lostcarnival | ⇨ ATLANTIS

Entry tags:

⇨ 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

"Thanks to your changes, huh?" Papyrus examines his brother as he follows, considering the ways his body has changed. Or, had changed before it changed again. Tail and claws and feet, glowing eye and glowing skull tattoo... "Did you growl at them, Sans?"

Sans chortles quietly, gesturing that Papyrus can go into the maze first. It's not quite that simple, but it's easier to show than it is to explain.

"You'll see in a minute," he says, mysteriously, and waits for Papyrus to go ahead.

The problem with the mirror maze... Well. One of the problems with the mirror maze is how the path changes. Like the mirrors move around when people aren't looking at them. Between that, and how reflections move and change shape and say awful things... Going in is good for putting oneself in a bad mood, or feeling relieved by the lack of mocking phantasms after leaving, but not for having an easy and comfortable time.

Just having his brother come along, offering to help make it less awful, is so much better than it could have been. Papyrus would be skipping even if he were on two legs and not in water.

As it is, he scuttles confidently down the path, reflections following on both sides. Even when he looks, and the first reflection has a comically oversized crown on a weighed-down skeleton's head, he only shivers a little bit.

"Okay, I'm watching! What am I seeing?"

First off, initially Sans's reflection lags behind - in fact, when they enter, at first he doesn't have one at all. Once they've stopped to contemplate things, however, his reflection abruptly catches up, appearing as if by teleportation. Sans's reflection looks... normal?

Except, really normal. So normal, in fact, that Sans doesn't look like a trilobite at all in his reflection - he looks like he normally does in the carnival, wearing his normal clothes and sporting his normal dog feet and tail. It's like the changes of this new world haven't affected Sans's reflection at all.

What is less normal is that the reflection is moving totally independent of Sans himself, looking at Papyrus's reflection at an angle that doesn't make any sense based on the way Sans is standing. Observing the crown's relative side, Sans's reflection reaches over and flicks reflection Papyrus in the face - it doesn't affect real Papyrus, but it does make his reflection balk like it's been caught red handed.

It crosses its arms, unimpressed, and then allows its representation of Papyrus to drift to something closer to normal.

"See what I mean?" Sans asks, after a moment, briefly bumping fists with the mirror.

"You made friends with your reflection!" Papyrus concludes after watching it play out, appreciative and approving. "And... something else. It still looks like you did before."

Not before before. Though that would be interesting and strange to see, especially towards the end of the year, after he gets used to all of this.

But they're not really here to admire his brother's helpful reflection. His own reflection still stands, seemingly accurately reflecting his red-shelled additions and rock speckles. It looks a lot more annoyed than he feels, glancing over at Sans' reflection like it can't wait for his brother's to leave. And the crown...

Sans seems satisfied with how it looks, brother and reflection alike. So that three-pronged growth on his head, yellow like the golden crown, must be about right.

"Wow, I thought I'd put the crown down for good!" He nudges the crystal with the side of his claw, and it only moves with his head. It sure is growing out of him. "Glad it doesn't weigh much!"

Sort of. More accurately his reflection just does or does whatever his subconscious wants to do - which, sometimes aligns with his real desires and sometimes doesn't. But, as fascinating as that is magically, Sans isn't the sort to get into it unprovoked.

His reflection leans in extra close to Papyrus's just to emphasize its presence, seemingly amused with its irritation. In the meantime, real Sans is thinking over the implications of Papyrus's reaction.

"Think you can handle it?" he asks. Read: are you okay?

The friendly reflection has exactly the kind of annoying grin that Sans has worn, many a time, while punning him. It's a lot less exasperating when it's aimed at somewhat else. Even if that someone else looks like himself.

"It's... difficult," Papyrus admits, tapping on the crystal once more before lowering his claws. "I wore it, because everybody wanted me to look the part. It helped them feel better..." As he's unsure whether it made him feel better or worse, he drops the train of thought there. Instead, he looks down at himself.

"Plus, I don't even have hands!" He laughs, and it's not forced; a triumphant laugh at thinking of a pun Sans hadn't already made.

Sans is feeling pretty down about that response, up until the part where Papyrus puns masterfully and laughs. Sans's Grin widens and he snickers though his teeth, leaning over to nudge his brother with an elbow as a show of approval.

"I knew you got a kick outta my jokes. Caught you red handed, bro."

Papyrus grins, guilty as charged. Then the layers of the pun sink in. Red-handed. Handed, hypocrisy, and red. He stares down at his mottled red claws, then buries his face behind one of them, shaking with silent laughter.

"Ohhh, that's awful. How do you think of them so quickly?"

"Hey, gotta be useful for somethin', don't I?" he quips, grinning oh so sincerely as he watches his brother laugh. Yeah, this is much better than what he was doing a few months again. He didn't realize how good it would be just to be there with Papyrus, even if things at home weren't fixed. The idea of handling all of this alone feels less and less appealing as the days go on.

Meanwhile, Sans's reflection apparently gets hype on that same vibe, and moves to slip an arm around Papyrus's reflection in a genuine side hug, even if the reflection is actually some kind of mirror spirit. It does not look particularly pleased about that either. Sans doesn't immediately notice.

Reflection Papyrus stiffens at the hug, because what even. Gestures of affection are not even slightly what they're all about, on or off the job. If these people aren't going to listen to their fears and doubts, they could really get going. Any minute now.

Papyrus, the real Papyrus, elbows his brother in late retaliation for the pun. His smile slips a little bit at Sans' self-deprecating joke, because honestly. But Sans is watching and he doesn't want to give any more cause for worry, so he forces it back up.

"And, here you are, being useful in more than one way! Some of them are even genuinely helpful. Like giving me good advice!"

Oh... Okay.

His feelings on that are so conflicting. On one hand, there is a small swell of genuine pride at the idea of actually helping, but on the other, there is a flood of anxiety and self loathing that washes it out almost completely. His reflection looks similarly stunned, carefully pulling back from Papyrus's reflection as if something awkward has just happened.

Has it? Sans isn't quite sure. He just feels his own magical energies stir within his ribcage and head, making him feel a little bit off balance. He feels like he should be apologizing for something, but also like apologizing would be far too obvious.

"Don't..." he starts, and then swallows, and tries again. "Hey. Don't worry about it." He has to get something right occasionally, he thinks, and cuts himself off from saying it. More self deprecation obviously isn't going to make it any better.

Sometimes, Papyrus manages to forget that Sans has changed so much in so little (to him) time. That he's not the same brother from his time as king. The brother who'd almost stopped casually insulting himself, who'd been quietly working hard to help make everything keep going, filling in all the gaps where Papyrus didn't know what to do.

And then they stumble on something like this, and he remembers all over. This is why it's easier to nag and insult Sans' work ethic. Those are familiar patterns of complaint and counter-joke, so issues are raised but nobody's had to say or admit to anything sappy... or demoralizing. Faking it until they make it, that seems the best way.

"Worry? Who's worrying?? I'm just saying," he lies, again, dodging the elephant in the room with a flourish that only reminds them both of it. Everything is very nearly earnest, and awkward, and this is the worst. "Now that I've said it, we can leave it at that! And. Leave here?"

He suspects the maze can hold only so much distracted discomfort before the mirror spirits start up again.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ ATLANTIS

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject