lostcarnival | ⇨ ATLANTIS

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⇨ ATLANTIS

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Fishy Friday (closed to Chiaki)

[It's often now that they wind up just flat out collapsing on his bunk half the time, so it's unusual to wake up and find himself not curled around Chiaki in some way. Yuugi stretches, blearily blinks one eye open and then the other and...okay wow, his vision hadn't been like that when he'd gone to sleep. For a moment he thinks it's another change, before he stretches and catches two very flat shapes out the corner of his eye.

Curious, Yuugi wakes fully and turns inward to look at himself, only to find that he's floating a few inches above his bed. And then when he turns to wake Chiaki, he stops when he notices that. Well..she looks a bit fishier than she did last night. Reaching, he nudges her with the end of a...fin?]

Chiaki-san...

Merket

[Once he has control over his swimming and new form, and the Ringmaster has given them the local currency, it's off to the market for Yuugi. It seems like so long since he's last bought something for himself and, well, why not try the market? He browses the stalls, but in the end, it's aesthetic that has him buying a few of the fashionable bangles, though he does have to point blank look at the owner of the stall when they take interest in the cartouche hanging around his neck.]

That's not for trading.

[The merman seems to be a bit disappointed but drops the subject and hands Yuugi his items, which he thanks him for and swims off after paying. There's part of him that feels guilty about it and that he should go back and apologise, but as he slows down his swimming, the guilt creeps up on him.

He sighs, hanging his head and lifting his fins to rub his face.]

That was kinda jerky of me…

Limelighting

[Even among merfolk, Yuugi's hair attracts attention, especially with how it flares in the water. The fading purple gets a touch up, as do the blond bangs at the front when someone offers to do it for him in exchange for going to a bar with them. When he says he's eighteen, they laugh a bubbly laugh and reassure him then tug him off in the direction of one of the more…alternative looking places. That's really the only explanation for it.

It's only a little later that he can be seen wowing merfolk with…card tricks? Not Duel Monsters either, just normal playing cards that he had stuffed in his backpack when he'd arrived at the carnival. Dry thanks to magic, he shuffles and cuts them, performing a couple of air tricks before he draws a card.]

Is this your card, ma'am?

wildcard

[Yuugi will be out and about around Atlantis and of course doing his job at the carnival. Hit me with your best shot.]

[ Chiaki wakes up floating. It's a slow, peaceful waking. The world seems quieter than usual; the sounds of the Carnival more distant somehow.

She hears Yuugi calling to her as if from far away, and attempts to roll over, but the motion is immediately foreign to her - instead of arms, she feels two large flaps of skin on either side of her body, moving awkwardly. And still she floats.

Chiaki the ray finally opens her eyes to find herself drifting, and the trailer full of water. ] H-huh...?? [ And Yuugi's tap is... strange. She rolls over a little more, still floating, to see his strangely morphed form hovering above her. ]

Yuugi-kun?

Edited 2017-01-14 04:06 (UTC)

[Yuugi himself is manta ray from waist down, his arms forming fins in a way that kind of drape around his hands like a cloak. There's a bit of concern on his face, big round purple eyes blinking and hair curling around his head. He's a few inches away from her, and he looks down at his form and then at hers with a small shrug, turning around in the water and giving her some space.]

Ah...we've either changed again or...we're in a new place.

[He's betting on the latter. It's kind of obvious, what with the water in the trailer. Yuugi moves his arms like he's treading water, tail flicking this way and that as he does so.]

I wasn't going to wake you but...I thought I should.

Th-this is a lot! [ She looks at the both of them. As light filters through the trailer -- the sun? Something else? -- it becomes clear that on top of her other changes, Chiaki's eyes are completely solid in color. It's apparent to Chiaki that her vision is a bit strange, too, as she feels like she can see a bit of a wider range than usual.

But that's nothing compared to how strange she feels. She feels like she's all manta, even though she's still got a mostly-human torso. Her nightshirt still mostly fits, even though it's floating around weightlessly in the water. ] I mean... we just got used to our legs!

[ She experimentally flaps her arms (wings? arm-wings), flipping over to get a sense of how she has to move now. ] This is really strange...!

[Yuugi's body looks completely mantra from torso down, though his arms are joined by the fins that flare out from his sides and wrap around his wrists. His skin is a hue of grey-black - front more grey than black - and there's two streaks of white over his shoulders that look like wings. Gills split his chest, and he shifts a little uncomfortably at the mention of his legs.]

Mmm. I wasn't expecting it.

[His tail flicks up as he shifts to move out of the bunk, spinning and then floating along in the water. It's an odd sensation, but at the very least swimming was a mandatory sports session at Domino. Yuugi turns his head to look at her, hair floating around his head before he shifts and rolls back towards her.]

Are you okay?

[ Her skin's hue has changed as well - a deep blue, in contrast to his greys and blacks. She's not anywhere near as adept as a swimmer, and certainly not with a strange body like this.

But she's not really worried about that right now. ]

Yes! [ She all but brushes off the question -- she's unhurt, she's strangely relaxed, she's still with him, the Carnival's still here -- all good things in her book. She floats slowly towards him, adjusting her tail a little at a time, vaguely noticing that her legs are now completely absent. His hair looks funny floating around him like that. ] Yes, I'm fine! How do you feel?

[It's funny, he almost feels kind of relaxed like this. Certainly moreso than he did last night, that's for sure. He doesn't really know what to think about the body changes, sure, but that doesn't mean that it's not a welcome distraction from his thoughts of late.

Yuugi looks at her when she brushes off his question, brow furrowing slightly before he believes her. There's nothing to worry about, not right now in any case, and he hums and inclines his head, not really paying attention to the fact that his own legs aren't there.]

Not really any different from normal I think. It's just...different.

Not different?

[ But... also different. So that's perplexing. She attempts to swim towards him again, but instead of kicking, her lower half sort of undulates and she ends up floating over him, towards the window. ] Ahh!!

[ She bumps into the window with her face and groans. ] This is gonna take some getting used to...

A-ah! Chiaki-san...!

[He reaches to catch her but he's too late to save her from bumping against the window, instead opting to wince and then swim over towards her, closing the short distance. He giggles softly, though he does reach to help her up straight. There's a bit of awkwardness about him, though he does tilt his head, pursing his lips together.]

I'd say we're probably better off outside but...until we figure out how to move we might drift away...

[ She grips his hand firmly when he reaches for her, using him and the wall to brace and right herself. ] Maybe the Ringmaster knows how to move like this... or Psii...

[ Flapping her fin, she looks at him. ] I mean, it's a little like flying...

Maybe. I wouldn't expect there to be this kind of stop without some sort of lessons on how to move with the body.

[Ah, the water was pushing him closer. Yuugi's face flushes and he pulls back a bit to give her space while still gripping her hand. It's going to be a learning curve for sure, but for now he tilts his head and sighs.]

You'd think all that Egyptian magic would have prepared me for something like this...

(no subject)

waitingforplayer2 - 2017-02-01 06:04 (UTC) - Expand

Heh, what was? [Carly for her part, has her arms full of all kinds of things she's hoping to try on before buying. The stall-owner is Very Pleased. She pauses at the sound of Yuugi's voice however, doing her best to try and lift her jelly-canopy in order to actually hear him better.]

What happened?

[He turns his head when he hears her voice, fins flapping around beside him with the movement before he sighs. There's a small shake of his head, mostly at himself, before Yuugi smiles and floats over to her, mildly curious.]

Nothing important, Carly-san. [He raises an eyebrow, brushing off her inquiry with ease.] Looking for Wardrobe or yourself?

Hehhh? Are you sure?

[Well, it isn't as if she can really question him too much...So as confused as she is, she shrugs it off, adjusting her hold on all the supplies being carried.] Mn! Well, I already got something for me...but since we're all here with different forms, we need lots and lots of costumes!!

Apparently I might have some help with them, but it's still a lot to make, and I need to make sure the fabric looks right...

...and anyway, I thought trying some of the stuff they have here would be best~

[He nods and tugs his purchases closer, hand dropping from his cartouche. The guilty feeling melts when she starts talking, though, a nice distraction. Yuugi's tail flicks back and forth underneath him as he floats closer, attentive even if he doesn't have his ears to show it right now.]

When in Rome in other words, right?

[It was a saying he'd heard in English class, but he figured it applied here. There was something almost...cute about it, but he shook his head.]

I don't know how you do it, Carly-san. I get exhausted by just the idea.

Something like that I guess? [She beams, albeit a little awkwardly. It means something along the lines of just following the flow of the culture when you're there, she's pretty sure...and heck, that's exactly what SHE wants to do.]

The costumes you mean? Well, honestly, it's a lot less pressure than my job at home..! [She laughs, the sound quickly fading.]

...I'm not really looking forward to that part actually...

[As the merfolk give delighted little claps, there's a laugh from behind Yugi.]

Y'know, if yer so good at cards, I might steal ya way from Psi and get ya ta work with us in performance.

[There's Joker, letting himself drift down with some amusement, wings tucked tight against his back.]

[The voice catches his attention and he turns his body around before he giggles, glancing down at the cards with a bit of a blush on his cheeks as he reshuffles his cards. His long tail shifts behind him, the crowd eager for his next trick as he cuts and shifts his fingers nimbly around the deck.]

Ah, I don't think I could. I mean, I'm used to dueling in front of crowds but, I only taught myself card tricks out of boredom...

That’s how a lot of people get started, y’know.

[Chuckling, Joker watches his hands as well, just for something to do. Good thing the crowd is focused mostly on those as well; he could use a break from being crowded, just for a second.]

One of my brothers was good at throwin’ rocks as a kid, and then he moved onta knife throwin’, for example.

[He doesn't really mind the crowd - it's reminiscent of dueling crowds, almost, but at least here there's nobody asking for his autograph or tips. Yuugi twirls the cards for show, though he nearly chokes at that last bit in surprise, covering his fumble with an honest shuffle and a laugh.]

Well I can't say I know anything about knife throwing but, mmm, I guess I kinda know how to use a yoyo as a weapon?

[His memories of that are a bit...fuzzy, but he did know the basic tricks to yoyos. Not quite as good as Jounouchi-kun but he was there.]

My best friend - I think I've mentioned him before? We got caught up in a mess involving his old gang and yoyos.

[Yugi, what is going on with your life… Joker lets him continue his work, raising an eyebrow. Where to even start with that?]

What, stealin’ them or something?

[He has a feeling it’s a much weirder answer than that, however.]

[The words catch the attention of Tamaki, who is floating a bit above Yuugi (his rather large size and big whale shark tail mean he has to be careful about where he's swimming), examining some strange looking foods at one of the stalls. He glances down, and thinks he recognizes Yuugi from around the carnival. Chiaki's friend, the other one who works in the games.

He has really memorable hair.]

You're Chia-chan's friend. [Said by way of greeting.] What was jerky?

[He turns his head when he hears the voice...then has to turn it upward. Yuugi cringes, mostly at himself rather than the threatening form to his smaller manta ray brain (though that is a slight factor). He lets out a nervous giggle, lifting his chin to scratch it when he's recognized, before he responds, tugging his purchase closer.]

It's nothing. [He shakes his head.] And you're Tamaki-san, right?

Yeah. [He looks pleased to be recognized.] I'm an acrobat.

[He leans a little closer, getting a little nosy now.] What'd ya buy?

He's not normally one to get involved in other people's personal conversations. It's clear Yuugi is talking to himself, so Lauren's inclined to leave him be at the comment. However, it's also clear that whatever he's talking about has him bothered, which makes Lauren feel inclined to interrupt. He hesitates for a moment before finally deciding to say something.

"Are you alright?" It's comes a bit out of nowhere, he might even have startled Yuugi if he isn't paying attention to his surroundings, but well, Lauren is an abrupt kind of startling person, so it really couldn't have started any other way.

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⇨ ATLANTIS

Yuugi Mutou | ota

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Merket

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Limelighting

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merket

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MERKET