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.
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ringleaders) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lostcarnival2017-10-13 06:00 pm
no subject
Then...
[Is she only alright because she's not back on Earth? It's rather fuzzy logic, but it's the only thing he can think of right now. If that's the case...
He reaches forward to take her hands into his.]
When this ball is over, come with me and join the Carnival. The Carnival's Ringmaster... she might be able to keep the virus out of you.
[Maybe? He doesn't know. He doesn't know what the Ringmaster can even do. But he'll try anything at this point.]
no subject
Pod 042 can't give the order on its own.
What if it's so deeply embedded in her programming that it doesn't matter? If even without orders she...?
She casts a long glance across the room, before looking back at 9S.]
We should enjoy ourselves here.
[She very distinctly chooses to not answer him.]
no subject
2B! Please.
[How can he enjoy himself if things are being left hanging like this? How can he enjoy himself knowing that these may be the last moments he has with her?
The desperation is raw in his expression, his voice choking up as he speaks.]
I can't. I can't do it. Not if I don't know we'll meet again. Everything will be meaningless without you!
no subject
[What's one more lie? It comes easy enough out of her mouth, but it sits coldly in her chest. 2B isn't stupid. There is no meeting again after this, she feels.
She wants what could be her last moments with 9S to be.... To be filled with warmth. To be good memories, ones that he can keep and cherish.]
no subject
9S looks away from 2B, expression miserable, shoulders drooping with resignation.]
2B...
[God, he doesn't know what to feel other than numb. If Pod 153 were here, it would probably be warning him for an abnormally large spike in synaptic transmissions. As it is, he just wants to know why? What did they do to deserve this? They were supposed to end the war against the machines and bring peace to Earth! The humans were supposed to make their glorious return soon after!
But they...failed, didn't they?
And now all of YoRHa is gone.
2B will be gone soon, too.
...And he'll be the only YoRHa left alive.]
no subject
It probably doesn't mean much, however.]
.... Be kind to A2.
[2B told her to take care of him for her, after all.]
no subject
It doesn't change the fact that everyone else is gone and 2B... he doesn't understand why she doesn't want to come to the Carnival.
But now he has a bigger question on his mind.]
...Who's A2?
no subject
Another YoRHa unit.
no subject
Wasn't everyone infected by the logic virus...?
[He frowns, his processors focusing on this problem instead of... everything else that's throwing his emotions into disarray.]
I've never heard of an A designation...
[So probably either really new or really old. If 2B will allow him to, he'll thread his fingers between hers while they hold hands.]
...I guess this, uh, A2 wasn't connected to the Bunker, huh?
no subject
2B lets 9S thread their fingers together, before she tugs him gently to her.]
We should continue dancing. [She says, rather suddenly. The desire too is kind of overwhelming, and she feels more than a bit antsy because of it. Not that it's obvious given 2B's normal demeanor.]
no subject
I...
[His breath catches in his throat. The truth is, he wants to be with her. To hold her and never let go.]
...Alright.
[Maybe he has a better chance of convincing her to come to the Carnival with him when the ball draws to a close. If not... he doesn't know what he'll do with himself. The idea of being the last YoRHa left... aside from this A2 he's never met...
He'll be alone.
...Lead the dance, 2B. He can only follow.]
hey 4S is still alive at least
She's also silent, because she's not really sure what else she should say to 9S. There's a lot more she needs to, but... This isn't the same 9S. He may not have been reset, but he's also not... His memories aren't all there.
Maybe she shouldn't have said anything to begin with.]
as well as the stoned desert androids...
The silence between them is awkward, uncomfortable, not at all like those quiet moments they spent together fishing.
His hand gripping hers is tense, tight with worry.]
Hey, 2B...?
[He wants to lean in. He doesn't want this to be their last night, but if it is...]
How did I escape the virus?
god bless the stoner androids
I don't know. Our flight units got separated in a fight on the descent down to Earth. The flight units sustained heavy damage.
no subject
His voice is quiet. Subdued. Nothing at all like the initial excitement he had approached her with.]
I see.
[His grip on her hand and shoulder tightens. Her hand at his back, despite everything, is reassuring. All the words that he never voiced, all his unspoken emotions... This may very well be his last chance to say anything.]
2B, I...
[He shakes his head, briefly, trying to arrange his thoughts and feelings through the fog in his mind and the spiking in his pulse rate.]
...Thank you. For the time you spent with me. I know, I know, it was just because you were assigned to me. But... It's fun, having a partner. The days always feel brighter when I'm with you. Especially when we do things because we want to, not because it's a mission from Command. My time with you... Those are some of my most precious memories.
[Why does his chest hurt so much? He tries to smile, but his eyes are starting to water and his throat is closing from the unbottled emotions.]
That's why... That's why... this is so hard.
no subject
Her own pulse rate spikes, but it's for an entirely different reason. artificial muscles tense, and there's no doubt that 9S can tell with the way her fingers dig ever so slightly into his back a little more.]
I see.
[No. He deserves a better answer than that.
And yet, 2B can't seem to find any words for him. She's never been any good at this sort of thing. Unlike 9S who wears his heart on his sleeve, 2B.... She's repressed and hidden her emotions for so long that she doesn't know how to effectively put them into words.]
no subject
It's fine, 2B.
[His smile is tired.]
You don't have to say anything if you don't want to.
[Even if she doesn't feel the same way, it's... He just...]
I just wanted you to know.
no subject
It's a dirty tactic, but 2B is used to doing things this way. She raises her hand to the one on her cheek, covering it with her own.]
I could use some water, Nines.
[The nickname feels bitter on hr tongue.]
no subject
[...called me Nines. He can't help but feel a little elated at that, even if the dismissal crushes the last piece of happiness from his eyes and replaces it with confused disappointment.]
...Right. Okay.
[Maybe she needs some space. As much as he wants to stay glued to her side for the rest of the night, he could use some space, too. To try and calm down and get his wild emotions under control.
Reluctantly, he pulls away.]
I'll be back.
[He doesn't say when.]
[ooc: Continued here!]