⇨ FOURTH WALL EVENT! (OPEN TO ALL)

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone and the 4th Wall Visitors!
When: Day 175
Where: Heartstone Manor
What: THE 4TH WALL BALL BEGINS! This is where unapped visitors can post and roleplay. Please read the rules and setting info below. For more information and visuals refs, read this. Questions can be asked over here.
Warnings: Individually marked! Could be a lot of things.

THE GRAND BALL↴ Heartstone Manor is a giant, spooky castle floating in the middle of a twilight filled void. It is the home of a Wyld Fae calling himself The Prince - and despite his name, he is a bestial creature crammed into a gentleman's clothing, completely obsessed with replicating the ideals of old timey human society, much like the 1800's. The Prince and his many servants all dress in a manner appropriate to to the 1500's - 1800's, and decorum and beauty are held sacred above all else. All the workers of the carnival are currently staying there, in the hope of enabling a successful diplomatic venture between the Ringmaster and the Prince. The Grand Ball is being thrown by the Prince to honour these guests, but his manner of doing this is going to come as a bit of a surprise. THE RULES↴ Powers are all partially nerfed for 4th Wallers. They can be used in small to moderate ways for the sake of RP and narrative flavour, but 4th Wallers shouldn’t generally be using any powers in a super disruptive manner. No using powers for fighting with NPCs (yet), causing general chaos, or otherwise making your character a burden to the Prince. If they try, they’ll find themselves unable to do so. Your character isn’t sure how they got here but they think they’re okay with it. Your character won’t remember how they were captured by the Prince at the start of the ball. They’re just kind of here and in formal wear, and something tells them it’s probably fine to just enjoy the ball. They are wrong. In-game characters won’t initially remember how they all ended up at the ball either thanks to a temporary amnesia effect, but they will be able to be concerned about the fact that other people (possibly people they know) have shown up, and the fact that those other people are probably the Prince’s captives. Weren’t they doing something else at the castle before this, though? It’s hard to remember. This is all very confusing. 4th Wall character who aren’t apping in were possibly never the real deal in the first place. There are a mixture of genuine captives and spooky replications created with magic – this is to provide some flexibility regarding 4th wall character’s states in game, as well to allow more than one of each character to be played. If there are multiple people playing the same character, then whichever one has an app accepted will have been the real one. No doubles of in game characters. (Taken list here.) No AUs, no CRAUs, and nothing else besides characters that have full source canons or are original characters/fandom OCs with no bearing on the canon plot. If you tag in with a character who breaks these rules we reserve the right to remove them. THE SETUP: 4TH WALLERS↴ With incredibly foggy memories of their recent past, your character will find themselves at a grand ballroom dance, filled with a mixture of normal humans and odd looking humanoids that have strange features like wings, horns, tails, fur, and the like. They have vague memories of being dressed for the occasion, but are not sure by who or why. Most disturbingly, they will find that, at first at least, they don’t really care about the details. It seems like a pleasant event, doesn’t it? Why not enjoy it. This effect is definitely some kind of mind control, so you can feel free to have your characters be a bit confused and conflicted about it. Ultimately, they have been charmed to participate in the dance, so they will feel like riding the wave is the best thing to do even if that wouldn’t normally be their cup of tea. If your character has resistances to some forms of mind control, they are still overruled in this circumstance. They may discover people they recognize (castmates) or even duplicates of themselves (somehow?), and these can all be treated as canonly occurring and played out as such. This event is canon for Lost Carnival, so it should be played seriously and respectfully – not that silly shenanigans aren’t also bound to happen. All characters are required to dress in formal attire appropriate to a period area – specifically anywhere from the 1500s to 1800s. The Prince prefers if people are heteronormative in their clothing choices, but if you want you can probably get away with your ladies wearing suits or men wearing dresses as long as they look presentable otherwise. THE SETUP: MANOR GUESTS↴ You find yourself at the Grand Ball without really remembering how you got here. The last few days are a foggy blur, and though you can remember some of the important stuff you were dealing with, it will feel less important right at the start. Of course, as the night goes on, memories of how the carnival reached this event will become more and more clear – as well as the inevitable worry and stress that comes with it. For most people, there will have absolutely no memory of anything that happened after the morning of Day 175. Did the boating trip ever happen? Possibly not. Even as the night progresses, they will still have no recollection of how most of Day 175 went, which is probably disturbing. The Mod has contacted those that are exceptions to this privately to tell them what they will remember. The people lost to the Manor’s security earlier in the week will be here too, but not as guests. In fact, all of them will be dressed in the black attire of a Heartstone Manor servant and will seem pretty okay with that fact. There are parts of them that look changed – and their dispositions are definitely one of them. How else could they possibly be working for the Prince now? Updates to the event situation will be posted down in this section below. People can react to these posts as the circumstances change, and may new top levels based on them. It is possible to try to sneak away from the ball, but Manor Security will be trying to hunt you down. There is no mandatory outcome planed to this event, so character decisions can and will have a major effect in where the plot goes from here. THE ACCOMODATIONS↴ MUSIC AND DANCING: There will be music playing the whole night, and most of it is so good you feel practically compelled to dance to it. It's possible to resist, but why would you want to do that, you party pooper? FOOD AND DRINK: There are circle tables set up with fine silverware, and upon sitting down you will soon have a waiter come back to ask for an order. You can request basically any European cusine and it will be made for you. You will also be given drinks, most of which are alcohol, no matter your age. Fae don't care about children. BALCONY STARGAZING: There are balconies that are connected to the ballroom in multiple locations that you can step out onto to get some fresh air. You'll see the courtyard of the Manor down below you, but everything beyond that is black, as if the castle is floating within a twilight void. (Because it is.) One small change is that there are stars out tonight, probably added to the sky for the occasion. ALL NIGHT LONG: The ball will go on far into the early morning. Or, at least, until everyone fucks it up.

Comments

Lambert | The Witcher | LC Player and OTA

[whattaprick]

[ Dance, Witcher, Dance ]

Perhaps you're standing off to the side of the dance floor appreciating the music. Or perhaps you're looking a bit lost, trying to get through the dance floor. Regardless of where you are or what you're doing, you'll suddenly find yourself accosted by a man with gold horns and tail, feathered hat precariously balanced on his head and dressed in velvet and braid.

"You aren't planning to stand there all night, are you?" The wolfish grin reveals a mouth full of sharp teeth, and his hand snaps out to tug you to the dance floor.

[ Smoke Break ]

Still, life can't be all dancing and banter. At some point, Lambert retires to one of the balconies, the ridiculous hat set on the railing, working his way through smoking a cigar and a tumbler of whiskey. Should someone join him there, he'll nod affably and wave his glass out at the panorama below them.

"Hell of a view, isn't it?"

[ Wildcard ]

Lambert's acting sociable and gregarious at this party, so he's fairly easy to catch elsewhere. As the night progresses, Lambert will slowly come to remember more ... but how that plays out remains to be seen.

dance time

[hurtcomfort]

Cole is just staring at Lambert's hat. The Winter Palace had so many wonderful hats, twirling, twisting, hats going all directions to match the masks over masks. But nothing, none of those hats he saw there, made Cole stop and stare as much as this hat does. Could hats even have that many feathers to begin with? Was it even a hat in the first place?

So that's what he's doing. Stopping and staring. And as soon as Lambert turns to look at the creepy kid who's been staring at him for the past few minutes, Cole will exclaim, with utter awe,

"You have a bird on your head!"

It is fuckin amazing.

[whattaprick]

Lambert doesn't take any offense. If anything, the observation makes him laugh. The fact that the stupid thing looks so much like a small creature on his head is part of the reason he'd picked it out in the first place.

... Wasn't it? He can't quite recall. Anyway, his hat is awesome. That's the important part here.

"It's the height of fine faerie fashion, my floppy-hatted friend," Lambert says, smirking, and reaching out to flick the brim of the hat in question. "Which is more than I can say for yours. Surprised they let you get away with that."

[spaghettimonster]

"Uh, no, not all night?" Papyrus tugs back, trying to free his hand. Unfortunately for that idea, the skeleton's lighter, rather less muscular, and... Right, Lambert's strong. He's not about to successfully pry himself loose without judicious magic. Or, maybe, the power of word.

"I meant to stand there a little longer! And then patrol. And, then, stand somewhere else."

[whattaprick]

Does Papyrus even know how to dance? Lambert has no idea. Which of them should even lead? He doesn't care about that either, and he's firmly escorting him to the dance floor, scanning the crowd.

"Patrol?" he laughs. "It's a party. What's there to patrol for?"

Dance

[chronosynthesis]

"Well I--" Syrlya cuts himself off with a yelp as Lambert pulls him to the dance floor without so much as waiting for a reply. Lambert's fangs remind him of his own and he grinds them for a moment before glancing around. It sounds like a faster song is starting to play.

Hm. "Nice hat, by the way."

[whattaprick]

The faster song lends some urgency to the witcher's movements, and he's laughing as he pulls Syrlya after him. "Come on, we're going to miss it. Wouldn't want to piss our host off by interrupting his dance, would we?"

Except Lambert kind of does, in a vague and distant sort of way. Even under the weight of whatever's messing with their minds, he's still Lambert, and he's happy to ride the edge of propriety as far as he can get away with. When Syrlya acknowledges his hat, he winks and gives it a jaunty little tip (which nearly knocks it off, because it wasn't designed for that in the first place).

"You want it? Sorry, I think I'm keeping it."

[stillwinningthehardway]

Scout feels hazy. She keeps having a sense of... danger, maybe? but with the music and the people and all the everything, she keeps losing the thread. So she's been walking around with a crease between her brows, off and on, and she'd been intending to talk to Lambert about things. The haziness. How that's wrong itself, isn't it, she should be able to do something about haziness, maybe he knows.

Hazy or not though she knows what the smile means and yanks back to catch at his. He's not, she thinks, careful enough about his claws, and she's completely distracted now from whatever she'd been thinking before. Whatever. It'll come back.

Scout lifts her chin challengingly. "You do realize I'm a better dancer than you, right?"

[whattaprick]

"But I'm a more fun dancer," Lambert fires back amiably, golden tail flicking behind him. Come on, Scout, get on his level. Despite the rules of decorum, he isn't wearing gloves, so his silver-painted claws sparkle bright in the illumination of the ballroom. If Scout lets him, he'll lead them into a waltz, but if not, well, he'll match however she steps.

[tacosgay]

This is definitely not how Taako planned on finding Lambert at the ball, but it'll do. He allows himself to be swept out onto the dance floor, the tail of his deep red gown sweeping out behind him as he moves.

"Uh... if I'm honest, I was, but hey, I mean... if you're at a ball, you may as well dance, right? You know what they say." He giggles, but the sound is a little bit... off. Insincere.

He clears his throat.

"... uh, are you feeling alright? Just-- you know, wondering, for no reason."

[whattaprick]

To be frank, Lambert hadn't been looking too closely at who he grabbed, but once he realizes who it is, the wizard will get a little barking laugh.

"If you didn't, that'd be a waste of a nice dress," he says. It's a little bit mocking, but everything Lambert does is, apparently being incapable of delivering a compliment without at least giving someone a little shit. At the question, he raises his brows, cocking his head.

"Why wouldn't I be? Good food, good company -- and after this, maybe we can finally get back to the carnival." It'll be nice, he thinks absently, not having a schedule. With how densely the Prince had packed their days, it had all gone by in a blur...

everyone dancin with the lam

[fortuneglass]

"Eh?" Truthfully, Carly's found herself lost in thought. As the night progresses, she's finding it more and more unnerving that her memory isn't quite as solid as it should be. The nagging sense of forgetting something, the fact that she swears she's caught glimpses of the people who vanished....

