#autumnfest

[hopcflowered]

𝐋𝐎𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍: appleby autumnfest, apple bobbing station. 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒: open to all ( @startertms ) !!

any excuse to let basil set free all of the energy in his bones was a good one for moira, it meant she would have an easier bedtime routine - not to say basil was tough to put to sleep, but most nights were spent listening to the same list of bug facts that have now been engrained into moira's mind. she counts down with the stall owner as basil bounces excitedly at the wooden barrel, red and green spheres bobbing up and down inside. "go go go, bas!" clapping enthusiastically, her son's face split wide into a mixture of anticipation and excitement before he began his tirade on the unsuspecting fruits - it took everything in her to not snort with her laughter. basil was both careful and reckless in his movements, teeth gnashing like a wild animal as his mother held her stomach from the joyful giggles spilling from parted lips; it was when the teeth connected with a shiny, red apple that they softened. the six year old jumped up with wide eyes, covered in water and arms held in the air with triumph. he had done it. the stall owner ruffled basil's damp curls at his win. "well done, buddy!" moira grinned, watching as his arms begin to bounce in time with dancing feet, "you've put us all to shame."

[xtinyslip]

"IS IT PATHETIC TO ADMIT I'VE NEVER BEEN TO ONE OF THESE BEFORE?" well, that was a lie. his mom used to take him when he was a kid but he'd been what? six years old when she died and he'd never really gotten involved since. it wasn't as if he was against them or the fun they brought to the town. it was just -- by the time he was old enough to not have his grief weigh him down. he was training to become a doctor and now he was one. well, there wasn't usually the time. taking a sip of his beer, he smiled across at them. "why don't i try and win you one of those creepy teddies over there? what do you say?" gesturing to one of the festival games with a smile. @walstarterblog

[wearelondonhq]

"And all at once, summer collapsed into fall." - Oscar Wilde Celebrate the changing seasons as you wander through the streets of London. Between the games, rides, crafts, and delicious treats, there's something here for everyone. Bring your family! Bring friends or a loved one. We guarantee that you'll be heading home full of joy. Or... will you, now? I wouldn't be so hopeful, because.. remember, this is not a story with a happy ending. Not everything is as it seems... As Shakespeare once wrote, something wicked this way comes. The Autumn Festival will last from September 12th until September 19th. We highly encourage everyone to plot and create new threads specifically for this event! And to be prepared for what comes next. All posts can be tagged with wal: autumnfest so they can be easily found by everyone. Please give this a like once read!

[teltales]

Silas was… people watching at the festival. Such a nice, harmless past-time, wasn’t it? But Silas had other ideas, too. Wanting to stir up a little drama, he picked someone powerful from the crowd and sifted through the faces in his head before making a choice. An ex-lover felt fitting. Appearing to Magnus as Camille, Silas stepped behind him and spoke close to his ear. “Hello, Magnus," he said with a smile. “What, you didn’t think you'd gotten rid of me forever, did you?” @demongemz

[seashorepics]

Halloween: From Ancient Rituals to Modern Cultural Phenomenon

Halloween is a holiday deeply ingrained in Western culture, celebrated each year on October 31. Its roots date back over 2,000 years, and while it was initially a spiritual and somber occasion, it has evolved into a massive celebration with significant influence on modern culture, particularly in film, television, music, and fashion. This essay explores Halloween’s origins, its evolution, and its…

[hcldmybroom]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: can you please pick a card, any card  ...  not that card. 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: appleby autumnfest. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: closed for justin finch-fletchley ( @hoggleswart )

fingers hover over the cards spread out in front of her, a smirk brightening features as she watches the panic settle over her companions face - minette was certainly having her fun at the appleby autumnfest. she had mainly come to participate in the pumpkin carving and apple bobbing, old time classic that were once childhood favourites back in montpillier when she was but a small girl, and yet she had now been drawn into some card trick by a familiar face. "are you sure it's not the right card?" a giggle falls from her lips as she tempts to pull it from the pack before raising her slender fingers again, "would you care to show me which card you'd like me to choose?"

