[Open] 2 Spooky

[restingstitchface]

WHO: Gotham rogues at Disney. OTA!
WHERE: Magic Kingdom.
WHEN: 31st October, all-day.
WHAT: Gatecrashing a Not-So-Scary Halloween party.
WARNINGS: Gotham.


DAYTIME:


Disney World, Alabama. The express bus, after its four hour early morning drive from Nonah, pulls into the park. Or maybe you caught a ride there some other way, but either way: welcome to the happiest place on Earth.

Despite the change in scenery, it’s much like Disney World in most universes. Resorts, restaurants, parks – the Animal Kingdom, the best zoo you’ve ever been to, Hollywood Studios, that piece of LA in Alabama. The fact Epcot is a fully-functioning city may be a bit different, of course. But the center of it all, the main event: the Magic Kingdom.

Main Street USA welcomes you in, a cutesy testament to nostalgic Americana. In the distance you can see Cinderella’s Castle in the center of the park, its blue and white shining spires piercing the grey October sky. And from there, if you keep wandering, you can find the swampy, action movie cliché that is Adventureland, a step into a fantastical history of the Old West that is Frontierland, and a different re-enactment of American history that is Liberty Square. Or you can go the other direction, into the sci-fi fantastic future of Tomorrowland, or the even more fantastical and princess-filled Fantasyland.

And, of course, no matter where you go there are themed restaurants, gift shops – specialized to the area of the park and the rides nearby, of course, entertainers, and all the actors dressed as your favourite characters (or friends and enemies of yours, if you’re from Kingdom Hearts).

Everything is decked out for Halloween. There are jack-o-lanterns everywhere, including some that resemble a certain Mouse, the animal characters are wearing costumes over their costumes, and it’s one of the few days in the year the park lets people come in costume.

All the guests are excited for imPorts too! If you agreed to photographs and autographs, a park employee will give you a quick run-down of the rules and standards of behaviour, and then you’re free to wander where you like, but you may get stopped by excited tourists who want a picture with a celebrity.

Have fun while you can, imPorts!


AFTERNOON:


Except, no matter where you go, you might encounter workers in their costumes panicking over something they can't quite put their finger on. Meet and Greets will become nice, uninterrupted streams of conversation when a couple of workers can't control their behavior - others won't speak at all, and more will shiver in their fur-lined costumes. Surely there's irony in Gaston fighting people? Not that anyone could blame him; his enemies are invisible and his aggression born from fear. Paramedics will be called to other areas of the park where costumed workers complain of chest pains and shortness of breath. Others, terror-stricken and complaining of nausea, will throw up in bushes or full view of tourists.

Staff who are stressed and overworked because colleagues have "come over funny" will snap at imPorts who bother them with questions. Skillful diplomats will learn it's only happening to those wearing costumes. Investigative imPorts might end up investigating the costumes of those affected and find a lead to tainted detergents. And they all might end up being helped by a certain detective. It only makes sense to co-ordinate their investigation and responses, right?


EVENING:


It doesn’t happen instantly. But as the sun sets in the evening starts, Calendar Man makes his move.

From the roof of the Haunted Mansion rises a hunched, dark figure. Wings unfurl and the demon reveals himself. He seems to cast a shadow. In fact, that shadow seems to spread far beyond his person. Everywhere catches, the park warps. It becomes darker, creepier, more demonic. Buildings seem to become twisted, fires seem to spring up everywhere along the roofs. The rides look like they’re made out of spiders and bones. the wind seems to become wisps of white that form until skeletal ghosts, while shadows seemed to dance around like celebrating devils.

It’s all harmless, but it looks real. And it smells real. The air seems to smell like smoke, and there’s the unmistakable stench of self or and brimstone. Within 10 minutes half the park is transformed, with the haunted mansion and its king of demons rising above all of it.

Tourists are panicking, the workers are scared – it’s obviously not something that was planned. A few civilians may duck into bathrooms and dark corners to reveal homemade costumes and superheroic identities – the resident metahumans are helping people out of the park.

And, costumed and close to his Chernabog, Calendar Man is having the time of his life.

Comments

CALENDAR MAN: daytime ota, evening for peeps who signed up!

[exceptfebruary]

[ During the most of the day, Julian doesn't seem to have a costume. He seems to be enjoying most of the park like any tourist. Maybe he's harmless. But he seems to have a backpack with him, which is unusual. Maybe everything will be fine.

Still, throughout the Magic Kingdom you can find Julian Day lingering or enjoying (citation needed) himself during the day.

In the afternoon, he goes on the Haunted Mansion ride five times in a row, despite the long lines. Maybe a meet him there.

But then one time he doesn't get off the ride. Instead he uses his new powers to change into a skeleton suit, though without the makeup - his already bald head and pale skin do fine -, but over his shoulders is a white, hooded cloak of a wispy fabric. Then he opens his backpack and stuffs all the little gadgets and weaponry he's been working on into his pockets.

He makes his way to the roof, where he finally, finally gets to summon his monster. Chernabog rises from the roof, and as the park transforms, Calendar Man watches eagerly, his cloak waving in the wind. Then he prepares himself for anyone who may interrupt, watching out for anyone who approaches.

If they manage to scale the mansion, even more twisted and haunted looking than it normally looks, and to the top of the tall tower in the center, someone can come to yell at or fight Calendar Man.

When they turn up and before he does anything he has a couple of words to say, which he's been saying to a lot of people all day, which are: ]

Happy Halloween.

daytime

[incogneto]

[ Erik's walking through the haunted mansion alone as his kids wait in a long line for a ride that he has no interest in going on. He's not sure why he chose the haunted house really, but it came up on his skip-the-line pass and he thought, why not? He could go for a walk.

So far, nothing is scary. He almost feels bad, because the workers are trying their best. He just finds all of this so over the top.

But then he sees Julian, and that gives him an excuse to be social instead of attempt to try and be frightened. So he makes his way over. ]

Of course you'd be here. Happy Halloween.

[exceptfebruary]

Happy Halloween.

[ Julian remembers this man. And he himself is just biding his time until the right moment. He's not really that interested in the rides. A conversation is always a welcome distraction.

Plus if he's here now, he might be here later. And then he might be here for the main event. Wouldn't that be lovely? ]

A Halloween celebration at Disney World, which hosts a hunted house? You're right. Here I am. And here are you. Enjoying yourself?

Evening!

[andtherevolution]

What the-?!

[Utena's lounging on a park bench when the park undergoes its transformation. She lurches forward almost immediately, twisting her head as she gapes at the changes, only to pull back when the stench of brimstone hits her nose. What on earth is going on here?! Maybe it's part of some kind of show? She doesn't know how the park would pull it off, but there's all sorts of crazy stuff here, right?

...well, if it is, somebody didn't tell the guests. A single scream is all it takes to let her know that not all is right in the state of Den-er, Disney. She stands up immediately, and while everyone else runs away from the mansion, she dashes towards it. Utena weaves and dodges around the crowd, shouting apologies as she moves forward, trying to get a better look at just what on earth is going on here.]

[helpline]

[ As Utena dashes towards the mansion, who should she run into but the Doctor also running towards the mansion. Spotting Utena, he gives her a grin. ]

Perfect! Glad to see that I'm not the only one who wants to poke around. Shall we?

[ because there is crazy stuff here and it is weird and he wants to figure out what's what. ]

Jacob Taylor | OTA, Haunted Mansion

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

A: During the day

Jacob himself isn't much for amusement parks and giant talking animal costumes. He's here on business. By now, he's savvy enough to recognize that major landmark offering free passes to imPorts on a holiday conveys a certain degree of risk. Better to have a RISE agent hanging around just in case something happens.

That doesn't mean Jacob isn't having any fun, though. He gamely fills out autographs for the local fans, gets mildly creeped out while exploring EPCOT, and spend a fair amount of time shaking his head at Tomorrowland.

"This probably isn't how the future is going to be," he says to whoever is near him. "Trust me, I should know."

B: Post-Chernabog

There are times when Jacob hates being right. This is one of them. He's glad he came along, but not that glad. By the time he's finished changing into his armoured costume and has drawn his pistol, the whole park looks like something straight out of a nightmare.

Jacob doesn't waste time putting out a call on the Network for anyone else who's around. He's going to need all the backup he can get.

A

[sentielemental]

Toro had never gotten to spend much time at Disney World or Disneyland, despite his celebrity status after they were built. So when he had heard they were putting on the big Halloween celebration here just as they had done in his own world, he thought he may as well see what it was like. It may not have been the exact same, but Disney is Disney, right? No bad things happen at Disney.

Tomorrowland is the one place he had wanted to see the most, filling him with the nostalgic memories of old sci-fi paperbacks and Buck Rogers radio hours. He hears the guy next to him speak and turns his head just a bit.

"Ain't that the whole point? It's supposed to be better than the real thing," the corner of his mouth quirks up a bit. "So the real thing didn't turn out that great. Doesn't mean we can enjoy what could have been."

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

Jacob turns his head to look at the younger man, then frowns with his own nostalgia. It's suddenly hitting him again that he's been here for more than two years.

"I'll take real over fake any day," he says, shaking his head. "Doesn't really matter what feels good. Besides, the time I'm from has lots of things that these exhibits haven't even touched on. Did you ever hear of something called an 'omni-tool?'"

He doesn't expect Toro to be familiar with that bit of 22nd century hard-light technology, but he can't be sure- imPorts surprise him all the time.

B

[curada]

Victor had arrived safely at the coach station after the call. The nearby medical staff had been working and he had begun questioning them with incresing frequency; they had fixed their looks upon him for an instant, till he had determined the best direction for getting deeper into this mess.

A murmur of annoyance follows his arrival to where Jacon's bunkered up. His cold eyes seem incapable of expressing anything but disapproval; he sees the figure of the demon towering in the distance and blows out an amount of hot air. Whether his frustration is aimed at these antics or being taken away from his work might be hard to tell.

"Dear me, this is a mess."

[darkpants_warmfeeling]

"You said it." Jacob responds automatically, his gaze fixed on the demon looming in the distance, before he actually turns his head to see who has joined him. "Victor? I didn't know you were here. You okay so far?"

The doctor looks unharmed, but appearances don't mean much right now. Jacob doesn't know whether Calendar Man has actually warped reality, generated some kind of illusion, dosed everyone with hallucinogens, or all three at once. It's Halloween and imPorts are involved, so just about anything's possible.

Lexa | OTA

[annihiliner]

[Apologies to anyone who was looking forward to seeing Lexa in a costume today. She's just walking around in her usual black on black on black, but hey, at least she's out and about and... possibly enjoying herself?

Honestly, the rides and things don't seem to interest her much, but she wanders and curiously takes in the sights and even stops for brief conversation with excited tourists at times. The Animal Kingdom in particular appears to hold a great deal of her attention. It's fascinating, really. None of them have two heads or anything!

(And once evening rolls around and everything starts to go mad, Lexa just does her best to take charge of the crowd around her, ease some of the panic, and get the workers organized to help her get everyone out of the park safely.)]

Hazel Lockwood | open!!

[deadtective]

one;

[as the de facto goddess of Halloween, one might not expect to see Hazel at such a...wholesome location. but what she's gone to great lengths to keep from people is the fact that she absolutely loves both Disney and anything remotely fairytale-like. while she won't put herself in the spotlight and cash in on that free trip, she's over the moon to simply be here at all.

she's even dressed in an appropriately family-friendly outfit, keeping the shock and gore for later tonight when she returns to Heropa. what a sweet young woman to restrain herself so thoughtfully.

that doesn't, however, mean that she's completely behaving herself. if you don't catch Hazel enjoying herself on a ride or stealthily trying to make purchases at the stores without being spotted by people she knows, the odds are pretty good that you'll find her attempting to filch extra Fast Passes off of literally anyone walking by. she's pretty good at it too, judging by the satisfied expression on her face.

better keep an eye on yours if you want to cut the lines on any of the popular attractions. there's no way that Hazel's going to limit herself to three passes at a time.]

two;

[unfortunately, sometime in the afternoon the devilish machinations of certain completely thoughtless imPorts ruin her plans of having a great time at the expense of unsuspecting parkgoers.

as she's passing through Fantasyland not more than five minutes before the Meet and Greet is set to start, Hazel can't help noticing Snow White shivering under the eave of a building. a (reluctant, she'll tell anyone else) inspection results in the actress being guided to the nearest employee bathroom where she begins attempting to retch her entire digestive system up.

it's not very princesslike in the least. but what could be done with so little time between now and when the children will be showing up in hopes of having their favorite girl take a picture with them? well...

it's a real blessing that Hazel is so petite. the dress is several inches too long for her, but the extra fabric only enhances that 'royal' look - and even without time to curl her hair, she pulls off a pretty convincing Snow White. it's easy to explain away her scars thanks to the holiday ("this is my Halloween costume! don't I look scary?") and to be honest, the kids are more interested in asking about her favorite color and what the prince is like than probing interrogations.

surprisingly for her prickly facade, Hazel is absolutely amazing with the children. maybe it's the season, or the fact that she's roughly on the same emotional level as they are, but the results can only be described as magical for anyone who knows her.

she happily gets down on their level to have engaging little conversations, never dismissing any topic as too frivolous. every autograph is accompanied by a little doodle of the child's choice of one of Snow White's woodland friends (dwarves included) and the smiles she flashes in the numerous photographs are never forced.

the best part are the treats she hands out to each visitor, because what kind of Halloween didn't include sweets? the bright red candied apples are given to each child with a very solemn warning: "be careful! the evil queen may try and switch these apples if you don't watch them." the whole thing is painfully adorable.

if you don't happen to catch Hazel entertaining some tiny trick-or-treaters, then she's either swinging her feet from a nearby wall or twirling aimlessly just to see her dress spin back and forth, singing a recognizable tune softly under her breath.

whenever you happen to run into her, it's clear that she's sincerely having the time of her life. how long will that last once she spots a familiar face? the odds aren't that great.]

2

[annihiliner]

[What about an unfamiliar face? But one that maybe stands out a bit, as she's a twenty year old or so standing alone, without friends or family, dressed in black from head to toe and watching the whole thing in a very detached and confused way. You know, like someone who's never seen or even heard of something like this before and is trying to understand what's going on, even slightly??

Yeah, that sort of look.]

[deadtective]

[unfortunately, something like that is hardly peculiar enough to catch Hazel's attention. after a world of supernatural creatures lurking beneath the surface of reality and her own constant feelings of being out of place, a simple lone figure is as remarkable as a park bench.

Lexa gets a wave along with all the other people near her, but after that Hazel's attention is once again on the children in front of her. those autograph books aren't going to sign themselves.]

two

[helpline]

[ Yeah, guess who comes up with some of the tiny trick-or-treaters, hint it's the Doctor. He's technically going as Merlin but the Doctor only put minimal effort into it: he's wearing a long sort of flowy wizard robe that he mostly got because it's COVERED in a star pattern and has been fending off questions from the small children all day. Where's your wizard staff, it's in another dimension, I've got magic sunglasses. Merlin isn't Scottish, how d'you know, you've never met him, shut up and go get your candy.

He's also good with kids. So when one of the little girls that's been dogging his footsteps just calls out "Snow White!!!" and runs over towards Hazel, the Doctor looks up...and then just looks confused for a moment before a wry little smile spreads over his face. Ha ha, there are kids here, you can't do shit, Hazel. ]

Well! I didn't expect to see you here, 'Snow White.'

[ He's not gonna ruin it for the kids after all, even if the Doctor's expression is pure "neener neener neener." ]

[deadtective]

Didn't know they were still letting evil wizards through the front gates. Guess we're even.

[you think that she can't do shit? the soft murder in Hazel's eyes makes it very clear that not only does she not believe that, but she's completely confident in her ability to come out on top here if she so chose. this is possibly the most magical day of her unlife and her shitty grandpa's not going to ruin it!!

nor is Hazel going to ruin this day for any of the little kidlets. that little girl gets a big hug from Snow White without hesitation and the other children receive a cheerful wave as they trot closer.]

Yukyun | Open

[whopperking]

[Somehow, Yukyun got roped into this trip (not that he's protesting) and ended up coming for the day. Disney isn't actually one of the first places he'd think to go on a holiday like Halloween, but apparently Disney sure was expecting a lot of people to think otherwise. The place is decked out. And seeing that it won't be like this again until next year, he decides to stop and snap a few selfies every now and then with the costumed...costumed staff, and some of the scenery too.

Either way- decorations or no decorations- Yukyun's open to going pretty much everywhere, and trying a bit of everything. Animal kingdom, Tomorrowland, giftshops...and basically anything else along the way.

His only "costume" prop is a set of really obviously fake vampire fangs that he doesn't even keep in his mouth the whole time. It's kind of hard to anyway...seeing that they're the cheapo plastic glow in the dark kind of fake fangs that you can probably buy for a dollar, if even. But this is the extent of effort he feels like putting into a costume when he's also going to be out walking all day too.]

[ooc: Feel free to message me if you want to do something else!]

[dumbfound]

[ He's doing a little better than the guy that dragged him here. As much as Junseo wanted to go to Disneyworld, he didn't really want to go in costume. He's dressed in a pretty normal outfit, though that doesn't seem to curb his enthusiasm any. He has never been to a theme park this big, and the entire thing is exciting for him.

Every now and then he darts away from Yukyun to snap his own pictures. It's pretty exciting up until the point that someone dressed as one of the seven dwarves yells at Junseo to get away from him, and he slinks back over to Yukyun with his phone (who uses an actual camera for pictures these days?), looking a big dejected.

He didn't even know that people in character costumes were allowed to tell people no pictures in the first place. ]

[whopperking]

[Ok, Junseo may not literally be a kid...but what kind of costumed man spoils someone's fun on Halloween?? Seriously though, why work in a place like Disney too if you don't think people are going to be asking for a photo every few minutes.

