CAMP ALPHA: for everyone who wanted a crossover between summercamp and Ghost Adventures

[indigo_league]

Who: Everyone who came to Camp Alph
Where: The Ruins of Alph
When: July 18th-21st
Summary: This is a log for all the camping shenanigans your heart desires! For part 2 of the event, there will be a second log to keep the ensuing seance situation separate from the all-purpose ruin-exploration adventures. Participation in part 2 will be entirely voluntary, so feel free to tag on part 1 as long as you like! For more information about this event, check out the info post over here!
Rating: PG-13
Log:


Been to the Ruins of Alph before? Are you an old hat at this stuff? Well turn everything you thought you knew UPSIDE DOWN because EVERYTHING. IS DIFFERENT NOW.

… Or at least, that’s what the flyers being passed out under a canopy of cheap Celebi balloons that are bobbing around in the breeze say.

One thing’s for sure, there sure are a lot more tents than normal. By the time most of you casuals get there, the entire picnicking area, usually quite spacious, has been turned into a small tent city. And the excited atmosphere is palpable.

The crackle of the Ruin Rangers’ walkie-talkies mingles with that of the ghost-hunting equipment toted around by excited Hex Maniacs, burbling Unown are drifting here and there to blink curiously at all the new people and Pokemon suddenly on their turf, and chatter from Legend Seekers of all ages (really, of ALL ages-- everyone from Youngsters to Veterans have apparently been swept up in the Seeker-mania!) rings out as stories and speculations are swapped.

There’s lots to do, plenty to explore, and (according to word on the grapevine), more than enough spooky rituals to perform once the night falls.

Will you solve some tile puzzles and fall into an underground chamber? Stick to the main group and make s’mores? Befriend a floating letter (or twenty-four)? Go directly against the advice of the tired-looking Rangers and play One Man Hide-and-Seek in the dark?

Or, most importantly, will you start a small-scale riot in order to keep the loud static boxes away from the tents where you’re trying to sleep?

Comments

:3c

[pkemeter]

[Venkman doesn't actually see Egon--at least, not at first. Rather, he spots a cloud of dust down the road, growing larger and larger with each passing second. A figure looms in the distance, and it becomes quickly clear that the source of the dust is a Scolipede galloping at top speed towards the Ruins. As Venkman is able to make out more details, he may realize that there are two figures clinging to the bug's back for dear life.

For a bug, Scolipede moves fast. Sir Wigglesworth doesn't care if he leaves his passengers in the dust, for he has a destination and he will arrive on time regardless of what his trainer says or does, even if he means he has to drag him and his partner from their frog hunting and run off down Route 32.

As Sir Wigglesworth gets closer, he spots Venkman and suddenly begins charging directly towards him, his head lowered like an enraged bull ready to gore a fighter in the ring. The bug stops short about a foot away, skidding to a stop and throwing up a cloud of dust in his wake. The Scolipede towers above Venkman as he casts a judging eye down towards him. He lets out a snort, his antenna twitching back and forth.

Egon coughs and clears his throat, trying to wave the dust away. He's sitting in a rather awkward position and trying not to fall over. Behind him sits Ray, clinging to both Egon and Sir Wigglesworth's exoskeleton plates for dear life. In a deadpan tone, Egon looks towards Venkman and says--]

Hello, Peter.

>:3c

[ghoststanning]

[Ray had plenty of Pokemon he could ride, sure, but when Egon offers to ride with him to the Ruins, Ray of course agreed instantly. Sure, Sir Wigglesworth never particularly adored Ray, but Egon must trust them a lot to make the offer! Besides, bug riding sounded fun.

It's genuinely impossible to tell if he's jittery from the thrill of the ride or out of genuine fear. It actually takes him a few moments to catch his breath before he weakly waves at his partner.]

H-hey Peter! It's been while.

[neverstudied]

[Venkman's been chased down by at least a fair number of large and angry Pokemon since arriving here. This isn't too uncommon. Still, it's goddamn terrifying, and he yelps, jumping back in the seconds before the Scolipede slows down.

It takes him a moment to comprehend what's happening when Sir Wigglesworth slows. He blinks up at the creature, wide-eyed, then at the passengers.]

