lostcarnival | what's cooler than being cool? ice cold

Who: everyone!
What: hey wait a minute, why's it suddenly cold oh for fuck's sake Strange...
Where: the carnival + Alola
When: all of day 76!
Warnings: none, will edit if needed

the Carnival
Surprise, it's now winter.

Starting from the early hours of day 76, the Carnival is covered in snow, the temperature rapidly dropping from 'nice' to 'freezing.' Patterns of frost cover everything and icicles dangle from most buildings. Try to be careful as you're walking around, patches of the ground are frozen over and incredibly slick. Nobody be that dumbass who tries to stick their tongue to the ferris wheel, you're just going to regret it later. Enjoy the fact that almost anything that used to be a liquid is now frozen solid. All in all, it's like someone flipped a switch from summer to winter--there was absolutely no sign something like this would happen in the first place. Why not ask around to see what's up? Or, just enjoy the change of weather and pelt your friend in the face with a snowball, that's also an option. The Carnival re-enacting the plot of Frozen lasts all day, though things finally start to melt and/or magically vanish once dusk settles.

For all you vampires who've slept through most of this, the effects of winter still linger a bit after the faerie's vanished, though in slowly diminishing form. The temperature's a bit warmer and some of the liquids have started to melt, but it's still a bit uncomfortable. It's hard to clean up an entire magical wintery hellscape by yourself, okay?

Alola
Due to the way the Carnival drops people in Alola, it's entirely possible to miss the fact that something weird's going on at the Carnival. Still, some of the winter wonderland manages to seep it's way into the tropical paradise. For most people, the changes are noticeable but easily dealt with. The temperature drops to something more chilly but not downright freezing. Occasionally there are small flurries of snow, but they'll end up melting fairly quickly. Locals are downright confused, mentioning that really, it shouldn't be this cold, this weather is weirdly unseasonable.

Also, what's that weird little ice fox that keeps showing up? More and more ice Pokemon feel a little bit braver thanks to the cold temperatures and are willing to venture out into areas that ice Pokemon might not normally live in. Go train all your fire cats by having them beat up the sentient ice cream cones, everybody.

( ooc: here is the relevant ooc post! This is an open mingle-style log, so feel free to create your own threads, tag around & have some fun! )

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"It's a nice looking bird." How does one compliment pets, hell if Strange knows. The bird looks useful, the bird looks pretty, ergo it's a good bird? Considering how insane Pokemon is, the bird can probably breathe fire or control lightning or something ridiculous like that.

"I wonder if it thinks you're a large bird yourself and it's looking for companionship." After all, Joker's got wings and these Pokemon certainly haven't seen winged humans before. At least in Strange's mind, that's an entirely valid assumption.

Even a simple compliment seems to sate the fat owl, the Rowlet's feathers puffing out as it gives a coo and just seems to.... deflate. That's how you hoot. This bird has decided it.

The theory has Joker snort, his own wings stretching a bit. "I mean, it's definitely an idea. It'd explain all the other birds that wouldn't leave me alone while I was wanderin' about. I wonder if that'll be the same for all the other folks lookin' a bit bestial."

"I'll have to ask Ash about it when all this mess is cleaned up," said with an idle gesture to the snow and ice. Because even if Strange is taking a pause to have a conversation (something he didn't know he needed as he's been running himself ragged for most of the day), he knows that he still has so much to actually fix this mess and get the winter out of here.

"There's plenty of cats, I wonder if any of them have taken a liking to her."

“Good luck findin’ her. If I know anythin’ about regular cats, it’s that they hate the snow.” He glances idly around them. “And most people too, now that I think of it. She'll probably be right annoyed at seein' all this. Wouldn't be surprised if she just turned right back around ta leave the carnival again."

Strange can't help it: he shifts a bit uncomfortably as Joker mentions Ash's annoyance. He's got a feeling she isn't the only person who's annoyed. After all, going from tropical vacation to middle of winter is unexpected for anybody. It wouldn't surprise him if a good chunk of the carnival was at least mildly put out about all of this.

"I didn't mean for this to happen," he eventually says, tone of voice equal parts petulant and apologetic.

