Corwin's Annual Christmas Festival - Intro Event

[uploadedmods]

Who: All Participants/Open Mingle
When: December 8, 2008
Where: Church grounds and inside the church.
Warnings: CW - Seizure Warning

CW: Seizure Warning

Prelude

After receiving the briefing for their current setting, characters will be released from their coding pods to find themselves in what will be their current residence. If a character were to leave the room and return, the coding table will be gone - replaced with a bed.

All lodgings will have winter clothing available to all participants to better suit the weather. Characters will find role-appropriate attire packed away for them as well.

Corwin’s Annual Christmas Festival is underway as participants begin to wake up. As characters begin to explore their surroundings, they will find that NPCs are encouraging them to go to the town’s church to attend the festivities. In fact, it seems to be all anyone is talking about. NPCs’ dialogue will begin to loop if a character loiters in one place for too long or continues to try to talk to people to get more information. NPCs will note how important it is for locals to support their hometown or urge tourists to enjoy the celebration they traveled so far to see.



The church grounds are decked out for the holidays in truly small-town fashion. From decorations that have clearly been put to use for decades to the occasional “new” donation - the town’s Christmas spirit is certainly quaint, if not brilliant. The front doors to the church have been propped open, welcoming guests to explore all the festival has to offer.

Outdoors

Christmas Lights
Brilliant displays of light wind through the churchyard, a walking path through the display open and free to all. People may stop and look at a scene as long as they wish, there’s no need for strict order when everyone is so accustomed to such a timeless tradition. From nativity scenes to more secular displays of candy canes and rudolph, there’s a sight for everyone to enjoy. A twelve track Christmas album plays on old, staticy speakers, the brief pause between songs carrying a high pitched humming. Interspersed throughout the light display are flowers from the town’s own florist, proudly serving as centerpieces for many of the landscaping throughout.

Church Rooftop
While the basement is locked away, shrouded in shadow, the same is not the case for the roof. The stairs to the Church’s bell tower are bathed in warm light, warped wood sturdy underfoot. Unlocked, the door is heavy but well oiled. It’s a common vantage point many young people in Corwin enjoy, and tonight, it’s the best possible view of the light show beneath. A romantic destination for many, people also retreat here to enjoy their solitude or have a private conversation. There isn’t much space, just the flooring under the bell and four pillars to act as a bulwark against the wind.

Mulled Wine
Outside of the doorway to the church stands a booth decorated with antique barrels and tankards – a sign decorated in looping calligraphy states “FREE EVENT WINE” sits to the side. The smiling NPC behind the booth urges you to taste some of the greatest wine the town has to offer – they give you a wink and tell you “don’t tell your parents” if you appear to be underage. Mugs line the counter, and three huge drink dispensers with spigots sit for you to serve yourself. One is labeled “Mulled Wine”; another “Hot Chocolate”; and yet another reads “Homemade Blackberry Wine, courtesy of the Douglas Family”. The first two drinks taste as one might expect a free drink to taste – cheap and watery, but palatable. The last one however...leaves a lot to be desired. Mainly the desire to never have to taste something so foul ever again.

Indoors

Church Raffle
As you walk into the church, an NPC greets you with a warm smile and guides you to a nearby table that bears a handmade sign that has “Raffle” painted on it in large, red lettering and little holiday accents added to fill some of the negative space. You’re told to reach into the hat and pull out a ticket. Upon doing so, the other NPCs working the table will hand you a gift box that corresponds to this ticket and wish you a “blessed holiday.” This may not be how you recall raffles working, but are you really going to argue with a free gift? You are expected to open your gift in the sanctuary. If you hold onto the boxed gift for too long, NPCs will begin asking you rather pointedly about your box with increasing frequency until you finally do.

If your character participates in the raffle, comment under the raffle header below to learn what item they received.

