metalogs | CLOSED | Dylan's 15th Birthday

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CLOSED | Dylan's 15th Birthday

Who: Dylan Brock

codicies, his housemates, and those invited to the party — which is pretty much everyone he's had a positive interaction with.
What: Dylan's 15th birthday party, a bonfire cookout!
When: October 8
Where: Home of Diana Prince in Little Love, KS
Content Warnings: none (but will label things if asked)

Dylan's 15th Birthday Bonfire

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SETUP

(CLOSED to Dylan's housemates & anyone who might have showed up early to help prep)

Setting up for the party beforehand.

FOOD

Autumn has set in. The daytime is cool, the evenings are chilly, and there's a bonfire roaring in one of Diana's fields. Dylan's been prepping food for the party all morning — There's sausages, s'more supplies, and shish kebabs stacked with meat & vegetables. There's even some sweet potatoes! He saw a video on Japanese street food and wanted to try cooking potatoes on the fire in foil.

As for drinks, of course water and soda are available, but he managed to borrow some coffee urns from a kind caterer in town in exchange for a little manual labor. Now he's got a great setup for hot coffee, hot chocolate, AND hot cider all evening!

There's also a VERY large sheet cake for serving later. He'd been offered a brain-shaped cake, but the pictures had been a little too realistic, and he didn't think he (or the guests) would find it all too appetizing.

Though he's a little afraid the brain cake is still coming out, whether he likes it or not, but the sheet cake will be what he uses to blow out the candles, thank you very much.

SWORDPLAY

One of the gifts Dylan received was a real-life sword from Diana! He's been taking lessons from her and is ready to try it out. There's a little clearing a little ways from the bonfire where he's trying it out. If you want, you can come and spar — with Dylan, with Diana, or even with each other. With swords, sticks, or even with fists!! Come join the impromptu Fight Club.

EDIT to add: there are real AND wooden swords available for sparring, as well as wooden & straw dummies to practice on as well!

GAME TIME

There are frisbees, a football, soccer balls, even a ninepin set?? Do you have these games in your world? There's all kinds of fun sports gear available. Or you could grab something at random and start a game of Calvinball.

FIRESIDE

With the daylight fading, the fire becomes the center of activity. As you roast marshmallows or weiners (or grab one of those potatoes out of the fire) everyone huddles around, seated on rocks, stumps or lawn chairs as we all sing songs and tell stories.

Any spooky tales from your homeworld? Any songs you'd like to sing? Dylan had gotten a few guitar lessons from Jaskier before he disappeared, so if you start singing, he'll try to follow along with chords!

FIREWORKS

oh my god who brought those. please don't set any crops on fire. EXTINGUISHERS ON STANDBY.

WILDCARD

Any Standard Bonfire Activities I've forgotten, go ahead and throw them in!

After-Party Sleepover
(CLOSED to Dylan's housemates + Nico, Will, Hunter, Hibiki, and Chris Yukine)

Six teenagers sleeping on couches & air mattresses in the living room, watching movies... what crimes will they commit?

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[Jason makes a small smile to try and reassure Hunter. He can see how anxious Hunter is and how much effort he's putting in with keeping up with appearances for his friends. He's sympathetic]

It's okay. You just caught me by surprise. You didn't offend me.

[Jason's speaking patiently, calmly, and honestly. There was no need to be upset]

Plus, you didn't know and it's far from the biggest offense to make. You're fine.

[Jason spears a sweet potato and begins to hold it over the fire to roast it]

For a lot of humans these days, gathering around a campfire means community and talking to each other. It's supposed to be nice and nothing formal. We tell stories and sometimes doing that while roasting some treats.

[He visibly relaxes.]

Oh. So even though today's a formal occasion, it's more like a friends-hanging-out thing.

[He at least has a concept of that. He'd had lots of casual chats online with his friends, and even with the threat of the Day of Unity looming, he'd had enough time to goof around with Gus and develop a secret handshake.]

[They'd spent some time around a fire then, too, but it was partly for warmth in the caves the students and faculty had hid from the Coven scouts in, or the caverns hiding the resistance. It hadn't occurred to him that maybe it was part of a social experience, too. Bonding around the fire as they tried to build up their courage for what was to come.]

[He imitates Jason, picking up one of the potatoes. It's partly monkey see, monkey do, imitating a nearby adult that seems to know what's going on, but also he'd tried one earlier and it'd been pretty good.]

Back home, we did this when hiding out from the Coven Scouts, but it was also pretty cold in the caves the resistance was hiding in. So it was also just...practical.

[He scratches his chin with his free hand.]

I don't actually know if people back home do it for fun, too.

Edited 2022-10-09 05:30 (UTC)

If people in your world go camping for fun, it's possible they have this custom too or something similar.

[Jason's not sure how similar Hunter's world is to human worlds. Further complicating things is how different Hunter's life apparently was from most people]

Sometimes humans tell scary stories around a campfire for fun but we don't have to do that. They can just be other genres.

I don't know if they do camping for fun back home, either. Maybe?

[Weird, how he doesn't even know stuff people do in his world if it's like...normal-people stuff. Even he can recognize it, the stark contrast between his upbringing and that of his friends.]

Telling stories sounds a lot more fun than the camping I've done.

I've only ever been camping if we had to travel long distances for some kind of mission and stay overnight in the wilderness.

Or during my trials.

Edited 2022-10-09 09:32 (UTC)

What were these trials like? They were for training?

[Jason steels himself. Hunter is young and based on what else Jason knows about him, these trials might've not been the most pleasant experiences]

[He nods.]

You have to undergo training and initiation as a Coven guard.

Witches' duels [That he had to fight in with no magic] mazes with traps, being put on top of a mountain with no supplies and having to survive your way down, that kind of thing.

[He says it very casually, with a shrug, because to him it's still a normal thing.]

[It's not one of the things he sees as horrible, like being a Grimwalker, or the other Golden Guards before him being discarded, or being manipulated by Belos, or sometimes being the recipient of his temper.]

I used to be proud of it. Of being the youngest Coven guard in history. But it was all for nothing.

[The cause he thought he was fighting for was a lie.]

But at least all the skills I gained were useful. To try to stop Belos. And help my friends.

[Jason nods, remaining sympathetic. The mountaintop training in particular alarms him.

As angry as Jason still is towards Bruce, he could at least say the man didn't make his Robin training as extreme as it could've been. There were safety nets in place. Sometimes they were literal]

Getting some good out of something traumatic is a great skill to have. It's not easy to turn it around. Sometimes it takes a long while before you figure out your next move.

[He looks confused.]

The training wasn't really traumatic, it was just...hard.

But I guess if you mean the whole thing...

I'm not sure about figuring out my next move. The most important thing is going home, then getting back to the Boiling Isles, then stopping that...thing that killed Belos and took over.

And then...

[He frowns.]

I'm not sure what I'll do.

But I guess I have lots of time to figure it out.

[Jason nods again. It's a lot for anyone to handle, much less a kid]

You do. It makes a big difference that you got good friends to lean on for support.

[He nods.]

They are good friends. I don't think - I don't think I'd have gotten away from him in time, if it weren't for them.

I'd probably have wound up dead like all the others.

[It's a slip, but still not one that reveals the nature of the past Golden Guards. They could just be past proteges like Robins.]

[He realizes he's said more than he meant to and briefly glances up at Jason and then back to the potato.]

Did you figure it all out yet? Your next move?

[After all, he could still be in the middle of it and just offering kindness to someone a little less farther along.]

[Jason's assuming Hunter was talking about past proteges. The phrasing he used is ambiguous enough to not be suspicious of what Hunter really is.

When Hunter asks Jason about his next move, Jason goes quiet and stares at his roasting potato. He's thinking.

He did talk about getting something good out of something bad just now. He doesn't exactly consider attempting another takeover of the criminal underworld and seeking to kill his murderer "good" in the traditional sense. They're simply necessary actions for the sake of others. Someone has to do the dirty work.

That dirty work are his current and next moves in some sense. On the other hand, even he has to admit they don't exactly fit with the advice he had just given]

I'm still working on it. It's been like that for a while now.

[Jason's well aware that his real activities aren't considered good. They're certainly illegal at the very least]

How long have you been figuring it out?

[If it's a whole process it's a good idea to get a sense of how long it can take. Not as a source of hopelessness but with the understanding that it taking a while is maybe natural.]

[Jason quietly thinks about how to answer that. He doesn't want to get into all of the gory details of the journey he's gone through post-resurrection but he knows Hunter's looking for advice. Jason wants to help. Maybe Hunter will have a better chance than he did]

About five years and counting so far. A lot of it has been spent alone. But you don't have to do that. You have friends and friends are suppose to help and support each other.

[Hunter looks thoughtful.]

You don't have to be alone now.

[It's very soft, because Jason is someone Hunter can see is very self-possessed, very much the type to offer guidance but...]

[Well, he doesn't seem the type that'd ask for help all that easily. Or accept support.]

I just mean... you've been really nice to me. And you don't actually look that much older than I am.

[Or at least the age Hunter thinks he is. Hard to tell with the Grimwalker thing.]

That means you had to be near my age when it first started. You were just like me. Coming away from something bad.

If you're still working on it, maybe it's because you could use some friends, too. And we're both working on similar things at the same time, right?

[A shrug of one shoulder.]

Maybe you can help me get ahead and I can help you catch up a little.

[Jason's guard is dropped further as he surprised and touched by the gesture. They haven't known each other long and there are still details neither of them are willing to share with each other for now. Jason usually doesn't consider himself lonely. He just accepts that what he does and wants to do requires being a loner. It is what it is.

Still, ever since the Confluence dropped him into this version of Earth it's been a strange and not entirely unwelcoming experience to know people in ways that go beyond vigilante work or basic survival.

Jason also feels that Hunter's offer speaks volumes about his character]

That's really kind of you to say, Hunter.

[Jason's been simply trying to help the kid however he can. He sees a bit of himself in Hunter. No kid should have to suffer the way he did and he's not expecting anything in return]

And it doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

[Hunter's logic makes sense, even if it's been years since Jason was used to having this kind of support. Maybe he could give it a shot]

[Hunter beams because he is just doing so well at this making friends thing. Wow, he's just been on a streak since winning over Willow and Gus!]

[And it feels good. Because he doesn't have his unc - doesn't have Belos anymore, who never cared about him in the first place.]

[Worse than wanting to serve his Emperor, he'd also loved Belos so much. He'd been kept isolated so he could love his fake family member with his whole heart, because who else was there to love? If he hadn't started collecting new people to care about, he'd have just feel so empty without new people to focus it on.]

[But now he has Willow and Gus and Luz and Amity. Now he has the flyer derby team. And in this world, he's maybe finding more people to fill the space where all his dedication is supposed to go.]

[Because it is supposed to go somewhere. Someone's meant to be there. Who even is he without being able to be something for someone?]

For what it's worth, I think you're doing pretty well. If you went a long time without friends and are still figuring things out, but are still at a place where you can try to help someone else.

Edited 2022-10-12 04:13 (UTC)

[Hunter continues to surprise Jason. Jason hasn't really thought of himself like that before. His need for vengeance and justice have taken up so much of his time and energy. They still do. He still thinks they're important.

But it's been surprising how much self-reflecting he's had to do since since talking with more people in this world. It's as though the other parts of himself are slowly getting dug up after years of being buried in darkness and rage]

Heh. Hadn't thought of that before. I'm just speaking from what I've witnessed and been through. No one should have to go through the same things I did.

[He looks thoughtful, stares into the fire.]

[Speaks more freely with Jason - someone with a rough background like him - than he probably would with his friends.]

[His friends wouldn't understand. They'd empathize and try to help, but not understand. They all grew up with nice parents. Maybe Blight would get it, but probably only her. (Her mother was a real piece of work.)]

[(It was a rough childhood, right? Just because he lived in a castle and had a measure of prestige, doesn't mean it was okay.)]

[It's not really particularly revealing or anything, but it's honest and that means he's slightly more exposed.]

I think - I think that kind of...thing can make someone not care about other people. Like they learn it's okay to hurt people. Or the right thing to do gets confusing. Still being able to want to help is one way you can tell you're not too far gone.

At least...until you can figure it all out.

[There are good things inside you that can shut off.]

So it's definitely good you can still go "hey, nobody should have to deal with that."

Edited 2022-10-16 10:41 (UTC)

[Though he knows Hunter still has a lot to learn, Jason's finding him thoughtful. He's speaking as someone who's already seen a lot and been through a lot]

You're right. Not everyone can come out of it doing better. Sadly, there are a lot of stories about the cycle just repeating with nothing better to break through it.

[In Jason's case, one could argue some kind of cycle is still continuing. He's a gang leader who's not afraid to use violence. Willis wasn't exactly father of the year and until his death, was always committing some kind of crime. Jason learned early to steal and fight early to survive. It wasn't normal. Most people don't already have mugshots and a juvenile record by the time they're 10.

It's still surprising Bruce didn't throw him to the cops after stealing his tires. If it weren't for Bruce, it would've been easy for Jason to become yet another one of Gotham's hopeless cases]

For me it probably helped that I had someone who tried to teach me how to do good.

[Jason doesn't want to get into all the details about Bruce but he wants Hunter to understand what his path has looked like so far. Hopefully it'll help the kid prepare for what he's in for]

He took me in when I had nothing and for a few years, things were good between us and I was happy. Then something very bad happened and that relationship changed. I was alone again. But I still use what I learned during those years to try and do good in my own way.

[Even if the definition of "good" has become murkier for him]

I never had that.

Someone to actually learn right and wrong from. At least not real right and wrong.

But it helped that the Belos taught me that what we were doing was saving people from wild witches and themselves, by stopping them from hurting themselves with wild magic.

It wasn't true but at least it meant I thought they were worth saving.

[In a twisted way, he'd taught Hunter to have at least something of an ethos and a sense of duty. He just lied about what the real threat was.]

So when I found out the truth, I knew the only thing that really changed was that he was the one that people needed to be saved from.

Edited 2022-10-17 06:13 (UTC)

You got something good out of something bad. Trying to separate what was really wrong and really right was the challenge.

[Jason gets it. Much of his time as Robin is painful to look back at on but he doesn't regret all the training he got out of it]

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CLOSED | Dylan's 15th Birthday

Dylan's 15th Birthday Bonfire

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