MINGLE LOG: AUGUST

[expiationmods]

IT'S CASINO

What have the five NPCs that split off to work on their special project been doing all this time? Well, they’re ready to unveil it. The new NPCs as well as the locals hand out small pamphlets to invite the Chosen to a Great Unveiling that’s going to be done in the evening on the 21st of August. They encourage them to dress their best, and miraculously, Rin's tailor shop has new clothes for sale! When the time comes and the Chosen have begun to gather, the workers who have prepared this building so diligently cuts a bow up in front as the building flickers to life behind them.

It’s a casino! (Who knows where they got that idea.) Or rather, a new event hall. But right now, it looks like a pretty flashy casino.

Come on in!

ANTE UP!

I. DON'T BET THE HOUSE

     

Chosen who decide to meander past a grumpy man and into the casino itself are met with an opulent scene before them.

There's a large main hall, full of tables with games run by a surprising combination of fairies and local citizens from Aldrip. Further in, there's a massive space to lounge, socialize, and eat. Here you'll find couches for cozy conversation, tables for dining, and a cash bar on the side.

Rooms in the back offer more serious games--you may find a table of fairies playing poker, for example--but...some attendants may close the door to bar your entry, at least for now. These tables are for only the highest rollers, folks.

The sound of music may lead you further back, where you'll find a stage and musicians playing a plethora of music from different worlds that have gathered here, and a space to dance as well. For those who aren't the gambling sort, it seems as if there are still plenty of things to do.

Party away!

II. PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT

     

There is a grumpy-looking man in a small, dark room off the main hall of the Casino. He’s drumming his fingers on the table, and, if approached, is rather rude about it. He’ll try to chase onlookers out of the room, and then start groaning about how someone is “taking too long” and “not respecting his valuable time, for goodness sake!”

Shortly, some of the NPCs from the desert approach the room with giant sacks and lots of apologies. The tinkerer pulls tablets and cords out of the bags (some half-fixed thanks to industrious Chosen), throws his tools onto the table, and gets to work. He has tools to fix cracked screens and inner parts of the tablet to make them…work? Interesting.

For now, this tinkerer is not interactive, but he has some choice remarks for those brave–or brazen–enough to try socializing with him. Don’t just stand there! Hand me that screwdriver! or take this out to the dumpster around back, will ya? or even the occasional grab me a drink! It’s stuffier than an armpit in summer back here...though if you’re planning to run errands for him, be aware that his tab is not in good standing. If he wants you to run errands for him, you’re probably going to have to pick up the tab, either with coin or with work.

If someone were to look over his shoulder as he's doing his tinkering, they might see the words CYCLE 15 on the loading screen. Otherwise, it's just a lot of blue and black maintenance screens as he's essentially having to do a system restore of the tablets.

LUCK OF THE DRAW

     

The tables in the main room are where the more adventurous Chosen may go to gamble. Currently, NPCs are running the roulette and blackjack tables, but if someone wants to be the one to run these games, they won’t say no! There’s also slot machines from the sounds of the bells in the distance, so there’s plenty of ways to test your luck. Just be aware that there may be… consequences, whether your character does well or poorly at the games.

Below, there will be a comment section for players who may want the mod team to choose their luck for them. There are three options that you may choose:

You comment with a heads or tails, and we’ll roll the dice for the corresponding “good” or “bad” scenarios.

You comment with whether you want “good luck” or “bad luck” to happen to your character, and then we’ll roll for their consequences.

If you want to put your character's fate in our hands, you can just comment that you want us to rng it all!

SPOILERS: if you want bad effects to be a surprise, don't peek!

The “bad effects” are as follows: memory loss, temporarily loss of taste, can’t speak certain words for a couple of days, feel compelled to follow orders to the person they lost to (kind of like a King's Game), forced honesty, bad luck (which is entirely up to you, the player, on how to interpret this), and temporarily losing one ability of your choice for the next event.

If you want to participate and there’s something you’re not cool with us landing on for the bad effects, just let us know which ones you’re not comfortable with and we’ll leave it out of the rng pool!

A Note: The “good” and “bad” effects won here may have some mild influences on your character for the next event. Nothing life threatening or incapacitating, but just keep in mind if you want us to roll for your bad effects. If you want to just say you had shit luck in the slots and you don’t want your character to have any effects at all, this is fine. It’s not mandatory to have either effect happen to your character to have a good time playing in the casino.

