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

[aimsforknees]

[ If John is being perfectly honest (which he is) that whole speech started to blend together in the middle. He kind of thinks he can just ignore most of it and focus on the end. And if not... well, that's what he's going to do. This is turning into much more of a Harold Finch conversation. ]

We might be, but I'm not risking it.

[ And that's really what it comes down to. John won't risk that this isn't really what they're here for. That he might have a chance to save his world. It's the culmination of everything he's done in his whole life. Ten year old John would be in awe right now. ]

[unaliveyourself]

[Dazai can sense he's losing the man, which is a shame. Their earlier verbal jousting had been enjoyable, and he'd wanted to discuss the situation further, but he's not especially surprised. There's precious few in his life that even bother to humor him on these tangents, and only one that put in the effort to engage him about them, even if he couldn't always follow Dazai's train of thought -- and that man is years dead.

Dropping his arms back to his side, he straightens himself up almost abruptly, rolling a shoulder in a casual shrug.]

Mm, I doubt any of us would want to, but that's what I'm saying. There's no way to know what that would even entail. Disobeying a directly stated warning could be just as disqualifying as leaving people to suffer the consequences of their choices alone in the dark.

[Hence, trolley problem. No matter, though; he shakes his head.]

I won't take up much more of your time, then. But perhaps you can indulge me on one last question-- might I get the name of my erstwhile conversation partner?

[aimsforknees]

[ It call comes down to free will. That's what it's always been. The Machine gives them numbers and they have to decide what to do with them. Perhaps this too is about free will. All he can do is make the best choice in the moment. Thankfully he has Harold here to help with that.

As for the question... John just holds out his rose. ]

A trade. And then at midnight we'll know.

[ John's smile this time in genuine. He's had a good time. ]

one last suicide cw for the road

[unaliveyourself]

[He looks from the rose to the other man for a moment, and then lets out a softly amused noise before offering over his own rose. It's not exactly the romantic ideal he pictured, offering it to a man he'd verbally sparred and then traded information with rather than a beautiful woman with whom he could propose a double suicide with, but ah well. It's a connection formed, a potential ally in the future. A worthwhile investment, as it were.

It's rare for Dazai's smiles to be truly genuine, but this one isn't as hollow as the others before. The man he's met tonight is an interesting one. He looks forward to learning more about him.]

You have yourself a deal. Until we meet again, then, Mister Mystery~

[He goes out of his way to say that last bit directly in English, without the help of the translators. It feels appropriate, somehow.]