Bright lights! An abundance of color! A cacophony of laughter and delighted (?) shrieks! Welcome, everyone, to the carnival! Enough of those nonsense protein shakes and that hoity-toity recycling; it's time to let loose, have some fun, and live a little! No judgment will be allowed today, not when everyone’s dressed up in ridiculous costumes and eating those unnecessarily huge turkey legs (it... is turkey, right?). For you see, CERES has invited the Traveling Circus of Tjghsldiwk (they hail from a different planet, but here's a hint: the h is silent) to bring some joy to the colonists. This is a safe place to let your inner wild child out, really. Definitely safe. Promise.
Yet for those who are a little less easily convinced to follow the sounds of laughter and amusement (bless your sensible hearts), they will find themselves grabbed and forcibly dragged by a pair of friendly souls in matching costumes. Everyone should be able to enjoy the festivities, don’t you think? Can’t have them missing out on all this jolly good, innocent fun!
The Public Announcement System crackles with... well, a fit of coughing first. But then a gravelly voice speaks! It seems the ringmaster has an announcement for you all. What joyous news can he bring?  Listen... I know that we’re supposed to keep these idiots entertained for at least another day or two but the machinery’s starting to complain. I think I heard the gates of the petting zoo groan – they’re on their last legs.
... Wait, this isn’t the direct line
Oh.
Ohohoho!! Have a great time, everyone! Everything is perfectly fine!
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PHASE I [ 11 00 ] Come one, come all!! There’s quite a large amount of people here, isn’t there? You’ll find yourself tugged this way and that – up until you get dragged right into a changing booth. The helpful attendant meets you with a worryingly large grin – how is her face not breaking? – before pushing you right through the curtain. Then you’ll be given your choice of one of these lovely garments to change into. Look, one of them has to match your skintone, right? Don’t be picky about it! You also have... 90 seconds to figure out how to wear it before you’re tossed out into the middle of the crowd again. Have a good festival!
If you’re not willing to put on the outfits though, that’s fine. Instead, they’ll top you off with a cape and crown, shoving you out onto a... stage? Your adoring public cheers for you, yells your name, and throws confetti in your honor! Then a jester appears again, announcing your grand title:
The Ugliest in All of Cerealia.
Don't worry, that's just your introduction to the carnival; enjoy the rest of your time here! (They may or may not have given you back your clothing.)
PHASE II [ 1600 ] Do you hear that? Cymbals crashing together, trumpets blaring off-tune, the march of absurdly tired feet – a parade is coming! Best move off to the side before an acrobat quite literally tumbles into you. If you are an unfortunate casualty, they’ll actually just start to fall asleep on you because they’re tired… so very, very tired.
Yet the parade continues to march on without them and you can let yourself be distracted by the impressive jumping around and festive partygoers (who seem to be joining in the parade as they please, in various states of undress). But be wary. Distraction will only make you easier prey for the very hungry caterpillar that’s coming up the street next. Run if you can, but it has so very many legs and it’s coming after you.
For those unable to make it away from the caterpillar, they will find themselves gulped right into its gross, drooling mouth – and about five minutes later, they’ll be released out again onto the streets covered in a pink slime. It looks like you won't be able to free yourself from the stuff, so hopefully you can find a friend to get some help! Or one of the strangers around you? Unfortunately, when a kind soul finally comes by to pull you out of the slime, they’ll find that the outside of the gunk is not only immensely sticky but also slippery. If they're not careful, you'll both end up stuck to the gunk together.
You both better get out of that stuff quick because once someone joins you, the slime starts to move. Quick and gooey, it'll pull you and the hapless soul with you down the street at a much too quick pace. Hopefully you won't slide into too many people as you skid your way through the streets of the Entertainment District like some sort of demented Katamari Ball. This is why you should never trust giant bugs!
PHASE III [ xxxx ] In a smaller booth, toward the outskirts of the carnival, some may find a familiar face manning a quiet little shack on her own. Although those who have been in the colony long enough may have first encountered her as an 8-bit version of herself, Aria the fortune-teller is now back and more than willing to drag unsuspecting people into her hands again. Once you step into her stall, she takes one long look at you before sliding over a fortune cookie and a mask. What do you mean you didn’t ask for a mask? That's too bad, because it's yours now. She won't say anything more than that, giving nothing more than a quiet dismissal with a hand and an enigmatic smile to match.
When you step back outside, you’ll find that you just can’t get rid of the mask. If you toss it into a trash bin, it’ll be right back in your pocket. Throw it at a friend? It’ll be in your hand in the next second. Throw it away enough times and it’ll suddenly plant itself on your face -- which leads to all the alien carnival goers in the nearby vicinity suddenly going still with fear before moving to get as far away from you as quickly as possible. Well... you seem to be able to take it off for now if you still want to enjoy the carnival. It just won't go away, and every time you try to throw it away, it'll attach itself to your face. Might as well just keep it.
But... still, it's strange how none of the aliens running the carnival will look you in the eye now, isn't it?
