MINGLE LOG: OCTOBER

[expiationmods]

TRICK OR TREAT

Aldrip locals are buzzing with excitement as the end of the month draws near. According to them, two beloved traditions are just around the corner: the gathering and the witch hunt!

Let's get started!

WE GATHER HERE

I. EVERYBODY MAKE A SCENE

     

Those who come from worlds with trick-or-treating will find that this sounds pretty familiar: dress in costume, get treats. Rather than going door-to-door, however, the locals have set up a whole line of booths in the bustling marketplace. Participating locations will have pumpkin-shaped lanterns over their stalls, and will hand out various items: candies are traditional, of course, but pastries, treats, and even savory foods may be available. Some booths may also offer drinks (alcoholic or not) or small trinkets like pins, stickers, or scarves.

What's the catch? You must be in costume, of course! Some Chosen may welcome this as a fun activity—costumes are available at Rin's Shop from now until the end of the month. A number of traditional costumes will be readily available, of course, but the Tresed locals who have taken over the shop also have some...let's call it "eclectic" original designs. They also take requests. And they seem even more excited than the Aldrip locals, if you can believe it. Some reluctant Chosen may find themselves bullied into participating, if they're not careful.

We leave these costumes entirely up to you: they could be generic costumes like "witch" or "ghost," or something from your character's world. The tailors currently operating Rin's shop are capable of making mostly anything.

At various points during the night, Chosen could discover that they've been either TRICKED or TREATED by participating in this tradition. Comment in the thread below if you'd like to participate, and we'll roll you a random effect.

A WITCH! A WITCH!

The Aldrip Witch Hunt is a symbolic tradition that, according to locals, goes back by countless generations. Local opinions seem to be mixed on whether there is a real witch to speak of: some claim that the Council has chosen someone to act as the witch every year since its inception. Others claim that it's all conceptual. Either way, with a small number of frightening fruits still on the loose, locals are willing to let the Chosen deal with any dangers.

Those intrepid Chosen who wish to seek out the witch are told to head into the forest, where small electric lanterns will show the way. These lanterns seem to be scattered across the forest, in some cases leading Chosen off course or off the beaten path. Some may end up lost in the woods. But some lanterns do seem to light the way to different locations. Visiting these locations may yield some…interesting results. If you’re interested in investigating these areas, leave a comment in the thread below to let us know which location(s) you visit, and we’ll roll something for you.

II. THE UNDERGROUND GROTTO

     

Following a stream in the woods eventually leads to a cave opening. The floor of the came is wet and a little slippery, so take care where you step. The cave is deep, and as explorers move through it, they're going at a gentle descent, the Chosen will uncover old cave paintings, faded and worn with age. Most of these are little more than marks upon the wall, but occasionally some may find images that look almost like worship, figures captivated by strange boxes, hands in the air as if in veneration.

Occasionally, items from other parts of Expiation can also be found. The odd tablet part, an old-looking shoe, a piece of rusted jewelry or a shell that looks like it belongs more on the beach…these don't seem like they should be here.

The Chosen who explore this cave ought to be wary of the time. As the tide comes in, water begins to slosh around their ankles, filling the bottom of the cave and rising quickly.

III. THE BUNKER

     

Those who took it upon themselves to investigate the strange chimera creatures from earlier in the month might have seen this weird little bunker before, but the turrets that seemed to protect it at the time are now powered down, allowing access inside.

That said, whomever was there seems to be long gone, leaving behind a flurry of documents, diagrams, and other miscellaneous work in their wake. The bunker has two levels, connected by stairs. The first level seems to house medical experiments, ranging from various herbal concoctions (if you get my drift) to precise surgical work. Things have been meticulously cleaned up on that front, so they won't be walking into a bloody mess. Everything has the faint smell of rubbing alcohol and bleach. Notes on this level are mostly medical in nature and quite rudimentary, some aspects bordering on pseudoscience or magic. Near the stairs, the Chosen will find cages, all empty. Strangely, even though the animals were only recently released, things are coated in a deep layer of dust, as if this place hasn't seen activity in a long, long time.

The second level seems to be comprised of mechanical experiments, builds, and engineering work. There's all sorts of different types of technology down here: some looks familiar, in a similar style to the tablets. Some is quite advanced, from the look of it…but it all seems to have been taken apart, cannibalized, and put back together in ways that make no sense. Glass screens drilled onto metal casings, keypads that don't seem to attach to anything, engines tied to attempted vehicles with rope. Most of these elements have been damaged beyond repair with hammers and staple guns.
Something interesting of note is that some areas within this bunker still seem to have power. Among them, a small block of video screens that seems to be used as surveillance. Most of these screens show areas just outside of the bunker or within the entry way. Other screens seem to flicker, occasionally showing static, but sometimes showing something that seems like faces within the static, figures moving in some way.

IV. THE HOUSE

     

This abandoned house sits derelict at the edge of town. Has it been there this whole time? It certainly doesn't look new…

A graveyard stands just beyond its gate, in front of the house, warning away trespassers. These graves don't look terribly worn with age, and have no years carved into them, but have names and some even list cause of death. "Threatened the wrong scoundrel," "may Those Who Were There have mercy upon their soul," or "charged with a crime they did not commit" are not uncommon claims. There are dozens of them, daring intrepid Chosen to pass them and enter the house.

Said house is old, creaky, and creepy. Inside, the already-spooky effects of the forest seem to be more pronounced: one may occasionally hear voices or see visions from the corner of their eye, only to look and find nothing there. Peculiar things seem to happen in this house, though. Mirrors still hang in some rooms, and while they often show a true reflection of those who look at them, they occasionally show others as well: shadowy figures, strange people the Chosen have never seen before, even some faces of Aldrip locals, distorted and sometimes missing parts. The shadows within the house seem to shift, as if they can't quite decide what they should be hiding. Portraits also hang in the hallways, faded and dusty. Mostly they show unrecognized people in old-fashioned clothes, but occasionally one might think they see their own face, or the face of someone they knew from home.

The attic is of particular interest, containing among its many cobwebs a single large chest in the middle of the room. Opening this chest reveals an item of great importance to the person who first touches it, something sentimental or meaningful to them. Upon touching this item, it seems to crumble away into nothing.

V. THE STONE CIRCLE

     

Some lanterns lead past the forest, out to the meadows and fields where most of the Aldrip locals plant their crops. On a hill beyond those fields stands a circle of ancient-looking stones, their edges dulled with age, covered in moss and lichen. This stone circle stands within a large earthen barrier, little more than a hill beneath the grass. Opening doors within this barrier reveals what looks like ancient offerings: broken pieces of earthenware, bits of metalwork or broken pieces of armor, even the occasional rusted, useless weapon.

The stones themselves encircle a paved circle with markings at regular points. It almost looks like a clock or a sundial. Standing within the paved circle, one may imagine that they hear voices of people they don't recognize, along with a faint ringing in their ears. Within this circle, the sun always seems to be directly overhead, during the day. At night, the stars twinkle, but seem to move in their nightly pattern much faster than they normally would.

WILDCARD

Go wild! If there's anything that you'd like to do in the Trick or Treating portion especially, go right on ahead! Other than that, anything else that you may think of may go!

A Note: The festival will be available every night, and the lanterns will be visible until the next State of the Game post.

Comments

jinx ( arcane )

[opheliac]

( COSTUME )

i. { Everybody make a scene — ❝ I don't need a costume 'cause I'm already a FREAK. ❞
A. ❝ You know me, queen of hallowee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-een. ❞
• (OPEN)

( she doesn't know what halloween is but so far, she's enjoying it! because who doesn't want like goodies? carrying her pumpkin lantern in one hand, jinx prances around while shoving candy and pastries in her mouth with the other — occasionally at the same time because why wouldn't you mash them together to make a sweet sandwich? she spots [YOUR CHARACTER] before waving wildly and dramatically to get their attention. )

Hey, hey! Wait up!!

( and whether you want to interact with this girl or not, she's coming for you anyway. there's no getting out of this one.)

---

B. ❝ I'm a ghost in the shee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-eets. ❞
• (OPEN)

( so while the marketplace is hosting various booths of drinks, snacks, pastries, and whatever else, there's something else too being advertised. and that something is so jarring from everything else, it may be hard to ignore it or at least to not investigate what this thing is. but seriously, though, just what the hell is this?! what is it suppose to be? well, the person who is meant to explain it and elaborate how it's meant to operate is curled up beside it with a blanket, fast asleep with a rocket launcher on her lap (who is also in costume! his body is painted/drawn on with actual bones). the one way you can tell this said person is jinx is from her ridiculously long rapunzel-like hair.