WILDCARD

Go wild! This is a casino after all, and there’s supplies to play pretty much any gambling or card game laying around. If you can’t easily find it, an NPC would be more than happy to help a Chosen find the items they need to play the game they want. Want to play Go Fish while you drink your cocktail? That’s fine too. Anything goes!

A Note: This casino is going to be available in full capabilities until the end of the month. After that, the mod team will explain what’s going to become of it then and in the future!

Comments

II

[rebellions]

[ "Curious" might be a bit of an overstatement ─ but Ragna has, in fact, stopped by to take a look at the weirdo tinkering with the tablets. He wasn't interested in those when he came across them in the desert, and he isn't particularly interested in them now, but he has to wonder why a bunch of broken electronics were considered so important that not only were they brought back to the town, but are now getting all this attention from that weirdo.

He's about to move on with his life and forget all about that when he's approached by some old guy that, judging by his question, is also one of the so-called Chosen. ]

Fuck if I know. Play tetris or some shit?

[ The man shrugs nonchalantly, making it rather obvious he hasn't given it much thought. ]

[conflictresolution]

[He knew more than a few people in the Undercity and beyond who acted similarly, so it was the kind of familiarity that kept his attention for the time being. In his experiences, tinkerers usually had something of use to off sooner than later, and this one did seem to have a similar wait with technology as Jinx and the boy.

The silver-hair that he approached didn't seem to be particularly interested. He also had no frame of reference for what 'tetris' was, but it likely was a puzzle or game that could be engaged in with such technology.]

And what happens to be tetris?

[rebellions]

[ True, Ragna has little reason to care about what the tablets business is all about; technology isn't his strongest suit, and this kind of thing is considered outdated and obsolete in his world and time, anyway. But even his limited knowledge means he's aware of some basic stuff, and he counts the existence of tetris as a part of that, which is why he gives the older man a somewhat confused, questioning look. ]

A puzzle game.

[ Apparently he considers that to be a sufficient answer, since he doesn't elaborate further. Ragna makes a short pause, crossing his arms on his chest, and follows it up with this absolute gem of a comment: ]

You're like what, several centuries old? You'd think a fossil like you would know something so old school.

[conflictresolution]

[Silco turned his mismatched eyes on the younger man with a flat look, though he also raised the only eyebrow that he possessed. Now this was a good first meeting; it had been such a long time that someone decided to insult him without actually knowing nothing about who he was and what he had done. It was actually rather refreshing.

Practically back in Zaun already where insults could be as close to greetings as one could earn from someone else.]

There was no formal education where I'm from, least of all time for many puzzle games. We're a bit too lawless of a bunch that tend to either fight for a living or work in the mines until we die.

[He returned his gaze back to the tinkerer.]

I don't expect anyone so young and wet behind the ears to understand that kind of oppression.

[rebellions]

[ Ragna rolls his (likewise mismatched) eyes in response, having no desire to listen to what he perceives as some old fart's sob story. Everyone's got their own tragic past, but you don't see him making his one everyone else's business. ]

If you're trying to impress me, it's not working.

[ First Jinx makes fun of him for being "old", and now this guy decides to criticize his youth and supposed inexperience? What is it with people finding new and exciting ways to crap on him for his age? ]

Keep talking shit and I'll show you some oppression.

[ What does he mean by this? Not... much, because while he tends to run his mouth threatening people, he doesn't think ahead far enough to figure out what he actually wants to do about it. ]

[conflictresolution]

[Heterochromia was uncommon, but it wasn't rare. His version wasn't natural, and he had long grown used to not caring what people thought of it. The mutation - as Singed would call it - was interesting all the same in a wholly appearance way.]

Why would I waste my time bothering impressing you, boy?

[Silco was used to people in the Undercity calling him old, Jinx especially. Ageism was fine, especially given the high mortality rate of the population. The lucky ones stuck around long enough to raise their children to being functional people, but most stepped out of the picture for one reason or another long before that.]

Go right ahead, boy. You wouldn't be the first or last to step on another man's throat over an introductory conversation.

[He wasn't looking for a fight, but neither would he back down from one. Bowing one's head was a good way to get a shattered skull.]