# The Bell Tree Spooktacular: Closing Ceremony



## Justin (Nov 1, 2015)

After three long weeks, the 2015 TBT Spooktacular has finally come to an end! We tried something a bit different this year as this is the first time actual contests have been held for Halloween. And with three new collectibles, a creative costume contest, and a fun simple guessing event, we had something for everyone this year.

As part of the closing ceremony for this event, here's the third and final part to our Halloween story this year written by Tina:




Spoiler: Part One (October 10th)



The nights had grown colder as autumn crept in. Rain batters against your window so violently you fear it might break, and the wind howls through the trees. You lie awake in bed, the blanket pulled up to your nose, attempting to count sheep for what feels like the umpteenth time this night. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

Goosebumps prickle your skin. You strain your ears, trying to identify the sound, but you hear nothing over the rain beating against the window pane. After a few moments you sigh and roll over, restarting your count. 

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

That sound again. You push back the covers and are at once hit by a rush of cold air. Rubbing your biceps through your pyjama shirt as you walk, you make your way over to a wooden door. You stop there a moment, simply staring. 

_KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK._

You jump back a step, the sound becoming more desperate. Peering through the peephole, you see a cat. In the flickering light from your porch you can see her golden fur is matted and soaked. She’s holding something in her hand, but it’s thrashing back and forth so fast you can’t quite make out what it is. 

Unlocking the door, you pull it slightly ajar and peek out. When her eyes meet yours relief at once seems to wash over her. 

“Please, help me!” She is waving what appears to be a spatula. “My daughter has gone missing!” 

You quickly pull open the door and usher her inside. The rain cascades off her body like a waterfall and begins to pool on the floor around both your feet. She attempts to wipe her face on her green apron, smearing her lipstick a little in the process. You lead her over to the sofa before going to boil some tea.

“It’s my little girl, Katie,” she begins, “we took a trip to the park that borders The Woods this evening. I took my eye off her for only a second and then she was gone! The Woods have taken her!”

She’s trembling, her spatula cutting through the air as if it has a life of its own. 

“You’re the only one who can help! Please, I beg you, save my daughter before The Woods and its spirits take her soul!”

The Woods are the epitome of danger - everyone knows that. It was drilled into your head as a tot — by parents, teachers, authorities — to never step foot in The Woods. People rarely talked about it. Rumour had it the air was cursed, so heavy with toxins that if you were to so much as breathe it in then it would curse you too. Spirits lurked in the shadows, waiting for the next lost, na?ve villager who had the misfortune of stumbling into their midst. Stories circulated, passed down through the generations, becoming so convoluted over time that it was hard to tell what parts were truth and what was merely exaggeration. 

You sit back and sigh.

 The kettle whistles. Your escape card. You conceal your expression as you turn away from her, not wanting her to see your face. You mull over her request as you pour the tea. Hardly anyone who went into The Woods came out alive. But if you didn’t go then what horrors could befall that kitten? 

You hand Kaitlin a teacup and saucer, and then head straight for the coat tree and haul on your jacket. 

“Wait! You mustn’t go into The Woods unprepared! There are a few things you’re going to need.” 

Kaitlin sets down her teacup and scurries over to you. She taps lightly at your sleeve with her spatula. 

“First things first, *you’re going to need a disguise.* Something that will let you sneak past the spirits of The Woods unnoticed. If you don’t they’ll surely spot you. And when they do…” she shivers. 

You look down at yourself, not sure what kind of disguise Kaitlin is envisioning. You begin to take off your coat. 

“Secondly, *you’re going to need a totem.*”  Kaitlin glances around the room. “Something that you can look at that will keep your thoughts sharp. The fog that shrouds The Woods will steal anything - even your mind.”

Tossing your jacket on the sofa, you give the room a once over. You’ve no idea what Kaitlin is now searching for in your kitchen. 

“And lastly, *you’re going to need some sweets.*” She pulls a jar out of your cupboard, presenting it to you. 

“For Katie?” 

She shakes her head. 

“It’s rumoured that Jack, the Czar of Halloween, lurks in The Woods in anticipation of October 31st. On that night he emerges, taking candy from those rich in treats and tricking those who aren’t.” She sets the candy jar down with a loud thunk on the coffee table. “Make sure you’ve plenty prepared.” 

*“Please, save my naughty kitten!”*





Spoiler: Part Two (October 30th)



You stand on the edge of The Woods, shivering in your werewolf disguise, staring into the darkness. Ahead of you, the trees bend and thrash in the storm - at constant threat of being uprooted by the next gust of wind. 

