CLOSED | Dylan's 15th Birthday

[codicies]

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

Toplevel Prompts:

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?

Comments

[demigoth]

There are things a thousand times worse than death.

[ Like being trapped in Tartarus for all eternity with no hope of respite and still choosing to sacrifice yourself to save a couple of demigod kids. Nico looks haunted.

He has to force himself to consider what's in front of him and not dwell on things he can't help right now. Nico thinks he knows why the guy wouldn't remember - the spirits in the Fields of Asphodel lose their sense of self. They’re adrift in death as they were in life. It’s not something to tell people. No one wants to hear that they’ll simply exist for eternity. It doesn't trouble them then, no need to trouble them now.

He's increasingly curious about this guy. His sister Hazel remembered her life, and Asphodel, because she was the daughter of Hades. But he doesn't remember his afterlife, and he's pretty spotty on how he returned. ]

Do you even remember who you were? Before you died?

[robintohood]

[Jason sees Nico's haunted look. Whoever he is, he must've been through a lot. He won't comment on that for now though. It's a very personal question to ask and not one most people would freely answer, much less to someone they just met]

Yeah. I still got all of my memories from before I died.

[Including every crowbar hit and the ticking of a bomb]

They're still as clear as they ever were.

[demigoth]

That shouldn’t be possible. Unless - hrm.

[ Nico looks at Jason more closely, not that looks particularly matter. Some demigods look like their godly parents favoured form. Will Solace and Percy Jackson, for example. Others, not so much. Hazel, Bianca and Nico have dark hair like Hades - or just because of their ethnicity.

He’s probably not related. Nico would rather know, because his father’s children were leaders of the Axis powers during World War II. Nico is a kitten compared to them. ]

Who’s your father? Have you met him?

[ He could try to be subtle, but Nico doesn’t care that much. It would take so long to work those questions into a normal conversation, ugh. He wants to eventually rejoin the party writ large.

Yeah, Dylan’s dad’s friend is going to think he’s odd. Nothing new there. ]

[robintohood]

[Jason hadn't expected their conversation go in this direction but he has a suspicion for why Nico's asking after telling him of his experiences with death]

Willis Todd and yeah. He was in and out of my life until one of my city's biggest criminals killed him. He wasn't much of a dad in the first place anyway.

[It's a blunt and maybe cold answer but it's also the truth. Jason's feelings for his biological father aren't the most positive]

[demigoth]

That sucks.

[ What is he supposed to say? He’s come from a world that someone had to save in order to get the gods to simply acknowledge their kids. Nico feels for this Todd person, but absentee parenting doesn’t get talked about much. ]

I don’t know what I was expecting you to say. Guess I’m not used to the whole “worlds” thing, even though I’m at a birthday party for a guy with tentacles.

[robintohood]

[A corner of Jason's lips quirk to try and ease the tension and awkwardness]

To be fair, I don't think you were expecting to meet a formerly dead guy today either.

[demigoth]

It happens in Kansas more than you think. There was another one at the county fair.

[ The kid who was hanging around the fairway. Nico's not sure he caught his name. ]

If you weren't so alive, I'd think you were following me around.

[robintohood]

[Okay, that was not a response he expected]

Yeah, no. I got agency as far as I can tell. Why would I follow you?

[demigoth]

Not you you. Restless spirits.

[ He signs and decides to just - say it. With the other people who are around, including Dylan's crazy dad(s), the worst that can happen is he banishes a realived dude. ]

And they'd follow me because I'm the son of Hades.

[robintohood]

[Huh. That certainly explains some things now]

It figures the Greek gods would have more kids than the stories I heard.

[demigoth]

That… isn’t what I thought you’d say.

[ Nico expected - he doesn’t know what he expected, except that it would’ve stung. ]

[robintohood]

[Calmly]

What did you expect?

[demigoth]

[ Unwarranted judgment and ostracism. Nico is used to it. There's no reason to tell the guy that. ]

Doesn't really matter does it.

[robintohood]

[Jason senses that there's more to it than that but he'll leave it for now]

Nah. Not really. I was just curious.

[demigoth]

Yeah, you don't need to be curious.

[ Nico quickly grabs food at random, a shish kebob and a sausage on a bun, to fulfill the reason that he was here anyway. ]

Curious adults are bad news. Besides, Dylan's crazy dad is probably looking for you.

[robintohood]

["Crazy dad." Jason's assuming Nico means Venom]

Look for me for what?

[demigoth]

For whatever adults do at kids parties?

[ No judgment, Nico just thinks there’s some chaperone activities to occupy the adults. ]

[robintohood]

That'd be drinking and talking about adult stuff and maybe trying not to curse too much.

[demigoth]

Sounds boring.

[ "Talking about adult stuff." Please, he's 15, not 5. You're complaining about how annoying kids are. ]

You think kids don't curse?

[robintohood]

Nah. I was already swearing a lot before I was 10.

[And doing a lot of other stuff kids shouldn't be doing but still]

[demigoth]

Okay.

[ Adults flex about the weirdest stuff, and Nico’s run out of small talk, so it’s time to beat a swift retreat. ]

I’m going to go see what everyone’s doing.