Artisan Fair
What Christmas Festival would be complete without a proper display of the town’s talent? Tables covered in white cloth line both sides of the sanctuary and are covered in little trinkets. One table has a plethora of stained glass ornaments and chunky, gaudy jewelry. Another boasts handmade candles, soaps, and bath bombs. One NPC is desperately corralling any poor, unsuspecting person they make eye contact with to their booth before beginning to tell them their whole life story. If the person tries to leave, the NPC will aggressively start the entire interaction over again until they can complete all instances of their dialogue - or until the person buys something. Another vendor has a collection of clothing and handbags they’ve made. Even the local flower shop has a table set up with a nice selection of arrangements to choose from. A few other vendors have set up with a variety of things, sometimes with things that are a curious copy of “art” seen in a participants’ homeworld. NPCs will urge you to come and enjoy the products these fine craftsmen have to offer before you dive into the food or attempt to leave the church.

Community Potluck
Across the way from the Artisan fair on the other side of the sanctuary stand more tables – this time lined with food. Loads of traditional Christmas fare fill the space; honeyed ham, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, figgy pudding, fruit cakes, and Christmas cookies among other foods are offered free to anyone, provided by the community. The NPCs behind the table are eager to serve anyone who comes up, and are sure to fill your plate to the brim. There are a few repurposed picnic tables that have been brought into the church where you can enjoy your meal. If staying inside sounds too stifling, there are also picnic tables outside in the courtyard, circling a large fire pit that offers warmth to those who want to get fresh air.

Glitches

Baby It’s Cold Outside
As you enjoy the festivities, your body temperature drops dramatically. This chill washes over you and no amount of warm attire wards it off. Mulled wine or hot chocolate also fails to warm you back up. In order to beat this chill, you must go inside the church and hold a conversation with another person. Failure to find shelter will cause the effects of hypothermia to set in, and you will simply want to stop whatever you are doing and lay down. Upon laying down, the character will fall asleep and wake up the next morning on a pew in the church.

Hear the Angel Voices
There is no choir singing in the sanctuary, but you hear a medley of Christmas hymns. They get louder as time goes on, acapella and distant. Verse after verse, the songs carry on until they're overwhelming. You won't be able to hear anything but the singing, and it won't stop until dawn.

Jingle All the Way
With any movement you make you will find yourself emitting a ringing noise, as if there are bells tied to your wrists, legs, and head – though no presence of bells can be felt or interacted with. The noise grows louder with sudden movements, and can be heard by you and other characters. The noise will persist until you have traveled at least one mile.

Thorny Crown
Though there isn't a rain cloud in the sky, a wet feeling starts to develop from the top of your head, seeping its way down through your hair. Upon inspection, you find the wet feeling to be blood – your own blood, spilling from the crown of your skull. The flow will be persistent, dripping down your forehead and neck at the pace of a thick syrup. Attempts to stem the bleeding will only work temporarily—bandages will soak through in a matter of minutes and will need constant changing. If the bleeding is not treated, the affected will find themselves becoming faint from the blood loss. The bleeding will stop if the affected passes out, or after the player has slept for at least two hours.

Winding Down

The party winds down around 9pm, a respectable time for every member of the community to return home and prepare for their busy week ahead. Some of the crowd may migrate to the bar, while others loiter around in the churchyard to chat until they’re politely shooed away. When the Christmas lights go out, most partygoers will be gone - though some cult members may have found just “one more thing” to busy themselves with.

Most will return home on this warm winter’s night feeling a sense of calm, their rest that night deep and reenergizing. The coming week isn’t so kind - restless sleep abounds, from discomfort to waking up in a cold sweat, something is off, and no one seems to mention it.

Comments

QUESTIONS

[uploadedmods]

[twohares]

Is it possible to have glitches set in later on during the evening, or do they always start at the beginning of the event?

RAFFLE ITEMS

[uploadedmods]

[becomesenpai]

Himiko will definitely be participating in the "raffle"!

[uploadedmods]

You are given a box with mettalic green wrapping paper. As it is handed over, something clatters within.

Upon opening your gift, you find: sidewalk chalk

Re: RAFFLE ITEMS

[thetyger]

Participating. Raffles are fun, right?

[twohares]

What's the worst that could happen...

[generalstudies]

hooray, community spirit

[agereversal]

participating!

[whateveraspidercan]

Peter will participate!

