isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

Entry tags:

EVENT ✨ Something (Celli)Wigged This Way Comes

QUICK NAV: LOGS ⚔️️ NETWORK ⚔️️ MEMES ⚔️️ OOC ⚔️️ NAVIGATION

This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only.

Autumn, despite the chillier weather, is a season of warmth and gathering. Perhaps moreso this year than normal, given the rather unplanned gathering of Celliwig and Lestari underneath Camelot's roofs. Though significant contributions from otherworlders have made food, shelter, clothes and other productions and donations, medical care, security and protection, and childcare an amazing group effort, typical individual celebrations for the departure of the dead from Avalon aren't being held, like Lestari's Death Ball. After looking at all the support they've been given, Lestari and Celliwig have looked at what they have to offer to help both their own people and the people of Camelot and other worlds.

The people of Lestari excel in cognitive magic, and while there are those who use it for mind-altering magics, there is a good portion who dedicate their studies to emotional and psychological support. One such method is the enchantment of origami paper into something affectionately called Worry Monsters: an specialized counseling technique used to help form support bonds between people with negative emotions. Having spent a portion of the month enchanting paper, two square sheets of paper are handed out to anyone the encounter. The first paper says: "Personifying your emotions can give them a tangible form and make them easier to face. Write down something that causes you worry, stress, fear, or sadness. This is your Worry Monster." The second paper says: "When your Worry Monster is present, how does it make you feel? Any reaction is valid."
When both papers are written on, the writing on both will disappear as if absorbed by the paper, then the pages will animate and fuse, then begin to fold into a monster! Halloween is this month, is it not? There is no sense in not having a little fun. These little Worry Monsters will stomp off and begin roaming Camelot until they find a match-- someone who shares those feelings. Once they find an emotional matching Worry Monster, the monsters will return to their creator and grow to the size of kaiju. They are very light, enchanted paper, so even if someone or something gets stepped on, they won't be hurt or damaged. However, they are strong enough to pick their makers up and carry them to the matching monster who will do the same. Don't worry-- characters will be invisible while being carried by their monster, so their identities will be protected until they are brought to their match. The paper monster will turn to butterflies and fly away once their task is complete. What matches do after they are brought to each other is up to them-- but they will know, undoubtedly, that they share the same worries-- they are with someone who understands. Do it as many times as you'd like, for as many negative emotions as your character wants. For finding something to do, Celliwig offers a solution. While Lestari's people have spent their efforts this month enchanting papers, the people of Celliwig are less apt to share so openly. Instead, they take their time learning about a variety of holidays from other worlds, and come to find one they can apply their particular talents to. While most of their showcase in the past has been on light magic, a holiday such as Halloween plays in particular to their talents in dark magic. A number of locations that have opted in and won't interfere with other relief efforts have been enchanted with dark magics for brave souls to venture into and test their courage! What's more, each of these locations will yield tokens for the victors that can be used to gain prizes. All courage tests must be performed with partners. Costumes are encouraged but not required.
	The library has been converted into a haunted art gallery, many of which have had their paints and other implements enchanted. Some paintings will seem like they're watching you, others will seem like a small figure in the background is following you throughout the library in different paintings. A painting of fruit may start throwing the fruit at you and materializing it into real fruit, so you may find yourself pelted with tomatoes if you don't run fast! A single painting filled with black paint might start leaking and filling the room you're in, pulling you into shadow until you're stuck in the library's underground labyrinth. (Reference monthly quests here and here for more info about the labyrinth.)
There are a variety of paintings with different curses applied. Navigate through the library and escape the haunted paintings-- pairs who make it through without turning back will gain a Celliwig Token.
Another token can be gained via scavenger hunt in the Broceliande. Find cursed dolls from within tree hollows. The dolls will giggle and try to run away, may move when they're only visible in the corner of your eye if you set them down. What's perhaps a little spookier is that they take on the appearance of the first person to touch them, though they will never exceed three inches in height. Beware during your search, however, as there are a good many trees that have been transfigured into mimics. Though the mimics are not going to attack anyone, they do have giant hidden, wriggling tongues that will reach up and wrap the unalert up above the ground for capture. The only way down is if a partner fights the mimic, so don't go alone! Find a doll of both you and a partner and make it back to Camelot to obtain your token. The curse will break once they're exchanged for a token, so you can keep the cute little doll for yourself if you'd like.

