THE FIRST DAY OF AUTUMN

[masqueradeparty]

[the night passes along, the fairies drink more, and no one is brutally and horrifically sacrificed to the blood altar (disappointing, I know). but after several hours of partying, all guests get shuffled out into the garden. the creepy-looking fairy from earlier waves her hand at some hedges, and the branches open up to reveal an entrance to somewhere else--a large glade surrounded by trees. more lights are strung up between the branches, and there are hundreds of beautiful ribbons strung up among the leaves.

the fairies all enter this glade willingly, and characters will soon know why--the smell of delicious food comes wafting through the new entrance. and that aside, there's someone very familiar standing, perched, on one arm of a large, wooden throne at the far end of the glade. he raises his hands, and the fairies fall silent.

it turns out that the silent guy from the party? not actually mute or anything.]

My friends, I am not one for speeches. I will keep this short.

The time of the Summer Court has ended once more, and once again the Autumn Court will have authority over the land... But it would be foolish to act as though ours will remain as well. Very soon we will feel the grip of Winter and wonder where our days have disappeared to.

That is why I implore you--all of you. Do not dwell on our endings, but on what has been given to you in the present. Let us give thanks for what we have, and work hard to keep it close to us while we still have the time. It is not how long we linger that will define us. It is what we accomplish in the time allowed to us that gives us meaning.

[that's all very dramatic and deep and whatnot, but not the tone he wants to end with. he takes a seat on his throne, crossing one leg over the other.]

As such, it's high time we celebrate. Let's kick this thing off with a bang.

[there's an uproar of cheering started somewhere near the edge that spreads through the group like wildfire, and soon--it's a party again.

it's the last post of the event, so have fun!]

Comments

THE FOOD CORNER

[masqueradeparty]

[oooh, and what a food it is! tables piled high with meats and berries and fruits and breads and candies and cakes and everything you could ever possibly be hungry for right now. fairy wine is in even greater supply here. take a seat on the grass, chat with your friends, or maybe someone you've never met before! watch the dancers or listen to the singers, whatever makes you happy. everyone who eats the food will start to feel like this is all going really nice, you know? maybe you're normally more reserved, but for some reason, this just feels like a time to enjoy yourselves and talk to your friends.]

[polar]

[FINALLY!!!!]

[save_the_souls]

[Yep while Allen wasn't around much during the dancing thing, he sure is here for this. He's sitting at a table, nomming away at anything not meat and seeming VERY happy. This is so why he came guys. At least he's still wearing his outfit and mask so you can pretend not to know him]

[billiardsplz]

[yessssssssss]

[fishy_go_byebye]

[Del had spent the entire week watching as the castle grew, settled on her stomach beside it with the ethereal patience of her kind - time was so very ephemeral to her, just a fluctuating passage.

But this. This was a party. And she joined it with a vengeance, pouring herself into dancing and eating with the energy and veracity of a child.]

[signedlefthanded]

[She's taken a small portion, picking really. But there's a small smile the more she eats. Everyone does seem in high spirits, and it is lovely out. Why not?]

THE DRUNK CORNER

[masqueradeparty]

[you're drunk. admit it. you're totally drunk.

or maybe you're just kind of drunk, and found your way over here to see what all the ruckus is about. or maybe you're not drunk at all, but are trying to keep your way-too-drunk friend out of trouble. whatever it is, it's a party over here! dancing! chugging contests! the fairy equivalent of beer pong! how did this even happen? I told you, man. fairy wine is a hell of a drug.]

[hairflyingheartpounding]

[After a bit more wine following her moments with Garry, Rapunzel's not at her best, but she's just giggling it off as she tries to dance. She's not getting very far, though, and eventually makes a spectacular job of stumbling to the ground.]

[i_got_this]

[This isn't a proper drunk corner without South, who's set herself up a little beer pong table and is declaring herself king of that until someone outs her from her throne.]

[lord_wizard]

[After concluding his talk with the host of the party, Felix has settled onto a bench at one side of the garden and is drunkenly putting on something of a light show with his witchlights.]

[songsandstories]

[She hadn't had much, untrusting as she was. But she has yet to eat or drink in days, and none have dropped dead, right?

