cuddlecity | HAPPY HALLO— WE AIN'T AFRAID OF NO GHOSTS.

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HAPPY HALLO— WE AIN'T AFRAID OF NO GHOSTS.

EVENT: HAPPY HALLO— WE AIN'T AFRAID OF NO GHOSTS.

It doesn't start all at once. No, on the contrary, you may not even realize anything's going on at first — simply the soft glow of an orb out of the corner of your eye, surely just a reflection from a car passing by your apartment outside. Surely.

Is it just you, or is the cup of pumpkin spice goodness on your neighbor's table at Deja Brew starting to move towards the edge of the table on its own? No, it isn't just you; said neighbor manages to snatch the beverage just as it starts to tip over, grumbling a soft, "Not again." This has, apparently, happened in Cadelle before. A faint white orb that flickers like a flame seems to do a mischievous dance before vanishing into thin air, but not before laughter passes by your ear, sudden and loud like an express subway speeding through the station and then leaving just as quickly.

Later, perhaps you find yourself engaging in a little bit of what the kids call "Netflix and chilling" with an attractive fellow volunteer citizen. Things have never seemed Stranger than when, five minutes into your next episode of binge-watching, the app switches to a shrek-tacular musical starring a bunch of singing and dancing fairy tale creatures. You'll try to go back to the menu and restart your show, and within moments, the ogre has returned. Repeat the process and receive similar results; eventually, you'll notice a hovering, flickering ball of white right in the center of your living room once you resign yourself to your fate that doesn't bother concealing itself any longer, too delighted by the fact that things are looking UP here in Cadelle.

They aren't quite ghosts. They aren't quite spirits. No, they're more akin to will-o'-the-wisps — flickering orbs of light that are fabled to lead travelers from safe paths and guiding them elsewhere. Many of these will-o-wisps that gradually appear in Cadelle do seem to be trying to draw citizens elsewhere, towards the outskirts of the city, towards the rarely-visited forest...

But there are also will-o-wisps that — like most things in Cadelle — seem to divert from their intended purpose. Maybe you'll encounter one that just bounces with excitement and follows you all over your apartment like a stray puppy that just wants some love. Perhaps you won't even realize what's going on until you hear cackling and a burst of white light as you're pantsed by a particularly wily one in the middle of the downtown area. Maybe you'll experience flickering lights and spooky sounds and objects moving — gasp! — all on their own, attributed to a will-o-wisp that takes its spooky potential a little too seriously.

But what of those that you do choose to follow?

There is, contrary to public belief, a winding path that runs throughout the forest at the exterior of the city of Cadelle; sure, it's overgrown with deep tree roots, covered in leaves, and might have some completely trip-worthy holes amidst it, but it's there. And what lies at the end of said path? The Clementine House.

It's a sprawling mansion — dilapidated, yes, from over a century without regular maintenance — far too large to house merely one woman, but Clementine Cadelle was a strong, independent woman who didn't need no man, woman, or child to fulfill her. She founded the then community of Cadelle as a meeting place for selfless individuals to tirelessly devote themselves to charitable causes and helping others in any way that they could. This settlement grew and grew until it developed into a full-fledged town, and as technology in outer cities developed, into an entire city, the very one we know to this day.

No one knows the exact why, how, and when of Clementine Cadelle's passing, but ask any native Cadellian and they'll tell you the same tale, regardless of if it's true or not. Legend has it that Clementine was drawn — nay, pulled — to these grounds by the one and only Energem (and volunteer citizens may relate with this feeling, taken from their native worlds). While a good-hearted, docile woman initially, the Energem's constant rewards of gem fragments for her acts of goodwill proved addictive. With each good deed, she became obsessed with obtaining fragments of the gem and the wishes that it granted her. Her initial wish for more do-gooders is said to have started the volunteer program in Cadelle, followed by a wish to possess hundreds of acres of land on which the city stands today. Each of her wishes grew slightly more absurd, slightly more excessive: wealth beyond measure, topiaries in the shapes of creatures found only in zoos, the stamina to hand-build herself a magnificent estate...