... Your bug got big, huh?

[A grin spreads across Venkman's face as he approaches Sir Wigglesworth's side, holding out his hands to help get them down.]

C'mere.

[pkemeter]

He certainly did. He especially did well in battle against Whitney. Although an effective mode of travel, he still has...quite some room for improvement.

[He tries to climb off Wigglesworth with Venkman's help, but ends up almost slipping and falling to the ground entirely. He manages to catch himself against the Scolipede, who gives a passively judging look towards him. Egon raises a hand in apology towards the bug.

Even when he gets both on the ground, he takes a step towards Venkman and nearly wobbles off balance. He grips Venkman's hand tightly to try and stabilize himself.]

It's good to see you again. Have you seen any spectral activity yet?

[ghoststanning]

I'm sure he'll do great once he gets used o being a ride Pokemon

[As Ray gets off, Venkman will notice vines clinging to him. Ray doesn't seem to mind this he gets off. He nearly falls over and grabs Venkman himself to make sure he doesn't do so. It's a good thing he does because Venkman can now get a good look at the terrified Bulbasaur clinging to Ray's back. The poor thing looks like he's about to have a heart attack.]

[neverstudied]

We can talk about that later.

[Fuck whether or not he's seen any ghosts yet, because what's far more important is for Venkman to let go of Egon's hand, tug him closer by the shirt collar, and kiss him for all he's worth, like it's been a few months again and not just a couple weeks.

As soon as he breaks the kiss with Egon, he does the same thing with Ray- not actually letting go of Egon in the process.]

Missed you. Both of you.

... Oh. Nice, uh, frog?

[Hello Bulbasaur.]

[pkemeter]

[He leans into the kiss, smiling a little--which, for Egon, is equivalent to outright joy. He gently squeezes Venkman's hand as he nods towards the Bulbasaur.]

Isn't it incredible? We found it while traversing the forest, searching for more bug-type specimens. Faraday, herself, dug it out of the bushes.

[He gestures towards his own bag, in turn.]

Additionally, a few of the eggs I received managed to hatch while I was away. I believe you may have some interest in them, as both of them are bird-like creatures.

...But first, did you happen to see the equipment the Legend Seekers are using? Have you seen any evidence of apparitions nearby?

[ghoststanning]

[The Bulbasaur squeaks as Ray gently takes him off his back. He fuses a tiny bit but, realizes that he can't cling to Ray's back forever. Egon can ask questions about the supernatural for now; Ray can listen in.

Besides he has to gush about Frog Son.]

He's adorable! He slapped Egon when we first met but I think he's a real sweetheart when you get past his anger.

Also his name's Kermit.

[neverstudied]

God, I really have become the bird-and-cat guy, huh. At least I'm rubbing off on you. Hopefully that doesn't mean I'll start picking up fungi and eels.

Yeah, Spengs- it's a lot of cheap Hasbro Ouija boards, improperly done salt circles, and tinfoil hats. There's some people who look like they know what they're doing, and then others running around with junk they call "Spirit Boxes". No actual ghosts, 'cept the Ghost Pokemon people already have. Definitely no humanoid ghosts.

... Damn. Why haven't we been naming more Pokemon after Muppets?

[pkemeter]

[Egon frowns lightly, his tone disappointed as he speaks.]

That's unfortunate. If they advertise themselves to be spirit hunters, the least they can do is invest in the proper equipment, lest they recieve faulty readings. Don't they know that spirits can only communicate through Ouija Boards when no one is touching the actual board?

[He shakes his head. Amateurs. And here he thought the Legend Seekers were professionals....]

What are spirit boxes?

[ghoststanning]

[Ray's not cuddling Kermit, looking pretty disappointed.]

Are we talking "kids who don't know any better" don't know what they're doing or "Bassingame" don't know what they're doing? I need to know how annoyed I'm going to get at them.

[neverstudied]

Weird electronic things that use radio waves or something, apparently? Mostly they're just loud and screechy. Even if they do work, there might be too much radio interference in this place.

And I really doubt they work.

