⇨ 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

[otoko]

[Well, that certainly happened. He groans, rubbing his head as he attempts to right himself in the water. That voice...he feels he's heard that voice before, but it takes a few moments more to clear his head enough to really focus on that.

Eventually, he does manage to squint in Jimmy's direction however. His ears perked, his eyes... ....Ok those are still squinting.] Hmmm? This was your doing..?

[empty_vessel]

"... yeah. I woke up, saw the tentacles and well.... I got more than tentacles, look like." Jimmy coughs politely, trying to avoid discussing the giant cloud of ink drifting around his trailer.

[otoko]

Auhh...I see... [Gongenzaka will politely follow along on that.] It would seem coming to an underwater location has resulted in quite a number of...varied changes, [he observes, pausing for a moment to find the correct word. A few of his shrimp legs twitch in turn, and he looks himself over.] I, the man Gongenzaka, certainly would not have thought of 'this' before now...

[empty_vessel]

"Yeah. It was kind of a surprise to me too." Both the tentacles and the ink. Although the cloud of ink does make a bit of a statement, it's really not the one he wanted to.

"How are you doing?"

[otoko]

Auh.. [A few of his legs fiddle.] It is...taking some time to adapt to, I will admit...

...however, I, the man Gongenzaka, have sworn to make certain that I do so swiftly, so that I can continue my work..! [he declares passionately, voice nearly a roar in itself.] ...T-Though, bridging the gap even between walking in this state, and walking regularly, has been difficult...

[empty_vessel]

"You still have actual legs and joints. Trade you." A tentacle sort of waves at Gongenzaka. "I'm pretty sure that everything below my ribs is gone." Not that he's really blaming anyone, but it's hard to really feel sympathetic for too many legs, when all of yours are gone, more or less.

[betheman]

Too many legs and joints..! At the very least, I, the man Gongenzaka, have a feeling that a more drastic leap would bring more sense to how any motion should come..! Fish, and octopus...many people have seen how such things move, correct?

[..............]

...Shrimp, I cannot speak for... [More popular creatures at least get shown on tv enough that people can use guesswork. He's sort of...fumbling and trying to see a real shrimp to get ideas.]

[empty_vessel]

".... Maybe you're overthinking it?" Not that Jimmy can really help. The tentacles are absently shuffling rocks around as he thinks. "I mean.." He waves a hand indicating his octopus half. "It's not like I have a leg to stand on, no pun intended, but that might be it."

[betheman]

Auh...Y-

Do you think it is overthinking..? [he asks almost childishly, ear-fin-things folding backward with growing shame.]

[empty_vessel]

"It's a possibility. You're over-analyzing everything because you don't know how it works. And you're overcompensating because you're trying to do everything at once in reaction." Watching Noboru flail around kind of leads him to think that, anyway. His tentacles are shuffling the rocks around again as he talks, occasionally banging them together. Possibly in lieu of being able to tap his foot?

[otoko]

I-

[Well now he's just irritated-and while he's only sort of fluffy still, what's there puffs up impressively.] I, the man Gongenzaka, am certainly not compensating!!!

[Sure you aren't buddy...]

[empty_vessel]

Jimmy is utterly baffled for a minute before he gives Noboru a deadpan stare with an unspoken 'Really?' before he shakes his head.

"Anyway. No. We are not talking about that. We're talking about you moving, not really understanding what's going on and then wildly overreacting to it." Not everything has to be about dicks. Especially when you can't walk properly yet.

[otoko]

[Well hey now, he wasn't even thinking about dicks Jimmy-

He's too innocent in those matters to even let that pass his mind, actually. As it is.] ................I, the man Gongenzaka, never left that topic...?

[...He was saying he wasn't overdoing this walking mess! Really! Honestly!

What were you thinking, you were the one to use 'over compensate' first, Jimmy.]

[empty_vessel]

Jimmy waves a hand, dismissing the conversation thread entirely. "Don't worry about it. But mostly I think that you're overthinking how you move right now, and that it might be worth it to slow down and start looking at it all before you start trying to run marathons."

[betheman]

[...................It looks like he's about to cry.

...Maybe he is. He's doing a good job at not, which is good (that would be awkward)-]

....To walk at a patient pace....IS ALL I, THE MAN GONGENZAKA WISH TO DO..!!

[BUT MAYBE YOU'RE RIGHT he hopes, he prays-]

[empty_vessel]

[Jimmy doesn't say anything to that, just waves another tentacle on Gongenzaka's direction. You're not the only one with mobility problems.]


Go back to your trailer, kick Sherlock out if he's there, and slow down. Get yourself settled and then start working on walking.

It's a cascade. Your first leg doesn't know what to do and then the second bangs into it and it all falls like dominoes from there. And the first step in getting that sorted out is calming down.

guess this means this happens before sherlocks thread now lmf

[otoko]

[Calm down. Callllllllllm down. He breathes, and nods, and-] ....S...Sherlock is still in there?

[Well, Jimmy wouldn't know for sure but.]

[empty_vessel]

He is?

[Although, it makes sense that Sherlock would be holing up for now. Not after getting turned into a lizard. It might be worth looking in on him, if Jimmy can get over there.]

If he isn't, that's what I'd do. Unless you've got someplace else private to relearn how to walk.

[betheman]

AUH- I...I, the man Gongenzaka, would not know...!

[There is an almost dog-like whine, and he rubs his face.] Mmmnhhh...I, the man Gongenzaka, will have to see how well I can walk to the trailer at all, then...

...it is no good if he is stuck there...

[empty_vessel]

I'd offer you my trailer, but..

[A waved hand indicates a trailer still billowing clouds of ink. Good for hiding, not so good for observing what you're doing.]

I heard that Sora is also offering swimming lessons, or at least, tips. It might be worth it to go see what he has to offer too. Apparently he's done this before.

[otoko]

[Gongenzaka immediately waves a hand, shaking his head.] No, no-neither of these things will help Sherlock...I, the man Gongenzaka, will need to simply get there as best I can, to make sure he's alright...

[....Sherlock doesn't deserve this care.]

[empty_vessel]

Wait, what? What are you talking about? Is Sherlock okay?

[betheman]

D-Did you not just say you don't know if he's left the trailer or not?!

[THAT SEEMED LIKE CAUSE FOR WORRY TO HIM]

[empty_vessel]

[This morning is starting out amazingly. He waves another hand at his trailer, swirling more ink tendrils around his fingertips.]

I have no idea if Sherlock's left his trailer because I've just now left mine! And since I am neither powerful enough nor tarted up enough to be the Ringmaster, I lack the awareness of what everyone else is doing right at this second.

[otoko]

Th-

And did I, the man Gongenzaka, claim you should have known?! You were the one to bring the matter forward in the first place! Given that he and I share a trailer, it is only natural that such a remark bring that sort of worry to me!

I, the man Gongenzaka, awoke there to begin with after all!