At 6:30, when the Halloween masque was due to begin, the Chamberlyn's home was alight with spooky pumpkin lights and the webbing on the trees that led up the long drive was most definitely not made by giant spiders this time. In fact, spider decor of any sort beyond the webbing was noticeably absent. On arrival, there was an offer of coats to be taken or checked, handled professionally by male and female staff clad as zombies, wearing black masks quite clearly embossed with a simple golden S to denote they were members of the staff. Masks were, alas, a requirement. Anyone who entered the home without a mask, was offered their choice between three: white, with a delicate gold filigree pattern; black, with thick claw marks of silver slashing over the eyes; or a crimson, bloody red.
In the main area, past the greeting space, everyone was given a good look at the wide variety of items that would be given out as a door prize, or raffled off for a children's charity. Most of them were simple, themed for 'date night', 'coffee lovers', 'sports', 'gardening', or 'day spa'; others held small items like children's books, candies and caramels; there was even a small fire-pit basket with a variety of s'mores items displayed prominently. There was also a table for those interested in entering the costume contest. Two staff members were guarding the stairs, gently guiding those guests who were not accompanied by family back down to the correct areas of the home, or pleasantly offering directions to the restroom facilities available to the public.
There was a blocked off pathway that the curious were told led to the Ghastly Gallery. It would be open to the public once the staff had gotten rid of some 'mischievous spirits'.
Past the entryway, the doors to the multi-story ballroom were thrown wide. On the entry level, the walls were lined with tables filled with spooky hors d'oeuvres- eyeball truffles, fingers in blankets, gravestone chocolates, orange chocolate macarons, banana ghosts, rice krispies pumpkins, skull sandwiches, chocolate-dipped strawberrries designed to look like Frankenstein and bats, and so much more! There were even small signs indicating allergens in certain items for those sensitive to nuts, or gluten. Out the doors on the other side of the central level, on the outdoor balcony, there were tables and decorated trash cans set for plates; those tables were also in the alcoves and on the third level of the ballroom. And for those who chose to descend to the main floor, looking up was a fantastic view- the lighting above was orange and yellow, and there was a low level of fog filling the entire section. From the high ceiling hung draperies in a variety of fall colors, and bats and ghosts floated among them, along with a singular witch that darted to and fro around the fluttering obstacles. Candles floated overhead, and jack-o-lanterns grinned merrily
For a while, everyone was encouraged to mingle in the main ballroom, and the balcony, staff preventing them from wandering further outside just yet. Through the ballroom windows, and off the edges of the balcony, guests would be able to see two hayride wagons, with impatient skeleton horses and their grim reaper guides. Accompanying 'Hellhounds' bounced around eagerly, pink tongues lolling and tails furiously wagging. The gardens themselves were still being lit by the zombie staff. The dance floor was open to use, and the music being played was... perhaps a bit clearly selected by the seven-year old hostess.
Princess Cinderella stepped up onto one of the balconies, at 7:00 PM, and cleared her throat. "Thank you for coming to my party," she told the guests cheerfully, waggling a small hand. Her ballgown shimmered in the light, reflecting off dozens of tiny sparkles, and the butterflies around the top of the gown. "I hope everyone is going to have a good time. Our zombies are here to help you with anything you need, so don't be afraid to ask! The Ghastly Gallery is espicted to be opening up around 7:30, and the Haunted Hayrides will be ready as soon as we can find the last leg bones for our skeleton horses. Apparently, the Hellhounds ran away with some of them." she rolled her bright blue eyes, dramatically.
"I'll come back to let everyone know when the Gallery and Hayrides are open! Until then, everyone- let's do the mash!" and on cue, the opening strains of the traditional Halloween song began.
Posted: Sun Oct 29, 2017 1:38 pm
OOC Notes: Welcome to the Masquerade ball! There are only a couple simple notes:
Sorry I'm late.
You don't have to use my threads if you don't want to! You can consider them settings, and are encouraged to create your own! If you do, labelling them something like [Masque], or sending the links to me via PM or Discord would be great so I know where to stick my nose in <3
Each of the main threads started by me will have a raffle at the end for all participants, for small prizes. Nothing moonshop related, sorry, just small thank yous <3
No battles on the premises! This is intended to be a (magically) (mostly) (somewhat) (somehow) (probably not) non-magical drama-free evening out for Destiny City.
You can say your character wins one of the IC raffle baskets, and use it for a prompt for your own roleplays <3
ICly, this takes place on Saturday, October 28. OOCly, this will run until November 19. There are no major planned prompts, but all good things must come to a formal end for crown tokens. Your own RPs, of course, may continue as long as you wish!
