lostcarnival | ⇨ THE CELEBRATION

Who: Everyone, especially YOU.
When: Day 60 - Day 65
Where: The Celebration
What: The carnival workers are invited to spend the week within the realm of the Celebration, the grounds of a party that has been going on for centuries. Accommodations are luxurious, but those with keen instincts might notice something off about this whole arrangement... (Questions can go to the original setting post!)
Warnings: Booze, drugs, sex, and everything in between.

THE CELEBRATION↴

If you observe that the layout of the Celebration grounds seem inconsistent, then you would be correct. In reality, what lies at the end of each corridor depends largely on what the guests of the Celebration want at the time - if a few people find themselves craving a drink, a bar may appear. If a group finds themselves wanting to dance, a club will open up. This goes on at all hours of the night, and given how many dedicated partiers fill the building, the services are well used. It isn't instantaneous, and the Host has to consciously decide to provide that service, but the changes are fast none-the-less.

► ROOMS: Each trailer pair will be assigned a room to themselves - whether or not it has two double beds or a single king sized bed seems essentially random. Hopefully you aren't too sensitive about keeping that space to yourself. The curtains at the far side of the room don't actually lead outside, but instead to a walk-in closet filled with the Host's best guesses at the type of clothing you might like. They may not hit the nail on the head, but at the very least all the clothing will be in your size. The styles could be just about anything, from any universe, but they do tend to average out to clothing that is Earth-ish. Either that, or clothing that looks like they are meant for elves from a high fantasy novel to wear.

► SHOPPING: If none of your pre-picked outfits tickle your fancy, plenty of boutiques and clothing shops can also be found around the grounds - whatever you're thinking of, you'll probably be able to find a shop appropriate for it eventually. Though, maybe it doesn't really count as shopping if you don't have to pay for any of the things you take back to your room with you? Unfortunately, from the sounds of it, you won't be allowed to drag all of your haul back to the carnival with you, so you better enjoy it while you can.

► DINING: There is no daily schedule to follow, after you arrive. You are free to attend the dining room whenever you wish, and will be seated at large round tables with whoever else may be around at the time, and can either order from the menu or most dishes you may think of off the top of your head. If you don't like the fine dining experience, there are also a selection of smaller cafes and eateries that open and close at varying times of day - and, of course, you can always call for room service.

► ENTERTAINMENT: There is plenty of live music around the grounds (not that you can ever seem to remember who the performers were afterwards) whether it comes to harp music while you eat or a full set of DJs in the club you found. If you are inclined to look for them, you may also find some cozy lounges with big screen TVs, and access to a multi-universal quantity of films. What's there or isn't there is unpredictable, but if you come from a standard variety of Earth you probably recognize some of them.

► SUBSTANCES: You don't have to be coy about it - just ask one of your servers, and you'll be able to get whatever kind of vices you might be craving. Drugs, alcohol, ice cream... it's all good. If this sounds like a nightmare for potential addicts, you would be correct. It's not uncommon to see people clearly over-indulging in certain locations, though guests are usually escorted back to their rooms if they take ill - only to see them back at it again the next day.

► SPA DAY: If you'd like to take a swim, pools of various aesthetics are easy to find. So are hot tubs, and saunas, and Host servants who are willing to give you a massage or manicure. If the party crowd isn't your scene, there are plenty of more low-key opportunities to indulge.

► GREENSPACE: There is one park area on the grounds, which appears to be constructed on the rooftops of other parts of the complex. While there are trees and greenery, there is no real sky that you can see - only the illusion of one. It may start to occur to you over time that no window or rooftop actually leads to any kind of outdoors. The Celebration really is there only thing here.

These are really just examples, and you can get creative with what kind of services you find offered while here, when it comes to generally mundane comforts. It really feels like the Host wants to win you over, as if you staying just a little longer has some sort of intrinsic appeal.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Joker is still exploring, not committed to anything and merely getting a little taste of all the Celebration has to offer. Thus, he hadn't really meant to stay in the party, not for long anyway. However, he sees a familiar.... hair style, you could say, and it doesn't take a genius to see the discomfort.

Shaking his head softly, he makes his way over. "Noisy place, huh?" A nod to the drink. "That doin' ya a bit better than what ya had back at the carnival?" You know, when he first found you curled up in the ferris wheel making poor life choices.

Damn it, Joker! Reminding Lars of stupid embarrassing shit he did is the opposite of relaxing. Lars's shoulders tense and hike a little, his frown unsteadying. But he doesn't blow up about it, or anything. Joker seemed pretty alright, to Lars.

"Yeah," he admits with a grumble, then extends his arm to look at it a little, seeming to appraise it. "It's pretty good, but I actually don't taste any alcohol in it at all. But I think it's kinda strong anyway, somehow."