Until one day, she was merely gone. No one ever found her remains; it was simply that nobody had seen her in weeks. Nobody, to this day, knows what happened to Clementine Cadelle.

Step into the Clementine House, its namesake's final, unfinished masterpiece. Upon entering through it's loudly creaking front doors, it's just about what you'd expect from your typical — ahem, haunted mansion. Long hallways are lined with portraits of Clementine's dear friends from the original group of do-gooders, and their eyes seem to follow you with each step you take; glance back at a photo and — was the woman in that painting always pointing at you? No matter. Surely, the sound of doorknobs turning and knockers rattling as you pass is even more unsettling. You might feel like leaving, afraid of getting caught trespassing, but something seems to keep you inside, keep you exploring.

The house is full of oddities in its construction and architecture. Open a door, and you may come face to face with a brick wall. Cautiously walk up each flight of stairs you encounter, for you may come to realize that the stairs lead to nowhere — simply constructed up until they reach the ceiling. In the attic, one may even turn a door knob and expect a balcony, but instead realize that it's a sudden drop off into the path below. Similarly, a door on the third floor will lead to a winding, metal slide and takes you to who-knows-where. Proceed with extreme caution, dear cuddlers. Some will-o-wisps are better navigators than others; while the one you've followed so dutifully from the inner city of Cadelle may have gotten you this far, things get tricky once inside. If your guide is able to help you avoid the many misfortunate architectural elements of the home, you'll find yourself in the basement. There are gadgets and gizmos aplenty, abandoned and broken, and furniture covered in cloths take up much of the real estate. It's a dark room, lit only by the dim light filtering through the slim, dusty windows near the ceiling, but there is one thing that shines bright: a fortune teller.

No, it's not a real person, or even the head of a woman floating around the room in a crystal ball. Instead, it's an old-timey arcade fortune teller in all her glory, mysteriously active though there's no power source in sight. Could she be the will-o-wisps' true destination? She must be, as once you approach, and press the button, she'll declare with a strong voice and mechanical motions that for a minimum donation of 1 CuddleBuck, you'll receive a fortune that's as certain as death itself.

Of course, this could be completely fake and a rip-off, but the machine will spit a card proclaiming your future at you once the minimum donation is received. Donate a few extra dollars — or many dollars, the fortune teller isn't picky — and perhaps the stars will align more in your favor. The only way to find out is to TRY IT and find out!

The Clementine House thanks you for your time, but please don't overstay your welcome. And no frisky business!

After the first night of sightings, one may see a multitude of appearances on local television of a very burly man who's definitely, definitely wearing Ed Hardy and fingerless gloves that make his hands look like skeletons. His name is Jack Zagans, and he never believed in spirits until he came face to face with one. He, along with his trusted friends, founded GUC — or, as he'll correct everyone who tries to abbreviate the name or dare to pronounce it phonetically as "guck" — the Ghost Undertaking Collective. Wanting to help his Collective further collect evidence that prove the existence of spirits (and maybe claim a few passionate volunteers as full-time members of the group in the process), he has decided to loan out equipment to you (yes, you) for all of your ghost hunting needs!

Interested parties who would like to learn a little bit about life on the other side and borrow said equipment are welcome to use it at home, at their places of employment, throughout town, or maybe follow the aforementioned will-o-wisps to the Clementine House and try to have a chat with Clementine Cadelle herself (but good luck — she's not very chatty; she'd done enough good deeds in her lifetime to be free from the obligation of speaking with nosy volunteer citizens).

Loaner equipment is as follows:

▸ Ovilus 5B: A device whose most popular mode is "dictionary mode", where it spits words at the user based on environmental energy. Did that will-o-wisp just say the words "CAT", "TACO", and "YUM" in a row? What could it meeaaaan?!
▸ XCam SLS Camera: A device which maps a room and its objects and detects figures via heat mapping; anomalies are detected and mapped and can be seen in motion and interacting with others. Time for a will-o-wisp dance party!
▸ Digital Voice Recorder: This is your standard audio recorder used for menial uses like recording meetings and ghost hunting uses like recording EVPs (electronic voice phenomena). Ask questions, get answers. It's like your own ghostly talk show. You can even save yourself the secondhand embarrassment of interacting with the GUC and use the Voice Memos feature on your CuddlePhone with similar results!