Nakajima Atsushi | OTA

[thetyger]

#1 – Church Raffle

[The woman urging Atsushi towards the raffle table was a bit too excited in her mission, and she smiled too widely like several other people wandering around the church grounds. It was festive enough and everyone appeared to be enjoying themselves, but something always felt a little off when he interacted with the smiling residents. This woman was no different; she abruptly moved on to the next person in her view after leaving him at the table to obtain a raffle ticket.

The ticket itself was ordinary. A long string of numbers at the bottom, a generic “RAFFLE” printed in the middle, and perforated edges like it had been torn from a reel of tickets. The man at the table wanted it back right away; he checked the numbers and handed Atsushi a smallish box wrapped in shiny green paper with a red bow on top. Having never participated in a raffle, Atsushi didn't question the unusual set-up in the slightest. After wishing him a blessed holiday, the man turned his attention back to the hat full of tickets.]

Uh, blessed holiday! [He repeated the phrase back as it was only polite, and probably customary.]

[The box was lightweight and didn't make any noise when he shook it. Atsushi wasn't sure he wanted to know what was in the box, really. He'd been having a good time at the event and with his luck, it would contain something gross or embarrassing. He looked over at the person standing next to him. They were holding a box as well. Maybe everyone received the same things at these raffles.]

What's in it? I've never done this raffle thing before.


#2 – Christmas Lights / Glitch; Baby, It's Cold Outside

Ah, so pretty!

[Holidays were not a thing Atsushi was accustomed to, and he was a bit overwhelmed by the church event. He'd been wandering back and forth through the walking path for an hour or three. Every time he passed a display, he noticed something different in it. The townspeople had outdone themselves in decorating. The lights sparkled and glittered and cast colorful shadows on beautiful flower arrangements that probably should have been frozen by now.

He was inspecting a tree made out of candy canes when it quickly got very cold. There wasn't a gust of icy wind or anything really signifying why it was suddenly extremely freezing. Atsushi had worn every item of winter clothing found in his residence, but the cold penetrated it all. Bone-chilling was no longer just a euphemism; he was so cold everything hurt.

The same Christmas song played for the fifth time and Atsushi realized just how long he'd been wandering around outside. He probably had been too preoccupied to notice it getting colder and it just hit him all at once. That was the only explanation. He slowly made his way to the wine booth for hot chocolate. Walking was hard when you could barely feel your feet. Filling a mug with hot chocolate was a gargantuan task, but he'd managed. Raising the mug with a shaky hand failed though, and it proceeded to slip from his stiff and useless fingers. The chocolate spilled all over someone's shoes.]

S-s-s-s...

[Atsushi tried to apologize, but he was too cold and tired to make anything work properly. He just wanted to sleep somewhere warm.]


#3 – Open for Shenanigans of Any Kind

#2

[twohares]

[ Genis was standing at the booth, eyes going from the hot chocolate to the wine. He wondered if people really did see him as an adult... If they did, then there wouldn't be an issue if he took some of the wine, right? As a test. Not knowing he'd still be too young to drink in the US notwithstanding.

Well, he doesn't get a chance to try, anyway, as someone else's drink splashes on his new, sort-of-fancy uniform shoes. ]

Whoa! Ugh!

[ He kicks the hot chocolate off his feet, grimacing as he looks up at the person who spilled it. ]

Ah, hey...! [ ...This guy doesn't look so good. His hands were shaking. ] Hey, are you okay?

Motoko Kusanagi | OTA

[majormalfunction]

Christmas Lights

What a pointless tradition. And still useful, really. Seeing as there is not much else going on in Corwin tonight, the tourists are out in full force to look at the lights. Which puts them all in one place for her to observe. She's off to one side, leaning against a wall, arms crossed and wearing a mysterious soft smile. It's obvious she's seeing quite a bit, but she's not saying anything about it.

Her eyes are drawn more to the newcomers, the strangers milling around--she can tell who they are by the way they stick to themselves, not really engaging with others, the way they're so amused by the lights. She didn't spend her life learning how to do this to not use it now.

What can she say, she likes to people watch.

