In the middle of a shadowy and desolate forest, a lonely castle stands atop a crag. While its towering Gothic spires and bleak, dark walls present a foreboding appearance, tonight this castle will play host to a festive gathering involving characters of many strange and different natures from across many worlds.
But as the characters arrive for this party, they may find more than they might have been expecting. For the holiday is Halloween, and as the sun slowly sinks behind the trees and the shadows lengthen over the old castle, mysterious and spooky events will begin to occur, and the visitors will find themselves in for a Halloween night to remember...
Welcome to the latest installment of the Character Development Threads! These shared story exercises give you the opportunity to develop your characters, practice writing, and have fun alongside your fellow writers, no signups, profiles, or GM approval necessary. Want to join? If the thread's gotten long, there's no need to fear Archive Panic- just head on over to our discussion thread and say so, and we'll give you a recap of what's going on and good spots for working your characters into the thread; how you choose to do this is up to you. A little communication in endeavors such as these can go a long way towards having fun, helping others, getting that kink in your character worked out, getting your characters out of their comfort zone, or whatever you're here for, so if you ever have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to ask. We're all for helping each other out.
Character Halloween is a Halloween-themed casual thread. For those unfamiliar with the Character Development Threads, a casual thread is one primarily focused on character interaction; violence and physical conflict between characters are discouraged. Tonally, the thread is meant to be scary good fun: while it's Halloween-themed and spooky events are encouraged, they should be of a harmless nature rather than horror-based.
For more details, please see the trope page, which contains essential information about the thread. And feel free to stop by the CDT Discussion Thread.
I'd like to acknowledge the assistance of Crystal Glacia, Ryuhza, Night, Gault, Killer Clowns, Yomegami, Elfhunter, and Flowing Cotton, all of whom provided me with feedback during the planning of this thread.
- Current Time: 1:00 AM
- Current Weather: Dark and Clear
Thread maps:
Halloween has now ended.
edited 21st Feb '15 10:48:32 PM by nrjxll
[Path (Oswald, Krajn)]
Krajn took the cloak with a grateful nod and wrapped it around herself. It did seem to help, at least for the moment.
Oswald had again changed to not giving very much of a response, so she decided to take the moment to think through her own actions. Why exactly did she care so much about the way he - someone she didn't particularly know that well - felt, so much so that she was willing to discuss some rather personal things as both explanation and reassurance? Normally she wouldn't actually care what other people thought, and it wasn't like she'd ever felt an emotional need for some sort of confidant. Though she did have to admit that Oswald wouldn't be a bad choice for that; for all that he didn't really make sense to her, he was distinctly harmless, with the only way she'd ever felt at all socially threatened by him being when she'd wondered if he was infatuated with her.
That itself puzzled her somewhat. Even if it hadn't been for her lingering emotional crosswiring over the Ghiln thing, he was easily far enough outside what she'd consider attractive that she'd reject any romantic proposal from him without thinking twice. But she didn't like to think she was so shallow that she'd find such a proposition threatening for that reason.
Probably, in the end, it came down to the same thing: whatever made her more comfortable interacting with Oswald than ordinary people also made her particularly concerned about those interactions occurring on the right terms. Though she wasn't yet certain what that "whatever" itself was.
At the distant rumbling sound of what might have been thunder, she looked up, realizing that she'd been self-analyzing so long that it was almost dark. She looked back up at Oswald, not wanting to move just yet, and wondered about what to say for a moment. "I'm sorry for... what's the phrase... 'zoning out' like that," she said. "If that bothered you. And if something I said before bothered you as well, I'm also sorry for that. You looked a little uncomfortable, somehow."
As the sun finally sank behind the dark forest, another low rumble came from the distance. Enough light lingered at this point to show that ominous clouds were gathering in the west. It would very likely be a dark and stormy Halloween night.
- Current Time: Dusk
- Current Weather: Clear With Clouds Massing
edited 22nd Nov '14 12:43:43 PM by nrjxll
He looked at Moreena again, staring straight into her eyes like he was trying to read them. Since this was the first time he had made direct eye contact with anyone here, she would be able to see clearly that his eyes were an unnatural shade of dark grey, like storm clouds.
After a few seconds, he smiled again.
"Well you seem to a lot nicer than, like, ninety percent of the death gods I've met so far, so that's a plus," he concluded cheerfully before looking at Hei.
"Nice at meet ya Hei. Although that's gonna get confusing later on. I'll be trying to say "hey Hei" an' no one'll be able to tell if I'm trying to say "hey Hei" or "hey hey". Y'know what I mean?"
[Outside ~ Path](Oswald, Krajn)
Oswald had remained standing a few steps off to Krajn's side. Aside from his own polite nod, he had left the qrtxian to mull over her thoughts without interruption. He hadn't said anything or even so much as looked at her, aside from one or two curious glances brought upon by her silence. For the most part, he simply watched the horizon, likely buried deep within his own thoughts.
When Krajn spoke up, Oswald's attention was once again drawn her way. He gave her a small smile and a shake of his head, saying, "It's not a problem, Krajn. We all need a little space to think sometimes, don't we? I just hope it was worth your while." His eyes lowered for a moment, aimed thoughtfully at the bridge of his large snout, then he turned his whole head away, back towards the horizon. "And... you needn't worry about how I feel about something when you want to say it. I'd like to think that my skin is thick enough to withstand a few words, bothersome though they may be. In... most cases, I think it ends up being to my benefit to hear them, regardless of my feelings at the time."
He slowly walked around until he was standing in front of Krajn, his gaze settling on the empty patch of grass between them. "We weren't planning on having a picnic out here were we? I think we might have missed that opportunity by, ah, well..." he turned his head slightly, nodding towards the background sky, "well, by several hours. And I seem to have misplaced my picnic basket."
every little word and every little step
[Path (Oswald, Krajn)]
Krajn smiled faintly. "Thank you, Oswald. I shall... try to remember that, in the future." She tilted her head curiously. "And what's a 'picnic'?"
In truth, she didn't particularly care what a picnic was, but she wanted a bit more time to think before doing anything, and she'd prefer not to do so in silence. Besides, she was beginning to come to the conclusion that at least one of the reasons she felt comfortable with Oswald, contrary to her expectations (again), was the way he talked. It was very distinctive, unlike anyone she'd ever met, and the unpredictability of his actions was oddly fascinating. She wouldn't mind listening some more.
In fact, perhaps that was the center of what made him interesting in general - in their own ways, they both stood out.
She sniffed at the grass and listened to the occasional rumbles from the west as she waited for him to speak.
edited 23rd Nov '14 1:55:23 AM by nrjxll
NO ONE SUSPECTS THE LAMP!
[[West Wing]]
“I’m sure it’ll be easy to figure out given the context,” Michael replied, “But if it really bothers you that much, you could probably call me “homie” or “esé” or something. And if nothing else, there’s always “yo”.”
If I knew how I know everything I know, I'd only be able to know half as much because my brain would be clogged up with where I know it from
[Outside ~ Path](Oswald, Krajn)
"Hm? Oh, of course!" Oswald said, holding up a hand and nodding his head. "Chasten my presumptuous tongue..." he murmured, before clearing his throat and explaining, "A picnic is a traditional human activity that involves a small handful of people, say two to four, enjoying a lunch together in the great outdoors. I believe its roots are European, but, beyond that, I'm afraid I possess scant little knowledge of the Earthly origins of picnicking. But that's not terribly important, is it? What is important to know—or at least, what I believe is important—is that there is a rather common perception of what a picnic entails."
He paused for a moment, placing a hand against his mouth and tapping the face of his muzzle with one finger as he considered how best to explain it to Krajn. "If you were to tell someone like myself, say, that you had enjoyed a nice picnic the other day, and I was in no way involved prior to this engagement, then I would probably imagine you—or- or whoever is having this picnic—ah, finding some grassy knoll under a" he raised his hands up into the air, spreading them out across the dusky sky above his head, "a bright, clear blue sky on a sunny summer's day, probably around noontime or a little later. And there, this picnicker would settle down on a little checkered blanket," he lowered his hands towards the ground, now sweeping them across an invisible blanket, which he promptly dropped himself down onto, sitting cross-legged, "or maybe a picnic table, if one is available. That's probably better for larger picnic gatherings; they aren't always private affairs, after all. But in keeping with this blanket line of thought, another fundamental element of the classic picnic is a little wicker basket, full of food." he patted his invisible basket, then stretched his arms, clasping his hands together behind his head, and lying back against the grass.
"And then, basket, blanket, perhaps a shady tree, and, of course, good company in place, they spend a pleasant hour or so eating and chatting and enjoying the weather, hopefully leaving with their bellies full, their basket empty, and their hearts and minds at ease. It's a very..." he raised a hand upward from his literally laid-back position, shaking it slightly as though adjusting the dial on his mind's word accentuator, "very... cheerful occasion. Or so I am led to believe. I've never had a proper picnic myself, so I couldn't tell you from firsthand experience whether or not they are in real life as they are in the movies." he tipped his head upwards slightly, a languid smile upon his face, "But I like to believe that they do, at least, have the potential to be so."
