight, the phantom scent of Nightless City fade into memory. In a way he hasn't done for sixteen years, he curls in on himself, and feels small.

[maze]

[earthborn]

"Don't do it," Shepard calls. Watching Wei Wuxian actively make a bad decision is like watching a pyjack inching towards a baited landmine. You know it's gonna end badly, but some part of you really does want to see if it's really that dumb, "It's not worth it, Wei Wuxian."

She's people-watching today. Actually, she's people-watching most days; if this keeps up any longer she'll be hideously out of shape by the time any actual fighting starts up. She should think about going to the gym more often. But then, she should think about a lot of things...aside from what she's been doing. Come to think of it, why exactly is she trying to spare this overeager puppy an eight-hour lesson on curiosity?

"...Or do, suit yourself. I'm not your mother."

Matt Murdock | Marvel Netflix | Come at me bro

[blessmefather]

Harvest Festival

[ Fall exists in this world, apparently, or the queen is going the extra mile to try and provide a touch of home. The servants seem used to the typical Fall activities though, a similarity between world seasons apparently.

He agrees, in amused surprise, to take a pumpkin for decorating and starts by carving out a hole in the top so he can empty out the seeds and filling. The decorating part however- he could use a partner or at least a judge with a pair of working eyes for that. ]

Excuse me. Can you describe to me what decorations are available?

[ He has the pumpkin in one arm and taps the side of it with the opposite hand. So far he's carved a couple uneven holes for eyes. ]

The Maze

[ Mazes aren't really Matt's thing. Inconsistencies in the plant life forming the walls can throw him off as to what's a rogue branch and what's just a thinned out area that people aren't meant to walk through. His typical cane isn't meant for the terrain of fields or forests, and his super senses, if he had them, would take away from the mystery. Normally he'd only go in if a friend wanted to.

But the hotel staff keeps shaking their heads and wondering if those who went in "can see anything at all in there?" Matt decides to wander in after all just in case, in the darkest areas, someone could use a little help. He doesn't need a light to lead the way after all. ]

Happy Halloween

I thought Halloween was only a thing on Earth.

[ He tries to strike up some conversation with whoever the other person is near the buffet table. He's still trying to get straight in his head exactly which voice or smell belongs with which name. For the party he gave in and put on the costume the staff put in his wardrobe, a pirate costume with a harmless, soft toy sword. For laughs, he asked for a second eyepatch and has one over each eye. ]

Shades

[ Matt can hear noises from the ballroom echoing down the hotel hallways. Whatever is in there, it sounds large and angry. Nobody told him what it is. He curses his powers missing more than ever these three months. If only someone would talk to him and tell him what was-

"Matthew?"

He turns toward the voice, sure he misheard.

"Matthew..." The woman's voice sounds so sad when she says his name, and then her tone shifts to anger, and somehow he knows it's coming. Matt's surprised expression goes grim.

"Why did you leave me behind? We were finally together... Did you even search for me?"

He doesn't know it's part of the monster. He hadn't been followed by the scarecrows earlier in the month- they had always been someone else's haunting. ]

I.

[inquiryguqin]

Sitting next to him at the pumpkin table, Lan Wangji recognized Matt on several occasions. There aren't many oysters left, so he's happy to see those who remain.

"Oh? You simply take out the pulp and seeds, so with what you're doing now. The carving you did, it's just right. You just need to paint it over. There are brushes and paints of many colors in front of you. Here, I put it in front of you, so you can draw."

He puts the paints on one side and a brush in his hand. "I'm Lan Wangji, by the way."

Happy Halloween

[earthborn]

Were Shepard made whole, given her full gamut of ability, she'd be easy to tell from the others, even for a typical blind person. There's a smell, that comes with the regular use of biotics; a clean, stinging-chemical smell— ozone, she's heard it called, and other poetic terms. But as she is, Shepard is at the moment merely human, and though she's not a quiet walker, neither is she a large or heavy person. Then again, they're all in bare feet, and so...

"You think humans are gonna go all the way to space and not bring their overblown holiday traditions with them?" She assumes she's either been recognized, or that he'd guessed correctly: in either case, or neither, she's been made. It's a distinctive voice, "If anything it's worse. At least on Earth there's an excuse for having all that crap kicking around in storage for the rest of the year. You wouldn't believe the petty contraband I've had to crack down on."

shades!

