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Basement Bonanza Log
The House
The house is much like the rest of the housing around it. Victorian style with some side yards, an outside that's desperately in need of paint, and wild, fancy architecture. Along the side is a fenced yard containing a small kitchen garden, complete with a recently added chicken coop in the back.
The front door leads to a small foyer, whereas the side door by the garden goes straight into the kitchen. In the kitchen, there will be a number of foods available for anyone chipping in to snack on, with options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. (No blood, sorry vampires, but if you get peckish you might find someone willing to let you have a bite.) Shinjiro will aggressively shoo away anyone who shows up just to get food without actually contributing. It's for people who help only!!
The interior is weird, as to be expected. They've made it mostly liveable, most of the furniture in the living spaces in new, but there's still Victorian Classics such as too many patterns and portraits of strangers on the wall, and bad wallpaper in surprisingly cozy places. There's even a restroom on the ground floor, complete with fireplace by the tub. People taking a break are welcome to tool around on the ground floor, where things are markedly more normal. Any attempts to go upstairs, where the residents bedrooms are, will be dissuaded.
There's a dog to pet (Koromaru, an incredibly intelligent white shiba inu) or a Petal Wolf (Bela) or, if you want to risk a few fingers, Fie's hyena (Alfin). The hyena occasionally breaks out into mad giggles in other people's voices, occasionally parroting contextless statements in perfect mimicry of the people who live there. Scrounging around somewhere will be Louis's cat, Juniper, and then there's the coop full of chickens outside, a snapping turtle in the pond...
But you people aren't here for the relatively normal living space.
THE BASEMENT.
The air is cooler in the basement, and with that soft scent of wet stone. It's not disgusting or overwhelming, despite how locked up and sealed the area had been, and for who knows how long. More than anything else, it's just dark. They've carried a few magitech lanterns down to the foot of the stairs, at least, in initially scoping it out to try and see what's down there: and even from just stepping off the stairs, it's clear to see that this is some sort of wild magical hoarder situation.
Walls are packed with everything from displays of oddities and curiosities to books and containers of liquids, the labels long since faded and peeled, to even rusted lockboxes, worryingly rectangular and human-lengthed, each with stiff, sturdy locks. In another corner, there's more shelves cluttered and overflowing with wet specimens preserved in jars. Many are completely unidentifiable. Many are absolutely identifiable, and it's unclear which is worse. There's everything from animals to plants to fish to even pieces of monsters or humans/witches alike.
Scattered throughout, there's lumpy sheets covering what can only be assumed to be furniture, as well as household items, baubles, trinkets, books, scrolls, and just general things crammed in any and every nook and cranny that can be found. If there was any sort of organization, it was lost well before the prior owner stopped their collecting.
In one corner, there's an iron spiral staircase that just leads into the ceiling, going nowhere. A few iron Maidens and sarcophagi can be found stored away, some of them haphazardly fallen over.
It's absolute chaos of junk layered on top of junk, pinned down by even more junk. And it's clearly going to take a lot of trips up and down those stone stairs to even begin to unearth some of the wild things stashed away.
Maybe if you're lucky, you'll unearth a friend to help light your way.
The Stuff.
I've gone ahead and written up some examples for people to run wild with-- and for anything else, feel free to either make things up, OR request something in the top thread!
Some of the Major Attractions of the Basement include:
An Iron Maiden. - Unlike many others, there's no spikes visible within. In fact, it looks almost welcoming. There's a faint enchantment to it, gently pulling at the senses of whomever gets too close. It's plush, and soft inside. Doesn't it look warm? The rest of the basement is so musty and damp and cold. Surely taking a rest would be fine.
Once someone steps into it, however, the doors close shut, and the victim is forced to rewatch their most embarrassing memory. When said memory has played out, however, they are released, no worse for the wear, and immune to the Maiden's Seduction for the next several days. Good thing you're the only one who saw that memory..... right??
A helpful (if creepy) teapot. - This teapot has one job, and it will perform it. It will serve you tea. It will not stop until it has served you tea. No, it doesn't even know what tea is. It also doesn't seem to care if you have a container to hold a beverage or not. It. Will. Serve. You. Tea.
...However, who knows what liquid is actually within it. Feel free to use this skittering, crawling friend for anything. It could be as benign as incessantly following your character like an annoying and needy dog. It could be as horrifying as using force and chitinous claws to make your character ingest something. (Which could be delicious tea. Or could be anything else. Up to you!)
A speaker of secrets. - A jarringly hideous piece of taxidermy, the ravens screech the secrets of whomever touches it. Sometimes they're wrong, though. It's anyone's guess if they're yelling your deepest secrets, or if they're just making things up. Anyway, here's hoping whoever you're with doesn't just think you're using it as an excuse. (Or, if what they speak is true, hopefully people believe your excuse. Good luck carrying this thing all the way up and through the house.)
Vaguely Insulting Dishware. - What it says on the tin. The text seems to shift and change to insult you, specifically, and often times very passive aggressively.
A beautiful, floral chair - Like a flower in full bloom, this is another object that anyone nearby could find themselves magically drawn towards. It even smells soft and sweet- almost like fresh rain and honeysuckle. It's pristine looking, in comparison to all the objects around it, covered with dust and debris, and looks soft and pillowy and inviting. It's wide enough that someone could crawl onto and drape themselves across it.
At which point the petals will pull closed, enveloping them in a sweet cocoon of which they come out.... different. The effects are, as always, up to the player, as is the duration of them. (Transmutation spells are finite, of course, and the effects aren't strong enough to last more than a few days.)
A giant crystal. - It'll take a team to move this humongous chunk of rock-- Or maybe just a duo of dragon or chimera. The first person to touch it, however, will find that it is not only reflective, but it projects. The light hitting it is projected in prisms, and all take a form based on the person who touches it. This could be a warped, twisted reflection showing how one thinks of themself. It could be a projection of deepest fantasies. It could just be whatever you're thinking at the moment. Or maybe it's a mockery. Play around at your hearts content!
Potions of any and all type! - You're not the type to just drink mysterious liquids in someone's basement (Unless you are, in which case, go for it!) but so many of these are cracked and worn. It's entirely possible some of them work on contact or inhalation. The effects can be almost anything, from Alice in Wonderland style shrinking and growing, to floating or glowing or transmuting. Perhaps one is a mood enhancer! Another could be poison. And a third could make the tips of your fingers grow hair. It's a mixed bag.
Cursed jewelry of any and all types - Same thing as the potions, these can be enchanted to have effects as minor as making your hair always look perfect (though there's a smell of cod liver that won't go away--) to as major as clamping in and biting through the skin, drinking your blood to fuel its dark powers. (Said dark powers could be anything from animatronic taxidermy coming alive to mimic your every move, to a spell to charm everyone around you, to the ability to speak with termites.) Again, go wild! And if you have trouble getting that jewelry off, there's gotta be some bolt cutters somewhere around here.... right?
There is MUCH MUCH ELSE that can be found! If you would like to be assigned a random Thing, feel free to give me the general vibe of what you're wanting, and I'll come up with something crazy for you! If you would like more than one thing, THAT IS FINE TOO!
FINAL OOC NOTES
In a list format because i'm lazy:
--NO EFFECT IN THE BASEMENT CAN BE GAMEBREAKING. Mind control, dreamwalking, and memory alteration are no-go.
--The contents of the unenchanted books in the basement are mostly nonsense or boring, but you can absolutely find some sort of burn book with hot deets on (non-plot) NPCs
--Any effect will eventually wear off. The process can be expedited with a witch. It's your choice how skilled that witch needs to be.
--"But susan someone else in a previous thread already took care of the item i was gonna use!" it's magic there can be two of them. or it can teleport itself repeatedly back into the basement. i'm not going to keep track and time isn't real.
--Mark any explicit content, plzkthx.
--Let me know if your character is enough of a jerk to try going to the second floor of the house. because a witch lives here and nearly all of them are mistrustful as hell so you know that's not gonna work out. (I'll let you know exactly how, if your character would try it.)
--If you're gonna die, talk to the mods about it first. if you're gonna kill anyone then double talk to the mods about it first.
--Go wild like you graduated from crazy go nuts university
And most importantly:
--FEEL FREE TO ASK ME ANY QUESTIONS! I'm available in the top comments here, though you are welcome to PM me, or shoot me a DM on discord (Soozaphone#3966), or shoot me a private plurk (
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"Koromaru!" He knelt down to him and petted his head. "You're not with Ken?" He looked up at Minato and ran a clawed hand on his neck. "Sorry...I know the dog that's with you."
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Minato looked on in confusion as the chimera greeted Koromaru like an old friend. He wasn’t sure if Koromaru was from after Minato’s death or not, but Koromaru seemed pleased as punch at the pets whether or not he knew Yu. There was a soft whine at the mention of Ken and that only drew more confusion from Minato.
“I’m sorry, have we met? How do you know Koromaru and Ken?”
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Hmmm. Well he seemed to know both Ken and Koromaru. Yu was pretty trusting and besides, it's not like this could be a big deal in this world away from everything.
"The Shadow Operatives came to my friend's town of Inaba...long story short, we were all set up to fight in a tournament, and had to group together to defeat a god."
Yes, perfect analogy. There was something about him that kept itching the back of his mind.
"Have we...met before?"
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But now there was a Shadow Operatives group and Koromaru and Ken were a part of it? That didn’t really make sense. But if Ren was a wildcard, likely from some time after Minato, then maybe it was the same with this guy?
“I doubt it.” He regarded Yu with a look, trying to discern the feeling. It was weird. He felt like Ren, but not like Minako. So, the Universe was likely still just with himself and her. But if he felt like Ren, then perhaps another World user? Maybe it was just deja vu. Not everything was connected to personas but... well, Yu’s story was pretty particular. He slid his hands into his pockets. This was mildly annoying. Just many people have been tangled up in all this? “...do you know Elizabeth?”