Taking a deep breath, you make that first step across the threshold. At once your gaze drops to the lantern clutched in your hand. The candle inside is shielded from the harsh wind, but still you can’t help but fear that the spirits will find a way to snuff out the flame. 

Branches crunch underfoot as you creep through The Woods. You keep your lips tightly sealed, attempting to keep your breathing level, not that anyone would ever be able to detect your presence over the roar of the wind. 

What was that? You dare to look back over your shoulder. No one is there, but still your blood runs cold. Every direction looks the same. Is it even possible to get out of The Woods yourself before dawn comes, never mind with a lost kitten in tow?

You curse, losing your footing on the leaves. 

The world is turning upside down. 

You tumble in the dark. Thorns pierce your side as you roll downhill through a seemingly endless  cluster of bramble. A loud splash and water fills your mouth, your nose, your ears. You flail in the water, struggling to push yourself up onto your knees. Your costume clings to your frame like a second skin, chilling you down to the bone. 

You take off your mask and toss it aside, gasping for air. You take a moment to catch your breath before beginning to fumble around in the water for your lantern. When you feel it’s metal handle under the water you tug, only to discover the candle has gone out. You let it drop back into the water and begin to stand. 

Freeze. You drop back down into the stream. Facing away from you, you see someone ahead of you. He has a large bulbous head and his body is draped in a purple robe. You fail to keep a little squeak from escaping your throat at the sight of it. 

The creature turns around. 

You pull out a voodoo doll and hold it up high in front of you, waving it like a stake. 

“What have you got there, pumpkin?” 

“I—I—”

You lose all control of speech as the creature comes forth and snatches the doll from your hands. 

“Is this a trick or a treat?” He tugs at one of the doll’s arms. “It’s a curious looking thing, isn’t it?” 

You rise to your feet. “A-Are you Czar of Halloween?” 

“You can call me Jack,” he says. He still continues to fumble with the doll, pulling at a piece of loose string and watching as the doll’s side begins to unravel. 

“I brought you something.” You reach into your damp bag and produce the jar of candy Kaitlin had found in your kitchen. 

He drops the doll in the mud and hurries forward, swiping the jar. Twisting open the lid, he reaches inside and rakes his hand through the colourful wrappers, picking up a handful of sweets and then watching as they fall through his gloved fingers. 

“This is good, very good,” he says, “you may pass.” 

A light shines from within his head, his features glowing in a way that should be menacing - but you find it somehow comforting. You progress deeper into the The Woods, attempting to ignore Jack cackling behind you.



*Part Three*

As you progress deeper into The Woods a thick fog begins to seep through the trees. You can’t see more than a few feet in front of you, barely feeling the rough bark of the tree trunks before you walk right into them. 

With no lantern to guide your way, and Jack’s glow a distant memory, you’re lost in a maze - trapped by the winding trees. 

A creak and a shudder. The sky is collapsing inward. You barely scramble out of the way before a tree plummets into the dirt, the ground trembling underfoot as you’re coated in a spray of mud. 

Looking around you realise you have no idea where you came from, and no idea where you are going. Heaving a sigh, you sit down in the soil by the fallen tree and wipe the dirt off your face. Sludge seeps through your already destroyed costume yet you can’t do anything more than grimace. 

Why did you accept this impossible challenge? If you can’t face this storm how on earth was a little kitten meant to be able to conquer the elements and protect herself from the territorial spirits. You lean back against the trunk, resting your head against it and staring up into the sky. Not a single star, nor the moon, could ever shine bright enough to pierce through this horrendous fog. 

You close your eyes. Your heart rate is off the charts and you begin to try and level your breathing. As you exhale your stomach begins to rumble. It’s been hours since you’ve eaten. You reach into your rucksack and pull out the only thing remaining: a small plastic tupperware container in which Kaitlin had packed two pumpkin cupcakes: Katie’s favourite treat. 

A tremor. A crash. A distant scream. 

Your ears prick and at once you’re shoving the box back into your bag and hauling it over your shoulder, stumbling in your haste to get moving. Your footsteps are like thunder, loud and heavy, slapping hard into puddles and splashing water up the insides of your legs. 

Another quake, stronger now. A boom as a tree nearby hits the earth.

You follow the sound, darting between the trees and jumping the overgrowth, your palms beating off the trees as you try and find a clear path between them. Ooof! A dull pain echoes across your stomach, knocking the wind out of you. You fall forward, kissing the ground, your arms sprawled in front of you and your knees knocking against something hard. 

Your fingers comb the grass, unsure what this mound of earth is. But then you hear it - muffled heavy breathing that is not your own. You take a tentative step back and press your hands against the dirt wall, feeling your way down until you feel a natural alcove. Your fingers trace it’s curved border as you crouch, hearing the sound become louder now. 

Slowly reaching inside you feel something moving, soft. Then a scream tears through your throat as a sharp twinge of pain spreads up your finger. You draw your hand back fast. Another scream comes back at you, higher in pitch. 

A small body darts out of the alcove, brushing your side, before taking off between the trees. No time to waste, you’re on your feet and chasing the silhouette.  

“Katie, is that you? Katie!” 

Barely visible now in the fog, you see the shape come to a halt. 

“How?” A pause to choke back a sob. “How do you know my name?” 

You stop running and instead kneel down in the soil. You take off your bag, dropping it down beside you. 

“Your mother sent me to find you,” you say, “she also sent me something to give you.”

Katie doesn’t say anything. Her sniffles are barely audible over the wind, but you can still hear them. 

You pull the tupperware container out of your bag again. “Pumpkin cupcakes. They’re your favourite, right?” 

In the dark you can see her ears twitch. Then a twig snaps. Her appearance becomes clearer as she walks toward you, taking small steps. 

You open the container and take the cakes out, holding them out to her. She hesitates a moment, before coming closer. She plucks both the cakes from your hands, inspects them, then hands one back. 

“You eat one too,” she says. 

She’s waiting, her eyes on you. You peel off the paper and bite into the sweet, soft sponge. She follows suite. 

As you sit there with Katie, watching her munch on her cake, it occurs to you that your vision is a little clearer now. While the fog still persists, the sky is lightening to grey in wake of the rising sun. 

“Let’s go home, Katie.” 

Her paw slips into your damp hand and you begin to lead her away, now able to faintly see a trail of your own footsteps in the mud. You follow them home, swerving through the trees, only finding difficulty when you reach the bramble bushes you fell through earlier in the night. 

As you approach the end of The Woods sunlight begins to pierce through the trees. Someone is waving in the distance. You can hear their voice, but the words are muffled, inaudible. You grip Katie’s paw a little tighter as you approach. 

Stepping over the threshold of The Woods, your vision warps and then clears. Kaitlin jumping for joy ahead of you, running forward and wrapping her arms around her kitten. 

“You’re safe!” Kaitlin’s almost sobbing as Katie nuzzles into her chest. 

They remain on the grass, wrapped up in their moment, for several minutes before Kaitlin seems to remember you’re there. She releases Katie and approaches you. “Thank you for saving my naughty kitten.”


Next, here's the winners of the Deceitful Disguise contest:






*First Place by Miharu with 81 votes*





*Second Place by PandaNikita with 48 votes*





*Third Place by Jake. with 46 votes*





*Below are the other top entries which were nominated into the poll but did not place in the top three:*


Spoiler: The Other Finalists



*Truffle*





*DaCoSim*





*Cadbberry*





*Lily.*





*aleshapie*





*pandapples*






*Find even more entries that didn't make the poll by checking out the Share Your Entries thread here!*​

And as a recap, the winners of the 'Spell'ectibles Creation contest and the Sugar Stash Counting contest:






In *First Place*, from *Laudine*, is the 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*Pumpkin Cupcake*





 collectible! We can never have too many cakes in the Shop!

In *Second Place*, from *Debra*, is the 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*Ancient Candle*





 collectible! What a perfect fit with the classic Ancient Lantern!

And in *Third Place*, from *Zandy*, is the 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


*Voodoo Doll*





  collectible! It's a Weird Doll's best friend!









Spoiler: Dark Candy Winners



p e p p e r





Spoiler: Green Candy Winners



Sej
stargate
Jacob_lawall
Moose716
Jake.
Lily.
BlueCheeseMonkey
Slammint
Blizzard
Uly
aleonhart
King Dad
TheCreeperHugz
Buddy
Lily.
happinessdelight
p e p p e r
ANC
Campy
Haydenn
ime_rbs
Rhea
KawaiiLotus
PrayingMantis10
kikotoot
lencurryboy
Botari1999
Reese
Zandy
Cyberint
3dsatackman





Spoiler: Blue Candy Winners



toadsworthy
Rasumii
spamurai
fink
TheCreeperHugz
Flyffel
Libra
Gracelia
DoubleR
TheAhPoCawdOh
Witch
Snowfell
pandapples
Blizzard
mother of all llamas


​
*Finally, please take our ending survey for this event right here to help us guide future events.* Thanks for participating in Halloween this year and we hope you had a blast! Look forward to Christmas soon!


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## Heyden (Nov 1, 2015)

This event was really fun, thanks for preparing everything, and everyone else :3
Can't wait for the Christmas Event!
 can we have voodoo dolls wearing reindeer antlers and santa hats?


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## Jacob (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats Miharu, PandaNikita, and Jake.! 

Fun event!


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## pandapples (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats to the winners! And thanks to all who voted/said nice things about my Reese it was really sweet and made me really happy


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## Laudine (Nov 1, 2015)

Thank you very much for holding the event, it was extremely fun  Congrats to the winners, I love all the costumes!

Definitely so pumped for the Christmas event now!


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## Dinosaurz (Nov 1, 2015)

OMG YES MORE

- - - Post Merge - - -

I did thei survey for you guys


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## roseflower (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats to the winners and thank you, it?s been a lot of fun


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## PandaNikita (Nov 1, 2015)

Thank you for nominating me to the finals and getting to second place everyone! This event was absolutely amazing and congratulations to everyone with their spooktacular entries!! Thank you to all the admins and mods for making this happen! It was fun : D

Jake. you sneaky ******* but you're a genius 8D


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## Dinosaurz (Nov 1, 2015)

I didn't like this Halloween for
1: It's too soon after Fire Festival which was like exactly the same thing
2: No big event in my opinion. Woulda loved a hidden hunt or anything.


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## PandaNikita (Nov 1, 2015)

Slammint said:


> I didn't like this Halloween for
> 1: It's too soon after Fire Festival which was like exactly the same thing
> 2: No big event in my opinion. Woulda loved a hidden hunt or anything.


Even if you didn't like it many others enjoyed this event and had a great time such as myself : )


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## Dinosaurz (Nov 1, 2015)

PandaNikita said:


> Even if you didn't like it many others enjoyed this event and had a great time such as myself : )



I was just stating as in the survey I couldn't put both the reasons...
I just thought it was a bit of a letdown xD
But yeah I do know it's just my opinion


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## PandaNikita (Nov 1, 2015)

Slammint said:


> I was just stating as in the survey I couldn't put both the reasons...
> I just thought it was a bit of a letdown xD
> But yeah I do know it's just my opinion



Ah yes I see, I'm sure the staff planned it that way on purpose. There has always been a Halloween based event they have every year (since I've been here) and they probably wanted users to not be overloaded with big events right after the Fire Festival. Also the staff has lives of their own and big events are tiring on them. I don't think any of their events have really been a letdown to me because they put in a lot of effort planning and making it happen, so kudos to them!


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## Vizionari (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners, and thank you staff for hosting this fun event ^_^


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## LambdaDelta (Nov 1, 2015)

there was a story?


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## Cadbberry (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners and thank you for the 16 votes, those 16 were really sweet, I has a bit of fun this year and I can't wait for Christmas


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## aericell (Nov 1, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners! Can't wait for the next event


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## Fantasyrick (Nov 1, 2015)

i loved it especially the collectibles! now time to think on a Christmas event xD


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## Miharu (Nov 1, 2015)

I can honestly say, this is my first time being so involved in a TBT event! ;//v//; And it was so much fun! Thank you so much for all of your hard work mods!~ These contests were super fun! 

Also ahhh jslkdfjls coming home from work to find out I won one of the contests took away all the stress I had :'D Thank you so much everyone for all the votes/nice things you've said!! And congrats to all the lovely winners!! ;//v/; I'm looking forward to what you guys have in store for us during Christmas!


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## mogyay (Nov 1, 2015)

great event, congratulations to all the winners, all very deserving! i filled out the form  looking forward to the christmas event, although i'll be hoping for easy ways to participate since i'll have a lot of exams around that time~~


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## Araie (Nov 2, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners! This was a really fun series of events, and I hope you can do something like this again in the future! I have already submitted my share of the survey! Hope I can be of usefulness! Oh, and I forgot to mention this; I really love the story you made! Can't really explain my love for it.. I just really like how it was developed and laid out I guess!


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## jiny (Nov 2, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners! Congrats Miharu, PandaNikkita, and Jake.! I loved all of the costumes, but I could only choose one. 

Looking forward to the next event! Hopefully I'll be able to participate in that!


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## ZetaFunction (Nov 2, 2015)

Congrats to the winners, and the ending of the story was great!

I've thoroughly enjoyed the Halloween event, even though it's been right after the Fire Festival; this is just my opinion, but the more events you have, the more fun this site becomes.  I can't wait till the Christmas event!


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## King Dorado (Nov 2, 2015)

I too enjoyed this event, especially having three different kinds of contests.  It would be nice next time if there were a prize a la the Fire Festival for people who participated in all the contests.

Also, maybe next time the collectibles contest can be divided into 3 subcategories of what the forum team is looking for, to make it easier to allow membership voting on the winners.  (Like a sweets category, light source category, and doll category)

overall it was a very fun event, thanks to the forum team for everything!  

Oh- almost forgot-- big thanks for the collectible giveaway and for making the collectible re-stocks so available on halloween day!!


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## Healer (Nov 2, 2015)

Congrats to all the winners, very good. But no offense, and not to stir the pot, but I thought costumes were supposed to have been for the contest only? Miharu's is really good, but she had that costume already last year for something different. I just don't want someone to miss out in top 3 in case this wasn't okay. But if it is, still congratulations!


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## Miharu (Nov 2, 2015)

Healer said:


> Congrats to all the winners, very good. But no offense, and not to stir the pot, but I thought costumes were supposed to have been for the contest only? Miharu's is really good, but she had that costume already last year for something different. I just don't want someone to miss out in top 3 in case this wasn't okay. But if it is, still congratulations!



Thank you! > v < And I think you misread the rules!~ It's the *photo* that must be taken for the contest only c: You are not allowed to use past photos, but you could use old cosplays/costumes you used to have before! c:



Oblivia said:


> I don't mind when the costume was made so long as the photo you submit is from this Halloween/for the Spooktacular and not from a past Halloween/event.


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## King Dorado (Nov 2, 2015)

Miharu said:


> Thank you! > v < And I think you misread the rules!~ It's the *photo* that must be taken for the contest only c: You are not allowed to use past photos, but you could use old cosplays/costumes you used to have before! c:



yes, that was my understanding as well-- old costumes could be used.


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## Jacob (Nov 2, 2015)

Can't wait for christmas event!

(secretly hoping for glow wand collectibles <3)


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## Healer (Nov 2, 2015)

Miharu said:


> Thank you! > v < And I think you misread the rules!~ It's the *photo* that must be taken for the contest only c: You are not allowed to use past photos, but you could use old cosplays/costumes you used to have before! c:



Oh! Okay then. Thank you for explaining, I hope I didn't sound rude or anything. I just wanted to clarify. Congratulations again!


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## Miharu (Nov 2, 2015)

Healer said:


> Oh! Okay then. Thank you for explaining, I hope I didn't sound rude or anything. I just wanted to clarify. Congratulations again!



You didn't sound rude at all! c: So no worries!~ Thank you!


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## DaCoSim (Nov 2, 2015)

Big shout out to the mods for our hw spooktacular!!! It was super fun and allowed me to be creative!!! I enjoyed it all! Thank you so much Mods for nominating me into the costume contest. It made my week  Can't wait for the Christmas event! I added something to the survey with my name so look for that if you guys are interested. Just lmk.

OH!!!! And congrats to all the winners!!!!!


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## Skyfall (Nov 2, 2015)

This was super fun this year, although I spent most of it on the sidelines, I enjoyed just watching it unfold.  Congrats to all the winners!


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## King Dorado (Nov 3, 2015)

Is there an archive folder where we can still read all the event threads, or is it all toast now?


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## Midoriya (Nov 4, 2015)

King Dad said:


> Is there an archive folder where we can still read all the event threads, or is it all toast now?




After an event they take the sub-forum down and nothing that was in it will be viewable to the public members of the site anymore.


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## Araie (Nov 4, 2015)

DoubleR said:


> After an event they take the sub-forum down and nothing that was in it will be viewable to the public members of the site anymore.



Ah, that is a shame.. it's always rather nice to just look back on things and just to see how things were like and such.. at least that's what I like to do sometimes, haha.


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## mintellect (Nov 13, 2015)

For Christmas, you should do a Tree Decorating Contest!
Also, please have more writing and drawing contests. The Spooktactualr was fun, although I only participated in one event.


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