Trick or Treat in Dairyland

The moderators at Dairyland created a photography game with a trick-or-treating theme. Here are our entires.

House 1: Colby's Cottage
Photograph your doll from the perspective of Colby Jack. This means you should take a picture of your doll from inside your front door, looking down at the doll as it is trick-or-treating. The following elements must also be present in your photo in order for you to receive your treat: One complete doll, wearing a costume; Trick-or-treat bag; Candy

House 2: Log Cabin
Have your doll carve their own Jack-o-Lantern! The following guidelines must be followed in order for you to receive your treat: Post at least three photos total, showing your doll with the pumpkin before, during and after the carving process. (It is not necessary to get your doll messy!) Must use a real pumpkin (any size or type) Any type of carving is okay

House 3: Farmhouse
Have your doll write a letter to The Great Pumpkin, mentioning three wishes they'd like to have granted. Post their letter in this thread.

Dear Great Pumpkin,

It always gets me what people will deny, even when it's right in front of them. Like Santa Claus, or oni. I bet if people knew what I was, they'd try to deny that I existed too! Obviously I know you exist and only go to the pumpkin patches of the most sincere little boys and girls. I think this patch here would be a good one for you to visit - the kids in this group of trick or treaters are pretty sincere about the things they do.

I wish sometimes I had the power to make everyone believe in things like you and me, but Daddy says giving a teenager that kind of power would be dangerous. I have no idea what he's talking about. I mean look at his family - they weren't exactly teenagers 2500 years ago, but look how they behaved. Starting wars over who was the prettiest, feeding each other's children to monsters... What could I possibly do that would be worse than all of that?

Honestly, you'd think the daughter of a god and a lunar princess would have more power than I do, but alas you'd be wrong. I still have wishes I could have granted, I mean, I wish Mikael would notice me. Yes, he's an archangel and I'm just a nymph, but my mom was a lunar princess and some called Daddy a king in some of the places he was worshiped. That ought to count for something.

No wait, I wish I had tickets to the upcoming 30 Seconds to Mars show, I love! Jared Leto, even though he's way too old for me right now, I'm immortal so he could do worse than to get together with me. I might even be able to slow down that aging thing for him so we can be together.

Really though, I wish I had a bigger allowance, then I could buy the tickets - and because that last electric storm zotzed my Ipod and Daddy won't replace it until I save my allowance - who ever heard of a daughter of a god having a mortal allowance! He said something about not taking proper magical precautions and how most girls my age don't have unlimited allowances but I've seen those shows on TV about the sweet sixteen parties, so I know there are girls who are bigger princesses than I am.

Always,
Sapphira

Dear Great Pumpkin,

I feel extremely foolish for doing this, but, as a kitsune who is over a thousand years old, I am quite aware of how there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt up in philosophies, and on the rare chance that there might be some affect, I am sending you this missive.

I wish that I do not get roped into any more of Ophelia's little games.

I wish that this whole demons and angels and other such beings all convening around this one point doesn't implode.

And I wish especially for much candy and general luck and goodness to Plum, for her kindness to all who have found themselves on her doorstep.

~Rin

House 4: Treehouse
Photograph your doll bobbing for apples! The following guidelines must be followed in order for you to receive your treat: You do NOT need to get your doll wet! Water is not a requirement. At least one real apple must be in the photo.

House 5: Duplex
You must perform at least one of the tasks below in order to receive your treat at the Duplex.
JuJu's Skeleton Task: Have your doll make a list of ten of their "Skeletons in the Closet" (secrets)! Post the list in this thread.
BonBon's Witch Task: Have your doll write a recipe for a witch's potion! Recipes must have a title and at least ten ingredients, plus instructions for brewing the potion. Post the recipe in this thread.

10 Skeletons in the closet
1. I know about Daddy�s affair with the dryad.
2. And the one with the swallowtail butterfly.
3. I don�t have nearly as much power as I would like to have.
4. I don�t have nearly as much power as I pretend I have.
5. Sometimes, I get insecure about being so petite.
6. I think Mikael�s kinda interesting.
7. I like older guys.
8. I look up to my parents.
9. I�m glad they aren�t living together� and glad I�m at a boarding school.
10. The north pole sounds exciting, but it�s really not.

Victoria�s Love Potion (As �borrowed� by Sapphira)
Half a cup fermented honey
A dash of sassafras
A good strong black tea � like Assam, not like a Darjeeling.
A touch of tyme
A drop of vanilla
Mix the tea and honey together, and boil gently for 1 minute, then let tea seep for 5 minutes. Stir in dry ingredients (sassafras, tyme) and stir 3 times clockwise, and then once counter clockwise. Finish with the drop of vanilla. Light a candle, then drink the tea slowly while the candle burns.

1. 1-lb ground beef
2. Bread crumbs
3. Minced garlic
4. 1-lb bag of baby carrots
5. Potatoes
6. 1 can of tomato soup
7. Water
8. Onions
9. Celery
10. 1 package of Washington Seasoning
11. Ground pepper
Roll ground beef with minced garlic and bread crumbs into meatballs.
Peel and chop potatoes.
Add can of tomato soup and water in a pot. Mix in the Washington seasoning packet.
Add carrots, meatballs, potatoes, onions, and celery.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally so it doesn't stick. (Cackling is highly encouraged when stirring)
Turn down heat and cover, for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, grind with a mortar and pestle the ground pepper.
Mix in ground pepper to taste.
Goes very well with bread, particularly the fresh-baked kind.

House 6: Fancy Mansion
Photograph your doll surrounded by its favorite candy! The following elements must be present in your photo in order for you to receive your treat: One complete doll, wearing a costume; Trick-or-treat bag; At least 5 pieces of real candy

Bonus House: Spooky House
Finish the story! Tell us what you think happened to Luna, Milky and friends in the Spooky House. Then, photograph your doll as though it is in the Spooky House, reacting to what happened! The following guidelines must be followed in order for you to receive your treat: Your story ending must have at least three sentences. At least one photo of your doll must accompany your story ending. Use your imagination!

Sapphira jumped and Noelle did her best cat impression trying to look large and fierce. Victoria turned towards the closet in the room with an arched brow. "Really?" She asked, "You resort to banging and such to scare us away? When half of these children are Touched in one way or another? Show yourself before I make you."

A sulky voice answered, "You shouldn't be able to come in here. I didn't invite you."

Victoria grinned, her teeth momentarily flashing despite the darkness of the room, lit as it was only by their flashlights. "That only works for the living."

"Figures." Sulking, a shimmery form finally appeared. A teenaged ghost, he didn't look very scary, not pouting as he was.

Sapphira grinned when she saw him. He was cute. "Oh! Hi there."

The ghost perhaps looked a little less sulky. "Hi."

"You did a good job scaring us! Did it take much energy? Where do you draw power from?"

So far as 'monsters' went, a cute teenaged ghost didn't rate very high on the scary scale so far as Sapphira was concerned. After all, her family was linked to all the various Greek monsters, never mind the horrific types of ghosts common in Japan. On the interesting scale however... he ranked much higher... And he apparently (once he got over the Vampire not being scared of him) was as intrigued by meeting a group that included a demon, a couple fairies, and other sorts of magical creatures... Soon the entire group was sitting around chatting about their various types of magic while trading candies and having a grand time.

Photographs: Akiko Meigetsu, Li Izumi