Young Writers Society

Historically, monsters have spent the holidays - or, more specifically, holiday - terrorizing the humans in their local neighborhood. But while this usually gained some level of respect back in the day, the current views in most realities has shifted. Terrorizing humans draws unnecessary attention that can lead to stubborn press, hunters (internet sensations or otherwise) and, perhaps worst of all, a lack of respect.

So monsters have found a new fun and exciting way to enjoy Halloween.

Parties.

There's a decent amount that lead up to Halloween, but today is the biggest and most impressive of all. By some stroke of luck, you've managed to score an invitation. Congratulations! You're in for a horror-filled night of fun. Just come to the abandoned mansion on the corner of the street. You know the one, don't you? If you don't, it's sure to show itself.



( The rules for this roleplay are pretty simple: any nonhuman is invited to attend the party, and you're free to have as many characters in this as you want. Humans with some kind of special ability that's traditionally spooky - like a witch - are also able to take part in the festivities, but you're encouraged to have some more nonhuman characters involved! )

The two stood in the center of the room, eying the party before them.

Or the beginnings of a party, at least - they were the only partygoers to have arrived so far, and she had the unfair advantage of being the host. Still, everything was going to plan.

Any needs were accounted for: a pool for the more aquatic guests, some blood and fresh meat, and, of course, a hearty supply of natural magic for those who had to tap into something that was already there. If something did take her by surprise, she had a plethora of spells at her disposal.

The aesthetic was doing great, too. People often blamed her boss/friend/coworker (?) for their workplace's aesthetic, but anyone who actually spent time there knew who the real culprit. Flying old couches, skeletons in historical costumes, grandfather clocks, and suits of armor littering the numerous tunnels that broke off from the main ballroom set the eerie mood befitting any good Halloween experience. For the fun part of the night, there was the pumpkin disco ball, spooky dance floor, and a juice bar littered with fake little Halloween decorations - eyeballs, little plastic spiders and the occasional little pumpkin.

And, of course, she had summoned an absolutely horrible thunderstorm outside, so it really did feel cozy hanging out by the roaring fire in the brick fireplace.

She spun around to face her best friend, a little skip to her step as she thought about all of the fun that they were going to have this night. It had been awhile since she had last hosted one of these - she couldn't even remember what year at this point.

She found him nervously fiddling with one of his cuffs.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He studied his suit.

"...I'm not sure I belong at this party," he quietly said. She frowned at his comment, head tilting just enough for her hat to start slipping off.

(A quick spell fixed it to its rightful place.)

"Of course you do!" she reassured him. "It's my party this year, and I invited you - and you fit the criteria, too."

He looked unconvinced. "...I don't think I do."

"I fit the criteria," she pointed out.

He shook his head.

"You're different," he hesitantly argued. "You're more like them than I'll ever be."

The frown deepened, only to be replaced by a big grin.

"Then we'll just have to find you a reaper to chat with, then!" she said. She grabbed onto his arm and gave it a tight, reassuring squeeze. "Let's hit up the juice bar - I managed to convince an awesome bartender for tonight, so I'm sure we'll find something you like, Toby!"

"...Please don't call me that."

She started dragging him over to the juice bar. "I thought you liked that name," she said.

He shook his head. "...I like Tobias better right now."

She mulled it over. "It does fit you more," she agreed, "and it works really well when you add it with our boss-"

She suddenly skid to a stop.

"I almost forgot!" she exclaimed, spinning around to face him again. "He might be coming to the party tonight - I hope he does. He hasn't gotten out much lately, and he definitely needs it."

She looked him over.

"...You both need it," she amended.

He didn't argue with that.

She didn't mean to sneak up on them, but the pair at the juice bar seemed distracted when she came in. They were having a conversation of their own which she, against her greater instincts, ignored.

She took the moments before she was noticed to look over the party. Relief flooded her when she saw the pool, but no such emotion showed on her face. Her dried out, aching skin could wait a few more minutes. Regardless, it was nice to know she'd be able to escape the constraints of gravity and the sheer amount of oxygen in the air momentarily.

She peeled her eyes away from the water and gave the rest of the party a passing glance. It wasn't bad. Perhaps not as good as some of the celebrations thrown by her cousins in the east, but, for obvious reasons, cliffdiving wasn't exactly an option here, and neither were any of the associated forms of entertainment.

The pair looked human, so she put on a closed-lipped smile in an imitation of the ever so human gesture of happiness and good faith. It was strange, really, baring one's teeth as a sign of good faith, but it wasn't her place to judge. That wasn't to say she didn't, just that it wasn't her place.

She clasped her hands before her and finally spoke up, "Hello."

...He almost felt bad for the guest when Kate turned her attention to the woman. Kate's heterochromatic eyes lit up the moment she got a good look at the guest, and a smile began to spread across her face. Part of him wondered what exactly she was, but he didn't bother to check. It wasn't important right now, and he didn't want to cause potential conflict.

"Hello!" Kate cheerfully exclaimed, giving an excited little wave. "I'm Kate, and this is Tobias-"

She paused, leaned in a little closer, and studied the woman's neck.

"Are those gills?" she asked, eyes lighting up even more. He moved to pull her back a little, but she wasn't budging. "Oh. I get it - you're one of the mer, aren't you? I hope you like the pool. Let me know what you think of the water quality when you get in it - I'm not sure if it's good enough, but I have some spells on hand that can help with that."

She blinked and took a startled step back. Kate was...something. Marciella kept her polite smile and dipped her head respectfully, "It is a pleasure to meet you," she said, "I am Lady Marciella Filis of Freyellot. Yes, I am mer, and I'm sure that the pool will be acceptable." Perhaps she was being too formal. This was supposed to be a party, and neither of the two presumed hosts had bothered with such things.

She blushed slightly, realizing that, yes, by all logic she should have been a little more casual, and dismissed herself.

She sat at the pool's edge for a moment and tested the water first with her hand - if the water contained something damaging her feet weren't worth risking. She should just grow another hand, a foot or corresponding fin? Not so much - and dubbed it safe to enter. The moment she was submerged, the flesh of her legs knitted together and extended into her fins. She switched back to her gills for a moment, just long enough to clear her head after a long day of breathing the thin, oxygen-rich air of the surface before swimming back up. It was rude, after all, to remain at the bottom of the pool when your hosts, and likely the other guests, were land-dwelling.

Tep had been quite surprised when they had received an invitation. Normally they weren't invited to this type of event; they always managed to frighten those who could see that which is normally invisible. Not that they minded; they were quite proud of the fact that they were still as terrifying as they were long ago, even to fellow monsters and mages.

So of course they would join the party.

Top walked through the doors, looking around curiously. They noted the severe lack of people who had shown up. Unfortunate, really. However, that meant they could be a bit more gluttonous than they usually were with the natural magic; it had been a while since they had seen such a large quantity of the stuff.

They noticed the mer, then the two at the juice bar. They figured they'd have a better chance finding the host by approaching the two at the bar, so they approached the two. Their movements were abnormally stiff, and they had impeccable posture. Their eyes were seemed rather vacant, however.

When they spoke, their mouth did not move, and the artificially smooth voice came from somewhere above. "Hello there. I'm assuming one of you is the host?"

While Kate eagerly took a step forward and stuck out a hand, Tobias lingered behind - studying the newcomer with interest. He had never been shown the list of invitees. Kate had said she would eventually, but they both forgot to do it with work. Tobias didn't like to cause trouble, and wasn't going to look at the newcomer's soul. But he was going to try making a guess or two on what exactly the newcomer was.

"That would be me," Kate said, giving a grin. "I'm Kate, and this is my best friend Tobias - Lady Marciella Filis of Freyellot is the mer over in the pool."

There was a soft hum from above, and they shook Kate's hand. The handshake, just like most of their movements thus far, was stiff.

"Hello Kate, hello Tobias," they replied. "A pleasure to meet you both. And I must thank you for the invite; it's been a while since I've come to one of these.

"You're welcome," she said, the grin growing a little bigger. "It's been awhile since I hosted one, so I wanted to invite everyone I possibly could!"

She glanced around the room.

"Right now there's barely anyone here, but more people should be coming soon," she added.

Rowenna opened the door and walked in, eying everyone carefully. She was surprised when she got the invitation, but very excited. For the most part, she kept to herself, rarely leaving the castle. She was very curious about who and what she would meet. She was shy, so she had absolutely no intention of walking up and introducing herself. There was already a small group at the bar.

Baba the Scarecrow child did not come through the door. They may not have even been invited. They simply erupted from a dusty trapdoor under the rug, and wriggled out underneath it. Or tried to. Someone was standing on top. Baba bumped into them a few more times before they finally escaped, and found themself looking up at a pale vampire woman, covered in lace.

“Hiya!” said Baba. “Sorry to bump into ya. I’m Baba. Is this the party?”

________

Bettie the demon pop idol stepped out of her shiny black limo, and was struck by a bolt of lightning. She caught the bolt in her hand, and smiled at her palm, her eyelids never lifting from their contented droop. She stuffed it in her mouth. It crackled and fizzled in her cheeks. She burped. Her hand shot up to cover her mouth. She looked left. She looked right. She sighed in relief, and chuckled.

Bettie walked to the door with a queenly strut, and entered as though she were on film from five angles.

"Hello hello, my dears," she said, to the hosts, to the guests, to anyone who was listening to her, "Lovely to be here. Thank you."

Bettie twirled around to survey the room, charmed, but not too charmed.

"Love the decor, these skeletons are so sweet, wouldn't you agree, Guy? -Guy?"

Bettie noticed that she was alone, and frowned. She poked her head back out the door. "GUY!" She snapped.

Her date, who had been texting languidly in the limo, sighed up the steps, and into the room. He didn't really sigh, but he looked like one.

Guy Lyner, angel-demon hybrid, frontman of a glam emo band, lover of excessive spikes and buckles, meekly approached the hosts.

"Sup." he said, his voice unexpectedly quiet for someone who dressed so loudly. "Yeah, this place is pretty neat." He'd said it to be polite, but when he did take a moment to take in the surroundings, it was a genuine smile that softened his gloomy face. This was exactly his kind of haunt.

The two couldn't look more different standing next to each other. Bettie was pink, and Guy was grey. Her eyelids drooped with sultry playfulness, his drooped with melancholy. They weren't even really dating. But they did share a fondness for tight clothing and heavy eyeliner. That was enough.