ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] lostcarnival2018-07-08 06:50 pm

⇨ EDEN

Who: Everyone!
When: Day 79 - Day 85
Where: Eden
What: Everyone arrives in Eden with their new animals forms - unfortunately, the welcoming party is a bit more intense than expected, with a ritual called 'The Anointment.' Better get this place figured out before anything gets any crazier.
Warnings: Hopefully no ritual sacrifice!

FLAME OF INSPIRATION

So it begins. After everyone has been given their new animal form and have had about an hour to readjust to it, the Ringmaster begins the infiltration. You don't see a lot of the specifics of the magic - all you know is that Pru's sword, the Hand of God, is somehow involved. It alone can tear through the wardings of Eden's realm, and once that entrance is made, the teleportation is instant. Everyone will find themselves in an open grassland overlooking a dense forest, with buildings and lights poking up out of the leaves. Behind you, there is a darker place - the barrens, the Ringmaster has explained. It's were the Outcasts are sent after they're banished.

You are scattered across the area as if you've been dropped in with nothing. You've been given specific instructions - act as if you have no memory besides the vague life of being an animal. None of you know each other. You don't know how you got here, you've just been suddenly found yourself enlightened. Hopefully feigning ignorance will be what the residents are expecting, as what information the Ringmaster could find suggests it should be.

Before the beasts of Eden come to claim you, you'll see the Ringmaster once last time, in the form of a giant serpent. With a nod of her head, she slithers away towards the barrens - she'll be in touch.


► THE WELCOMING: It's not long until you're discovered. The first to find you is a pigeon, who seems rather surprised. She'll ask the first few new arrivals she sees a couple questions - 'did you just get here?' 'did you meet the great Lilith?' Regardless of your answers, she'll hurriedly say she's going to go get help, and will fly away back into the forest. A short while later, an entire welcoming party of different animals will have come to greet you, sweeping out to find every straggler and explaining that you are the newest of the chosen. After they are sure that nobody is being left behind, they will invite you into Eden.

► THE GARDEN: Eden is a beautiful place. Every street, every structure, is surrounded by flowers and vibrant plant life - every bit as idyllic as its mythos would imply. The architecture is ambitious and creative, as if the residents have been perfecting the art for thousands of years, which they almost certainly have. There is the sweet smell of perfumes and incense on the other animals are you are led into the city. This is your home now, the locals will explain. You have been chosen by the Creator to serve Her cause. You will become one of the Honorable, one of Her artisans working towards the Divine Clarity. But first, of course, you must be sanctified.

► THE ANOINTMENT: On that first night, everyone is brought to a vast cathedral, covered in unknowable writings in a shining script. You are brought in through several gorgeous hallways lit with shining crystals and blue flame torches, only to emerge in a great hall built around a circular, sparkling pool of water. There are several braziers around its circumference blazing with fire, with sets of tools hanging out of them, like iron pokers. All of the new arrivals are gathered into the grand hall, and scriptures are read in the background that you can't really make out the specifics of.

You will all be made to stand around the outside of the pool, and the local animals will gently explain to you what needs to be done. To become a new Honorable, you must be Anointed with the Flame of Inspiration - that is, they are going to brand you with the metal pokers they have heating up. If you go along with it, they will burn the mark into a highly visible part of your person (they have smaller brands for smaller animals), and then cool it off in the pool of water, where you are encouraged to bask until you are comfortable again.

There are obviously a couple concerns with this. The biggest one is that it's sketchy as hell. The second one is that the brand is definitely made of medium grade iron. While the painful difference it makes won't be super obvious from the outside, long-term veterans and those with superlative fae qualities will find it very uncomfortable, and it will blister for a fair while afterward, which is seen as unusual. If your character refuses, or tries to get around it somehow, please explain in reply to the post down below.

► THE DAYS AFTER: After everyone is branded (or isn't, as the case may be), you'll be given the opportunity to dry off and head back into town. All of the fancy structures here are communal, they will explain, and you can choose wherever you'd like to sleep. There are a few buildings that are mostly empty that newbies seem welcome to hole up in, though the locals assure everyone they will be nearby in case they need help.