[equivocations]

[ Lan Xichen has never missed his sword more than tonight. He has been able to do some good, utilizing the fragments of his spiritual power that have been returned to him to create protective barriers, but it does not feel like it is enough.

Still, he's moving throughout the ballroom trying to fight the creatures as much as possible without a weapon, when he overhears what one of the shadow creatures is saying to another of this hotel's "guests." ]

Do not listen to it. It seems able to mimic people quite successfully.

aziraphale | good omens | ota

[lunchbreaks]

PUMPKINS
[ Aziraphale is busy painting his pumpkin and getting paint all over his nose but somehow not on his crisp beige clothes. He finishes with one last flourish and uh - well, it was supposed to be a spooky werewolf with a big open maw and gnashing teeth, but he didn't have a reference handy so it kind of just looks like a lopsided puppy dog with yellow eyes.

He places it proudly down next to the finished other pumpkins anyway. ]

MAZE
[ Aziraphale has no idea how he got into the maze, but he has spent the last few days in here trying to get out. On the bright side, he doesn't need to eat or sleep, but it's constantly night, and he's worried. He gets more and more paranoid as the shadows come. ]

Who- who is it?

[ He asks, voice thin as he hears someone approaching. When they see him, they might notice that he's uncharacteristically got his hair sticking up all over the place, and one of his collars popped. ]

PARTY!
[ Aziraphale is mostly silent while he's in costume, though he waves to everyone with his larger-than-necessary white gloves filled with foam. He's dressed as Mickey Mouse, but the problem is, it's one of these extremely frightening vintage costumes that he has categorized as 'festive' and 'cute'!

Doing a very excited jumping wiggle, he grabs a plate of hors d'oevres, and offers your character their pick of an item. ]

WILDCARD
[ HMU assemble for a starter or your own! ]

Maze

[lucklessgege]

[It is quite his luck that he would wander into the maze and be unable to find his way out. He thought he would be able to just turn around and go back out but apparently he was mistaken. His fortune really is quite the worst.

As he turns a corner of the maze, he pauses as he hears a man's voice not too far ahead of him.]

Ah..I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you. Are you lost as well?

[He walks forward until he spots the other man and overs a bow in greeting.]

Lan Wangji ☁️The Untamed ☁️ OTA

[billowing]

COOKING OVER A FIRE
[ Towards the beginning of the month, Lan Wangji spends as much time outdoors as he can. Though he is usually dressed for all weather, during the night it does get a bit nippy, so he can be found over a fire cooking something. It's so cold that his cheeks and nose have gotten a bit pink, though if you catch him having a single sniff, he'll deny it.

Wordlessly, he fixes your character a plate of whatever he's making, and passes it over. ]

APPLE PICKIMG
[ Lan Wangji gets on the ladder only to find that there's someone hidden in the tree he's trying to pick from, who'd been obscured by all the apples and foliage. ]

How are they?

PARTY
[ On the night of Halloween, Lan Wangji is dressed in - uh, well, he's kind of dressed like he might be going to a DND campaign, or trying out for a part in Something-Like-Game-Of-Thrones-But-Not-Really. Actually, if his husband isn't near him, it might be hard to tell that he's supposed to be the wolf to a matching Little Red Riding Hood costume, considering he refuses to wear the ears or the tail.

He can be found mingling, dodging questions about the costume, or holding things to make it seem like he always has something in his hand.

At some point, he may be questioning a cup and asking your character if the drink he's holding contains any alcohol, or asking for a time check, or something more fun: asking your character what their costume is. Yeah. He's a hit at parties, all right. ]

PARTY II, CLOSED TO EITHER WEI WUXIAN
[ At some point, he pulls Wei Ying aside from the rest of the party, and hands him a wrapped parcel. ]

Happy birthday.

WILDCARD
[ HMU for a starter assemble or with your own! Especially Bri cuz xiongzhang also deserves birthday gifts :< ]

Partyyyyy

[scaredofdogs]

[Wei Wuxian has been bouncing all over the party. He's in a good mood since it is his birthday and it is a party and apparently a crazy celebration that involves costumes. He's currently dressed up as a vampire, with very real sharp canine teeth. He spots the other Lan Wangji and hurries over to his side.]

That's...an interesting costume, Lan Zhan.

[He doesn't really know what he is supposed to be but it isn't that surprising considering there is a lot of different worlds and places that they could have pulled costumes from.]

Wildcard! (I saw my name I can't resist)

[equivocations]

[ He is not unconscious of the day it is. For a little bit, he had been tempted to simply not acknowledge it at all - it's hardly important compared with everything else they have to contend with here.

But he had meant it, when he told his brother he was ready to start living his life again, and that there were things he did not want to miss. Why should he not indulge just a little bit, and ask to spend some time with the ones he loves on his birthday?

Lan Xichen has been meditating and performing his morning exercises in the garden ever since it opened back up, but today after he wakes he stops by Wangji and Wuxian's room. He knocks on the door, hoping married life has not changed Wangji's schedule so much that he is disturbing him before he was awake. ]

Party II~

[sadflutenoises]

[Lan Zhan is easy to spot, with so much fur. He's surprised his husband isn't boiling in it, but then, this is the same man who wears all those layers of Gusu Lan robes in the heat of summer. Wei Wuxian's is no less flashy, lots of red, which he likes, but he rather feels like they left the bottom half of his costume behind in the shop, leaving most of his legs bare.

He bounds over, fresh from the piñata station, candy tucked into his wicker basket, and holding a candied apple he brought over to share. When Lan Zhan greets him with a wrapped package, he's honestly surprised, and grins up at him, trading his husband the candied apple on a stick for the parcel.]

Oh- you knew?

[He gives a sheepish laugh, because of course Lan Zhan remembers something so small. He shakes the box lightly before tearing into it.]

Lan Xichen | The Untamed | OTA

[equivocations]

Harvest Festival
The garden being open for his brothers' weddings was already something to be grateful for, but Lan Xichen is delighted when they continue to have access to it.

He spends most of his time during the first week or so that it remains open in the garden. In the early morning hours, just before dawn, he can be found meditating, or working through some practice forms - swordless, of course, but he'd managed to find a branch with a similar enough weight that works well enough.

As the day progresses, however, he takes part in just about every activity that's on offer. He'll do them alone, if he needs to, engaging the staff who assist him in as much conversation as he can.

But if he spots another of the hotel's guests, he'll approach them with a small smile.

"Join me?"



Halloween Party
Lan Xichen had been planning on attending the party - he was suspicious, of course, but so far the parties that those in the hotel have thrown have mostly been consequence-less, aside from perhaps playing with his emotions.

He reconsidered, briefly, when he woke up on the day of the party to find all of his clothes were missing. Laid out for him was a single robe, made of an extremely soft material, that unfortunately only went down to just below his knees and wouldn't close all the way across his chest. But the other option is merely to hide in his room all day and hope his clothing returns to him in the morning, so with a sigh he'd put it on and gone down to the party.

Where he is - extreme conscious of just how much skin he is showing, just how little fabric covering him, but he does his best to ignore it and maintain his composure.

He is certainly not going to participate in bobbing for apples dressed like this, though he does carve another pumpkin and enjoys listening to those performing.

As soon as he'd spotted scarecrows that resembled his father and mother, he'd stopped going out into the garden. He has spent enough time listening to the ghosts in his own mind, and he has no desire to continue to do so at the whims of the Queen.

The pumpkin he'd decorated and put in his room had protected him from having the scarecrows follow him back into the hotel, so the first time he sees the shades of his past again is when the monster attacks the party.

He reacts instinctively at first, drawing a sealing talisman in the air and pushing it out to try to trap a few of the shadow creatures. There is a moment of surprised satisfaction when it works, and he turns to face another few of them when he spots a very familiar shadowy figure.

"Er ge," it says in Jin Guangyao's voice, and Lan Xichen freezes.

Harvest Festival

[shootthesun]

The wedding had been a beautiful affair - bizarre, if only to have such a happy occasion in such a grim situation, but beautiful - but Nie Mingjue can't deny that it's pleasant to have the gardens still open. They represent a glimpse of the outside world, a chance to see the sun and enjoy genuine nature in the strange surroundings of the hotel.

The harvest festival is.... not entirely unpleasant. The more frivolous activities are of little interest to him, but he has a well-hidden weakness for sweets, and a weakness for cooking, and there has been the chance to do both, in the days that pass.

This afternoon, he's surprised to be greeted with Xichen's smiling offer, and of course, he can't refuse.

"If you'd like. What are we doing?"