would it be rude to wake her up and why in the world is she asleep anyway in the middle of an event going on? being an engineer and an amateur scientist is tough work, you know! you got to catch your z's when you can. and besides, she's only napping -- jinx doesn't sleep. anyway while one inspects closer, there's a sign above that reads PRESS MONKEY'S HEAD. wait, there's a monkey? why yes, sherlock — on the other side of this contraption, there's a cute robotic monkey staring off into the void. now this begs the question...... do you press it's head? )

---

C. ❝ Creepy how my bed squea-ea-ea-ea-ea-ea-eak. ❞
• (PRIVATE; QUENTIN + VI)

( jinx is doing her best here, her energy still on the low side but she's not going to let that get her down too much. sure, she is still extremely pissed and she will have her revenge on the council once she's squared again, but for now... there are other things to accomplished. and that something is having quentin to meet her family face to face.

to have him meet silco might... take some time. not that she's afraid, oh no!! it's just... her father is a stern and a professional individual. he is meant to be the future ruler of all aldrip, so there's a certain way one must approach. therefore, jinx thought maybe introducing quentin to her big sister first would be a lot more laid back and relaxing. tugging him by the wrist, the long haired girl zips along through the crowd in the search for her sibling. )

Geez, where in the hell is Fat Hands hiding? Ugh, I swear if she is with that ugly Enforcer again, I'm going to lose it.

---

D. ❝ Ee-ee-ee,ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-ee, mmm. ❞
• (OPEN)

( carrying fishbones over her shoulder, jinx is seen walking around looking rather puzzled. and she seems to be stopping every tresed to ask them something, then immediately show frustration when they're not giving her the answer she needs. finally, she maneuvers her way towards [YOUR CHARACTER] with a sour look on her face. )

Hey, you got any idea why I'm carrying this thing and who I'm carrying it for?

( the teen shrugs up her shoulder, indicating to this massive shark-like weapon. hopefully no one is cruel enough to yank this weapon from her, right? RIGHT?!?!?!)

---

ii. { Wildcard — ❝ Baby, I'm a butcher. This a MEAT & greet. ❞

HI HELLO! space for other things. and i do want to do the witch hunt, bunker, cave, or house spooky shenanigans. but i want to do better with tag out to people than making top levels all the time. so if you need a partner, LET ME KNOW HERE! direct me to your top-level or write them in this spot and we can explore t o g e t h e r 💗

for additional questions or plotting talks, feel free to DM/ping me in the game discord, PM this journal, or PP me @ buttlet

c

[grappler]

[unfortunately (?), Vi heard that.

she's in this outfit (even though she doesn't know why), and she crosses her arms as Jinx passes her and mumbles to herself.]

What about Fat Hands?

[querulus]

Hey, hey, I can walk, and if you keep dragging me around it's gonna look like I don't want to —

[Hold up, wait, someone just said something.]

— meet... her? [Uh. So is this Vi? Quentin looks at Jinx to see if his assumption is correct.]

[opheliac]

( she was just about to make a remark to quentin when she hears a very familiar voice. there's no outfit her sister can wear that will ever make her do a double-take or think twice if said person is her dear big sister. so with that, she lets go of quentin's wrist and bounces cheerfully over to her vi. thank janna for no caitlyn around for once! )

Vi-Vi, there you are!! — I found you...!

( throwing herself at her sister into a big old hug for a split moment, she pulls away to give vi a quick look over at her outfit.)

Woah, you look ( ... ) tight.

( probably a very odd thing to say about her costume, but she is wearing spandex and it's making her body, well, do its thing. )

Just what are ya suppose to be? Rubber lady?

[grappler]

[... tight.

she lets Vi grab her into the hug, but it's not long enough to reciprocate. she rubs the back of her head though, kind of sheepish.]

Dunno. I was kinda... shoved into it.

[and she's more muscular than Gwen too, so it's definitely making her muscles look some sort of way.

but then she looks over at Quentin.]

Who's he?

a

[solitarysoul]

[Levi freezes when Jinx shouts, looking around for a moment---no, no she was definitely waving at him. Why? Had he done something wrong? He was in costume (bottom right), but was there something else he was missing? Oh crap, how does he deal with this, he should just ru--nope, too late. She's close enough that he can't pretend not to have noticed her.]

H-hi?

[opheliac]

( smiling pretty big, she stands pretty confident beside him with her hands on her hips. )

Hiya, Sweet outfit! Are you new? Never seen ya around these parks before.

