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[personal profile] pumpkinhollow
Hey gang! Hope everyone's enjoying the event! Ahead of the Cucumber Festival event for next month, voting for the Green King is now open!

Ballot here! Please read instructions carefully, thanks!
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[personal profile] pumpkinhollow
Monthly Plotting Post | May
Happy May, everybody!

As you all probably noticed, March and April were a little wonky, with a SUPER late March event, no proper April event, and no TDM reprint. For a variety of reasons, the earlier spring months took the wind out of a lot of folks’ sails this year, and I personally have been fighting an ongoing battle with extremely prolonged double ear infections. But the world keeps on turnin’, Summer is on the way, and we have lots of fun stuff planned! So let’s get into it!

SPRING TDM
March through May
This’ll be the final month of the 2025 Spring TDM, so whether you’ve got a certain type of Pokemon you want or don’t wanna miss your opportunity to get in on flower-based body horror, hop to it! We’ll also have one more run of our Swift Social, so grab a seat and make a friend! That'll be next Saturday, so you've got some time, but since we've lost a few players, we're also looking to start advertising on the EMP again. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for new friends!
MAY EVENT - All Too Familiar
May 18th
A mysterious letter. A missing book. A foul shift in the air.

This month’s main event is going to be a surprise plot that is being co-written with long-time Mod Helper and NPC player Meghan, and will be centered around Elsie!

While player character Hector Monaque is in the midst of his deal with King Eligos, which involves writing terrible letters to his neighbors designed to strain their relationships, another letter is snuck into the delivery. One made out to Elsie, containing information that might just change her life.

Check out Meghan’s teaser in the comments below! Further information will be distributed as the event gets closer, but what we can say is that after a few months of magical traps and existential dread, it’ll be nice to have a problem that can be fixed with violence. Any character that has died since arriving in Pumpkin Hollow may want to make sure their death certificates are in order, though!
Green King Voting & Anniversary Prep
Late May
Now that a test year has passed and the residents of Pumpkin Hollow know FOR SURE that the beloved Cucumber Festival isn’t due to have any further interruptions, voting for the Green King will resume as normal! Time to learn about a new Pumpkin Hollow tradition!

The Cucumber Festival is a summer holiday celebrated in early June. While it is by and large a carnival and a celebration of agriculture, it is also the time of year to elect a Green King alongside the Flower Queen. Like with the Flower Queen voting back in February, any male or otherwise masculine-identified person over the age of 18 can be nominated for Green King, and must accept the nomination before voting begins.

Because the festival is so early in June, voting will open on May 24th and close on May 31st, so we’ll go ahead and open up nominations below! Discord crowd, you’ll receive reminders as the 24th approaches that nominations will be closing, so please help pass the word along to non-Discord-using players as you’re able. Thanks!

Also, tangentially related: coinciding with the Cucumber Festival will be the 2 year anniversary of Pumpkin Hollow’s first TDM! We’ll be hosting a party in the Discord server on the anniversary itself, June 7th. Thanks so much to all of you who have made this an AMAZING 2 years of mystery-solving horror-comedy fun! More info about the party towards the end of May, but expect a revisit of PH trivia, Jackbox, Among Us, and more! Last year’s party was an epic 14 hour blow-out so feel free to come and go as you’re able!

CURRENT METAPLOT
Efrain, the Prince of Sorrow’s Song, was defeated by Nimona! The end of this is still being threaded out, apologies for delays, but everything from April will have included this information. That means that two of the four Demon Royals who have been making trouble for Pumpkin Hollow residents have been felled. All that remain are the current Regent of Hell, Eligos, the King of Treason, and his conniving youngest son, Prince Aster of the Dark Feast.

However, the fewer Demon Royals there are, the more Aster’s half-demon daughter Dahlia comes into her own power. She has begun performing demonic boons, demonstrating that she seems to have her own Infernal Domain. But that should be impossible--- tieflings aren’t part of the infernal hierarchy, and the chain of command doesn’t even have language for women, much less space for them.

Unless someone changed the rules.

Stay tuned to find out what Eligos and Aster have planned for each other, and for Dahlia, in their family feud for the fate of Pumpkin Hollow! And what will our resident Elder One do when the feud resolves? Will anyone be able to identify him through his human disguise before that happens?

Also, since we have a crop of new people, I thought that a link to our Lore Document would be helpful! It could use a bit of updating but has most of the relevant info to help folks get caught up, so check it out when you have time!

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Monthly Plotting Post | March
Happy Spring, gang! February was a tough month for a lot of folks in the game, but with warm weather and more sunshine on the horizon, I am so excited for what’s to come! I’m also SO PLEASED to be celebrating the anniversary of our game’s biggest boost in size to date! Even if the circumstances surrounding the Sail Migration weren’t the best, and we had a lot of growing pains in the aftermath of such a large change, we also gained a lot of beloved and engaged community members and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I’m so glad you guys are here and I’m so excited to celebrate the anniversary of our time as a community.

In more game-related news: I don’t know about you guys, but with a major plot event on the way (i.e. Efrain’s downfall in the March event), I could use a little extra time to wrap up my current threads and gear up for the big moment. Merrymeet is one of my favorite recurring events, and I’m excited to give it the time it deserves before a major plot development. Plus we’ve got a new TDM going up toward the beginning of March and a small mingle! As such, I’m going to have the March event be a little bit on the late side this month. I’m thinking either the 23rd or the 28th. Thoughts one way or the other? Drop a comment on the mod toplevel or let us know on Discord!

I also want to use this month’s metaplot section to talk about the game’s future--- the roadmap for the rest of the game, and what the sequel game will look like! It’s still a good ways off (like probably 8-12 months if we’re really efficient), but I want to give folks plenty of time to think about their post-game plans! Plus I’ve had it on the brain.

SPRING TDM
March through May
Originally, we had Pokemon acquisition sequestered to specific periods of time and only specific types, and the reason for this is because we didn’t want them to overwhelm the game. However, over the past year and a half, the concerns we had about Pumpkin Hollow developing a heavy culture around Pokemon that overtook the game never really came to pass--- people generally don’t even fill all their slots, and they are used more as a fun accent rather than a main feature! When last we discussed the Pokemon situation in the server, we had people express that they might like to check out some other types and we’d planned to have them available for Summer and Winter this year, but with the understanding that the way Pokemon are treated by the player base will most likely continue, we’d like to go ahead and offer them year-round with types determined by season, and have divided up all the types into a thematically appropriate season!

For springtime, you’ll be able to find Grass, Fairy, Ground, Bug, and Normal! (Yep, that’s right--- by popular demand, Eevee will be available with this change!) Rather than a special article, available types will now be listed at the top of the Gazette, and the intro article will make a brief note. We are prepared to roll back this change if it doesn’t work out or if it’s undesirable, but the intention is to make it so that everyone will have a chance to get their faves. Catch responsibly! Each character is still limited to 6 Pokemon pals, as we don’t have a PC for you to send them to!

Also on the agenda for spring right now are the player-requested community laundry days, a potluck as an homage to last year’s, as well as the ever-popular speed-dating from last year. (Although this year it’ll be called “Swift Social” to be inclusive of those looking for platonic CR, though it’ll still have opportunities to indicate you’re looking for love.) I’ve also got some plant-themed and fae-themed spookies on the docket for spring that are still in the works, so stay tuned! As always, I’m also open to suggestions!

HARBOR DAY MINGLE
March 5th
To celebrate the anniversary of the Great Sail Migration, we’ll be doing a simple mingle event called Then and Now--- post a toplevel to invite other characters to comment leaving their first impressions of yours and how they compare to their current feelings. How have things changed since your character arrived? Whether you’ve been here for a year, the whole game, or just a week or two, enjoy reminiscing with your Pumpkin Hollow pals!
MARCH SADNESS
Late March
It’s finally time to take down another Demon Prince! Efrain, the Prince of Sorrow’s Song, is the last thing standing between Prince Aster and becoming heir apparent--- leaving only King Eligos himself as Aster’s final obstacle.

A while ago, Nimbus had mentioned offhandedly the idea of a “day at the opera” event which has lived in my head rent-free ever since, and so it’s off to the opera we go. In Efrain’s attempt at a grand demonstration of his power, he will be transporting the islanders to a grand amphitheater, where his demonic orchestra will perform musical interpretations of each islander’s deepest source of pain, regret, and sorrow--- with the subject themself and their loved ones compelled to play the roles on stage while everyone else is a captive audience. Play out musical renditions of scenes from your past with your CR cast as your loved ones or enemies, catch a moment to chat in the Green Room before or after your performance, or find moments of solidarity from the auditorium seats between songs.

Not feeling the limelight? Take on a role as a member of the stage crew for the show and succumb instead to the despair of endless toil for the cruel and merciless stage manager! Take a seat in the pit and play with the orchestra, feeling every moment of others’ pain by proxy from the music your hands are forced to create. Or get saddled with a job in the concession stand for a different flavor of suffering--- mindless drudgery for an uncaring public. The choice is yours! But get too feisty and face the wrath of the security guards: a shade of one of your own loved ones like the false Ballister that had been created for Nimona.

However, Aster will be taking the beginning of March to prepare his assassins. Have a bone to pick with Efrain? Let me know and the demon-killing effort might recruit you! But anyone looking to get too close to Efrain will have to fight their way through his strange bodyguards, creatures of living glass whose creation Pyotr Stamatin may have to answer for later.

Due to the narrative function of the event, I am unfortunately unable to offer a full opt-out aside from a handwave for this event. But hopefully I’ve created enough alternative ways to enjoy this pity party that you’ll be able to find one that suits you! If not, let me know!
CURRENT METAPLOT
A lot has been going on recently in plot town! Primarily, the discovery that Dr. Elias Coldwood, lighthouse keeper and biologist, has a nascent Eldritch godling in his basement! There are two separate threads about this ongoing, one between Shen Qingqiu, Valdis, and Elias himself and the other between Gerry, Arthur, and John Doe. What is this creature that Elias has created? What are its ties--- and his--- to Nyarlathotep? And who was it that posted Elias’ anonymous bail just in time for him to attend Merrymeet? More details to come!

With all that’s going on in the game’s present day, I wanted to talk briefly about the trajectory for the game’s future as well! Here’s a basic outline of the major plot beats I’m planning to hit, unless something drastic changes:
➼ At the end of March, individuals chosen by Aster will be given the opportunity to kill Efrain. With Mendel dead, Aster will be the last remaining Prince left to succeed Eligos for the Infernal Throne.
➼ Throughout the Spring, fae involvement will become more prevalent. I’m still working out the exact details, but there are plans for Elsie and Olwylder to become more deeply involved in the plot, including a surprise I’m planning with Meghan!
➼ Also during this time, Eligos will be doing more to work on his contingency plan for dealing with Aster, which will involve turning Aster’s Court and Infernal Servants against him, and powering up his own favored and those of his other two sons.
➼ In the late summer, Eligos will make his own last stand, and he will die--- but not without setting things up for Aster’s eventual downfall in the process.
Aster will ascend the Infernal Throne.
➼ Dahlia will officially become a Prince--- and next in line for succession, as Aster has no other children. The Pine Devil’s curse of consumption will cease to be.
➼ With assistance from those that Eligos granted power to, those given boons by goddesses, and her own newly founded Court of Woman Scorned, Dahlia will strike back at Aster and become the new King of Hell.
As the only one left to maintain the contract with Nyarlathotep, Dahlia will break the truce, lowering the barrier!
➼ However, Nyarlathotep will not take kindly to this--- his reaction will remain a surprise for now, but this will launch us into a pre-endgame state where certain tasks must be accomplished to initiate endgame proper. We’re anticipating this taking several months at least.
➼ Once all tasks are accomplished, the final face-off with Nyarlathotep will occur, and the game will end with it finally being possible and safe to leave Marrow Isle. This will initiate our exploration-based sequel game, Emerald Crown! Pumpkin Hollowites will be given the means to leave this world and come back at will.
As we’re building up to the trials that characters will face during these major plot beats, we’re going to be looking at ways to make characters more formidable through items, skills, transformations, canon updates, and more! We’d like to get as many folks in on it as we can and plan as far in advance as possible. We look forward to seeing what cool ideas we can work out with all of you!

