⇨ 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

[soft_focus]

...They would have become bird hands after that though. [You brought this on Yourself, Julien. She walks along the various rope bridges they're coming to now, the oeacat peering around with vague familiarity.]

[espigeon]

Mine aren't. I might accept dinosaur hands, though. It sounds cooler.

[julien you're thirty don't get into losing arguments with people five times younger than you.

He has to be careful on the rope bridges. Big as he is he has to be.]

I'm guessing some kind of display area? Plenty of sun available.

[soft_focus]

...they're definitely bird hands... [Still not fooling her, clearly!!] Mnnn...I don't think it's a display thing. It has to be the place they like most, I think...

[espigeon]

Dinosaur hands! I am totally hip, with it, and radical.

[Creeeak, says the wood under him. Julien keeps some nervous eyes on his footing.]

It's sort of a zoo, too, though. And he's part peacock, so what he likes probably includes somewhere to fan out his tail and impress people.

[soft_focus]

Mnnnnh.... [Nope.] ...bird hands...

...And I didn't see him do that a lot. ...It doesn't feel like he wants to do that either.

[The indifference makes it difficult to want to impress anything that isn't a female cat, see.]

[espigeonage]

Nooooo...

[He's enjoying not being able to win, apparently. More upsetting, in a not-actually-upset-way:]

What! Oh, no! That's the best part about peacocks! I can get them to go shiver out their tails just by fanning mine!

[Julien that's not much of an accomplishment, peacocks like attention. Being flashy and having all eyes on you is appealing to a lot of birds. Oooo, baby, my gigantic iridescent tail makes music too deep for humans to hear, but it hasn't gotten in my way. Also look how much better my tail is than that of this absurdly huge white bird, honestly.]

That's a crying shame.

[soft_focus]

Ummmm... ...maybe if we take a picture when he does do it, you'll be able to see it then?

[She's missing the point a bit.]

[espigeon]

It's just not the same. Alas.

[Addressing the peacat, with exaggerated sorrow:]

You really aren't a bird. I will have to redouble my efforts to bond with the dinosaur.

[soft_focus]

Umnnnn....

[Well this is slightly awkward. The cat just nuzzles the beak, and then goes back to looking around.]

...I think we're almost there... [Exaggerated Sorrow isn't real sorrow, so she figures you're fine Julien.] ..How big is the dinosaur here?

[espigeon]

[Yeah Julien's fine. He goes and pats the peacat with the underside of his beak, then raises his head again.]

The one with the really mossy low wall? It must be magic that keeps him from wandering off.

Oh, the dinosaur's big enough I could ride him. Which is saying a lot, I know!

[Julien is definitely big enough for most humans to ride.]

[soft_focus]

Mnnh, probably, [She replies, before looking to Julien. ...He certainly is riding size, but then....Yuuya has ridden around on a hippo shorter than him.

So that doesn't say a lot at all to her. She just stares, and nods.] ....And he's fluffy right?

[...Maybe she should ride the dinosaur....]

[espigeonage]

[OPEN THE DOOR GET ON THE FLOOR EVERYBODY RIDE THE DINOSAUR]

Oh, yes. Like this.

[Julien does the Bird thing where his feathers are a smooth surface, and then they separate into lots and lots of smaller scale-like feathers. It makes him both bigger and softer.]

[soft_focus]

[WOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOO OOOHHHH!!!

SINCE WHEN COULD BIRDS GET THAT MUCH BIGGER AND SOFTER!!!] AaaaaHhhhHHHHH-

[She looks quite astounded.]

[espigeonage]

[They do. Cards do not convey certain very important things, like enfluffening.]

...you okay, Reira?

[soft_focus]

....You got so much bigger...

[SHE DOES NOT KNOW WHAT SHE IS FEELING RIGHT NOW]

[espigeon]

I just made myself look like it. See, I can be smaller too.

[He slicks down his feathers and becomes weirdly lean and skinny, very quickly. Still huge, but there's this vaguely unfriendly look to this posture. Peacat's put his ears back and started looking around.]

If a bird does this it's probably nervous or afraid. Puffing up means being comfortable, or angry, or sick, depending. Look, this is friendly.

[Julien relaxes the hold of his feathers and fluffs out his head and neck, all rounded and ruffly.]

[soft_focus]

....I can already tell when someone is nervous and scared though....

[....Also friendly, but-] How come the most fluffy isn't the most friendly...

[espigeon]

It's still good to know!

[For reasons.]

Oh well I can explain that. Why don't you put our friend back in his house? He looks like he's tired of being carried.

[soft_focus]

[Already on it-she's scooting him into the pen, and off he bolts, shaking himself and finding a good place to get cleaned up.] ...There he goes.

....So....Explain it?

[espigeon]

Later, peacat.

It's pretty simple! You fluff out your feathers for different reasons. If you're cold or you're really sick it's to keep warm. If you're mad it's so you look bigger and badder, and that's also the spikiest one, but both of those are kinda pineconey.

Comfortable and friendly look pretty similar in the front, but you can be one and not the other, right? Usually they're kinda related. You fluff out your head feathers to make it easier for other birds to come preen you, and they don't usually do that with the rest of your body.

[soft_focus]

....but you didn't look big and scary and pointy.

...you looked soft.

[espigeon]

Here, look. This is a mad posture.

[He lowers his head and widens his stance, spreading his wings and raising and fanning his tail, and just sort of expands into an angerfloof that seems to be too big to fit through a double door. She could probably stick an arm into his neckfluff and not hit skin until well past her elbow.

It does look less soft.]

[soft_focus]

[Oh, well, that does look more dangerous. Which begs the sad, sad question-]

....So you only get round and soft if you're sad and cold...?

[BUT WHY CAN'T YOU BE ROUND AND SOFT JUST TO BE ROUND AND SOFT this is unfair and possibly worse than the inevitable crushing realization of it being a poor idea to eat only candy, which she is long overdue for.]

[espigeon]

[Julien's fluff sleeks back down to his normal level.]

I can get all round and soft if I'm comfortable or happy! But it gets really hot, doing that, it's like wearing a big coat, so I'm not like that for long, usually. If it's really cold out I can be happy and warm.

[The kid looks so sad, though, he's gonna say:]

Do you want to ride on my back?

[soft_focus]

Hmnnnmn... [She isn't sad per say, but she definitely doesn't enjoy the whole matter of being big and fluffy causing someone troubles. UPSETTING...

...Julien has fixed it rather quickly.] ...I can have a ride? [OHhhhhhh~]