Will you collect evidence? Only time will tell. Be the best worst parody of a ghost hunting television show you can be!

Complaints during the duration of these will-o-wisps' visit to the city administration reach an all time high. The city is certainly aware of the problem, as City Hall is being overtaken by these pesky aberrations as well, but truly, what can they do?

Enlist help. And who they gonna call? Cisco Ramon, apparently, volunteer citizen from Central City, developer of high-tech equipment, and pop culture aficionado. While the city administration doesn't want to harm the will-o-wisps, they wish to simply ... contain them, until their time has passed. (While they won't outright admit it, this type of thing has happened before in Cadelle, and the annoying things did end up vanishing on their own after five days.)

It's time to Bust some Ghosts — er, will-o-wisps. Mr. Ramon developed a piece of tech not unlike that of a certain popular movie franchise back in his universe on Earth-1. Brave and willing entities are enticed to visit City Hall and retrieve one of these very vacuum cleaner-like devices, lightweight and worn like a backpack, flip a switch, and sweep up some troublesome will-o-wisps. On the eve of October 31, these entities will be released simultaneously into the sky and will float away into nothingness.

Those seeking action in an otherwise innocuous city, this is your time. Nerdy fanboys looking to live out their wildest fantasies, this, too, is your time. We ain't afraid of no will-o-wisps.

tl;dr: HAUNTED MANSION. GHOST HUNTIN'. GHOST BUSTIN'. The will-o-wisps, in game, will begin to appear during the evening of October 27 and will remain a factor in the city until the evening of October 31, in which they will vanish and not reappear to torment you. Feel free to play with them as you will — develop personalities for them! As with most things in Cadelle, things don't quite go the way they're planned so feel free to use them as much of a serious plot device or silly plot device as you'd like. Similarly, the world is your oyster when it comes to the Clementine House; feel free to employ as many spooky haunted house tropes as you'd like, or give 'em a twist. We wanted to offer a number of prompt ideas (obviously, have you seen how out of hand this post got?) but don't feel limited by them!

Regarding the fortune teller, simply fill out THIS FORM to request a fortune! Responses to the questions are simply for fun, and will have no real bearing on your character's randomized fortune. You're free to play with your fortune as though it's come true for your character, or it can simply be another scam by the city of Cadelle to earn some money. If you choose to employ the effects of your fortune, they will remain in effect until October 31 as well.

REGARDING ACTIVITY, we're happy to announce that toplevels and comments in this event are permitted to count for November's activity check! Being a surprise event, we don't want to discourage our players from participating in the fun. Please also note that this event does not replace our monthly welcome event, which will still occur on November 1.

Of course, please don't forget that your mod team is here for you with answers to any questions you might have, whether related specifically to this event or the game in general. If you have any further questions specific to this event, we encourage you to ask away on our QUESTIONS COMMENT here in this post. If you have general questions, or prefer a more private venue, our GENERAL INBOX (and SCREENED INBOX) is always available for you.

Happy spoopin', cuddlers!

Threaded | Flat

RAISE YOUR HAND.

Any questions? We've (probably) got answers!

If there's anything we can answer about this event, whether it's specific to your unique plotting dreams or more of a general gameplay inquiry, please don't hesitate to let us know! We know there's a lot to see and do, and we're here for you to make this event one from your wildest dreams... or nightmares, if you're the easily frightened sort. Let us know, cuddlers!

— xoxo
The Cuddle City Mods

STEP ON UP...

... to the mysterious Fortune Teller within the basement of the Clementine House!

As referenced above, citizens may encounter this mysterious object and, for a small (minimum) donation of 1 CuddleBuck, receive a fortune that may or may not come true! So, what are you waiting for? Insert your money now!