[Technology bad thomas edison was a witch]

I think it's mostly people who don't know any better- not like they're trying to make a profit, after all, not like Bassingame. Still- it's stupid. Worst case scenario, people could get hurt if a ghost decides they're sick of these games.

And unlike Bassingame, we don't have the equipment to deal if the worst case scenario happens. Just Pokemon... which'll hopefully be enough.

[Always the optimist.]

[pkemeter]

[As the conversation continues, Egon pats Sir Wigglesworth on the snout before returning him to his containment unit. He pauses for a moment, an expression of increasing bewilderment appearing on his face as he looks between Venkman and Ray.

He clears his throat to interrupt.]

...Who is Bassingame?

[He assumes this is another dimensional difference.]

[ghoststanning]

Ugh, Bassingame is the worst snake oil salesman you could deal with! He labels himself as a spiritualist, but you can tell he doesn't know a thing about ghosts from a mile away! He makes it all up for a quick buck and not only makes people like us look like frauds, but he puts innocent people in danger!

Aunt Lois hired him once and he just angered the benevolent spirits of the household and caused them to trash her house! And he had the nerve to try to charge her for it!

[Wow Ray seems, genuinely angry talking about him.]

nsfw text

[neverstudied]

He also fucked my dad.

[not even god himself can stop me from claiming that as canonical.]

[pkemeter]

[There's a solid ten seconds of silence.]

He what?

[ghoststanning]

... Which part are you asking about, exactly?

[The dad fucking or the shitty ghost defaming stuff.]

[pkemeter]

I understood the part about him being a coniving fraud, but not the comment about--

[He clears his throat, looking somewhat lost.]

[neverstudied]

Conmen stick together, I guess. Shack up together. Vaguely traumatize the son of one conman, then go unleash Hog Anagarak on New York together. They're dating now, which is even worse. I coulda handled finding out they had a past fling, or a one-night-stand, but noooo...

[pkemeter]

...

[It takes several moments for Egon to recover his ability to speak.]

Er--ah. [He clears his throat.] I see the continuing differences between our two dimensions become more notable with each passing day.

...Should we go inside the ruins?

[neverstudied]

If the other version of me never has to deal with this, I'm gonna be pissed.

[suddenly reminded of the fact that prime venkman canonically thinks rgb venkman has "daddy issues" in those exact words and now my soul is withering-]

Not even gonna take a minute to set up camp, huh? Sure, but I dunno if your giant centaurpede's gonna fit in there.

[ghoststanning]

Since we went out of business in Egon's dimension, I guess it's likely that your dad and Bassingame never got to meet up?

[Trying to be optimistic...]

But c'mon Pete, we have all day to set up camp! And this place is populated enough now that we don't gotta worry about lighting or something bad happening while setting up camp in the dark.

[Unless... the tent catches fire, he guesses.]

[pkemeter]

I wouldn't know. The Peter Venkman in my dimension tried to avoid speaking about his personal problems unless they directly involved us.

[Which is something probably consistent across all dimensional versions of Venkman.]

I will recall him for now. I'm sure we'll find a suitable place to camp after we've scouted out the ruins.

[He spots a bunch of ghost hunters with video cameras walking by, arguing passionately about whether Sasquatch might've become a ghost because of how old the legend is. Egon's gaze follows them, and when they finally leave, he gives a withering look towards Venkman and Ray.]

...On the other hand, perhaps it is best to claim our spot before we're forced to be in proximity to these amateurs. Sasquatch is not one singular being, but rather, a species of cryptids.

[neverstudied]

[Venkman feels vaguely called out by that, Egon.]

Now you know what I've been having to listen to all day. This is what happens when everyone in the room believes wholeheartedly in the paranormal without any limits- without skepticism, this all just turns into this jumbled mess of an echo chamber.

... I set up some of my stuff already. Not anything fancy, you know I'm not into the camping shit, but it's close enough to the firepit that we can watch everyone make fools of themselves without them hearing us complain the whole time.

[ghoststanning]

Ugh, I hate paranormal investigators like that. They take everything at face value without an ounce of critical thinking.

Besides there are tons of Sasquatch ghosts!

...I'd offer to help set up a tent, but the weather looks so nice that it seems like a disservice to not sleep under the stars.

It's more romantic that way, anyway.