⇨ EDEN

[ringleaders]

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.

Comments

[pipers_son]

That could mean a lot of things, honestly- how their personalities would mean they'd not likely have met, how England and Japan are so far away, a peacock and a goat... Well, Joker is pretty sure a peacock wouldn't have met a goat in the regular world he knows, but then again, he's not sure what peacocks surround themselves with anyway.

It doesn't really matter. Joker just flicks his beak against Ginko's ear. "Well, we've met now, so all's well that ends well~. That's what matters, right?"

[dontpokethat]

That gets a quiet snort, and Ginko's ear flickers against Joker's face. "...Guess so, yeah. Not much point in dwelling on it, is there."

[amphibiopathic]

At that, Eruka's just going to go ahead and creep a little bit further backwards. Joking or not, she's not sure she cares for what Tyki's implying with that ... joking or not, it's still a bit much to take when he so obviously dwarfs her in size right now. She's pretty sure the Ringmaster would frown on coworkers eating each other, but...

She blinks at him as he talks, then puts a webbed hand to her throat. "Considering I didn't set out to make alcohol in the first place, I wouldn't know where to start..." All she was doing was trying to get the right smell, after all. "Do you know a lot about this kind of thing?"

[prazerbutterfly]

Either the Ringmaster would frown on it or everyone else in Eden would. While Tyki isn't afraid of death he necessarily wouldn't want to be erased from existence for such a petty thing. If he's going to kill, it is going to be for a very good reason.

"I've drank a lot of mix beverages and wine in my day, still am. All I know is that it doesn't have the right kick to knock someone like me off their feet," he responds, one eye cracking open to look at her.

[pipers_son]

"Well, now it's just startin' ta sound complicated." Not that clothing can't be; he's had enough visits to enough worlds to get a good idea on how tricky clothing can get. Hell, he's from Victorian England. How about that for some tricky nonsense? Especially on some of those poor ladies. He'll never stop feeling bad about Beast's corset.

"Do ya think somethin' like that could be worn so easily?"

[fortuneglass]

"Oof! That's just because you're not the fashion designer here," Carly huffs. "It'll be more than easy! It'll be something I wear~"

And some corsets were fine if you wore them properly, Joker. Just wear it properly-

[pipers_son]

"Ha ha, ya might be right, but even somethin' fleetin' can have a big difference. Isn't that what everythin' is, in the end?" And boy, this sure isn't a conversation he ever expected to have with Papyrus of all people, but he guesses it's happening. It's sort of... fun, even. Maybe it's because they both seem like energetic jokesters that it's alright to talk a little more deeply.

"I'm not sure how I feel about sculptures... But ya might have a good point. Seein' somethin' from all other places, and different ways..." He shifts from foot to foot. "Hm. Wonder if that doesn't give me an idea."

[pipers_son]

"Exactly!" Another skip and a hop. His tail goes through so much abuse with how much he bounces around; maybe it would have been kinder to have him be a magpie or something. "And people will carry it around all the time. I like it a lot better than somethin' drawn, or sculpted." Him and Papyrus had quite a conversation on this sort of thing, if anyone can believe it.

What's much easier to believe is... "Ah, up ahead, there it is." It's a nice little floral area, with plenty of meaningless columns and places for various animals to rest. He starts to head down one path in particular.

[spaghettimonster]

Papyrus' ears go back at the reminder of the fleetingness of everything. One of the things about bones is how they last. They're used a metaphors for permanence in human art and literature because they're the last to decay, which is quite the flattery to a living skeleton.

But it really is strange how that feels, for ears to fold back like that, and he raises a paw to rub at them while Joker starts mulling things over.

"If the idea is something besides laughing at your own jokes, I've done my job." Papyrus says with an emphatic nod as emphasis, since he can't rest a hand on his hip and look all cool now. Then he tilts his head at Joker. "So, what kind of idea? If you want to share."

[pipers_son]

"Ha ha, how mean~." But no, really. He swears his has something, and he leans forward a little bit as he explains. "But I was thinkin' of makin' somethin' that an animal could wear. That's a sorta art, innit? And it'd combine the best of everythin', with everyone participatin'. The artist, the one wearin' it, the people lookin' at it from all over... At least, it sounds good ta me."

But he's also the one who laughed at his own joke, so.

[pipers_son]

"None at all," Joker decides, even as he finally settles against Ginko's back. They'll have a lot of time, it seems, to stay in this water and heal. More than enough time for him to find the perfect comfy position on Ginko's back, and think on how they'll all handle this.

[pipers_son]

Listen he just doesn't feel like he can be as loud if his lungs are being squished-

"Yes, yes." Chuckling at her indignation, he nudges the fabric with his beak. "Well then, I'll gladly help where I can, even if it's just ta hold somethin' up. I can't wait ta see what ya have in mind."

fade out from here maybe?

[fortuneglass]

"Wonderful~! Between the two of us, it'll be done especially quick!"

Time to get to work. She can wear it later when she's surprising Papyrus.

(returning from hiatus!)

[spaghettimonster]

"Something to wear, so everyone's looking at them..." There's little question that Carly's doing something along those lines, but they're pretending they don't know about things like clothes just yet. "Like... living sculptures!"

If there's a way to combine Joker's good idea with Papyrus' advice, giving himself the feeling that his advice led here, he's taking it. Sure, it might lead back to bad jokes, especially if Joker opts for clothing decorated by funny words... but getting it visible when they're mostly on 4 legs would be a challenge. They might be safe.

[pipers_son]

And hey, even though it's probably obvious that Carly is going to be going along those lines herself (although Joker does wonder how one can do it as a snake), there's nothing saying they can't do repeats after all, right? If it were like that, Joker is fairly certain that this place would have ground to a halt years ago, if not decades. Besides, it just seems more fun.

Either way, he bobs his head cheerfully. "Yep~. It makes it more fun, right?" It's really the only kind of thing he can see himself getting into, although maybe the fact that he once helped keep the clothing department in charge for a little while is also a factor.

[spaghettimonster]

Putting their own personal spins on things seems to be part of the name of the game, here. Especially given those areas where animals are just demolishing buildings they're no longer happy with, or just no longer interested in. It might draw attention if half their group took up costuming, but at this point, they have extra attention for so many other things that it's surely fine.

"That does sound like fun!" Papyrus agrees, his tail drifting back and forth in a lazy wag that shows he's earnest about it. "If you want a test model... Feel free to ask me, I would love to wear things. And... get lots of attention?" Maybe not that part.

[pipers_son]

Ha ha, oh boy. Joker cocks his head to one side, and then to the other. Beaks still can't smile, but that doesn't seem to stop his teasing any. "Are ya sure about that? Ya can't take that offer back once I get goin', y'know~. And I can't promise that I'll be any good, ha ha!"

Well, he'll try, of course. Still, best to mess with him just a little bit.

[spaghettimonster]

"W-well... I offered." His stammer and widening eyes hint at his uncertainty and seeds of regret, but Papyrus does his best to shrug. They have cover stories to maintain, and this is probably part of it.

"It's too late for me to take back offering. But I also need time for my own art! And you'll learn more experimenting on multiple people! So! On a part-time basis! You can be as not-good as you are."

[pipers_son]

"Ha! No need ta look so nervous~." Laughing, he leans over to bump his feathery self against Papyrus.

"I'll promise I'll do my best ta make it look good. But I guess that means I should get started right away, huh?"

[spaghettimonster]

"Yeah, get designing! And when you're ready just give me a..."

Wait, no, calling isn't an option on the table. His ears go flat again as he drops through a cycle of worries about not having radios and recognizing his slip of the tongue, before he shakes it off and bumps lightly back.

"...You know! Pass a message or come find me, around, somewhere! I will be around somewhere."

[pipers_son]

"We all will." It's not like they have anywhere else to go, right now. Either they get what they're after, or, well. There are worse case scenarios. Joker won't say that, and instead bumps against Papyrus one more time.

"Take care of yerself. And thanks for helpin' me work through for my idea~."

[spaghettimonster]

"You're welcome!"

As ever, Papyrus perks up at any acknowledgement that he's helped someone, and he moves with a little more lightness as he makes to trot off. "Have a good time...!"