Spooky Simulacrum

[polliwoggi]

sheepcakes

The laughter takes your attention more than the whirling colors of the ride or the doors around, and you turn back to look for the source of the sound with curious gaze. The motion of the carousel is slightly disorienting, though it's hardly fast enough to create too rough of an effect. You begin to walk around the ride, the rising and falling of the myriad beasts more confusing than the motion itself. You hear the laugh again, behind you once more, and you whirl around only to see the faintest glimpse of motion disappear around the central column.

Determined to figure out what it is, you follow suit, only to be caught off guard as the sound giggles behind you once more! A chill runs up your spine as you discover you're unable to catch more than a momentary look at whatever - or whoever - is playing with you, and finally you simply decide to stand still. As expected, the laugh starts up behind you again, and you resist the urge to turn towards it; clearly undeterred, it sounds again, this time closer. You ignore it once more, simply watching the colors spin by as you wait for the third sounding, but it doesn't come.

Instead, a pair of hands settles over your eyes, and surprisingly another pair grabs your shoulders! Only when you flail in surprise does the expected laugh come once more, but to no avail, as a third pair of hands grasps at your waist and you are soon lifted straight into the air!

You fight against your unseen attacker, but you aren't released until you're dragged - perhaps really kicking and screaming - out of the dazzling lights and into a dark hallway. Once your fear response dies down, you're released by a very large, giggling speet, who explains to you that you've met a bad end in the game. He invites you to try some of the cookies in the 'Loser's Lounge,' as he calls it, and tells you that he made them himself for the event!

DEAD END

 

[polliwoggi]

Lady Angel Heart

You opt to check the desk and its scattered contents. You don't particularly understand most of it, though you do gather that it seems to be a collection of schedules and lists of supplies. As you dig deeper, however, you notice a shift in the writings; lower in the pile, the words become gibberish, mottled and raving rambling set into the pretty format of inventory and scheduling. It makes you wonder, really, how many people worked on this project - after all, they could have just printed the same sheets over and over again, couldn't they?

Under the stacks of paper, you discover a small, black box, but you can't seem to figure out how to get it open. It clearly has a seam around the middle and a hinge on the back, but there doesn't seem to be any obvious way to unlock it. You shuffle things around a bit more, wondering if perhaps there is a key or trick hidden, but nothing more catches your eye. There are drawers below, but that would take your attention away from your surroundings for longer.

Do you:

A. Play with the box a bit more.
B. Dig through the drawers on the desk.
C. Do something else. (Pick one of the previous options!)
 

[Nashawryn]

Pew Pew was shocked that he actually discovered something by the cabinet. Who knew that he actually seemed to have some good instincts. Pew Pew wants to search for the key to this thing instead of leaving so he takes another look around the room. He decides to A. Check around the sink and counter.  

[oceyyyy]

With a sigh of quiet defeat, Spoop feels that the most (or least) sensible option would be to check out the elephant object in the room - the iron maiden. Here's hoping it holds the key to a way out of here...

B!  

[dickory]

Zilch wrenches the grate off the wall. He is ready, he is doing this, he is going to slap whatever hissing beast there is waiting inside out of the way so he can get into this wall highway.

A key.

He, er, pockets it, waste not want not after all, although the key stops being visible in a concerning sort of way. Sliding into the vent, he sees light and moves towards it in a professional sort of manner.

A!!!  

[NymiiNym]

A. Venture further into the darkness.

Okay, so, he wasn't going to go back! He wanted to get somewhere, and going back didn't seem conductive for his cause (or so the simple-minded Remix believed). And the grate? Yeah, no -- he was dumb, but he liked being alive. So, instead, the funky little dude ventured into the darkness. One couldn't say he was cowardly after this!

 

[Lady Angel Heart]

Jack decides to C. do something else

B. Peek into the open cabinet.

Jack concludes this is probably a dead end. As much as he would love to dig through the drawers in hopes of finding something useful the paranoia has gotten the best of him so he must investigate the open cabinet in hopes of easing his mind.  

[Scapanorhynchus]

A brief part of Rokki wanted to mess with the instruments, but he was on to something here. There was clear wear on the metronome, and had a lack of dust that the rest of the things on the shelf had.

He examined it closely, noticing that it was attached to the shelf. That was a bit unusual, and he tugged at it gently. It didn't start to tick, instead, the shelf started to move! He had found a secret passage! Sweet!