Artisan Fair

She'd better make an appearance at the craft fair too and pretend she's interested in keeping the bed and breakfast looking appropriately quaint. There's been a lot of tourist check-ins lately and something something she's supposed to play her role. She can smile and mingle with the best of them, though, even if she'd rather not make meaningless small talk with the people around her like she knew them.

What else was she supposed to do, though? So she tried, wandering the fair with a bag full of handmade purchases, and rapidly running out of things to talk about. When she got to the end of her list of topics she just started over. Nobody seemed to notice.

She even managed a smile, which would doubtless shock anyone she actually knew. Damned if she didn't know how to be a good actress, though.

Artisan Fair

[thetyger]

Atsushi watched the woman make her sixth or seventh purchase of crafty items and he was curious about what she wanted them for, even if he hadn't been on a mission to gather as much information as possible.

“You're buying a lot of things. Are you re-decorating?”

He should probably have been starting with 'hello' or some sort of introduction, but he also wondered if he was supposed to pretend he knew these people.

Genis Sage | OTA

[twohares]

[ 1 - Mulled Wine ]

[ Well, if he's really an adult as far as the system is concerned, valid identification and all, then having wine shouldn't be an issue, right? He might be short and...everything, but he was in his uniform and that was supposedly enough to make him come across as an adult. The woman at the beverage table gave him a smile and a "Hello, Officer Sage." as he came up.

And didn't stop him from filling a cup with mulled wine. (Half-filling, anyway.)

Now he just had to try it.

...

He gives a cautious look around before even bringing it up to his mouth, though. ]


[ 2 - Church Rooftop ]

It's so bright...

[ Although all the lights and festivities are on the ground, it was quieter up in the bell tower. Not only that, but it lets him see further into the distance. Even at night, he can still see the street lights shining on the roads going through town and into the distance, until they just...stop, and there's nothing there but road and a shadowy expanse of land going into the horizon.

And that's how it is on all sides, he realizes, as he circles around the rooftop, dress shoes clacking on the old floorboards, and the old floorboards groan every time he moves. ]

This really is all there is... [ More bitterly, he adds: ] I bet the roads don't even go anywhere. There's no lights or anything out there.

[ Just talking to himself and thinking out loud. He'll write this down when he goes back home. ]


[ 3 - Any prompt at all!! ]

mulled wine

[generalstudies]

[Most people, as per protocol, are having no reaction to his presence at the wine table. There's one teenager, though, who is immediately narrowing his eyes suspiciously when Genis looks around.]

[Maybe it would be easier to accept if the "officer" himself didn't look so nervous about it.]

[Instead, now they've locked eyes and it's Genis's move. Cave to the judgmental stare of a teenager? Or claim that mulled wine that is his system-given right as an adult?]

Hitoshi Shinso | OTA

[generalstudies]

[Ugh, something like this again. He still has bits and pieces of memories of being trapped in that stupid pretzel place. At least, he thinks to himself, he can move around freely now. There's a lot more that he's heard, though, that makes him unsure if this time around would be any better. Whereas the last time they were definitely all victims, now he did really have a role to play.]

[He's been provided with jeans and a tasteful winter cat sweater. It's a bit itchy but it fights the chill.]

Artisan Fair

[The booths and stands have a bunch of interesting things to look at as well as a bunch of people. That seemed like an okay place to start when it came to looking for anyone he might recognize as a "normal" person. The downside of it, though, is that the non-normal people all know him. Well, they don't know him. They know Hitoshi, the son of the police officer, and they expected him to act accordingly.]

[He'd stopped to glance at a carved, wooden cat and ended up being asked questions about school, how things were going at home, a plethora of things he just didn't know.]

Things at home are... fine. Dad's the same as ever. [Whatever that "ever" was. Then, well, then there was the simple question that sent ice through his veins, "Are you looking forward to the winter festivities?" Funny how a line so innocuous was going to have a dark meaning for them.]

Uh. Yeah. Of course. We all are, aren't we?

[Shit, shit, find another person, find the first person who looks real-]

Hey. [grabbing onto a stranger's arm- maybe they're a stranger, maybe he's "supposed" to know them,] Let's look around some more, I need to find a gift.

