⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

[ringleaders]

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 47 - Day 58 ish
Where: The Athenaeum
What: The carnival arrives at book world. First week, they'll be performing for magical manifestations of book characters. Second week, it's time to hunt (for books, in the library.) Around Day 58 some stuff will occur.
Warnings: Reading is mandatory.

FAERIE TALES↴ Though the carnival will be performing for its guests in the first week, they are welcome to search the Athenaeum while they are off duty during that time. The manifestations of story characters will be out in full force during performance week, with animals, people, objects, and even locations growing out from various tales. Most are distracting at worst, and will be curious to check out the carnival. Some, however, can be as dangerous as they were in their stories of origin. You know what to do. ► IT'S TIME TO ROLEPLAY: The best way to deal with book ghosts is to follow their narrative to its logical conclusion - turn the tables, work the story so it ends in your favour! Naturalistic and narratively satisfying plotting will have the manifestations following your lead. However, push too hard and introduce too many plot holes, inconsistencies, or illogical plot twists, and they will reject your reality utterly, becoming quite aggressive in the process. You can also use your natural abilities and powers to fight them in a traditional sense, but in the Ringmaster's experience, it's best to fight reality benders by bending reality right back at them. If you aren't careful, it's possible to be dragged fully into a story's reality, and then things get really messed up. ► IT'S ALSO TIME TO READ: The carnival came here for a purpose, and that purpose is to research. Specifically, the Ringmaster is looking for information on the Queen's Miracles - the set of ancient fae artifacts that the Blue Rose is one of. The carnival needs these artifacts to defend itself, but nobody knows where they've been for thousands of years. That's what the books are for. However, nothing is stopping you from pursuing knowledge for personal reasons. The halls are open to your perusal, and only your heart can guide you to the book you truly seek. Check the plot post to see what's allowed, and sign up to find plot info or other important game information below.

Comments

CARLY | OTA | All Event Unless Marked

[fortuneglass]

[BOOKS GLORIOUS BOOKS]

[It was with a loud and cheerful 'whoo-hoo!' that Carly had initially entered the Athenaeum, and she had yet to lose that cheer by any significant amount. While she certainly had a bit of a 'moment' on the second day, she quickly pulled herself from her gloom-and so, aside from her time in the wardrobe tent on the job, she carries on her research and snooping.

...Mostly.] Ooooo... [Click, goes her camera, as she snaps a picture of...a picture?] That looks like something we could work with for costumes...

[Wardrobe Research never ends. Of course, at other points-]

Hmmn, maybe that could be helpful, [She'll mutter to herself, constantly flipping through one book after the other. Occasionally she pauses and again clicks with the camera, but mostly she's stooped over something with a focused stare.

Or, well-] BFHG-

[Bumping into someone with said book. Whoops?]

[SHADOWS - DAY 48]

[When she finds the book, she doesn't even realize it could be relevant. Instead, snapping a picture of the book-less page so that the slip of paper can be placed As She Found It, she stares at the image on the screen and grins.] I knew it-! [She cheers, scratching Nuna the Marowak's head in her cheer.] 'A soul is both the light and the shadow it casts-', I knew learning from that book wouldn't be totally hopeless~!

And the Ringmaster even gave me that cloak, so honestly, [she mutters, pouting with the camera. She pauses, however, as she looks at the rest of what she caught.] ...Eh? ...'Good and Evil are inextricable, they thought. They are one in the same'... ...hahh, what is that even supposed to-

[And then, she's abruptly pulling a face, grimacing deeply as the rest of the writing meets her eyes.] W...'When even light invites darkness, then both must be found unworthy...the mortal soul would be pur-' H-HEHHH!?

W-What, purged!?

[help]

[THE FEATHERED-MAIDEN MEETS HER END | PICK YOUR TALE]

[Carly's stories are found scattered-photograph cards with images upon them. Some come in sets-others...not so much. But occasionally Carly herself may find one while flipping through a few books, before hurriedly hiding it where she found it-hoping none had seen. Sometimes instead she simply stares, confused-recognizing the art, but not the scene.