Joker will believe that, at least. Strange is a hot mess wrapped up in a clusterfuck, some days, but he’s yet to give any indication that he’s actively malicious. Whatever happened was probably just… a mistake. The carnival is full of those, at least. So, instead, he tries, “What did ya mean ta happen, then, if ya don’t mind me askin’?”

Strange isn't the sort of man who would needlessly keep secrets. Oh, he'd keep some--after all, nobody in Venice really needed to know that he was planning on going mad when he was doing so. But this...Joker was his supervisor, someone whose company he enjoyed, and someone dangerously close to Strange calling a friend. There's a pause before he decides fuck it, let's tell him the whole truth.

"I thought my wife was dead. Recently, I learned I was wrong: she is kidnapped, held captive by a faerie in his kingdom. I meant to summon the faerie and save her. The end result...I didn't even get the right faerie in the first place."

Something that he's definitely a bit bitter about. He's a magician, he should be able to save his wife, he shouldn't be messing up like this.

Really, Joker would have just accepted “got the wrong faerie again” and left it at that. Anything beyond that? Is beyond his pay grade here at the carnival and is, quite frankly, the Ringmaster’s problem. Still, he listens regardless, eyebrows raising at the story. It’s not the strangest thing he’s heard, and he’s even a bit sympathetic, but…

“Strange,” he says, utilizing his gentlest voice, “Remember when ya tried ta summon faeries and ya got me instead?”

Look, Joker's smart, Joker knows a bit about magic (though Strange is under the impression Joker knows a lot more about magic than he actually does) and Strange assumes that everybody else is just as nosy as he is. So, Joker gets the full story.

And it is amazing how a grown man can look so much like a guilty child. Yeah, he remember, alright Joker, gosh. Stop pointing out his very obvious flaws. "This time was different," Strange lamely finishes, as if that explains everything. Though he is one hundred percent aware that it doesn't explain anything in the slightest.

That sounds pretty damn fake, Strange, and Joker’s quirked up eyebrow gives off that message pretty well. Alright, well, if that’s how he wants to be- “Different how?” he asks, wondering if Strange will be able to muster up any kind of response. He has a feeling it’s not nearly as different as Strange is trying to say.

"It's just different, alright?" Strange can't help but snap, glaring a bit at Joker. "I had the potion from Atlantis, I was trying to summon a specific faerie, there were so many factors that should have made this time work!"

He's not sure what annoys him more: the fact that he didn't succeed or the fact that Joker's reading him like a book.

Wait- that has his attention, frowning. Normally, he's fine with his underlings doing whatever they want on his off time- even if it's momentously stupid. He's not a man in a position to judge. However, this kind of thing...

"What potion?" he questions, and doesn't even try to pretty it up. It's a simple question. Or, it should be, anyway.

"I bought it from a merman in Atlantis. He said it would help you achieve your darkest desires. That much didn't happen but it gave me enough power to summon across realms in the first place."

It's stated in a very matter of fact tone, while Strange just looks over the snow. Obviously this wasn't what he expected to happen, as shown by the little frown on his face. None of his desires, dark or not, involved snow days. And, needless to say, there's nothing in his tone that suggests he regrets buying strange potions from fish people.

That's it, he's putting Strange on a leash.

Well- not quite that. But Joker does take in a deep breath, putting a lid on any hint of temper. Getting upset about this isn't going to solve anything, even as much as he think he'd like to smack Strange upside the head just a little. But, really now. He's going to have to start giving newcomers basic safety lessons...

Forcing his voice to stay quietly conversational, he says, "Y'know, a phrase like 'darkest desires' wouldn't fill me with much confidence."

And Strange just shrugs! Because yeah, hashtag no regrets, he's not sorry for buying a creepy potion and straight up drinking it, he's only sorry that he mucked up the summons in the first place.

"I suppose that's where we differ--it filled me with nothing but confidence. I know what I want, more than anything else in the world. If I get that, it won't affect other people in the carnival. It shouldn't have affected everybody in the first place except..." and here Strange trails off. Except he made a mistake, yes, he knows, that much is obvious.

"Anyway, it was worth a try."

what's cooler than being cool? ice cold

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