September Event - Guest Appearances

[pumpkinhollow]

GUEST APPEARANCES

Ignition

September 20th is the Autumnal Equinox. Many places across the world of Concorde celebrate the first day of fall. While various nations and regions have their own cultural practices surrounding it, nature is god everywhere. And so the inception of Mother Autumn’s domain is universally recognized, even if the names change from place to place. But on a little island named Marrow, in a little town called Pumpkin Hollow, there is another reason to celebrate.

The birth of Dahlia Leeds is not so important an event that it supersedes Celestine herself, and neither Dahlia nor anyone in town is foolhardy enough to claim as much. In fact, after the events on this very same day last year, one might argue that perhaps her birth at least started out as a bad thing. But she is certainly the wealthiest person in town. It is through the combination of substantial wealth and a generous heart, two things that are very seldom found in the same place, that we end up with a soiree where the birthday girl would rather spoil everyone else on her day than herself.

The doors to Leeds Estate, which presides proudly over the town upon its throne at the crest of Founder’s Hill, are flung wide open. Large sums of Brass are paid to caterers, florists, and seamstresses to make sure this place is decorated to the nines. Some businesses labor all year, just to prepare for the handsome payoff they’ll get from this event alone. And you, dear neighbor, are invited. Not only are you invited, but you are dressed for the event in whatever your heart desires, completely at the birthday girl’s expense. Dahlia ensures no cost nor conflict stands in between anyone in town and a much-needed break. She is determined for this birthday of hers to be a good night.

Or else.

Incipience

{ The timeframe between ignition and the peak of burning, where a small, contained fire spreads and grows gradually into an established flame. All it takes is a spark. }

The whole town is abuzz as preparations for the gala begin. From the moment people begin to wake up for the day, the air throughout Pumpkin Hollow just feels electric with excitement. After August, people have been needing this lift in morale, and after how last year’s gala went… well, there’s a lot riding on this one. And Dahlia seems much more in control now.

Speaking of being in control, the whole lead-up process has been incredibly organized. You wake up to a delivery--- your outfit, perfectly tailored and completely paid for. Accessories are included. She truly thought of everything.

It’s noteworthy that Dahlia’s invitations this time included another name beneath her own. “Suzanne Marie Dyneax,” it said. Most people don’t know the name, but gossip gets around in a small town like this. It’s not hard to pick up on the fact that this probably refers to Susie, one of the teenagers that Dahlia recently moved into her home, whose own birthday was ruined by Seemingly’s attack. Gift baskets have been delivered to others whose days were in proximity to the disaster--- Zivia, Capochin, even CT. Wine, fruit, and sweets, along with a birthday card. Dahlia has said in the past, “my birthday is your birthday,” but never has that felt more true.

With businesses mostly closed for the celebration, you are left with the majority of the day to prepare in relative peace. For many of the women in Dahlia’s inner circle, there is even a pre-party group dressing room set up on the third floor of her home. Only those who received her special invitation (Susie, Noelle, Fever, Cassandra, Anya, Alice, Patty, Melanie, Basira, Elsie) are permitted to join, but any friends or partners are gladly invited to wait at the bottom of the stairs for the girls to make their grand entrance.

The food is laid out, flowers placed, dresses laced and buttoned. The clock strikes 6pm, and the fun begins.

FLASHOVER

{ The moment when a blaze reaches its maximum size and heat, and the radiant heat in the space is such that all combustible materials ignite at once, allowing the flame to steadily and freely burn for the rest of the night. }

By the time it reaches 6:15, the ballroom is already flooded with eager dancers and hungry dinner guests. After all, the whole town is invited, and everyone’s excited to see Dahlia’s beautiful new ballroom and take a load off.

The music is elegant, played by a rotating cast of musicians who join the party when their act is over. The food is extravagant--- Dahlia and two of her partners are some of the biggest foodies in town, so this is expected. There is talking and laughing and the swirling of ballgowns, and all is well.

But there is a guest you do not recognize in the corner of the ballroom. An older man with white hair, strong features, and a dour expression. You can see Dahlia eyeing him, then flitting over to him, then talking to him. Her expression shifts from anxious, to annoyed, to resigned, before at last she sighs heavily and leaves him to it. Whatever it is that’s going on, clearly it’s something Dahlia is willing to begrudgingly tolerate in order to get back to having fun.

The reason for the disturbance becomes clear in short order, but by the grace of Celestine (and perhaps Eligos), it isn’t a reality bending nightmare or an attack by some monstrous beings. It is simply more guests.

A lot more, in fact.

Those who were on the island in September of the previous year will recall the Visitor’s Center, which appeared briefly just past the beach and served as temporary living and meeting quarters for visitors from the homeworlds of current residents. It would seem that this is a repeat incident. For the night of the gala, one to two “plus ones” have been invited for the vast majority of offworld residents. Most of them are friends or family who are happy to see their guests--- but this is ultimately a working of Eligos, so naturally, this is not always the case.

