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ph_logs2025-09-20 10:27 am
pumpkinhollow) wrote in ph_logs2025-09-20 10:27 am
Entry tags:
September Event - Guest Appearances
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.
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!
no subject
“It’s at a music bar. Round-ish stage with tables and chairs in a semicircle and a bar at the back. Basically zero AV stuff, not a ton of backstage or room to get crazy with sets, but I think Susie and Ralsei wanted to help with props. Otherwise it’s just Tenna being himself.”
Of course, if for some reason Battat didn’t end up going home, his help would surely be appreciated…
no subject
There are so many things Tenna being himself could be. A disaster, for one. Frequently! That's just life with the big guy! To think all three of the Fun Gang have ended up in his orbit in that way . . . that's how it goes with Tenna. He has his own gravitational pull.
no subject
(Admittedly, TV did kind of raise them for a while...)
"Not sure yet. Might be like a variety thing. He hasn't told me. Should be cool, though. And he made really good friends with Dahlia, the lady whose house this is, so the budget will probably be insane." Kris seems like they might even be a little proud of this project.
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That's the least of the information here, truly. It's just the first piece of it that he can process easily, so it's the first thing out of his mouth. What the hell, man? Imagine having money like that! What would you even do with a place like this, hold these parties every night?! The thought is exhausting . . .
But exhausting as they may be, those are the easy thoughts to have. There are others eddying around deeper down in his mind, stirring up the silt at the bottom—making things murky.
And so he doesn't seem to be waiting for a real response to that question, forming the next as soon as he manages to gather all the pieces of it into his hands.
" . . . Tenna's doing pretty good for himself here, huh?"
no subject
Even so, it’s still so quiet here on every night but this one. The ballroom is just one slice of this enormous cake, and the cavernous halls of the rest of the massive home still echo with every footstep. But Tenna helps, Kris thinks. And they’re happy for Dahlia in that way.
“He’s doing okay. He’s pretty sad,” Kris admits. “But Dahlia helps. And we’re… doing what we can. Plus he’s made a few other friends. I think he’s trying.”
no subject
It'd been sounding there, for a minute, like maybe things had changed in some fundamental way. They'd entered a timeline where Tenna has friends, viewers, funding, a good relationship with Kris and the others. Shows to put on! Sure, it's no TV World, but it's still something, right? Less pressure might be good for the guy at this point! And with all of that, plus a smaller scale . . .
That's a world where Tenna doesn't even need Mike, isn't it . . . ?
But no—he's still sad? He's "trying"? Trying to what? They're all doing what they can, but it's not good enough? How? Why?
His head turns automatically to make a sweep of the room, looking for Tenna in the crowd. He's never hard to find.
no subject
As their own eyes look for Tenna as well through a mop of bangs, a tiny sigh escapes them. Tenna thinks this for the same reason Noelle does--- because Kris shut down. There came a point, after Dess was gone, after the divorce, where they just... stopped. They expected the consequences for that to eventually catch up to them with Noelle. Tenna was a surprise.
"Anyways. I think he's glad you guys are here."
no subject
He twists on the couch, looking this way and that for a cocktail napkin to scribble on, as if this is a club and not an exquisite old mansion that no way in hell is serving the drinks with cheap paper squares.
"This is exactly why he needs Mike! He's not lashing out at you or anything? Taking it out on you guys?"
But no—that doesn't feel like the mood here at all.
no subject
"...Y'know I think if you wanted to like. Stay. Dahlia would probably let you crash here. She's got like fifty rooms in this bigass house." Honestly with this level of neurosis that is definitely not a crush, Kris would be surprised if the guy could stand to leave without losing his entire mind. "There's even like a space that used to be used for staff to live in that has secret doors."
no subject
He's caught up enough in this that it takes a moment for what Kris is saying to filter through the static. One moment Battat is trying to jot down the exact best way to give an antenna massage, and the next it's—secret doors? Wait, what? Rewind! Play that audio back! Stay?!
"Haha! Haha, what?! I'm not—you wouldn't catch me dead signing up for that job again! That's not even funny! It's so not funny I'm laughing at it!!"
no subject
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He doesn't even have to think about this response! In fact, he refuses to do so, and maybe he really should have! But it just tumbles out of his mouth like dice out of a cup, and he waves the hand that's holding the scrap of paper in the air, gesturing wildly.
no subject
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No! Yes, obviously! No, of course not!! What?! He clutches his head in his hands like he could restrain his thoughts by physical force; it doesn't really help.
This is going to require hours of obsessing over. What else is new? Just another day in the life.
no subject
"You could always roll for it," Kris teases. "Evens you stay, odds you go home."
no subject
And of course, now he's thinking about it. No! Absolutely not! He can't go gambling with his fate like that—who is he kidding. That's exactly what he can and does do. It's in his blood. He crosses his arms with a little huff and avoids eye contact, tipping his head to the side.
"...I'll think about it!"