But other times, creatures from the tales rise upward, looming above-and Carly turns very slowly indeed, when such things as darkened shadowy birds, or 'charming' men with one eye covered, begin to appear.

(Choose the story you wish to find, or wish to catch Carly reading; alternatively, characters can fight either Aslla Piscu, or the Story!Version of Divine, her murderer, if they wish)]

[WILDCARD]

[Carly is rather dedicatedly seeking out information to help her to learn Shadowspeak, or at least translate it easier. She's become rather stubborn about this. Still, in addition to being found in her usual position in the Wardrobe Tent, or in her General Location-Based position of BOOKHUNTING, she can also be caught dragging Nuna-her marowak-away from a few bookspirits it may have agitated. Hit her with whatever!]

SHADOWS - Day 48

[criticallyfucked]

Foster, searching a high shelf, is mostly tuning out the whispers and idle chatter of other employees. He has his purpose, and they have theirs--or not, he doesn't really know; he never really knows what other people are doing, but it isn't his business.

Well, it mostly isn't. Carly is sort of an enigma, to be honest. He had written her off like he's written off most people--as simultaneously well above him and absolutely not worth his time. The Great Hunt didn't really change that; useful, even powerful, magic and good aim are not exceptionally rare qualities, especially in the Carnival.

But then, with her personal interest in his affairs...

Anyway, it's the sound of her voice going shrill and loud that makes him flinch, full-body and cringing--he doesn't drop the book in his claws, but they definitely poke a couple of indiscreet holes in the pages.

He shuts the tome firmly, holding a thumb in his place as he weaves in and out of the shelves to find her.

[insidescoop]

Carly for her part, doesn't really pay much attention to Foster's arrival. On the one hand 'ah, why should she' is probably a thought but on the other it's largely because she's holding a scrap of paper against her chest yammering incoherently about not wanting to be 'purged' or similar.

Her marowak, nearby, simply frowns, stares, and then goes for Foster.

"Maar, Marro maro-" You. You there.

FIX THIS! Fix this now!

[criticallyfucked]

Foster backs up quickly, hooves lifting high off the floor to avoid the Marowak--

Whose Poke-language he incidentally does not speak, no matter how adamantly it's spoken to him.

He isn't interested in parlaying with it anyway, though--once he's good couple of steps back of it, he moves forward, getting in one good long stride of a canter before swerving around the Pokemon entirely.

He owes Carly, though, so he slows to a trot and stops as he pulls abreast of her--and reaching out, snags the slip of parchment with the tips of his claws, flipping it around to read.

Turns out he also doesn't speak 'incoherent babbling' either, you see.

Which is pretty fucking ironic.

[fortuneglass]

"MAAAAR-!" Well fine, be that way-

But also, there goes the paper. "AH-!" Carly yelps, eyes wide. "H-Hey!! I was reading that!" Had. Read that. Had. "What are you doing!"

[criticallyfucked]

"Reading."

Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer, apparently.

Of course, it's Foster, so you could have gotten a stupid answer with a smart question, too.

Good and evil... light and darkness. These are concepts Foster finds incredibly disinteresting--and by extension, tedious; in his experience, good and evil are concepts beyond his grasp, not to mention being aspirations and causes significantly above him.

Not unlike what he's found, there's both a lot going on here and... very little. Purging a soul... because it is both and dark? They... thought good and evil were the same? Implying it's not, then...? Is he supposed to know what that means, or care?

Ugh.

Well. Actually, none of this matters.

He glances up, regarding Carly sideways with his one lidded, narrow eye.

"Why would this mean you be purged?"

Books

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya stumbles forward as she runs into him from behind, just as he was going to open the book he grabbed. It results in it falling out of his hands, falling face-down to one of the middle pages. He almost steps on it turning around to see who hit him.]

Oh, careful. [There's no bite in his voice as he says it, reminding himself who Carly is. The wardrobe manager, right.