At the very least, Eligos seems to have been generous with his own granddaughter. As she turns away from him, she very nearly runs into someone much shorter than her. A dark haired human man with dwarfism. He laughs at the accident, grinning up at her as she stares back at him, utterly baffled. Then, petticoats billowing out, Dahlia sinks to the floor and embraces him as tight as she can, head pressed to his chest with little regard for her carefully-styled hair. Even those across the room can hear her shout his name. ”Jonah!”

Within the hour, the ballroom is packed with nearly double the people originally expected, turning the party livelier than it’s ever been. Tearful reunions, laughter, dancing, mischief, romance, sparring, cruelty, and even proper, righteous violence. Truly, this Leeds Gala will be one for the books!

--------
[ OOC reminders: each apped-in player character is entitled to one or two guests from their homeworld. This can be former selves, family, friends, enemies, and they do not have to be from the character’s exact canonpoint. They can be from the past or the future. You may play them yourself, ask another member player to do it, or recruit a non-member player to do so with moderator approval. Non-member players are permitted to join the Discord server while they’re active in this event! Threads you write for your own guests are eligible for AC for the character they’re there with, and threads you write for someone else’s guest can be used on the AC of a character of your choice. Just make sure to mark them as guest threads. After the gala, guests will be allowed to move freely about town, stay the night on Saturday and go home Sunday, or leave right after the gala if preferred. And last but not least, characters played in the gala can be apped directly from this event, rather than going through the normal arrival process. Let a mod know if you have questions, and have fun! ]

Smoldering

{ The decay of a flame as available heat, oxygen, and burning material gradually diminish. Eventually, the flames will recede entirely into glowing embers, glittering like orange starlight amid the ashes of what once was. }

The party rages well into the night. It’s not typical for residents of Pumpkin Hollow to stay out this late, with everything around here that goes bump in the night, but eventually party-goers begin to find their way out. They move in small groups, huddled around lanterns, may they ever stay lit. Perhaps the surprising bit is that their guests can go with them. There are even reservations made for board overnight at the Oak & Iron, all under the name “E. Rex”.

But alas, these reservations are only booked for one night. And by the time the sun begins to set on the darker half of the year for the first time, an unfamiliar black boat is moored at Jack's Marina. One that the guests will recognize as the vessel on which they arrived. They must leave by the time it becomes dark.

Or must they? Perhaps for a select few, they will fail to feel the call which draws them home. It is unclear why. There are many that Mortanne would have allowed residency for, if she could. But for some reason, all but a small few feel the pull. Perhaps Eligos has simply abandoned them here. (Or maybe none at all end up marooned and everyone goes home? That all depends on you, dear reader.)

When the sky goes dark, the aptly named Heavy Heart shoves off, with only her crimson sails hanging suspended seemingly in midair in the moonlight. The black ship is otherwise consumed by the night. And soon, even those flashes of red vanish into the distance.

Moments recede into memories, like a dying fire settles gently into glowing embers at the bottom of a hearth. The festivities are over, and the guests are gone. Life in Pumpkin Hollow resumes as before. But maybe just a little warmer and brighter.

“My birthday is your birthday,” as Dahlia often says.

Happy birthday.

References to the appearance of Leeds Estate can be found here!

Comments

Pavitr Prabhakar | Spiderverse | Spider-Gwen's guest

[icandoboth]

Among the special guests is a teenager dressed up in bright colors, gold bangles adorning his wrists. Early in the night, he's looking for someone in particular, but that doesn't mean he won't stop to chat and make new friends.

After he finds Gwen, it's likely you'll find him hanging out with her, though you can also catch him raiding the food tables for the vegetarian dishes, or on the dance floor during group dances. Maybe a partnered dance if he can drag someone onto the floor with him. The very European style dancing isn't his favorite, but he's definitely got the natural grace and rhythm to pull it off, and he's a fast learner. If he can rope a few people into doing some Bollywood-style dances with him, that would make his whole night.

Overnight, he stays in the dorms with the other teens. Gotta squeeze in as much friend-time as possible, right? It's like a sleep-over. Which means there will probably be very little actual sleeping.

[thismaskismybadge]

It has been so long since Gwen felt the distinct, subtle tingle of spider-recognising-spider. For a second she thinks she's imagined it, but she climbs a wall to get a good vantage point on the new arrivals anyway and she spots him—and hears him, distinct bright voice cutting through the crowd.

"—Pav?"

She dismounts effortlessly and is this close to hugging him, before getting self-conscious about the fact she never would've done that the last time she saw him and stops short, going for a weird, awkward double shoulder pat instead.

"You're actually here!"

[icandoboth]

Pavitr was told there would be someone here he knew, and he's kind of been waiting for that tell-tale little spider-tingle, so when it finally comes, he immediately turns towards it. And sure enough, there's Gwen, also dressed up all fancy. His smile brightens, and he moves to meet her partway. "Gwen, hey! There you are!"

For a moment it seems like she's going in for a hug, but then she stops herself short, and the resulting awkward pats make him laugh. "We can hug if you want." He teases, pulling her in for a sideways hug with an arm over her shoulder (this particular maneuver does require him to stand up on his toes a bit). "I've never been to such a fancy party, this is like something out of a movie." Which is to say, he's glad she found him-- as light-hearted an attitude he's displaying is, he's feeling more than a little out of place, and not just because of the surprise dimensional travel. That's like... kinda normal at this point.

[thismaskismybadge]

Okay, cool, hugs are cool then—Gwen wraps an arm back around him in turn and squeezes, a little struck by just how happy she is to see him again. But. Well. Suppose if the last two years have taught her anything, it's just how blind she was to the people she already had surrounding her, caught up in her self-isolating bubble like she was.

"I know, right? It's crazy, I think it's even bigger than last year. Honestly, though, there's no way anyone expects us to actually act the part, it's just an excuse to have fun and eat a bunch of fancy food."

[icandoboth]

Hugs are in fact the coolest, actually. He is clearly an expert in "cool" and not an enormous nerd, so you can trust his word on that. Pavitr laughs, and there's a little relief in there. "That's good. Matalab, I could try acting the part, but not without making myself laugh." He pulls back from the hug with a smile, giving her shoulder a little squeeze. "So you've been here at least a year?" He tilts his head a little, considering her. "You don't look much older."

[thismaskismybadge]

"Well the estrogen killed my final growth spurt dead in the water and I've got that amazing spider-complexion, so I've actually aged five years and you just can't tell," she jokes, perfectly earnest delivery and all, before snort-laughing and shaking her head. "No, but, for real, I've been here a year and change and I was stuck in another universe for several months before that."

Which is wild even as time dilation between individual universes goes, she knows. The timelines must be screwier than they've ever been. Ever.

"So, it's— yeah, it's been a while. But I'm still only turning eighteen in a month or so, so no one can start calling me decrepit until that happens."

[icandoboth]

"Whoa, almost eighteen? You're like a grandmother now!" Pavitr teases, nudging her shoulder playfully. "Hey, do you think the reverse would work for me? Boost my last growth spurt a bit? Maybe I'll catch up to Hobie." Hysterically unlikely, but a boy can dream of one day being tall.

Pavitr walks them back towards the snack tables as they talk, because now he's thinking about all those fancy foods, and man is he hungry. The conversation swings between topics as easily as they swing on their webs. "What was the other universe like? Renaissance-era Italy? Cyberpunk? Modern day coffee shop AU?"

[thismaskismybadge]

"Sorry, Pav, I don't think it's even possible to catch up to Hobie with all the hormones in the world. I think they stretched him out like taffy to get him that way."

She follows readily, seriously considering but then deciding against using her webs to grab some food before they even make it to the table (for now) (there is literally always a chance she starts doing this without even thinking about it). "Anyway it was a haunted cruise ship stuck in the middle of an endless ocean outside of reality. Extremely boring but also horrible! Zero out of ten, do not recommend."

[icandoboth]

Pavitr nods gravely. "You're right, that's the only possible explanation. They put him in the pasta extruder, so sad."

Look, snagging food with webs is always a temptation. But it's one we ignore when we are being polite fancy party guests. Or at least, we try to. And Pavitr is still very used to having separate identities; he's not in a Spidersuit right now, so webs are a no-go unless absolutely necessary. Or if no one's looking. "The boring seems like it'd be part of the horrible to me." He comments cheekily, snatching up two tiny sandwiches and passing one over to Gwen. "I'll keep that in mind if anyone tries to sell me on haunted cruises."

[thismaskismybadge]

It's been so long now since she's bothered to keep any sort of separation between Gwen and Spider-Woman that it's easy to forget just how much that still matters for... well, basically everyone else in the Society. Spending months aboard the Serena Eterna trying to hide her powers from her roommate feels so distant and stupid now (and not only because the ultimate reveal came in the form of her sleep-wall-climbing and then falling off the ceiling).

"At least it was free and all inclusive," she says, before eating half the tiny sandwich in one bite. Thank god for party food. "This place is more fun. And probably more dangerous, but eh. That comes with the job. It's been a wild couple years, though. And Miguel would probably like, lecture me for an hour about how many people I've talked to about the Society."

[icandoboth]

"What's so dangerous about Victorian steampunk land?" Pavitr asks, because he still hasn't learned not to jinx things.

This time, the hubris mercifully goes unchecked.

"You've been talking to people about it?" Scandalized, and there's a little tone like Gwen has just been called down to the principal's office right in front of him. An 'ooooh you're in trouble' to it. "Well... I won't tell him. Not that he's even here, I don't think."

[thismaskismybadge]

"Oh just, like, demons and monsters and stuff. It can get pretty bad but— y'know, it's fine. It's not like some of the villains we deal with don't get bad."

Not untrue but even the worst of them doesn't come close to the worst of the things the demons have done. Gwen is pointedly not going to think about having literally died again recently.

"And look, you try and spend two years in another universe without using your powers or being able to talk about this stuff. Like, I tried, but it did nooooot last. And, honestly, Pav," she looks a little more cautious, for a moment, glancing around as if to check she really can't see Miguel's ridiculously tall figure poking out somewhere, "I'm pretty sure he's wrong about, like... a lot."