Jingle Jangle in the Church

[Alright, fine, if this cult stuff was going to factor into his life he should at very least try to figure out something about it. He pokes and prods around the church, squinting at the religious memorabilia. Sure, those flickers of the last setting had prepared him for being in America again but it wasn't like it gave him a crash course in Christianity or anything.]

[He lifts his hand to trace over some books and suddenly, quietly,]

[jingle jingle]

[He turns his head, quickly, trying to discern the origin of the noise. All that does is make another set of jingles from turning his head. He glances over at the crowd of people talking and- the only people who seem to notice are the one or two people he's betting are real people.]

[He sighs, heavily, turning back to the bookshelf with a resigned jingling. Well, it's not like he really cared about making too much noise.]

On the Way Home

[He knows he should probably stay later at the church. It had to do with his objective. This time it wasn't just "survive." Still, he's not feeling it. He sets himself on the way back "home," hands shoved in his pocket. He catches eyes with another person who looks like him-]

[-no, not exhausted. They look like another real person.]

Hey. [he calls out first, since he knows anyone on-edge wouldn't appreciate a kid randomly grabbing them from the darkness of the night.]

You know where you're going? [Well, they all sort of knew but it still works fine as a question.]

Way too many people get lost here as it is.

(ooc: as always you can PM me or contact me at sugarkey to set up something else!)

On the Way Home

[thetyger]

[A tired-looking boy in an adorable cat sweater called out to him. This kid had to be another “participant” if he was lost.]

Yes! I mean, I know how to get home...

[Because he's lived here forever, right? He probably would end up at the wrong house when he went home, but he didn't care. His was kind of disgusting and likely on its way to being condemned anyway. Atsushi had been debating whether to go home or back to the church. He wanted nothing to do with the cult activities, but also wanted to know the specifics of what was going on.]

I'd help you find your way, but I think I should be going back to the church for the cu-

[No, no, no!]

Craft!... meeting! O-of craft things. We make quilts. It's boring! Um... I like your sweater! Did you knit it yourself?

[Too many people getting lost. Yes, the apparent rash of disappearances. Did he know something?]

It's terrible, what's happening. No one is safe! You shouldn't be going home alone. Have you heard anything about the latest incident? Do you think it's all connected? Jackie thinks so. She had the booth with the painted birdhouses; did you see those? Her uncle disappeared last year when he was visiting.

[He had to get better at inserting gossip into conversations. It was just awkward and off-putting.]

Fair

[becomesenpai]

[Again, the majority of people milling about were clearly not real. Again, this doesn't seem to bother a one Himiko Toga in the least, as she's presently spending her time enjoying the fair, making the sort of odd small talk that would keep the "locals" placated, and bundled up in a cute oversized sweater (times two) combo to ward off the chill.

All in all? A nice time, even if some of her commentary even makes the fake people smile and laugh in the sort of nervous politeness that comes with the territory when one talks about things polite young ladies shouldn't have an interest in.

Like murder.

Still, she's not expecting to be latched onto by... anyone, let alone a familiar face, so she stumbles back until she catches herself on the boy's chest. Very 'Christmas Romcom Meet Cute' style, to the point where some of the nosy aunt type locals even titter about it.]

Uwah-! Hey! [Wait. Looking at that tired face, mussed hair... He's familiar! From home!!] Hitoshi-kun, hello! Who do you need to get a gift for? Maybe I can help!

Peter Parker | OTA

[whateveraspidercan]

[Artisan Fair]

So apparently he was a flower shop owner. That was fine, that was totally fine. Flowers were just botany which were science and he was good at science so he would be good at this, right? Right.

Which he actually was. He didn't have a lot of space for arrangements on his table but he'd provided the flowers for he whole festival and they looked pretty nice if he was honest with himself. A basic understanding of the color wheel, having nimble fingers from working on electronics, and looking at the arrangements that came pre-loaded in his shop seemed to be working okay for him.

