[EVENT] 'Tis the Spooky Season...

[vrdr_mods]

Autumn is drawing on in the Velvet Room and its environs. The days are colder, the nights are crisper, leaves are a riot of colour ready to fall from the trees. And (besides all the pumpkin spice popping up for some reason) that means only one thing: Hallowe'en!

As the season approaches, you may undergo a mysterious transformation. Perhaps you wake up with wings, or hooves, or gills! Or perhaps your transformation will change more, go deeper... perhaps to your very soul. Who can tell? You might wake up as an animal, or a mythological creature. Or as anything at all.

Transformations will reverse on the morning of November 1st. Probably.

In the meantime, Destinyland is celebrating the holiday. Cheerful Jack-o'-Lantern Shadows have set up on street corners, handing out flyers advertising the park's seasonal festivities. In the days leading up to the 31st, Destinyland will host all the usual fun: Hallowe'en games, Trick or Treat for the babies (and the not-so-babey), the Gorb fortune teller, Shadow-run food stalls serving spooky meals and treats, and, of course, the haunted house with its array of friendly, candy-giving Shadows. Or maybe they're not so friendly.

On the night of Hallowe'en itself, there will be a parade at the park and a grand party out in the main square with food, music, and plenty of space, though characters are not obliged to attend. However, if you wish to show off your new form, see what transformations have been wrought on your fellow guests, or simply take the chance to celebrate, it may be a good opportunity...

Who knows? Perhaps you'll even see some special guests.

[ooc: Welcome to our second Halloween event! This post will serve as a mingle for the duration of the event. Feel free to invite friends to play as guest characters, too! There will be a toplevel, and guest characters are simply whisked into the setting to engage in festivities, with a slight ghostly aura. For an example, see the thread here from last year!]

Comments

[gorobo]

It is, at that time, that Falcon appears in the hallway. In his hands are two pumpkins- creepy smiles carved into them. He looks a little... disheveled, but otherwise no worse for the wear. He raises an eyebrow at the strange new Goro, almost asking what he's doing with Renée... but he's quick to realize.

"Well, look what the- dog dragged in," he says, lips quirking just slightly. The mention of Igor drops his mood, but he tries not to show it. At least Igor didn't change him, as promised. "Took you long enough."

Even so, good to see them back.

[herewardbound]

That smile, if nothing else, was a reassurance, a point of familiarity. "It's good to see you, Falcon. Anything major I missed?"

[unfoggedlotus]

Laevateinn? Ren's head tilts. He knows that word...

...Stick?

He jumps up with a bark, wagging his tail, play-bowing! Stick! Stick!

[lilcomputer]

She smelled something that felt similar to her. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. She glanced around, but couldn't see anything with the crowd.

Her ears however caught onto steps that were not in line with anyone else's. Then a howl, and her eyes snaped to it.

Her tail wagged instantly. "Hi hi hi!"

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren scoops the boyfriend up. "A Loki fusion, huh..." He nuzzles into him.

[fogbornphantom]

Oh, Ren. Goro wraps an arm around him, nuzzling back. "I assume you like what you see?"

Hiro scoots closer, wings twitching as he tries to figure out how to fold them. "It does have a certain devilish charm..."

"Says the one who's taken after Helel."

[unfoggedlotus]

"Bark! Boof!" What are you doing out here, small friend? Large friend is here!

[unfoggedlotus]

Yesssss...Ren pants and leans into the scritches. So itchy...scratch em good...his leg starts kicking.

[fogboundcrow]

"...Are you supposed to be Ren?" Joker, rather, but either way, he keeps scratching for now.

[unfoggedlotus]

Ren! That's his name!! "Woof!!" That's him!

[fogboundcrow]

"...Strange. You're unable to speak like this, but most of us can." Either way... have another pat on the head?

[willowandoak]

To this day, Ren is a light sleeper, which is why he wakes up much earlier than usual to the knowledge that something is weird.

The room is dark, but he can see more clearly in it, in a way that he can't quite put into words. It sets him on edge. That's the first thing he notices, staring out into his bedroom, quickly followed by the fact that his head on the pillow feels strange. He lifts his hand—also weird, with long, pointed fingernails—and finds something hard on top of his head. Like bone, almost, or...

Caradoc stirs, deep within his heart. Caradoc with his ram's horns. What Ren is touching doesn't feel like ram's horns; they're too far up his head, and not curved the right way. But once the thought has entered his head, it won't leave.

He kicks off his blankets (his toenails are clawed too, what the fuck?) and stumbles to the bathroom. There, he flicks on the light—and goes still, staring at himself in the mirror.

He's still human-shaped, but large black horns emerge from his head, strangely light for how solid and dense they are, or maybe his neck is just stronger to compensate. His pupils are slitted, like a cat or a lizard, and his eyes have no whites, just solid grey from one side to another. The clawed fingers he knows about already, and—he glances behind him—yes, like he thought, that's a tail, long and black-scaled, poking out of the back of his pajama pants. Mostly what he doesn't expect to see are the scales on his skin.

They're not everywhere, but there are enough of them that it's impossible to miss them. Lines of black scales follow the contours of his cheekbones, arcing up around his eyes and disappearing into his hair. Larger patches swirl like smoke along the backs of his hands and up his arms, and probably form similar patterns beneath his clothes. He tilts his horned head, looking at the scales with his strange new eyes.

He doesn't hate the effect, is the thing. He looks good as a half-dragon. He runs his tongue along his teeth and finds long, sharp canines; he likes those too, very much. But he hates that stuff like this keeps happening. First a child, now this. Igor's favorite fucking hobby is messing with Ren's body.

---

A: would you still love me if i was a wyrm (closed to lakebrat)

Before long, he retreats to his room and picks up his phone. The curved claws make it a little tricky to work his phone, but he manages. The first thing he thinks to do is text Goro, so he does, ignoring the predawn hour.

hey babe
wake up
babe
babe
goro
babe wake up

---

B: raise your hand if you've been personally victimized by igor (open, network)

Later that morning, though perhaps not so late by most standards, a very brief network post goes up.

so is anyone else part mythical creature or

---

C: burn it all down (open)

Listen. Is he happy? Not entirely. Does he wish he could tear Igor apart for fucking with his body again? Yeah, but it turns out Igor is hard to tear up, even with his new shiny claws, and the white-haired attendant guys don't like it when you try. He's just learned that firsthand. But he does look pretty fucking cool, at least, so that's something. And there is one other very significant silver lining.

That is to say, you might encounter Ren out and about in Tokyo, dragonified, opening his mouth and breathing a plume of superheated blue fire onto a sign or a shop display. Or perhaps he's standing at the end of a shopping street, watching a whole series of burning displays with a sharp-toothed grin. It's not enough to make him forgive Igor, but when Igor's not around, he'll admit that the fire thing is fun.

[unfoggedlotus]

Yessssss...he likes headpats...Ren nudges his face into the ground and rolls over. Tummy rubs!!

[fogboundcrow]

Okay. This is getting weirder and weirder. "You're like a giant puppy."

Oh well. He'll give the belly some tentative scratches as well.

burning all down

[lostgemini]

Well, the fire is certainly new.

Having finally made his way out of Destinyland, Kou's eyes watch the burning shops, signs and other street displays as he blows out smoke from his (newly obtained) cigarette. Part of him wonders if this, too, is because of the fucked up Halloween magic.

And it's not hard to spot the culprit either.

Some weird senses he's not used to inside him grumble in response as he looks at the dragon-Ren (or is this one an Akira too?) set fire to the place. Thanks to his newfound fur, the heat is all the worse (Why'd he have to turn into a furry dragon?).

... Can he breathe fire? Kou hasn't actually tried. He takes a look at the smoking stick in his hand. It would certainly be handy for lighting his cigarettes, but...

He shakes his head, takes a drag from his cigarette, his wings twitching subconsciously as he calls out.

"Got you too, huh," he says to his fellow dragon, tail lashing.

[vessel_ken_amada]

"So it doesn't only change your appearance, it also impacts your behavior?"

Ken seems a little horrified.

[fogboundcrow]

"...I've had the urge to climb and jump to high places and a particular taste for fish." Hence the fish still in his hands... paws? Whatever.

[linkclickakira]

Akira heaves as he pulls the other up, judging the suspicion exuding off of him. Makes sense- he's still a newcomer and he's...never seen this form of Goro Akechi before. The black hair and the white stripe vaguely reminds him of how his Akechi mentioned that they should exchange clothing one day and lo and behold- he has his hair. Technically. The white stripe doesn't count.

