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

[outofhershadow]

[Geez, this is like nerd central. Lena's always up for a bit of troublemaking or poking around dark and spooky places, but all the people here... that takes the fun out of it. This whole camping expedition is making the ruins seem more like some kind of tourist trap than actual spooky fun-to-explore ruins, so Lena's interest has been fading fast.

But... Webby has been pretty excited about it. So she's gunna stay. And maybe go bother some people she knows; but when she sees Venkman, she can see he's more bothered by other people, and Lena lets out a snorting laugh as she watches him argue with some of the other Legend Seekers.]

Oh man, "spirit boxes" [said complete with air quotes] are super hokey things people on ghost hunting shows use. Something about scanning radio signals and picking up voices in the static? It's hilariously fake.

[neverstudied]

[Lena's a sight for sore eyes in this place- someone who actually has detailed experience with the paranormal, but is still a skeptic in the right ways? Thank God.]

God, that sounds stupid. Especially here- the radio signals get all messed up in this place anyway, don't they? They're gonna a bunch of false positives and probably drown out any actual voices that might be here.

... Wait, ghost hunting shows?

[Venkman frowns. That whole side of reality TV didn't get started until well after the 80s.]

[outofhershadow]

Exactly! And the whole gimmick is that they like.... flash through radio stations real fast or something? So people freak out when they hear a voice when really they're probably just picking up some radio DJ from three cities over.

[Lena knows more about the paranormal and magic than she'd really like to know, but that kind of junk is stuff she just can't believe in. It's so obviously fake she just has to laugh whenever it's brought up.]

Yeah, they're all the rage now. Or... they were, a few years back. Basically a bunch of guys lock themselves into an old asylum or abandoned hospital or super haunted location all night with just their cameras and a bunch of junk like those spirit boxes to try and talk to ghosts. People eat that stuff up 'cause the guys usually start freaking out like little kids at every little noise.

[neverstudied]

Oh my God. This is a thing? [Venkman's not sure if he's delighted or disgusted.] As if people needed more reasons to think what we do is bullshit...

[He shakes his head, though after a moment, the expression on his face changes.]

... It kinda sounds like college. Back when none of the equipment Ray and Egon built actually worked. Or we were just too unlucky to lock ourselves into actual haunted buildings. None of us were scared, though- Ray and Egon were always excited, and I just thought they were out of their minds.

[Nostalgic memories of following your then-classmates, later-boyfriends into trespassing on private property on the off chance of finding a real live ghost using non-functional equipment.]

But that was different. We recorded stuff, but it wasn't for- like- an audience. And I don't think Spengs' deadpan reaction to a complete lack of spectral activity would make for quality television.

[Still, now he wants to sit them down and watch the Pokemon-verse equivalent of Ghost Adventures.]

[outofhershadow]

Yeah, that I get, 'cause you're trying to see if your stuff actually works. But then you've got goobers like those guys who act so tough and like, dare spirits or malevolent beings to attack them, and then run away screaming like babies when a door starts creaking. It's hilarious.

[Boy, she's sure guys like that would just pee themselves if they saw even a hint of what Magica could do in her shadow form... hoo boy.]

... You think there are guys like that here? I mean, worse than these nerds? [She jabs a thumb over her shoulder, at the nearest group of Legend Seekers.] Guys that go into old places like the Burned Tower and try and antagonize Ghost-types for hits on whatever kind of video site exists in this world?

[neverstudied]

... Why do they wanna goad spirits if that's gonna be their reaction? That's so stupid.

[He gets taunting them if you don't believe- if the ghosts aren't real, then nothing's gonna happen, no matter how many lights flicker off and doors open unexpectedly. And Venkman's done more than his fair share of intentionally pissing off ghosts in his time, but that's a combination of "sort of knowing what he's doing, especially with a proton wand in his hands" and "being an abrasive idiot in most situations".

It's another thing entirely to knowingly invite evil spirits to hurt you, while believing they're real and could hurt you, and freaking out when there's even a chance they'd take up that offer. Like, you did this to yourself??]

Oh, probably. People are stupid about the supernatural everywhere.

[Venkman watches one little group of Legend Seekers for a minute. One is talking animatedly into a camera held by another- he's too far away for most of what he says to be made out, but he's talking loudly, exaggerating every gesture he makes. A few nearby Hex Maniacs glance over, irritated, before moving on.

When Venkman speaks again, his tone is casual, though it's slightly betrayed by the smirk on his face.]

Y'know, they'd probably appreciate having something interesting happen in their video. For the views or whatever. And the local Ghost and Psychic-types would definitely appreciate not having to deal with 'em for too long.

[Is he suggesting they go crash this vlog and scare the shit out of some baby ghost hunters? Well, he's definitely not not suggesting they do that.]

[outofhershadow]

[Oh MAN Venkman, there's a reason Lena liked you the most. You know, aside from you being the one that don't ask her a ton of invasive questions the very first day she woke up in Johto. At his casual suggestion of mischief, Lena grins, one hand dropping to the side of her belt where her Pokebells are clipped to, tapping one; in a burst of light, a sleek black Umbreon comes forth, but where most Umbreons have yellow ring patterns across their bodies, this one sports blue rings.

(She's also got her Gardevoir with her, but when it comes to the more spooky types like ghosts, psychics, and dark-types, this one's her best bet. Gardevoir's too pretty to be intimidating.)]

Yeah, it sure would liven up the party a bit if we gave the local wildlife a helping hand, huh? That big brain of yours cooking something up?

[neverstudied]

[It's hard for Venkman to contain his own enthusiasm at Lena's clear excitement, but he tries anyway, settling for grinning while he plucks one of the containment units off his own belt. Of the team he's brought with him, he's got a few who might be good for this job- even the ones who aren't Ghost, Dark, or Psychic types could be useful, if he can figure out a way to coordinate a set of keys, a 6-and-a-half-foot-tall isopod, and a chameleon into scaring some idiots.]

Nothing specific in mind, yet. Mostly just thinking we tail 'em, see what they wanna say to the spirits, maybe give 'em exactly what they ask for. Whatever that may be.

[The group is still talking, though they're moving, now- towards one of the entrances to the ruins. The main cameraman jerks the camera around erratically, no doubt creating a shaky-cam effect that future viewers will either tolerate or despise.]

[outofhershadow]

[Well, speaking of chameleon; Lena only has to nod her head towards the Legend Seekers and the Umbreon seems to get what she's hinting at. With a brief purr and a rub against Lena's leg, the sleek foxlike pokemon darts forward into a dark patch of shadow not far from the Seeker being filmed, its rings dimming so that the pokemon is virtually invisible in the dark. A perfect ambush.]

Good plan. But when it's time to strike, I guess the real question is if we should go more jump scare style spooking, or... y'know. Messing with them a bit first. Some growling, a shaking bush here or there....

[neverstudied]

Jump scare's fine if we've got the Pokemon for it- ones that'll really scare the hell outta them. Or at least an actual, coordinated plan.

Besides, if you're right, they might all run screaming the first time they hear footsteps approaching. We could always corner 'em in a room somewhere, though... Pokemon at the entrance, blocking 'em in. Or we could make it a real house of horrors situation- jump scare 'em, then keep following it up with more and more while they try to escape.

[He's having way too much fun with this already.

Venkman nods approvingly at the Umbreon. He clicks the release on the Pokeball in his own hand, releasing Georgie. The Kecleon is already entirely invisible aside from the red stripe across its waist.]

You mind scouting ahead?

[Georgie flickers into view for a moment, long enough to nod at his trainer before fading away again. The floating red stripe dashes away, keeping a safe distance from the Legend Seekers. The group ducks into a doorway to one of the ruins' puzzle rooms, not far from the Umbreon; Georgie waits a few seconds before following them in, climbing on the walls and up to the ceiling.]