⇨ THE LUNAR SOLSTICE

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Winter Breaks: Day 6 - Day 25
Where: THE MOON
What: The carnival journeys to one of its moons to celebrate the Lunar Solstice. More information here.
Warnings: Winter fun.

MOON WALKING↴ The journey to the moon only takes a blink of an eye, but it leaves the carnival far away beneath you. The second moon can be seen on the peripheral, massive compared to its usual view. At least when the holidays start out, there will be no notable wildlife on the moon, though this is something you can talk to the Ringmaster about if you think it needs a change. It sounds like this is the first time she's used it in quite a while - it probably needs some dusting off! Claim your cabins, and proceed to... well, do whatever you want! There is no rush and little obligation, besides to enjoy yourself. For real, this time. She promises there will be no vampires. Or, at least, none that don't already work for the carnival. ► CABINS: Living arrangements are character choice for this event, and there are a variety of cabins of various sizes, mostly built to house 2-6 people, though you can fit more in if you squish. They are all made of wood and of a rustic design - no fancy modern furniture, here! Each building is housed with a fireplace and the needed amenities. You can pick up materials to cook with the private kitchens if you like. Theoretically, you could spend the whole holiday sequestered away, watching the snow fall. Some of them also have outdoor hot tubs available! ► ACTIVITIES: Activities are mostly going to be character driven, though there will be some large group games like bingo and maybe a poker tournament happening at some point in one of the festival halls. Otherwise, there is a lot to offer: skiing, snowboarding, hiking, ice sculpting, snowball fights - it goes on! If you'd like to run a winter activity, just let the mods know, and we will get the word out there for you. ► FEASTING: Every day isn't a full-out feast because that would get a bit unhealthy, but there will be a number of specific feast events over the holidays where everyone is encouraged to let out their inner hedonist and stuff themselves. There will be one big feast per week, with smaller but also delicious meals offered in between. The feast dates will be B12, B18, and B24. There's also plenty of alcohol available for anyone who wants it. ► SHOPPING: As mentioned in the planning post, there is a massive market being run by the World Walker Caravan! The Ringmaster has given everyone 1250 credits to spend on items, but there is a caveat - must spend at least 500 of those credits on gifts for other people. And it better be a good one, if you only buy one! (She will ask that you do not buy her presents, however. She appreciates the sentiment, but it seems sort of silly buying her things with her own money! If you'd like to gift her, please have it be something more personal or handmade, but you are not obligated to get her anything at all.) ► TREATMENTS: The beginning of the holidays will also be about the time that the emergency Medical Team will have finalized their treatments for the Prince's poisoning. Watch out for further information on that - and make sure to get treated if you are suffering from petrification or poison induced illness! The holidays will be a lot more fun that way.

Comments

[anti_nonsense]

That's part of it. [The lack of children is another reason, too.] But most of all, it's because of monsters. Unless you're well-protected, going outside the cities is as good as a death sentence.

[She finishes lacing the skates and stands up, then takes her first wobbly step onto the ice, holding an arm out for balance.]

[hippocarnival]

[For some reason, Zarc is nevera positive topic for him.]

You can open it whenever you want. [If it's later, it'll probably be when he's not around anyway.

He tilts his head to peer at her.] I guess I should have talked to you about it sooner, but I didn't think it was something that was going to come up like that... you know, when we split and were born again, we didn't remember anything. And even though I know now, I don't remember much. I'm still figuring this out, too.

[hippocarnival]

Really? [He moves to give her plenty of room... but he is leaning forward a bit, ready jusy in case she looks like she's going to fall.] Why are there so many monsters?

[soft_focus]

Mnh. [She nods, and holds it carefully.] ....I still don't remember everything from home, right now. ....I know it was bad. ...That's why I forgot. ...It's why I stopped feeling things, [she adds.] ...........It's why I don't know most things, and why I don't know the words for most feelings, or what makes me feel them....

...But...even if I don't remember everything properly, and even if I know a lot of it was bad... ...I know it's important to make sure what's going to happen next is better.

If you only think about what happened before, then nothing changes, right? ....So you have to make better things happen, so that the better things become something that always happens, I think.

[That. Didn't make a lot of sense, but. Whatever.]

....

They're a flower, [They say after a moment. He'd said 'nevermind' so................he probably won't look for them right?]

...........If you see them, they're a flower.

...They won't know who you are, though. When I told the story that time....

....I didn't mention you, or the others, at all.

[atouts]

Or he could fly away and leave Baker to manage Strange in the ways only a dog and their endless amounts of fur and slobber can. However, he won't. Childermass carries on his merry way even as Strange catches up to him, not even missing a beat, although Baker does break rank to turn and shove his nose at the other magician, sniffing away as dogs are wont to.

"Sounds to me like you've already had several," he points out in answer to the question. Yes, he knows that isn't what that means, but it's early and he was in an infinitely better mood before Strange barged in.

wildcard: shopping and getting hiiigh

[whattaprick]

Unsurprisingly, Lambert's been reluctant to participate in the festivities since their arrival. An aversion to cold weather (even if it really isn't that cold) and the pressing matter of his partial petrification are excellent reasons not to stray far from the cabin he's set himself up in (with no apparent roommate other than his chemistry setup, which Childermass has so generously shadowed up for him).

When Strange walks into the cabin a few days into their stay on the moon, there's a sharp, chemical smell in the air and Lambert's in the middle of jimmying a window open, swearing quietly under his breath. He doesn't look over at Strange, but he knows who it is, and he's already jerking his chin over to indicate the other side of the cabin.

"Can you get the other one?"

[soft_focus]

....Indeed, they have fallen a bit short on...that. Hmm. "....Do the colours he has count?"

[hippocarnival]

[He... kind of follows it. He knows Reira is trying really hard to relate to him. Their circumstances are wildly different, and both of them are difficult to explain in their own ways.

He leans back, looking down at his pendulum as he rolls it between his fingers. And then he looks back up at Reira, a little confused.] A... flower?

[dressedtothe]

Of the cabin's occupants, 9S is the only one who hasn't experienced any changes due to fae magic. Maybe it's because he's mechanical? He's quite attached to his human-like appearance, so drastic changes would be rather upsetting even if the experience would be worth recording.

As usual, Pod 153 doesn't respond; Cole isn't its assigned unit, nor is Cole partnered to its assigned unit. Its AI isn't even developed enough to truly feel appreciation for Cole's kind action, though it does take the plate of chicken from 9S and brings it to the nearest table. 9S hands Cole the other plate full of desserts -- 9S' discovery of desserts has lead to developing a sweet tooth -- so that his hands are free to unhook the bags from his arms.

"Yep. The Market had some interesting items in stock. I bought you two and a few others some things." 9S pulls out the polaroid camera, video camera and pen from the bag and holds it up. "Here, these are yours, Rita."

As for what's left in the bag... it's mostly bags of plant matter with a box of matches buried between them.

[whattaprick]

Lambert's primarily occupied working on formulating the potion part of the cure, but there's only so much that he can do with that in a day.
Sans has been too sick and in recovery for them to do more than exchange a few words to the effect of 'hey, so i guess I'm still alive and you are too, so we didn't completely fuck up.' The first couple of days after his arrival, he was busy setting up the lab, but at this moment there's not much more to do than actually wait for other people to do their part.

So he has a little time to figure out what other people are up to and where they're staying at. The witcher's somewhat comically overdressed for the relative temperature around here, wearing at least three layers and a scarf he's dug out of somewhere wrapped around his neck. He regrets trading in his jacket from Portland, but to be fair, he hadn't expected to ever need it.

It's a sharp contrast to sans in the tub, but he'll stop by it anyway, leaning his elbows over the edge and grinning shittily at the skeleton. "Enjoying yourself?"

[soft_focus]

...He wasn't one before, [she explains. ....That's somewhat secret but it's probably safe to share...that much.] ....But something happened, and he ended up that way. And he did a lot of bad things...I don't know what things-he doesn't want to say. But they're things that make the people from his world worried. ....Worried enough to tell people to stay away, [she adds, remembering the conversation between Papyrus and Flowey.]

...I don't know exactly what happened. ....but....

...It made his feelings go away. It's not like someone who doesn't feel things properly. There's still something there-even I had something, I think. ....It's empty.

...so he's trying hard to get them back. Every feeling there is. ...even the ones that hurt them.

[sarcaskick]

Nnnnnope.

[ He's never been a romantic, never wanted anything long-term - hell, never had the chance for anything more than a one night fling. Why start now? ]

Depends what you mean by "shared". Actually spent the night together, no. Occupied that space for other things, well...

[ A shrug - he takes the shot regardless. He just wants to drink, okay ]

Never have I ever driven a car.

[hippocarnival]

... Uh, does he want you telling people he did bad things and his feelings are gone?

[Whatever that means. He's missed all the monster drama, and that all sounds... well, honestly just as personal as what's going on with Zarc. If he's open about it, that's fine, but given Reira saw no issue talking all about it until Yuya explicitly sat her down...]

[soft_focus]

He's already telling people that part.

[Well maybe not quite like that, but.] ....It's the part about before he was a flower that's secret.

...But if he doesn't talk about the feelings part, he doesn't have a lot of help getting feelings back, right? So....I thought it made sense.

[It is, to an extent, his logic behind the matter...]

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

"R-Really?" Yuzu said, surprised. She didn't mind him overhearing her. In fact, with what he said, she was really grateful for the assistance! "I'm going to be quite honest, I didn't think I could! I mean, I'm just a cashier!"

[disjunct]

[ Welp, that did give her the answer she wanted, and also basically; same. She takes a shot. ]

Never have I ever settled for being a henchman?

[hippocarnival]

I guess? I don't know what happens when you lose feelings. [Or turn into a flower. But he won't ask too many details. If he's going to insist on a lot of privacy about Zarc, he's better to hedge with caution with other people's problems, too.]

I guess I'll know if I see him. How many talking flowers does the carnival have?

Winter Olympics

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

"YAAAAAAAAAGH!"

COLD! COLD! Yuzu had been minding her own business, walking around the area and dismissing the snow fort before her as something made for the resort. Instead, she was greeted with the snowball to the neck.

[soft_focus]

Mnh.... ...For me, I stopped feeling because it was dangerous... ...Not feeling things made it easy to listen to orders, and do them...

....I don't know what would happen if you didn't have feelings for a long time, but.... ....someone who doesn't feel anything, after a while, probably wouldn't care if they hurt someone.

....They wouldn't be able to feel the things normal people do, when they do those kinds of things, after all.... [It's worrying. She worries, really, about what could happen if the right feelings are restored, actually.]

Umn.... ....can I have my necklace back now, though? [She asks hesitantly, chewing her lip.]

.........I've never had someone make me something like that. Something 'for' me', I mean.

[hippocarnival]

Oh! Yeah. [He gives her a sheepish look as he holds it out for her.

He's not sure if it's worse to hurt people out of hate or just because you can't feel bad, but he hopes the flower is remorseful. He still has his doubts about that last piece of their soul... a little bit of him doubts Yuri, and that all of them could have gone down that same path again. What if he didn't have his parents, or Yuzu, or Gon?]

Sorry, if you want to go back inside you can. That's all I wanted to say.

[soft_focus]

[The locket is clicked shut. The chain pulled back over her neck, its symbol shining in the light.

Reira is quiet for a few moments-staring at Yuuya, half wondering what to say. Eventually...

....She takes a step forward instead, going in for a hug.]

....'m sorry about the things that made you upset, [she says after a moment.]

....I just....

....don't want you to keep thinking you're bad.

[npcarnival]

The first one of them he'll manage to track down and get the attention of is one of the Winter changelings, apparently called Shimmer. Initially, she will just arch an eyebrow at his interest, but will eventually laugh and tell him that if he wants to hear about it, he had better buy her a few drinks first. And good ones.

Will he buy her some drinks?

[sarcaskick]

[ He expects something utterly stupid to be next, especially with a disclaimer like that. A ridiculously ugly helmet? A big siren to wear on top of his head? So to find actual armor as the next item - a full set of it, at that - seems to actually catch him by surprise. He takes it out one piece at a time - she worked with his usual color scheme, and all of the garments were light enough that his agility-based style of combat shouldn't be hindered by them. Honestly, it's some quality work.

Which is more confusing than anything, and he lifts his head to squint at her suspiciously. ]

You didn't have to spend a cent on me. Why?

[insidescoop]

Carly, much like Childermass, is also looking for shadowy things-but rather than asking about Shadow Elementals, she'll be more upfront about trying to find anything that could potentially help in matters of translation with shadowspeak, asking specifically about that language as she goes. Even a single scrap of information could help, and she's willing to offer some payment if that's what it takes.

[sarcaskick]

[ He looks at her with slightly narrowed eyes.

And doesn't take a shot. ]

I don't settle for anything if it's not what I want to do.

[ Even if things have... changed, a little. ]

Never have I ever used the powers of ~ultimate analysis~ to read someone.

[ oh now they're getting to the "fuck you you're gonna take shots" questions ]