In the days that follow, everyone will be welcome to explore Eden and find their bearings, and begin to discover what gifts the Anointment has bestowed on them. Whether or not you were good at a creative pursuit before, you will find yourself filled with inspiration for something - any artistic talent will do. It's like a creative talent will have been born in you overnight, or like an existing talent of yours has been boosted to near perfection. This effect will last as long as the characters are in Eden unless you are told otherwise.

You won't feel the need to eat, but there is breakfast available, if you'd like it. The locals are very courteous, though they seem a bit confused. Something about your entry seems to strike them as different than usual.
dontpokethat: or a cool looking leaf. either one (i hope that one day i will find love)

[personal profile] dontpokethat 2018-07-25 02:07 am (UTC)(link)
"Doesn't mean they wouldn't try if they could." The mouse, not the grouchy people.

He's still working on figuring that out, himself, which is all the more reason to make sure Joker has time to get his bearing and maybe get a look around before he speaks again.

"So, uh... how're you... adapting? To all this." Like, say, the brand. Given how bad that felt for him, he can't imagine it was all that easy for Joker, either.
periphrasing: (I'm sad and I don't wanna explain)

[personal profile] periphrasing 2018-07-25 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
"Well. No," Peridot confirms. "He didn't. But what he really didn't like was that Lapis was involved."

She has a sour expression on, staring at her hands and flexing her claws slightly.
dontpokethat: i wont be listening (say what you will about it)

[personal profile] dontpokethat 2018-07-25 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
Let's be real, if puns aren't allowed here, about a quarter of the carnival is probably doomed.

"D'you think that can happen?" It would feel pretty ridiculous if it was possible for the magically-bestowed talents this place seems to instill in them to just... not work. But, he guesses it wouldn't be much of a surprise if there was a range to how well those talents stuck.

Speaking of which. "Gardening. It's, uh-- been going well." He supposes making a joke about it seeming appropriate might be suspicious, but... well, Sans knows.
starseedling: (eating a single dorito)

[personal profile] starseedling 2018-07-25 02:46 am (UTC)(link)
"Oh," he says, putting it together with a frown. "...And they don't really get along, do they?"
Edited 2018-07-25 02:47 (UTC)
periphrasing: ((BLUSHES))

[personal profile] periphrasing 2018-07-25 02:53 am (UTC)(link)
She sighs heavily.

"No. They don't," is Peridot's quiet reply. "Especially not since Ignatius showed up looking for Lapis at the Athenaeum. He thinks she's a traitor to the carnival. Everyone does, and I've never been able to adequately explain that she isn't because--"

She pauses, realizing that she's getting ahead of herself a bit. There's no way Steven could know about that incident either, which means she's going to have to explain THAT bit, which she's not thrilled about doing, but. Surely he won't get mad at her like Strange did, right? Surely, if there's anyone who'd understand why she lied to protect Lapis, it would be Steven.

"...I should probably rewind a bit, shouldn't I," she huffs.
starseedling: (we can't all be neurotypical karen)

[personal profile] starseedling 2018-07-25 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
"They... wait, why do they think she's a traitor? Because Ignatius wanted her for something?" Steven is totally lost, yes. He needs some help here.

His body goes tense immediately, though, at the mention of Ignatius. Both because the fae get him on edge easily, and because this sounds more difficult than he initially thought.
alienwear: (When u lift a box up and there a rock un)

[personal profile] alienwear 2018-07-25 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
It's pretty plain to see that Peridot is reluctant to talk about this, going by the way she can't hold eye contact with Steven for longer than a second. She draws her knees up to her chest and hugs herself, opting to stare at the base of one of the nearby game booths instead, falling silent for a long moment.

"...I don't want you to hate me too," she says in a small voice.
starseedling: (head for the summit tomorrow)

[personal profile] starseedling 2018-07-25 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Peridot..." he says sadly, reaching out to put a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't hate you when you were trying to destroy my planet and kidnap me... I'm not going to hate you now."

Which, is true, but less bluntly:

"I know that, whatever happened, you were just trying to do what you thought was right. You've always done that."
alienwear: (This is intensely disappointing)

[personal profile] alienwear 2018-07-25 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
It's pretty hard to argue, when he puts it in those terms.

"Yeah... You're right. I do. And I did," Peridot replies in a tiny voice, finally looking at him again. She takes a deep breath to center herself, and then forces herself to sit up again.

"Back in the Athenaeum... Lapis came to talk to me one afternoon, to ask me some questions about fae. When I pressed her on her reasoning, she told me she ran into one out in the archives, and from the description she gave me, I deduced that it must have been Nightshade."
starseedling: (but everyone is so stupid)

[personal profile] starseedling 2018-07-25 04:07 am (UTC)(link)
"...I guess that makes sense, since they were stalking us and everything," he says, though talk of the Athenaum obviously makes him uneasy, just thinking about it.
alienwear: (IT IS NOT I WHO IS THE CHUNGUS)

[personal profile] alienwear 2018-07-25 04:19 am (UTC)(link)
"Yeah. Well. It gets worse," Peridot groans. "Apparently Lapis was talking to her about... About making a deal in order to break her contract with the Ringmaster. That's why she came to me afterwards, to ask me about fae deals, to see if I thought it was a good idea. OBVIOUSLY I didn't, and I made sure to make it adamantly clear that she should not, under any circumstances, be making deals with strange fae."
starseedling: (i love you)

[personal profile] starseedling 2018-07-25 04:34 am (UTC)(link)
Oh. Well. That would do it.

Steven is obviously uncomfortable, glancing away for a moment, but only because he knows what that could have resulted in. He knows what Nightshade wanted. Lapis could have ended up hurting him without even realizing it.

"And that's why Strange was mad?" he asks, a bit more gingerly.
periphrasing: (dokis)

[personal profile] periphrasing 2018-07-25 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
"Nnnnngh... Noooooo," she creaks, shrinking in on herself and glancing away again. "Not exactly. See... At the time, we weren't sure if the Nightshade that Lapis saw was an illusion from one of the books, or the real thing. I told Lapis I wanted to inform Lambert and Sans about the incident right away, because it posed an obvious security threat. But..."

She pauses briefly and glances down at her hands, fingers twined together anxiously. "...Lapis was scared. She didn't want to get dragged into any more trouble, especially not after I lectured her about the dangers of what she almost did. She said she didn't mind if I told the other supervisors, but if I did tell them, she wanted to be left out of it."

Steven can probably see where she's going with this.
Edited 2018-07-25 05:52 (UTC)
soft_focus: (extra 10)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2018-07-25 05:21 am (UTC)(link)
Tons?! Now that's exciting to work with. The bat eagerly watches as various pages are scooped together, only pausing when she realizes she's been asked a question. "Umn- My talent? ....I..."

Come to think she's not really sure how it factors in, completely... "...Umn. ...Normally I feel everyone's feelings... ...So I guess that's to help make sculptures with an inside and an outside? I make a big sculpture made of things that don't look like anything, and make the shadow from it something else."
soft_focus: (.w.)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2018-07-25 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
"Mnh. It's a spot where the sun makes a really long shadow once it comes in," Reira explains, already starting to tug things toward the covered pile. Awkwardly, she pulls the sheet off, before slowly adding pieces to it. "So when that happens, and I have this part right, the shadow will look like another shape. A really tall one," she adds, nodding more to herself than anything.

There is a pause, and she looks to Tyki with a nod. "Um....thanks for bringing the things here."
amphibiopathic: (what do you mean i'm pregnant)

[personal profile] amphibiopathic 2018-07-25 10:47 am (UTC)(link)
“Erm...” Eruka blinks as the wolf moves so suddenly right up in her space, throat working nervously for a moment or so as her heart rate spikes before she forces herself to calm down and answer the question. She isn’t about to be eaten, not here.

“Not exactly.” Admitting she’s been experimenting with secreting the components for her scents out of her skin isn’t going to sound good no matter how she says it, so she doesn’t. Instead, hearing his stomach rumble strangely, she offers—

“You can have it, if you want.” She gingerly holds it out. “I wasn’t going to keep it.”
amphibiopathic: (Default)

[personal profile] amphibiopathic 2018-07-25 12:44 pm (UTC)(link)
“I’m easy to miss,” Eruka offers, with no apparent offense. Hopping up on the ledge of the fountain, she gives herself a little shake, spraying drops of water everywhere.

“You’re new here too, aren’t you?”
prazerbutterfly: (playful)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-07-25 07:57 pm (UTC)(link)
"Hmm, now that's something I would want to see. Requires me to get up early somehow but I can manage that." Which means now there is some tiny bit of pressure to preform well on Reira's end. Or at least give him something to look at when the time comes. It'll keep her distracted in any case.

"Mmhmm, it was on my way." Towards somewhere. Really he wants to pat her on the head and tell her no problem but he has appearances to keep up with.
prazerbutterfly: (playful)

[personal profile] prazerbutterfly 2018-07-25 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
There are at least a couple of others that have thought Tyki was going to eat them at some point. One long standing carnival member and two recruits. As a wolf, he's taking up the area like he owns the place.

"Not exactly?" he mimics, his head craning down further to be along side her body. He was to prod at it but he's leaving some air of mystery to the scent. His tail already is starting to sway behind him, betraying his usual excellent poker face with his ears and tails, at the thought of having such a delicious treat. The problem is actually taking the vial and a paw will lift to poke against it between two digits of his toes, "Really? That's rather generous of you."
atouts: (019; le jugement)

[personal profile] atouts 2018-07-26 02:25 am (UTC)(link)
"And why not?" Childermass knows exactly why not but it's an easy place to poke fun at the entire situation. "Don't I look graceful enough for it?"

At which point he streeeeetches out those super long wolfhound legs before him, making a mockery of a low doggy bow of sorts in Strange's direction. Surely a borzoi could dance. The fact that the borzoi is indeed Childermass means he absolutely won't, but whatever.

"Or maybe..." And rather than drawing himself back up, he flops down to lay on the ground. "You're just waiting for a prettier bird to flap along?"
insidescoop: (MMMMMM...)

[personal profile] insidescoop 2018-07-26 02:39 am (UTC)(link)
"Of course!" Carly insists, huffing. "You gave me free reign, and fanned right out! I'm not going to wait!!"
insidescoop: (MMMMMM...)

[personal profile] insidescoop 2018-07-26 02:40 am (UTC)(link)
"Mn?" The snake stares, and is awkwardly lifted up the ground a little with a 'hoof' sound. "Hey-!! Now what are you doing, wasn't this demonstration enough!?"
soft_focus: (oAo)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2018-07-26 02:43 am (UTC)(link)
"...I guess..?" It doesn't feel like it was 'on the way' to anything at all, really.

"...Do you want to see what it looks like when I'm done?" she decides to ask, awkwardly tapping her foreclaws together. "...Once the sun hits it properly?"
hippocarnival: (✮ 096 ✮)

[personal profile] hippocarnival 2018-07-26 04:16 am (UTC)(link)
"I can see this one fine!" He doesn't think she has anything to prove here. "What else have you made?"
soft_focus: (extra 10)

[personal profile] soft_focus 2018-07-26 04:21 am (UTC)(link)
"that's because you're standing right here..." she mutters, brightening a bit.

"Um...I have piles in lots of places! They just need more pieces, right now..." she mutters, crawling around the 'tea room' for a bit now. "Once I have enough things, they'll be easier to build. ...I have to make sure I pick the right things from here though I think," she decides, toddling toward the nearest tea-pot to inspect it. "...Since these things smell."