Michiko arrived at the masquerade ball, she was dressed as a lunar moth and had a matching mask on. She smiled shyly she felt a little more comfortable wear the mask like she could pretend she was braver and more forward than she would be other days of the year. Michiko looked around the ballroom and the decorations and smiled softly. She wondered if this party would be normal or if they would be attacked by monsters like the last party she had attended. Michi really hoped this would be a normal party. Michiko often hoped for a little slice of normal since discovering who she was.
She was grateful for her powers, but the desire for peace and not having to hurt others still sang in her blood. Michiko just wanted to be nice to others paint and garden, she didn't think it was a foolish wish though perhaps some others would think her a wishful dreamer. Michiko didn't intend to give up on her dreams for a peaceful world anytime soon. Michiko looked around the room to see if she recognized anyone from the botanical garden party or anyone else she had met in the last few weeks.
Bell arrived, dressed in a gown with heavy nods that she was Rapunzel. And if not, her own hair, overly-long and braided, with flowers throughout, would give it away. Unlike the sunny character she was dressed as, the heiress was rather somber, but her presence meant she was at least....trying. The depression she had fallen in to for the past...long while, took a toll. But she was still here, defending the city from evil and s**t. But for tonight, hopefully, an evening of pleasantry, in a fancy dress and behind a mask was all she wanted. That aaaand entering the costume contest! Bell was, after all, an accomplished seamstress from her lifetime in theatre, and competitive.
Amaranth had debated a while when she had heard about the ball, but finally, after having scrapped together a costume - some sort of Red Riding Hood outfit, and recording a makeup tutorial for it to put up on Youtube later - she decided she may as well. She was eager to see the garden, although for now she was satisfied with the sights of the ballroom. She'd never been to anything so fancy! Honestly, fancy wasn't really her crowd, but being pretty new to DC, she didn't..really have a crowd... Perhaps that was another reason she decided to come. What better place to get to know people than a Halloween party? Then again...did she reeeaaaally want to get to know people? Or even be around them. Hm. She was having second thoughts. Third even. Better go back to judging the decor and stuff. Get out of her own head a bit. Maybe she should have smoked a bit before coming...
Posted: Mon Oct 30, 2017 9:07 pm
An event open to the public meant that there was no real feasible way to bar him from appearing sans outright denial and making a scene, something which he counted on should he see his reason for being in this accursed American city. Giovanni Xanis was dressed relatively modest in his passive aggressive choice to come as a faerie king, Two year old Hope in tow dressed as little sparkling princess, pink and white tulle along with the layers of silk. She walked by he side, smiling and giggling and occasionally speaking nonsense in italian and broken English.
Giovanni was smiling behind his green mask, leading his 'daughter' around to the favorable games a toddler might enjoy. Giulia looked perfect in his eyes. The only thing missing was her sister and brother. But it was nice to see one of his offspring having taken well to being a good hostess and having the skill to captivate an audience.
It would serve her well later when he'd have to find her a suitable husband.
He was dressed as a hunter prince. At least, that was what he was trying to go for. He wanted to match Yvaine, but also cave to little Giulia's whims. So he'd found that he'd go on and have Marlo hire someone to make him a costume. It looked actually fairly decent. Leather jerkin, leggings and boots. A white tunic with a golden Diadem embellished with fresh vines woven in for effect. The cross bow holster was apparently real, as was the empty quiver. To complete the look? A fur trimmed cape with a silver wolf mask.
However, he was a bit upset that he was apparently a 'dark prince' because all the leathers were in various matching blacks, with only the fur and trims in whites a gold. Giulia would say he might be an evil prince. In fact he'd bet on it. That didn't stop him however from seeking out his sister-daughter, ready to entertain her.
"My Principessa!" He called out after her. "Will you not greet your prince?"
Marlo was nearby, dressed as Hans, (Reindeer mask very obviously added last minute). The prince not prince. Chosen as per Aiden. Neither of the siblings had realized their father was among them.
Shannon hadn't really read the job description when she accepted the journalist posting from one of the places she freelanced for. Her eye stopped at the word 'party' and the hosts' names, her mind already cataloging the wonders she was going to see, the people she was going to rub elbows with, and the food she was going to taste. It was only after she reread the assignment, after cursing that pumpkin spice monstrosity that turned her orange and had her spending the day in the bathroom, did she see that it was a masquerade halloween party... and she had like three days to get ready for it.
A trip to the local mall, one to her hairdressers, and a Halloween store and BAM... Ice Queen! The pale blue dress, a prom dress actually, fit her perfectly and really made her dusky skin pop. She even had the dyed green tips of her white hair changed to icy blue to match with her outfit. Everything fit, even her mask, styled white and blue with the snowflake and sparkling accents. She was fantastic and she knew it but as she entered the Chamberlyn's home and saw the splendor, Shannon felt a touch of inadequacy. A feeling she quickly shed. She was too wonderful to be brought down by something as mundane as inferiority.
She easily passed over her coat and drifted over towards the prizes, eyeing the various goodies and mentally balancing her budget to see if she could even try for any of them, the 'spa day' was tempting. It would have to wait until later, first she had to actually do her job. That meant exploring, tasting, and socializing.
Yvaine was dressed as a faun, and surprisingly was finding her ‘hooves’ a lot more comfortable to walk in than she first expected, they did, however, make a clicking noise as she walked. The stick she carried gave her the last bit of stability she needed - she just hoped she was not expected to dance too much or partake in any kind of racing.
She had assured Elzo that he looked very handsome and that on Halloween it was perfectly okay to be a dark prince. The dreadhead had wanted to tell the twins about a whole range of Halloween traditions from around the world, tell them about the folklore and rich history the holiday had (despite its various names depending on where you were from). Things that looked dark did not have to be bad; and as Giovanni was proving, even fairy kings would radiate evil.
As Elzo called out to his sister, Yvaine took the chance to stand with Marlo. There was a lingering guilt, that Jada hold told her such personal secrets about him, secrets she had not disclosed her knowledge about. Double guilty that she had her current condition was the very thing he advised her to avoid.
She smiled, looking his costume up and down, he was a good sport really and both brothers doted on the children. “Why a reindeer?” Her brows furrowed, not familiar with the source material he was referencing at all.
When she and Dongmei had been talking about the ball (because she really missed attending Jada's parties) and coming up with costume ideas, neither had any idea that the events of mirrorspace would have ruined their intial plans. Dongmei's feet had been rather torn up by the glass, which made things like dressing up and being on one's feet for hours a little on the hard side.
But at that point her costume was already about finished and like hell she was going to cosplay a Pokemon alone. So she'd made new plans and dragged along her new friend (with his consent of course. and after a lengthy round of 'who are you and how'd you get my number' and 'brb skinning a cat') complete with his own Pokemon costume. It was worth the money spent even just to not be alone at one of these for once, but he also looked rather good in it?
Didn't help she'd managed to find a Pokemon (with Dongmei's help) that seemed to fit Themisto's general senshi theme and could easily be modified to match his fuku style (so maybe he'd be more comfortable in it). Which, in hindsight, she should have done for herself. Her costume showed way more skin then she was used to showing. Ever.
Thankfully she'd chosen to wait inside for Them-Zach, she had to remember his civilian name was Zach, it was much warmer inside. Hopefully he could find the place. Since arriving she'd been fretting over whether they should have come together or not.
Maybe she should go check outside for him, and pray no one noticed who she was just yet.
Giulia bounced around the ballroom, greeting her guests. "Hello!" she waved to a lovely little night-time butterfly moth (Michiko), as she scampered past, "You have such a lovely costume! I hope you enjoy the party, my dear lady moth! You should check out the gardens, you may find a cousin out there tonight!" she gave a cheerful, light giggle.
She rushed next to the beautiful Lady Rapunzel (Bell), bowing in a flurry of skirts. "A fellow princess! I am so glad you could make the long voyage from your own kingdom! Please, enjoy the refre- the refresh mints." she leaned in and said, "I do hope you can keep that Flynn Rider in check, if you see him!"
Rushing past a fairy (Giovanni), she gave him a brief curtsy, and a bright smile to the princess beside him, before something more bloody caught her eye.
A Red Riding Hood (Amaranth)! "You won't find any wolves here, my dear Red!" she called happily, darting towards the woman. "Unless you go on the Haunted Hayrides when they open. Did you bring grandmother's big knife? And did you check it at the door? Weapons aren't safe!"
And then on to a lovely young woman who looked like an Ice Queen! (Shannon) "Are you Queen Elsa?!" she asked excitedly, prancing around this guest for a moment, "You look wonderful! I think we have someone else from Arendelle around here, if you look closely." she leaned in, her eyes bright and gleaming. "I think I saw a snowman!" or Hans, but it probably wouldn't be good to mention him. No one liked a bad guy!
Onward, then, to a pretty flower who was not in her garden (Melody). "Oh!" she gasped, peering at the mask, "Are you a cherry tree? Or..." Cherry trees didn't dress like that, but she looked really good! She had the little dangly pieces and the swoops like a Jasmine Princess, but she was pink, and... "An Arabian Cherry?" or... she chewed on her lip. "Either way, you are really pretty, and you are going to put all the flowers to shame!" and then off she was darting again, a whirlwind of blue.
A staff member stepped up to her, and her eyes widened. So soon? She lifted her hand to flick the small wireless microphone on her bodice. "Attention, guests- the Ghastly Gallery opened a bit sooner than expected! Anyone who is ready for some frights can start making their way there!" Giulia flicked the microphone back off, sontinuing her greetings.
And then- My Principessa! "Dear Prince!" she called cheerfully to her daddy, and jumped at Elzo for a hug. "Perhaps I should call you my Huntsman, to go with my Faun." she giggled, considering him cheerfully. "A little bit dark, but I won't complain, I'm glad you dressed up, daddy. You look real good." Near him was her uncle, and she considered Marlo's costume carefully before she gave another nod of approval. "Good choices. You're going to be on your best behavior tonight, right? Are you going on the hayrides?"
She swung around, beaming at her beloved Yvaine. "My lovely faun, I beg you aid me! Keep on an eye on that trouble-making huntsman and that trouble-making villain masquerading as a reindeer. You can't fool me, Hans- I know you have ulta rear moti- motivacations!" aha!
Lucia was excited and bouncing on her toes at the party. She had never been to a masquerade before so she was super excited to be there. She had begged her dad to let her go. Her mom had offer to do her hair for her and help her with her costume, they spent about and hour making sure she looked really pretty. Her dad had come with her as a chaperone. He looked quiet handsome in his own costume. When the father daughter pair arrived he began to socialize with the other adults that were there. Lucia felt rather bored listening to the adults talk. She asked her dad if she could go off on her own. He agrred and turned her loose with the promise that she would behave as he was busy socializing.
Lucia's first goal was finding her best friend in the crowd, Lucia couldn't wait to find her and see what her costume looked like, she was sure it would look adorable. She zig zaged between the adults until she spotted Giulia in her pretty costume with some grown ups she didn't know. She rushed over to her friend, well as best as she could in her long dress.
"Giulia!" She called out as she rushed over to the girl. She practically tackled the girl in a hug. "Your dress is so pretty!"
Zach hadn't expected an invite to a fancy shindig like this one. He was more of a greasy pizza kind of guy, coming from a background decidedly devoid of money. He'd never been invited to anything fancier than the school Prom, and his school wasn't even of the private variety. So when he got the call from Melody to 1) dress up and 2) meet her at the goddamned biggest house he'd ever seen in his life, Zach was shocked to say the least.
Overcoming the sensory overload of a place like this was difficult, and Zach wouldn't admit that he stayed outside just a little longer than he should have, attempting to catch his breath. Suck it up, dingus. You're dressed like a fancy-a** mummy Pokemon. ...but not Charizard or Pikachu. Crap, which one was it? Never played a Pokemon game in my life, but Melody said it was real important an... I think I'm a mummy. Yeah. This shindig was so fancy that super special masks were required.
Extra fancy.
Trudging up the stairs, Zach wracked his brain for what the everloving hell the Pokemon he was dressed as was called. Melody asked nicely enough, saying her original date was injured in the crazy mirror world and couldn't make it, and she was so excited about this event. It would be a shame to go alone. Despite his lack of knowledge of Pokemon, Zach donned the provided costume and tried not to look desperately anxious and wholly out of his league.
Spotting Melody would be difficult, given all the activity present once he'd gotten through the front door. Holy damn, there's a lotta folks here.
What was Melody dressed as, again? Some kind of plant thing. Wasn't Bulbasaur the plant guy? Maybe that was it. Zach started to scan the crowd, frowning.
Alise didn't normally get invited to fancy parties like this.
Actually, she didn't normally get invited to much of anything at all, really. The downside of being a mini edgelord and fan of all things spooky and occult meant that she never had had a great deal of friends... at least until this past year or so. Either way, she wasn't about to turn down this invite- and she had even brought a friend with her!
An actual friend. Not a cat.
Though she had considered bringing the cat with her anyways.
Although it wouldn't have been surprising to see Alise dressed up as some sort of horror movie character or another, her costume for tonight was that of a cute bunny witch, which still fit into her aesthetic, being fond of rabbits and all. Admittedly, there had also been some slight suggesting on her mother's part that she go as something... not scary, but Alise liked to think that it had been 100% her idea, anyway.
Glancing around, Alise pondered if maybe she should try to smuggle some of the treats home for a certain sweets-loving cat.
Kalani had also gone as a witch, but as a fancier kind of witch- complete with a fancy mask to fit her aesthetic. Halloween also happened to be her birthday, and while it was still a few days away, what better early birthday present than an invitation to some huge fancy ball at a huge fancy home? She'd gotten her mother to make both her and Alise's costumes, insisting on there being a matching theme with the two teens' outfits, though naturally, Kalani had to be the fancier one.
Now if only she could check out the rest of the place.
