SPOOKY HAUNTS AND TRAILS » OPEN

[maskreant]

WHO: the infamous nasty crimeboy, Akira Kurusu, and you!
WHERE: Places in Recolle
WHEN: Spooky Month of October
WHAT: EVENT STUFF and mundane stuff if it comes up. if you would like to plan anything, hit me up via halloway or hei#2323 on discord.
WARNINGS: Persona 5 spoilers for last boss battle and late-game conspiracy unveiling. Will update when necessary!

NOTE!! You can leave an empty comment with the subject header of your choice or even RANDOM for something unlisted/miscellaneous (lighthearted) and I'll write the prompt. For nightmares, it may skip around and make no sense very much like how actual dreams are.

nightmares

[ When you enter the dream, you're engulfed by darkness until you hear a deep and unfamiliar voice. It speaks in a language you are most comfortable with. ]

The contract has been sealed...

You have agreed to provide the Trickster support
in his journey to oppose fate and seek change.

CASINO
It's filled with a variety of gamblers from talking fish to actual people. Shadows are also gambling? But they're aggressive due to their mass losses. There are several elevators and it seems like the treasure is on the VIP level.

If you choose to enter the CASINO, you may appear outside of the structure or on the first floor in costume and mask. Akira will accompany you in his Joker outfit.

VELVET ROOM
Are you a prisoner? Or a keeper? You can stand behind the bars with Akira, withstand the abuse and rebel alongside him, or on the opposite side—ushered by two wardens and a man with an elongated nose to carry out discipline. Rehabilitation is important.

If you choose to enter the VELVET ROOM, you may appear inside or outside the cell. Your attire will change into prisoner wear or officer uniform respectively.

MEMENTOS (SPOILER)
In the city of Recolle, you notice there's something strange. People walk past the blood red rain and the towering skeleton pieces. The irrelevant become forgotten. The forgotten vanish. Is it your hand that's disappearing? Or is it Akira's?

If you choose MEMENTOS, you'll be in your normal attire or in your underwear. Whichever your character feels less attractive in if you want. Once again, Akira is beside you.

CODE CREDIT

fog

[ Akira has been having a hard time with his nightmares. Some of them he remembers bits and pieces (all useless), but he's thinking a jog in the ungodly time where the thick fog rolls in is a good idea? Unfortunately not... He ends up running away from one of these three tormentors in his pajamas. What's with his luck?

As he looks behind him, he crashes into someone. Sorry. ]

TWIN WARDENS (SPOILER)
Their names are unknown to you, but they're two girls with silver hair with a single golden eye (an eyepatch covers the other). As attendants of the Velvet Room, they have this ethereal aura to them, even menacing as they shoot various skills into the fog.

"Come back here, inmate! You can't hide forever!"

"You're only delaying the inevitable."

IMPERIOUS ANGEL (SPOILER)
An angel appears with an abstract body shape. Wings scaling wide and halo spinning over its head, it spreads its several hands that hold instruments. With the rise of the triangle, the angel rings it with a clear ding. In a matter of seconds, a flash of light magic strikes near.

"I am what humanity desires. Why oppose me?"

You can hear the sneer in its voice.

GOLD PIGGER
This silver piggy bank may seem cute, but it's also massively large and rolls without end. What does stop it from rolling are valuable items. Throw something expensive and it'll take a break to appraise it with a series of oinks. The one in control is a half-fly guy throwing out some mad rhymes.

"Yo yo yo! You think you can just walk into my neighborhood and disrespect me like that, dawg?"

CODE CREDIT

wildcard

[ THROW ME WHATEVER! Baby haunts from the new ghosts or even the Retrospec Maze! Even anything normal. ]

Comments

[maskreant]

[ Yes. It's as easy as imagining it. Whatever Daisuke had in mind as lunch appears right on Akira's desk. For two, especially. A bit surprised, he doesn't seem to find the food appearing strange... Just this whole ordeal. ]

Yeah... It's all right. Go ahead and take a seat?

[ But he doesn't seem to remember his name. ]

[sketchythief]

[ In contrast, Daisuke is the one that's surprised by the sudden food appearing. He borrows a nearby chair that probably belongs to someone else and sits. The food is a mix of non-sticky white rice, chicken salad on the side, chopped seasoned onions, and some thinly sliced fish cakes. A pair of chopsticks and a spoon are set up at each side neatly--all plastic to match with the plastic containers that the food is in.

Now that he settled into his seat. He just looks at the food and laments on how awkward he feels to the point that he can't look up at Akira aaaaaaaaa ]

[maskreant]

[ The food looks good! But still doesn't surprise Akira. He doesn't... Touch it, however. Even if it's enticing him with its aroma alone, he keeps himself checked since this isn't his food per se.

He keeps his gaze down to the food, too. It's time to play the avoid Olympics. ]

... You seem nervous. Are you all right?

[ What happened to that boldness? ]

[sketchythief]

I... I'm fine. [ He tries to shake off the awkwardness that seeps into his bones, so he grabs the spoon. ]

Let's eat! You must be hungry, right?

[ It looks like he got his determination back--sort of. His expression says it all. It looks like he'll be force feeding Akira if he doesn't eat, tbh. ]

[maskreant]

[ Kouhai... You don't seem okay at all. ]

I'm actually not that hungry, so go ahead and eat.

[ He'll nibble every once in a while, but he's content with just looking out the window and down at their meal. However, there's a foreboding presence by the class exit and entrance. ]

[sketchythief]

[ He doesn't think that went as planned. Daisuke is about to suggest something, but he has a bad feeling... He looks towards the door, with chicken salad mid-bite. After he swallows, he glances over at Akira. ]

Why do they keep saying those things about you?

[maskreant]

[ By the door are some figures... They look like students, but their bodies are blackened opaque where only their beady eyes can be seen. Those eyes look dead, but also judgmental and snide. They seem... To not be happy. ]

Because I'm weird, I guess.

[ He's fast to accept it. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke raises an eyebrow at that. The people by the door seem a bit too freaky to look at, so he'll just pay attention to Akira. ]

That's so dumb... If anything, there have been weirder people in Recolle. I don't see why you have to be shunned for that.

[ He eats a bit more. The fish cakes are surprisingly good for something that popped out of nowhere. ]

[maskreant]

It's hard for people to accept that. It's easier to use a scapegoat.

[ He'll nibble on some salad now. It's pretty tasty, so he ends up nibbling some more than intended. For some reason, he isn't at all worried about the looming figures by the door, even if something like red spider veins spread into the classroom. The room... starts pulsing.

Like a headache or a heartbeat. ]

It's not their fault. I've been pushing them away, too.

[sketchythief]

[ ...

Daisuke feels like the pulsing is giving him a headache. There's a slightly distraught look on his face as he looks at Akira. He can't eat anymore because his surroundings are too concerning--IS IT REALLY THE TIME TO EAT RIGHT NOW?! ]

Why is the room...

[maskreant]

This is happening because I have company.

[ It's a distorted way of seeing it... That having a friend or just someone that he can talk to in public is seen as an anomaly to the universe. This small yet necessary desire for companionship is wrong.

So the world is breaking, slowly. Even the people are turning strange. The veins continue to spread throughout the room before it becomes a bright red color. It's beating. ]

It's better if I'm alone, anyway. I'll be fine.

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke squints. What kind of messed up dream is this--while Daisuke is of the opinion that dreams run with imagination and such, this seems... a bit painful. He doesn't see anything wrong with Akira's expression, seeing him calmly explain, but that's exactly what's wrong in this situation to him. ]

Isn't that a bit too much...?

[ Admittedly, Daisuke is internally freaking out over the change in their surroundings. ]

But don't you have friends already? And a boyfriend??

[maskreant]

Friends...? A boyfriend.

[ At first, he squints at Daisuke like are you crazy? No one even notices he exists in the first place. However, there's something about those words that make the room pulse even louder. Despite that, there's light in his eyes— ]

We need to get out of here.

[ Now he has complete control of his dream self. Standing straight up, he takes Daisuke's wrist before they jump out of the window. The glass shatters against their weight and they start falling endlessly like they were on the 100th floor. ]

[sketchythief]

[ It's one thing for Akira to suddenly snap out of it (in Daisuke's eyes), but for him to suddenly grab his wrist and crash through the window was something he didn't expect at all. There was a small shout of protest, until he realizes that he's free falling without end. He's glad that there isn't an end, but it takes a while for him to calm down. ]

I'm glad we're out, but... Did we have to go out so dramatically?

[maskreant]

It's not like they would let us leave... I'm sure they would just try to brainwash us.

[ They're still falling. Akira positions himself in a way where he looks like he's sitting, stroking his chin and crossing his legs. Hm. ]

There is a bottom... Do you think wings would be too much?

[sketchythief]

Wings?

[ He would like it if he didn't have to splat on the ground, and from what he remembers of his other self, wings were a thing. The thing is, he's not sure how to do it. But this is a dream, so he should just be able to sprout some--

And so he does--a pair of black wings pop into existence.

It's too bad that Daisuke is very startled by its sudden creation that he's... still free falling head first. Good job, Daisuke. ]

Um! Hold on! I think I can... I think I can do it.

[ He just has to not think about how this would even work logically and think of it as the magically working. He's trying so hard while the wings behind him look like it's a part of a broken umbrella.

He reaches out his hand to Akira for him to hold so that he can fly them both... somewhere. When he gets the hang of it. ]

[maskreant]

[ OH?! Akira is susprised. He was actually going to will a giant bird into existence, but this works out, too. He holds onto Daisuke's hand and watches as they ascend and descend like they're a baby bird. ]

I almost can't tell we're actually flying.

[ And they're over Recolle... It's such a nice view. ]

[sketchythief]

[ Okay, he got the hang of it now, so they're mostly flying smoothly. He tries to make Akira comfortable by attempting to hold his other hand as he flies over Recolle. Th view really is nice. He kind of want to stop, but he honestly might space out and accidentally let go of Akira in the process. And that would be Bad. ]

We don't usually get to fly so high like this, so it's a new experience, right?

Where should we go?

[maskreant]

[ Hmm... Akira looks below the city of Recolle. It's colorful and bright, though there are some bits of grey here and there. Despite that, it's... slowly turning color. The red spider veins are spreading. ]

It would be good if we can find the source of those veins.

[ The state of the buildings shift as the city pulses. ]

[sketchythief]

[ All this pulsing feels like Daisuke will get a headache. Despite that, he presses on, looking around in an attempt to see where the source can be. ]

So, if I follow the veins, there should be a source...

[ He starts flying next to one of them. ]

[maskreant]

... Well, I would hope so?

[ Akira doesn't sound at all too confident about it, but there has to be. There's a source for everything—when they fly over the vein, they're lead to the Retrospec building for some reason. ]

That's... Weird.

[sketchythief]

[ Daisuke finds it weird too, but wonders... ]

This isn't something like dream symbolism, is it?

[maskreant]

... Sometimes dreams don't mean anything.

[ He's scratching his cheek, but hops onto his feet when they land. The building is pulsing with veins and the doors are open for them to go in. ]

After you.

[sketchythief]

Okay...

[ He looks behind him. The wings are still there. Does he just will them away? He thinks about getting rid of them--Oh, there we go. It poofs out of existence. For some reason, he feels a void within him once the wings disappear.

Anyway. He squints at the sight in front of him. The earlier the pulsing stops, the better, so he steps inside. ]

[maskreant]

[ The pulses are even more palpable as they enter the building. The building is generally only open and shows one part of the first floor, maybe sometimes the second, but it's oddly vast today with cubicles for miles. ]

... I don't remember it looking like this.