We’re also anticipating all of this taking quite some time, so there’s no rush to make major plans right this minute. Additionally, we’re planning to have Emerald Crown be more self-guided in an effort to give ourselves a break from heavy plot. We have more plot-heavy projects to share with you all in the future, and we could use some time to kick back and just play it by ear while we plan ahead! It’s also my plan to run a short-term game alongside Emerald Crown. Harvey, Drake, and I, operating under the name “Team Pumpkin,” have plans to bring you all tons of RP fun for years to come!

PHEW that was a long plotting post--- sorry it’s dropping so late at night for most of you! But we hope you’re as excited as we are to keep going on this adventure together!
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[personal profile] pumpkinhollow
Hi all! Thanks to everyone who nominated a potential Flower Queen!

Flower Queen voting is now LIVE until Feb 14th and results will be announced when Rose goes to bed that night so that the winner has time to prepare before the event goes live the following day. (Ideally in the afternoon but we'll see where the wind takes us.)

Vote here! And please be sure to read the rules in the intro carefully!
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Monthly Plotting Post | Feb
FREAKY FEBRUARY!!

Hey all! Rose here! Blessed Imbolc and Happy Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year to all those who celebrate them! As we start to ring in the spring, Team Pumpkin is SUPER excited to bring you a ton of cool stuff!

I don't have a ton of preamble this month, aside from a few housekeeping items: please read the new game rules on our State of the Game post carefully, as well as the outline for our Merrymeet event. Also just as a heads up, because Merrymeet tends to be somewhat involved, and we have a mingle planned for Harbor Day (the anniversary of the post-Sail Migration potluck event), we will be giving a WIDE berth between our Feb event, Garden of Woe, and our March event, March Sadness. You have a lot of time between the two, so take your time at Merrymeet!
TDM
All Month


Our Winter TDM has one more reprint before we transition into Spring! The Valentines-esque changes really brought some new life to the event, so we’ll be leaving them as-is this time to give you crazy kids more opportunities to enjoy that Tunnel of Love. We look forward to seeing what epic conclusions the town-wide snowball war reaches by the end of February!

Since we’re going to be changing the Pokemon appearance schedule for 2025, we’re thinking we might like to give people one last crack at getting some cute grass and fairy-type friends during the month of March or April, possibly as a separate mini-event. Outside of that, we’re absolutely open to any Spring themed spookies, hijinks, or fun times you all can think of for the next season’s TDM. It will run through March, April, and May and we’re looking for warm-weather activities, floral themes, and plant-based mischief! Feel free to visit our suggestion box below.

GARDEN OF WOE
Main Event - February 15th
Content Warnings:
Depression, loss, forced mood alteration

Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again! It’s time for Pumpkin Hollow’s beloved spring fertility, flower, and romance festival. For those who were not here last year, Merrymeet is a formal outdoor garden party which takes place in the town square and festival green. Attendees are invited to dress in their floral finest to dance, eat, and welcome the spring as the weather slowly grows warmer! The event will commence with the procession of the Floral Court, the crowning of the Flower Queen, and the planting of the first flower!

But before we can have any of those things, we must elect the Flower Queen! Nominations for Flower Queen will be open below from now until 2/7. They can be for any person of a feminine-aligned gender who is over the age of 18, and should be someone who represents kindness, gentleness, and grace, as well as someone who has brought joy to others who deserves to have that joy reciprocated and recognized. You cannot nominate yourself. Once someone has nominated you, you must accept the nomination to be officially considered for candidacy. From 2/8 - 2/14, we will have a ballot box available on Google Forms where everyone can vote for the Flower Queen! (Players can vote once per character.)

Any Flower Queen candidates who did not win the vote will be members of the Floral Court and will be a part of the procession that leads the Queen to her seat of honor, where the rest of her court will share her table. Each member including the Queen will be asked to choose a courtier of any gender to be their plus-one at said head table. Then later, the Queen will be asked to take part in a ceremony in which she places a tulip bulb into the ground and blesses it, thus planting the first flower of the year. Her presence will also be requested the following year to crown the new queen. (Last year’s Flower Queen, Mary Dahl, is sadly no longer present, so the Queen from the year before that will be doing the honors again. Her name is Juniper Sweetwater, the local luthier.)

A note for this event: due to most player characters having heftier budgets this year, free outfit rentals will only be available to laggards and characters who have been in PH less than two months. All other PCs will need to purchase a Stylish or Lavish outfit for the normal price listed on the Shops page.

Of course, not all can be sunshine and rainbows. This is Pumpkin Hollow, after all. Partway through the event, an unfamiliar musical act will take the stage to play a haunting melody that will cause partygoers to think only of lost love, heartbreak, homesickness, and joyful times that can no longer be, filling the hearts of everyone in attendance with pain. This is the work of Efrain, the Prince of Sorrow’s Song, attempting to fuel his grand symphony and make his bid for power in the coming months. The band will be protected, which means that the only way to counteract this cruelty is to find ways within oneself and in others.

But what’s this? A ragtag group of adorable strangers, come to help spread whimsy, have arrived on the island! Thanks to some secret organizing by the mods n’ pals, the February event will have special guest characters played by five of Pumpkin Hollow’s finest! Stay tuned for more details on this special mini-event-within-an-event, March of the Bizzyboys! I’ll leave it to our guest players to reveal themselves via plotting posts so that people can strategize how to get in on the action.

Recap in Brief:
  • Flower Queen NOMINATIONS are from Feb 1-7

  • Flower Queen VOTING is from Feb 8-14

  • Candidates for Flower Queen must be nominated by another person, then accept the nomination to finalize it.

  • All candidates get a place in the Floral Court. They will sit at a special table and will each get a plus-one.

  • The Flower Queen will have several obligations during the festival and must be prepared to perform them.

  • Free formalwear rentals are ONLY available to Laggards and new characters (less than 2 months since apped). More established characters will need to be prepared to spend 300-500B on a formal outfit.

  • The latter half of Merrymeet will be when things go sour. Having your character leave early will serve as our opt-out.

  • Five guest characters played by non-mods will be available for this event! You are encouraged to plot with them.


  • CURRENT METAPLOT
    The next two months are about to be a doozy when it comes to the meta plot. Efrain will be making appearances in February and March before his final stand at the end of March will take place, which will leave Aster as heir apparent to the Throne of Hell. Meanwhile, Nyarlathotep’s identity remains hidden.

    Additionally, Shen Qingqiu has discovered something very interesting in the basement of Dr. Elias Coldwood… Perhaps someone should talk to him about that!

    Our current roadmap for the main mystery of Pumpkin Hollow is projected to last through to Fall or Winter of 2025, followed by a roughly 4-6 month pre-endgame event series. As we move forward toward many major events, we’re going to be looking for ways to empower characters to fight back against the looming threats through boons, demon deals, items, and rewards for personal achievements.

    We’d like to remind folks that we are open to OOC guesses as to Nyarlathotep’s identity! DM Rose on Discord with your guess and three pieces of supporting evidence for a yes or no answer. Regardless of whether you get it right, you cannot tell any other player or use this information ICly, but if you’re correct we’ll add you to a special side chat we’re all piling into like sardines to yell in! Currently there are seven players who know the identity of Nyarlathotep (not counting mods). Come join the Vault of Eldritch Secrets!












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[personal profile] pumpkinhollow
Monthly Plotting Post | January
Happy New Year, everybody!! First off, I'd like to apologize for never getting up a plotting post in December. I'm still getting used to my new job and the holidays + financial stuff were absolutely kicking my butt. As a result, I wanted to get the plotting post up and running as early as possible! We've done some shuffling around of the order of events, but I think you'll like what we have in store!
TDM
All Month
Give it up for our first reprint of TDM #9!

In an effort to make the TDM for the next two months slightly less festive, I'm considering giving the event a Valentine's twist, such as morphing the gingerbread curse to chocolate and adjusting the Winter Market somewhat. If anyone has any thoughts on some tweaks that can be made to make a romance-y vibe, I'd love to hear them! The new TDM will launch next week.
LOST IN DREAMLAND
Main Event - January 17th
Content Warnings:
unreality, varied nightmare content

In lieu of the originally-planned Efrain-takedown, we've decided to delay the death of the Prince of Sorrow's Song in order to give him a bit more screen-time, and instead we'll be offsetting all the Dahlia-centric events by giving our good friend Neil a turn to shine! While the specifics of the event are still taking shape and likely won't be set in stone until closer to, we have the basic skeleton and will be using people's plotting ideas to help add to the structure.

The idea is this: one night during sleep, the entire island will be trapped in a nightmare dimension--- one that has a physical structure. A constantly shifting structure comprised of the fears and traumas that plague its inhabitants, but a structure nonetheless. The vast majority will be a landscape of horrors that amalgamate from the nightmare of player characters, allowing for the potential for a bit of memshare and a bit a lot of creative freedom to get weird with it. The center will be an oasis of beautiful dreams designed to trap dreamers in a lotus-eater type haven. And the exits will be around the edges. It will only be by travelling through the nightmares.

Traverse your fears together! Learn more about each other's nightmares! Get an escort from the island's local dreamwalker, or wander into Mortanne's domain --- the beyond. Fall into a euphoric time sink at the nucleus of the dream or try to rescue your friends from their sinister bliss. There's plenty to do!
CURRENT METAPLOT
Some handwaving of progress is currently being planned for CitrusQuest to expedite the resolution, so stay tuned for how the gang reaches the crack in the world!

Starting next month, Efrain will be starting to stir things up in the lead-up to his downfall! We'll be seeing him and his minions show up to kill the vibe at Merrymeet. In order for me to not die of perpetual 15 threads in the demon inbox disease, I will need to seriously manage my thread load for Efrain and maybe try to sneak in some unrelated Efrain threads during January, as I got a little obliterated during casino time. And lastly, the herbs granted by Mortanne to Leon Kennedy have now been cultivated enough to harvest in Paradesium! Enjoy some dubious unnamed herbs! When you eat them... something happens! (It's a good something.)
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[personal profile] pumpkinhollow
Apologies for the lack of formatting, I was in a bit of a hurry and I figured it'd be better for it to be available and unformatted than to make folks late. I will do my best to remember to format it later for readability's sake.

Read More )
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Monthly Plotting Post | November
HAPPY NOVEMBER, GANG!