( well isn't she such a big ball of energy? but don't worry, that is going to go away rather quickly again due to ther little sentencing mishap. at least she seems friendly enough. for now. )

[solitarysoul]

Uh, thanks.

[He doesn't really know how to take a compliment, especially for the costume he was not really sure of. But he'd be that way about any costume.]

Yeah...I think its been a few weeks? Since I, um, woke up here.

[A pause...right he should introduce himself, right?]

I'm Levi.

[opheliac]

A few weeks? Sheesh, I might had been that thrown into my project if I didn't notice ya!

( jinx always tries to scoop out the newbies for potential lackey to help her and her father seize power over this place. she should really start doing better and paying more attention if she wants to make silco proud. )

The name's Jinx. And before you ask, it stands for Jinx.

[solitarysoul]

I, um, don't always get out much.

[Unless it was to stalk that bunker, but now that its open he has no need to do that.]

...I didn't know Jinx usually stood for something?

[opheliac]

A lotta people might think Jinx stands for somethin' dumb and I'm anything but that.

( throwing her arm around his shoulder (and if he gets uncomfortable with that, she will be very unaware of it), the teen grins wide as she forcefully has him walk with her to the next booth approaching in view. )

So! — Since you're new around here, Lee, I'm betting you're very low on the Big Ones and prrrobbabbbly looking for a way to get some. Am I right?

[solitarysoul]

[He is, indeed, quite uncomfortable with the arm around him. He freezes at the touch, but lets her lead him around. This has suddenly become way much more than he can handle.]

Big ones? You mean money? You're right, I don't have any of the money they use here.

[But as he's given free room and board for now he's not really sure if he needs much.]

B

[ticket218]

[ Well that's. Odd. Both whatever the heck is being offered at this stall and the supposed shopkeep asleep on duty. He recognizes this shopkeep, though--hard not to, when her look is so distinctive, but he's hardly one to talk there. She was a little intense back in the maze but there's little doubt in his mind that she was trying to help him back there, and though she told him her name he'd never gotten to find her again and thank her now that he's back in his right mind.

Now, when she might be working and he's dressed much differently might not be the best time, but there's also no telling when they might cross paths again.

Hoping it'll be a nice, non-jarring alarm or something, Sigma gives the monkey head a generous press. ]

[opheliac]

( once tapped, the monkey springs to life -- head cocking around a few times before looking upward-ish. the eyes might not be looking directly at him, but in a general sense. the toy is programmed to know someone is way taller than it, so. with the wind up key turning from it's back, it pivots to walk behind the machine. what could it possible be doing back there? the answer becomes quickly clear when something gets pressed -- the front of the machine's door open to reveal some treats behind a glass window!

there's a few selections to choose from. some drinks, chips, small bag of cookies, and then some. but that's not all this machine carries. few rows down, there are other every day items such as: a toothbrush, travel size empty bottle, travel size bottle of shampoo/conditioner, small box of tissues, roll of bandages, and other miniature items. last but not least, there's some good old honey fruit that could be found in aldrip way out in the waters. these things are actually pretty hard to retrieve given the fact razorfins prowl around near the waters. the robotic monkey returns back to its post and extends out his metal hand. )

Please feed me a coin to have an item.

( and in case, sigma didn't hear it the first time, the monkey will repeat the sentence one more time. yes, literally everything in this machine costs a single aldrip coin, which is rather cheap all considered. bet all those shops charge the things for more huh? definitely a good deal! )

[ticket218]

[ Oh! What an interesting gizmo. He's fascinated watching it do its thing, and pleasantly surprised when the shop's stock is actually revealed. Standard things, but perhaps not so standard to find easily at an outdoor festival, so he can't help but appreciate the practicality of it all. Points for that.

And then, there's the fruit he's never seen before. It's way too big to be grapes, right? Does it taste anything like them? Or something completely different, like persimmons and tomatoes? His curiosity's piqued, so of course that's something he needs to get.

As he's rummaging for a coin, though, there is something else in there he'd want, but...if it's one coin per item, would he have to press the monkey twice? Can he give it two? Hm. Making it go through its whole thing one more time seems kind of inefficient, so...

He'll see what happens when he carefully stacks two coins into the monkey's little hand. ]

[opheliac]

( the monkey calculates the weight in its little hand and although the expression doesn't change, you can kinda sense its confusion. but regardless, it'll shove the coins in his mouth and then.... nothing. well, maybe like three seconds of nothing and then it says: )

Please say a number.

( each item has a number. the first row stops at five, next row stops at another five (which will be number ten), so on and so forth. you get the idea. so please, say the number. all the while, jinx is stirring a little in her sleep, but doesn't do much else beyond that. )

[ticket218]

[ Oh dear, hope he did it right. Not like doing it wrong would be too unlike a vending machine taking your money, and really, there are worse things that could happen. Losing one coin isn't the end of the world.

So he'll give the monkey two numbers: the bag of cookies, and the honey fruit. ]

[opheliac]

( it's going to malfunction in the long run because its creator didn't think about... you know, what happens if people shoved a lot of coins in it and it got super full. a problem for the future. right now, two coins will be alright since it's been sitting here for quite a bit.

it registers the two numbers and it makes its way to the back of the machine again. the monkey presses the sequences that it needs to do and the machine comes alive! sigma should probably step back a little given the whole contraption is rumbling.... for some unknown reason. is it concerning? probably! it's enough to wake jinx up at least, as she sits up suddenly -- blinking twice in a "i'm awake, i'm awake!" type of fashion. anyhow, the bag of cookies and the honey fruit drops from its slot and slips away... somewhere. the monkey walks back around with the two items in hand -- extending them out. )

Come again!

[ticket218]

[ Cookies and fruit! Hooray! He'll be taking those, but now that the sleepy shopkeep has jolted awake his attention will be more on her than the helpful little monkey with his snacks. ]

Ah, hello there. Sorry to wake you up like that.

[ Not really. He's disappointed from a professional standpoint, but he's not here to scold her on work ethic right now. ]

Jinx, was it?

a

[rebellions]

[ Wails. Screams. Cries.

The only reason Ragna even bothered coming to the festival is in hopes of drowning out the noise in his head with the music and general commotion. The result is, predictably, less than ideal ─ the combined ruckus from both the inside and the outside gives him a headache, and he doesn't even know when he got pulled to the side by the locals and forced into this ridiculous getup. Werewolf, really? Clearly, the people who came up with this idea have never had to deal with a real one, if they still think it's anything to write home about.

At this point, he's more than ready to leave the place, when hearing the familiar voice makes him stop in his tracks. The man lets out a resigned sigh, turning slowly to face his so-called "partner in crime". ]

... What is it, Smurfette?

[opheliac]

( wearing a wedding dress, in heels, and her hair down are all a struggle. he will be able to see her grabbing the hem of her dress while also stumbling every so often in her feet. jinx may be an ear shot away to hear her cursing (trust me, she is), but she gets to him eventually. )

Hiya, Reggie. You looking fluffy and adorable! ( she giggles innocently. ) You're not leaving already, are you?

[rebellions]

[ Oddly enough, the wolf-like ears on top of his head that should be purely decorative spring to life, twitching in anger when she refers to him with what are clearly derogatory terms. ]

Don't ever call me that!!

[ Ragna huffs, crossing his arms on his chest. At least one of them is having fun, but there again, this whole dumb party is probably way more up Jinx's alley than his. ]

That was the plan, yeah. [ But something's telling him that's off the table now. ] And what're you up to? Looking for a groom or some shit?

[opheliac]

Don't gotta when I have one.

( is she serious or joking? because the way she worded her sentence just now sounded mighty confident. )

— We're in a middle of game of hide and seek. Best to three. Winner gets to pick the next fun thing from our little list!

( with a playful grin dancing on her face, she whispers loudly to her partner. )

But between you and me? He doesn't stand a chance in finding me.

( then she drops the hush-hush. )

But c'mooooon, You can't leave!! We haven't hung out yet.

[rebellions]

[ Wait. What was that about her having a groom already? Is she for real and that's something he'd missed, or is she just messing with him? ]

You're not exactly hiding right now, y'know. [ In fact, he'd argue she stands out, white dress, blue hair and all that. ] And who the hell is "he", anyway?

[ He asks, eyebrow raised in confusion. It feels like he's missing a lot of context for whatever it is she's prattling on about. ]

[opheliac]

Quentin Quire the Mind-Kablammo!

( this is probably the second title she has given him to describe what he can do. still though, the grin still aglow as she decides to take off her heels to be barefoot. how can other girls wear these for a long period of time anyway? )

He's my new boyfriend. — Glasses, blue eyes, pink mohawkish kinda hair style, skinny but not a twig, always wearing neato shirts, super smart, aaaaaaaaand a jerk but in a cute way.