He let his head fall back against the ground, relaxing in silence for a few seconds before finishing with, "As you may have noticed, that description I gave you doesn't quite match up with a place like this, now does it? Of course, it seems unfair to relegate picnics to only places that could accommodate such an unlikely set of circumstances, but... nevertheless, it might seem as though something important was missing."
Oswald drew in a slow, deep breath, letting it out again in a humming, sedative sigh. "So, there. The quintessence of picnics."
every little word and every little step
[Dining Hall]
"Agreed." Jackson said. "I'm more amazed that I have't seen the host yet. I mean, if you're gonna invite people from all walks of life to come to your party, the least you can do is show up and say hi." He twisted his lip, "So far, I'm not impressed."
He tapped his chin. "Of course, this is all my humble opnion. Take it with a grain of salt."
[West Wing]
"Well," Marie said, "Since we're all getting to know each other, I guess we should introduce ourselves too. I'm Marie, the pirate girl."
"Name's Nick." Nick said, nodding, "I'm Death."
"And I'm Adam." Adam said, waving again, "I'm Silver, from pokemon. The manga. We have another friend, Jackson, but he's hanging out the dining room." He looked back at the others, "So...are we all heading through the doors, or are we going to heed that sign's warning?"
He nodded at the four, stopping at Nick.
"So she's your mistress then?" he gestured to Moreena before a thoughtful expression crossed his face.
"That sounded a lot more sexual than I thought it would," he concluded solemnly before looking at the doors.
"Well, if you guys need a scout, the name is Recon after all. Want me to go in?"
edited 23rd Nov '14 7:59:08 PM by gameknight102xx
[Path (Oswald, Krajn)]
"That was far more than I believe I wished to know about the topic," Krajn said, but she smiled as she did so, both to avoid speaking with any sharpness and because she was genuinely pleased. She had been right: something about the way Oswald spoke was part of why she felt able to interact with him so easily. Interesting. As for the topic itself, it hadn't exactly been interesting, but she hadn't found it boring either.
A gust of wind sprung up from nowhere and, dragging dead leaves through the air, ruffled the grass. As it did so, it made a faint but sepulchral moan, though once again, Krajn found the chill it brought rather more bothersome than the eeriness of the noise. She pulled the borrowed cloak tighter around herself and continued, "And I must agree with you: this is not the time and place to test the universality of picnics!" She stood up, again feeling the urge to do something physical. "Shall we keep moving, then? Perhaps you'd care to race back up the hill?"
edited 23rd Nov '14 6:31:38 PM by nrjxll
[Outside ~ Path](Oswald, Krajn)
Oswald let out a petulant huff, his nostrils flaring with his indignance. "Well then, next time you'll just have to provide a more specific set of instructions, otherwise both the amount that is too much and the amount that is good enough are fair game. I'm sure there's plenty more to be said about picnics..." he raised his head again to look at Krajn, seemingly realizing only then that she hadn't been terribly serious. Then, his mouth wavered, before breaking into a reluctant smile, and he lowered his head once more.
His eyes followed a small cluster of leaves that whistled through the air near his head, though he otherwise ignored the foreboding weather. However, when Krajn got up and announced her desire to leave—likely for reasons that stretched beyond her general disinterest in picnics—he was quick to follow suit.
"Well, if you insist." he said, brushing himself off and climbing to his to his feet, "Although, I'm still not sure that it'd be fair now that I've got you all weighted down." He glanced uncertainly at Krajn, bundled up in his cloak, unsure of whether or not she would be able race without accidentally tripping over the hem. "But I'll leave that up to you." he said, relinquishing the decision with a slight bow.
edited 10th Mar '16 9:56:38 AM by Ryuhza
every little word and every little step
Oops, I thought I posted this earlier. Sorry it's short again.
[Path (Oswald, Krajn)]
Krajn adjusted the cloak to give her legs room, then sent a command to the smartcloth of her costume, which extended nano-filaments to keep it held in place. She sniffed the air briefly and took a few deep breaths. I hope this doesn't end up making me look stupid...
Then she tilted her upper body in a pose of fake indignance, though she couldn't quite stop a slight hint of boastfulness from creeping in underneath. "Are you joking?" she hissed. "That's exactly what makes it fair... slowpoke!" (The word she had used was actually a more idiomatic Cthiqr term, but her translation software had been up to the challenge for once).
And with that, she turned and began sprinting up the side of the hill.
It's a bird.
[West Wing]
Moreena almost laughed a bit at Recon's comment. "No, I wouldn't think so," she said. "I'm pretty sure this 'Death' is human." She grinned in a somewhat evil-looking manner before continuing. "And humans are just way too... fragile for me."
She turned her head towards Adam. "That door is quite intriguing... but it's also one of the most obvious traps I've seen."
Moreena looked at Recon again, with a thoughtful expression on her face. "It's your choice," she said.
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
NO ONE SUSPECTS THE LAMP!
[[West Wing]]
Michael groaned at the mistress comment Recon made, but then looked at Moreena with a frown at her follow-up. “You just made this creepier. How did you make this creepier?” He wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt; that implying she’d bang a teenager if she thought he could handle it was just him reading too deeply into it.
When Recon suggested sending him first into the DO NOT ENTER room, Michael replied, “I’m not gonna stop ya either, but let’s plan this out before-hand. How long do you expect it’ll take you, and what do we do if you don’t make it out by then?”
edited 26th Nov '14 4:55:00 AM by Elfhunter
If I knew how I know everything I know, I'd only be able to know half as much because my brain would be clogged up with where I know it from
[West Wing]
Nick was taken aback by the mistress comment, nearly falling to the floor. Out of all the things he expected to hear, that was nowhere near one of them.
"NO." Nick said, "What the hell? What kind of question is that? What is wrong with you?"
Marie looked away, trying to comprehend what she just heard. Mistress...what the hell?
Adam cleared his throat, "Um...changing topics, yeah Micheal has a point. Do we have some sort of backup plan?"
edited 24th Nov '14 10:39:06 AM by MasterofChaos
Recon's smile somehow got even wider as laughter burst forth from his lips.
"What's wrong with me? A whole lotta things, an' some of 'em probably have really long names too," he casually admitted to Nick in the middle of laughing at his reaction.
"Phew, okay, anyway." He wiped a tear from his eye. "Ermm...well, I don't really mind going in, else I wouldn'tve bought it up in the first place. Normally what happens is I go in, dismantle all threats if there are any, and then give the all clear. But it just so happens I'm on strict non-combat orders, so instead you'll probably see me running out of the room like my hair's on fire, which probably means there's bad things in there."
Recon sniffed once as another alternative came up to him. "Or alternatively, I could be bloodily dismembered and devoured in front of your eyes. Which is also a compelling case for you to get the hell out."
It's a bird.
[West Wing]
Moreena rolled her eyes, though it would be nearly impossible to tell given their nature. Why did humans have to be so dramatic?
"Having you get dismembered now that we've just met would be a shame," she said to Recon. "Perhaps I should go with you?"
She walked out of the room and over to the door with the warning sign, and stood there while waiting for a response. Using magical means to examine what lay beyond it wouldn't be an option, given how the castle seemed to react to such things. Oh, great Creation... she felt like a damn mortal.
Still a great "screw depression" song even after seven years.
PAINKILLER
[Ballroom]
Two sides in Kommissar were at war. One side of him- the one that rests deep within his core- wants to stay put. The others in the Ballroom seemed more at ease than he was. The large room was open, and seemingly safe.
The other side, which he gained over the years of searching and hunting men told him to seek out the danger. Although supernatural events aren't predictable and easy to scope out- there would be little to no use fighting it.
After a few minutes in silence and deliberation, the man in the crimson mask sighed. He said, "I say investigate. If there's some sort of trickery involved here- I'll find out myself. If anyone wants to join me, then say so."
On second thought, I'll wait for someone else to answer before Kommissar moves out.
Life is hard, that's why no one survives.
[dining room]
"Nearly all of your fellow partygoers have said that. I'm guessing none of you have considered that that might be point. Specifically not appearing, that is." A sip of coffee. Mmm, why did cigarettes and coffee have to go so well together? "You know, they say that the unknown is the scariest of all."
"Jack, you have debauched my sloth."
[Outside ~ Path] (Oswald, Krajn)
"And so she insists..." Oswald murmured to himself as he jogged after her. He sped his pace initially to catch up with her, planning on slowing down once he was able to match her pace. However, that quickly proved to be more difficult than he had anticipated, as Krajn hadn't been talking complete guff about her own speed. Oswald could cover more distance in a single stride, but it seemed as though the qrtxian was able to make those strides just a little bit faster. In the end, even when he pushed to sprint as fast as he felt he possibly could, Oswald was unable to gain on Krajn quickly enough to overtake her by the time the two had reached what seemed like the topmost part of the hill. He brought himself to a bit of a sliding halt just a moment after Krajn, then took a few moments to calm his breathing.