So I know for a lot of us, life has been pretty stressful. It seems like October really kicked a lot of our butts, and it doesn't seem like this month is off to a particularly strong start either. For me, this is compounded by a 2 week gap in employment/income and the financial stress that comes with that, and I know a lot of you are in similar boats with stressful life events. So as a result, along with holidays on the horizon, for this month I've decided to keep things nice and light and fun!

I also want to take this chance to inform everyone that AC is on your honor this month. You do not have to turn in your AC if you haven't done it already--- just go ahead and add your stipend an a rough estimate of your bonus based on how active you believe you were with the character. I won't check your math, just be honest. And if you already turn your AC in, take an extra 100B on me! You're able to spend your Brass at the casino until the next event comes out on the 16th, so use that money sink. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'm sharing it with all of you, so happy birthday, everyone <3

Also, speaking of the holidays, some conversation in the Discord server has led me to the conclusion that at least until the end of the year, we'd be better off on a one-event-per-month schedule. This may change and might incorporate a few mini-events here and there, but honestly I'd prefer to give you guys this time to do some catching up and to focus on player plots. So enjoy!

As we all grapple with real-life horrors, let's make Pumpkin Hollow a place of comfort, joy, and friends that we can all escape to together. (Even if our characters might not feel the same way sometimes ;P ) I'm really happy to share this space with all of you and I'm excited to continue having fun with you all!
TDM
All Month


Last call for TDM #8! That includes opportunities to become a Balverine, if you're into that, as well as Dark and Ghost type Pokemon friends! You'll have until the beginning of December before the next three months belong to a cute wintery TDM and the autumnal spookies move along, so get 'em while they're hot!

Speaking of next TDM, we already have a general overview of our plans for next month, but please feel free to put ideas for non-holiday winter prompts into our little questions/comments/concerns box below! Specifically we are looking for non-holiday things because our December event will include Pumpkin Hollow's holiday schedule, but also because this TDM will need to fit for December, January, and February. A little festive flair for the various holidays during that time won't hurt, but we're really hoping for some more general winter-themed nonsense. Thanks in advance!


DANCE OF THE DECAYED
Main Event - November 16th
Content Warnings:
some alcohol use

Last year, the Dance of Celestine was a disaster, but not this year.

While the train is still available and thoroughly warded with magic, for those who wish to take it, there will also be some helpful wagons and an organized hiking group for those who wish to hike up to Crane's Ridge on foot!

For those unaware, the Dance of Celestine is a nationally recognized festival in the Emerald Isles--- religious for some, community based for others--- which is a celebration of fall and of the blessings of the sky as well as the end of the harvest. It is celebrated by going to the highest accessible point to get as close to the sky as possible, which in this case is the peak of Crane's Ridge. There, delicious autumnal foods and things cooked over an open flame will be served, a dance performance will be enjoyed before the dance floor is opened to everyone, and weather-themed kites will be flown above the island. Tie prayers to Celestine and wishes for the future to the kite strings or burn offerings or things to leave in the past in the fire, and dance the night away. A lot of work has gone into ensuring that last year's interruptions are not repeated, but that won't stop a few lighthearted surprises from slipping through.

The first is that Celestine herself will be using the Dance as her opportunity to make her in-person appearance for the season. Take the opportunity to meet the Goddess of Autumn and Sky face to face! Priority will be given to existing CR and her favored, but anyone will be welcome to say hello!

The second is a little surprise from Linette Brenning, a local ghost who has been helped immensely by the offworld population over the last year. With her body found and her cause of death uncovered, she no longer curses the graveyard with the hostile walking dead, but that hasn't stopped her from making skeletons move. She'll be exercising this ability for the first time since the well she died in was sealed with anti-magic wards--- which means that both train-riders and hikers alike will run into these skeletons on parade, who mean to attend to the dance! Don't worry, though, they're just here to party!

The bones of those who died in Pumpkin Hollow before the barrier went up will be in attendance at the Dance of Celestine, as dance partners, for family reunions, and for shenanigans. They aren't able to speak, but they can absolutely play music, dance, hug, fly kites, cook, and make mischief!

Since this is not intended as a plot-revealing event, I currently have no plans to make the skeletons available for questioning nor to play them directly. Again, the focus of this event is shenanigans and fun. While I'm not completely opposed to plot stuff coming up, it's really not my focus, and so you can generally assume that the skeletons don't know much more than any other locals do or aren't feeling up to trying to share. They're just here to have fun!
CURRENT METAPLOT
Last month, Aster's casino event (which is still technically ongoing until the new event goes up) has revealed and will continue to reveal the nuances of Aster's personality and domain, and will be providing opportunities for guest villains to potentially be onboarded as Infernal Servants to make occasional appearances. If you'd like to do this with your guest villain, please let me know! All three remaining courts are available and some details will be below.

Additionally, CitrusQuest to the crack in the universe continues!

And lastly, Neil West is still seeking assistance in translating his ill-gotten copies of a few pages of the Necronomicon, which is definitely a good idea and will have no negative repercussions whatsoever.












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Hey Pumpkins, the October Activity Check is now live! Due to the delay in posting, the activity check period will be open through November 8th.
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Monthly Plotting Post | September
Hello friends! Rose here!

First off, I wanna apologize for getting to this so late. I'd strongly prefer to get this out before AC closes for the month and that will usually be my plan. I was dealing with some bad mental health and a little bit of RP burnout, plus I was still hammering out some of the specifics for the Halloween event, all of which contributed to the delay. But thanks so much for the patience!

This month we will not be doing a mini event in an effort to catch our collective breath after the gala, so I'll just be talking about some other activities y'all can get into for the moment. The big focus will be our big Halloween event at the end of the month. Halloween's coming up fast, so let's get cracking!
TDM & PUMPKINFEST
All Month


Now that TDMs are 3-monthers and a bit lighter in nature, there's no serious rush to hop on the TDM as it will still be live until the end of November. However, please be aware that if you want to explore the Balverine situation or pick up Ghost or Dark type Pokémon pals, don't forget to catch that train before the end of next month!

Also, exclusively for the month of October, we've tacked the link to last year's Pumpkinfest event onto the TDM. As previously stated, we're avoiding doing a proper mini event, but Pumpkinfest this year will look much the same around town as it did last year! Feel free to make use of it in your open logs, TDM posts, player plots, etc. Technically it runs for the second to last week of October ICly, but feel free to forward-date it!

BLACK STAG CASINO
Halloween Special - October 26th
Content Warnings:
Violence, stalking/being chased, potential for gore and character death, violation of free will, potential NSFW, alcohol, gambling, disordered eating, abusive parent.

As the morning of October 26th dawns, you find yourself in a situation that is likely not too unfamiliar. Once again, you have been transported. Has the island been transformed or have you been pulled into a pocket dimension? Perhaps it doesn't matter. Regardless you wake in what appears to be an incredibly lavish hotel room, decorated in familiar blues, blacks, and golds. Everything is richly decorated, with plush bedding and elegant swags, and each room is outfitted with a balcony overlooking a deep, dark forest of enormous pine trees that make the ones in Lockwood Forest feel miniscule. It is beautiful and haunting, and something deep in your gut tells you that you could roam those woods forever and never find the end.

However, you are far from trapped. Exiting the hotel room, you'll find a sprawling resort with all manner of luxuries and indulgences, including a buffet with food so good that it's hard to leave, an open bar where the drinks flow freely, a fabulous spa with massages and saunas, a 24 hour cabaret, and room service for anything you could ever desire. And what's more, the staff will happily tell you that all of it is complements of the owner. Questions? They'll answer any that you have. Nothing here appears to be dangerous no matter how much you investigate. There isn't even any cannibalism happening. Despite this, though, you are being aggressively encouraged to indulge.

The main feature of the resort, however, is the casino. It's massive, with hundreds of gambling tables for any card or dice game you could possibly imagine, as well as an absolutely massive roulette wheel. You are given a handful of chips and informed of the prize counter--- try your luck at any game you please, and see if you can win your fortune. Surely the dangers of losing can't be more severe than just a loss of chips, right?

And if you're really in the market for a windfall, there is one game that relies more on skill than on chance which appears to be played outside. Perhaps some kind of race? You can speak to a bookie about placing a bet or becoming a contestant, or observe the game from a balcony wrapping around a particular fenced-in section of forest using elevated seating and magical screens. Apparently the payout for winning this game, simply called "PREY", is rather hefty, especially if a lot of the spectators have bet against you. Although you may not get a choice of whether or not you play...


GENERAL INFO:

The Black Stag casino is a working of Aster, the Prince of the Dark Feast, whose domain covers indulgence, hedonism, greed, manipulation, consumption, cannibalism---- effectively, it boils down to taking that which is not rightfully yours. As such, this is why you're being encouraged to indulge in the pleasures of the lodge. The amenities are genuinely not harmful, they are simply feeding and empowering Aster by being used. Additionally, there are some mild enchantments on the buffet, the cabaret, and the casino itself that encourage guests to stay longer and overindulge.

Some parts of the event are still under construction with regard to their specifics, but we're looking at having the consequences for losses be physically or mentally dangerous, perhaps just for critical failures, with critical successes being jackpots! There will be some math involved with calculating winnings, and you will have to actually win the chips required in order to gain the prizes via games of chance. What would a casino event be without a bit of gambling?

Additionally, Aster, Eligos, and Efrain will be around and available for conversation, but you will not be able to fight them at this time. No weapons will be accessible at the Black Stag Casino, and a mild bit of mind control prevents guests from using other forms of violence that even Neil's charms are not capable of overriding. The only ones who are fully immune to this are Alice Dyer and Samama Khalid, who are both noncombatants anyway. You are, however, free to talk as much shit as you'd like!

Attempting to exit the casino is entirely possible, but not advisable, as you'll be met with a long and grueling journey through an endless woods full of increasingly violent predators and thick fog. Conveniently, however, once you turn back, you'll find the path very easily traversed and the lodge only a minute or two's walk away, even if you've been travelling through the woods for hours.

You do need to eat and sleep as you normally would while at the casino. If you die during the event, you die in real life you wake up back in your hotel room. There is no official opt-out for this event, but you are only required to participate in elements you feel comfortable with.

LODGING:

All of the hotel rooms are the absolute pinnacle of luxury, done up in Aster's colors and style and come in a number of standard hotel floorplans, such as two queen or single king. Each room can house one to four guests which players can decide for themselves how they'd like to arrange. As long as there are 4 guests maximum to a room, and all players are okay with assignments, anything goes! Have fun! There can be as many rooms as are needed, so don't feel bad about taking a room for just one or two people.

Additionally, on the second floor there are VIP suites that are reserved for Aster and his special guests. The first two are reserved for people chosen by Dahlia, including Dahlia herself. The third is for Alice and Sam, as Aster continues to give special treatment to Alice after the gala. The others are for Aster, Eligos, and Efrain, with room for one guest if they choose one. ;) These are the only VIP suites available. The rest of the second floor is a handwaved amount of rooms for the guest villains.

Sign up for rooms here! Feel free to add as many rooms as necessary by simply copying the format from a prior room, but ONLY on the first floor!

THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME:

For the game called "PREY," the premise is simple. A Pumpkin Hollow resident playing the role of "prey" will be paired with a reasonably evenly matched "predator" of Aster's choosing. If the predator kills the prey, the prey loses. If the prey kills, incapacitates, or meaningfully escapes the predator, the prey wins. If the prey wins, they are given a substantial amount of chips, including a flat prize and a cut of the house's earnings on bets made against them. Easy, right? Except that the playing field is modified to the predator's specifications, giving them home court advantage.

