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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WOW RUDE????
He swallows and shuts his eyes, raising his other hand that she isn't holding onto to press against his face. The food vendor probably wonders what the hell is going on considering this looks utterly out of place. He's just flustered in a sense. It's rare that he actually gets any kind of inspirational talks like this, usually it's a complaint or him being told off for being too nosy and not listening to Gaius and messing things up more and just-- ]
I won't. I can't. [ His whole life is dedicated to Arthur, he knows he can't fight that.
It's the rest though that aches a lot more than it should. ] But if it comes to it, I won't let you suffer for my sake. I refuse.
yes well.
and this is also when she realises that she's probably coming off too strong. she can just be so friendly??? and selfless. but mostly friendly.
she takes a deep breath and looks merlin in the eye. she could say a lot of things and try to convince him otherwise, but she knows that would just get into an argument, and the objective in this carnival is to have fun! she can't not let him have fun. she has to show him a good time, not because there's something she wants out of it, dear god, no. but it's simply because they're friends. he's new, and doesn't have a lot going for him yet in this place, after all. ]
I'm sorry.
I didn't mean to push too hard. You're not mad, are you?
[ she really didn't, but at the same time, she meant every word. but that's... enough for now. her heart's started to feel pain the moment merlin started feeling fear again. and it kept on getting louder and louder, too. it's not pleasant to the ears, but even moreso to the bearer. ]
huffs and shh.... it's ok :*
It really isn't her fault that he isn't!!! listening!!! properly!!! He isn't the one with advanced hearing after all. He takes a deep breath, looking up when she apologises though he really has no idea why she's apologising at the same time. He knows why she said what she did, but it isn't her place to defend him. That's all there is to it. ]
...Why would I be mad? [ He laughs through his nose then, breathy, before he glances away for a moment. This whole thing is ridiculous in a way he just got. Emotional. But he doesn't want to really go into that when she's mimicking him with it. Instead he finally picks up a fry and shoves it in her mouth. Well, if they're friends now why not? ]
Don't worry about it.
ty ty u////u
[ ...
merlin.
she blinks once, twice, and at the same time, considers what would happen if she spit it on his face. it's disgusting, sure, but athena's thought of it. but her instinct makes her just bite the fry and start chewing on it. this is probably one of the most bizzare things she's experienced in her life.
and japanifornia is crazy!
once she's swallowed the fry, she exclaims: ]
That's cheating!
/)///(\
Despite trying to hold it in he can't help it... She looks like she's going to choke, spit it back at him or smack him for doing that so he just laughs. ]
You ought to see your face right now.
[ Who needs inspiring speeches when you can tease someone to cheer them up?! ]
i can't with this
so she takes a couple of fries and shoves it in his mouth as well. she purposely doesn't even aim well, so some fries probably stick to the side of his lips. ]
Take that!
i can't with you?!
Also thanks for introducing him to the wonders of cheesy chips. He chews once or twice, face slowly shifting as he takes in the taste and woah?! ]
What are these?! [ At least he has manners to finish chewing before opening his mouth to yell. ]
ok :'(
for a second there, she completely forgot that this guy is from waaay back in the past. before fries were invented. ]
Do you like it? They're potatoes.
...you started this.... wails?!?!!?
No, we have potatoes. These are. Are. [ Something else entirely?! Maybe it's the cheese and bacon that make them? Who knows. He certainly doesn't. Instead of smushing them into her mouth this time he takes another couple, eating them instead as he tries to find the right words to describe this feeling.
He can't, in the end he just keeps chewing while trying to not grin stupidly and his hands go flying up into his hair like woah. Amazing!!!! ]
I'M INNOCENT
I'm glad you like it! [ she returns his stupid grin with one of her own. whatever merlin's feeling right now? it's absolutely contagious. ] There's so many things you've got to try here, for sure. Even the weird ones!
LIES!!!!
What else is there? Let's get something else.
[ And Athena is going to get fat with him, apparently... ]
ok bye...
Oh! Then how about some corndogs?
[ wait - she just realises what she just said. so before merlin could talk, she adds: ] They're not made from dogs.
no come back to me........
But that begs the question: ] What are they made from?
u_u!!!
[ in fact, she already spots a stand selling various kinds of sausages (that's such a funny word), so athena gestures for him to come follow her.
and there are in fact, so much to choose from! the sign basically reads "hotdog, hotdog on stick, hotdog in bun, hotdog with bacon (stick or bun), corndog, chili cheese dog", and all other kinds of hotdogs. and they're cheap, too! just 1-2 credits a pop. ]
Pick one.
[ ... please don't decide to try it all. ]
://T....
...It can't be worse than what I ate at home? [ Is all he offers instead. Yes, Athena, that's the logic behind this. He finally has the freedom to let loose a little. Of course he's going to. ]
what is that face
... maybe she'll buy a hotdog later. ]
Definitely not! [ a beat. ] Well, what are you waiting for? Go try it already!
it's a pouty face?!
He gives her a glance before biting down. It's amazing hot much BETTER food tastes now. He's never even been a big food person as he's even skipped dinner, lunch or breakfast plenty of times before but this... if they had food like this in Camelot no one would ever skip.
Mouth full of hot dog he just gives her a thumbs up. ]
I SEE IT NOW
just wait until this guy tries ice cream... ]
If you like these, you can buy them from the supermarket and cook them on your own.
you see the light u//u
Athena please tell him where the healthy food is at too or he really won't be a noodle anymore. ]
You can-- [ He wipes his mouth ] --make this in the apartments?
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[ there's so much to fry, merlin. eggs, spam, more eggs, chicken, pork, EVERYTHING. speaking of fries— ]
Even these! [ she points to her own plate of fries. which... aren't a lot anymore. there's only three pieces left, tbh. ]
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I'll try it some time. [ It's taking a while to eat through the hotdog, but it's partly because he's just reveling in the different tastes. ]
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Well, we obviously can't ride anything for a while. [ unless you hate yourself and want to throw up everything you just ate. ] What else do you want to try doing?
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There isn't anything slower with less twists? [ He gives her a smile. ] Promise I won't spin it. [ More because he really has no idea what there is here really. While he has some parts back home (the parade, for example) most of it wasn't around yet. ]
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[ which upon remembering, sparks athena's excitement. she tugs on merlin's shirt bc why so tall u giant. ]
Come on!
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Carousel? [ Well if it isn't too fast and they won't puke it sounds like a good idea to him. That is, unless of course, the horses are actualy grotesque or something. That would be less exciting. ]
Which way? [ He'll follow her without further question though. ]
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sweats nervously...............
sweats with you...............
what are we doing
friendship. magic. pain. awkwardness??? i've lost track
cries on u
gently pats ur back
thank
ull be ok ... i believe. that was payback for emotional compromise over unicorns
i hate!!!
i don't want you to hate me 8(
i could never tbh 8(
good...... how could i live
dokis...
tsuns
oh... :< makes bento for
oh.... delicious /)///(\ no fish though please... i'm allergic...
ok fish are gross anyway
they are ;n;
PUNCHES MERLIN
Rude :T especially as my phone wont let me joke tag you properly
WHY ARE YOU STILL NOT ASLEEP o9!!!
because i was hamster petting!!!!!!!!!!!
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we can end it here though????
works for me!!!!