Well...Yukyun doesn't actually know the seven dwarves well enough to know which is which, but one of them is supposedly called "Grumpy", right...so that's as good an excuse for him to think that they're probably being in character. But even if that wasn't the case, he'd probably pursue this further anyway.

When Junsoe slinks back, he pats encouragingly on the back.]

You gotta try a different approach with this guy. Walk up behind him and pretend to photobomb him and I'll take your picture when he least expects it.

[He's not a good influence.]

I HOPE THIS IS OK i just assumed he'd do something ridiculous like this

[valuemeal]

[ There's no way Yukyun is going entirely by himself to Disney World. Or rather, there's no way he could go and Hyunsoo would not go after catching wind of it. Following the other around is what a lapdog Hyunsoo does, even if it means going to Disney. Which might not be a punishment to most people, but when you're practically allergic to ever admitting you're enjoying yourself? It's hell. And Hyunsoo is definitely one of those people who just can't be open about his emotions, even when anyone could read them all over his face.

But since Yukyun went, it means he's here too. More specifically in one of the many giftshops littered throughout the park, having to stand there as Yukyun is putting various headbands on Hyunsoo like he's some kind of oversized huffy mannequin.

An oversized huffy mannequin with Piglet ears on his head thanks to the headband right now. Thanks for giving him a costume that's one level above the fake vampire teeth, Yukyun. Great. ]

I look ridiculous. [ The only person who could grump in the middle of the most magical place on.. Earth? Or whatever weird Earth this is, anyway. But that's definitely him pouting and making the combination with the ears look even more ridiculous. ]

THUMBS UP

[whopperking]

[What's the use of having someone with you, if you can't use them as a mannequin to try things on every now and then? Especially if you're in a place like Disney, where there's no end to things Yukyun can put on the other guy's head.

He stands back for a moment and makes a "picture frame" with his fingers- like he's appraising the headband on Hyunsoo. Hmmm maybe not this one...he'll try swapping it out for some classic mickey mouse ones instead for now.]

You can't walk around this place on halloween with nothing on. You'll embarrass yourself.

[Obviously. Just look at his grade-A costume. He's already fitting in here just fine!

Honestly, it's a wonder he can talk clearly with these things on...although it does sound a bit. Muffled.]

Max Caulfield | OTA

[timecapture]

Daytime:
[During most of the day, Max is happily wandering around the park. She's in costume, naturally, dressed up as the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland. She's never been to Disneyworld, so she's happily taking in the sights - with her camera, and without - as well as enjoying the various rides and attractions.

And naturally, she agreed to photographs. As shy as she is, she's totally up for photo ops. The whole "signing autographs" thing for her is a bit harder, though.

But she also notices the panic growing among some of the employees. She tries to help, when she can, but given that she's not a medical professional, there's not much she can do.]

Nighttime:
[Holy shit. This isn't some Halloween play - something is definitely wrong. The residents are helping out, of course, and Max makes a beeline straight for the castle. She's not going to let this go, and she has a few ideas as to who might be behind it...]

Daytime

[restingstitchface]

[Crane looked disturbingly ordinary sitting on a bench, his eyes glued to his phone. Not especially threatening. Nor was he worrying about all the antics happening around. He gets up to help when he can; he encourages a nervous Belle to sit down, helps her to breathe, changes her focus, and listens without judgment. He asks what has her frightened, and acts like a therapist should.

He doesn't notice Max watching; assuming as anyone would that she was in costume.

What a stupid thought, Max. Being in the park doesn't make him guilty. Don't be so absurd.]

[timecapture]

[Max sees Crane out of the corner of her eye, and although she lets him tend to Belle, her eyes narrow at him. If looks could kill, Crane would be on fire right now.

As soon as she's gone, Max steps up.]

What are you doing here?

Nighttime

[sleight_of_hand]

[ Adachi had been having a shit ton of fun at the park all night long. Of course, he had come in his black robed costume with his Magatsu Izanagi mask, and was actually enjoying being treated like a celebrity and taking pictures with the little kids. It had seriously been the most fun he had had in a long time, and he was pretty sure the only thing that could top it would have been having Dojima or his daughter there. ]

[ Of course that all went to hell in a hand basket as soon as night hit. He found himself staring as the dark figure hovered over everything, feeling flip in his chest. No... what the hell was...!? ]

[ He was distracted by someone running past him toward the castle, and he blinked when he recognized who it was. ]

Max-kun!