Unlike a lot of the other vendors Peter wasn't really aggressive. He said hi and made eye contact with the other people attending but if they didn't buy something he didn't freak out. After a bit he decided to start handing out "free samples" which were small poinsettia plants or little bouquet's of flowers because honestly he didn't want to cart all this stuff out of here.

"Hey, happy... holiday? would you like some flowers?"

[Church Rooftop]

Peter couldn't help but admit he felt a bit of belonging up here on the church roof. Sure he was used to being in a lot higher places than this but even being up this high felt... right. Or at least more right than behind his table down below.

The view really was amazing in a way that only seemed real in post cards or something. For a kid that had grown up in Queens this kind of thing was really weird. You know... like the rest of this wasn't weird too. Actually, Peter found the circumstances of being here pretty believable and in some ways more than a little fascinating.

"Soooo... am I supposed to find this view romantic and comforting or like... reminded of that town in Hot Fuzz? Because I'm kinda feeling Hot Fuzz right now..."

[Artisan Fair]

[thetyger]

The phrasing automatically pointed to this guy not being part of the setting like most, if not all, of the other vendors at the fair set-up. It didn't look like he'd sold too many flower arrangements; probably because he wasn't pushing them on people like that scary lady with her little yarn reindeer. He had three in his jacket pocket. He had been too afraid to say no.

“Uh, okay! Did you set up all the flowers at the festival?”

Leaning closer, he added in a whisper,

“It's blessed holiday.”

It was best to try and blend in as much as possible, and that's how every weird robotic person had greeted him.

rooftop

[generalstudies]

[In Hitoshi's experience, the best place to be was where the people's weren't. So he goes up the ladder to escape and finds, well... someone with the same idea. He catches the comment and shrugs while pulling himself up.]

Don't know, never seen it.

[He glances at the older boy, then out at the scenery. At what point did it stop being real? Could they walk out that entire way until the horizon?]

Last one was like a horror movie, though.

Dr. Love | OTA

[agereversal]

partner hunt

[Styrofoam cup of watery hot chocolate in hand, Love wanders through the little collection of vendors, looking at stained glass and scented candles. He's looking at the people around him as well, subtly examining them for signs of alertness, or confusion.

He's supposed to find the Victim here, but without a face or name or scent, there's no way he'll be able to identify them. The most likely solution is that something will happen when he meets them, some kind of alert to let him know when he's met the person with his opposite role. It's unlikely that he's expected to choose someone of his own free will.

So Love looks, considers, and then walks up to a stranger.]

Are you enjoying the festival?

[If he were a different person, he would probably be able to make his question sound less like an interrogation.]

wildcard

[He takes the brightly wrapped gift and doesn't open it yet. Better to wait and see what sorts of things other people get before risking unwrapping a mysterious present. Love carries it under one arm, with his hands tucked into the pockets of his fluffy white coat as he walks through the church building and the surrounding yard. He's been on Earth for a few decades, but he hasn't really bothered to learn much about the local holiday customs, so he's taking a while to observe the light displays.]

partner hunt

[generalstudies]

[Love caught Hitoshi in the embarrassing moment of looking at his raffle prize- which was a pair of cat-paw mittens. They had paw pads! Damn it, why did they probably have to not be real? He couldn't take these home with him- well, he could take them back to the building that was his home but not home.]

Uh.

[It's hard to tell if this kid looks victim-like, with his face a bit flushed from enjoying a cute accessory. He puts his hands behind his back to hide the gloves.]

... yeah, I guess, as much as I can.

wildcard

[thetyger]

The lights are amazing, aren't they?

[He asks the kid in the white coat who just stopped next to him. Atsushi has asked that question, or a similar one, to five people already. He doesn't have much of a variety of conversation starters and this role was harder than he thought it would be.]

What's your favorite display? I like the tree with the tiny white lights and wooden ornaments. [He points to a medium sized tree a few displays down.] They're all hand-painted, you know. She makes a new one for every festival, ever since her husband disappeared six years ago. Which is sad, but at least she's moving on and doing something creative. This year's is a really cute bunny with floppy ears and a red bow. You should see it! Do you like rabbits?

[He finally notices the present the kid's got under one arm.]

Is that one of the raffle presents? Why haven't you opened it?