ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] lostcarnival2017-10-13 06:00 pm

⇨ FOURTH WALL EVENT! (OPEN TO ALL)

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.
soft_focus: (extra 07)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-14 03:24 am (UTC)(link)
Umnh- [Reira looks up from her basket of plates, and immediately shakes her head. After all-] No, I'm still working... ....I can eat later, when work is done. It's fine.

[Also.] ...Where did you get it?
espigeon: (10)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-14 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Julien's face is a smooth service mask, but he's got the palp movement going, and his eyes are worried. He's worried, and since he can't worry about certain things right now, he'll let it all pile on to this. She might starve.]

C'mon. Just a piece? It's fine, it got flattened like this, so I can't give it to a guest. That'd be so unseemly. But it's still good, see?

[He moves his tray to block the view of someone who might care, brings the roll to his face, and tears off a soft tuft of bread with his palps, popping it into his mouth.]

C'mon, I won't go until you take a bit. Just a little bit.
soft_focus: (extra 05)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-14 01:20 pm (UTC)(link)
[...............She looks even more uncomfortable before. No. Dammit Julien why do you do this.

Finally she sighs, and begins moving toward the kitchen.
] ....Out of sight then, [she says grudgingly, already growing more fearful just for saying as much.] ....When I go to get rid of the dishes.
espigeon: (09)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-14 02:23 pm (UTC)(link)
All right. That's acceptable, I'll come by then.

[He makes the roll disappear - Julien has just a bit of sleight of hand, enough to be useful sometimes - and is back on his rounds, but he literally keeps an eye pointed at the little girl. The ball could go on for hours, days even maybe. She's undersized and he's seen her with blood on her teeth, if it's in his power at all he has to keep it from coming to that point again. If he can do one good thing, it will be enough. It has to be enough.

So yes, he'll be following up.]
soft_focus: (-sigh-)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-15 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
[It's something at least. And really the blood wasn't that bad. She ate the rabbit after all. Her hands are slightly cleaner, at least in this place.

But Reira walks onward, gathering more dishes until it's time that they hit the threshold from which all the patrons are barred access. Alright. It'll be safe here.
]
espigeon: (10)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-15 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[Julien makes his rounds, helpfully appearing as glasses empty and plates become bare, and whenever people start to look around for something he can give them. Food, drink, a cigar, directions. He can do this!

He can't be quite as rude to the carnival workers as some others, but he's not nice to them either, or not by his own definition to himself. Have to serve them instead of avoiding them though.

Regardless, he finds here there, where the decor abruptly goes from opulent to the plain look befitting their status.]


I picked up some for myself, too, but I won't feel right eating anything if you don't.
soft_focus: (extra 07)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-16 11:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I already said I would eat it, [She says plainly. The food is taken, and she chews a bite off, eyes still blank and seemingly empty as she does so.] ....I need to go back to work quick though.
espigeon: (11)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-17 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes. I know. This won't take long.

[He crouches next to her and scarfs a thing that he doesn't taste.]

I wish you could be happy doing this, Reira. I mean. I'm happy.

[This is happiness, isn't it?]

I'm not saying fake it. I just... I don't know. This is my fault, so I wish I could make things better for you.
soft_focus: (-bites lip-)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-18 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Of course it won't. She's quick. She scarfs it down, swallows, and.....

....And....
]

.....You're not. [He's not. He's not really happy. Something keeps getting in the way of the feeling. Something strange-maybe fear, but it doesn't feel like that. It's something else. A wrongness (she's scared of it), a wrongness she can't explain (it makes her scared).

She....
]

....I'm fine. [....She's not.]
espigeon: (10)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-18 11:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Julien's pedipalps are Helpful and assist in cramming a roll into his mouth, which then means he can't talk right away. Let's chew very fast and swallow it, this is too much to actually talk through. A passing manor servant gives them a wide, wide berth.]

Of course I'm happy.

[He looks at her helplessly, and then if she doesn't move away when he leans in he's gonna give her a hug.]

You're as fine as I'm happy.

[Julien can't quite articulate that this isn't happiness, but he can think around it, a little, enough to know that things are wrong and then forget it, many times over. He pulls back again, dusts himself off.]

All right. Time to get back to it, huh?
soft_focus: (son u gon get it now)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2017-10-19 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
.....You're not happy.

...but I'm fine, [she replies, standing stiffly. There is no need to dust herself. She simply adjusts her hold on the basket, and moves to deposit the dishes she had.] ...We just need to keep working.
espigeon: (12)

[personal profile] espigeon 2017-10-19 12:31 pm (UTC)(link)
It's totally proportional.

[Julien pauses then goes oh why not and dips at the waist so he can brush his lips and palps against the top of her head. And against that rock flower, with one of said palps. He's up again and turning away in a second.]

I'll track you down later. Stay out of trouble, kid.