lostcarnival | ⇨ THE FANTASIA FESTIVAL

Who: Everyone who decides to come!
When: Day 12
Where: Wismuth's Fantasia Festival
What: CY-Ren's performance in Wismuth's biggest music festival finally arrives, and those willing to help Noa the Star Guardian show up to intervene.
Warnings: It doesn't go super well.

SONG OF THE CY-REN↴

CY-Ren's arena is the biggest stage in the festival by far, but it isn't the only one. Several big acts have assembled in the surrounding area, all with a lovely view of the ocean and with Wismuth's skyline in the background. Though she isn't explicitly the main attraction at the festival, everyone knows she's the real reason so many people have showed up. The amount of star power she has is overwhelming, and there are plenty of fans that would get violent on her behalf.

► GROUP UP: Noa will ask everyone to meet her in a park area near the festival stage, so that you can discuss plans briefly before putting them into action. The key is to try to stop the concert before CY-Ren's plans can come to fruition - whatever they may specifically be. How you go about this is up to you, but with how many people are present, it's bound to be a challenge.

► INFILTRATE: After speaking with Noa and determining what everyone will be doing, it will be time for everyone to break into the performance arena. No one has tickets for this, unless they've forged them, as they sold out a while ago. Any means of getting inside is fine, whether that be teleporting, passing through walls, or jumping in by wing. Once you've gotten into the crowd, it's up to you to get close enough to the stage to disrupt the proceedings.

► UNDER HER SPELL: It only takes her first song for things to start going wrong. The impact of the music will strike each individual differently - for most it will only feel strange, but for some it will be completely transfixing, like something that reaches deep into their soul. Those people, the ones slated to become Harbingers, will react to the the song strongly - upon hearing it, they will gradually completely lose their sense of agency, sluggishly moving towards the stage by whatever means available to them. If someone tries to stop them, they will go as far as physically, or even violently, resisting.

"Blindsided by the beat
Clapping your hands, stomping your feet
You didn't know that you fell
Now you've fallen under my spell"
Obviously, if you want to participate in the Harbinger plot, you'll have to arrange it so that they manage to follow through with their hypnotized objectives. They will feel somehow empty during this time, as like they need to follow the music in order to achieve any chance at fulfillment. If you are not becoming a Harbinger, you can still have your character be affected by this to a lesser degree and then stopped by another carnival member, or as a feat of self control.

► BATTLE: By the time she switches to the next song, things will have started to get real. Any blatant, long distance attacks made early on will be mysteriously blocked by some kind of magical force field surrounding the stage, which will take some time to penetrate - at least until Noa gets involved. Body guards will storm anyone who tries to get onto the stage, and ostensibly said guards are not at all human. Instead, they appear to be horrible looking shadow amalgamation in suits, and while their attacks are mostly just physical, they can move with unnatural quickness, can't be pinned, and strike very hard. They can be NPC'd by anyone, and only have vaguely humanoid thought processes.

"Me and you, you and me
Why don't we see who is better?
We don't have to be one and the same thing
Oh, what's so wrong with a little competition?
Are you afraid of failing the audition?"
By the end of the second song, the hypnotized carnival members will have been snatched up by CY-Ren's void agents and disappeared. This can manifest as them being grabbed and escorted off, or possibly disappearing into shadows alongside one of the bodyguards. The guards will be trying to work stealthily, ideally sneaking away anyone being affected by the song without anyone around them noticing, but they won't let secrecy get in the way of their objectives, either. The audience will be able to realistically notice if things start exploding in their faces, but the song will distract them from anything less obvious.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[There are already probably guards rousing and coming over here.] ....Branching out is nonetheless useless if the plate is already filled...!

But, there's no reason to say it's filled. I believe in you! You can fit way more on your plate!!

[They should probably continue this conversation in the crowd proper, instead of under the stands. Or at least carry some kind of alibi for hiding under the stands.]

[Indeed, they should-fortunately, as patient a man as Gongenzaka is, he is already rubbing the bridge of his nose and now moving on.] I, the man Gongenzaka, will not be pursuing changes in such a manner..!!

[They're moving on physically. Conversationally might take a minute or two. At the least, Papyrus catches the mood, and backpedals with as agreeable a tone as he can muster.] Of course! That's fine! Nobody has to be spiders. You have to do what's right for you.

[Phewwww. A sigh is released, and he nods.] Indeed, we must... ...For myself... What is right shall reveal itself, I suppose.

This is the case for all of us, is it not?

[yes about that]

[Riiiight, about that. Papyrus freezes, a little bit embarrassed, before rushing to catch up and blurting out a confession.]

I mean! If you really, really don't want to be a spider! There's nothing wrong with, going to the Ringmaster, and mentioning it, just in case, so she can... steer you somewhere else. I'm sure of it!

[very, very sure]

[There is a RAISED EYEBROW.] ...While I, the man Gongenzaka, have no doubts that would be the case, I joined the carnival in order to learn, and grow as a person..!

This means that I, the man Gongenzaka, must take anything which comes toward me..! [He determines, oblivious to the other's embarrassment.] To do otherwise...

Would be unforgivable..!!

Unforgivable??

[Papyrus presses a hand to his traitorous mouth, too late to keep it from slipping evidence that he, the Great Papyrus, isn't striving to learn and grow nearly so hard as he could. What can he do?? It's already too late to go canine. Gongenzaka took the story of souls and kingship rockily enough, confessing this would be...]

Oh no! I never expected this to be the line... the final straw... The death knell!

AUH!? [What?! What on earth!? Gongenzaka stops rather abruptly, gawking at the other.] D-Dea-

What on earth are you talking about!?

I did it! The unforgiveable thing! I... I...

[Papyrus flings a hand across his face, the bones of his forearm not actually thick enough to fully block his vision...]

I asked the Ringmaster to make sure I don't become a dog!

AUH-

[......................................oh]

Th-Th-

That is not unforgivable for you, Papyrus..!! It is a matter of personal outlook, is it not..!?

What I, the man Gongenzaka, mean by Unforgivable is... ....Is that it would be unforgivable for myself-!!

[WILL YOU BE ALRIGHT PAPYRUS

DO YOU NEED A HUG.]

Huh? Only for yourself...?

[A weight has been lifted, and Papyrus staggers with the freedom from fear.]

O-Oh! Phew! I, uh, I knew that. [he knew no such thing] I was just! Trying to be as cool and challenging as you.

Auhh! It is-

[Woah hold on while he comprehends that other part of w hat was said, uh-] Nh-

Th-That is... You feel I, the man Gongenzaka...Am 'COOL'..!?

[WHAT IS THIS FEELING....]

⇨ THE FANTASIA FESTIVAL

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flashbacks to pap's request from rm

but at least it wasn't spiders

rip pap

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