//EVENT025.EXE

[reparator]

Who: Everyone who chooses to go to the fun, new alien carnival (and those who don't, but end up there anyway)
When: OOC: 1/26 - 1/30 ; IC: 5/13 - 5/15
Where: Entertainment District, Temporary Traveling Circus of Tjghsldiwk
What: The circus is in town! Temporarily. Everything is fine.
Rating/Warning: PG-13 for violence and some scary situations; please let the mods know if the rating needs to go up or the log needs to be locked!

---

//event025.EXE

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!

//SCENARIOS.EXE

PHASE I [ 1100 ] 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. ]

//RUN.EXE

Welcome to Cerealia's JANUARY event! Please visit the OOC information here, and should you have any questions, feel free to ask them here! You can also check the FAQ for more general inquiries. This event will last from 1/26 to 1/30, or IC 5/13 to 5/15. Should this event log hit Captcha, there is an all-purpose overflow here. Thank you!

Comments

[psycholawgy]

PHASE I:
[ the jester's voice is loud and clear: Presenting… the Ugliest in All of Cerealia!

which insults athena a thousand times over. ] Hey! I told you, it's Miss Cerealia!

[ but the jester doesn't even do or say anything after she says that, so she grabs his megaphone for this public news blast: ]

Presenting Athena Cykes, Miss Cerealia!

[ and then she hops off the stage. she's even in this little number, too. she actually feels pretty cute in it after wearing it for five minutes or so. just don't point it out to her or else she'll get embarrassed. ]


PHASE III:
Oh, what a cool cookie…!

[ her fortune is actually pretty… neat. your many hidden talents will be obvious to those around you. and it puts her in a very good mood that she totally forgets about the mask in her hand.

when she sees somebody—a friend, or a familiar looking colonist—she calls them over (that's you!) with a "hey" and wave of her hand. with the mask in her hand. it's only then that she notices the mask again, but she hasn't realised how strange it is yet. ]

How's it going? I didn't know you were going here, too. And look at this! Isn't it cool? [ she says, gesturing to the mask. ] I got a fortune cookie from that booth, too.


BONUS:
A:
[ A GAME YOU SAY??? she's totally in! and she's even looking for a fellow carnival-goer to play the game with her. ]

Wanna play something with me? [ she says as she stops in front of you. she points at the booth with the stuffed animals and the milk bottles. ] I'll beat you good.

[ ATHENA, THAT'S NOT HOW YOU INVITE PEOPLE TO PLAY WITH YOU??? ]

B:
[ alternatively, you may find one athena cykes "stuffed" doll right in front of the booth. the guy manning the booth claims it's the grand prize!

you might even hear some loud mumbling. mrrmph! hrrrlph mmmme!!! ]

Bonus A

[forceofnature]

[Wow, Athena, are you trying to assert your dominance over a small child? The little girl with the staff and crown nearby arches an eyebrow at this assertion.]

As if.

I can do anything you can do better. That's not a song, it's just a fact of life.

[psycholawgy]

[ she'll assert her dominance over everything, tbh. ]

We'll see about that. [ and she heads to the booth. let's go, tiny lady. ] Best three out of five?

bonus b?!

[hoasen]

[Oh no she's adorable.

BUT NO SHE NEEDS TO HELP HER.] Athena...?

[psycholawgy]

[ she is very adorable, it's true. ]

Mmrrmnam!! [ she's calling your name! ]

Phase I

[faithfulflame]

[Athena isn't the only person dressed up in an outfit like that. Rei had begrudgingly gotten into it, just because it was easier than destroying the tent, and to say she looks good is an understatement. She practically oozes grace and beauty, stepping out and looking at Athena with a little bit of a smirk.]

You look pretty good in that, Athena-chan. You reall look the part of a Saudi princess in that outfit.

[psycholawgy]

[ it's always nice being called a princess when it isn't aura doing it. she smiles at rei, her eyes brimming with astonishment on how rei looks. ]

And you look like a goddess!

[ that's because she is one, athena. ]

phase iii

[dereban]

You did. [ Her voice is practically dripping with sarcasm as she tosses Athena a rather incredulous look. ]

I mean it looks cool, but... you actually went to that fortune teller.

[psycholawgy]

That— [ waaaaaait a minute. w a i t just one darn minute! her documents— ]

Aria?

[ she's never seen her before until now, so she's absolutely surprised! ]

That was her? [ why is she here... oh no. this sounds ominous. ]

iii!

[souredsweet]

["COOL"... Athena?! Someone help her redefine these very fundamental things!!

Which is to say, Kaoru gives the mask a dubious look and then gives Athena a mildly concerned one.]

It's a bit eerie, isn't it? Something like that... [Is still not as freaky as some kabuki masks lbr, but it's definitely concerning!] ...Ah— Which booth did you get it from?

[psycholawgy]

[ cookies ARE cool ok shh ]

Oh, that one, over there. With the fortune teller. [ she points her thumb at the booth a few feet aways from them, not really getting why kaoru seems so bothered. not yet, anyway. ]

phase iii

[zerotohiro]

[Hiro and Baymax had been combing through the carnival grounds keeping an eye out for trouble and also just trying to have some fun in this...weird...alien place, but it's easier when they spot a friend. His helmet's under his arm and so it's probably easier for Athena to see him smile when she calls them over.]

We kinda got dragged, This place is something, isn't it? [He looks down at the mask, a "huh" in the back of his throat. He's not sure why, but he does find the mask a little strange, too.] What're you gonna do with it now?

[psycholawgy]

[ oh, it's hiro!! she walks up to him and places her hands on her hips. ]

Well? Is there anything about me that seems... new?

[ please notice her hidden talents, little man. ]

Phase I

[swordboning]

[Blinking so hard at her display. It's not really staring as much as wondering.

Finally, he shrugs his shoulders and sighs in a fashion that Athena should recognize as an incoming backhanded compliment.]

Well, I suppose you wouldn't have trouble attracting a new boyfriend wearing that.

[psycholawgy]

[ jii. ]

Why is everyone saying that?!

Bonus B

[zenryokuzenkai]

The grand prize?

[ Nanoha squints at the doll in front of her. It looked familiar somehow. She thought it was somehow one of herself at first (not that odd, she's slightly famous at home and maybe there was merch leftover from the convention a few months back,) but Nanoha wouldn't be caught dead in that outfit.

Not that it's bad. It's just not her style at all. ]

It's rather... noisy for a doll, isn't it?

[ poke poke

She's suspicious. She might even recognise the doll, but this is the sort of thing you have to make sure of first. ]

[psycholawgy]

Mmpha!

[ translation: nanoha!!!

it's hard to talk when you are a doll. ]

bonus

[buttonedup]

( Cassandra's just minding her own business, secretly trying to find a way out of this carnival and its frivolities so she can return to the gym and beat up some more training dummies when her path is suddenly blocked by a young woman who seems very enthusiastic about... something. She takes a moment to look in the indicated direction; it's one of those carnival games that she's been doing her very best to ignore.

It's all she can do to refrain from rolling her eyes. As it is, she crosses her arms over chest and answers: )

No, thank you.

[psycholawgy]

Well, that's okay!

[ is this person new? she looks new! ]

I mean, you'd want to see the sights instead, right?

bonus

[bulked]

[ Akihiko isn't drawn to the prizes, or even the actual games themselves, since they're probably rigged most of the time, but he's hardly one to back down from a challenge.

His eyes widen in surprise. ]

What? Oh, hey, Athena. [ He smiles, then scoffs a bit. ]

I wouldn't be so sure about that.

Aren't these games usually rigged, though?

[psycholawgy]

[ are they? athena hums in thought as she pokes her moon earring for a bit. she's never really gone to a carnival before, so she doesn't know. but what she does know is that arcade games are rigged, but people are still able to win the prize. ]

We can try, anyway. I'm not going to let a dumb game separate me from a cute stuffed bear.

phase i: the cosplay saga continues

[sortileges]

[ Thankfully Merlin hasn't been stuck with one of the awful costumes the workers tried to give him, and is instead given a cloak and a crown even if that feels potentially just as uncomfortable as some awful belly dancing costume. At first he doesn't take note of her state of dress, instead just recognizing her and hair.

He taps her on the shoulder, pointing up towards the dumb crown on his head. ]

I really hope you didn't have anything to do wi--

[ Only whenever she turns around he cuts off mid-sentence, as though he's just been slapped across the face. The way his head snaps to the side promptly makes it look like that anyway. Still-- ]

Sorry, I didn't realise you were still changing-- [ THAT ISN'T WHAT UNDERGARMENTS LOOK LIKE.......... ]

i'M CRYING

[psycholawgy]

[ she blinks once. twice. what's with this guy? ]

Are... [ she moves to merlin's side to get a better view of his face. it's kind of rude to talk to people if you're not giving them eye contact, after all. it's even more effective when you're staring the judge in the face when you present your hardcore evidence.

not that they're in court or anything, but still. the point is: eye contact matters. ]

Are you ill?

[ because his face seems to be saying so. ]

Bonus A

[digiteyesed]

[Or is that in fact exactly how you invite people to play with you? The challenge perks Ene's interest and she immediately flutters over to get a better look.]

Oh, you think so? You sound so confident! I wonder how long that will last.

[shroudedinsecrecy]

[Doing her best to vainly conceal her own outfit of choice, Iris's blush deepened that much further when she caught sight of Athena. And the way the girl...acted as if she didn't seem bothered by any of this.]

You...seem to be taking this very well, Athena.

[Pulling the thin cape further over her shoulders, as if she could hide in it completely.]