[danc3away]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: the door’s locked. 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: appleby autumnfest. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: closed for ezekiel burke ( @hoggleswart )

"i . . . i know that." she didn't. her hand hovers over the gilded door knob, the cruel features of the door knocker almost laughing at the squib's actions. haruhi had never been to appleby, hell she hadn't stepped out of london since she made her residence there, so a little exploring during the festival seemed like an apt activity. retreating her hand into the pocket of her jacket, bottom lip is slipped between teeth as she bites down - a nervous habit formed from a young age - haruhi had heard a rumour that her eldest brother was lurking at the festival and deemed a little curiosity an excuse to catch sight of him. "i was simply . . . checking. you never know these days," looking to the wizard, thin lips are pulled into a tight smile, "anyone could just barge in to places."

[bemyhcro]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: that smile, on your face … is it real? 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: appleby autumnfest, night time. 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: closed to lavender brown ( @hoggleswart )

"what if it is?" they're perched in the corner of a pub in appleby, a small booth away from the crowd by the bar, but still enveloped in the cosy warmth of the autumnfest that had overtaken the wixen community - not to mention, autumn was paxton's favourite time of year. his hands are smudged with charcoal as fingers work quick and deftly at finishing the page of mundane sketches, warm butterbeer sitting forgotten on the table as the artist flickers tired eyes between paper and muse - lavender brown. "hold that perplexed face, just for a second more." grinning from ear-to-ear, paxton hides his chuckle behind stained fingers before scratching away at the page in a final descent of artistry. "and i am . . ." smudge here, shade there and a tap of the pencil on the page, "done!" sliding the page over to lavender, his features soften as he watches her carefully - the view of lavender was through his own eyes, through the eyes of someone who knew her and her life and the decisions that led her to this point. "what d'ya think?"

[okbillie]

The Amazing Forte（秋の祭事に捧ぐ）

[rebuildeds]

“  show  off.  ”      from  his  already-seated  position,  dudley  leans  sideway  to  reach  into  his  own  bag  and  unfurl  his  own  paper  bag  of  popcorn,  picking  out  a  piece  to  feint  at  alfie's  head,  before  popping  it  into  his  own  mouth  with  a  grin.  he  surprises  himself  with  the  little  bark  of  a  laugh  the  friendly  jibe  knocks  out  of  him.      “  i'll  remember  that.  make  sure  you  won't  regret  it.  ”      he's  settled  back  in  his  chair,  glancing  at  their  surroundings  :  it's  still  not  quite  as  cold  as  it  can  get,  but  there's  still  something  inherently  cosy  about  the  scene,  everyone  in  their  woollen  jumpers  with  pints  in  front  of  them.         “oh  christ,  now  you’re  asking.”         despite  the  complaint,  dudley  is  still  smiling,  spine  straightening  to  try  and  look  at  the  crowds  over  alfie’s  head.  now  that  he's  actually  paying  attention,  he  realises  that  it's  the  atmosphere  that's  familiar,  rather  than  anyone  in  particular  within  it.  there  are  a  few  players  from  the  appleby  team  that  he  only  knows  by  sight,  can't  actually  remember  their  names,  from  a  couple  of  the  combined  post-match  parties  that  he'd  been  to.  people  he  probably  could  offer  a  friendly  nod  and  some  small  talk  to,  but  nothing  much  more.      “  technically  no  one  i  know  is  here  yet.  ”

prompt:    make  yourself  at  home.  everyone  here  is  friendly. for:    closed  to  dudley  durlsey.    (  @rebuildeds  ) location:    a  pub  in  the  appleby  village.

hand  tosses  the  final  piece  of  popcorn    (  brought  in  from  the  festival  )    in  his  palm  up  into  the  air  and  he  tilts  his  head  back  just  enough  to  the  left  to  catch  it  in  his  mouth,  before  reaching  out  for  the  chair  opposite  his  friend,  twirling  it  backwards  to  sit  down.  ＂  i  trust  you.  others  wouldn’t.  ＂  brows  lift  in  a  quick,  joking  raise,  lips  stretching  out  into  a  grin  once  he  stopped  eating.  alfie  didn’t  enjoy  these  events  as  much  as  other  people  around  him.  his  sisters  insisted  he  go,  and  he  humours  them  because  he  knows  they’re  just  trying  to  include  their  brother,  but  they  don’t  see  what  he  doesn’t;  warding  spells  limiting  non  -  wix  folk  of  any  real  participation.  he  doesn’t  like  to  remind  them  either.  it  only  ever  makes  them  fuss.  best  to  just  go  along  for  the  ride  as  much  as  he  can.  it’s  a  relief  when  he  manages  to  locate  dudley,  finding  temporary  escape  in  a  possible  kindred  spirit.  he  wonders  if  it’s  the  same  for  him.  not  enough  to  ask.  that  conversation  feels  too  weighty,  too  personal,  and  instead,  he  reaches  out  for  his  beer  to  take  a  swig.  ＂  so,  who  exactly  is  everyone?  ＂

[hopcflowered]

𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐭: "we can always go to the pumpkin patch instead." ( roshana cresswell / @hoggleswart ) 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: the appleby autumnfest.

