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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ull be ok ... i believe. that was payback for emotional compromise over unicorns
Court? [ His brow furrows, thinking of actual court as it was in his time rather than the juridical system that exists in her time. ] Sorry. We don't really have... [ He trails off, hoping that she understands that this is something else she'll have to explain. ]
i hate!!!
[ well then! ]
You know... [ she starts waving a hand around as she explains. ] When people accuse someone of being guilty, I defend them in court. Most of the cases we work with are murder cases, though. So we—the Wright Anything Agency—defend people who are being falsely blamed for committing murder.
[ does that make more sense... ]
i don't want you to hate me 8(
He doesn't know how to respond right away though, instead dipping his eyes to watch Widget rather than her face. It's more putting two and two together on how a robot would help in a situation like that. ]
And Widget helps you do that? [ Well... he can just sum it up for now, right? ] It means you aren't alone, then.
i could never tbh 8(
and while she's very excited to talk about widget and psychology, she'll keep the device's features a surprise for now. ]
Uh-huh. I can show you what he can do another time. How's that?
good...... how could i live
He smiles at the offer though. ]
It's a deal. [ Of course, that also seems to signal the end of the ride as the horses and unicorns start to slow to a stop. The carousel stops spinning and Merlin slides off with ease, shifting to hold out a hand for Athena if she needs the help. Given the differences in time he presumes she hasn't spent nearly as long on one of these things anyway. ]
dokis...
Why thank you, Sir.
[ but she can't keep this game up for long. she bursts laughing as they walk away from the ride. ]
tsuns
When she places her hand on his, dismounts and finally bows her head he leans like a proper gentleman in his time should do to kiss the back of her hand. ]
It's nothing, my Lady.
[ But don't worry. He's laughing with her when his hand falls away and he starts looking for the exit. #just600/700ADthings ]
oh... :< makes bento for
So! How has your trip to the carnival been so far?
[ this may or may not be another test. the answer is that he should be enjoying himself, and that athena is the perfect tour guide. no other answers will be accepted. ]
oh.... delicious /)///(\ no fish though please... i'm allergic...
At least he can answer that question with confidence--even if at the start it might seem disappointing. ]
Oh, I don't know. It could use more entertainment. Maybe better company-- [ The look he gives her definitely says it's a joke. Especially when he follows up with the truth. ] Of course it's been fun.
[ EXCEPT FOR WHEN SHE CRIED?!?!?!??! ]
ok fish are gross anyway
good. x-( she wouldn't have it any other way, truly. ]
That's good to hear. I've been having a lot of fun, too.
[ she didn't expect it to be this fun, but it has been! so she's glad. it's been perfect for cheering her up too. ]
they are ;n;
He doesn't push it though. ]
Even with the crying and falling over? [ Ah... Yeah, take back everything, he's the worst. ]
PUNCHES MERLIN
[ her expression looks like she's about to do murder herself, but it quickly switches to a pout. ]
You didn't see anything!
[ merlin was clearly imagining things. ]
Rude :T especially as my phone wont let me joke tag you properly
You don't need to be embarrassed. It shows that you care about people.
[ But she can be embarrassed about falling over earlier. ]
WHY ARE YOU STILL NOT ASLEEP o9!!!
[ she huffs, and she puffs, and then she takes a seat on a nearby bench. ]
I wasn't crying in the first place! But I'm pretty sure you were.
[ athena, he wasn't crying. ]
because i was hamster petting!!!!!!!!!!!
I definitely wasn't the one crying.
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Then we'll just have to agree that nobody cried today.
[ she nods sagely. ]
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Maybe if you keep telling yourself that, it'll be true.
[ What do you get when you find 2 losers sitting on a bench? ]
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Hey! Stop that. Just because I'm... a little bit sensitive doesn't mean you have to laugh about it.
[ HUFF HUFF. her cheeks are puffed now, too.
also is this a joke. what do you get!! ]
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So much judgement. ]
I wasn't laughing! [ Really.............. ] Trust me, you'd know if I were laughing.
[ Which is why he'll reach out to tap at her cheek with the back of his hand. ] So you can stop doing that before your face sticks.
[ ...I forgot. ]
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Alright. But only because you're going to win me a stuffed dolphin.
[ and her lips slowly curl into a soft smile.
this girl is such a brat! ]
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A stuffed what>?!
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[ did she say something wrong. ]
Oh, like. A doll. Not... you know. Kill a dolphin and all that.
[ SHE DOESN'T KNOW WHAT HE'S CONFUSED ABOUT. ]
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A doll. Right.
[ She's going to end up with a doll of a different kind, that's what she gets. ] Where do we need to go for that?
[ Because he can probably win it pretty easily (by cheating) but that's useless unless he knows the way. ]
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[ she immediately bounces up and grabs merlin by the hand to lead him to one of the gaming stands. it's one where you throw balls at milk bottles. ]
Ta-dah!
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This one?
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we can end it here though????
works for me!!!!