The last test of courage invokes a temporary blindness hex on one of the partners. Both partners are walked into a soundproofed room, entirely silent in a way that truly seems to mess with one's head.

The unblinded partner is only allowed to answer "yes" or "no" questions, though no one will fault them for giggling as long as they give no clues otherwise. The blind partner is to stick their hands into a tank of water with mystery items hidden within. These items may be mere objects like peeled grapes in soggy noodles, or perhaps the tank is filled with chicken bones and those tiny garra that eat dead cells and are sometimes used for pedicures. All the items are set up to feel spooky, but ultimately are unharmful. As long as the partner who can give clues doesn't break the yes/no rules and the item is guessed within 3 guesses, a token will be rewarded!

Bring tokens to the inn where a stall has been set up, with Gwion working the booth to exchange tokens for the following prizes:

1 Token: Celliwig glasswork glass set of 4-- spooky themed! It's filled with candy upon receiving, so they are friendly for everyone.
2 Tokens: Recipe: Smokescreen - Cast this spell on any liquid to make it billow plumes of fog. The smaller the water surface, the smaller the billow. A shot glass might just create a small whisp, but two mop buckets would be enough to fill up a medium room. Will not effect the contents of the liquid. Cannot be used on water bodies larger than a swimming pool (could screen about half a block).
3 Tokens: Recipe: From the Void - Summons a disembodied tentacle from the shadows. It takes a lot of energy, so you could probably manage up to three casts a day at most before becoming exhausted. Great for binding enemies, sneaking in small spaces, and reaching places you might not be able to otherwise. The tentacle will follow whatever command you have in mind upon summoning, so be sure to concentrate on the task at hand!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

You see it too?!

[ Crow jumping makes Ritsuka skitter back a couple of steps herself; she doesn't screech, but it's a near thing. Her voice is definitely pitching higher, into embarrassing range, but also! Also!! It's one thing to just wonder it aloud; it's another to have someone confirm it! Now it's not just her imagination! It's real now.

Hopefully he's keeping an eye on that painting as Ritsuka risks looking away, trying to peer down the gallery hall to see what lies ahead.

Oh boy. It's not like the walls are covered, but it's a long hallway. But maybe it's only the one? ]

Howwwww about we just move on? Nice and slow. Not like we're afraid or anything.

[ What if paintings can sense fear. She doesn't know. Anything is possible. ]

Yeah, I see it! I don't know if I want to see it, tho!

[ Ignorance is bliss, certainly alludes to occasions like these when it would be better if he was unaware. Still, as his partner looks away, Crow keeps his eyes on the picture, too scared to divert his eyes. Doing his best not to blink, but the endeavor is quite hard, especially with his eyes getting dry!

At the suggestion to move on, Crow quickly agrees. That's a good idea! It might be best to keep moving, instead of seeing what happens when the headless mannequins get to the frame!]

Y-yeah! Let's do that! It's not because we're s-scared, we just don't have time to be dawdling around!

[Though his shaky voice doesn't sound very convincing. He starts moving away from the painting, releasing a sigh of relief that he doesn't have to maintain eye contact. His hedgehog ears twitch hearing something behind him, he glances behind him only to see a piece of fruit flying at his head.]

Watch out!

R-right, we've got things to do! Paintings to see. Tokens to get.

[ Possibly... possibly Ritsuka should have paid more attention to what this was supposed to be when she decided to check out the gallery, but it's too late now. They're in it now, but as long as they make it through to the end of the gallery, it'll be fine! Right?

...

Right.

