lostcarnival | ⇨ WISMUTH

Entry tags:

⇨ WISMUTH

Who: Everyone!
When: S2:D6-D11
Where: Wismuth and the Carnival Grounds
What: The carnival enjoys a few days in Wismuth, a coastal city on this planet's version of the American east. However, there are a few things very unique about this version of the planet...
Warnings: The usual, wholesome fun.

PILLAR OF CREATION↴

Upon arriving, things in Wismuth will seem pretty peaceful. It's a massive city, with no shortage of things going on, but things like violent crime and homelessness are at an all time low. You can wander the streets without much scrutiny, presumed to just be tourists, and most people here come across as helpful and friendly.

► VIBRANCY: The main thing that sets this planet apart is its vibrancy - AKA, the raw creative energy its filled with, flowing from its status as a Pillar of Creation. There is no literal pillar, but Wismuth and its planet is a place where Creation's energy comes through strongest. As a result, everything here feels somehow more real, more intense in a way that's hard to put a finger on. Life is abundant, and its bleeds through in every sensation.

► ATTRACTIONS: There are plenty of things to see while going around the city. First and foremost, there is a lovely beach area bordering the ocean, and a number of tourist aimed attractions built around it. There are giant malls, movie theaters, live stage performances, museums and all kinds of other points of cultural interest. Anything you can do in a big city you can do here, but better.

► ALLOWANCES: The Ringmaster will be giving everyone a reasonable amount of local currency for a few days on the town. You can't make any massive acquisitions with it, but it's more than enough to eat out, see some shows, go to the beach, and whatever you like. You can feel free to pick up some casual supplies, like mundane clothing and souvenirs. There will be more given out later, after the performance week.

► PERFORMANCE: Performance week is starting early this time, after only a couple days of exploration. When the carnival has already been on vacation for a month, the Ringmaster figures they may as well get right to it, and then do more touring afterwards. Members of the local populace will find themselves in the carnival once performances begin, dazzled by the other worldly sights. Magic doesn't seem to exist here, despite the fact that it will flow easier for people bringing it from other worlds.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Connie is easy to trip over, since she's tiny and also not really paying attention (great trait for someone doing Security). It's just that she'd just come back with a bag full of books from Wismuth and she had her nose buried in one.

She cries out when they collide, her bag flying off her hand and smashing to the ground, shooting tiny paperback books in every direction while she stumbles onto her butt. Ow.

What just happened?

What happened is that Connie just got run over by a horse. Mostly, anyway. They're both lucky he wasn't going fast-- as it is, he pitches forward and and stumbles, narrowly avoiding stepping on her more by chance than by skill as his long horselike legs stamp inches from her head.

He does step on one of her books, though, grinding dirt into the cover and tearing pages under his hoof-toes.

"Fuck, fuck--fuck--" He manages to sidestep enough that he's not practically on top of her--it's less of a sidestep and more of a sideways stagger, honestly, but he point is, he doesn't kick her in the head.

He doesn't even know who she is!

Connie looks around to get the license plate of the bus that hit her, but she's astounded by what she sees. She just isn't going to get used to all the crazy people in this place, she's sure. Even after all the Gem stuff she's seen in the past months.

"Ow, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going..." Foster reminds her of the Zoomorphs series; there was an alien species that had the lower body of a deer. Other details were very different, like Foster had a mostly human face and he didn't have a scorpion tail.

This isn't Foster's first accidental collision--they've become more common since his transformation, an unfortunate trend made worse by (and not unrelated to) the challenging logistics of quadrupedal locomotion and a severely limited attention span.

He's always gone to deliberate lengths to avoid touching or being touched by people, though, even in the most benign of ways; it's this instinct alone that probably saved Connie's noggin from an extra knock.

"No, no, no, no." He backs away, weaving unsteadily as he... scolds her, practically, for apologising to him.

"I fucked up, I fucked up." One part desperation, one part anger.

"No, it's fine, see? I'm fine..." She's actually a little dizzy and bruised but she's more concerned about this obviously distressed taur.

"Are you okay? Do you need help?"

The absurdity of Connie asking the significantly-larger 'bus' that hit her if he's okay is not entirely lost on Foster, but neither is the crime of her having said it. Of asking, when the only part of this that matters is his transgression.

