
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 [ 16 00 ] 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 [ xx xx ] 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 [ 12 00 ] 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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[Rock Lee accepts the outfit (this in green) without any doubts at first. Why not try out something new for a change? And. as much as he misses his green jumpsuit, it is oddly comfortable! And then he's out on the stage! Everyone is cheering for him, and he is quickly being moved to tears. For a moment, he feels truly beautiful!
And then, the verdict is announced: "The Ugliest in All of Cerealia". Lee lingers there for a moment, seemingly frozen in place, and his tears are quickly shifting from joy to sorrow...]
[Phase II]
[Rock Lee has changed into his usual jumpsuit, and luckily he carries multiple spares on him. He was watching the parade to cheer himself up, and just as he was feeling better, he was taken by surprise by the bizarre caterpillar! Moments later, he's ended up stuck in this odd sludge and struggles to try to break free.]
Agh...! What is happening?!
[Phase IV]
[Once the zoo breakout occurs, Rock Lee is quickly on the scene and looking for people to help. He does not want to hurt the animals, but he will do what he must to protect innocents. So he runs around in search of others.]
Is anyone in danger?!
[Bonus]
[Rock Lee is eager to try out these carnival games! Not only do they appeal to his competive nature, but he also wants to win the prizes to give to others. He takes on a test of strength - one of those arm wrestling machine.]
I will do my best!! [Are you someone accompanying him (whom he may be trying to win the prize for)? Or are you someone who is already trapped amongst the prizes and in need of rescue? Or perhaps you're a bystander, coming to help upon seeing Lee start to lose? You decide!]
[Wildcard]
[General carnival shenanigans and stuff based on the other prompts are also fine!]
II
Or at least evolve cool laser cannons mounted to your shoulders.
[The little girl is, as usual, entirely unhelpful as she appears.]
What are you doing?
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Ah.... This is not my cocoon! But as a young man, I am always taking my steps closer towards becoming a beautiful butterfly!
And, as for my actual situation, I am currently trying to free myself!
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1
Try as he might not to show his face, Kaneda sighs, loudly, and goes to Lee's side. If there's anything he can't stand to see, its a badass crying.]
C'mon, man, stop that. Don't let 'em see the whites of your eyes or whatever....you're not some pussy.
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A-ah, but... what has been said... is it true?!
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i! lee...
So this punk is just busting his way on up there, shoving the commentator to the side like a punk, and delivering the most uplifting speech--]
Hey! Don't let 'em get you down! Giant eyebrows and weird shiny bowl cuts can totally be cutting-edge fashion if you do them up the right way!
[...Well, he made an effort, anyway?!]
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K-Kashuu-kun...? Is- is that... Do you truly believe this?!
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Bonus
This looks like it may be intense! He seems to be encouraging himself well so she can add to it as a bystander.]
Good luck!
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Thank you very much, Miss! With you cheering me on, I know that I'll do my best! [Then he turns his attention to the game. Time to do this!]
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iv
Lee! Are you being a hero again...?!
[WHY THIS.]
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I do not know if I am a hero or not. I am only trying my best to help...! [He gives a quick lookover to try to see if she's hurt in anyway.] Are you alright?
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IV
[Lumina was standing on top of what had probably been a support post for a tent at some point, with several of the big angry loose alien monsters floundering around trying to reach her. They weren't making much progress but time would tell! How could Lee resist saving a child from such disaster?]
Oh, I am! I am completely in danger!
[Note: This is a complete lie.]
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No! Please, hold on! I will help you!! [He quickly adjusts his path, and now he's running straight towards her to try to help!]
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wildcard!
Rapunzel, of course, is no stranger to the idea of putting paint on your face or, indeed, anywhere else on your body or in your home that you so desire. She's a huge advocate of colouring whatever blank spaces she can find. Including the human face!
And when she sees Rock amidst the crowd, RUGGED as ever in that green she's gotten used to seeing him in, she beams and rushes over as fast as she can, nearly tripping over her costume the way she's been all night. ]
Rock! Rock Lee, let me paint your face!
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E-er, I... Y-you may paint me! [She doesn't seem to be troubled by her clothing, so he tries his best to act like it's normal!]
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phase II
Lee-san! [...] ...what is that? [That doesn't look comfortable at all.]
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A-ah... I am not sure! But... It belongs to that odd caterpillar creature. I have been caught by surprise, and- and trapped...!
...But, are you alright?
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phase i;
"ugliest in all of cerealia?"
even to roxas, that seems really harsh. he's never really considered people by how they look, but treating something like that as if it's a prize to be won—that's hurtful, isn't it? and admittedly, he doesn't care for seeing lee's tears in this way. so he's definitely making a face.]
...These carnival guys are real jerks. What kind of award is that even supposed to be?
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Perhaps - perhaps it is the truth? [Maybe he wasn't a beautiful green wild beast all along... Maybe that's why most of the people he cares for disappear...]
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ii!
You appear to be stuck.
( A++ observation, Cassandra. )
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Y-yes. That seems to be the case. But... Please do not worry! I have worked hard to become strong, s-so I am sure that I will free myself in a matter of time! [Except that his attempts only seem to be getting himself further stuck in it.]
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bonus
Lee-san! [ please use your ridiculous can-kicking ways FOR GOOD ] P-please be careful! Winning seems to be rigged...
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[He shouts at the alien running the stall.]
I accept this challenge and all of its consequences! Let it begin!!
[Let's say it actually is a booth game version of kick the can. Lee prepares his first strike!!]
I
[That was...]
[Hikari had seen many strange things in her short life. Things that most people--adults, especially--would have a hard time believing were anything more than the result of an overly active, child-like imagination. Things that...if she were willing to admit...sometimes still gave her nightmares.]
[But this?]
[This was just...weird, even by her life's standards.]
They're not very nice, are they?
[Sensing the pain in poor Lee's heart at the 'insult', Hikari approached in her own assigned outfit. Wondering if there was some way she might be able to...help? Cheer him up? Something.]
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i;
Just get off the stage you idiot!!
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