Ritsuka manages to take a single step forward past the mannequin painting when Crow yells, and she whips around as fast as possible at the sound--she's totally not scared! This is just like how cheap jumpscares get her even when she knows they're coming! That's all.

The tangerine whiffs right past her head, enough to fluff her hair. It probably would have been much cooler if it weren't fruit. It still startles her enough to stagger, though, closer to a painting that is mostly dominated by a giant face in the canvas, like a face pressed against the window. Oh boy. ]

Wh--where the heck did that come from?!

[ Crow stiffly turns around to the direction the tangerine came from, but nothing really sticks out to him. Down the hall, he only sees paintings lined up evenly along the corridor, nothing out of the ordinary. Until he sees the action in real-time, a lady within her frame literally throws something else at Crow. He's too stunned to dodge, going down as a tomato smashes against his face.

There's a moment where Crow's vision is blinded by the tomato juice, but he quickly wipes his face off to look toward Ritsuka. Only to see that giant face pressed up against the frame, the hairs on his body stand on end. He points his finger in fright, mouth hanging in, did this girl not see that?!]

What the hell is that?!

[Maybe he's more scared than he let on and this gallery shit was a bad idea!]

What the hell is wh--

[ It was behind her! She was distracted! But she slowly, s l o w l y turns when Crow points to see...

... ]

Holy shit.

[ It's a tiny, breathless squeak, but it's got feeling to it. She has done her best to cram an entire novel's worth of freaking out into two small words. Another fruit--a lemon?!--whiffs by her head, but she doesn't even notice. There are bigger, uglier things to worry about right now. The face is pressing visibly harder against the canvas now, which is starting to bulge out. She's not sure what will happen--will it just rip? Or will that thing just burst out?--but she doesn't really want to stick around to find out.

So after a second, she clears her throat, which does not really help with the shakiness of her voice, but she's still trying. By god, she's trying. ]

Hhhhooooooow about we just... move on... a little faster now, hahahahaha?

[ It's a very unconvincing laugh, a robotic ha-ha-ha, but sometimes, you've just got to (pretend to) laugh in the face of the bizarre and creepy. ]

[ A chill runs down Crow's spine as he watches that enormous, menacing face press harder against the border. Whatever barrier is keeping the thing from entering their space seems to tremble with concern, threatening to break any second.

It takes another kiwi thrown at his head to get Crow to snap into motion. He scrambles to his feet as this girl urges them to move on...but faster! The rocker is not complaining, because fuck this shit! He grabs Ritsuka's arm as he starts racing down the hallway.]

Come on!

[More fruits whir past them as they make their escape, but Crow keeps looking straight ahead even when an apple nicks his shoulder. It seems like more of the paintings are coming to life as Crow sprints down the hallway. Hands start to extend out of the frames as if trying to grasp onto their clothes. Random items like wine bottles, cutlery, and porcelain dishware launch at them to obstruct their path. Crow stumbles over a damn teacup saucer, but recovers quickly.]

This is crazy!

[Is it just him, but does the hallway appear to be getting longer? He felt the hallway was much shorter when they first entered, now the path seems almost endless.]

[ He doesn't need to tell her twice--as soon as Crow starts running, Ritsuka is more than willing to escape. At least she's used to running, and even away from an enemy attack... but not like this! There's something very different about fighting a monstrous-looking beast that is mostly interested in eating you, versus whatever the hell this is. What happens if one of those hands grabs them?! What if you get dragged into the painting world and become a painting--no thanks!

Ritsuka lifts her free arm to try and shield her head a little from the flying debris. Surely they have to be reaching the end of the hallway soon, right? There's gotta be an exit soon! ]

This is not the way to get people interested in art!!

[ Even as she yells that, a specific movement out of the corner of her eye catches her attention. When she glances over, she sees... the same huge face painting, though now its wide smushed nose has, in fact, breached whatever barrier is keeping it in the painting. There's the tangerine that she'd dodged earlier, right?? What the hell?! ]

Are-- are we just going in circles?! Since when was this a giant loop?!

[Personally, Crow doesn't even want to think about possibilities of what could happen if those hands manage to drag them into their painting, or if they got trapped in this haunted gallery. No! Gotta stay positive in the face of adversity!

Except something does seem off, and it's not until Ritsuka points it out that he notices the spot where the tomato smashed against his face. He inevitably looks up to that face that manages to breach his nose through. He skids to a halt, there's no point in continuing if they'll only return to the same point.]

Damn! So what can we do?

[Standing around doesn't seem like a good option either as Crow parries a banana and gets a cut on his face from a champagne glass shattering against a nearby wall.]

Can we even fight back? With magic?!

[It's worth a try!]

I don't know! Don't most people in horror movies just kind of make stupid mistakes and then die?! No thanks!

[ Most people in horror movies don't have magic, but it feels like that would just cause the threat to scale up. That's not something she really wants to think about right now.

For a second she looks around wildly. Surely there's something they can use as a weapon, right? All she can see is a vase on a pedestal, a little too close to that giant face for comfort, but... it seems to be a completely ordinary face. It's not moving, it's not sprouting weird limbs, nothing is trying to crawl its way out of the thing, so--

Well, if the gallery sends her a bill later, she'll worry about it when that happens. ]

If you've got magic you can use, I'm all ears, but in the meantime!

[ In the meantime, she lunges over to snatch up the vase, lifting it up over her head and smashing it down on that protruding nose. ]

Take that!!

Y-you think we're gonna die in here?!

[Don't say stuff like that! They're going to make it out of here alive, stupid decisions or not!

....Hopefully.

Crow tries to think of how he could use his dark magic to fix this. His secondary discipline would definitely be useless unless the paintings had some blood phobia. Ritsuka seems to take action, taking up a nearby vase and smashing it against that freakishly large nose! There's a loud roar of pain that comes from the face and makes the whole hallway tremble. The nose slips back into the frame as the owner recoils. Well, that's one way to deal with them. Fight fire with fire.]

Well, I have dark magic! Maybe I can jinx some of the paintings, give them a taste of their own medicine!

[Lucily, Crow has his guitar with him that he uses as a medium for his magic. He pulls the strap, so the instrument comes to the front. He plays a few chords and allows a shockwave of dark magic to roll down the hallway. If a haunted painting tries to throw something at the pair, the item will halt and boomerang back towards the painting. Well that takes care of one issue.]

How's that?

I'm saying no thanks to it!

[ She's still holding the base in both hands, wheezing slightly. She knows basic self-defense, but that doesn't do a lot against weird magical enemies, and frankly, she's glad it worked at all.

Crow's magic is a lot more effective, though, and maybe in another scenario she would have made some comment about the guitar. Right now she's just grateful, taking a few steps back to be closer to his side. For the moment, they've bought themselves a few seconds of quiet. ]

...That worked pretty well? Maybe if we just walk forward normally, we'll see where we got turned around?

[ Either they just got confused in their mad dash from the paintings, or else one of the paintings was trying to trick them into going in circles. Surely as long as everything is kept at bay, they should be able to find their way out.

Another beat and then she says, as an afterthought: ]

I'm Ritsuka. I figure that's better than yelling "hey! you!" if something happens again.

[Crow will only accept comments praising his guitar, okay? Either way, Ritsuka can't tease him about it now, because it's saving their asses!

He peers down the hallway, but he doesn't see where they could have made a wrong turn. It's just a long hallway going in one direction, there's no way they could miss an exit right in front of their faces. He frowns as his tail sways lowly above the floor.]

Maybe my magic can pick up where the loop begins. There could be some kind of enchantment in the room that keeps us going around in circles. So keep your eyes on the walls.

[At the offer of her name, the rocker does the same.]

Oh yeah, the name's Crow.

[Usually, he'll do his spiel about being the crimson angel of the apocalypse, but it doesn't seem appropriate at the moment.]

[ He can go on about it when they're out of here. Ritsuka is usually only a so-so audience to that sort of thing, but he's earned it. She sticks close to him, eyeing the walls. ]

I'd say "nice to meet you," but let's just call this in need of a do-over. When we get out of here, I'll treat you to lunch.

[ In true fate/protagonist fashion, food is the best way to bond, in Ritsuka's mind. Not so much when it's being thrown at you, but eating it? Absolutely.

That said, she takes a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and nodding. ]

Okay. Let's try walking. You keep playing, and I'll keep watch.

You had me at lunch!

[Ritsuka is speaking to his very soul, right now! He loves food too! And bonding over food is one of his favorite pastimes! Now that he has something to look forward to, he's even more determined to get out of here.

He steps forwards, strumming his guitar to keep his dark magic flowing. It spreads down the hallway, overlaying the walls like a dark veil. Nothing seems out of the ordinary at first glance, but if they look closely, his dark magic makes obvious a small rift in the wall not too far from them. Upon closer inspection Crow's spell outlines a light that frames the corridor.]

--There! Over there!

[ She hisses it; she doesn't actually know how important the music is to the way the magic works. She knows a couple of people where it matters, and right now, especially, she doesn't want to wreck things. Lunch is waiting for them.

But she does point, and without thinking about it, she grabs the hem of his shirt to tug a little. (What happened to not wanting to disrupt his music? Don't worry about it.) ]

There's definitely something fishy about the wall over there... can you direct a blast or something at it?

[ This is something that a vase is probably not going to help with. ]

[He stops when Ritsuka yells something out. At first, he doesn't see what she does, but she becomes even more insistent. Tugging at his shirt and points in the direction of what she sees. Finally, he sees the illuminated outline. Is this where the loop starts?]

I can try to see if I can dispel...whatever it is.

[ Instead of taking on a defensive stance, he's all offensive. He takes his guitar off of his shoulder and imbues it with his dark magic. He aims for that fissure on the wall and widely swings down to pierce through the magic. At first, he faces some resistance as the blade of his guitar hits something, but it can't cleanly cut through it. It feels like a powerful spell.]

Damn, it's stubborn!

[ The paintings on the walls seem to react. The frames shudder as if threatening to come off the walls. Some portraits are even spinning wildly around in circles. The whole corridor rumbles from the impact. Something is definitely happening!]

You're definitely onto something! Don't get up yet!

[ One of the paintings manages to shake itself straight off the wall, the frame cracking when it hits the ground on its point. She doesn't jump, but she does take a step back, looking around the gallery. This part, at least, feels a little more familiar and comfortable: a hostile situation, with multiple things that want to attack, if not necessarily kill them.

(But also, not necessarily not want to. She doesn't actually trust that these things just want to scare them and nothing else.)

One of the paintings stretches a too-long arm out of the canvas, making a grab for Crow's back. Whether it wants to drag him in or just stop him, Ritsuka responds without really thinking: she darts over to the painting, yanking it off the wall and then just tossing it down the hallway, as hard as she can. It's too heavy to go far in the air, but it does slide further away when it hits the ground. ]

--also, no pressure, but I think the sooner you get through, the better!

[Crow doesn't see the arm stretching towards him, but at least Ritsuka has his back! He tries to force all his strength into slashing this spell, but it's harder than it looks. The girl's urging doesn't help either.]

I know, I know!

[The hedgehog grumbles as he grunts putting all of his strength into finishing up the job. Finally, the magic gives, yielding under the blade of his magically enhanced guitar. Once the spell breaks, it sends a pulse throughout the gallery that knocks Crow off his feet. The surge sweeps over the corridor and sets all the paintings right. The gallery is just as immaculate as it was when they first walked in. It almost seems as if nothing had happened. There's not a broken bottle, shattered vase, big-nosed giant, or smashed fruit in sight.

He sits up from the spot he lands on, looking around warily before turning towards Ritsuka.]

...You think it's safe now?

...?

[ There's a couple of seconds where Ritsuka just lies there, blinking up at the ceiling. The sudden quiet and stillness is jarring after the frantic chaos of seconds before, and in its own way it's just as creepy--if not even creepier. Something about the silence could get under her skin really fast.

But finally she sits up, a bit wild- and wide-eyed as she looks around. ]

P...robably? I think?

[ This is probably not a great time to be cocky. Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? As creepy as the silence is now, it's preferable to being trapped in a hostile gallery forever. ]

Wanna try getting out of here and find out?

[ The silence is a bit unnerving, but maybe that's because of all the excitement they've been through. Crow slowly rises to his feet, looking on either side of him as if he's expecting something to come flying at him. Though nothing happens. The paintings on the wall don't even budge. Nothing seems out of the ordinary within those frames either. Could things be back to normal now?

He walks over to Ritsuka and offers her a hand up. Getting out of here seems like a great idea.]

Y-yeah...let's go.

[The musician starts heading for the exit. Body still on high alert and his eyes darting from wall to wall to catch anything suspicious. Crow keeps his guitar close to him in case, he needs to whip it out and use it again.]

[ She takes his hand automatically, getting to her feet. If she's a bit wobbly, then she's allowed. The whole thing probably didn't take longer than half an hour, but it feels a little like it's been all day.

And if she sticks a little closer to Crow than she would normally, when walking with someone... that's probably fair too, right? If they have to band together again, it's better for them to stick together. She also holds her breath a little, only letting it out once they're actually outside.

After a couple of seconds just waiting to see if another shoe might drop, she throws her hands up into the air and says, in the most deadpan tone possible: ]

We made it. Yayyyy.

[Crow finally releases the breath he's been holding once they leave the gallery. There's a part of him, who still expects something to happen, but hearing Ritsuka's response makes him relax. They made it! He especially had to keep it together in front of the girl, even as he wants to hightail out of there.]

Yes! We made a good team!

[He smiles at her. As a reward for their completion of the test of courage, a token dangles in front of each of them. Crow grabs his looking forward to getting closer to that smokescreen spell. Though, there is something on his mind.]

Although, what the heck happened back there? You didn't use your magic at all!

[Not that Crow has any problem being the main character, but he did find it odd. It may have been possible that Ritsuka didn't have a magical discipline that could have been beneficial in that situation.]

Yeah, about that...

[ She shrugs, exaggerated, though her gaze slides off to the side, so she isn't looking him quite in the eye. Haha, about that! ]

I'm not... actually really sure what kind of magic I've got. It's been a weird thing to think about, okay? It's not like it didn't exist in my world, but...

[ But. Well. Ritsuka waves a hand in what she hopes is an airy gesture, but is really more sheepish than anything. ]

It's actually kind of a meme, how much I don't have? So I always just default to what I can do physically, instead.

HUH?!

[ Crow listens to Ritsuka. She doesn't know her magic? Has she even tried to figure it out? It almost seems she's fine just not using magic at all. The reasoning is valid, but Crow still can't wrap his brain around it. If you have magic, why not use it?

He had a form of magic back in his world, so this situation isn't too out of the ordinary for him. Though if he had a choice to have magic or be without, he'd definitely choose the former!]

Did you hit your head on the way to Avalon?!

[Clearly that's the only logical reason why she would refuse to use magic.]

You're missing out! I mean there's nothing wrong with using your own strength, but what happens when you're in a bind like back there?

I do my best to figure it out on the spot!

[ The yelling doesn't really bother her. Right now, there's nothing that can faze her, especially after the escape they've just made. ]

I've made it through worse with less. You just learn to be flexible--the vase thing worked, right?

[ Maybe not as much in terms of getting them out, but it had kept the giant creeping face from getting any weirder ideas, and she'll count that as a win. And all things considered, she feels more confident in that than any sort of magic she may or may not have.

(In the back of her mind, she still suspects she has none. Either way, it's not so important to her that she's felt the potential loss.) ]

Even with magic, there's usually a simpler solution. You've just gotta find it.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject