lostcarnival | ⇨ EDEN

Entry tags:

⇨ 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.

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Peridot tells them that's great, because she has the strongest opinions of just about anyone she knows. She was king of the trash pile that Lilith fished her out of. All the other raccoons knew not to mess with her.

Unsurprisingly she does not take being scoffed at very well, and it is super hard for her to keep a lid on things and keep from blowing her cover, so at this point she has to grumpily excuse herself before her pride makes her say something super dumb.

Leaving that group of animals in the dust, the last thing she wants to do for now is to ask someone else that, if Saraqael is off limits for talking to, is there someone underneath him that she can talk to whose job it is to help acclimate newbies?

Fortunately Reira by now recognizes that most people don't just Not React to pain the way she has. She simply nods, and tries to get closer- probably sitting right on the other's paw. It's rather cold.

"Umn, I guess so...everyone else has the 'brand' too, and when I asked if it's supposed to hurt, the other Honorable said it'd feel better soon... ...so I hope everyone else feels better too."

You're a fox, Yuuya. What. Colour. Are you.

As it is- as uncomfortably as he appears to curl and shrink on himself, he appears to agree. ...Though he does answer. "...Do you recall the handmade gifts from 'before'?" he asks, careful to leave out any dates and such. "...It is that. I- ...I shall be making those sorts of things," he huffs, nodding.

Though 'nodding' appears more like bobbing, in his case.

"I remember." He never got one, but he never really asked either. Still, that fills in enough for Yuya to follow along.

"I'm supposed to... make teas, or something." He's still figuring out where he's supposed to take that. He's got the inspiration, but it's not quite as intuitive when he's never done it before. "Does having a lot of arms make it easier?"

"Teas..?" That...seems somewhat odd, certainly. "...Do you have any idea perhaps of...how to empower that, or enhance it..?" They each are free to use One Thing. He himself feels safe just using his usual spirit-related nonsense, so that's probably what he's 'Got'. "...Having multiple arms may assist, certainly," he continues, somehow managing a shrug, "But, with many arms, come many tasks to further master, and understand...it is certainly nothing 'easy', but nothing to worry for, either! It is a welcome challenge!"

"I'm sure they will." His gaze falls sideways to her. Like this, she's so small... he hopes Eden stays safe aside from the branding.

"Why don't we go look around tomorrow? And I can stay here tonight with you, if you want."

"It won't make people confused?" she whispers- as softly as she dares.

There is a pause, and she curls up a little more with a nod. "...I'd like that," Reira decides. "...everything's too big, and cold."

"Uh... I can make people feel calmer inside a room?" That's it, that's the best he's got. Yuya didn't learn magic for the art of it, he learned it to protect his friends and that's what it's good for. Still, he'll figure out something. Yuya's not one to give up in the face of a struggling imagination.

He leans in closer, lowering his voice to keep the conversation private. "Have you heard anything yet about Lilith? Or... you know."

When he mentions a deal with Ignatius, Rita's ears flatten and her eyes sharpen into a glare. But her expression turns somewhat confused when he goes on to explain that the Ringmaster agreed with the idea. That easily? No way. Strange might be stupidly trusting of Ignatius, but her?

As Herbert talks, Rita retracts her claws, though she stays within reach of Strange.

"Forcing the issue with those animals would only make things worse," she finally grumbles, seemingly biting her tongue regarding some of the other things mentioned just now.

"I don't care if it makes things worse," Strange grumbles. He's puffing up his feathers in irritation as he continues to try and look back at the healing tent.

"And I care about him because he's my responsibility." And because Strange actually kind of likes Ignatius. But one point at a time. "I should be in there with him, not out here doing nothing."

Strange makes a really unpleasant yakking noise as Gongenzaka's tentacles tangle around him: one of those things got him by the throat. He doesn't know who the octopus is, just that they're now both tangled up and Strange doesn't like this one bit.