PHASE IV [ 1200 ] For those who aren’t interested in dealing with the abundance of people, there’s also an assortment of critters gathered around for the petting zoo! They all seem to follow a general theme… kind of. That might be floppy ears and a tail if you... squint. The alien staff is right there and quick to ask you not to worry, they're perfectly harmless -- they don't eat humans! It would be bad for their diet, so feel free to pet them, if you can gather enough courage to do so.
Unfortunately, it seems as though this part of the circus was not put together very well; the rickety fences and cages don't really seem to do much against these giant...creatures. Towards the end of the circus' time here, it looks like those cages will start breaking down more and more, too.
The animals rattle the makeshift fences of the petting zoo, until finally, the fences just... collapse. Oops. The ground shakes as the animals stomp and immediately move to break out of their little ring. Well, would you look at that? You’ve apparently found yourself in the middle of a little stampede -- and those warnings about these animals not eating humans doesn't seem to hold much weight when now they're looking at you -- and they look pretty hungry.
BONUS [ why o'clock ] Left and right, there are voices shouting for your attention. "Hey pretty young miss!" or "Excuse me, you stud!" or "Look at this, jackass!" – that said, aliens think that you all manage to look the same, so who knows if they’re yelling at you in particular – and they’re all daring you to come and try your hand at their carnival game.
It’s run of the mill stuff: shooting games, tests of strength, and knocking down a couple of milk bottles. You might actually be doing well! Or... you might be embarrassing yourself in front of whatever cute person you’re trying to impress! But regardless, in the last allotted ten seconds of your game, no matter what, you’ll find your point score plummeting right into the negatives. Did you get a bullseye? What do you know, that’s now worth -1000 points! You missed? -5000 points.
The stall assistant seems to be having a grand old time, laughing at your pain and when the clock finally runs out, they'll give you a large grin. "Look at that score! Well, you know what that means, don’t you? Now, we win you!" With that, metallic tentacles suddenly sprout from the booth itself, looking to capture you and whoever you’re with. Welcome to the carnival, now you're one of the prizes. And it seems you'll be here for quite some time. That is, of course, unless someone can win you back from these really horribly rigged games.
Looks like you'd better get comfortable hanging motionless from a display, like an oversized stuffed animal. You'll be here for a while.
[ Remember to apply proper warnings on threads with sensitive or inappropriate material and do let a mod know if your thread careens off into maiming or canoodling so we can lock the log. ] |
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iv
Not caring for whether or not her dress gets dirty, she kneels in front of Rapunzel, very real concern in her eyes.]
Hey....
What's wrong?
[She's no good at comfort but - she can't leave her alone? That would just be unforgivable.]
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Oh! Lili, ah– It's... nothing.
–Hey wait. [ She pauses, makes her decision, then pushes onwards with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes - not that anyone could know it.
That's why she's wearing the mask, after all. ]
I didn't know you were here! How have we not run into each other? Heh. Oh– Have you seen the roller coaster? We should go on that.
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That... was a really quick turnaround?
[Just... calling it as she sees it. She blinks once, twice. And then she seems to agree easily enough--] Sure, we can go where you want.
After you tell me what happened.
[oh.]
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Sure. [ Rather than get up, Rapunzel seems to settle back, Pascal curling himself around her crossed ankles. ] Where should I start? Uh. We got here a little late–
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Lili's... patient when it comes to her friends, despite how quick she is to get things done otherwise. So she's moving the skirt of her dress around so the least possible amount of dirt will get on it when she sits.
Then she'll look up at Rapunzel and tilt her head.]
Just start wherever you want.
[She'll listen.]
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By the time Lili's seated, Rapunzel's own hands are twisting in the folds of her skirt and the strands of her hair. ]
Lili, look. It's nothing.
...I mean it.
[ No she doesn't. ]
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But Lili's awkward.
In fact, she's so awkward that she doesn't.... entirely know how to respond to that. Except well... honestly.]
It didn't look like nothing.... And I get that maybe you want to brush it off and focus on other things, which is fine, I guess.....
But it didn't feel right to just ignore it entirely when you sounded so.... well, unlike you.
[Not as full of light as Lili knows her to be. And anything that makes Rapunzel sad really should be removed from the face of the planet.]
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What does that mean? [ Not a harsh question, but there's an edge of something vaguely defensive in her voice. ] Like me. What do I usually sound like?
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[Augh. Lili can hear the defensiveness and that's really, really not what she meant to trigger -- but now she's embarrassed at the thought of having to explain to Rapunzel how she comes off to people.
How do? Words?]
You're.....
Normally you're excited about... well, everything. Even if it's something like dinner. Or you're thinking forward or ahead and ready to race off into whatever -- it's really worrying, you know!
[Not that! She gets worried or anything....!
.... But....]
But it's not... bad. This isn't bad either, maybe -- [god, why is she so bad at talking] -- but it's.... different.
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As a result, her smile is strained. ] Different. That's... that's true. Do you go to school? One of my instructors said I'm supposed to wear shoes to class but - I don't know that I'm ready for shoes yet. Still, it's... it's exciting to think about wearing shoes.
