⇨ ATLANTIS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: The morning of D44 and onward.
Where: The ocean realm of Atlantis.
What: The carnival abruptly arrives at an underwater realm, and everyone is transfigured into merpeople just as suddenly.
Warnings: Body horror, I guess.

THE CITY OF ATLANTIS↴ The visit starts without much warning, but at least there is a full week of free time before performances start. In the meantime, your characters will be given ample opportunity to adjust their acts for an underwater audience, get used to their new fishy appendages, or just spend the whole time enjoying the sights and sounds of Atlantis city. King Triton will not be immediately seen, but it's possible to gain an audience with him if you get in contact with the ambassadors of the kingdom. Just, make sure that you're not wasting his time. He's a lot less patient with nonsense than the Ringmaster is. ► FISH FRIDAY: You fell asleep, whether or not that's something you usually do, and the next morning you wake up as one of the merfolk. A few last additions may grow in after you're awake, but for the most part everyone will have a method of swimming and a method of breathing underwater transfigured into them upon waking. Don't worry about your belongings - everything is waterproofed, and technology will work the same underwater as it does above it. That doesn't mean there won't be plenty to get used to, though. ► GREAT BLUE YONDER: The ocean realm where Atlantis resides is enormous, and the depths seem to be unending. Despite the fact that there doesn't seem to be any surface, sun glimmers all the way down to the ocean floor. Atlanteans use creatures like whales and dolphins as rides and beasts of burden, and they can be seen swimming in and out of the city as constantly as roadways filed with cars in earth civilization. Beyond that, there's everything you would expect to see on the ocean floor here - huge reefs of coral, both familiar and exotic, enormous ocean plants, deep ocean trenches, and all kinds of weird critters living in them. There are a mix of mythical and standard ocean creatures, and are likely a combined populations of many oceans worth of beings. ► THE ATLANTEAN MARKET: The Atlantean market (aka the "merket") is a long trench between rows of buildings in the middle of the city, lit with bio-luminescent plants and rocks, and filled with all kinds of weird mer stuff that you can buy. There are a great many individual booths, mostly with hand crafted wares and objects that have been salvaged from various sunken ships. The Ringmaster has already traded a large number of goods to the merfolk here, and has taken the profit to award each worker with 100 Atlantean Gold to spend as they please. One gold is worth roughly five USA dollars, for a comparison of how much that is. There is a top level set up below in which characters can make their purchases, and you can also handwave the purchase of random common, necessary items (food, drink, etc) at your convenience. ► TREASURE HUNTING: Right now, the only major salvage areas are a few left over sunken ships that have mostly been picked over by the merfolk. However, you are welcome to head over to them and explore, and see if fortune smiles on you when it comes to finding anything that hasn't been taken yet. The current options are three similar looking brigantine that all probably came from the same world. Merfolk do not seem to consider them to be anything extraordinary, though magical items and gold have allegedly been found within them. Whether or not anything is left, is the real question. ► LIMELIGHTING: Merfolk are curious and generally socially forward, as a species. This mean that they find the carnival's workers to be a fascinating novelty, and also are unafraid to make that fascination obvious. Given the opportunity, merfolk will demand your character's attention for bombardments of questions and for general socializing, especially if they are particularly unusual for some reason. Don't be surprised if you get invited to stay at total stranger's houses, or dragged off to a merfolk bar to surprise party with their friends. They'll let you say no, reluctantly, but they will also be pleased as punch to get up in your gill. It's also possible to make some money, this way, if you're willing to do street performances, or are willing to sell your "skills" in a more private environment. Yes, there are opportunities to become a fish hooker if you are so inclined. Merfolk may also offer money to take you as arm candy to various public events, escort style. They don't consider this to be a particularly socially inappropriate thing to do, either. You can ask general questions about this setting over on the event post. There are top levels below for buying Atlantean merch, and also for making dolla dolla, if your character is inclined to try.

Comments

Treasure Hunting #1, NATCH

[periphrasing]

Peridot has long since learned not to judge Amethyst for whatever she decides to bring back to her little garbage hoard, but this particular piece seems just the tiniest bit... Impractical?

"Uhhhh... Ames I can probably get it out of there but. How are you going to fit that thing in your trailer?" she asks, brow creased thoughtfully.

[drrdrrdrr]

"I dunno," says Amethyst, shrugging with both arms and all eight tentacles. "But if it doesn't go in it'll look cool on top."

[periphrasing]

"That... Is an incredibly valid point," says Peridot, pensive frown splitting into a broad smile. Why didn't she think of that? This is why she likes you, Amethyst.

"Here, see if you can lift that wood out of the way, and I'll take care of the rest."

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst grins and does a little tentacle salute as she bloops over to start shifting the wood. "You got it, P-dexter. You think your metal powers can handle the whole cannon?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot confidently swims her way over to float directly in front of the cannon. "Tch. Amethyst please," she snorts. "A little trinket like that is hardly a match for my new and improved abilities."