"well..." moira nibbles at her lip as she thinks back to earlier in the week when she and andie had attempted to join in with the pumpkin carving competition, the crooked eyes and jagged mouth-job was enough to curdle her stomach even now. in this moment, moira should have suggested something different, something more fun, but she had the mistake to look to the children and there it was, her weakness - lips popped out, eyes blown wide and little hands clasped together in a prayer. a prayer for pumpkins. "i suppose we could - " before the sentence was complete, basil was already pulling her away from where the small group had been stood in decision, a grin spreading across his face. "looks like the pumpkin patch it is."

[xtinyslip]

"NOW THIS.... FEELS MORE LIKE HOME?" everything felt so different here that she really didn't know what to make of it but she did know that he was here. that her family was here and so... they would make it work. with how busy the festival was, it was easy not to see any of those... what did they call them? apple iphones? it was easier to pretend for a few moments that nothing had changed. "maybe we'll even find one of those gazebos to dance under?" she couldn't help but smile warmly at the fondness of the memories. it was like the night they met, like the one they used to have in their back garden that he had surprised her with. she was sure not even god himself knew how much she loved this man. "look, ed, they have a haunted house." clearly, part of the festival experience, she nudged him, before looking up and showing him her smile. @lcvenderhcze

[cartoonybus]

they popped over to the danville autumnfest on their lunchbreaks

[wildcstdrcams]

She could understand where Galinda was coming from. It was nice to have something to rely on. Especially here where they were all tossed with no answers as to why. "That's really sweet," she told the woman with a genuine smile. "It's nice to have those happy memories that come back up when you're on one." Tessa took a single step forward as the line moved up. "Have you been on any of the other rides or are you sticking to your favorite?" @galindafication

"this is the one ride that's the same at every festival and carnival. you sit in a bucket, you go in a circle. it's familiar and predictable," she said with a nod. "my dad and i used to spend most of our time on these when i was little. i guess it's more about the nostalgiafication for me." @wildcstdrcams

[noxtms]

❝   AND IF YOU'RE STARTING TO GET A LITTLE TIRED OF THE APPLEBY AUTUMNFEST, i'm here to direct you towards some grisly fun with our top ten list of things to do this halloween ! you might be feeling a little bummed that madam rosmerta's annual murder mystery dinner party has been sold out for months - and if you don't get lucky scoring some on the black market then maybe you should check out the leaky cauldron and the lion & the snitch down in london ! both hosting fancy dress parties, complete with assorted prizes, including one for best dressed ! the hog's head in hogsmeade has opted out of celebrating, but-...  ❞

IN CHARACTER :

ON DIAGON ALLEY : though they were more than a little reluctant to open the doors of the late penelope clearwater's bookstore to anyone but a developer willing to do right by it, tempest was ultimately swayed by damaris vector's way overly thought out pitch - though they probably didn't foresee the event that it turned into. when originally presented, the 'haunted house' walkthrough of the lower floors was a cheap effort built around the existing bookshelves more to take advantage of the shape they made when the lights were low and they were covered in heavy, black fabric; nothing more. the party it led to upstairs wasn't a small soiree, exactly, but would've included a few dozen close friends and wrapped up by the early am. after they got the go ahead, all of that changed quite a bit, and word of mouth caused a modest guestlist to swell beyond what was originally envisioned. what results is an unsanctioned rager at the heart of the busiest magical street in all of wixen britain, sure to get shut down by a disgruntled auror team any second now, but sure to be a hell of a lot of fun before it gets to that point.

the bookshelves are covered up to protect what still sits stacked on them, of course, and the candlelight that illuminates downstairs was already hugely effective for ambience purposes, but a lot of care went into the scares to be found in dark corners and dead ends. if it weren't for the magic involved, it'd be hard to believe the coating of fog that runs across the floors, the lengthy mirror maze set up somewhere in the middle, the creepy clown that jumps out if you take a wrong turn near the romance section and the moving spiders that greet you at poetry. someone - though damaris swears it WASN'T them - actually managed to secure three of the bloodiest ghosts you've ever seen to pop out when you least expect it, hired for the duration of the night. take a right at the realistic skeleton hanging behind the counter, dodge underneath live bats and pick your way along a line of conjured graves where hands will grab at your ankles if you don't move quick enough and you'll finally make your way up a staircase that has been lined with portraits that follow your every move to make it to the upper level and the real party. there's music coming from a speaker, somewhere, and a surplus of drinks even if there's no catering, and though the decorations get a little cheaper - orange and black garlands and those weird red bloody handprints made of sticky jelly that got thrown on every window - most are far too drunk to notice.