The appraisal earns another chuckle from Joker, although it seems friendly at least. “Oh yeah, I’ve heard about that from at least a few folks who’ve gone through the carnival before- the less it tastes like liquor, the more ya gotta watch yerself. But hey, if yer gonna get that way, good ta have somethin’ that ya like, right?” Sure, the aftermath will be a nightmare, but life is sometimes a nightmare, and sometimes that aftermath is worth it.

“I’d have some myself, but…” He tilts his head down a little, faux-conspiratorial in a playful way. “I’m tryin’ ta be a responsible sort, at least for the first couple of days.”

Lars pauses at Joker's description of 'getting that way'—he's not sure how he feels about it, and he gazes guiltily at his drink. It should fit, he thinks, with the image he tries to go for—but this time, and the last time, it just feels kind of wrong. Moreso with Joker's comments, somehow. But like all things similar, Lars just stuffs that down.

"I guess," comes his half hearted, mumbled conclusion.

When he hears Joker's reasoning for not drinking, himself, Lars rolls his eyes. "Good luck with that," Lars scoffs dryly, his shoulders lifting with tense discomfort. "This place prolly won't even let ya do anything like that. I liked Atlantis way better."

It’s hard to tell what’s going through Lars’ head exactly, but it’s a far cry from the dozens of other people in the same space, having a blast. That alone is to make something in Joker’s head take notice, and even moreso at the admittance about Atlantis.

Ah. Well, he thinks something is worth trying out.

“If yer stubborn enough, ya can manage,” he answers blithely. “But, hey, if ya liked Atlantis, I think I actually saw somethin’ interestin’ while roamin’ the halls.” Joker jerks his head to where he assumes the exit is. “Want ta take a look? Ha, I don’t think the party is goin’ anywhere!”

Lars's expression remains somehow both kind of dim and antsy. He looks at the surface of his drink, his reflection glassy and distorted; he doesn't even truly want to drink more, but the compulsion is definitely present. He thinks that what people enjoy is subjective and too highly varied to be trusted when someone says they think he might like something.

This dude doesn't know him.

Lars glances at Joker shyly through the corner of his eyes, scowling.

"...Well, what is it? Cuz even if this party ain't goin' nowhere, I don't wanna waste my time."

A laugh bubbles out of him, a natural sound that’s almost always in the air about him no matter when. “Do ya really think I’d lead ya astray?” he says playfully, well aware that Lars knows nothing about him. “Fine- it was this neat cafe sorta place, but practically every single wall, ya could see through, and they were filled with water. Full of fish, too.” He waves his hand lazily through the air. “Well, I call it a cafe, but I aint’ exactly sure what it is, just that there was food there, but it didn’t seem fancy enough ta be a restaurant.”

Lars glances off to the side. It doesn't sound particularly fun, but then... this isn't particularly super fun, either. And he's already got a buzz growing. He glances at his drink, then leans long to one side, extending one of his arms to discard his drink on some high table surface.

As is his usual gesture of discomfort, Lars slides his hands into his pockets. Or well, more like shoves them into his pockets. He shrugs a shoulder.

"Yeah, alright. I could eat."

He is hungry, actually. ~~Almost all the time.~~

Fun or not, it’ll be a quieter place to get one’s thoughts together, so Joker thinks it’s a plus in that if nothing else. So he grin and gestures Lars to follow him through the crowd. The good thing is that it’s easy to keep track of joker- not a lot of folks with wings and antlers even in the Carnival, let alone here.

“Then off we go! Got anythin’ yer in the mood for?”

Lars follows, his posture loosening up a little bit as they go along. It's good he's just a little tipsy; it takes the edge off his anxiety in spending some time with someone he doesn't know. The fact that Joker is from the carnival is kind of a comfort, because it's not another ten layers of enigmatic social norms he isn't familiar with—prospectively. That's actually just a weird possibility his anxiety dreamed up, oops.

As they walk, Lars's eyes occasionally stick to passers by; many of the people in attendance are beautiful, just like the people in Atlantis. And the dress is similarly flamboyant, he thinks, even if there's... generally less nudity. But it's a totally different type of luxury, a beauty that's hard to wholly ignore. It's distracting.

"Uhh, I dunno. Somethin' sweet, maybe? Or somethin' salty, and greasy. And spicy."

When Lars is 30, his blood sugar is going to be terrible.

It doesn’t miss him how Lars’ attention keeps wandering, but Joker doesn’t blame him. People think he’s bad now, but those who’ve been in the carnival probably remember him being absolutely insufferable back when he was still new and wide eyed to everything. He won’t judge the kid, just makes his way into what is apparently a hallway and no longer the claustrophobic party of the club.

“Salty, greasy, and spicy,” he muses. “We could probably find somethin’ like that, easy, in a place like this, but I think that’d just get you to drinkin’ again.” There’s a reason they serve peanuts and junk at bars. Lessons learned from traveling in a carnival for years. “So sweet…. What, like milkshakes, maybe? Cake?” ...Well, now he wants cake, so he knows what he’s getting.

⇨ THE CELEBRATION

Day 60

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sorry about my piece of shit cartoon tsundere

lmao oh lars

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