He starts to crouch down to retrieve the book, but stops halfway at a sudden sense of foreboding... and yeah, something's starting to leak out of the pages.] Not again--

Me: i dont kno a story i will come up with it later (Usagi thats a bad idea)

[insidescoop]

AH- [Whoops! There's a bit of a fluster that ends in her own book nearly falling, the woman scrambling before catching it and clutching it to her chest with a nervous laugh.] AhahahahaA! W-Whoops...sorry about that, [She coughs,] Ah...there's a lot of neat stuff here...

[But oh, what is that other book doing? And what's the title for that matter she wonders, tilting her head.] Eh?

...hooo, that's faded...

[So much for a clue. Wherever or whatever it's bringing though, it's not exactly lush-the bookshelves seem to be turning to brick and stone, and it's grown dark. Dark as a full moon night.] ...This happens a lot, huh...

[chronosynthesis]

[Syrlya sighs as he collects the book and straightens up, looking around to take in their new surroundings.]

Right, well. Perhaps we will be able to simply walk out of this one before any spectres appear. [Fat chance.] Maybe we should try the way that you came.

[He turns to Carly, then, and gestures her direction.]

...omg what if a sherlock or arsene or similar

[insidescoop]

Oh! Good idea, [She nods, steepling her fingers.] We just need to...try not to stand out, I guess.

[.....................] ............This might help more, [She mutters, scattering into feathers to take her much smaller, slightly less brilliant form.

Being made of light is Probably not going to help things after all.]

I'm down o7

[chronosynthesis]

[Yeah, that 'constantly glowing' thing might get in the way... Syrlya's is based on an internal clock, not darkness, so he's distinctly less visible right now.

Regardless, since she's ahead of the way they're planning to go he gestures for her to take the lead.] I suppose we won't be trying to subtlety... but, please, you first.

[Books]

[everybodypanic]

[It wasn't so much that she bumped into someone, but the other way around.

Specifically, it was Jinx moving up behind, close enough so that she could wrap her arms around her.]

Carlyyyyy...

There's books everywhere!

[This is so not Jinx's element.]

It's like someone looked into my nightmares and decided to bring them life.

[Save her.]

[insidescoop]

Ahh-! [Her slight surprise is more obvious in her tone, than it is her reaction-Carly barely fumbles with her book in fact, merely glancing toward her shoulder where Jinx's chin is currently propped somewhat pathetically.] Hehhh?

You're not a fan of books then..? [She laughs nervously, still holding her own.] Ah...

[everybodypanic]

I hate books. They remind me of school, plus they're boring.

[Both were pretty damning as far as Jinx was concerned.]

Do books have a smell? Because I'm pretty sure I can smell them. That's how many there are!

[fortuneglass]

Heh? What, you never had like...a non-school book? [She asks, not digging too far into it.]

That depends-there's old book smell, new book smell...mostly it's about whatever things were printed on. I think some of these are using animal hide!

[everybodypanic]

How about a cool book smell. Is there something like that? I bet there isn't, because there's no such thing as a cool book.

And how the heck do you write books using animals?

WILDCARD - Readers Beware, We Choose the Scare!

[bananaspeedrider]

[Among the tales that have mention of darkness and shadows, a far different story might catch Carly's eye...

If she finds it after an incoming rude interruption. Looking through books doesn't captivate Yugo's attention forever, so eventually he's just putt-putting around on his bright red pocket hovercycle. Which seems to float high enough that it might even out how tall the woman is and how far above she prefers to float above the ground.

Either way, the teen happens to be peering over or around Carly's shoulder because seriously what is personal space and manners.]

... Hey Carly! What's this one about that you're looking at?

[A set of illustration cards that would be telling of a certain "Feathered Maiden" in their first encounter with the "One-Eyed Serpent". What a fun conversation starter.]

YOU WIN FOR BEST CHOOSE YOUR OWN REF

[fortuneglass]

H-IHH! [Rather immediately, she's fumbling with those particular cards.] Don't sneak up on me! And-

[Oh. Well. She stares at Yuugo and Yuugo's minibike, blinking.] .... [Should she...ask? ...Nah. Nah.

Anyway.] I'm not sure...they feel like something I've seen before, almost! It reminds me of the sort of art I had in books in Portland, actually, [She mutters, fanning out the illustration set.] They were in one of the Scribe's folders...which is rare! I don't think he's much for sorting things.

[bananaspeedrider]

[And already the teen is far more interested in them than opening up more books that at any point could be more trouble than they're worth.]

Whoever that guy is, I guess he likes spicing up whatever he writes. I've found a couple stories here that if look hard enough was about stuff that happened back home. Like the duels I've had in the Friendship Cup.

[Yugo's... still going to look over the cards and look for some kind of descriptive caption.]

[fortuneglass]

[The cards Yuugo manages to catch sight of are the following-

'The Feathered Maiden Battles The One Eyed Serpent'

The image is of sequential format, depicting the Feathered Maiden figure in her youthful garb, battling the One Eyed Serpent. The Serpent stands seemingly unarmed, while the Maiden amasses an army of Rainbow Coloured Birds to her aid.

In the second part of the sequence, the Serpent reveals great power, healing himself of the wounds the Maiden inflicts, before slaughtering the birds before her. The final portion of the sequence depicts the maiden at his mercy-held in the air by his sorcery, unable to fight any longer.

'The Feathered Maiden Falls'

The image is of a great tower, within which can be seen the figure of the One-Eyed Serpent. From its broken walls, falls the Featherd Maiden, who is seen with less colour than is typical. She falls toward what appears to be a series of platforms upon pillars, carrying demonic figures beneath. The platforms closest have snapped downward-indicating the eventual path of her fall, and likely end.

...They're certainly...interesting.] Eh..? Well, I guess so...

He definitely knows how to draw, that's for sure! ...Are...you serious about the duels though..?

[bananaspeedrider]

[Interesting is a fine way to put it. Yugo frowns at them, but doesn't have a lot to say about the cards as he hands them back to Carly. Aside from...]

Man this one didn't really end that well, huh...?

[Not that he's aware of how real the events depicted on them are.]

Course I'm serious. You can tell when I'm joking around.

KIND OF WILDCARD: "THE FEATHERED MAIDEN ANIMORPHS INTO A BIG GUN"

[alphudo]

He wasn't trying to follow Carly, per se, but given his utter lack of a goal in his mind when presented with the smorgasbord of options that is the Athenaeum, one of them best things he could think of at first was to stick with something familiar. Or someone, at least. He made an attempt not to pester her - an honest attempt, he really did - and for the most part just stayed several yards behind her, occasionally picking up a book he had seen her put back on a shelf, wondering what it was about it that had piqued her interest in the first place.

And he does this for awhile, content with simply browsing for awhile, until he discovers one of the books Carly may not have wanted anyone to see. And ever-quickly does Yuusei take interest in the chronicles of the Feathered Maiden.

He can draw some of the easier parallels with his knowledge of his own world (the Warrior of the Sun is Jack; that cannot be clearer), but eventually he finds difficulty in distinguishing between the Athenaeum's fantasised details and the events that actually happened.

So maybe his assumption here is exaggerated or even outright wrong when he finally does approach Carly, a few photographs in-hand, and hurriedly holds them out to her.

"Your face turned into a gun!?"

GOD!!

[fortuneglass]

"HEHHH!?!" Carly, suffice to say, had forgotten all about those cards.

Seeing them again causes the woman to choke and gasp, staring at the scene.

As stylized as it is, 'birdgun' is kinda recognizable. "Th-That-! H-Hey, how did you find all of these..!?!" she panics, not really answering the question at all.

[alphudo]

Even if some of the other cards were easier to keep in mind (the One-Eyed Serpent seems difficult to forget), some others might be... best left forgotten, really.

Like birdgun.

"I found them like any other book," he states with a hint of obviousness in his voice. He points to the photo again. "What."

[fortuneglass]

"These aren't exactly 'any other book'," she wheezes, coughing a bit. "...and....this one's a really weird story, for that matter, how many of these did you find," Carly hisses, trying to see if the 'taur has any other cards on him.