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

[messenger]

[ he's wearing a shitty angel costume, of course he can be bullied in a friendly way. granted, there's an at least 1 in 10 chance he'd attempt to do physical harm to anyone else who tried to put him in one, but a friend of dean is a friend of his, it seems. ]

Go ahead and ask.

[ everyone has questions.

he doesn't actually mind answering, though. he's curious, too. ]

[aimsforknees]

[ Maybe he'll talk about guns a little. ]

Nothing special in particular. It's just the gun I'm used to. It's a P226 so it has double stack magazines.

[ And double stack magazines means he has more shots, which is always useful for him. His hands are large enough that a single stack pistol feels small, and anyone really serious about guns would just learn to handle the double stack anyways. ]

[sonofzod]

She's useless. Just like Luthor was.

[ she wasn't as bad as like Steve Trevor. But she authorized Fair Play's use without even listening to them. So he's washed his hands of her. ]

[onlychildsyndrome]

What's heaven like? Did you have friends there? Is it like, super dull? What do you mean by "raising" Dean? Do angels not watch humans from heaven? And if you don't, did you come down not knowing what a meme was?

[ he stops there, but he has so many more of them. he could keep going for hours. ]

[messenger]

[ oh dear lord.

junior's lucky he's good at following a conversation. ]

Each individual Heaven depends on the person inhabiting it. I used to. I didn't find it dull. He was dead — I brought him back to life. Some of us do, but I wasn't assigned to the task at the time. Prior to that, we were much more "hands on".

A meme is an element of culture or system of behavior passed on from one individual to another through non-genetic means.

[ he does not know what a meme is. ]

[unaliveyourself]

[It is just a conversation, in the end, and yet it isn't. From the moment Dazai woke up in that room, he's been thinking nonstop on the story they've been fed, searching for the threads that tie it together as a consistent narrative or the holes that can rip it apart. It's all so infuriatingly vague, and the worst part is if he were in Echo's position, if the roles were reversed, he would do it something like this, too. But without the starting point, without being able to tell if the goal is truly what is claimed or if there is another entirely, he can't put together the patterns. Are the people here chosen for certain traits they have, or ones they lack? What makes a person worthy of saving their world? Perhaps if Edogawa were here, he'd have figured it out already, but Dazai was not always a detective. Those tactics are not the ones that come the most naturally.

He taps a finger to his chin, as if in thought.]

I did, though she seemed a bit shy. I don't think she'd be willing to commit a double suicide with me, unfortunately.

[He absolutely did just drop that in casually, with no change of expression whatsoever. He doesn't even hesitate to search for a reaction.]

And now you're here talking to me instead! Sounds like a wash for us both, hmm? But at least there should be more excitement left--do you think you'll be going out at midnight? It seems a little cliche, but I have to admit I'm curious if any chariots will turn into pumpkins.

[onlychildsyndrome]

Did you just give me the dictionary definition of meme?

[ he reaches for castiel's sleeve and tugs him towards a corner store. he wants garbage food, but he thinks this guy needs human supervision. ]

[godkaru]

[Hikaru watches him to make sure she didn't accidentally hurt him before settling again, her eyes glancing over the racks of costumes around them.

It feels like she's gotten lost in a maze somewhere. At the question, she sounds even more lost.]

I- came in because it was crowded outside. But I'm not sure what all of this is for, really.

[godkaru]

[She still holds the piece in her hand but smiles brighter when she sees who she ran into.]

Jason! ... Really? Why?

[Holding the candy suspiciously now. What did you do to her big friend.]

[godkaru]

Really?

[She finally looks from the walkie-talkies to the man's face. Ex-CIA or not, she doesn't seem to care. She just sees a guy holding the cutest pair of tech devices she's ever seen.]

I don't know what I'd even ask for. Do you normally use those?

[godkaru]

[Hikaru's eyes follow the candy, a little sad to see it go. But it's just candy. Probably.

Still, he didn't hurt the bot which is good for both the little robot and for the man who looked ready to tear it to shreds. She tries to put on a brighter smile.]

They seem to follow their programming from what I've seen, so it's not always, um. Helpful. I haven't seen them pass out candy before though.

[messenger]

I have encyclopedic knowledge of most languages.

[ he lets his sleeve be tugged and himself led away. he doesn't know where dean's gone, but they'll meet up again soon enough. ]

Where we we going?

[bigpoofymammoth]

[Manny raises his eyebrow at Vax's question.]

What do you mean by that? I've always been able to talk for as long as I can remember.

[aimsforknees]

[ Well that's. Extreme. John can think of a couple reasons why he might have mentioned suicide: genuine contemplation or looking to see if he can get a reaction out of John. Thankfully John's poker face is in full effect, he doesn't so much as twitch. But his conversation partner doesn't even pause to see how John will respond, so. Perhaps not the latter. But the casualness— John can't decide what to make of it in the moment. He'll have to think back on this later. It clearly wasn't the focus of this exchange so he doesn't need to address it. He can play it off like a joke, for now. He doesn't let the smile drop from his face. ]

Oh, no, too many dangerous things happen here, I'm not looking for trouble. But you will?

[ John is absolutely going out, he and Harold already have a plan. ]

[onlychildsyndrome]

I want a sandwich and an iced coffee.

[ since coming to etraya he allows himself things his dad never let him have, and pretty much everything in the corner store falls under that category. ]

Do you eat?

[aimsforknees]

[ Does he normally walk around with pastel blue and pink cat shaped walkie-talkies? No. But she's just a kid, he doesn't have to be mean about it. ]

Not these ones, no. I've used radios like them before, but usually they're more... black. And square.

[ He thinks back to the military grade radios he got to use in the Joey Durban number. He wishes he'd gotten those instead. ]

[messenger]

I don't need to, but I can.

[ since his powers are getting weaker, he can actually enjoy it. silver linings, and all that. ]

I enjoy red meat.

[godkaru]

[She hums a bit as she finally looks back up to his face and away from the absolutely adorable toys. How useful could things like that have been in Cefiro?]

Oooh. Well- these might be just temporary until you get your usual ones? [Hikaru sounds hopeful at that at least.]

[aimsforknees]

[ That's cute. Genuinely. She seems like a nice kid. John gives a small smile. ]

If they work I won't complain. I'm not above using something so... cute.

[ Beggars can't be choosers! And, really, he's never cared much for his ego. Much. ]

[onlychildsyndrome]

Man, I haven't had steak in ages.

... there's hot dogs, but I have no idea of what kind of meat they're made out of.

[ he doesn't question what he's eating anymore. one more advantage of being an orphan, he still goes for a run every morning but he's no longer thinking about calories and protein and water intake. ]

[tocastashadow]

[Scratch glances back at Shadowheart before sniffing the man's face. He whines again, seemingly concerned, before ruff-ing softly and wagging his tail.

Well, Scratch seems to like the man well enough, and Shadowheart trusts the dog's judgement more than she would many others'.]

Chin up. No use lying about.

[She goes to help him up, noting the ears and feeling something like relief. Plenty of people in this place think elves are fantasy creatures, coming from worlds where they exist only in fairy stories and children's tales. This man, whoever he is and wherever he's from, at least won't require her to explain her existence.

Not too long ago, she might have left him to freeze to death. She was never supposed to care about poor vagabonds passed out on the ground on cold nights. But she has, tentatively, been allowing herself to care of late, and, tentatively, as she clamps her hands down on his arm to haul him up, she also casts protection from energy.

Despite her conflicted feelings on the matter, Shadowheart draws her magic from the moon goddess Selûne, and Selûne's holy symbol – a stylized depiction of two eyes surrounded by seven stars – flickers in the air before her as she casts the spell. Her eyes and fingertips glow with pale blue light for a moment, and then she channels the energy of the spell into the man, and the light and the symbol fade. Now, at least, he should have some measure of protection against the cold.]

Come along. If we don't get you indoors soon, there'll be nothing left of you but a frozen corpse. [She may be a healer, but good bedside manner is not in her repertoire.]

[messenger]

It's all right. I still have candy.

[ every time the helper bots offer, he takes some. ]

[godkaru]

[Who can care for an ego when she's smiling up at him like she is now?]

I'm sure they'll get you your usual ones soon.

[Someone doesn't understand what the "trick" in trick-or-treat means. Or what it means at all.]

Are you new? I don't think I've seen you before.

[aimsforknees]

[ John is maybe a little weak to cute, enthusiastic kids. He wonders what made Echo decide to select her to represent wherever she's from. It's a bit of a sobering thought, and his smile drops, but he's not quite as... severe as usual. ]

I am new. My name is John, what's yours?

[godkaru]

[Whatever reason she was chosen, it sure hasn't done anything to make her wary of meeting new people. Her smile brightens even more.]

Hikaru. Nice to meet you, John! [And it doesn't seem like she has any issue with names either.]