ON HORIZONT ALLEY : elsewhere ( up the road and to the left ), ned weasley is hosting a rather eclectic halloween party at the lion & the snitch at the behest of all his staff. more than happy to let the holiday pass without special note, it took just as much convincing to get him to agree to their varying ideas of how it should go down, and though too many cooks can usually spoil the broth, it's all managed to kind of work out.

the supervisor wanted a classic costume party, so that was what everything else was built around. entry is free, of course, but fancy dress is required. there's a whole host of orange & black decorations to set the mood and way too many pumpkins to count, though if you'd like to TRY, there's a jar on the bar you can put your guess into and win a portion of the one galleon competition fee. one of the bouncers thought that karaoke might be a fun inclusion, so that was set up in a corner. one of the servers knew someone who knew someone else and managed to book the weird sisters tribute band from 9-midnight. the kitchen staff, though usually only employed at the weekend, pulled out all the stops to make a spooky daytime menu and some gory treats for the later evening, and one of the bartenders stayed up all weekend testing some online recipes to make sure that the creepy cocktails on offer tasted good enough to JUSTIFY the price. everyone came together to make the night possible, and everyone is hoping it runs well enough for ned to sign off on their christmas plans, so word has been spread far and wide to try pull in the masses !

OUT OF CHARACTER:

happy halloween, pals ! this extra special holiday isn't just my favorite of the year, but also really important in the world we're writing in. a LOT of very huge events happened on or around the end of october, and i always try and use this time to remind everyone of the nox brand with a double event that most, if not all characters can enjoy ! this year is no different, with our two halloween parties aimed towards two very different demographics - though don't let that steer you towards one or the other if you feel your character would be best served by the other option !

the event will begin at 6pm on october 31st and run for two weeks, bringing us into november - click here to see what that translates to for your timezone ! the galleon system will continue to run throughout and end at the same time, so make sure to do whatever you can to claim as many coins as possible !

no character is actually required to attend either event, nor are you required to take part though you are highly encouraged to do so ! as with our previous two in one events, one is aimed towards an older generation while the other is aimed towards the younger crowd, but you should feel free to take part in whichever you most feel !

our halloween events will be a discord & dash combo, mostly to make it easier for people to take part who may not currently be able to hit the dash ! any event posts should be tagged with nox.event045 on dash and the locations for anyone who tags them are horizont alley ( for the pub ) & diagon alley ( for the abandoned bookstore ).

if you have any questions, comments or concerns, please send them to the main ! and please comment your favorite scary movie once you have read this post !

[wildcstdrcams]

"Well, it isn't and it isn't," she answered with a little laugh. "It started off very focused on the saints and spirits of the dead, but then it slowly morphed into a time to dress up, have candy, and appreciate all things spooky." Halloween had always been weird for her growing up. While her mother had allowed her the typical traditions of dressing up and treat or treating, she was never allowed to participate in anything that her mom deemed 'demonic.' "I think it's a harvest thing. Apples are big for the fall. A lot of people go apple picking," she shared. Tessa had never had to explain all of these things to someone, but she found that she didn't mind. It was nice to question the things she'd gotten used to. "When exactly are you from?" The way the person was talking made her curious about her past. @ofthecosmos

pity. the logistics were apparently not in her favor, she so loved a public execution. though the last one she witnessed was her own family. " i'm confused, i also thought this day was about the dead? " she asked, of course she will not admit that she has looked into this holiday. all hallow's eve - but it did intrigue her dearly. " where i am from ... we do not celebrate anything like this. at least i never have. you know these customs, so why exactly an apple? " being a servant didn't give one much time to find any celebratory events. it was all for the lords and ladies, and she despised them so. " you would be surprised but there are many pigheaded men who will drown themselves in an attempt at glory. "

@wildcstdrcams