⇨ 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

[hippocarnival]

[Oh--Yuya catches her in his arms and gives her a squeeze in the embrace. He doesn't respond at first, until he lets out a breath and smiles faintly.]

Don't worry. I have a lot of friends now, so I can't be unfair to myself.

[They certainly won't let him make a martyr out of this, and he knows who will believe in him no matter what. The truth can't take away who he is now.]

Fade out here?

[soft_focus]

[Ooooooof.] You're bad at that....but ok....

[Good thing that statement is muffled!!!]

[kingsroads]

Strange stands still and lets Baker sniff him. If Baker gets close enough, he's straight up getting head scratches of some sort. After all, Baker doesn't have anything to do with Strange being an idiot. Baker can get all the head scratches the dog wants.

"I'm sorry," Strange says, without hesitation. "I've no excuse for what I said and the way I say it. It shan't happen again."

It's after he says his piece that Strange frowns a little. It feels like he should say more. But then again, Childermass probably doesn't want to hear a long string of Strange waxing metaphysical about Portland and the nature of spells there or long justifications about how much of a terrible mood he was in at the time.

[disjunct]

I don't know, Mr. No-Birthday, maybe because you're the most interesting person here?

[ She can't predict him, but she can read the truth from him from time to time. Blatant things he wouldn't have to lie about. But she's not leaving this on a pity note-- no no no, hell no. He doesn't want that, her ego is too big for that. ]

And since nobody's gonna celebrate my goddamn birthday on account of ending the world and all, I can't stand the idea of it going un-celebrated! So I'm forcing it onto you this year! It's your burden to have to go through all the embarrassing shit like getting gifts and having someone at a restaurant sing to you!

Sounds good o7

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya pouts and briefly squishes her. This is supposed to be a happy moment.]

[sarcaskick]

[ He keep looking at her as she speaks, then back down to the armor in his hands, then back up to her--

he doesn't look... super excited... ]

I think I'd rather have you go back to putting bombs under the bed.

[disjunct]

Oh, is that how it is? That's how it's gonna be? Huh? Right?

[ Takes TWO shots ]

Never have I ever kicked someone's head off!

[sarcaskick]

Oh, I better take a proportional shot for that one.

[ He just. Grabs the bottle. Takes a gulp. Jesus christ ]

Never have I ever worn my hair in pigtails.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeYsTmIzjkw

[kingsroads]

As soon as the chemical smell hits his nostrils, Strange can't help but wince. At least in his mind, this means that Lambert's never allowed to complain at him about the state of his room again because at least it doesn't smell like it will go up if someone lights a match.

No matter what, that window needs to be opened. So Strange walks over to the other side of the room and attempts to jimmy that window open himself, probably accidentally tracking some snow on the floor in the first place.

"Put on a coat," he tells Lambert, without really taking into account what the other man thinks about the whole situation. Thankfully, the window easily slides open. "We're going shopping. Or at least, we're leaving this cabin and letting the damn thing actually air out. You'll poison yourself even further at this rate."

[kingsroads]

This is why you make a budget, so you can have money left over to schmooze with people. Strange gladly agrees to buy her a few drinks: simply name the time, the place, and the alcohol.

[disjunct]

[ rolls her eyes ]

Not a good personality swap, huh? Got it.

[ back to herself ]

IT'S BECAUSE I FUCKING WANTED TO, ASSWIPE! THE RINGMASTER HAD A RULE ABOUT GIFTS AND ONCE I STARTED I DIDN'T FUCKIN' STOP! 'CAUSE THERE WAS JACK SHIT I LIKED ASIDE FROM SOMETHING YOU WILL BE HARDCORE JEALOUS OF AND WANT TO TRADE ALL OF THAT FOR THAT I DROPPED MOST MY MONEY ON.

PITY YOU? [ a change to her sad mushroom-sprouting head voice ] That is literally the worst thing I've ever heard of... it's [ swaps back. ] DISGUSTING. I'D RATHER YOU BREAK OUR FUCKING BEDS AGAIN!

I WAS BORED, LIKE ALWAYS.

[disjunct]

[ pretends to look surprise looking from one pigtail to the other ]

Wow... in that case I better--

[ Lines up three shots, takes out a match, lights them on fire, and takes them all. ]

NEVER HAVE I EVER BROKEN A BUNKBED I SHARED WITH SOMEONE.

[ gotta cover those bases ]

[hurtcomfort]

Slide down steep mountains on long boards? Well that sounds a bit dangerous. Cole can't help but frown as he looks over at the mountain.

"What happens if you fall over?" He's picturing a sledding sort of situation here, which he knows can end with people tumping over and falling down in silly ways. It hasn't really occurred to Cole that the large boards would even be remotely strapped to his feet.

[sarcaskick]

Awww, really? That's adorable. I'm sorry to say, you're not my first.

[ He'll just keep doing it his way, another swig from the bottle. Daddy would be proud ]

Never have I ever worn nail polish.

[hippocarnival]

"You get back up and keep going." Dangerous? More like exciting. Yuya loves action and he's not even a little worried about getting scratched up. "It's snow! Snow's soft, it doesn't hurt much. You want to try it?"

[npcarnival]

She'll invite him to meet her in one of the festival halls that evening, after her shift has ended. She'll bring along a bottle of something that hasn't been put on the shelves yet called "Sunshine Ambrosia", which is a pale gold liquor that glows. She'll tell them that they cost 50 credits usually, and if he's willing to write it off as his purchase, they can share it while they talk.

In terms of the alcohol itself, it seems to distinctively trigger the pleasure sensors in the brain, the same way chocolate does. Also, it makes a person feel as if they are basking pleasantly in sunlike or in the warmth of a fire, no matter where they are. Unlike the faerie ale, it wouldn't be so powerful as to make this conversation completely incoherent, though. Maybe later, she will say.

Provided he's willing to go ahead with this, she'll start by telling him that her master was a Winter Court Faerie called the Mother of Invention. Shimmer will pull open her robes at the top, revealing some kind of quasi-mechanical device built into her sternum, with a glowing core of blue.

It's run by Coldfire, she will explain, which is a brand term for water that has been cured with magic in such a way that it can function as steam without heat.

[disjunct]

You're missing out. Really adds to your ability to claw someone's eyes out! Gets all nice and in there.

[ She follows in his steps-- takes a swig from the bottle. ]

Never have I ever been amputated...! Lucky me.

[spaghettimonster]

"...Probably...?" That seems like sound reasoning. "If he didn't like yellow, he could dye himself... but he hasn't."

[hurtcomfort]

"If you want?" Cole's still a bit confused about all of this but alright, there's nothing wrong with touching. And if Julien does touch him then it seems Cole is cold. But it's hard to tell whether this is an effect of Cole's skin being out in the cold weather or if Cole himself is cold.

As for the question about the hat...Cole frowns for a moment, still rubbing the outside of his ears. "Can I have a different hat with holes in it instead? This one is from home."

And honestly, Cole thinks it might be the only object from home he even has. After all, he first arrived at the Prince's ball, after being shoved into fancy dress (something that's certainly different from the slapped-together brown outfit he's currently wearing.)

[soft_focus]

So....Yellow and green then..?

[sarcaskick]

And here I thought girls were always looking for new ways to lose weight.

[ Snatches the bottle away to drink, this is going to be a trainwreck very soon ]

Never have I everrrrrrr... fired a handgun.

[kingsroads]

Strange buys the alcohol because he's a gentleman and happily drinks some of it as well. He's deliberately pacing himself, trying to keep it so that he's drinking enough that he's being polite but not getting hammered drunk.

He listens intently and thankfully doesn't blush too badly when Shimmer shows off that quasi-mechanical device (as he's already seen one strange woman's boobs within the past month, let's try and keep it just at one). He'll offer sympathy at the fact that the thing's built into her sternum. Are devices like these just a Mother of Invention thing or something used by the Winter Court more in general?

[anti_nonsense]

Rita lets go of the collar, allowing it to slip back into place (or as close as it gets), and holds on to 9S as he guides her forward.

She's glad he's here. Rita can always count on 9S to help her.

How does she feel...? She has to think about it. As much as she'd like to say she's all better, no problems at all, the fact is that the poison's cloud in her mind has been replaced with a different kind of fog. "Better, I think... Kind of woozy right now," she admits, not quite acknowledging that the wooziness is a pretty clear sign of drunkenness.

[disjunct]

[ Three gulps from the bottle. You know who isn't a quitter? This girl, right here. ]

Never have I ever...

Tossed out my roommates entire wardrobe just to find my radio and poorly impersonate me because my roommate took too long in the shower.

[sarcaskick]

[ And for that, he'll take... a dainty little shot. Pinky out. ]

Never have I ever tried to decorate the entire trailer with my own personal decor, ignoring the fact that there's someone else living there.