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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Yuya stops, considering Reira and her current size. Huh... hm.

"Maybe it's a bit big for you." Maybe that's an understatement. "You probably aren't drinking much of anything anyway, are you?"

Yuya hasn't felt hungry or thirsty since arriving, so he's been eating mostly out of comfort. Reira, though, seems too small for most of that to be an option.

"Um...I guess not," she admits, feeling a bit like she's missing out now. "...But I got a big grape and ate it," the girl adds. It was at least the size of her head. Quite amazing, really.

"...I could...maybe try it though, even if it's big..." she starts a little shyly. She doesn't want to miss it now!! Besides.

"Umnh...and, I wanted to ask if you had 'junk' things, for my stuff..."

Yuya's ready to dissuade her a little more, at least about taking it and trying on her own (maybe he can bring her some already steeped tea), but her question makes him pause briefly and he raises a brow... even if that's not totally clear on his face.

"Junk things... you mean like scraps, or just stuff I'm not using? What are you making?"

"Things you don't want anymore," she answers, somewhat. She hobbles closer to the various things in Yuuya's work space, doing her best impression of a tiny mouse using crutches. "I'm going to make shadows with them! It's a special sculpture, made of lots of things that don't look like the shadow at all."

Yuya's workspace is moderately disorganized, and there's lots of stray leaves and petals everywhere.

"A shadow sculpture?" Yuya leans over, curious. "You mean like shadow puppets? But, uh, I guess not moving?"

Sculptures don't move, he's pretty sure.

"Shadow...puppets..?" This is one of those things she didn't get to learn about ever again, isn't it. "...I guess..?"

She toddles over to inspect all of the leaves and petals, briefly glancing at any fabrics he might have used before ignoring that. "Um. I don't know how shadow 'puppets' are made, so I don't know if it's the same."

"You--" Yuya stops before he really gets to explaining because, well... he doesn't have any hands to make shadow puppets with. Hm. This could be a problem.

"It's. Just like normal puppets, but with shadows." He instead waves his paws vaguely in the air. "Why don't you show me one of your shadow sculptures?"

Just believe in yourself and the power of bullshit animal magic Yuuya. Just believe.

Well, Reira isn't sure she believes HIM about this puppet deal, but she supposes she can show him a sculpture. "Ummm..." She starts gathering a bunch of things, looking for a good spot in the room to get started. "One minute..."

She can't really just drag Yuuya off to a work in progress! That would be silly. So she'll make him something small, she decides.

Yuya leans back, watching Reira work as she gathers his loose materials to do... something. She said shadow, but he's watching more of her physical object than what it's casting at first. That, he's sure, she'll point out for him when it's ready.

Indeed, so far it....definitely just looks like a mound of flowers. Actually it could even be called a sphereical mound, which is perhaps even odder when she was the one claiming that it would...well. Be a Shadow sculpture.

She then however, promptly goes to find a light source of some sort- a candle maybe, or similar. "Um, it's ready...I just need the light now."

She certainly does, because the shadow doesn't look like anything right now!

Yuya looks between the shadow and the mound before glancing around the room. There's probably a table lamp somewhere. Yuya hops down from the bench to scout one out, since Reira sure isn't big enough to carry one.

He ends up having to awkwardlu unplug it and grab the neck with his mouth to carry it over, but it's doable. Reira will have to direct him where to angle it, though.

Hoh. Here she was expecting a gas lamp.

Well, that'll do she supposes. She just motions to the floor. "Just put it down," she explains- once he does, she proceeds to swiftly knock it over, so that it's over turned and casting light at an awkward angle. She only has to turn it a certain, slight way...

And rather suddenly the shadow cast by the large 'flower ball' is a fox.

Oh--that's definitely not a sphere, and Yuya perks up. "Hey! It's me!"

At least, he assumes it's him. His tail swishes with excitement as he pads around to see the shadow at a better angle. "That's pretty cool! Are you making a lot of animals like that?"

"Ummmm.."

Way to put her on the spot for 'prolificness'.

"...Sometimes it's animals..?" She can make other things too, but...

"...I don't have a lot of finished ones..."

They're all only marginally prolific anyway, Yuya was just curious about her subject matter.

"Not finished? Is it because you need more stuff for them, or are you having trouble with the idea?"

"I have to get the stuff to the right spot." So....Sort of a mix of the first one, with her size?

Bit of a drawback. "I can't make everything this small.... ...if it's always this small, then it can only be inside a building, with a small light. ...So I have to try making bigger things.

"...I was able to finish one with a tree though," she adds, blinking. "...I just had to cut leaves, on that one."

That sounds like something that would be easier if she was bigger, but... "You know, when I spoke to the other Honorables, they told me since I'm new I should start small. I think the same goes for you."

Not that they're going to be here long enough to graduate in their crafts anyway, but maybe he should encourage her to ease it up a little.

Reira ponders that, for all of a few seconds.

She quickly frowns. "....Just because I'm really small, doesn't mean all of my art has to be smaller than you" she huffs, pouting. "...I just need to find all of the right things for the right places."

"But being bigger doesn't mean better, right?" He couldn't make... well, he could make an extremely large tea ball, but he's pretty sure nobody wants that. "Sometimes it's better being smaller."

"No, but I want people who aren't just my size to see it properly," she pouts. That's very important, okay. "There's a lot more who are bigger than me, than people who aren't as big."

You can say 'small' because you're AVERAGESMALL!!! ~~CHECK YOUR PRIVILEGE FOX FRIEND~~

"Most of it is working so far anyway, so I don't want to stop." That'd just be a waste.

"I can see this one fine!" He doesn't think she has anything to prove here. "What else have you made?"

"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."

"You can make them smell less... like, if you air them out for a long time." Or using other plants to mask the scent, he's pretty sure, he just can't think of any off the top of his head.

"That doesn't tell me what they are, though. They're not all foxes, right?"

"That's not what I meant! I just meant they have different smells!" she insists, peering through the glass now. "So it has to be something with the right smell, if I use it."

She looks rather amusing, through the water like that- her head gets all bubbled up like in a funhouse mirror, and green as well. What's visible behind the flower anyway.

"Um. Definitely not," she adds, blinking. "...This was really fast, so it's not very clear.... Ummm....most of them, they're doing other things, and they have more 'fluff'...."

Yuya leans over to stare through the glass right back at Reira, his brow quirking up.

"What fluff?" She's not giving him a very good picture of her other sculptures, here. Or why the smell matters when she's working with shadows, as long as it's not revolting. "If I can't see them, can you tell me about them?"

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