⇨ 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

[hurtcomfort]

"But I can't drink," Cole repeats, more insistently. Why does he keep naming things, that's not helpful! It's just a list! Cole looks up at Julien with a frown, unintentionally picking up on the worries, on the hurts as he debates arguing his case about how he can't drink some more.

Oh. This one would be tough. A mind on top of another mind, a Julien on top of another Julien. Gotta keep going, let's make a good impression on the Prince, it's my job but it isn't, there's also another, arranging outfits and sewing clothes for a woman made of light and a tall strong woman. How do they fit in here? Because they do but they don't and Cole is just downright staring at Julien as he tries to untangle the mess that is Julien's mind at the moment.

"You...feel odd. I can help, if you want. Some of the strange is simple to see."

He thinks. Maybe. But if he can see it, will Julien even understand if he explains it?

[espigeon]

Julien's so much happier to wait on guests who aren't from the Carnival! It's worth lingering. He's still addressing their needs, it's fine, he won't get in trouble for it if he doesn't make it obvious. Take any goodness while it's there, even relative goodness.

"I am odd! I get that a lot," he says cheerfully, eyes appearing and disappearing around him. "It's so kind of you to offer, but my job is to help you. Have you tried 'no thank you' when someone tries to give you a drink? I assure you, we won't take offense!"

From a carnie he would, a bit at least, but that's just because there's not much the carnies do that isn't annoying on some level. He'll be glad when they're gone. (God, no, he won't.)

[hurtcomfort]

This isn't working. He doesn't understand. Cole looks petulant for a brief moment, like a small child put out that the square peg isn't fitting in the round hole. This isn't about the drinks, this isn't about Julien's job, this is about so much more than that! He's got to at least try to explain, though Cole's still so terrified that he's going to mess it up. He can't do what he normally does, he won't make this person forget. It's already happening.

"Teeth flashing as they grab at you." As Cole talks, his voice pitches lower, falling into almost a monotone. His expression lowers as well and it's hard to see his eyes from the brim of his large hat. "Darkness, pain, you can only help so much but there's so many teeth."

There's a pause before Cole looks up at Julien, trying to meet his eyes. There's so much more he needs to tell him but the words stick in his throat like sap. "She chose to come. It's not your fault."

[espigeon]

For a moment Julien holds very still, except for how he uses a palp to push his glasses higher up his nose. What's this about? How do you respond in this kind of situation? You try to be kind, obviously.

"Hey, people can't help having teeth. Not their fault," he says mildly. "Being hungry's terrible. I'm glad I could make things better for a little while. Now I'm here with people who're not so hungry, and things are better for me." He won't think about those others down there, in the dark, because that's so incredibly not-conducive to serving, to the point where he expects he wouldn't perform well. Don't make your master regret pulling you back into the light and the plenty, don't think about how it's terrible what he's done below.

Maybe this is still a kind of service? Sure, talking to a guest who really wants to talk to you, that's courteous, so long as someone else doesn't need anything. Julien opens more eyes looking in all directions, evaluating. "She chose to come because she was in pain and I thought I could help her. Sounds like my fault to me."

[hurtcomfort]

"Is it better?" Cole asks, with a frown. "You're scared."

It's said in a matter of fact tone of voice as Cole looks Julien over with a worried frown. He knows he shouldn't be doing this, people don't like it when he does this, but Julien just hurts so much, a hurt that blazes bright, shining from both human and bird. I could have done better. It's all my fault. Don't take me back there.

"She chose to come. People can't make decisions for other people. You couldn't force her to stay. Besides, you wanted to help."

At least for Cole, for this spirit of compassion, that's what matters. Someone was hurting, Julien tried to help.

[espigeon]

Julien feels his heart sinking and is pretty sure that's as obvious as an open book. This is like with Reira, but it's worse, and he thinks it's just as automatic so it's not even like he can cast blame. Nothing that's his is really his, is it? Not his body, traded over piece by piece in Keye to make him more useful, then remade for him, then reworked so he better fits an aesthetic he's had no say in. Not his sense of self, which got switched over to that of some kind of many-thousands-of-years-old angel and then back. Not the powers the Earthmind gave him or the roles he took on in Keye, and not what he thinks or feels.

He was better as a broken angel, miserable in a lot of ways but still keenly aware of the good and the joy in the world and all the little ways those could be caused, and beholden to no one and nothing. It's enough that he could cry, but that would be such a breach of decorum the thought freezes the breath in his lungs.

Julien squares his shoulders and exhales carefully, like if he just does it right it won't cut up the inside of his chest. Various spectral eyes close and reopen in different places around him, checking in all directions; who's looking at him, who might be taking note? "Of course I'm scared. You can't help doing that, am I right? The mind reading thing."

[hurtcomfort]

Cole nods. That's right, Julien. He can't help but do it. It's easier—and besides, it just feels right. "It's what I am. Command called me compassion. But I'm just Cole."

Compassion explains a lot. Why else would he be drawn to Julien, someone with so much hurt it threatened to swallow him whole. Cole can reach in, seeing the pain, the memories, the worries about himself and about her. Julien is just a bundle of pains. The least Cole can do is try to make things a little bit better. He can't fix them all, some run deep and down, but he can at least try.

"Replace the cover on a book and it's still the same book. Fixing the holes or adding patches doesn't change the thing."

[espigeon]

All right. This is weird, he notes that the metaphor he only thought of is being used like he said it out loud. He's around weird a lot, he'll try to roll with it. This... 'Cole' reminds him a bit of Iuliael, that same semi-comprehending hopefulness.

"Uh. No offense, but I would've expected the walking embodiment of compassion to look li-" wow, no, don't say 'look like a girl', for all he knows this is a girl who wound up dressed like this for reasons. Anyway kindness really shouldn't be gendered. But of course, cutting himself off is useless. Julien closes his eyes, half-enjoying a moment of almost-normal putting his foot into his mouth. "Forget I said that?"

He's only being looked at incidentally, for the same reason people have been looking at him throughout this event: because he looks strange. It's about time to circulate some more. "Hey, do me a big favor? Don't let the Prince know you can do this. Please. It'd be dangerous for a lot of people if he wanted you or decided to just incorporate a lot of mindreading."

Julien's not sure any of the servants aren't guilty of treason of the mind. He certainly is, and that really doesn't need to get back. As long as he follows the Prince's whims and marks when they change, he'll be fine.

[hurtcomfort]

"I look like the real Cole," he pipes up, answering Julien's query. But he's right in one thing: nobody really expects compassion to look like an awkward looking young man, all knees and elbows, with a gaunt face and a stupid looking hat.

As Julien keeps talking, Cole gives him a little nod. The easiest way to not let the Prince know he could do this is stay quiet and out of the way. Cole could do that. Cole's amazing at doing that. But he won't do that just yet.

"You still feel odd," he remarks, before Julien has the chance to leave. "But there's caring underneath the chaos for her, for me, for those in the darkness. That's...good. Keep it."

That's Julien. And in this mess of a mind, the man who is a bird who was an angel who now thinks he's a servant, it's good to have something solid to hold onto. Maybe this could be it. It won't solve everything, but for someone who thinks he's so much, it's nice to have something that's solidly his.

[espigeon]

"If you say so!" He's really got to move on, there are glasses close to emptying out there, and he needs to be really good at this. There's the future to consider. Even this half of him doesn't have the look of the Prince's day servants, not anymore. What happens to him when the Carnival is gone is doubtless going to depend on how he does tonight. He's not good at malice, it's not in his nature and his nature hasn't changed, much, but he can be good at service.

He snorts gently, already starting to step away. "Well, yeah! I knew that already." Having someone to help and take care of is what makes pretty much anything worth it. In the year after turning into a bird it was the knowledge of why that had sustained him, the fact that even though he hadn't saved everyone or solved the crisis he'd been such a help.

Julien had never been happier with a job than those few years when he'd worked in a ramshackle clinic on the wrong side of town, with a sour doctor defrosting slowly. Well. Can't go back. Only onwards.

[hurtcomfort]

As Julien starts to step away, Cole stays where he is, watching the other man from underneath the brim of his hat. His mind is still a bit of a mess. But he cared about Cole. He warned him. That's good to know and good to hear.

"Good luck," Cole quietly says, audible enough for Julien to hear, but only just. "Try not to forget about them."

About his friends at the carnival. About the relationships Julien's made. About all the people he's talked with and grown to care for. It's easy to forget, but in Cole's mind, Julien shouldn't.

[espigeon]

Julien throws a jaunty two-fingered salute, the pedipalp on that side of his face flicking in time and in a similar arc before he turns away. All will be well, as the angels say. All things and all manner of things shall be well.

'In the middle of winter I at last discovered there was in me an invincible summer.' The world is terrible, but he doesn't have to be. If anyone understands that, that weird pale mind reader should.