"Let go of me!" Strange complains, as he tries to fly away from the octopus. Considering that they're an entangled mess, this mostly means that Gongenzaka gets a wing to the face. Without really thinking about it, he delivers a swift peck to one of the tentacles near his wings. He's operating on instinct right now and that instinct is get the hell out of here.

"Confused?" Yuya tilts his head. "Confused about what?"

They don't have to behave like animals, since all the animals seem to be people now, so he's not quite following Reira's worry.

Interestingly, that really doesn't help. At all. With a screaming yelp, most of the tentacles- including, weirdly, the one that's been near pecked in half Thanks Strange- simply tighten their individual grip. Which fortunately doesn't actually constrict anything- it just feels really weird, like having a bunch of odd cups pulling at each spot.

In any case, Gongenzaka is quite panicked. "NAUH-!! ATTACKING IS CERTAINLY NOT MAKING IT ANY EASIER TO DO JUST THAT, ST...SIR..!!" Well at least that confirms he knows the guy, but-

Well, with some focus at least he's trying to loosen most of the tentacles, but the one that's been pecked is just not having it. Fun fact Strange, most of those things can move on their own. And will.

"Auh...area of effect then..." He ponders, closing his eyes. "...Perhaps something to imbue within the teas..? Or perhaps it could allow others to easily enjoy the tea..."

While he ponders it, he grimaces and stiffens. "...You recall, perhaps, your earlier statement about...my speech?" He doesn't really...trust himself to ask. Let alone appear as anything other than a stuttering mess, right now.

"People aren't friends that fast. ...they were confused when people got worried about...the little lizard," she adds, pausing a moment to wonder just how to refer to Ignatius in all of this.

Lizard works, she supposes. "...We're not supposed to be close."

[Branding | Day 79]

It sucks. Yuya's somewhere in the middle of actually getting branded, but it still doesn't prepare him for the actual pain he goes through. Not being quite as fae doesn't change that he's still having hot metal seared to his skin, and he screams and only tolerates it long enough for the brand to stick before he's tripping over himself into the water to try and cool it off.

He ends up sitting beside Gongenzaka until they're recovered enough to move, and that's when Yuya tries to make at least enough steps to find other members of the carnival. He hasn't forgotten they need to blend in, but surely all new Honorables have some expectation to be friendly with each other, right?

And he's worried for everyone, because that was really awful.

[Talented | Day 82-85]

After acclimating himself with questions to the other honorables and determining there's no good way to lead into the mirror, Yuya sets to using the wealth of time he has to work on his craft: tea making. He has never actually made tea beyond store-bought blends, so it's a little off-setting to be suddenly filled with inspiration for something he has no practical experience in.

But after talking to Kerubi, he's going to give it his all. For all the visual beauty of Eden, there's at least one thing he can think of, and that's flowering teas. He's nothing if not dedicated when he sets his mind, so when he has suitable supply he sets himself up at a bench and gets to work making satchels. He's not exactly planning, so much as nudging blends together and sniffing them before combining them with flowers in tight cloth balls. The first few end up misshapen and crushed with the lack of opposable thumbs, but he figures out how to work out the weird reality bending soon enough.

He's also making a lot of these and not a lot of desire to use them all, so anyone who stops close enough to make him pause his work gets met with the same question: "Hey, you want one?"

[Wildcard]

[U know the drill]

Edited 2018-07-10 16:04 (UTC)

A: Day 79 (post-branding)

Alphys just knew this was going to suck as soon as the Ringmaster turned everyone into animals. As if being stuck in a tent in the middle of nature wasn't bad enough, not she WAS nature! And what were these ears!?

The Anointment (horrible torture, more like it), did not go well. They had to sedate her just to get her through it, and afterwards, a sopping wet bunny lays at the end of the pools, covering her eyes as if trying to wake up from a bad dream. "Uggggh, this is officially worse than camping!"

B: The days after (post-naming ceremony)

Several days later and... no, this is still the worst. Now she has to remember all these names! What's wrong with the ones they already had? (She knows exactly what, she just wants to be grumpy) Alphys can be found moping around for the most part, and tripping over her ears.