She hopes, anyway. Maybe if she just believes hard enough, it will become so.

"Just go ahead and give that junk a heave! I'm ready when you are."

[drrdrrdrr]

"Got it! Oof–" Amethyst braces her tentacles against the wall and heaves it up so the cannon isn't bearing its weight. It takes some forcing, having settled here for who knows how long, and when she shifts it there's a fair amount of damp splintering and cracking.

"Okay, I got it! See if you can move it out from under there!"

[periphrasing]

"Alright, cannon," says Peridot, speaking directly to the inanimate object in question. "Prepare to be Perrified!!"

As she makes that ridiculous pun, she holds a hand out and makes a grabbing gesture, as if she's mentally seizing on to the metal of cannon, and gives it a good strong mental tug, all while grinning broadly.

...The cannon starts trembling feverishly in place, but does not yet budge from the muck.

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst grins as she watches it start to move. "Yeah! C'mon, you can do it!"

[periphrasing]

Well now she really can't fail. Not with Amethyst cheering her on like that.

She mutters through gritted teeth: "Come on you stupid... THING..." Her brow is furrowed. She gives the cannon a jerk; it moves maybe like, an inch. Peridot has to let go of it, shoulders slumping, panting.

[drrdrrdrr]

Aw.

"Hey, you totally moved it!" says Amethyst, shifting her position a little to wrap her tentacles around the slightly-easier-to-reach butt of the cannon. (Hehe. Butt.) "Maybe I can– WHOAH!" She starts trying to push, but loses her grip on the timber she's holding up in the process and ends up kind of pinned between it and the cannon. A little ink clouds out behind her, and she grimaces. "Aw man..."

[periphrasing]

Peridot yelps, cringing and flinching sympathetically when the timbers come crashing down. "Amethyst!! Are you okay!?!" she asks immediately, rushing forward.

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst groans, tentacles wriggling in discomfort against the cannon.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I got this–" She squirms in place, trying to get the room and angle she needs to push the timbers up from the cannon.

The cannon, however, having been moved one vital inch from the place it's been sitting for the last few hundred years or something, is not a stable base to push from. It might have been encrusted to the floor before, but now it's free, when Amethyst pushes, to skid out from under her, in Peridot's direction.

[periphrasing]

More like it's free to flatten Peridot.

Alright, not literally, of course, but it does bowl right into her when she doesn't react quickly enough. The engineer yelps as the heavy object slams into her, sending her flying back a few feet in the water and pinning a number of her tentacles underneath its bulk.

[drrdrrdrr]

Oh, hell.

Amethyst swears loudly and hauls herself out from under the timber – maybe the cannon being gone means it's easier to shift, maybe it's just adrenaline – to swim over to where Peridot's gotten pinned by the cannon.

"Hold on, I got this," she says, biting her lip as she hefts the cannon up – which is definitely easier now it's over here.

[periphrasing]

Still a bit stunned from getting run over by a heavy metal object, she kinda just. Drifts slowly out from under where the cannon was.

"Uurrrgh... Good work, team," she croaks after a second, smiling weakly and flashing a shaky thumbs up.

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst drops the cannon, grimacing a little. "You OK, Peri-teuthis?"

[periphrasing]

Peridot rights herself and shakes her head rapidly like a dog with wet ears, reorienting herself. THen she gives Amethyst a lopsided, slightly punch drunk looking grin.

"I'm fiiiiine. Please. I've had way worse than that before."

[drrdrrdrr]

"You dweeb," says Amethyst fondly. "Thanks for helping me move this thing. It's definitely going on top of the trailer."

[periphrasing]

She beams. Snickers cheekily. "D'aw... Well... My services don't come for free, you know."

She's just gonna float there expectantly, with her hands clasped behind her back. Smirking and waiting.

[drrdrrdrr]

Oh my god.

Amethyst laughs and leans in for a smooch... only to switch to licking her at the last second. It is not a restrained lick; she drags her tongue over Peridot's mouth and up her cheek.

"Bleeaaahhhhhh."

[periphrasing]

Peridot freezes there with her lips half puckered and just. Takes it like a champ. She has almost certainly endured shenanigans like this before.

Her eye still twitches a little.

There's a lengthy pause, and then she says: "I feel like the intended effect of that was somewhat ruined, seeing as we're underwater."

[drrdrrdrr]

"Yeah," says Amethyst, not offput in the slightest, "which means I can do it again."

She does it again.

[periphrasing]

She's just gonna let it happen. This time, though, she starts laughing halfway through, and grabs one of Amethyst's arms before she can pull back. "Wait, wait." She's still snickering. "I want to try. Let me try it."

[drrdrrdrr]

Amethyst leans forward a little and tilts her cheek towards Peridot, beaming. Go 4 It Baby

[periphrasing]

She goes for it. She leans right in and presses her weird forked tongue right up against Amethyst's offered cheek. Except instead of dragging it anywhere, she just holds it there? She's making a weird noise the whole time too.

"Mmmbleeehhhhh."