"Predators" will be played by players, and anyone is welcome to sign up to play one via our guest villain claim, which has all the rules for signing up. If you want to claim a villain, you absolutely must have that character submitted by no later than October 25th, the day before the event drops. Same goes for if you want to change characters or drop a villain. Please do not sign up if you don't feel that you can complete at least one AC-length thread with your villain. Guest villains are also allowed to, but not required to, hang out in the lodge for the duration of the event, but will return to where they come from at the event's end unless other arrangements are made ICly!

Also, we strongly recommend you make use of the Villain's Lounge test drive meme to voice test your villain before bringing them into the game. There are several toplevels already up to tag into! I know that I personally would very much like an opportunity to test drive my own guest villain before the event launches.

Lastly, PCs will be able to bet on matchups of PREY with their chips! Bet on your friends! Bet against your enemies! Bet against your friends if you want, o ye of little faith. ;P And have fun!

More information on Black Stag Casino will be available when the event launches! Sorry that it's still a bit skeletal, but that means we have the opportunity to take suggestions! Feel free to make some below.

CURRENT METAPLOT
Last month, Dahlia's heritage as the daughter of Prince Aster and the Pine Devil was revealed to the entire population of the island. Even if you didn't attend her birthday gala, this has been the topic on everyone's lips. The Ocularum also had a meeting to swap information about this and decide how to proceed. Additionally, the thread is still in progress, but ICly Prince Mendel died on the night of the party, leaving the demonic hierarchy down one Prince. One of Mendel's demons, Blanche, was also killed in the kerfuffle and had her powers absorbed by Siebren de Kuiper. Only the demon noble named Seemingly remains at large from the Court of Fools.

Also, Elsie received an interesting letter from her father from beyond the barrier--- who informs her that he is an Archfey and a fairy king! It turns out that Elsie is a half-fae princess and the daughter of King Olwylder, who also let her know that her mother is not dead, but a sleeping dryad housed in the tree she calls home. Who knows how this will affect the future of the island!

This month will focus on player plots! Check out CitrusQuest, led by our own Sid! Additionally, Neil and Mulcahy will be investigating the Crystallizer of Dreams, an item owned by Calloway that seems to be what gives him the power to fetch items from other worlds, and Dr. Coldwood now has an assistant team that might be able to help him make some interesting discoveries!












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WALTZ OF THE HARLEQUIN



ACT ONE: MAKE AN ENTRANCE
{ CONTENT WARNINGS: None }


SCENE: Leeds Estate Ballroom, night. Music can be heard from a small string band in the corner. Enter PARTYGOERS, stage right.

The estate is beautifully decorated, as it always is, in vivid blues against dark wood. Flowers made from blue and golden silk adorn the walls and furniture. Candles burn in tasteful centerpieces on the round dining tables. Delicious-looking foods can be seen on the serving tables, ready to be claimed and devoured. A member of DAHLIA’S diligent staff tends an ornate bar near the door and dancers in fine clothes twirl on the dance floor to upbeat string music.

DAHLIA can be seen in the center of the room, wearing a golden gown embroidered with roses and surrounded by her ENTOURAGE, which consists of DAISY, LAIOS, RADAR, and JEFF. All of them wear the colors of House Leeds---- blue and gold. She welcomes the PARTYGOERS warmly.


DAHLIA, going for an appropriate greeting for the person she is speaking to--- a handshake, a hug, a kiss on the cheek.

Welcome. So glad you could make it. You look ravishing. Please help yourself to something to eat, and enjoy your night.

It is a beautiful night. Formal only in appearances, the energy of the Gala is casual and light, if not a bit decadent. All seems well.



ACT TWO: ALL IS REVEALED
{ CONTENT WARNINGS: rotten food, blood, forced body transformation, unreality. }


SCENE: Leeds Estate Ballroom, one hour later. The party is well underway. When the grandfather clock chimes, it sounds strange and distorted.

The sound immediately draws the attention of DAHLIA, who grows concerned. The sour chiming continues. In the center of the ballroom, a plume of sickly yellow smog bursts as if from a smoke bomb, flooding the room and causing PARTYGOERS to stagger and cough. When it fades, the environment has changed.

Enter MENDEL, from the smoke burst.

The decor in the space has changed drastically. Where once the space was deep, cool browns and shades of blue accented with gold, it is now filled with ruddy browns, jaundiced yellows, plummy purples, and searing reds. The bundles of silk flowers are replaced with bouquets of decaying fishing nets, bloody gauze, and rotten fruit which seems to bloom from splitting bruises. Tattered swags in mismatched patterns line the walls, and each PARTYGOER is now in a masquerade mask designed to fit with their outfit.


DAHLIA, lightly panicked.
What are you doing here?

MENDEL, laughing raucously.
Surprise! Oh, I do so hate to cut in, but I simply could not go another year without doing something special for my favorite niece.

He wraps his arms, which look like graying, exposed meat, around DAHLIA.

MENDEL
You see, everyone--- Darling Dahlia here has been lying to you. Her whole life, even! Can you believe it? You see, her father was never Japhet Leeds. The man couldn’t stand her! Jane Leeds was still her mother, oh yes, but her father---

DAHLIA attempts to cut in, but MENDEL grips her tighter, clamping a hand over her mouth as he presents her to the crowd. His claws dig into her arm and her cheek. He continues to snicker as he speaks, and DAHLIA struggles.

MENDEL
Her father is my own baby brother, Prince Aster of the Dark Feast! Isn’t that a funny prank? But I think the joke has overstayed its welcome. It’s time to show your little friends who you really are, isn’t it, princess?

In a swift motion, MENDEL pulls DAHLIA into a twirl, as if dancing, sending her spinning toward the crowd. When it ceases, DAHLIA stands before her gala, changed. Her complexion is blue now, and her hair, raven black. A pair of bat-like wings adorn her back, and a crown of antlers like that of a deer wreath her head.

MENDEL
Ah, no, that’s not quite what I was going for. Let me try again.

With a snap of MENDEL’S fingers, DAHLIA changes again, her body shifting against her will. Her well-kept black locks morph into wiry ashen hair which covers her body. Her face extends into that of a cow-like skull with sharp teeth. Her hands become clawed, and her feet become cloven hooves. Before the crowd now stands THE PINE DEVIL.

MENDEL
There’s our birthday girl!

THE PINE DEVIL (DAHLIA) attempts to lunge at MENDEL, but with another snap of his fingers, his streamers and swags lash out at her like vines and lash her tightly.

MENDEL
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some catching up to do with my darling niece. And you all have a party to enjoy! I leave you in the care of my talented assistants.


He starts to turn away, but then holds up a finger to shake and turns back.

Oh, one more thing, I almost forgot. I’ve left all of you some party favors in those masks. Have fun!

MENDEL grabs a bound and helpless DAHLIA and disappears once more in another plume of smoke.

Enter BLANCHE and SEEMINGLY (GLEE MASK), opposite sides of the stage. The pair of them meet eyes, and pantomime tugging on an invisible rope in opposite directions, and suddenly the ballroom expands as if unrolled like a scroll, becoming a sprawling labyrinth of tiny ballrooms, winding corridors, and secret alcoves. The PARTYGOERS are separated from one another. At the same time, the magic in their masks activates, inflicting one of the following curses:

  • Leaky Bucket: deprives the party goer of their short-term memory. They know who they are, and why they're here insofar as understanding it's Dahlia's birthday gala, but all new information tends to leave their mind after a few minutes. (Think Dory from Finding Nemo.)

  • Amnesiac's Lament: deprives the individual of long-term memory. All new information is retained, but they have no idea who they are or why they're here. How distressing this is can be at the player's discretion. Perhaps they despair at the memory loss and are trying to find a way to escape the ball, perhaps they don't see anything wrong with their lack of context and are just trying to enjoy this weird party.

  • False Friend: the opposite of Zone of Truth, those with this affliction will be unable to tell the truth and can ONLY tell lies. Any fact from the most mundane to the most complex can only be lied about. Whether or not the person is cognizant of their new habit is the player's choice.

  • The World Revolving: those afflicted suffer frequent bouts of vertigo which makes the space feel as though it is spinning, sometimes very slowly, sometimes very quickly.

  • Dirge of Delusion: this particular curse will cause the mask-wearer to struggle to perceive reality correctly. Objects will appear as other objects, people as different people, rooms as some other place, or even the entire ball as somewhere entirely different. These disorienting visions will come and go at times.

  • Feeling Funny: the wearers of these masks will find that their emotions are completely out of control, sometimes bursting into fits of laughter, tears, or abrupt paranoia, before going completely numb for a while.


All PARTYGOERS will find their masks incapable of being removed. Those with infernal resistance from NEIL or the HOUSE OF CARDS will find their masks are less impactful, but the resistance is imperfect. However, ALICE DYER and SAMAMA KHALID will find that they have absolutely no effect from the masks at all, due to the BOON OF DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY acquired by ALICE.

The party resumes.




ACT THREE: Dance with the Devil
{ CONTENT WARNINGS: rotten food being eaten, imprisonment, impending violence }


SCENE: a distorted Leeds Estate, time unknown. As the party devolves into chaos, a clandestine meeting is arranged to locate the host.


Somewhere in the distorted estate, ALICE locates JEAN. Once she gets the Golden Wolf Mask in their hands, JEAN will be able to remove their current mask to wear the new one, which has a unique effect---- the ability to see the path of MENDEL through its eyes.

JEAN and ALICE, along with anyone they are able to recruit for help, will find MENDEL and DAHLIA on the second floor, which has transformed into a large theater balcony overlooking the party. DAHLIA is caged, and MENDEL seems to be enjoying the view as he eats half-rotten tomatoes as if they are apples.

MENDEL’S assailants choose how to make their approach. When he is destroyed, the party will end.




GRAND FINALE
{ CONTENT WARNINGS: fire }


SCENE: Leeds Estate ballroom, late night. The stage has returned to its prior state, and we are left to the aftermath.


When MENDEL is at last destroyed, the ballroom is restored to its normal size and coloration, as if the events of the night never occurred. Masks fall away, and DAHLIA stands center stage, looking exactly as her friends and neighbors remember her. However, the memory of what has occurred here tonight cannot be wiped away, as evidenced from all the onlookers around her. Are their expressions concerned? Angry? Fearful? Hurt?

Does it matter?


DAHLIA, quietly.
Get out.

There is a moment of stillness and consideration, before she speaks again, louder.

DAHLIA, shouting.
GET. OUT.

As she speaks the second word, a massive burst of blue flame erupts behind her. Glass breaks. Tables topple. DAHLIA’s hair flutters in the force of the blast. She stands stiffly, unafraid as the hot, raging blue flames consume her ballroom, peeling the wallpaper and cracking the wood. She means to chase everyone out, even if it means bringing the room down upon herself.

When everyone is gone, the flames seem to retreat, as if sucked up into their original blast point. DAHLIA, spent, collapses to her knees in the burnt shell of her own birthday party, and sobs.

Blackout. Curtains fall.




After the event ends, Dahlia will be absent from town and her home only open to close CR until further notice. She will not be answering her sending stone or her phone calls.
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~ A Plain Text version of our current TDM for those who have trouble using the newspaper format ~

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