Realistic or Modern 𝙸𝚃'𝚂 𝙹𝚄𝚂𝚃 𝙰 𝙱𝚄𝙽𝙲𝙷 𝙾𝙵 𝙷𝙾𝙲𝚄𝚂 𝙿𝙾𝙲𝚄𝚂 !

[deer]

chapter one: the ripple in the water

With wide-eyed gazes, the children huddled closer together, listening intently to the story being told. They shared the warm, wool blanket as their heart raced against their chest, nervousness seeping in their small frame. The children hung onto every word Madam Griselda uttered from her lips despite hearing the story every October.

"And so. . . for 310 years a black cat guards the Sanderson cottage laying in wait for the witches to come back. . . to life! Ah!" Griselda roared, lurching forward, unsuspectedly throwing a ribbon towards a listener in the crowd. A small shriek was heard from the sudden scare before fits of giggles and laughter radiated throughout the park.

The elder woman couldn't help but laugh along with the children and the small crowd that surrounded them who listened to the old wives' tale. Not before long, the elder woman sat back on her wooden, rocking chair near the lamppost as she sighed softly, taking in the breezy, autumn evening.

"Bye, Madam Griselda!"
"See you tomorrow!"

The children's voices came left and right to thank the smiling elder woman as she waved them farewell. She watched as the children stood up from their spot and began playing around the park with each other or ran towards their parents.

Soon, the sun began to slowly set over the horizon and Salem came alive. Decorated string lights and hand-crafted artwork hung above Central Park crossing from one end to the other. Lanterns and floating candles were used for more lighting and lamppost were fashioned with garlands. On the other hand, the big autumn wreath was delicately placed on the fountain. However, the most important landmark in Salem was their big oak tree that stood at the end of Central Park. The big oak remained a place to sit under to enjoy the festivities where picnics and other leisure activities could be held.

Fall and Halloween-themed booths were stationed surrounding Central Park on the outside and will be there throughout October as Salem continued with their festivities. Although the booths weren't ready for visitors yet, the booths were embellished with different Halloween-themed ornaments, trinkets, and styles. One booth made their pumpkin patch for the town to pick-and-choose, having a big open space where wagons and hay were scattered around. Some pumpkins were carved with different designs such as ghosts and spiders while others resembled jack-o-lantern. Another booth held candies, black cat and creepy crawler plushies, and spider-webs while a few other booths managed to stick to other traditional themes such as bones, skeletal figures, and wicked aesthetics. But, as the month continues to progress, other booths would open up and there would be fun-filled games and contest to win for prizes!

As night fell, the small crowd slowly began to grow in size, scattering around Central Park as they waited for the announcement from the mayor. But, without further ado, the mayor appeared, standing upon the podium outside of Town Hall. Central Park was a great place to hold all of the festivities since it was in the middle of town and the Town Hall was due north of the park. Nevertheless, the mayor wasn't in his usual suit-and-tie, but rather, those around him, including his wife and children, were all dressed up in matching costumes!

Dressed in all black with only painted bones showing, the crowd's excitement grew as music blared through the speakers, making a grand entrance for the mayor. The mayor's face was painted as a skull and the crowd felt jitters in their bellies.

"Greetings, Salem! How are you doing? It's the start of another long-waited tradition! After a long year, it's time to relax, unwind, and give in to the scare! One of Salem's most famous event is now open! The Haunted Houses down Hell Avenue is ready for your guilty pleasures! That being said, our annual Haunted House contest will also start today and the winner of the contest will be announced the day after Halloween. Now, let's stop chatting and have a frightful time!"

Once the mayor finished his announcement, the music resumed and the booths opened. Loud cheer and claps echoed as children, teens, and adults alike made their way around to get more supplies at the booths or they headed towards Hell Avenue, south of Central Park.

task list | "do you have what it takes?":

"If you don't know me yet. . . you're going to. Now, it's me, Binx. . . or Clara. I'll be your guide through these chapters. Follow my lead. And please, don't touch the tail . . . moving on. . . let's start, shall we?"
— Setting: Salem [ note: for the sake of the roleplay and creativity, our Salem, Massachusetts is an AU since the set-up of certain locations and areas will not follow the 'actual' set-up of the actual Salem town ]
— Location: Central Park
— Time: "Spooky time!" [ 7PM ] | Breezy Weather
— Task One: Please post your starters | opening post.
— Task Two: Please have at least [ 3 ] interactions with other characters.
— Task Three: The group should gather together and re-acquaint and meet each other in Central Park.
— Goal: At the end of this chapter, the characters must agree to meet again to head to the Sanderson Cottage
— Time limit: TBD [ This scene will change and end depending on us and how we move through this chapter ]
— Note: How the characters decided to go to the Cottage will be up to your characters. [ A dare made by someone to the Unlucky One to make them believe in supernaturals? To challenge each other to go through the most 'haunted' location - the Sanderson Museum? ]
— P.S. There will be no posting order. However, please wait at least [ 2 ] post after you to post again so that there isn't any back and forth interactions that could turn into a one x one. Also, I believe this is understood, but please include everyone!

tags: Cosmo , apolla , Xed , Stardust Galaxy , Pyosimros , Uxie , sox , JayeTheKat , mxlly , erised

codedbycrucially | hidden scroll​