thelockedplace | MINGLE

MINGLE LOG | WEEK 2
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Greetings, house guests. Surely you're getting into the swing of things, by now? Though, a friendly reminder: there is no escape.

Sunday is, once again, a quiet and likely somber day. At least, until there's one hopefully welcome surprise: belongings from back home that you may have missed will be delivered to your rooms today, if you did not come in with them. (Note: these should be the personal items from your applications, if your characters don't already have them on hand. The dead's personal items WILL NOT be appearing.)

Iris, Shauna, and anyone else in the house who might be considered a mother will also find a red carnation in a small vase by their bedsides. Enjoy these small creature comforts. You have earned them.

(Don't forget to check out the post-trial afterparty!)

Come Monday, everyone will once again wake up to a most unpleasant surprise: their motive for the week. This one is more immediately apparent than the last; the house's hunger has not been sated.

Pratibha is, once again, nowhere to be found, but this time, she's absent every day this week. What's up with that? (Should you feel strongly about this, you may attempt to find her.)

Bucking tradition, this week's first puzzle also arrives on Monday; it unlocks, of all things, a huge wardrobe full of fancy clothes. What could all this be for?

On Tuesday, the second puzzle appears; and it unlocks, this time, a grand ballroom.

On Wednesday, it will become clear what this week's locations are for. Because the ballroom doors open by themselves at 6 PM sharp, and reveal:

A ball. Splendid and scintillating, this gracefully lit space is warmed by the sound of distant music that has no apparent source. There are tables for food and drink, and more tables besides at which to sit. The star, however, is the dance floor; are you feeling brave enough to step out there? More importantly: with whom as your partner?

The windows display only endless green forest before night falls. Twilight and rising darkness paint the ballroom in shadows and shades of gold. All of it is enchanting and lovely to behold. The ballroom even sports numerous little nooks for ... privacy.

Remember, above all, rule 5: Get to know each other. Become friends. Become more. Who cares. Just do it.

Thursday brings calm after the busy storm of the ball. Rest, recuperate, and reflect; you all know what tomorrow brings.

Friday is investigation time once again. The investigation post will go live at 3 PM EST, 5/16.

Saturday is the day of your second real ritual. You may find the ritual post here at 12 PM EST, 5/17.

Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday

code bases by tricklet

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Slap all your ball top levels under this header to keep things organized! ]

[ Feeling strangely drawn, Otto and Luis will find their puzzle in the greenhouse. Eight different plants, which were definitely not there last week, have been set out, bearing labels on their plastic planters: anemone, begonia, black-eyed susan, geranium, lavender, marigold, orange lily, and snapdragon. Eight stone pots have been arrayed in a row on the floor, themselves labeled with words like “constancy” and “sweetness”. The two must repot their plants into the appropriate stone pots according to their label.

The eight pots are labeled as follows:

(Deception)

(Distrust)

(Grief)

(Forsaken)

(Hatred)

(Beware)

(Folly)

(Justice)

]

Edited 2025-05-12 14:55 (UTC)

[ As always, the two will feel mysteriously drawn to their puzzle, which takes them all the way down into the crypt. Within, they'll spot something majorly changed: a stone coffin is in the center aisle between pews.

On the lid of the sarcophagus is the outline of a body and several strong magnets that you can slide across the surface. On each side of the coffin is a hole, with a left hand and a right hand drawn next to them on their respective sides.

What do you do? ]

Edited 2025-05-12 15:10 (UTC)

[ You'd think the house might be sated after all of last week's death. You'd be very wrong.

This week, the house's hunger has teeth. Literally, in some cases. Doors try to slam on your hands or your head or your feet, whatever they can bite at. The floors will open up to snap teeth at you made out of jagged wood and rusted nails; so will the walls. The house is literally trying to eat its occupants.

Your motive? Slaking the house's thirst for blood, of course. Kill, and this all goes away. ]

Well, at least the flowers are labeled?

[Hmm. This is... different. Yuri will try peeking into one of the holes.]

Wh- what, um... what do you make of this...?

[ Edgeworth can be found playing chess by himself in the dining room. His chess board has been customized with red and blue pieces that unsubtly resemble himself and Phoenix, which I am happy to inform you is a very cool and normal thing for a person to do. ]

[ Leon walks by with a plate of some kind of meat-heavy egg scramble and a cup of coffee. He seats himself at the table, looking at the chess set as he starts in on his breakfast. ]

Huh. You find that in one of the new rooms that unlocked?

[ Today was shaping up to be an "eh" day.

She has her sketchbook back, which means she can finally chill in the sitting room and look over her initial ideas for Liam Prom...

... Buuuut she has a creative block for that fanfic, so she's set it aside in favor of designing a monstersona for the entire house. So far she's drawn it as a banshee, a humanoid mimic with an old fashioned trunk for a pelvis, and some manner of forest beast with a deer skull for a head. All three designs seem to pivot towards good looking androgynous yandere with a knife. She may be taking design suggestions.

Later, she finds she has to add teeth somewhere to the monstersona, because the desk in the library has drawers full of the things, and it's trying to eat Zoe's fingers. Zoe's immediate response is to whack the drawer with a book like she's scolding an animal. ]

NO! Bad house! No biting!

[ Eventually she has to move elsewhere for her daily dose of reading and comes across... The wardrobe. ]

Woah... [ She wanders in, mesmerized by the sheer amount of fancy clothes. Curiosity gets the better of her, and now she's sorting through the clothes, putting together outfits based on how well they would work as closet cosplays for going to theme parks with. ]

Edited 2025-05-13 01:01 (UTC)

[ Sir. Sir. You are not beating the rivalshipping allegations with this one. Zoe is coming in with her journal to investigate. ]

Soooo, quick question. Did that chess set come from your place, or did you ask the house for custom chess pieces?

No, this is mine.

[ Obliviously: ]

This is the set from my office. Why would I ask the house for custom pieces?

[ Stifled squee, followed by enthusiastic writing. ]

Hehe, just had to make sure. So you and Pheonix have known each other for a looooong time, huh? How did you two first meet?

Hm?

[ She hears a voice, and ends up gravitating to the wardrobe too. ]

Wow… look at all this. [ she plucks a ballgown off its hanger and holds it up to herself, smiling ]

Is this all for us?

[ This is a strange way to talk about a dead man. ]

...We became friends in elementary school, when I defended him in a school trial.

[ You're the one playing shipping themed chess by yourself, bud. ]

You studied law since elementary school? Wow, it's like you were destined to be a lawyer...

[ Looks at her notes. Thinks. Looks back up. ]

So, Phoenix was a... What do they call the lawyer on the accused's side again? The defendant?

What, you mean from home? When'd that show up?

[ Has he had a weird custom chess set with him this whole time? Leon guesses it's not like he went searching anybody else's rooms, but. Huh. ]

[ The eye on her leg looks at her first. ]

Maybe? [ Okay now she's turning her head to make eye contact. ] I mean, who else would it be for?

It just feels like such an extravagance… I didn’t expect the house to really give us anything, when it only seems interested in taking.

[ a cat like smile sneaks onto her lips, and she turns to Zoe ]

… want to try some things on?

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MINGLE | WEEK TWO

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

THE BALL

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

WEEK TWO — FIRST PUZZLE THREAD: OTTO & LUIS

WEEK TWO — SECOND PUZZLE THREAD: YURI & GARRY

MOTIVE ANNOUNCEMENT

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Re: SUNDAY

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Mods, I think the Library prompt warrants a ping.

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Wardrobe

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