OCTOBER MINGLE

[etrayamods]

WHO: Everyone!
WHEN: October 25th - Early November
WHERE: Etraya
WHAT: The arrival of newcomers, and some holiday fun!
NOTES\WARNINGS: Supernatural elements, temporary physical alterations, mild horror and jump scares, spooky scary skeleton robots, mild suggestion of compulsion or loss of control, mild body horror.

⏵ arrival ⏴ Welcome to Etraya! Everything is fine now. 😊 Arrival goes expected - or it does for the most part. Aurora greets newcomers in the hospital as they awaken, offers a brief explanation and gives them their earpiece so they can communicate with one another. Around the hospital and outside of it, Companion Bots are hard at work decorating the city for Halloween—complete with festive touches like pumpkins, cobwebs, and glowing ghost decorations. The atmosphere is fun, light-hearted, and maybe just a little spooky. 🎃👻 Some carry buckets of candy, and offer those they come across a trick or treat. Except both options are, in fact, treats. 🍬 Tricks are treats specifically wrapped in a green wrapper that very clearly declares that they are tricks. Treats are wrapped in orange, and labeled with treat! Companion bots will recommend that those who do want to take a trick take them when they're beside their friends. There won't be any permanent effects from these, nor will they be terrible tricks - just fun ones! All effects last roughly 24 hours. Giggle Drops cause uncontrollable giggling that bubbles up randomly, even during serious conversations. Beasty Bites cause characters to grow small fangs, and they will begin craving red foods - apples, cherries, etc. Bat Gummies cause small, bat-like shadows to follow characters around wherever they wander. These shadows are harmless, and super cute. Pumpkin Puff is a cotton-candy-like treat, that causes their voices to change dramatically. Either becoming significantly deeper or perhaps very high-pitched, as if they've recently inhaled helium. Floating Fudge gives characters the ability to float in the air! Just a few feet off the ground, but it's still fun. Right? ⏵ getting spooky! ⏴ Etraya is embracing the season - and maybe even going a little overboard. Around the hospital, a few small pop-up shops are manned by festively dressed companion bots. They offer samples to everyone - although sampling isn't really necessary. After all, everything here is free! Candy Shops: Perfect for stocking up on sweets and treats for the upcoming trick-or-treating event. These will not stock the tricks the companion bots offer around Etraya, but instead only carry harmless sweets. They do take custom requests, too, and are happy to create the treats others want! Costume Shops: Find the perfect costume for Halloween! But beware... rumor has it, if you wear a costume, you might become whatever you dressed up as for a few hours. Those who put on vampire costumes may find themselves suddenly craving blood and growing fangs - those with werewolf costumes may find themselves feeling a little wolfish. These effects may last a few hours, up to a few days. ⏵ masquerade ⏴ In the spirit of mystery, Etraya will be hosting a Masquerade Ball outside the hospital through the nights of October 26th and 27th. Dance anonymously with other attendees and make new friends under the cover of your disguise. Everyone receives a single rose they can exchange with someone else throughout the evening. At the stroke of midnight, the roses will reveal the true identities of your masked dance partners. 🌹 ⏵ all hallow's eve ⏴ On October 31st, multiple companion bots set up shop along one of the walkways through the larger island towards the center. With chairs and small booths set up, they offer candies out to trick-or-treaters who wander around through the first part of the night. Some of them will request trick-or-treaters to do a trick for them, to earn a bigger treat! They may ask characters to dance, sing, or show a talent unique to them. Can your character bend themselves into a pretzel? They want to see it, and will offer them a nice bracelet in exchange! Can they whistle super loud? Maybe they'll get a nice piece of kevlar armor after showing off. This can be anything within reason - bike parts, small weaponry, armor pieces, toys, canvases for painting. Please request these items HERE. Not everything is as light-hearted as it seems, however. Aurora issues a warning to the citizens of Etraya: Do not stay outside after midnight. Strange happenings have been reported, and those who disobey may start seeing visions of past loved ones. The visions are compelling—guiding people away from the safety of the buildings and into the mysterious mist surrounding the outskirts. But be careful, these spirits may not be as friendly as they seem. If you come into contact with these ghosts, you’ll feel a chilling cold, leading to hypothermia-like symptoms. The longer you’re exposed, the worse it gets. Treatment? You’ll need to be warmed up quickly. ⏵ skellys! ⏴ The Companion Bots wanted to join in on the fun, so they painted themselves with glow-in-the-dark paint to look like skeletons. But in the dead of night, for those already suffering from the chilling touch of the ghosts, seeing glowing skeletons approach from the darkness might not be the most comforting sight. 🤖💀 Stay safe, warm up, and enjoy the festivities! ⏵ NOTES ⏴ For all questions relating to this log, please refer to the mod queries comment. All other questions can be directed to the FAQ. ⏵FULL NAVIGATION⏴

