InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Have I taught you nothing? "

Madison Valley Mod (madisonmod) wrote in madisonvalley,
@ 2019-10-05 05:29:00

Entry tags:

!log, !open, kenny mccormick (mysterion), qrow branwen (ablackcrow), ~2019 october, ~40 points, ~~amaar rashid (imam), ~~ariel (losthervoice), ~~caitlin snow (notuptight), ~~cassandra railly (cassandrarailly), ~~clary fairchild (giftwithmarks), ~~dream (thedreamking), ~~elsa (anicyblast), ~~john wick (johnwick), ~~johnny storm (mrsensitivity), ~~lucas friar (lucasfriar), ~~lydia martin (drawntodeath), ~~mazikeen smith (ofthelilim), ~~nancy gama (demonvessel), ~~ruby rose (silver_eyes), ~~setsuna meioh (soldieroftime), ~~shawn hunter (mistercory), ~~violet parr (violetparr)

WHO Everyone! Especially our October Birthdays (Allison, Klaus & Vanya Hargreeves, Cassandra Railly, Layla Siddiqui, Emily Fornell, Eleanor Fitz-Simmons, Qrow Branwen, Chris Halliwell, Violet Parr, Nancy Gama, Jesse McCree, Jean Grey, Setsuna Meioh, Ruby Rose, Shuri and Shawn Hunter)
WHAT October Birthday OTA
WHEN Sunday, October 6th (forward dated)
WHERE The Old Market On Main
WARNINGS Hopefully none! Kick a mod if it needs to be updated
STATUS OPEN | Party Post

With the weather turning a bit cooler, the birthday party took place at the Old Market on Main. There was quite a lot of various comfortable seating strewn about, with lots of games and activities for everyone to partake in. There were various tables set up filled to the brim with all sorts of foods, including some home favorites from all the birthday guests.

Off to one side of the room, there was a pumpkin carving and decorating station, where older kids and adults could carve pumpkins of various sizes with all sorts of stencils and tools. The younger ones - or anyone else, really - could choose to paint or otherwise decorate smaller sized pumpkins with googly eyes, glitter, markers, felt, stickers, and assorted other craft choices.

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Violet Parr & John Wick

johnwick
2019-10-14 05:28 am UTC (link)

Art was something John had little first-hand experience at making though he had a healthy appreciation for it as an observer.

"I got black because it won't show stains as badly. I love a gi for physical training since they move well and aren't very hot. By hot I mean they don't cause excessive sweating. Obviously that was what I meant."

John sat down abruptly in order to try to take the focus away from his inability to make sensible conversation. He leafed through a stack of carving designs to occupy his attention. There was no reason to keep staring at Violet when he had a plausible reason to be distracted away from her. It was supposed to be easy. Training her. She was too young for him to have any thoughts of her other than as a mentor.

Except she wasn't too young, was she? Helen had told John he seemed ageless to her. An immortal wandering around in the company of mortals, trying and failing to understand their world while hoping no one noticed him for his otherness.

Holding up a design featuring a wolf baying at the moon, John said, "I think this one speaks to me. I understand his motivations. What do you think? Halloween-themed enough?"

Romani didn't celebrate Halloween in the way traditionally accepted in most of the world. Their people respected the dead more than the living in many ways; costumes were considered an affront to their family line unless they were dressing for a true celebration among their own people. John had never carved a pumpkin in his life. He did feel comfortable enough with a knife to believe he could mimic the design using a stencil. He took his knife out and released the blade, giving it a thorough look before determining it would do for the work he needed on the pumpkin.

"Is this part of the regular season at home for you? Pumpkin carving? Costumes? Candy?"

Violet had grown up in a world where superheroes were not confined to the pages of comic books. What was the holiday like for people who could literally do things which seemed like magic?

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Violet Parr & John Wick

violetparr
2019-10-14 05:51 am UTC (link)

Violet's lips twitched in a bit of amusement when he clarified that the gi was good for training because it wouldn't cause her to sweat insanely. It wasn't exactly possible to look attractive in a unisex karate uniform and even then, it wasn't as if he'd find her attractive. She didn't call attention to any of that though, since it seemed like he realized maybe he hadn't needed to clarify. It mattered more to her that he was going to carve a pumpkin with her.

"I think it's perfect," Vi agreed, unsurprised that he'd been drawn to a pack animal who was predator more often than prey. John was absolutely a predator, dangerous to anyone who threatened him or the people he cared about. She knew she counted in that group because of the time they spent training together, which she appreciated. He was a good friend and if she couldn't have her family with her, she was glad she had him and Death, even Belle.

"It is, yea. Well, when I was a kid anyway. I think I was five or six before my parents let me pick out a costume all on my own instead of doing some group theme thing with them and Dash. We'd go trick or treating around the block and it was always a lot of fun. After we decided to become The Incredibles, it was actually kind of cool because we went as ourselves one year and it was a lot easier to kind of patrol and look after the neighborhood. No one really tried to attack but we did onetime have a super villain who wanted to show everyone their worst nightmares." She shuddered at the memory. "That was definitely not fun at all, I have to say. But overall? Halloween was always fun. I hope people go trick or treating in the apartment building. I want to see all the kids in their costumes," she admitted.

"What about you? Did you celebrate Halloween at all?" Vi honestly didn't expect him to say yes, only because that would have been like a normal childhood and he definitely hadn't had one of those. Maybe she'd suggest they hand out candy together, and they could watch movies with Belle, just nothing too scary. She wasn't a fan of those.

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Violet Parr & John Wick

johnwick
2019-10-14 06:35 am UTC (link)

"I like the idea of you getting a chance to go out as yourself with your family while no one else was the wiser. It seems amusing. Fitting and amusing."

John smiled mostly to himself as he started the process of gutting the pumpkin into the waste bins provided. He didn't mind the mess as he was dressed for a casual day outside. His shirt and jeans were both machine washable; pumpkin had to be much easier to get out than blood which he had more than a little experience with over the years. It was calming to listen to Violet talk, focus on sharing the moment with her, and keep himself from any of his worst memories.

"We didn't celebrate Halloween the way you do, no. We would light candles for our family who had passed. My guardian enjoyed dance so there was always a private recital for us to watch. We were allowed to ask for an item to be on the table for our feast. Feasts are the way my people celebrate basically anything."

No one had ever dressed John up in a costume. He was grateful to have avoided the custom in all honesty as he'd never been much for silliness. His was a serious attitude from birth according to those who raised him. They should know given John was the product of his raising as much as anything else.

Some people raised their children to be good people. Jardani Jovonovich had been raised to be a weapon.

"I always asked for something different. It wasn't because I didn't have a favorite. It was more because I wanted to have a chance to taste as much as possible on every feast day. I've never worn a costume though. That isn't something I regret either. I think I'm too serious for costumes. Do you tend to think of Halloween as 'your' holiday since you were born in October or have you always wanted to celebrate your birthday and Halloween separately?"

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Violet Parr & John Wick

violetparr
2019-10-14 07:40 am UTC (link)

"It was kind of fun. We went without the masks so it wouldn't be super obvious and everyone commented how great our costumes were. We only did it the once so as not to arouse suspicion or anything, but it was definitely worth it. It felt like the coolest thing as a teenager, like we were pulling one over on everyone." Which maybe sounded a little silly, but it was great at the time. She'd done it again in college her first year, in part because she'd been out working and had totally forgotten she'd promised her friend she'd attend the dorm party, so she'd shown up and realized her mistake. She'd just stashed her mask and had a ton of fun.

His traditions were different from her's, but no less good or interesting. Truthfully, she thought a lot of the things that John told her about were interesting. He knew so much about so many things that she felt like there was always something new to learn whenever she talked to him. She just wished she could provide the same kind of consistently interesting nuggets of information. He seemed to like hearing about her family and how she'd grown up.

"Are you going to celebrate this year, do you think?" She would encourage him to, if he seemed on the fence about it. It was a simple, honorable tradition to remember the dead. Considering he'd recently lost his wife, Violet thought it might be beneficial to help him move on while still honoring the memory of his wife.

His question made her smile. It wasn't the first time she was asked that and she knew it wouldn't be the last, either. "My birthday is early enough that they're usually separated. It's October 16th, so I think I got a bit lucky there. I did usually just celebrate in school with the Halloween festivities because the teachers didn't want to have so much candy so often. I didn't mind because my mom went all out with spooky treats and my favorite cupcakes." She'd been lucky in that regard. "I like to celebrate my birthday, but usually just dinner with my family or something. I don't need a big party or anything." It felt a lot more meaningful if it was a small group of people.

"How do you like to celebrate your birthday?" she wondered as she carved into her pumpkin.

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Violet Parr & John Wick

johnwick
2019-10-18 04:25 am UTC (link)

Cleaning his hands on one of the towels provided, John answered, "Driving. I like to drive."

Momentarily, all of his thoughts were taken up by memories of his car; John wondered if he would ever get the opportunity to drive it again. Death was going to be a lot easier for him to come by than a restoration of his Mustang. Some would say John's priorities were all wrong, but those were people who had the luxury of having many things to call 'theirs' when John had only ever had his car and Helen.

"I miss my car."

Violet missed many things in her life. She'd shared more with John than anyone had ever felt free to and yet all he could tell her was he missed his car?

"I don't live the kind of life in which I can accumulate many things. Freedom has always been something of a---construct to me. More an idea than a reality. When I got my car? Driving it? That was the only time I ever remember feeling truly free until I left the life for my marriage. It seems silly. Missing a car. I do though. I miss my car."

All the talking left him feeling exhausted and John returned his focus to tracing the stencil onto the pumpkin with his knife. He knew there were markers for that, but it felt more natural to him to use the blade. It helped he was more familiar with a knife than a marker. John had never been a man who chose the pen over the sword regardless of which was said to be stronger by popular opinion.

He hoped Violet understood he was giving her all he could. Their lives were different. Their priorities were different. John was trying to become more normal, but it was a process. He couldn't speed it up any more than he had managed. Every day was a challenge for him to overcome. John hoped Violet understood he wasn't trying to be withholding with her. He was simply limited in what he had to offer.

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Violet Parr & John Wick

violetparr
2019-10-18 05:42 am UTC (link)

It didn't strike her as odd that John said he missed his car. Nor was she really all that surprised that he liked to go driving for his birthday. Maybe there was something special they could do for his next birthday, though that would probably mean a trip of some kind through the transportation services. It was something to think about so she could suggest it when the time came, if he was looking to do something this year.

"It's not silly," she replied easily as she continued to poke holes along the outline of her design. Though not the most efficient means of working on it, it was the way she was used to. Knives of any sort weren't really her expertise, though she could tell he was much more adept at it. He was much more adept at a lot of things. "I don't think I've ever been in a car that would make me feel the way you're describing. That would be exhilarating." He had a way of making her really able to picture it when he described something, which she appreciated. It made her feel like she was seeing the piece of his life that he was willing to share with her. Violet liked those moments, few as they were.

"You're much better at this than I am," she commented. "Could you help me with the tree branches? They're a bit too close together for me to get it right, I think." Violet hoped he wouldn't mind helping her. He didn't usually, but it didn't hurt to ask.

[ooc: fade/wrap on yours?]

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