[ And then, as if feeling her way to the edge of something vast and unknown, with daring: ]
I've always been different, though. Even at home.
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Is there something.... wrong about being different?
[She doesn't understand - and she's trying to. She wants to, when she can't get even the slightest grasp on what Rapunzel's feeling.]
The way you are, it's --
[It's better than almost everyone that Lili's met because Rapunzel says whatever comes to mind, apparently, but all of it is so sincerely.... good.
Except she doesn't know how to say that.]
.... It'd reflect badly on anyone to speak ill of you.
[.... close enough.]
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She can tell her throat is thickening, so she swallows and pulls at another lock of hair. ]
Different can be dangerous. People... people don't always - respond well to unique things.
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[She'll say that rather easily, tilting her head. She's not sure what Rapunzel's getting at here.... is there something about her that's dangerous? Even so-]
Anything can be dangerous... but dangerous can be used to protect people too.
[She thinks of Yona and the way that she held a sword to try to protect what was important to her, not for any other reason.]
Besides, even if it's something unique about you.... I can't imagine how it could ever be bad.
[Not when Rapunzel is so full of kindness.]
1/2
Rapunzel sighs and drops her head back - which disturbs Pascal a bit, but otherwise only gives her a view of the twinkling lights and ferris wheel spinning lazily above. ]
It isn't. It's wonderful.
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Whispering hoarsely, she adds: ]
That's the problem.
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What is...?
You're being so vague.
[So her natural response is to just say what she's thinking.]
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She frowns and hopes that at the very least she doesn't at any point start crying. ]
Lili do you - do you miss your home?
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That's.... well, I have two. [Homes, that is.]
I'm from the capitol but I can't return there.... but I have a separate place where I'm living to look over my lands. [Well, there's a story there but right now she'd rather focus on Rapunzel so she answers it in short.] In truth... I miss them both.
You... do you miss yours?
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She'd wanted her to answer it that way.
After all, hadn't Lili been somewhere awful before all this? But of course, that couldn't have been her whole life. Everyone has family and friends and comrades they miss. Everyone has someone. Classmates. Enemies. Countries to serve and people to protect. Dreams to chase and people to love. And suddenly Rapunzel is crying, tears coming out before her response has any chance to.
She shakes her head, because its the truth. ]
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[Lili is awkward and so her reading of social clues is... well, messy at best. But from what she understood, she answered the question honestly. Rapunzel is also answering the question honesty with the shake of her head -- but for some reason Rapunzel is crying.
And that's absolutely the most distressing thing that Lili's seen all day.
She's rising from her spot on the ground immediately then and -- she doesn't do gestures of affection often and she absolutely doesn't do them well, so it's perhaps a little sudden and clumsy when she throws her arms around the other girl in a hug, the other moving to pet her hair to try to soothe her. Tetora would do this for her. This is her attempt at comfort.]
Why are you crying....? What happened?
[Why are you so sad and why does Lili's heart feel like it's being crushed?]
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There's very little sound, though. Just - pain. As if she's used to crying silently. ]
This happened! I came here. I lied to my mother. I left my tower and I came to Cerealia and, oh, god, Lili it– I-It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me! I– I'm–
[ Her voice drops to a ragged whisper as tears continue to run and fall down her nose, landing on her bare legs and on Pascal, ever near and loyal ]
I'm so happy. I'm happy and - and - And everyone else here is so sad!
THIRD TIME'S THE CHARM???
There's very little sound, though. Just - pain. As if she's used to crying silently. ]
This happened! I came here. I lied to my mother. I left my tower and I came to Cerealia and, oh, god, Lili it– I-It's the worst thing that's ever happened to me! I– I'm–
[ Her voice drops to a ragged whisper as tears continue to run and fall down her nose, landing on her bare legs and on Pascal, ever near and loyal ]
I'm so happy. Just - being here is more than I could have ever dreamed. I'm happy while - while -
While everyone else here is so sad.
YOU MADE IT
Being happy should never be the worst thing to happen to you.
[Lili shakes her head then, trying to reassure in her clumsy way.]
I'm not sad.... and I understand. I've lied to my father after he's grounded me and snuck out of the manor so many times -- but I'll never regret it. The outside is really beautiful, isn't it?
[Even if she's not sure if it's the same for Rapunzel. But it sounds similar -- being locked away in a tower.... it sounds so oddly familiar.]
But I'm not sad here.... I can miss my home and not be sad - I've met people here already that I otherwise never would've..... and they make it so much less sad. It's okay.... [And she's a little scared to admit it but Rapunzel has been so honest--]
I.... You know what I came from. I'm almost afraid to leave, too....
1/2
But they don't land. Except for the part about her father and the word grounded (Gothel liked to say Rapunzel could never technically be grounded since they were so many feet up in the air), Rapunzel feels nothing in her change with Lili's comfort. ]
It's more than that, Lili. It's - it's complicated...
2/3 eh jk
Besides! [ She sniffs. Laughs. Wipes her nose. ] Isn't - isn't that why we're here? So we can go back someday?
done
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