lostcarnival | ⇨ 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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"HELLLLOOOOOO~"

Guess who is either waiting for a delivery, or just doesn't freaking care?

It's the snake literally gliding toward him, with what looks to be streamers decorating her form. She rather looks like a falling rainbow at the moment.

More impressively, it all folds back in once she's landed and stopped being Flat. "Phew! And I thought I would have to land on the ground!" she cheers. Naturally, they know who the other is...they had at least an hour before even getting to Eden to figure that out.

But image is image, and so Carly the snake turns her tiny branded head to the head of her 'landing point'. "Thank you for being in the way just when I needed it~ Ah... ...Whoever you are?" she brightly cheers, waiting for the other to give his New Name.

It is a pretty impressive visual display. The smilodon watches her approach with increasingly wide eyes as it becomes clear she's landing on him. Then he stays still, to be as easy a landing pad as possible, until it seems she's settled down.

"Good guess! But... 'whoever-you-are' is too long," Papyrus teases. "I'm called Yehudi. It might be harder to remember... but it's shorter."

They did have that hour, getting used to their new bodies and checking in with friends and coworkers. There's enough people in the carnival yet that memorizing everyone would've been a challenge. but voices aren't too changed.

"Yehudi...." She ponders the name for a moment, and beams. "It's definitely shorter than 'whoever you are'...! And so is my name!" she adds, coiling more properly on the other's back. "Sabathi! It's lovely to meet you then! Just what were you on your way to?" She wouldn't want to interrupt that for tooooo long right?

"'Sabathi', huh... You too!" He nods decisively, tail lazily wagging behind. There was something about how they're not supposed to like snakes, and hanging out together will probably make both of them stand out... but what are they supposed to do? Carly's a snake, and leaving her behind would be terrible.

"Well, we're supposed to get inspired, and make beauty... so, I'm looking for inspiration! From the highest points of the area."

He gestures with a jerk of his head to the tallest trees and towers. They're pretty tall, but thankfully these legs are close enough to the ones he's gotten used to that he should keep his balance climbing. And he has a trick to it anyway.

"Ohh, 'high' inspiration, I see..." She. She thinks anyway. "Well, I'm just getting started like you obviously...but I think I've got a great idea of what to do~! We can all wear things now," she adds, running with the Clueless Animal idea, "So why not wear as much as we can~! Have you considered wearing clothes at all? It's really great~"

Something like that! From the highest places, he can see the most of everyone's creations! As vague, fuzzy, distant shapes. It's probably enough to soak up some spark of ideas, anyway.

...Maybe not the most convincing argument, but it doesn't need to be right now, this is Carly. He'll workshop it later.

"Wearing 'clothes'... That sounds fitting! Making ourselves into art, what truer expression could there be? But..." He mumbles, wondering aloud to himself, "but how should I wear pants...?"

Carly gives him a look over, and decides it's better to be blunt than hold back.

"....I don't think you're a pants guy." It just won't work for you, you're a large cat. "Something more mobile is what you're going to need."

Admittedly, he is a large cat. And he nods slowly at her response, appreciating the honesty, before asking the question.

"...What's more mobile than pants?"

"Why...a WRAP of course~! Delightful loose sheets, that just flow with the breeze~!"

"Oho...! I haven't seen any steam vents... but, wouldn't a breeze billow them up embarrassingly??"

If that's his biggest objection to loose sheets, she'll win him over in no time.

"Phf! You underestimate my ability!" she playfully huffs, even tapping the cat's forelimb with her tail. "Anything I make isn't going to just billow in the breeze...not unless you want it to, anyway," the snake adds.

"Trust me- whatever you wear, will be staying just where it needs to be~!"

"How tempting!" he laughs, "but, no. something heavier, not very billowing... I think that'd be best!"

Come to think of it, steam vents aren't the only risk. Running around with blue magic for extra leaping... Well, if Carly's saying it, then the clothing will suit the task in no time!

"Then something heavy it is~" she cheers, darting along the other's back. "I just need to take measurments- and decide on some colours...oh, are there any that stand out for you, actually?" she realizes, blinking (somehow). Colour vision is so...touchy...

"I'm partial to reds," he begins, then pauses to look around. He's been noticing movement more, and things on the edge of his vision seem to go on a lot longer, and wowie he's been seeing things at night... "But, I'm noticing blues the most of all." As if they've been made a lot stronger a color, or the others faded. Hard to say.

"Hmmmm...I see...." Interesting... She ponders this for a bit, seeking out her decision. "Perhaps...Both? The two colours can work really well together~"

If he thought he'd be wearing this example of her craft for long, there'd be more reason to deliberate on it... But between their mission, keeping track of important people, and the way he's been feeling more drawn to sculpture than garb, there's only one answer.

"Well, I leave it to your undoubtedly expert opinion! And, to ready you for the drawing floor, let me show you... the kinds of climbing I mean to do." Ready to hold on, Carly? Because there's a very good spiraling stair over here that's just calling out for him to run up.

"Oh?" She doesn't quite catch on right off, but as Papyrus starts moving she hurriedly loops part of herself around the tiger's neck. "O-OHH!! Y-Yes, a wonderful idea, I suppose-! HOO!"

Some warning beyond that would be nice Papyrus!!

⇨ EDEN

YEHUDI | DAY 82 I'd say

sounds good!

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[carly voice] A DRESS

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