Was she his attendant?
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2/2
"...you're Elizabeth's guest, aren't you? The one she ignored her duties for and left the Velvet Room."
It make a lot of sense. That he was with Koromaru but didn't know about the Shadow Operatives. That important and precious one that Aigis and Yukari mentioned...standing right before him. Alive.
"Margaret is my attendant," he added running a clawed hand behind his neck. "She is Elizabeth's older sister. The Shadow Operatives are run by Mitsuru-san."
That should help him out a little more.
1/2
“Yes, I was her guest.” He took a slow breath. “I’m sorry you had to take on the burden of the wild card, I didn’t think... well, I guess I had hoped.”
But Ren’s presence had also told him what he already knew. There wouldn't really be an end to this sort of thing. He just hoped no more sacrifices had to be made. No one should have to make the choice he made.
2/2
“Minato Arisato.”
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How to explain that Margaret had once told him about him?
"I met all of my friends in Inaba because of it..." he briefly turned his eyes as he blushed slightly, "...and my boyfriend too." That being said, there had been horrible things that had happened but Yu was more the type to look at what they had overcome. "It was nice to meet your friends too despite the circumstances. And they left with a new friend too - one of Aigis' sisters, Labrys."
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He hadn't been told who this wild card was yet.
"I'm glad Aigis is not alone, then. I'm afraid I didn't allow her to live up to her promise, but I'm glad the others are with her," His smile turned sweeter as he caught the faint blush. "And he's here with you? Bonded, even?"
Because that would be too cute. It made him think of Shinjiro and the happiness he found here with Fie. He was always happy for things like this.
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His eyes lit up in surprise as he realized his faux-pas.
"Ahh right. Sorry. Yu Narukami. Nice to meet you, Minato-san." Technically he is older than him. Kinda.
"Y-yeah that's right." Wow, this guy could read him like a book (Yu you wore your emotions like a sleeve). "Aigis-san works in the Shadow Operatives with Mitsuru-san and Akihiko-san. Later, Junpei-san, Ken-kun, and Yukari-san joined too. And Koromaru of course..."
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"Don't worry about it, Yu-chan," His smile turned somewhat teasing as he gave Koromaru a scratch between the ears. "You've all been busy, haven't you?"
He got a bark in response. He hoped everyone was okay otherwise. He bent down to pick up Koromaru, holding him close. He had no bonded yet, but Koromaru had willingly become his familiar. He rested his chin on top of the dog's.
"...is everyone happy?"
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"Not even a Yu-kun?" he teased. "Yeah, I guess we have...thanks in a large part to you." Important for him to say, considering.
"I think so...everyone looked happy. Yukari-san became a Featherman actress by the way. She's the leader character in the new series!"
This is important for a nerd like him okay.
"Aigis-san left with a new sister, she was very happy about it. Mitsuru seems to be occupied running the Shadow Operatives...Junpei-san plays baseball? I didn't ask completely...Ken-kun is a football player and Akihiko-san..."
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"..."
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Minato let Koromaru lick his cheek as he chuckled. "I'm sure Ken was excited to see that."
It sounded like everyone was living fulfilling lives then. He was glad to hear that they had moved on. It was a painful realization, that others would have to move on without you. Should he ever become unsealed, should ever be able to have a life again, it would likely be without them. His arms tightened a little around Koromaru, who whined softly and laid his head on Minato's shoulder.
"Heh, sounds like something Akihiko would do, I wonder if Shinji knows about that..." He asked thoughtfully, it was mostly at himself. He would have to ask his friend.
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"He does. He said he didn't want to know about the ' stupid bullshit they were involved in ' so I didn't say much more involving that after."
Had Yu purposefully taken on a more Shinjiro-like voice? Maybe.
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"Arf!" That would be a yes.
"Shinji isn't a Shadow Operative," Minato replied softly with a shake of his head. "Unless you told him, he wouldn't know. I think I'll tell him, he should know what his friend has been up to since... um." Should he say as much? It was Shinjiro's story to tell. He looked away for a moment. Then again, Shinjiro really didn't give a crap about a lot. "Ah... he didn't exactly get to join the Shadow Operatives either, like me."
If you catch his drift.
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"Ahhh..." he goes much more quiet. It's horrible. He tries to imagine losing two teammates and it hurts him just thinking about it. "Your friends are so strong..."
It gives him even more respect for them. Maybe driven by emotion, he takes Minato and gives him a hug.
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“Sorry...” He replied softly. “Um, but thank you. And you’re right. They are.”
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"Don't be...I should be saying thank you, honestly." For saving the world at your time. For making sure his friends and him got a chance as well.
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"Let's have a snack," Minato said. This was likely not a conversation to have among those who could be listening. "You don't have to thank me."
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"I think I do...but if you can't accept that, then maybe I can at least pay you a snack. Koromaru too, of course."
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He turned to Yu with a plate full of food and a smile.
"I'll gladly accept free food, though."