"I could have done much worse." Instead of relieved, though, he sounds angry. Threatening. "There's no helping me, no helping that. I shouldn't... shouldn't have been thinking about magic while walking. I shouldn't do anything while walking--it isn't my job to... to think. My rotted brain--"

He's burying his claws in his hair, sharp tips pressing into his scalp as he grips fistfuls of blond hair. He's barely looking at Connie, though--

And he's... still standing on one of Connie's books.

Edited (TW: for.... Foster? It'd help if you filled out his permissions dfjgadsgs) 2018-01-26 08:51 (UTC)

Connie loves books, but it's just a book. A two dollar paperback she picked up in a thrift store. She can lament the loss later, this person is having a crisis now!

"But you didn't, so you don't have to worry about it!" She unsteadily got back onto her feet and slowly tried to approach him, worried if he started to move too erratically.

"You can do magic? What kind of magic can you do? I'd be thinking about magic all the time too, if I could do it... Steven has a scroll that lets you cast a spell to turn into a tree. I haven't tried it yet, because I'm nervous..."

Here's the thing: Connie is wrong. Connie is wrong, because he does have to 'worry' about it. He has to, he needs to, because otherwise he'll 'forget,' and when he forgets his defect, forgets himself, he forgets his place. And when that happens--

"Magic? Steven?" Connie is quick to latch onto what interests her, but Foster is not as quick to follow. Onto a topic that isn't Foster's transgression, but his recompense, his stay of execution, his stay of fate--he as to work backwards through it, wrapping his head around her words retroactively, repeatedly.

He backs away from her pretty much immediately--though with less weaving this time--buying himself time (and space) to flounder in it. He knows... he knows who Steven is, though they largely avoid each other for numerous reasons, but... a scroll? A tree? Why--

His next word is delivered flatly and without context.

"No."

No? "N-no?" she asks, hesitantly.

He seems to be getting a little more lucid, but she's even more confused now.

Whether one would call his state of mind 'lucid' is questionable, but it is at least more focused.

"That's not my job," he replies more directly--and this time it's enunciated as clearly as his particular combination of mixed accent and prehistoric teeth will allow.

"I shouldn't be... shouldn't be wasting time." His voice drips loathing. Not for Connie, but for himself, for wasted time. He's not a mage here, he is--as he serves--menial labour, a beast of burden. What else could he ask for?

He has backed off her book, at least, and spotting its ripped and trampled pages does nothing but prove his point.

And remind him of something... important.

"Are you a visitor? Or an employee?" he asks, guardedly.

"Uh... employee. I'm a Patrol."

She wanted to go back to the 'wasting time,' part though. "I didn't mean to interrupt you while you were working..."

Actually, wait. She feels much less about apologizing being run over now that he seems to be mad at her for interrupting him.

"Stop. Stop apologising, don't apologise to garbage for being in your way. Courtesy to trash isn't necessary, it's disgusting."

It's not that he's upset with her for interrupting him--after all, he was the one off task to begin with--so much as it was never really about Connie to begin with, and now it's starting to come back around.

In its own way.

The good news is that she's not a customer. Foster generally tries to avoid visitors when possible, now that his job doesn't involve them--and running one over is not smiled upon in any case. But--

".... mmmm." His tail flicks, and he looks pensive... or distracted, maybe.

Then he smiles.

"Patrol... so you work for Sans."

She's completely at a loss while he talks about himself that way. She can't even understand at first that he is talking about himself, thinking at first there might be literal garbage strewn about...?

"Y-yeah, do you know him?"

"He's hard to know," Foster replies bluntly--but he's off the subject of himself as garbage, so at least there's that.

But he pauses, apparently distracted enough to give the subject of Sans some actual thought.

"He's... interesting." His long cow's tail switches at his ankles.

"But I can tell you he's one of the most trustworthy people here.... if he says he'll do something, he makes good on his word." He barks a laugh, as though at some joke hidden in those words. For him, anyway, there is--a joke at his own expense.

"And you can trust me on that."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ WISMUTH

B

no subject

haha not sure if i'll ever get used to looking at peoples LC changes before i tag them

OH NO RIP Connie...... Foster only wishes he were an Andalite

next change: eating through your hooves

Maybe he'd actually have some body mass if he did.....

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject