𝐻𝒜𝒫𝒫𝒴 𝐻𝐸𝒜𝑅𝒯𝒮 𝒮𝒯𝒜𝐹𝐹 (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
happyheartsstaff) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
angryhearts2020-10-12 12:31 am
happyheartsstaff) wrote in angryhearts2020-10-12 12:31 am
NOW DON'T CLOSE YOUR EYES —
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.
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."
"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.
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.
© tessisamess
no subject
She doesn't say again, but the word hovers around the end of her non-question like a fly trying to decide where to perch.
"Isn't being married supposed to mellow people a little? You can just leave it alone sometimes."
no subject
"Is that how it works?" he scoffs, kicking some dirt, "of course you can leave it alone. But that's boring. And what if there's something more to it? Don't you want to know?"
no subject
There's an order to it, he says. And he's not wrong, most likely. There's something here that makes some variety of sense, that functions along some axis of logic. Shepard hasn't discerned it, but she's practical-minded.
"Seriously, what's your plan? You've got no good reason to pull a stunt, you don't even know what you're getting into, and your best excuse is I'm bored and don't know everything yet. Now I recognize I'm no scientist, but I've dealt with a lot of monsters in my time, and there's gotta be something better to do."
no subject
"I got some of my abilities back- well, sort of. And it's got to be more than enough to keep me out of trouble in there," he insists, "besides, why would they make it so hard to get in and out of if there wasn't something to be found? It's just like out in the woods, or when we managed to sneak into some of the back rooms. There's always risk, sure, but how else are we going to figure out how to get out of here?"
no subject
Boyfriend at the time, at least. Shepard doesn't mind the distinction. But she does relent a little, if only because Wei Wuxian has hit upon an actual justification there, if only a glancing blow.
"So...what. High risk, high reward?"
no subject
When he'd died falling from a cliff, it wasn't because he was curious about what was at the bottom. If one counted his curiosity in studying demonic cultivation, then perhaps it was partly responsible, but he was more using it to survive than he was curious about it. And in that way, his curiosity had done far more to keep him alive, even if it was on borrowed time.
All of that is put aside though, when he hears about Shepard's exploits with Lan Wangji.
"What? When? He never said anything about it," he goes from prickly to just confused, though he doesn't care for hearing someone call Lan Zhan rude. He could be abrupt maybe, but he always followed propriety and decorum.
Wei Wuxian gives an irritated sigh, but nods. When he'd snuck into the lower floors with Xichen, tucked away in his robes as a scrap of paper, it'd been extremely dangerous, a big risk, but he'd found out so much about March and the others in return.
"Right. We're not going to find anything useful toasting marshmallows around a fire. As fun as it is, it's just here to keep us complacent. Happy prisoners don't start riots and they certainly don't try to undermine the ones holding them hostage."
no subject
Which, incidentally, is what usually mellows married people; not some ridiculous notion of the domestic instinct. It's about agreeing with someone, out loud and in public, that your lives no longer belong only to yourselves anymore. That you are beholden to, and responsible for, someone else, and that that person's joy and pain is at least as important to you as your own. Moreso, in most cases.
But there's no law of nature that says you have to be a good spouse. Any old asshole can break a promise, or a heart. And as glas as she would to be proven wrong, Shepard has realistic expectations about Wei Wuxian's base nature.
"Let's do it."
no subject
"This is just, it's just like a little field trip. A walk in the park," he insists.
"And if by chance, it does get dangerous, then... then I'll let you give the orders. Fair?" he barely even pauses to wait for a response before hurrying inside the maze.
no subject
"Gotcha," She gloats, and, "Alright, you punk, listen up. Last time I went in there I was stuck for eight hours. Eight. Now I can hack it, but what we're going to do is you're at least gonna get some water and a snack for the road, got it? You're smarter than a fucking pyjack; hell, I'd bet you're smarter than a lot of things. So act like it."
no subject
"Ow ow ow ow ow-" he wails, "okay okay okay!! Come on, eight hours isn't that long!"
His pride is wounded a lot more than anything else, and he's left trying to fix his crooked ponytail and lopsided ribbon.
"Always my hair, why are you like this?"
no subject
Whine whine whine, but Shepard had grown up needing twice the caloric intake of the next guy just to stay vertical, and she knows what it is to be hungry. Even if they don't eat them, she wants the security; there's no telling how long this will take, or if any particular attempt on the maze is the same length as any of the others.
"Two water-bottles, sandwiches, in baggies, go. I'm staying right here so you don't try to sneak off and make an ass of yourself."
no subject
"First of all, only my husband is allowed to pull my hair," he huffs, "second ugh, fine, you better be here when I get back."
He holds up a wagging finger for a moment before he turns on his heel and stalks off, grumbling to himself.
True to his word, he comes back with the requested bottles, sandwiches, and even some fruit and pumpkin seeds, packed away in a backpack he picked up at the clothing shop on the way. Why they had portable communication technology, but nothing so simple as qiankun pouch to carry things in, he couldn't figure out.
no subject
The hedges close in around them like a fragrant breath. It's not shaded in the maze, anymore than it had been outside, but the sounds drop away with startling quickness. Very soon it's as if they're deep in some vast ruin, isolated and exposed. The hedges rustle slightly in the breeze, here and there a soft sound not quite identifiable for direction or source; perhaps a bird? Perhaps only their own feet? Or maybe only imagination. Soon the way back is lost as the maze shifts it silently closed behind them, and Shepard permits herself a breath.
It's nice, really. Hostile, but understandable in that way; she likes something to push against. Gravity, with which to fight.
"You know, biotics need more food than most people, to survive. When I was a kid, I could go a week without eating, if I had to. If I tried that now, I'd starve to death." She shouldered the pack a little higher, settling it more comfortably, "Just so you know."
Just so you know, that she isn't a weakling. Or a coward.
no subject
"Yes Commander, and should I wear a halter too?" he sniffs in response. As if he can't manage to stay close. It's not that hard. As long as Shepard can keep up. He gives her a pointed look and pulls his hair over his shoulder and toward the front, out of her reach, at least for the moment, as he walks toward the entrance.
"Shepard needs snacks or she gets cranky and we both get dead, yes, I think I get it."
no subject
There's something delicious about destroying other people's happiness. She's not about being petty, from time to time, and like the proverbial schoolyard bully, finds offloading her stress onto other people to be a perfectly serviceable coping method.
"The hedges move in here, and I'd just bet if we get too far from one another we'll find there's no way back to one another. Speaking of which, we've gone about... twenty meters?" If that; they hadn't even turned a corner, yet, "Should still be in sight of the entrance. Take a look."
She knew it'd be gone. It was gone the moment neither of them were looking.