It's enough that she's caught off guard by her fellow supervisor, half floating along for the dance. "Ahh!! J-Just for a little bit..!" she starts, before immediately entering 'scold' mode. "This is pretty rude you know, just starting a dance like that..!" She says, but she Is dancing already, so....apparently this is a bit of a whatever.

that lambert, he's so hot right now

[whattaprick]

"Is it?" If Lambert's uneasy, his smile doesn't betray it. He brings them out onto the floor with confidence and perhaps surprising grace -- then again, he's had a few partners by tonight, so he's gotten a fair amount of practice.

"I thought it was only rude if it was someone you didn't know already." But he wasn't listening to Strange's etiquette lessons too carefully, and anyway, he's been pulling strangers onto the dance floor regardless. What's the Prince gonna do, jail him?

[ofvioleteyes]

Yennefer had been using the dance floor area as a way to spy on people, gather information, figure out who was who and what was what. She had moved spots a few times and would have had no issue standing idly by watching. It had been going smoothly all things considered until someone grabs her hand. Right when he speaks she turns her head to glare at him but then it hits her who it is.

"Lambert?" She sounds more surprised than she looks. Quickly she looks him up and down. She takes notes of the additions he's clearly gained then returns up to the hat. "Who told you to wear such a thing? It's absurd." Forget the surprise she has to make fun of that hat.

[whattaprick]

A convenient thing with sorceresses: their appearances never change. Lambert wasn't looking too closely at who he grabbed, so long as they fit his mental criteria of 'been standing in the same spot too long' and 'looks fun to harass,' so when he realizes exactly who it is he's gotten ahold off, he scowls.

"Good thing I'm not wearing it for you then, isn't it?" His hand reaches up to adjust the way the hat tilts on his head, a little self-consciously. People have been making fun of it all night, sure, but given who it's coming from. Also, he's already unconsciously glancing over her shoulder. Where Yennefer is around, surely Geralt can't be far behind.

in this episode, lambert dances with every single person

[atouts]

Of course.

It figures that all he had to do to find their Nightrider was stand still for a second, pausing by the wall in his actual search for Lambert and the other nightrunners scattered around the ball to decide on which way to go next. That way, apparently, is going to be straight across the dance floor now. While that in itself isn't in itself a problem, the fact that nearly no one else seems to remember that there is a problem — a very big problem, at that — is. So, when Lambert appears to snag him by the sleeve of the awfully fancy coat and vest he's worn to this thing, it's understandable that he's not in the best of moods.

"Lambert," he doesn't quite snap. It's more of a low growl, which, with a gravelly voice like his, isn't hard to get to. "We don't have time for this nonsense."

It's serious enough that he won't even take the time to tell Lambert he looks stupid in that hat.

[whattaprick]

"John," Lambert mimics, brow furrowing in an imitation of the magician's usual scowl. "We've got all the time in the world. We're stuck here as long as the Prince wants us to be."

Meaning hey, they could conceivably be stuck here for years if he willed it. Thrilling thought. His hand squeezes Childermass's -- someone's done his claws up in gleaming silver paint this time, to match the embroidery on his clothes.

"One dance won't kill you."

COMBO BREAKER

[zireael]

Ciri is already there at the balcony, turned away as she tries to loosen the sleeves of her gown. The ruffles have been torn and cast aside sometime during the evening but she's managed to slip out of little else. Foolish things, these skirts, even if she feels prettier than she has been in...a very long time. It's equally silly, really; Ciri's never needed to look beautiful for anyone else. Witchers don't need to be beautiful, not like sorceresses, not like Yen and Triss. She only wishes she could have nabbed up a suit than this.

The voice near her back seems to bring her pause, as she realizes someone's come outside too. Her hair is loose for the first time in years, ashen strands drifting over her shoulders in layered strands. With her back to Lambert, she doesn't quite catch who it is until she turns around.

"It's surely some--"

And she stops cold a moment. Her eyes, already a shockingly bright color, only seem to light up in further recognition.

