The Spooky Night Scare Celebration

[de_lux]

Warnings: SPOOPY. Also potential violence and/or drinking.

Location: Various locations in Freesia, especially the Park and Cathedral.

Characters: Anyone and everyone and Lux.

When: Night of September 9

Summary: Most of Freesia is celebrating tonight. Ward off the darkness with lanterns and masks and maybe chat with the local light god.

In a change from their usual behavior, the citizens of Freesia are out and about during the night in order to celebrate another festival.

Called “Spooky Night,” the atmosphere of this holiday may seem familiar to some of Freesia's outsiders. Lanterns patterned after all manner of monsters and other creepy things are visible everywhere, resting on doorsteps, hung from trees, placed in windows, and there are smaller ones strung between buildings and across streets.

Equally creepy masks abound as well. They're mostly worn by the children, but some adults can be seen indulging as well, the eyes and mouths of their masks glowing like jack o' lanterns.

Most of the citizens seem to be enjoying themselves, chatting and laughing with one another, jumping around and trying to scare each other, drinking and buying snacks from opportunistic vendors. Many of the festive citizens have gathered at a bonfire in the park, but groups of people can be found just about anywhere tonight.

But despite the party atmosphere, you may want to pay close attention to the city tonight...

A: The masks and lanterns mentioned earlier aren't going to be hard to find. The lanterns are visible everywhere of course, and more can be found for sale in the shops and stalls, alongside a wide variety of masks. Most of the designs are generic monsters, such as ghost or skeletons or werewolves, but if you look around, well... Whatever you're afraid of, if it's something you can put a face or likeness to, you'll run into a mask or lantern of it eventually. Creepy as that might be though, anyone who dares carry or wear their fears will be rewarded with an extra bright glow emanating from it, something that may come in handy if they run into any of the Nox tonight.

B: If you head down to the park tonight, but stray away from the bonfire, you'll notice that the cathedral is active for once. A very small group of citizens has gathered there, primarily consisting of the elderly- and at least one person you may find familiar. There isn't any laughing or drinking going on in this part of town, and everyone in the cathedral is either silent or speaking to each other in hushed tones. As far as can be observed, they've gathered here to place candles and flowers everywhere.

C: Autumn isn't quite here yet, but the nights have been getting longer lately, the shadows deeper. Don't wander too far tonight and if you do, take care to bring some light with you. The Nox are especially active tonight and will happily attack anyone who wander into the shadows, local or not, not to mention breaking anything they can get their shadowy hands on. A few of the bolder groups will even stray to the edges of the festival in order to knock down the decorations. They're in a vicious mood tonight, but if you thought to pick up an especially spooky lantern or mask before confronting them, their viciousness will evaporate and you'll have them running scared instead.

Comments

option b

[de_lux]

There's a man watching the proceedings in the cathedral. Minus the tacky sunglasses, he's quite generic looking and the citizens gathered in the cathedral don't seem to be giving him any second looks. He isn't talking to anyone at the moment, nor is he involved in leaving flowers or candles. Perhaps he's free to talk?

Option C

[exuviiated]

Being surrounded by things he was scared of was nothing new, but this new twist-- making them pretty and harmless-- was, admittedly, interesting, and a better coping technique than simply avoiding them.

He grabbed a lantern shaped in the form of a large dog's snarling head, the light flowing from the tooth-stuffed mouth and eyes instantly doubling in intensity. With the security of light by his side, and slightly lighter pockets, he left the festival. Glass, plastic, paper from the decorations and masks were strewn on the ground-- some were soaked in the black ichor that contaminated the books in the library, proving the Nox didn't like this festival at all. Well. Aaron didn't quite like the festivals either, seeing as his first was shadowed and this one was creepy.

The shadows got darker as he got farther from the festival, which meant that the Nox were probably close. Humming a formless tune to himself, something comforting and familiar, he took a detour into the empty lot. It was dark, of course, but someone else might be here. The bright lantern would announce his presence far before his humming or footsteps, with how brightly it was shining.

Option A

[barb_notbabs]

Halloween. A wonderful holiday for most of the world - but when you spend your nights fighting masked villains, it takes on a slightly darker tone.

This wasn't Gotham, though. There weren't likely to be poison in the food, and the lanterns probably hadn't been tampered with by Dr. Strange. She hadn't seen any masks that looked like her super villains, though she was half expecting a Black Mask.

What she hadn't expected was a green mask. A green, feminine mask. She reached out to touch it, more than a little surprised.

The green mask wasn't shaped like Ivy. It looked like Barbara.

A, can become C

[panspermia]

Festivals are more than welcome any time of year, in Greg's book. Food, drinks, music, and most importantly, raised spirits all come with them, and he's someone who embraces it. The summer festival had been a little bit wearisome, admittedly, since he didn't really find anyone to go with, but... things are a little different, now. Some light-hearted spookiness can help shake off the remains of the genuinely nasty events in the last couple months.

So, he's eager to rope anyone he can into the fun of it; seeing the sights, sharing the snacks, playing at the booths, spending on trinkets. He'll shove a corn dog in your hand even if he's never met you, don't think he won't, they're too delicious not to share.

Greg's passed up some of the masks he found most disturbing in favor of a generic werewolf--he's trying to have fun, not exacerbate things--but he can't help but pause and give closer look at one lantern that sends chills down his spine. Casting a greenish light, the thing's in the shape of a hand.

A

[letteropener]

In the middle of casually browsing the masks, not certain if she could even find something that suited her, Celestia suddenly went very still.

The alicorn was face to face with a pony mask, this one of a dark unicorn with a horn to match Celestia's and a helmet that swept down her muzzle between her eyes. And those eyes, even cut-out as they were, somehow held cruelty within their inanimate form.

For a very long minute, all Celestia could do was stare.

A or C

[defactodefector]

Rose has seen a ritual similar to this one a few times, since Greg started exposing her more directly to humans. She's still not quite sure what the appeal is of trying to scare people, or why people would want to be afraid in the first place. In her experience, feelings like that are generally something that you'd want to avoid.

Still, most of it just seems to be for fun! You can find her admiring all the work that's been put into it. The costumes and decorations are so charming, like the... extremely familiar faces on those masks. Which is... extremely unsettling.

Of course, you might also find Rose closer to the outskirts of this little event, too- keeping things safe for everyone else by crushing a few stray Nox she spots with some boulders.

[diediediediediedie]

(Continued from here.)

"What?" Said Peridot, suddenly finding her movement radius reduced by quite a bit and Rose's retreating back. "Wait!"

Peridot yanks and tugs and climbs the pole and walks in circles and runs in circles but she can't find the strength in her legs to break the leash, nor in her tiny fingers to unlatch the clasp.

There is literately nothing for her to do but sit in one place and sulk, leaning on her arm with her legs crossed, watching and scowling at all the passing humans.