So this is Alayne with a cup already down and smiling like she has not in some time.]

[20thcentury]

[Whoops, this is a place Jenny belongs in. She is particularly soused, a glass of fairy wine in each hand, a little unsteady on her feet.]

[huntersdaughter]

[Jo... should not have been drinking so much of the Fairy Wine, but she is really glad to be outside. Also, there's food, but she's lost Chase and is trying to find him. All this fancy dress and she's lost her boyfriend.

She bumps into someone and laughs a bit.]

Well... well, you -- you are not my boyfriend.

THE UNSURE CORNER

[masqueradeparty]

[okay, so maybe you're still not buying this whole thing. maybe you're still suspicious. maybe you're just really antisocial. but whatever the deal is, this is the corner for everyone not joining in on the festivities.]

[wilder]

[I CLAIM THIS CORNER IN THE NAME OF ZELOS WILDER]

[Yeah he had his fill of socializing during the party part and he's not really that hungry, so he's over here in that corner. Being you know, forever unsure]

[ladywinter]

[PEOPLE FROM WESTEROS ARE ALLERGIC TO JOY.

Catelyn at least seems to have decided that no one is going to knife her or her children in the back, so she's a little more relaxed. But she's still not about to get drunk around a bunch of people she doesn't know. Really, you all.]

[workaphilic]

[Well, this is boring now. Can he go home? No? Well, balls. Guess he's just going to have to sulk in the corner and silently judge everyone.

TURN THE PARTY AROUND, HE WANTS TO GET OFF.]

[masqueradeparty]

[meanwhile, under the shade of some trees, two fairies seem to be having a conversation. one half is very hard to hear, given that she's whispering.]

I don't know... I still think it was a bit much.

[silvertree]

[ It wasn't like Celeborn to linger amongst crowds or parties in general. In truth, the Elvenlord would rather spend most of his days in solitude while reading a good book. However, Celeborn wasn't presented with much options when his dearest wife invited him to join her at the ball. The two walked in together but soon his dearest queen wandered off within the crowd to meet with friends and acquaintances alike. These sort of lavish parties better suit his Ñoldor betrothed than himself. A truth that has always remained with Celeborn since his days as the Prince of Doriath.

Joining the other wallflowers beside an adjacent wall, a dapper gentleman sporting a long black cloak embellished by an assortment of colorful etching could be seen idly sipping a glass of wine. He wore a matching mask, one that was lightly decorated with bronze painted figurines in the shape of winged griffins. While his current attire was quite unusual for him, Celeborn couldn't exactly hide his Elven attributes from view. Those pointed ears of his draw just as much attention as his mask, and his long silver hair certainly speaks of his elven heritage quite loudly. ]

[cheerupemoborg]

[Just mildly glaring. At everything.

Shit's gonna hit the fan soon, he knows it!]

[heliotroping]

[this child is not a social butterfly

not even a social caterpillar

he's like

a bunch of eggs stuck to a branch]

[is0latedthinker]

[Alan's positive that drinking anything here is a bad idea, so he's sticking with a bit of bread as he watches the festivities. He just had to ride this one out.

If he's lucky he'll at least recognize someone he knows.]

THE KING'S CORNER

[masqueradeparty]

[the Autumn King now sits on his throne, looking quite pleased with himself and watching this party unfold. you may talk to him if you wish, just be polite about it--his troll guards look like they could rip a guy's head off with their bare hands.]

[hairflyingheartpounding]

Um... Your Highness? May I ask you something?

WAKE UP! (after the party)

[masqueradeparty]

[...good morning! the party's over.

what? wait, what?

where are you? out on the front lawn, covered with morning dew. you're still in your fancy clothes, but at least you're normal-sized again. the fairy castle seems to have completely disappeared, but it probably wasn't a mass hallucination... after all, a fairy ring is still present in the grass where the tiny castle used to be.

...man.

no more fairy wine for you, buddy.]

[inafadingcrown]

[Wait, what?

She's pretty damn sure she didn't drink that much. This would be Galadriel trying to rise from the grass, dust herself off, and maintain what is left of her dignity. Obviously, you have to spoil this.]