expiationlogs | MINGLE LOG: OCTOBER

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MINGLE LOG: OCTOBER

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I. costume adventures

[There's free food to be had, so of course Yusuke puts on whatever costume is presented to him. He has only so much pride, and he's Hungry. You might catch him in something on brand for spooky season, or - because he's absolutely coming back again - something more dapper.

Regardless: he's here, he's in his Fit, and he's gathering as many free samples of literally everything that he can. There's an unreasonable number of pins and more than one scarf already adorning his costume, and he's begged a cloth bag off a local to hold the candies and other treats. This is real and authentic trick-or-treating, indeed...]

A. TRICKED!
[However, he's been casually cursed with broken tastebuds, so if encountered while still affected by that, he is genuinely dropping to the ground in despair, letting his half-eaten treat spill onto the cobblestones. Fists clenched, he gives the street an enfeebled, thudding whunk... no one has suffered as he has suffered... on his hands and knees here in his silly costume...

To wit:] Reduced to a bastion of misfortune! Never again shall my tongue delight in the rapture of fine cuisine! Every morsel reduced to ash in my mouth, as if a villain punished by the merciless grip of greed...!

[So he's having a weird one.]

It's as if I've been betrayed by the gods of taste themselves... ah! [he has. looked up. hi.] Have you anything to eat?! I beg of you—share your bounty with me!

[Honestly only about a quarter of this is weird for Yusuke, but still.]

B. NOT SO TRICKED
[If you're fortunate enough to miss whatever all that is, either on a subsequent day or during a random break in Yusuke's tricky little food problem, he is So Delighted to be out and about at a festival. He loves the pumpkin lanterns! The snacks! The collectibles! He's gathered enough pins to jingle faintly when he leans over a new set of free samples, so obviously - he's having a great time.

Everyone else must be having a good time, too, so: Here's Yusuke, ready to Make Friends And Influence People. (oh no)

He Appears quite without warning, as if he was right there having a conversation with someone else this entire time, and:]

As companions in this festival, shall we avail ourselves of the booths? I noticed one offering "fruit rings" that intrigues the senses.

[haaaang ouuut with hiiiim]

II. spooky time

A. GROTTO
[If you joined Yusuke on his walk out to this weird cave: he might not have noticed. He's been mesmerized by the cave paintings since he set foot in the cave, immediately beelining over to the first one and following their descent along the walls, further into the cave's depths. He dares not touch them, that would be heinous, but he holds up a hand to trace the figures in the air some few inches away from the stone, mimicking what he imagines the old brush strokes to have been like.

More to himself, he eventually says:] Remarkable... What could the boxes signify, I wonder?

[Later, he comes across an old, wet photograph, mostly faded, but appearing to show a group of humans photographed in what is eventually identifiable as Rumpitur (to others, anyway—he's never been). The people significantly aren't snake-people, although not much else about it can be discerned...

This one he will hold up for others to look at with him, abruptly:] Where was this taken?

B. CREEPY HOUSE
[Strange figures and blink-and-you'll-miss-them shadows aren't much of a scare for Yusuke, all things considered. The house is a draw because it's there, more or less, and as he steps delicately around the creaky rooms, he's drawn towards the portraits more than anything else; the signs that people once lived here.

It's strange—this house is nothing like the atelier in which he grew up, but something about its hollow bones takes him right back to those rooms. They lie empty and abandoned now, back home; he finds himself compelled to wonder if that place will end up like this house, one day.

Ah, but then his fingers brush the corner of an aged picture frame, and the whole thing drops off the wall with an angry clatter. Oops!]

III. wildcard

[bruh............ hit me with it. catch me at jojoveller or orbitallaser on discord if u need me]

(that stupid damn trick mikey himself's got is not gonna let him watch this quietly. he munches on candy, much like a hamster, hands-free, slow blinking at the scene before him as he sits in his dress.

one blink. two blinks. three blinks.)

Bastion... Morsel...-- Should I have-- actually gone to class-- (and the request????) Fuck no--

(and it just gets swallowed whole, still no hands, a talent...)

[Mikey you are going to kill him. He's already dying, Mikey. He watches Mikey eat the rest of that treat with naked despair before he hangs his head again and slumps a little lower to the ground.]

Have you come only to mock me?

[After a moment he reaches for his own discarded treat again, even though it's... been on the ground. Maybe if he tries it again, it won't taste like dry and tasteless Nothing...

He's considering it.]

(probably yeah but it won't be on purpose :(

but wait, he has more... and he's eating by himself... sugar is sacred... sugar is life...)

Nah, I was already here, you were just very focused on your... Whatever-- Yo, you're not going to eat it from the floor, are you? Animal!!! I'll give you one, but if you throw away out, I swear to you, I'm going to punch you.

Edited 2023-10-24 02:13 (UTC)

yusuke kitagawa | persona 5

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B. NOT SO TRICKED

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1a DOUBLE-TRICK PALS time to just be weird

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creepy howse. told you I was coming for this huehuehue

it's round two......