To receive a fortune, please fill out the following form:

❱ never go alone!
open — come one, come all

( does she go inside the abandoned, creaking, likely haunted house in the middle of the forest in the middle of the night? hell no. she's not stupid. but in the bright warmth of daylight, kimberly might be persuaded to play urban explorer for a bit, preferably with a friend or two who won't mind if she squeezes at their hand a bit too tightly.

she's sure as hell not going to go alone, though. instead, there's a mass text, one that goes out to anyone on her contacts list. )

👻🎃👻
have you been in that weird house yet?

( what do you say? feel like playing bodyguard? or maybe you want to tag along just to see how loudly kimberly hart screams. hint: it's pretty loud. hope you plan on packing earplugs! )

❱ who you gonna call?
closed to robbie & buffy, morning of the 28th

( the sound of a cat yowling in the other room wakes her up; the bright lines of sunlight streaming in through the open window tell her still fuzzy brain that it's much, much earlier than she'd expected to get out of bed, and the still-warm indent on the pillow beside her is a clear sign too. great. what a good way to start her day off, woken up too early and alone.

the sight of her idiot boyfriend in the kitchen waving away an entire collection of translucent white things, all floating merrily around his head, is not exactly what she'd expected to find. she'd been expecting maybe an extra-early craving for caffeine, or the rare opportunity to torment simba with the promise of breakfast not yet delivered, but definitely not this. this is weird as hell, but... it at least explains why simba's so aggressively yowling in protest from the hallway. apparently, cats aren't a big fan of ghosts.

but regardless of whether or not robbie, kimberly, or even simba the cat are pleased with this new development, the ghosts — or will-o-wisps, as she's suddenly corrected by a rather posh voice coming from nowhere, which is also really weird, for the record — seem to be a really big fan of him. so much so that they're not budging, no matter what they try. waving them away just encourages them to dance around, spraying them with water just seems to irritate the human in the center, and fire (of both the lighter and human flamethrower variety) only seems to tickle the stupid things.

they're at a loss, until robbie finally tosses kimberly his phone, with instructions to text someone who might just have a bit of a clue on what to try next. )

sos
this is kimberly
robbie's being possessed by magical pacman ghosts

❱ wildcard me

( feeling something else? hit me. blah blah semicolons | supergirl#2740 blah blah. )

NETWORK; UN: BUFFY >> Hate to say I told you so...

You know what? I knew it! I knew that as soon as I was starting to be all happy and getting my retirement on that some supernatural weirdness would rear its shiny, glowing head.

[ Okay, so maybe she expected straight out monsters or vampires or something a little more stabbable. ]

They may be cute now, but I hope no one's planning on experimenting with giving them water or feeding them after midnight. And if any of them start singing that Daisy song, I am straight up saying a big fat I told you so.

Slayer patrol is go - forest, house, city hall... take your pick

[ If anyone was going to go and grab one of those Ghostbusters inspired back-packs it was your friendly neighbourhood Slayer. She trusted Faith enough to know the other Slayer was dealing with this funky new situation the best way she knew how.

She also knew that right now she had a cowboy to worry about, and she was not letting whatever Cadelle considered to be cute get in the way of that. Was it just a coincidence that this was all happening so close to Halloween? Buffy wasn't always the sharpest stake in the weapons locker, but she knew that there was generally no such thing as a coincidence when it came to the supernatural.

The Slayer easily lifted her backpack on, completing her patrol outfit. Buffy was wearing her preferred red leather pants, and a white sweater. Her hair tied back in a ponytail that swished as she walked with purpose. If there was going to be goo involved, the Powers That Be were not going to be able to stop her wrath. ]

Wildcard

Honestly happy to roll with any scenario people want to throw down. Hit me up through PM or

kindofabigeal. This is what Buffy was chosen to do, peeps.

step into the Clementine House;;
[ so let it be known that Gwen Stacy isn't totally fearless or anything, and she'd never claim to be. but when little spirity orbs are drawing people to a particular location, fear gets pushed aside to make way for some Hero Action. there isn't much crime here in Cadelle, so it's kind of an obligation as a super to be on the lookout when weird stuff like this happens. the last thing she needs is to find out that they were all being drawn into a haunted murder house because some jerk felt like messing with the town. nah-ah, no way. not on her watch.

so she's actually in her Spider-Woman costume when she follows the little wisp, no mask, but her hood's up and shooters are on. she's ready to rumble, if needed. she's also just exploring, so if somebody gets stuck in a weird looping hallway or is abandoned by a trick staircase, she can be there to help! or just bump into a familiar, but possibly freaked out, face. hey, she's freaked out too. she's just pretty okay at hiding it.

so no, no way does she start with a loud BUH! when she hears someone yelling from down the hall. no way. she just sprang into action with no BUH! sound at all. don't worry, citizen!! she's coming to help!! ]

GHOSTBUSTAAAAAAAHS
[ yo. yo.

you can bet your sweet ass that Gwen's gone to City Hall to get her hands on a proton pack. she feels a little bit bad about sucking up the little wisps, but also? this is amazing. this is a dream come true. Gwen is one of those nerds that's always wanted to bust ghosts. so. here we are. bustin' ghosts.

well, okay. right now she's being surrounded by a bunch of them, in a kind of sweet way? but she's still surrounded. however, she's got a big stupid grin on her face as she looks around to the others who are helping un-wisp this room. ]

Let's light 'em up, Ray!!!

wildcard
i'm up for anything!! hit me up with a random starter here or ping me on plurk to plot @

sexbang

Edited 2017-10-28 22:04 (UTC)

[ She shouldn't be doing this.

While no means a horror movie "buff," Caitlin's seen her fair share of them. Less since losing Ronnie, and she suspects he liked watching them with her so she'd cling to him. But she knows the loosely established rules. Never say "I'll be right back." Don't drink or have sex. And don't follow strange lights/sounds/etc into the dark woods.

Breaking just one of those rules doesn't mean instant doom, does it? Either way, she isn't about to turn back now.

The strange flickering light chased her around her apartment until she reached her breaking point. She'd left to try and escape it, but it just seemed to be pleased by that. Following it to... wherever, it seems like a foregone conclusion by now. She just wishes she'd worn more sensible shoes before deciding on this. ]

[ ooc: feel free to find caitlin stmumbling on the path or inside the house! or if you have a totally cool idea, hit me up at

lovedbythesun ]

deja brew—

[ Wynonna is so not in the mood for this shit.

Her cup of coffee has nearly been knocked over three times this morning by these giggling little bastards. And her breakfast, some overly sugary delicious pastries? One was stolen and quickly dropped. All she wants to do is relax and eat and she obviously can't when these things are at this.

When her cup starts to tip again, she reaches over and catches it... and a handful of still hot coffee. ] Shit!

clementine house—

[ She's given in. The wisps have messed with her enough that she's finally going to follow them and find out what they want.

Wynonna's glad she brought Peacemaker with her as she enters the house. Her gun is out, gripped in hand, but her finger is notably off the trigger. She isn't about to shoot anyone or anything, not unless something attacks her. But it's like a security blanket almost.

But then she hears a strange noise around the next corner, and the revolver is up, pointing in the face of the unfortunate soul on the other side.

...sorry? ]

( who ya gonna call?

firestorm and the white canary, duh.

the minute they said on tv that they'd recruited cisco to invent some kind of fancy tech to contain the little will-o-wisps that have been apparently tormenting certain citizens of the city (not sara — she'd actually kind of had fun faux-sparring with them down at the women's building, considering their speed and ability to disappear and reappear), sara knew she was in. who doesn't need a little more action in a city as boring as cadelle?

sara had considered getting her whole (cadelle) team together, sure, but in all honesty, does she really want to spend the whole night watching leonard snart try to pun a ghost to death or mick trying to set a spirit on fire? no, not really. there's a refreshing chill vibe when hanging out with jax, even in the middle of a mission.

that's how they ended up here, standing right in front of this apparent haunted house in the middle of the woods with real-life proton packs strapped to their backs. with a grin, she turns her head towards her friend, asks, ) You ready?

Threaded | Flat

▸ QUESTIONS.

▸ FORTUNE TELLER.

kimberly hart • spooky spooky!

buffy summers | ota

gwen stacy ∴ ota

caitlin snow | ota

wynonna earp | ota

— closed to jax.