entranceway | [video] Astral Pumpkin

Okay okay okay okay. So I know there's an event coming up and we're all freaking out about it, and it's probably gonna be horrible like usual, but I gotta say this before we get too deep into October. So, you know how Halloween is the best holiday, and October is the best month, and autumn is the best season, and all that? And you know how the best thing about all of those is...

[Dramatic pause.]

Pumpkins, obviously. I was thinking, we definitely need to have a pumpkin chunking competition.

[She grins like a wild person.]

So for the uninitiated, pumpkin chunking is when you build something that can launch things--like a catapult, or a trebuchet, or a giant slingshot, or a cannon, and so on--and then you compete to see how far the thing you built can launch a pumpkin. It's literally the best thing, after Halloween and autumn leaves. Since I figure most people don't really know how to build stuff like that, people could team up. You could have team names and give your pumpkin chunker a name like they do with monster trunks. I mean trucks. The only rules is you can't use anything gas powered--it has to all be mechanical. And you also can't, like, murder people with pumpkins.

And knowing Wonderland, there's probably gonna be some crazy ass shit happening for Halloween, but I figure we can pick a day near then and that's when we have the competition. We can roll out our stuff to the checkerboard hills and launch from there, that way we got wide open space and people won't get hit by flying pumpkins.

[She gives the camera a really eager look.]

Whaddaya guys think?

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Oh yeah, uh, the end of the y-year was super rough.

[Lets casually not think about THAT anymore.]

So, uh, pumpkins! Is the only metric you're scored on how far it goes?? Or do you get points for the design?

Yeah, not gonna lie, I love Christmas but this year I'm not looking forward to it.

[Partially because she won't be with her family, but anyway. No depression right now!]

Hell yeah you get points for design! You get points for distance and style and construction and just basically, like, how rad it all is.

[She seems to consider this for a few, tense moments until she speaks, little hands clasped in front of her snout.]

So would I g-gain or lose points for setting the pumpkin on fire.

You would gain approximately a billion points.

[She grins, like, super wide.]

I am totally gonna make it be on fire.

Live your dreams, Alphys, hell yeah.

Yesssss.

[There is actually scientific merit to letting the pumpkin be on fire, but she won't talk about that just yet. For strategy reasons.]

This is gonna be so cool! So maybe we should plan for, uhm, the weekend b-before Halloween? To be safe?

Yeah, that should be perfect, that's what I was thinking. I'm just a bit worried, cause events tend to happen on the weekends.

Oh, yeah, that's true.

[She taps at her chin a bit.]

I guess we don't have a choice, since Halloween is a Tuesday. Uhm, I doubt Wonderland would do anything day-of if it does something over the weekend though, right? Maybe just plan for the weekend and bump it back if we see a resident make an announcement?

Yeah, that should work, right? The official pumpkin chunkin competition back home is in November, anyway. It's absolutely going to happen come Hell or high water.

Nice!!!

[She's very, very excited.]

I'm gonna get to work, uh, r-right away! Is there a maximum height or anything?

For the machines? Uhhh, I dunno. I figure like, as long as you can't use them as an actual siege weapon against an actual castle, you're good.

I mean, uh, I've never really seen a castle like that?? Asgore's castle was big but even then the, uhm, t-top of the cave was sort of a limitation on it's own... but like, the taller the machine, the further you can throw it, maybe? Unless it's gets too heavy...

I have some c-calculations to make.

I'll be honest, I have no idea how these sort of machines work in terms of like, physics. I'm gonna leave the science up to you.

Actually, that reminds me. Toriel says we should have someone do a safety check on things before the competition so nothing, like, blows up or anything. You're the science genius, so do you think you could do that?

[She can't help but giggle as Mae tells her what Toriel's asking. Oh, Toriel. Of course she's doing that.]

Yeah, I can! I mean, uhm, I-I don't know what kind of standard you're looking for, but I can make sure nobody comes in with, uh, a bomb or something.

Yeah, mostly just explosives and also like, make sure no one's trebuchet is going to...I dunno, come to live and murder people? Or like, collapse and fall on someone, I guess that'd be an issue too.

[She laughs a little bit more, but nods.]

I can see how all of that would be a problem, haha. I'll look into it! I p-promise.

Thanks!