⇨ 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

[mylastchance]

He looks at Susan, feeling even more concerned than before.

"Why do you think you need to apologize?"

[dontpokethat]

Ginko slows to a stop in his trek through the snow when he catches sight of Doll; even with her face almost covered, the coat is enough to recognize her by.

...It's a relief to see her wave. He waves in return, while his tail curls hesitantly around one ankle. "...Hey."

[pipers_son]

It's nice to listen to Ginko when his voice is all quiet like that, not in the least because it makes it at least a little harder for other people to hear them. Joker feels like he could use the privacy right about now, even with his cheek smooshed against his arm.

"People." His expression twists a little. Not in distaste, but discomfort. "Thought it wouldn't be as bad. Still bad, 'tho. Bugger me."

[steadydollypegs]

She pulls her scarf down over her mouth so she doesn't have to shout. "Hey."

Doll looks at his tail--she's got more jeweled freckles springing up over her nose and cheeks, and they sparkle along with the fallen snow. She puts her hands back in her pockets and goes to him.

"How is he?" What she's asking, of course, is how is Joker actually doing.

[bananaspeedrider]

Yuya did say he got Yugo something didn't he? That grabs his attention back and for a minute he seems confused by the gesture, but only because-

"Oh, I mean I knew we were all buying gifts for each other, but I wasn't sure if it was better to wait or not in actually giving them."

He had a headstart in learning what Christmas was. It seems like a fine enough time for a break anyway for personal reasons related to his left arm. Not that it gets in the way of him accepting the gift. And letting it show how amused and touched he is.

What is it, he's got claws and they can cut through paper no problem. But Yugo doesn't immediately give in to the curiosity just yet.

"But I guess since you're here, I don't need to leave you waiting for yours."

[wild_magic]

"Because I don't even know why. And I made you spend your money, and talk to someone, just because of me being sad."

[hippocarnival]

"I don't think so?" The Ringmaster called it Solstice, not Christmas, which was fine for Yuya because Christmas is normally for couples and that makes it feel a little weird giving gifts to his friends. A new holiday is totally different.

It's probably not a surprise that Yugo got him something in return, but he smiles all the same. "But I can get it whenever, I'm not in a hurry!"

[dontpokethat]

Ginko would point out that that doesn't make going off on his own a better idea, but knowing Joker... if he's going to be miserable one way or another, he'd probably rather be miserable on his own.

Unfortunately, they both know from experience that's a bad idea - besides which, Joker still has to wait for the cure to finish working on his leg.

"You've just got to hold it together for a few more minutes. You can go home right away after that, alright?"

[dontpokethat]

Part of Ginko wonders if Joker will ever actually be open enough with his sister for her to just go to him to ask about this stuff. For now, though, he'll try and help however he can.

"Not great, but... better than he could be. Seems like everything with the Prince shook him up pretty bad, but he's recovering." He hesitates for a moment, pressing his lips together, then adds, "He doesn't remember the challenge."

B

[wild_magic]

Susan also would agree that snowballs are a great thing about snow, especially with so many people around that aren't just his brother. Snowball fights with someone who can, you know, cast ice and snow spells aren't so much fun.

But he's not quite expecting a snowball to be thrown out of nowhere, the warning of 'think fast' not really enough to let him do anything other than cast a Shield spell, the snowball hitting the invisible force instead of him.

Of course as soon as he sees it was just a snowball he laughs as he turns towards where he heard her voice.

"Hey, no fair!" But you know what, he's still going to lean down to make a snowball of his own.

[moonfang]

Zangetsu is just so overcome, he has no words. He peeks into the carrier and a bright blue eye looks back at him. The syrax paws at the carrier and mewls curiously.

Finally, a question he could answer simply. "Oh hell yes."

Zangetsu holds the carrier to his chest and dashes back out into the snow. He selects a nearby area not in the marketplace, but on well-packed down snow. He sets the carrier down and opens the door.

The syrax is actually a bit timid, confronted with something new! She peeks out of the carrier and sniffs the snow, then touches it with a paw.

"You'll be alright," Zangetsu coos at the creature, "You have such fluffy fur!"

[bananaspeedrider]

"It's not problem either way, yeah. Hey Clear Wing, think you can go grab it from here?"

The dragon stares for a moment upon the request, then huffs a sound that perhaps translates to 'fine whatever'. The tiny summon slips inside the cabin through a window and hovers back out after a minute or so with a bag.

Into Yuya's hands Clear Wing plops the tiny thing. Tiny but awesome.

[hippocarnival]

Yuya holds his hands out for the package, excitement lighting up on his face as he looks at it. Sure, he was all in the spirit of giving to others, but he still really wanted to receive and who doesn't like getting gifts.

"Hey, thanks!" He grins at Yugo and doesn't waste another moment before pulling the bag open and fishing for the prize. He really has no consideration for the state of the wrapping paper.

[bananaspeedrider]

And inside the bag is a ring! One must wonder if it does anything, a completely good idea to try the thing on either way surely.

Meanwhile Yugo also doesn't want to hold on any longer to the suspense either, tearing away the paper. What did Yuya get for his Synchro Dimension brother?

[hippocarnival]

The paper pulls back easily, not having been thoroughly wrapped, revealing a set of super wheelies! As if Yugo didn't have enough ways to go zipping around the carnival.

Yuya holds the ring closer as he inspects the patterns, curious. He looks between the ring and his hand a couple times, considering, before he slips it on the middle finger of his left hand and sees how it looks.

He glances aside when he hears the paper stop tearing, however, curious about Yugo's reaction first.

[brightspot]

It's not like it's the first oddity that Five has run into here at the carnival, his not needing to eat. And she'd met androids prior to arriving here who didn't need to eat either. Though... The Raza's android could eat, and could taste things, even if it wasn't necessary for survival.

She's surprised, of course, by his speaking aloud a direct response to something she'd been thinking. He's got... Some powers then, it would seem. It's... Kinda creepy, granted, but it also makes her even more curious about him.

"Oh. Uhm, I guess. I never knew my real parents. They died when I was really young."

Instead, Five was raised in group homes, in custody of the state. She only has snippets of memory of that, knows that she ran away to live on her own at the age of twelve only because a file told her she did.

"For a few months, or what felt like a few months, she was sort of my mom, though. But she saw someone else when she looked at me, and... I was someone else when I looked in the mirror." She can recall it vividly, looking in the mirror and finding a small boy reflected back at her instead of her own image.

It hadn't really been an exact science, probing her mind for those memories like that. Doing so had been pretty dangerous, actually. But she'd felt so happy and loved while she was there, it had been hard to leave. In reality, she'd spent maybe a few hours on the medical table. But time had passed for her like she'd been there for months.

"Do you always know what people are thinking?"

[anti_nonsense]

Plants you smoke? He can’t mean...

Rita returns, holding a bag from the market containing a digital photo printer. She never really thought to wrap it, but considering her present company, it’s doubtful that anyone will notice or care.

“Here.” She holds it out to 9S. “I was thinking about how you and Pod have so much visual data, but limited ways of sharing it with people...” Mainly because most people at the carnival don’t own electronic devices, much less compatible ones. If 9S can just print physical copies, he can pass that data around to anyone, anytime.

As she allows 9S a chance to take a look, she leans in closer to him and whispers, “Hey... are you serious about giving that stuff to him?” She sounds very, very unsure.

[wild_magic]

Item Purchased: Sunlight Ambrosia x 1
Gift?: Yes
Total Item Cost: 45
Credits Spent: Susan (45)
Additional Notes:

Item Purchased: Faerie Ale x 1
Gift?: Yes
Total Item Cost: 45
Credits Spent: Susan (45)
Additional Notes:

TOTAL COST: 90

[hippocarnival]

[Yuya's shoulders slump. Strange may reassure him, but hearing he can't even get the magic to react is pretty discouraging.]

Um... it doesn't feel like much. [He shrugs, not particularly sensitive to magic currents.] Like there's something heavy in the air for a minute? But then it stops when the spell finishes.

[wild_magic]

"Yeah, why not? I don't have anything better to be doing." Except resting maybe, but he'll go home when he's tired. Probably. Right now he's bored, so exploring it is.

"I'm not climbing now, anyway, just looking."

[mylastchance]

He steps closer, putting a hand on Susan's shoulder again.

"You didn't make me do anything." he says, trying to be reassuring, but also still just confused at the uncertainty he's seeing his normally confident brother display.

"I want to help you."

[wild_magic]

He looks up at him when he puts his hand on his shoulder, and Lauren can see that Susan looks confused himself, but then he looks away again.

"Okay... Sorry. I'm glad." Even if now that he glances at the cage he wonders if they did the right thing or not.

[bananaspeedrider]

"Oh wow...!"

They're interesting and Yugo's imagining what it might be like to skate around on them in a place that isn't covered in snow. One will have to wish him luck in learning how to balance.

"Thanks, Yuya! And what do you think of yours?" Oh wait. "Try hitting something with that hand!"

Oh boy. (Though preferably something expendable.)

[criticallyfucked]

Foster on a higher moral ground.... that's depressing.

Either way, the sad truth is that Reira is one of very few individuals keeping an eye on Foster. Which isn't to say Foster isn't keeping an eye out for her.

He has functionally been distracted by his own blood, though--in all its various forms. Fresh and liquid, thick and sticky, dried and crusted; pulling the clotted excess out of his fur coats his claws in it, and there is a terrible gratitude, a kind of fixation with an irresistible magnetism, a pull that he can't break away from--

Needless to say, he does appear to be ignoring this conversation. He isn't, not entirely--mostly because Flowey successfully catches his attention with the assertion that Monsters are made of magic. There are a couple of Monsters in the Carnival that he has an interest in understanding more closely... although the motivation between the two cases is very different.

So... he's basically eavesdropping, and pretending that he's not.

[steadydollypegs]

Part of Doll is sure Joker will never tell her anything ever again, and so she has to resort to going around to every one of Joker's friends and getting them to do what she should-- take care of her brother. But what else is she supposed to do when he won't let her near him?

She seems genuinely startled by that last revelation though, and looks at Ginko with a wide, scared eye. "Are you sure?"