⇨ THE SUMMERLANDS

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 138 - Day 152
Where: The Summerlands
What: The Ringmaster brings the carnival to the Summerlands immediately after being freed from Portland so that everyone can take a fucking nap. Her included.
Warnings: Individually marked! Most likely discussion of torture and trauma in here.

DAYS OF SUMMER↴ You made it! And things are back to normal... more or less. Upon waking, you will be greeted with a clear blue sky and gentle breeze – the carnival has found itself situated between a pair of mountain peaks, with great fields of flowers extending in the distance. In the other direction, you’ll see mountain-top cities and tall waterfalls accenting vast swaths of forest. Some of you will already know this place. It’s the Summerlands. You game here once to rest in safety nearly a year ago, and now you’ve come to rest once again. ► WAKING UP: Shortly after the carnival arrives, the Ringmaster will send out a somewhat cryptic radio message - but her immediate location won't be clear. Whatever items you had on your person at the time the Severing was broken will still be on your person, including whatever clothing. All of the animals and pets of the carnival will have returned to the grounds as well, though they are currently free from their designated living spaces. Things in the carnival will appeared to have naturally aged a month, as if the carnival was been sitting here empty and waiting while everyone was in Portland. The lawn needs mowing. ► SUMMER CITY: After the Summer Fae become aware of everyone's presence, they will welcome you into their city. There are stairs that lead up the sides of the mountains, but thankfully there are also magical means of getting up there as well. The Summer Fae will be willing to help workers with the injured as needed, offering herbal remedies and healing magic to those that want it. You'll also be invited to join them for dinner, but they will not be particularly offended if they are turned down, for now. ► SUMMER PEOPLE: The fae here will mostly enjoy the company of any carnival members that offer it - it doesn't seem that much happens here besides day after day of peaceful meditation and relaxation. It is not uncommon to see Summer Fae spent days doing exactly the same thing, whether that be enjoying the weather, listening to music, or dancing - the day and night periods may be similar to earth, but when you don't need rest it can all blur together just the same. Some of the fae work on feats of agriculture or craftsmanship, and while there is no particularly need to work in this place, they take pride in the fact that they do. ► NEW ARRIVALS: Though the Ringmaster will not be offering much guidance for the first week or so, eventually the carnival will begin running for a few small performance sessions, off and on, as a thank you to their fae hosts. The carnival will also be open to receiving new arrivals during that period, and so there will likely be some newbies to train and get orientated as well.

Comments

[fortuneglass]

[Yyyyyeeeep. Not much to say to That news, but if it helps cut someone else short on beating themselves up regarding alternate lives...well it's probably worth it. Probably.]

...if it were that, or the lives of everyone I know though... [Perhaps not the rabbit hole to chase here. She shakes her head, sighing.] ...I've been thinking over a lot about what it means, I suppose...

But, just like how it would take something terrible to bring me to that level, it would have to take a lot for you to be like that otherself, right??

[.... Wellllllllll...]

[kingsroads]

I'd hope that it would take a lot for me to be like that Portland version. [ He'd reeeeeeeally hope so. Strange absolutely loathes that version of himself and what he put everybody through. ]

Though understandably, I don't want to find out just what precisely it would take.

[insidescoop]

I don't think anyone does, by now...

...it sounds like...almost everyone had some sort of unexpected drawback, in that place... [she quietly muses.]

[kingsroads]

I do have to wonder, though...would the Portland versions of ourselves consider anything about our lives an unexpected drawback?

[ Strange idly puts his hands in his pockets as he thinks. He's certainly content with where he is in life nowadays, but Portland him would probably think otherwise. There's some sort of flexible 'everybody wants what they don't have' argument that can be pulled out of this but he'll be damned if he could actually think of one. ]

[insidescoop]

Hmnnnn...

Honestly...my version felt like my past, but with more killing things...

[She likes to think alterCarly would pick this life instead, suffice to say.]

[kingsroads]

Whereas my version...honestly, that version of me reminded me more of my father than it did my actual self.

[ said with SO much annoyance in his voice. Who has two thumbs and a terrible relationship with his dad, hint, it's obviously Strange. ]

[fortuneglass]

Your...father..?

[She blinks, and then immediately crinkles her nose.] ...maybe that spell made everyone live out an inner fear, or...something.

[kingsroads]

[ An inner fear...Carly returning to her past, Strange becoming his father, it makes sense with those two. But then again, there's the entire carnival to think of. How would they fit into this? ]

We'll need to ask others about their stay before deciding if that's truly the case or not.

[insidescoop]

Hmnnn...we'd have to do that without really setting anyone off though...if that was us, imagine how much worse some of the others had it..!!

[kingsroads]

And therein lies the problem. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most subtle when it comes to these matters of secrecy.

[ not subtle and also he can't lie worth a shit.

[insidescoop]

Hmnnnn, and even if we did it in a way that isn't obvious, who knows how that would go...

[kingsroads]

[ Badly. It would go badly. Neither of these two realize it yet but let's be honest, this is Carly and Strange, that's how it would go.

There's a pause where Strange mulls things over, leaning against a nearby tree as he thinks. ]

Honestly, the more we talk about being subtle, the more tempted I am just to blow past subtlety all together and ask someone straight out.

[insidescoop]

...EH!? [STRANGE NO] W-Won't that just make everyone more mad!?

[kingsroads]

Yes, but isn't it better if they're mad but we know about their stay in Portland than all of this dancing around to find the perfect moment?

[ no, not really. ]

[insidescoop]

No!!

Because then you have to deal with them being mad at you!!

[kingsroads]

I'm certain I can somehow manage to navigate people being mad at me, [ said with an over-dramatic eye roll. ] I'm afraid I'm used to that.

[insidescoop]

...It's not about being used to it though.

...Doesn't it pay off more to have allies, instead of people who want to see you fail..?

[kingsroads]

[ Allies? Really? Strange can't help but raise an eyebrow at Carly's turn of phrase. ]

This is just asking a question, Carly. If I offend anyone, then I'll simply apologize, stop asking them the questions, and change the topic.

[insidescoop]

[She would have said friends, Strange, but it felt like the wrong word for it. Still, she grimaces, fiddling a bit with her fingers as she looks down.]

...It just feels like...a lot more than that, even just as a 'question'.

...Not something to make worse.

[kingsroads]

[ Strange has no subtlety and his general method of getting things done can be summed up as 'how bout I do anyway?'...but even he can tell the extent that Carly thinks this is a bad idea. ]

Then we'll wait. Give it a few weeks and, if we're still interested then, that's when we'll ask people about Portland.

[insidescoop]

[And boy is she relieved by those words. She sighs, and openly, and smiles.] R...Right...

...Oh~ By the way! [BETTER TOPICS STRANGE.] Did you hear the news~?

[Probably not. What news. WHAT NEWS??]

[kingsroads]

What news? Is it that business with the Ringmaster?

[ That's the most logical sort of news Strange can think of. But honestly, after Childermass told him to fuck off, he just shut off his radio, fell asleep, and straight up didn't listen to the rest of the broadcast.

As such, Strange is a little bit fuzzy on some of the details. ]

[insidescoop]

HEH!? Th-That wouldn't be good news at all!! [Welp] I mean she's going to be back at some point but-

But the point is that's not it!!

[kingsroads]

Well what is it then?

[ Because Strange is honestly a bit confused. ]

[insidescoop]

I won't be a scout any more!

[This is absolutely not the way for the news to come about, but for some reason she sounds mighty proud of herself when she says it.]