He jumped back out of the way to let the door open, a clean smell hitting his nose. It was bright in the hall, solid white, and he stepped into it eagerly. The door slammed behind him, leaving him only able to move forward.

He followed the hallway, only to come to an intersection. There was a door on either side, both black, and he chose to go towards the right. Maybe he'd find something interesting.

A. Right.
 

[Random Nobody 13]

D. Investigate the horror books.

Eyes aglitter with interest in the possibility of a hidden trail, Namida and Peekaboo stalked the path. The painting, which seemed quite out of place in this spooky old place, seemed like a perfect place to put a hidden door. There was a path to it and everything. With the two of them, they could probably move it, but Namida had the wonderful idea to try pulling at some of the books to see if there was a hidden mechanism to get it to open on it's own.

A cursory glance between the two bookshelves had her decide to look through the horror novels. There was a slight chance that the "owner" just really liked to read horror or history, but surely in this Haunted House they would have a couple hidden doors in place!! Peekaboo helped her look through them after a moment's hesitation, wanting to check if there was at least a way to move the painting before jumping to conclusions.

 

[polliwoggi]

Random Nobody 13

You decide to have a look at the horror books - it's thematically appropriate, right? Maybe there's some kind of hint or hidden switch or... something tropey like that. You turn towards them, skimming over the titles and reaching out to touch them. You're surprised to find that they do seem to be real books - not papier mache or fakes!

You see a few familiar titles, like Brankenstein and Ratcula, but most of them actually look like pulpy, lesser known titles. You have to wonder where they got all these books; were they a private donation? Did they buy them just for the occasion? Did the well conjure them all up for the purpose of the Simulacrum?!

That in mind, you see one book that does stick out a bit from the rest - Something Wicked That Way Goes. You note it because of a slight shimmer to the cover, like a metallic tint woven into the cover itself. It only glints in a certain light, but that's enough for you; immediately you pull at the book, though you find it stops with a soft click after just a bit of a tug.

Unfortunately for you, nothing seems to open or change, but as you turn dejected from the shelves and back to the main room of the library, you stop in your tracks as you're greeted with a grim, darkly dressed homun, its arms visible under a sleeveless shirt and covered in what look like many intricate tattoos. Its 'head' for the moment is startling - it looks like a monkey or gorilla's skull, you think, with dark flames flickering around the thing.

Given the situation, you give out a scream as you back away, but the creepy figure steps forward, following closer and closer until you're backed up against the wall. Only then does the skull move, clattering and snapping its jaws at you before a haunting laugh echoes out of the center of it.

"Got ya good, aye, mate? C'mon, then, ya lost t'game, yea'? Let's get ya somefin' t'drink 'n snack on~"

DEAD END

 

[polliwoggi]

Nymphiea

You decide that the grate below is hardly a welcome sight, so you decide that you're going to try your luck with the darkness. You creep forward, determined not to get eaten up by any monsters, creeps, ghouls, or whatever else you might see in this place!

Unfortunately, your survival gut instinct proves to be incorrect; as the darkness envelops you, it feels as though the walls begin to shrink in on you. In only takes a few more steps before you realize they are, having gone from a reasonable hall's width to pressing right against your arms. It isn't long beyond that when you bump into the wall, leaving you groping against it looking for signs of a door or further passageway, of which you find none. A creak behind you pulls your attention, and you turn in place, shocked then to find that the comfort of the light from behind is sliding away from you.

You reach out, but it's too late - a wall has slid down, locking you into total confinement! You yell against the wall, the claustrophobic natura of the area beginning to set in quite quickly. It is to no avail, however, leaving you in panic for several minutes before one of the other panels slide open, revealing a broadly grinning frog who gives you a sheepish look and waves you towards them.

They explain that you've met a dead end, but you're welcome to some tasty snacks if you want them!

DEAD END

 

[polliwoggi]

dickory

Key in tow, you decide to see what else is in that vent; you hunker down and shimmy into it, finding it just big enough to crawl through slowly. Thoughts of movie productions filter into your head, though whether that makes you feel more like a secret agent or a horror victim, who knows? The important thing is the light up ahead, which you shuffle towards diligently.

Eventually, you reach the light, attempting to make as little noise as possible; before you can see what's there, you hear voices up above - though to your benefit, from what you can tell, they haven't spotted you, though that might not be much of a surprise. You roll over carefully in place, as the light is coming from a grate above you, and you squint past the slats to see if you can figure out what's up there.