"Fun- funny." he said, letting the words out with one last heavy breath. "I didn't take you for that much of a runner, you know. I suppose it simply goes to show that... ah... you can't judge a book by it's cover? Or perhaps that you can't judge chapter three by chapter two... or..." he shook his head and gave a laugh that was about a dozen yards away from being a hacking cough, "Regardless, well raced, Krajn. Although," he shook a finger in her direction, "if this had been a proper track with a vampire referee and a gunshot start, I do believe the scales just might have tipped to my advantage."
every little word and every little step
[Path Outside Castle (Oswald, Krajn]
Oh yes! Krajn silently exulted. I win! I win!
In truth, she'd been more than a little worried about losing. She hadn't really expected it as a possibility, but it wasn't like she raced very often. And while she didn't want to look inept or stupid to begin with, she particularly hadn't wanted to do so in front of Oswald - given the way she actually cared about his opinion of her and all that.
She wasn't breathing as hard as he was, but she did take a couple of moments to catch her breath before speaking. "Scales?" she asked, brushing a few that had flaked loose away. "What do you... oh. Right. That kind of scales." She paused, considered whether to follow up on that comment about a 'vampire judge', and decided it wasn't important. "Honestly, I'm not certain I'd be all that skilled at a real race. Humans are definitely designed much more - er, metaphorically speaking - much more for sprinting than my kind are."
She paused again, looking him over more critically. "...Are you all right?"
[Outside ~ Castle Exterior](Oswald, Krajn)
Oswald took one more deep breath, pulling himself into a much more assured posture, any signs of fatigue from his brief exertion quickly fading away, at least for the most part. His eyes still wavered slightly, and his breathing—while no longer audible—was still visible upon his chest, even through his buttoned shirt.
"Oh yes," he answered, "fine and dandy. Hardly broke a sweat, even." He paused for a moment, turning to the castle and placing a hand beneath his chin as he surveyed it. "It's almost a shame, actually; now I'm wondering whether or not this castle is outfitted with any of those old wooden bathing barrels. Now wouldn't that be something?" he smiled to himself and shook his head, then took a few steps towards the castle, before halting and turning back towards Krajn.
"Oh, were we going to head inside? Or did you want to enjoy the evening air? At least, before that thing sitting above the horizon reaches us." He nodded towards the clouds amassing in the distance, then turned his eyes to Krajn, waiting for her response.
every little word and every little step
They/Them
[Ballroom]
"I say we investigate what's happening. Standing around isn't going to let me smack whoever invited us. Plus the remote possibility that things might end up like a Hanna Barbara cartoon and we find a guy in a suit is a very entertaining thought."
Nel fluttered up and down for a bit, "Plus, a little exploration never hurt."
Note to self: Pick less edgy username next time.
The future of warfare in UC.
[Ballroom]
"Fascinating, I'm sure..." The cartoon reference went over Priss head. "It's a castle, though. Mind you don't get lost. I'm going to confine my exploring to this room for the moment."
She made her way over to one of the walls and trailed her suit's fingers through the dust, humming softly to herself. It wasn't that she didn't like adventure. She just hadn't signed up for one today, or she'd be wearing the damn helmet.
Nous restons ici.
Jolly Saint Nick
[West Wing]
Warren stared at the door thoughtfully. "So you two are definitely going inside? Heh, bravery like that would get you killed where I come from, but this is definitely a different world than I'm used to...You two go on ahead, then."
Dakota crossed her arms and watched the door curiously. What could possibly be behind it? She felt a strange fear come over her as she wondered- a fear from deep within her stomach. Yet it was mixed with excitement. On one hand, they were opening the door! On the other hand...They were opening the door.
Happy Holidays to everyone! Have a great end of the year, and an even better 2015- you all deserve it!
[[West Wing]]
Someone else who was using a fake name; this was interesting. And he had supernatural powers and was part of an organization as well; what are the odds? “You can call me Hei,” he said, his hands firmly in his coat pockets.
He tensed up a bit at the mention of demons, but a little thought led him to realize Recon wasn’t talking about the kinds he had faced. At least, his father never mentioned anything about awakening powers by converting into a demon. Was there a different kind of demon infestation somewhere else being kept under wraps? Well, considering he was standing next to the rebellion leaders against a secret cyborg army, he wouldn’t find it the least bit surprising.
If I knew how I know everything I know, I'd only be able to know half as much because my brain would be clogged up with where I know it from