Judging from his words, he's lived long here. He should be wary of that.

"Don't you just love when you wake up fully dressed for a party?" He couldn't help but sing along in a rather sarcastic way. "Back here...? What do you mean- did you leave?"

His attention is drawn away by another voice as he stiffens and looks at the newcomer. The white hair, yellow eyes and his first thought is that she's pretty before he falls short and realizes that she looks oddly familiar to the people he's seen in the velvet room.

His expression falls for a moment before he forces a smile on his face. "Do you work for Igor?"

[willowandoak]

Ren is already turning to face the newcomer by the time he speaks. His grin doesn't fade, exactly, but it takes on a new, evaluative slant.

"Yep. Though a fluffy dragon is a new one, I won't lie." He examines the new Akechi. The dragon-ness gets in his way some, but he can still make a guess: "We haven't met before, right? You're new?"

It doesn't occur to him that this guy might not be a Goro Akechi.

2.

[linkclickakira]

'did anyone else lose their fucking home because of their transformation or was that just me' should be the real question because wtf

[herewardbound]

"Not this one, and not anymore. I'm as human as you." A beat, as she considered that. "Or as you normally are, I assume."

"It's complicated. But yes, we were here, we left, we came back. Don't... ask me how we did it, it happened largely without our input or consent. I'm Phoenix. I, ah... am usually taller. And significantly more avian."

a. now posted in the right place!!!!!

[willowandoak]

...That sure was something. Huh.

With the fog and the weird music gone, Ren slips his Evoker back into his jeans. But he stays where he is, even as the weirdo Akechi stumbles and almost falls. The fog and the voices may be gone, but Ren hasn't forgotten about them, and he doesn't have an explanation.

"Nice," he says. "Smooth. You okay, dude?"

He's, like... ninety-eight percent sure this isn't Shrike. But no other Akechi dresses like that. Even this guy isn't dressed like Shrike, but he comes closer than most.

[herewardbound]

"Yeah, fine," he grumbled, looking up- and there was something familiar, in his eyes, perhaps- a shade that was just a little too red. "... Huh. A little on the three-foot-long nose for someone going by 'Drake', don't you think?" He tilted his head. "You look good, though."

Another stepped through after him, this one far more familiar.

"Hello, Drake. Happy Halloween, apparently."

A

[undyingcrow]

Of all the things to turn into, it's...

Shadow the Hedgehog, but clad in the Black Mask uniform. Utterly absurd. He's so short now. Almost half his original height. And for what? What is the point of this?

But if that wasn't ridiculous enough, now there is a musical number going all around him. Fine. Whatever. The board mentioned something about musical numbers.

"You get your own orchestra? How lucky."

At least his voice sounds recognizably Akechi.

I'm batty

[linkclickakira]

You would think after having two donuts and a burger in destinyland, Akira would be full for the rest of the night. Alas it seems as if watching the happy shadows and others he doesn't particularly want to interact with right now when his mind is swarming with whispers of...what the fuck is this. He didn't ask for this now, did he? His head is hurting again and its because he doesn't have enough negativity around him- give him a break.

Well whatever it is- he feels it somewhere. His insides gnawing and lurching as the schelera on his eyes turn nearly bright red. With one palm clawing to his chest- he grits his teeth as his expression turns into a frown as the world before him starts growing darker. He notices something gleaming and he's already walking.

He stops as he watches someone talk to a shadow. One step after teh other, he slowly approaches the supposed friendly shadow and he could swear his stomach growing restless at the sight. As soon as the other Ren/Akira (who he doesn't pay attention to) calmly talks to the guy- he's practically striding upto the shadow and digs his fingers into the shadow's supposed shoulder. Its a jack-o-lantern. His nails grow into talons as they dig into the shadow before his voice is suddenly swimming amongst too many- resonating as if more than one individual is talking to the shadow. "He might not be eating you but I will."

The shadow squeals.

"Yes-!" He pretends like he understands what he's saying. "Maybe I will tie you to a firework and set you off into the sky~" He cooes as the tattoos on his face glow and its almost comical with his rose-tinted sunglasses that can't hide the greed in those golden pupils.

====

[ooc: here's his appearance reference. right now he's in his human form]