"Lambert!"

lmfao of course ciri's already tearing her clothes

[whattaprick]

Lambert, of course, doesn't immediately recognize her. Witchers may age slower than humans, but years still pass for them like anyone else, and when the last memory you have of someone is when they were ten years old, he could be forgiven for taking a moment for the recognition to kick in.

"Ciri?" Though his voice and expression are both bewildered to start, a genuine grin of delight is beginning to creep across his his face as he steps closer towards her, flicking the barely touched cigar aside. Of course, he looks different from what she remembers -- taller, more animalistic, touched by magic -- but he could say the same of her!

"How long have you been out here?" There's something wrong about this, he knows that in the back of his mind -- some very good reasons why she shouldn't be here at all -- but trying to grasp them is impossible right now.

[Smoke Break]

[prazerbutterfly]

"It's the least he could do for common trash, Mister Lambert. Plus it adds to the beauty of this place." It's said with such fondness it is almost sickening. Also, he got his name absolutely right.

Tyki was quiet upon entry and while he doesn't believe he'll startle the other he'd remain that way all the same. While small the new addition of manticore wings stands out against the plain black of his clothes that makes him no longer one of the guests of the manor. That serene smile is affixed to his face but every other part of him screams malice at the moment. Given the chance he might even push someone off the balcony.

[whattaprick]

"We're all common trash, Master Mikk," Lambert drawls back. He hadn't heard Tyki's approach -- but then, he wasn't paying much attention. He's hunted enough predators to know that smile doesn't mean a thing, but right now, he's having a hard time remembering what reasons Tyki Mikk would have to be giving him that look. Still, his tail is curling in the air, wary.

"The wings are new. Go nice with the uniform."

Smoke Break

[myentireplatoon]

IV has also retired outside, mostly to get away from people who keep imploring him to dance (apparently, "Thank you, but I only dance with my wife," was not enough of an answer for some of them). He has an already empty glass in his hand (how did he even drink it? truly a mystery), and is gazing out at the abyss around them.

He's not particularly paying attention to the people around him until Lambert speaks, and at first he answers without looking over.

"I suppose. It's just space - you get tired of it, after awhile."

He looks over then, and immediately a quick burst of red static fills his screen before fading away again.

"Another Moonie!? Where are you people coming from!?"

Though he's become less inclined to fight ever since drinking some of the alcohol and learning his arm cannon doesn't work here. He still sounds cross about it, though.

[whattaprick]

Lambert remembers enough of Portland to know what a television looks like. Seeing it on someone's body, though? That's a new one, even for him. He's about to respond to the first part of that, but the outburst catches him off guard enough that he shuts up for once, squinting at the stranger on the balcony with a faintly amused smirk.

"The same place you came from, probably. Somewhere else." He knocks back a sip of his drink as his tail waves lightly behind him. "Don't know what a 'moonie' is, though. You must be getting me mixed up with someone else. That happens a lot around here."

The guy looks easy enough to rile up, which means Lambert isn't going to bother to keep the light taunting out of his voice.

[periphrasing]

"I mean-- Not all night but-- nooOOOkay then--!"

It's early enough on in the night (that is, she's still drugged enough) that Peridot's not vehemently opposed to the idea of as she might ordinarily be. She feels like she was frustrated with Lambert about something? But like hell she remembers what that something was.

"I don't really uh... know how to dance, very well," she mumbles, glancing around with widened eyes at the other dancers as she follows Lambert out onto the dance floor.

[whattaprick]

It's all right if Peridot can't quite recall the details -- Lambert frustrates people just by breathing, mostly. The height difference between them is enough that it's a little difficult to make a waltz work the way it's supposed to, but luckily? It's not a waltz they're being led into now.

"This one's easy," Lambert says, with the casual arrogance of someone who's naturally good at physical activity and has never had to deal with embarrassing himself by falling flat on his face. "Just hold on to my hand and do what I do."

And what he's doing, right now, appears to be ... skipping? With exaggerated, formalized motions, but it's skipping nonetheless.