It's not until later in the trip does she start absentmindedly scribbling in the dirt with a stick, and before she knows it, she's drawn a really good sketch of Mew Mew Kissy Cutie... as a rabbit. Having no real artistic talent beyond what she picked up from a How To Draw Manga book a few years ago, Alphys is sure this is a fluke until she sketches another scene of Mew Mew attacking a monster. The anatomy is perfect! The sense of motion is impeccable! The hands look like hands! She can draw!

She dashes off to find something to draw on, and before long she's laying in a pile of papers, having whipped up the prologue of an entire manga series.

C: WILDCARD

"You might've overheard something." He's not presuming how they're gonna find information. Although that leads to another question. "Have you been staying by yourself this whole time?"

The stuttering is a problem, obviously, but he's not sure how he feels about Gon potentially isolating himself because he's struggling to talk without giving himself away. Maybe they should have talked to the Ringmaster about it before, but it was all kind of rushed.

The answer to both seems to be...No and No?

"Mnh...truthfully, what they seem to mutter about is how odd we are, more than anything...I, t... I..." Cough cough, he'll carry on, "...Frankly, their focus on Lilith within earshot has not been more than to wonder why we did not arrive with her. Beyond this, they as well have kept to themselves... ....I feel there may be a typical adjustment period. A moment to prove our worth, before one can be especially close, yes?"

Syrlya happens to be a bird that's still roughly in the same size range as Strange. That would make full body collision bad enough, let alone a full body collision in the air.

Which is probably how this occurs, while Syrlya is trying to get used to flying and Strange is frantically searching and there's a wrong turn taken and suddenly Syrlya's whole orientation is thrown off and he's flapping his wings wildly to try and get ahold of himself while plummeting.

At least they're not that high off the ground.

And the one that the snake is speaking to happens to be a young, yet full-grown dog. His tail is blatantly wagging, but that should be expected from the species most willing to be best friends with anything.

"Oh yeah?"

Yep nothing to see here, just a fellow newbie Honorable who would of course have no reservations about snakes.

Yuya briefly folds his ears back. "We don't have a lot of time for that... so we have to prove ourselves quickly, right?"

Now that they're actually here, this seems a lot more daunting with how little they're starting with. They can't spend months, or years here right? But Yuya's not under the impression they'll match anyone who's been doing this for literal decades.

"The Twelve notice people who are really good at creating, and they have to know the most. I wish we could just ask..." This subterfuge isn't his thing.

Reira needs a break. She's been going back and forth gathering everything she can struggle to carry with her feet, and everything she can feasibly shuffle around after someone else moves it, and now she needs a break. So there's a big sheet over her project with that little card reading 'Phanu's Piece' that some dear badger thought to scrawl down for her, and the bat herself has returned to simply exploring around.

Exploring soon gets a piece of paper landing on her face, blown away by all of Alphys feverish work. One piece of paper becomes something of a tunnel to the next one however, when she realizes there's STUFF on this paper. And stuff on the next one. And the next-

And rather quickly there's going to be some odd...wiggling motions from underneath all of the papers and stacks that Alphys has been working on.

The joys and struggles of being a mere two inches long, apparently.

"Not being too friendly doesn't mean we can't be friendly at all. We've had a day to know each other now, right?" Yuya does make fast friends, anyway. Maybe not in five minutes, but a day is easy. And it's not like he isn't going to be equally affable to the actual Honorables, after all.

"We don't have to ignore each other."

Unsurprisingly, Alphys hears the rustling before she sees it. She watches her papers shuffling around on their own before slowly reaching out with one paw to pick one up. "H-hello...?"

Threaded | Top-Level Comments Only

Page 8 of 75

⇨ EDEN

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

Yuya | OTA

Alphys ("Naya") | OTA

no subject

no subject

Day 80

Day 81

no subject

B - The struggles of being the size of a large eraser

no subject

no subject