#nox.event045

[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 !

[rebuildeds]

LOCATION : tattered covers STATUS: open / @startertms !

it's  odd  to  see  the  store  look  this  busy.  it's  a  good  odd,  they  think,  to  see  the  shelves  packed  with  people  as  opposed  to  filled  with  dust.  they  can  almost  picture  penelope  flitting  between  the  groups,  socialable  in  the  way  she  solely  seemed  to  be  within  these  walls,  flourishing.  tempest  is  clearly  lost  in  their  own  thoughts  as  they  stare  into  space,  absently  fidgeting  with  their  necklace.  they're  between  floors,  leaning  against  the  stair  rail,  just  outside  the  main  event.   they  spot  the  movement  out  of  the  corner  of  their  eye,  the  shift  in  the  sheets  that  cover  the  bookshelves,  and  a  hand  snaps  towards  it  without  a  second  thought.        “  don't  touch.  ”      they  can  barely  hear  themselves  over  the  music,  even  down  here,  but  hopefully  the  gesture  is  enough.        “  please.  ”