Comments

[leastdramatic]

Depends on your definition of "end." Usually the supposed end is imprisonment but depending on the threat, there's always a chance they'll escape.

[And for Jason, even though he's sworn off killing for the sake of his family, it still pisses him off how certain villains keep breaking out. It's why the temptation to slide back into his more violent methods is still around]

[sonofzod]

When we put an end to a threat they very rarely come back for a second try.

[levelshift]

[Sorry John, there isn't a ton to do around here, so it's normal for people to slide into obnoxiously observant behaviour. In Accelerator's case, it's both a combination of his own boredom and the awareness that he needs to be better at paying attention to his surroundings. He's observant when he wants to be, but normally he's just lazy.

(And lazy gets you killed around here, so.)]

Some people would call that overkill.

[Honestly though, it's probably wise to have that much familiarity with a weapon.]

Are you a cop or some shit? Or just really into guns?

[leastdramatic]

[Jason knows what Hernan means by that and deep down, Jason understands. There are still days when Jason wants to act on it. He's just gotten better about holding back. But as much as he might agree with Hernan, a Superman with that kind of moral code might... cause issues. So Jason's guard remains up]

Pretty effective. No wonder you don't need to hide anything.

Wildcard - let's go shopping!!

[levelshift]

[Ever the killjoy, Accelerator has been avoiding all the fun Halloween setup the companion bots have been putting a lot of effort into. He isn't a candy person, he isn't a costume person, and he certainly isn't a party person, so like an old man who tells kids to get off his lawn, he's decided to ignore all of it and focus on other things.

Namely, getting through the day without sleeping through most of it.

He sees 37 and 6 hovering around the booths. That's probably a good thing, all of this nonsense is annoying but seems mostly harmless, so it's probably good for both of them to be exposed to something new. Somehow he doubts either of them, particularly 37, has a lot of experience with such an American holiday. He turns to continue on his way, but he's pausing when he realizes something pretty damn important.

37 has no shoes. In fact, she's barefoot.

For a second he debates turning and walking away, leaving it for someone else to deal with, but.......... he really shouldn't. She could cut herself, or inadvertently get frostbite, or something worse. He doesn't want her to hurt herself.

So with a sigh and a curse under his breath, he heads on over to them, gesturing all judgey at 37's feet.]

Oi, are you seriously still going around barefoot? Don't you have any shoes?

[For that matter, he looks over at 6 as well, and scowls.]

You too?

((Lmk if anything needs editing!))

[sonofzod]

[ Hernan isn't ready to admit their methods have put them at odds with the government. It was why everyone was so eager and ready to believe they were capable of outright murder of innocent people. It's why Waller trotted out Fair Play.

Hernan looks down at his hand. The burn is nearly gone now. ]

You're right, amigo. It is effective. No one has to be afraid if they do not break the law. Simple right?

[onlychildsyndrome]

[ that isn't remotely the response he was expecting to hear. he almost laughs. ]

Right. Yeah.

I mean, I can't say I'm better off because I died and all, but things suck less here.

[leastdramatic]

[Jason nods]

Yeah. Problem is some people would argue there are gray areas.

[Hell, Jason worked in a moral gray area for most of his life]

Also, with that much power, some might question accountability. You guys work with the government? Is there a Luthor in your world?

[sonofzod]

[ Luthor. Jason do not get him started on Lex Luthor. ]

Tch. Not anymore. He's dead.

[ A pause. ]

And no, I didn't kill him.

[messenger]

I haven't been here long enough to say whether things "suck" less, but... Dean seems... better.

[ and yes, he punctuates that with air quotes and all. it's true, though. dean is different. he's older, of course. that goes without saying. but there's something changed in him, since they last met. the dean he knew was unsettled and restless and hungry for meaning, for purpose, for—

for something castiel still doesn't understand.

right now, it's the only point of reference he has. ]

[leastdramatic]

[Jason snorts]

Maybe Luthor being anti-Superman is multi-universal. He's publicly against him in my world. His argument is that people shouldn't fall for the Boy Scout act and that anyone with that much power can't be trusted.

[sonofzod]

He called me a pit bull and said I couldn't be trusted.

[ he wasn't wrong but that was still really unnecessary. ]

[onlychildsyndrome]

He wasn't cool before?

[ Dean is the one person here he kinda cares about. He's a nice guy, eager to help, didn't freak out at the whole patricide thing. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ John does have Stills' badge on him, he could pretend to be an NYPD detective. He could also pretend to be a US Marshal, he has Jennings' as well. But doing so doesn't give him any sort of advantage here and the truth would probably come out sooner or later. Besides, this kid is clearly overestimating cops.

John isn't smiling when he speaks but there's a lightness in his tone, like he's telling a joke. ]

I'm pretty sure they don't teach this in the police academy.

[leastdramatic]

Yeah, that sounds like something he would say. The thing is, there are people who agree with him, even despite him acting like a big Boy Scout.

[As a Robin, Jason remembers seeing Clark being very angry while unleashing his powers against a alien supervillain. While Jason ultimately respects the Justice League leader, he can also see how others would be much more wary of Superman]

How's public opinion of you and your buddies?

[messenger]

I don't understand what you mean by "cool" in this context.

[ doesn't the slang term mean to refer to someone fashionable and popular? ]

He was troubled. The world— Our world was ending. We didn't know how to fix it.

[ but clearly, they did. ]

[sonofzod]

[ There are constant protests outside the Tower of Justice. ]

I don't care what people think of us.

[leastdramatic]

So long as you get the job done, right?

[Another sentiment Jason can understand all too well]

[aimsforknees]

[ John has a suspicion that he's been made, but he's not about to fold so quickly. He got a very thoughtful insight just now, after all. ]

You think this is a test, too? [ He gives a small chuckle and uses one arm to indicate the room around them. ] It's Halloween, it's a masquerade ball.

[onlychildsyndrome]

Ah. I guess it's technically ending again, but completing missions can fix it.

Sort of?

[ he doesn't care about his world, but there's at least two people in it he gives a shit about so he's been participating on the missions. ]

[sonofzod]

That's always worked for Waller.

[unaliveyourself]

Mm, you might be right. Perhaps I am being too suspicious.

[Said almost as though it's grudging, reluctantly ceding a point, a second before his smile turns sharp.]

Isn't it customary to have sweets on Halloween, though?

[You've definitely been made, sir.]

[aimsforknees]

[ That feels like too easy of a give after such a strong opening. John needs to get further into the conversation before he gets a grasp on what's really being exchanged here. There's a certain give and take that might be necessary to get what he wants (though he always wants to take more than give). ]

I saw the companion bots handing out candy earlier. [ John gives a slow smile. ] First time at a masquerade ball?

[ Not that John has been at a masquerade ball before, but he's been to enough fancy parties that he feels comfortable in his tux and in this situation. ]

[ambitiousblond]

[Rufus takes a deep breath as he closes his eyes, centering himself. He raises his hand up slightly, poised to throw the knife up once more.

- but he doesn't, opening his eyes as he turns the knife between his fingers, catching it by the handle before snapping the blade closed.]

While it would be a good opportunity to show off my other skill of getting blood out of clothes I would rather keep my fingers attached at the moment.

[See, he can make good life choices once in awhile. Rufus is honestly surprised he hadn't injured himself since it's been a while since he's tried any of those tricks and hadn't ever practiced on Evan's knife.]

But enough about me- surely you have some remarkable talent to dazzle us with.

[leastdramatic]

[Another raised eyebrow]

Amanda Waller?