seasonality ✦ week 5, thursday 👻

[commandertoolbelt]

[ on thursday morning, there are strange signs (except... they’re all misspelled? who did this?) pointing everyone in the direction of winter dorm. follow, and you’ll find that they lead not to the dorm itself (whose doors remain closed and locked), but around the corner of the dorm, where a nice little shack awaits.

it looks quite normal, if you ignore the torn curtains in the windows, and the way the lights flicker from inside. and there’s an odd lack of… well, anyone, as guests approach - though you may see movement out of the corner of your eyes - was there something there? you must have imagined it, because you’re definitely hearing things. the door to the shack gives a loud creak as it opens, all on its own, fog spilling out to pool around your feet. the dim lights within illuminate a nearby sign that reads:

enter if you dare.

(it's not a culture festival without a haunted house! if you’ve ever wanted to be jumpscared by all of winter dorm, now’s your chance!) ]

Comments

[duranduel]

[Walking up. Seeing all this?]

[Turning around.]

Nope.

[Someone please yeet him in.]

[katzepaw]

[Caleb is standing outside dressed as. . . a vampire? Maybe? It's a little bit unclear. But he sees Mandi hesitating.]

Ah. A bit afraid to endure the spooks and frights you will find inside? That may be for the best.

[duranduel]

...Why? What have you guys even got in there?

[Curious besides everything...]

[katzepaw]

[He closes his eyes, his expression darkening.]

. . . It is fashionable, surely, for children of any time and place to entertain one another with tales of ghosts. And everyone has heard stories of frightening beasts and monsters - perhaps told as a warning by your mother and father not to wander too far into dark unknown places, or perhaps only whispers and rumors, a legend handed down of a place too dangerous to trespass upon.

But no tale of hauntings told in hushed voices around a campfire or at your grossmutter's knee can compare to the haunting contained within this small shack. We have brought together terrifying creatures of lore from across different worlds into one small space, where they prowl in the darkness, awaiting those foolish enough to tread.

Leave now, unless you are one of the bold few who cannot be content without testing the true limits of your courage.

[duranduel]

[Stares at him for a long moment.]

So basically, you guys got a lot of scary stuff and people can go in and see if they're brave enough for all that stuff.

[caleb: i am setting atmosphere
mandi: i am too teen-coded for this]

Are other people dressed up like you?

[katzepaw]

[Um? Teens love spooky vampires and cool haunted houses?]

No, I am just dressed like this to warn people away.

[duranduel]

[not when you're describing it like some long gothic short story he won't read, go back to writing, edgar allan poe]

...You're not very scary for something like that.

[katzepaw]

[This is so rude? He's so defeated. He used his best speech on this doofus.]

Just go in the haunted house, please.

[duranduel]

Maybe you should just chase people inside? Try to bite 'em. That should get them scared.

[Gives him a thumbs up and just...walks inside. Sure. Why not. If this is the level of fear he is expecting (none) then this should be a cakewalk.]

[disreguarded]

[when he does, there's immediately a bang off to the right. just a loud BOOM of a noise.]

[duranduel]

Ah-!

[He startles, but collects himself. Hm! He's not scared.]

Are they using guns in this thing?

[disreguarded]

[vague growling noises comes from where the bang came from...]