1st Annual Halloween Block Party!

[iam_senpai]

Perhaps it's the leaves of fiery golds and oranges drifting on the breeze, or the sight of various hard squash being mangled into festive ornaments, or even still the bowls of candy left out simply everywhere in the Nexus that signifies the import of today. Regardless of when you take heed, Halloween has come to the Nexus.

Neat little handmade signs and fliers of all kinds lead to a particularly festive sectioned off block with the Crossroads Cafe at the center. The brick building has more than its fair share of decorations hung from every available windowsill and door. Hanging skeletons, jolly Jack-O-Lanterns, orange and black streamers cascading down and blowing to and fro in the crisp breeze.

The doors are propped open just waiting to beckon you inside. What are you waiting for?

((See the OOC post if you have any questions! Backtagging and threadhopping are fine. Come on in and have a blast :D ))



Coats and Costumes
The Cafe
Bonfire
Dance Floor
Haunted House
Side Halls and Storage

Comments

COATS AND COSTUMES

[iam_senpai]

Just inside the cafe's entryway is a room off to the left for those a bit sensitive to the crisp fall air to hang up their coats and store their change of clothes. Racks and hangars and stands of all sizes have been provided but don't forget to gather your things when you leave!

Along the far wall are several donated costumes underneath a sign. Feel free to borrow! Not everyone has the means to acquire a costume from their homes, after all. Several outfits, hats, masks, and various other accessories are neatly hung up and organized should any party goer need a last minute costume or change of attire for whatever reason that strikes their fancy.

[brother_alone]

When the people start filtering in Josh makes his way for the Borrow-A-Costume corner first to make sure he's on hand to help anyone lacking in festive garb get set up. Also just to be helpful in general as folks trickle in.

Costumes are serious business, after all. And he's gone all out on his Egyptian Pharoh dress.

[smartass_captain]

Jim's lingering by the entrance to the cafe, greeting people as they come in. He's just got his costume on properly and he seems to be waiting for someone. Or looking for someone. Regardless, he's looking a bit less tech heavy dressed the way he is this evening.

[icebearforpresident]

Ice Bear is strangely not near the food tables tonight (he did all his cooking and baking earlier), but instead, is walking in between the different rows of costumes. Earlier in the week, Ice watched his brothers pick out costumes, but saw no reason to do that for himself. The Nexus is no different as Ice really lacks the motivation to dress up.

But, if you're a random Nexus-goer who needs help, the bear will happily help you search for a costume. Or give honest feedback about which one looks best. Don't worry, bears don't bite on Halloween...maybe.

[drehnifusbahi]

Having done this 'Halloween' thing once before, Vanyel has a better grasp on it now, and as such opted to show up in an actual costume this time (don't worry folks, the sword is a prop) rather than just wearing his archmage robes or Dawnguard armor or some such thing.

He spends the earliest part of the night near the entrance and the borrow-a-costume station, taking coats and jackets and, if prompted, offering suggestions for props and even whole costumes.

INSIDE THE CAFE

[iam_senpai]

Seating inside the Crossroads Cafe comes at a bit of a premium, though for those who need the warmth and enclosure of inside there are certainly several tables inside, as well as couches and seating areas all around the bonfire outside the cafe.

The lights have been dimmed for this special occasion and the display cases as well as the counters are laden with foods and treats from all over the Nexus. The far counter has been converted into a bar area for anyone in need of some liquid courage. On one table sits a large table set aside for people to share their own Halloween themed treats should they so choose. For now it's mostly empty, save for a large bowl in the center with a sign reading Candy Exchange Program. There's sure to be something in there you've never seen before if you dig around long enough!

[braveheartclara]

Someone is checking out the cafe while wearing a shark costume, it is none other than one Clara Oswald who's getting herself something to eat and to drop off a big bag of candy at the exchange table. She is quick to look over her shoulder to see where The Doctor got off too, or if he is still inside of the TARDIS tending to his costume.

"I swear if he skips out on this," she mutters, and it was trouble enough to get him to socialize with the Nexus. But she was happy at first to hear he was going to join them. So, she looks back to the food, and she grabs hold of a candy apple with a blue fin. She then tries to do the hard part and that is to eat the damn thing. "Oh, for the love of...!"

She sighs. "Next time, don't let the kids pick out my costume."

[sumarusfinest]

It's incredibly difficult to arrange pastries on a cupcake stand with those prop guns readjusting themselves every time Katsuya leans forward, and the hat is really just impractical.

Still, this is one officer vampire determined to set up as many Halloween themed desserts as the counter will hold.

[shetooktheplanet]

Well, either this is the most authentic Star Fleet costume ever or someone came in his regular clothes. For shame. Someone really ought to chastise him for that.

With a short glass of something amber in one hand and a pumpkin in the other, Bones is looking for a place to begin a little Halloween project. What better way to keep these legendary hands busy than with the quaint tradition of Jack-o-lantern carving?

Eventually, he finds a place of by himself. Leonard is exactly the kind of man who would come to a party and still want to be left mostly alone. He currently sketching something out on the front of his pumpkin.

[technomagical]

For someone from a world where Samhain means setting up candles and elaborate rituals to welcome the dead in an orderly fashion, the Nexus' idea of Halloween is eye-opening. All Leo's done is let himself be stuffed into a simple costume, and now people keep pushing more baked goods and wrapped treats into his hands than he knows what to do with. But once he's tried a few of the treats (...and gotten over the initial strangeness of people partying on a day that for him always meant dead ancestors lecturing him on his studies and the messiness of his hair) and taken in the sights, he starts to enjoy himself.

So naturally, when he sees the Candy Exchange Program, he quickly assumes this is candy people are giving away for free, too. Cue him sticking his hand into the bowl, and grabbing a large handful to stuff into the pocket of his Pikachu costume-hoodie.

[rekindledtitan]

Blaze came well-prepared for this. Back on her Earth, it's the Festival of the Lost right now, and in place of her helm the armored robot has donned some kind of jack o' lantern with three glowing eyes. Her tiny floating companion has made a small effort too, with a tiny knitted unicorn hat tied over his pointy shell.

As threatened, Blaze has a sack of candy slung over one shoulder, which she uses to fill up the exchange bowl; the rest is stashed under the table in case they run short. That done, she nods with satisfaction to Ghost: mission accomplished.

She'll stick around for a little bit, greeting any of their friends who show up... and ready to catch anyone who tries to take some candy without being properly equipped. No mask, no candy. That's the rules. She has spares if they're needed.

[space_gandalf]

The Doctor who came with Clara is dressed as one famous detective complete with pipe and the deer hunter hat. He's got a cane in hand, and he makes a bee line for the Candy Exchange Bowl without reading the sign. He reaches a hand into the bowl, and he lifts a piece of chocolate up and he looks it over.

"With my powers of Sherlockian detection, I deduct that you are a chocolate bar with nuts!" He then proceeds to chuck it over his shoulder. "Blah, I hate nuts." He then ruffles through the bowl again to see if he can find something far more to his liking. "...Ew, jelly! Who is bringing these candies?! Where's the double deckers and chocolate buttons?!" He continues to fling candies that don't meet with his taste over his shoulder with wreckless abandon.

"I'd even be happy with some Jammie Dodgers!"

[bestdadinamestris]

Bowl of candy? Food and treats aplenty? Pumpkins to be carved?

If this isn't the place for Hughes to be, nowhere is.

Striding in with what he considers the best costume ever, the intelligence officer sets up a small bag, with a little sign that says "LOL-free" on it, full of chocolates from his world for people to take from. And if they don't? More candy for him later.

After grabbing a few new pieces of candy he's never seen before (what is this Laffy Taffy stuff?), he sets himself up at a table to enjoy them before he gets to socializing.

((OOC: If your character recognizes Hughes' costume, feel free to call him out on it! :D ))

[morbidmausoleum]

Don't look now, but Morticia Addams appears to be sweeping in - but a closer look shows that no, actually, it's just Dinah, with her hair brushed out as straight as she could make it and wearing more makeup and fewer petticoats than usual.

She even brought her own contribution to the snack table: a tray piled with what look like gingerbread men, decorated to look like voodoo dolls, mummies, vampires, and skeletons. Once she's set the tray safely down, she turns, eyes scanning the crowd, and idly smoothing nonexistent wrinkles out of her velvet skirt.

Then, she takes a breath and steps away from the table to start mingling.

[pathfromdarknesstogrey]

Since having this whole 'Halloween' concept explained to her (at least, enough for her to trawl through the Nexus's holonet information about it), the Nexus's resident exiled and former Sith was intrigued by the whole idea behind it. The spiritual and religious implications were interesting, especially to compare and contrast to other, similar festivals she's heard about on other worlds.

Sadly, the Sith themselves didn't really do anything quite like this, to her knowledge. There were occasional costume parties among the nobility, but as a former Slave, Dia's experience with that sort of thing was limited to maybe all of one or two events in totality.

Still, the whole holiday has since intrigued her enough to participate in it by dressing up as a witch. It's fairly typical, but it's her first Halloween, okay. And let's just say stockings were a Learning Experience, and leave it at that. She's also practical minded, and wears flats instead of heels.

But that almost certainly isn't because she's never worn heels. Nope. Not at all.

Either way, her Lightsaber is still strapped to her belt, although it's split into the two component sabers to make its presence somewhat less obvious.

And finally! She mingles. Social activity is a blessing in this place.

[brother_alone]

Josh will find one of the small empty tables to lead Adia over to before turning to look at the counters laden with food of all kinds. There's a plethora of spooky themed desserts and a buffet style food station set up on the other of the two counters for more savory fare.

"I don't even know what to try first..."

[featheryassbutt]

Castiel is dressed up as Gene Simmons and he is sitting at one of the tables with a pumpkin sitting on it. He is familiar with the tradition, and both Winchester brothers took the time to explain to him the details of the traditions involved here tonight. And he still has no idea why there is this need to dress up in this costume. And he just stares at the uncarved pumpkin, and he picks the knife up in his hand.

"I'm sorry, but I must remove your innards and give you a big smiley face." His voice is deadpan, and he looks to see what other people are doing around him to get an idea on how this is done.

Maybe he can just put the pumpkin with the others as just a pumpkin. It seems like as good an idea as any to Castiel. But it doesn't seem to fit in with the spirit of this particular human holiday.

BONFIRE

[iam_senpai]

Out in front of the cafe in the middle of what is usually the street is a large bonfire in a rather large fire pit. Plenty of tables are set up near the fire, showing off pumpkins carved in all manner of spooks and designs. Seems like folks are welcome to bring their own jack o'lanterns and other festive creations if they so please.

There's plenty of seating on one side of the large fire, though the other side gives way to a large, open area.

[twelve_not_fourteen]

People familiar with the earth hero of the screen, Indiana Jones might have to do a double-take while they’re relaxing at the bonfire. At a glance, it looks suspiciously like the nexus has a new arrival. You can blame that on Joshua Washington. Obsessing over every detail he could control. Tearing the khaki shirt and pants in just the right way to make them ‘screen accurate’. Searching for days to find just the right hat. Even dropping some of his own money into the look when balking was going on over the cost of authenticity.

If you look closely, however, you’ll see hair that’s just a little too shaggy sticking out from under the fedora. A tilt of the chin that comes from someone who feels the need to prove himself a little bit more than a respected professor of archeology might. And anyone who took note of the celluloid images closely enough to remember Indy’s physique would know that … the guy doesn’t quite live up to it.

But, he’s damn close.

Han Solo, is slouching in a chair and watching the flames dance around in the dark. The last time he’d been around a fire like this reminds him of the last time he had been on his home planet – for a holiday that was important to Corellians. He looks like he’s lost in his thoughts, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go say hi.

[zombots]

The nice thing about being an Aug is one can come up with some fantastic costume ideas. And there is Vaclav with a set of custom werewolf arms in place of his standard hands. It took a bit of work to do, and getting used to the new augs but the fur covered hands are impressive looking.

He is even gone as far as to use an animatronic facemask for added effect and tufts of fur that stick out of his flannel shirt. But for now he has got the mouth open, so he can try to enjoy some of the different treats that in and outside of the cafe. But for now, he is going to enjoy a nice bottle of beer.

If only there was more time, Vaclav would have put together something even more awesome but alas, time was not so kind to him. But he is just going to hang out on a bench with his beer in his furry hand, and he's hoping that some of the nice people he's met since his arrival will be here.

[fuego_de_valor]

It's only natural that a fire Pokemon trainer, such as Candela, is attracted to a roaring bonfire. She's actually dressed for the occasion, but the team Valor leader doesn't expect anyone to guess who (or what) she's dressed as. If someone gets it, cool. If not, no big deal.

For now, she's content with drinking some warm apple cider while sitting next to the fire in a cozy camping chair. It might be hard to see, but there's a thin fox-like creature laying next to her, staring deeply into the flames. Neither seem too hard to approach; both trainer and Pokemon seem open to new or familiar company.

[bratan]

As much as it seems that Adam might have a stick lodged up his ass somewhere, he does find sometimes to have a bit of fun. And Halloween was one of those holidays he remembers fondly while growing up. It was also one of those he remembers while doing community relations work with the children of Detroit while he was still a cop.

And while he could have followed suit with Vaclav to do something unique and he opts to go as a Halloween classic, Jason. Well a Jason who just happens to have black polycarbonate arms.

He also did make sure to contribute to the candy donation, but for now he's just going to enjoy the warmth of the bonfire and continue to nurse his beer.

He's sitting there at the fire with both his eye-shields back into his skull, and his eyes exposed and the mask pushed up over his head so he can nurse down a beer. And just once, maybe just once there is a thin smile on his face. And if he is going to make a better effort to break the ice with more people, now is a damn good time for the intimidating looking guy to do it.

DANCE FLOOR

[iam_senpai]

On the far side of the bonfire where usually the outdoor seating goes is a marked off area for a dance floor. The large speakers ensure anyone walking by won't be able to miss the fact that there's a party going on. Several floating lights bathe the area in a golden light altogether separate form the light and heat the bonfire provides.

Music from many different worlds plays continuously throughout the night. It beckons one and all to let loose and enjoy themselves on this night of celebration.

[westfallcorndog]

Alright, alright, alright! A public party, a public excuse for drunkenness! And Harrowheart has already got a head start on that. He's standing around near the edge of the dancing area with a bottle of some kind of golden alcohol in one hand casually taking swigs in between shimmying with passers-by in the hopes they might dance with him.

It seems this year he's dressed as some kind of patriotic superhero complete with overly-tight outfit and... a Texas belt buckle? Yeah, that's something Captain America wears, right? In some universe, maybe...

HAUNTED HOUSE

[iam_senpai]

Past the tables of food, drink, and carvings on display toward the back of the cafe is a narrow staircase leading to the second floor of the brick building. A hand made sign is taped just above the railing with the words 'Haunted House' printed in block lettering with a slight slant.

The stairs creak with every step and the lights get dimmer until by the time you've arrived at the landing of the next floor the warmth and cheer of the bakery below is but a distant memory. A single fluorescent light flickers on and off as it sways from the ceiling. Surely the pair that went ahead of you should be coming back this way, but no footsteps can be heard but your own.

Proceed on if you dare....

((Mood Music))

[ikicklotsafaces]

Hanging just outside the perimeter of the haunted house is the 'Green Ranger'.

Admittedly, it's not the most authentic costume that you'll see at the Halloween party this year, but there's something about this person who is literally covered from head to toe that seems at home in a costume with full coverage. It's probably the comical padded muscles that really make it seem a bit on the cheesy side, but you know what? This young man got so excited to relive this part of his childhood that he couldn't help, but to buy it when he saw it at the costume store.

Miles seems to be content to look around the outside of the place. He might be secretly hoping for a friend, new or old, to travel with him into the scare zone. These things are always more fun with at least one other person.

SIDE HALLS AND STORAGE

[iam_senpai]

Even in a get together this big there's plenty of places out of the public eye for anyone taking the chance at such an event to have a private conversation for business or for pleasure. As long as anyone who takes advantage of such dark corners doesn't make off with the cafe's pantry stores, it's fairly easy to go unnoticed at least until someone else passes by

[chiron_survivor]

The party is a little overwhelming.

Maybe it's because everyone is in costume, making the few familiar faces she might spot unrecognizable. Maybe it's her costume, that of Medusa. She had to settle for a green wig with a few toy snakes peeking out from behind its curls, and she's wearing a simple green dress that she already owned. (Her make-up, by contrast, is impressively detailed, especially around her eyes.)

Maybe she could scare a small child. Maybe.

She'll eventually work up the nerve to see the rest of the party, but for now she's content to stay out of the way.