It takes a few minutes of alternating voices and quiet for you to realize that's not part of the production - it's a staff room! You can hear animals laughing about their 'catches,' as well as occasional questions about catering and general chit chat. Your view is blocked now and then as those above move over the vent, but it's not as though there's much to see there anyway - well, probably. Depends on who you are.

You shuffle back into a proper crawling position when you hear something behind you - the grate closing! It seems one of the staff members noted it was loose, and a familiar rattling as the air pumps past you makes you realize that they've replaced your key with a replica.

No one knows you're here.

Up ahead, you can just barely make out another lit section - an intersection, you think. Of course, you could try to pry the vent above you loose, but it does seem to be a fairly frequented area ... Or maybe you should go back where you came from - since you're not really supposed to be here?

Do you:
A. Head back out of the vent. This is probably against the rules, or something.
B. See if you can pry the grate above loose when no one's in the room.
C. Head forward and take the right path.
D. Head forward and take the straight path.
E. Head forward and try to pry that vent loose.

 

[polliwoggi]

Nashawryn

Deciding that the apple can't fall far from the tree, or something like that, you decide to check around the immediate surrounding area. The sink and the counter catch your eye, as they're clearly ... work spaces, right? Whatever - it's where you decide to look, though you don't find anything on or in the sink itself. It's pretty obviously empty, though you do give a once over for any ... hidden panels or the like.

Finding nothing, you hunker down with a grunt, crawling underneath to look there. After all, people drop things all the time, don't they? That means keys, too, or so you tell yourself. Unfortunately, it seems as though you're wrong, and not only are you wrong, you're super wrong. Like, giving a yell as the floor suddenly collapses under you as you shuffle too close to one side of the counter wrong. You don't fall far - maybe a couple of feet - but a set of bars slides into place above you, leaving you haplessly squished into a ... holding pit?

You don't wait long, however, as an absolutely tiny moff soon peers over the top down at you. At first, you have hope that it's another player come to set you free, but unfortunately she informs you that you've fallen into a dead end trap and that you have to leave. She apologizes for it being an underwhelming ending as she helps you up, and you give her a gentle pat on the back. It's her first time working at the Simulacrum, she explains, and the two of you have a nice chat about the challenges of the job as she leads you to the Lounge - and the catering.

DEAD END

 

[polliwoggi]

oceyyyy

Not knowing where else in the pretty open room to look, you decide that you might as well have a look in the sarcophagus. After all, it's one of the few places in the area that you can't see everything immediately, so that's a good bet, right?

The thing is surprisingly heavy - a good prop for sure! Still, with a little prying, it starts to move; you realize you hear something shuffling around inside, but you realize it too late! As soon as the heavy door swings open, a figure inside pops out, flinging itself at you!

However, despite the screams you both emit, after a minute you both realize neither of you are staff - you're both players! It's with some excitement that the pig and you decide that you'll finish off the game together - after all, more eyes mean more awareness, right?

Of course, that still leaves you needing to figure out how to get out of here ...

Do you:
A. Check the drain in the middle of the room, looking for the key again.
B. Dig through the cloth pile, looking for the key.
C. Forget this nonsense and leave the room.

You'll be getting a special villager soon! Congrats!

 

[polliwoggi]

Scapanorhynchus

You turn to the right, creeping slowly down the hallway. The cleanliness of it all is almost unsettling compared to the rest of what you've seen. Is this really part of the game? Yet the unease that it leaves you with seems fitting for the setting, so you steel yourself and continue forward.

And forward. And forward. Though it takes a few minutes, your gaze distracted by trying to see anything of interest on the walls around, you realize that the door at the end of the hall isn't getting any closer. You pause, and for just a second you swear you're moving backwards. You step forward again, and almost immediately you stop going anywhere, instead simply walking in place.

Accusingly, you glare downward, though as far as you can tell at a glance the floor is sitting in place! It takes several minutes of walking one way - then the other and finding the same effect - to realize that it's a clear layer sliding back and forth. With a huff, you try to bolt - only to find the nearly invisible layer moving faster than before, keeping you in place.

This trick goes on for some time until you give in, simply leaning against the wall and giving up. Only then does the door at the end of the hall open, two rats in absolute hysterics appearing; eventually, they manage to stop laughing long enough to tell you that you've run into a dead end trap, but you can't help but feel like they could have waited until they were done laughing to come and get you!

DEAD END