lostcarnival | ⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

Entry tags:

⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Oh! That sounds useful! ...Even if the Sword of Light won't be real.

What's a riddle? The tongue part sort of makes sense; just because someone has a tongue doesn't mean they have to speak. But the other part?]

What? That's stupid! You can't walk if you don't have legs! Walking is defined as locomotion via movement of the feet, which are attached to legs.

[The mermaid's 'riddle' is dumb.]

[Yuya looks at 9S, confused, before remembering that maybe as an android 'riddle' is not a concept he's well acquainted with.]

Yeah... but it's a riddle. It's not literal.

[Yuya runs his chin, humming thoughtfully as he reviews it in his head. He looks down at the ground (and his feet,) falling silent for a minute or two as he puts actual thought into this.]

Is it... a shoe? [He glances up for confirmation.

The mermaid nods.] That's right. You have passed the riddle, but now you must also pass the challenge.

Really!? That's the answer?

[9S sounds offended. Even knowing the answer now, it's still stupid. A shoe doesn't walk! People walk in shoes, but the shoe itself doesn't walk! Riddles are dumb and stupid.

Huffing and folding his arms, 9S grumbles--]

Alright, what's your dumb challenge going to be?

[Yuya, meanwhile, is utterly pleased at having been right. He pumps his fist in the air, excited.] All right, I got it! That's one down.

[As for the challenge... the mermaid points to the right, where there's a tree with silver leaves and gold berries. Was that actually there a minute ago? Well, doesn't matter.]

For your challenge, you must retrieve the fruit from the highest branch. [A pause, before she adds.] In tact, without damaging the tree.

[That's maybe been a problem before.]

[9S frowns, looking up at the tree.]

Are you sure that's the challenge?

[Does he sound skeptical? Yep. It seems a little too easy.]

Pod, can you get it?

[Why climb the tree himself when Pod can just fly up there?]

< Affirmative. Commencing retrieval >

[If there's no further complications, box bot will indeed fly up there and pluck the fruit from the tree.]

[The mermaid props her chin on her hand as she watches pod fly up to retrieve the fruit. Well, they are all on the same team.

She holds her hand out for the fruit as pod returns.] Acceptable. You pass.

[Yuya turns and gives 9S a thumbs up, grinning wide.] Good job! Just one more test and we get the sword!

[Yeah!! 9S can't help but let out a whoop of excitement! Even if this is all for a fake sword.]

Alright!

[In contrast to Yuya's thumbs up, 9S holds out his fist. Bump itt, Yuya!!]

[Heck yeah! Yuya runs up to enthusiastically bump fists before turning to the mermaid.] Okay, so what's the final challenge?

Why, you have to swim to the bottom of the lake and retrieve it yourself.

[Yuya stares blankly. Lakes are not shallow.] ... Uh, the very bottom?

[Yeah!

Pleased that Yuya indulged his fistbump, he turns his attention back to the mermaid... and immediately blanches at their final challenge. Glancing over at Yuya, he quickly says--]

Don't look at me. I can't swim. Pod 153 is waterproof, but it isn't designed for deep diving.

[Yuya was absolutely looking at 9S.] What about walking in the water?

[He's a robot, so surely he doesn't need to breathe, right? Yuya looks back at the mermaid skeptically.] How deep is the lake?

[She only looks at him coyly.] To have courage is to be able to face the unknown.

... Okay. [He can't really argue that. So the final test is proving they're brave enough to have the sword. Why are they doing this again?]

[You'd think he wouldn't need air, but... 9S shakes his head.]

I still need air, otherwise my regulatory functions will shut down.

[9S approaches the lake and peers at it, as if trying to determine how deep it goes. Unfortunately, water impedes his scanning ability. Besides, this still isn't quite real, right? ...Though he really doesn't want to test that with the possibility of him drowning and being unable to retrieved. Rita would murder him.]

Besides, if it's so deep, how will I get out?

[9S taps his chin, thinking.]

I wonder if Strange's magic would work on this.

But he's not here. [Yuya doesn't doubt he could use some sort of magic to get it, but unless 9S wants to go find him they're on their own. Yuya doesn't want to pull him away from his own business ifthey don't need to.

So he lifts his foot and starts pulling off his socks and shoes, since 9S is a hard 'no' on the swimming front.] I'll try and get it. I'm a pretty strong swimmer.

[9S tries not to balk. Is that really safe? 9S watches, uncomfortable with the sense of helplessness crawling through his being at the idea of Yuya going into the lake's murky depths.]

Pod? Can you follow him down?

< Affirmative. Preparing for underwater mobility >

[9S turns to Yuya.]

Pod 153 can't go all the way down, but it can pull you out so you don't have to swim all the way up once you have the sword.

[Yuya tosses his coat off haphazardly with his shoes and then pulls his pants up to his knees before looking over to 9S and pod with a smile.] Oh, thanks! Wish me luck.

[He waves his hand briefly before heading for the shore. He waits long enough for pod to catch up before wading in... it feels wet, is he going to stay wet when the book finishes?

Once it's up to his chest he pulls his goggles over his eyes, looking at pod once last time before he holds his breath and his nose and dives forward into the water. The lake is dark, but there's definitely some sort of gold light glittering down at the bottom.]

[Wish Yuya luck?]

Oh! Uh. Good luck?

[Even if this isn't real (sort of), he still can't help but feel a stab of anxiety as he watches Yuya and Pod 153 dive into the water, and waits at the lake's edge.

As 9S had stated, Pod 153 won't dive any further than a certain depth, for its priority is to keep itself intact, but it does at least helpfully(?) shine a light in the water. It's watching for Yuya's return, though.]

[Yuya dives down as quickly as he can. Thankfully growing up by the beach means spending years of swimming, and it's a long swim but he makes it to the sword. He pulls once, twice, accidentally letting out a breath before he stops and steadies himself. He tightens his grip, tensing up and then gives the sword one hard pull.

It dislodges. Yuya floats in the water a moment before starting to swim straight back up, trying to clear the fastest path to the surface. It's slower going up than down, though.]

[9S crouches by the lake's edge as time ticks away, watching the light of Pod 153 get dimmer and dimmer as it follows Yuya down.

Oh boy.

It may be slower going up, but if Yuya can reach Pod 153, it will grab the hand that isn't holding the sword and pull him up and out of the water at a speed that's significantly faster than what Yuya could manage while carrying the sword. The weight of Yuya and the sword isn't overy strenuous on its machinery despite Pod 153's small size; it can lift 9S with ease, after all.]

[Yuya grabs onto pod as soon as it's in reach, choking a little on the water as he's suddenly accelerated up much faster than he expects.

He gasps when they hit the surface, bobbing in the water a little before regaining control of his limbs and swimming back to shore. The mermaid just watches him, offering little assistance, with a vaguely amused expression.] Oh, look. He got the sword.

Yuya!

[Relief washes over 9S when Yuya surfaces. If he needs help getting out of the water, 9S is right there. Still, he can't help griping to the mermaid.]

You could sound more excited about it. He had to risk his life for the stupid thing.

[The mermaid shrugs. Tons of people risk their lives for it, this is business for her.

Yuya crawls back to shore, getting to his feet once the ground is stable and approaching 9S.] Okay, I got it!

[But the scenery doesn't disappear. Evidently they're not done with the story.] ... Now what?

Uh.

[9S frowns, folding his arms.]

The sword's supposed to cure illness, right? Is there someone we're supposed to use it on?

[He could stab the mermaid? It's not like she's real or anything. Maybe she isn't actually supposed to be so fishy.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ THE ATHENAEUM

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject