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!
|
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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B-Boomstopper?! [Lee exclaims as he flails in the goo.] What is a... what is happening?!
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[It seems like running into a giant rock probably isn't the best solution, at least, not for Rock Lee's chances of escaping this without a concussion, but then, Viridi's never been that considerate. As the rock monster slowly begins to lower itself to the ground, Viridi snorts.]
Hah. Never underestimate the power of --
[The scene skips at this point with a transition reading FIVE SECONDS LATER to the point where they're now rolling down the street in a giant slime ball consisting of two humanoids and a giant rock monster.]
I hate everything.
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Viridi-san... I believe... that your plan... might not have... worked out perfectly!
What... now?!
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[roll roll roll]
I'm just testing you! Use those ninja instincts! Craft the perfect solution! Be the hero!
[Boomstomper has nothing to add to this apart from a low moaning noise.]
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Viridi-san!! I will not let you down!
[The only thing that he can think of is to start opening the Gates... so he tries to concentrate as much as he can on opening the Gates while they roll so wildly along in the sticky goo. He powers up, and his body heats up a lot... he's hoping to burn his way out!]
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[Viridi grunts and maneuvers herself slowly over to the opposite side of Boomstomper, who finally serves a useful purpose as a heat shield.
Boomstomper moans more loudly.]
W-What are you doing, Rock? This is already a mess; we don't need a flaming mess!
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[He then tries to push his hardest, with the added strength and his heavily increased body heat, to try to get himself out of the blob!]
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...
Wait, what about meeeeeeee?!
[tiny goddess rolls in tiny, smoking blob down the street]
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I am coming back for you!! [It looks like he is going to try to cut right back through the slime, while trying to punch the boomstomper out as he moves through it - which would hopefully take Viridi out with it!]
HRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
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[roll roll roll roll roll
It's only a few more revolutions, though, before a great impact jars her heavily, and with a scream, she and the Boomstomper fly upwards -- the slime stretches... stretches... stretches...
And pops.]
Eeeeeeaughhh!
[Foomph! Viridi lands on a sprouted flower the size of a small tree. BANG. Boomstomper isn't so lucky.]
Booomstoompeerrrrrr... Don't die... It takes me so long to grow one of you...
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Rock Lee powers down once they're all free of the slime. His body is fatigued from the stress of opening some of his Chakra Gates, but, while Viridi seems to be alright, he is moved by concern for the fallen Boomstomper.
He weeps a river as he runs towards the creature he just viciously punched and kneels by his side, tossing his arms weakly over the giant fallen form in an attempt an embrace.]
BOOMSTOMPER-KUUUUN!!!
I am so sorry... This is all my fault! I should not have risked your life like this.
PLEASE DO NOT DIE!!!
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...
...
...
Are you crying?
[Despite herself, Viridi is... faintly touched. No one has ever cared about any of her children before. Not even Pit. Pausing, she slides down the stem of the flower and walks over with her staff.]
...Look, don't be all weird again. It'll be fine. Boomstomper is one of the most durable members of my army.
[The rock creature without any facial features manages to moan again. It's a happy moan this time. Probably.]
Thanks, Boomstomper. You did... Well. Actually, we all did pretty terribly, but. Good try.
[With a wave of her staff, the creature fades into particles of light and vanishes.]
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R-really? He will... be alright?! [He chokes back some more tears and then cries out some more as Boomstomper fades away.]
Thank you so much, Boomstomper!! You did your best, and I will admire that always! I hope that we can meet again someday!
[Then he wipes his tears before looking up towards Viridi.]
Ah... Are you alright, Viridi-san?
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[Viridi looks faintly annoyed as she glances away.]
You did OK. Could have been a little less bumpy, but who am I to argue against the ends justifying the means?
...Thanks. I guess.
[...]
I suppose that's twice you've helped out now. You can go on the 'don't kill' list.
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Lee seems to ignore her annoyance and only looks absolutely delighted as he glances towards her.]
Y-you are welcome! I am so glad and honored to hear that, Viridi-san!!
Does... does that mean that you now consider me to be a 'friend'?! [...He'll try not to ask this every time they talk.]
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[Viridi responds quickly and bluntly.]
Don't push it. That list doesn't even exist. ...We can start with 'tolerable acquaintance' and make our way up the ladder from there.
[A faint pause.]
...And this was all your fault in the first place, anyway! You should be ecstatic I'm giving you any credit at all.
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Yes... That is very acceptable. I understand, Viridi-san! I am the one who messed up in the first place. That is true...
[He bows politely to her and shouts out.]
I am so sorry for the trouble that I have caused you, Viridi-san!! And I feel so honored to make your acquaintance in a tolerable manner!! I promise to keep on doing my best to help you!
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You should be! Next time I see you rolling around in a pile of goo, see if I try to help again.
[actually she hadn't helped she just poked him]
What are we even supposed to be doing here again?
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[Lee no. But he starts to look around curiously as she speaks.]
I am not sure. Perhaps we are only meant to have good times here, in the fun-loving spirit of youth?!
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[Viridi glances down at her ruined... everything.]
Not my idea of a good time. Where's the bubble baths? Where's the nectar and ambrosia? Where are the servants to cater to my every whim?
[...sidelong glance at rock lee]
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I am sorry to hear that, Viridi-san! I do not think that I could be helpful for the first things that you want... but I would be glad to serve you loyally!
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[why didn't rock lee run away five conversations ago? the world may never know.]
So if we're stuck here anyway... I think the most important thing to do is ensure that we're properly nourished.
Let's head to the food.
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That sounds like a splendid idea, Viridi-san! Would you like to be carried, or should I simply escort you?
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A girl could get used to this.
((Heyo! Want to end it here, do you think?))
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I will do my best!
[ooc: Sure, that's fine!]