Lost Carnival Mods (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
ringleaders) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lostcarnival2019-03-07 10:10 am
ringleaders) wrote in lostcarnival2019-03-07 10:10 am
⇨ EPILOGUE
Who: Anyone who's ever been in the game before!
When: Day 143 and for the rest of time.
Where: The Ringmaster's Realm.
What: It's a time of reunions and also a time for goodbyes - for now, but probably not forever. This is the final official log for Lost Carnival, and it's potentially open to anybody who's played in the game. Thanks for everything!
Warnings: Is it safe? It's probably safe.
When: Day 143 and for the rest of time.
Where: The Ringmaster's Realm.
What: It's a time of reunions and also a time for goodbyes - for now, but probably not forever. This is the final official log for Lost Carnival, and it's potentially open to anybody who's played in the game. Thanks for everything!
Warnings: Is it safe? It's probably safe.
THE EVER AFTER↴ It's done. The Huntsman is gone and the Winter Queen has been cured of her self-inflicted condition. It will take time, but if things proceed well, it seems like they could end up with a sympathetic party in the Winter Throne. At the very least, guilt is a hell of a drug when it comes to getting someone's ear on important matters. The damage that has been done is not something that can easily be fixed. Lives have been ruined or lost completely, and emotional wounds can last a lifetime. Yet, for the first time in eons there is a bold hope for the future - a hope for change in ways the Courts never knew they could. There is so much to do in the aftermath that it will be years before any of it has been truly seen through. In the immediate hours and days following, however, the Ringmaster will be focused on seeing to the needs of her carnival. Or, at least, what was her carnival. She isn't sure what it is now. She'll probably always think of them as her family, even if they don't return the sentiment. Things are different now, are they not? They are no longer her followers, but the friends and peers she had always wished for in her previous life. After they have finished their business in the Winter Court, she will bring them all back to the remains of her realm. They need time to rest, and time to think. As she begins the reconstruction of her world, she has a few announcements to make. Firstly - all lingering contracts for those present are now considered paid. She will fulfill their wishes to the best of her ability regardless of how many days would have been left. Of course, it will take her a bit of time since they are all happening at once, but she'll be going down the list! All other contracts will be fulfilled or cancelled depending on individual situations, and whether or a person's connection to the carnival was still active. Otherwise they've probably been reset and their contract cancelled anyway. Secondarily - she is unsure of the future of the carnival itself. With how much there is to do, she doesn't feel that she can simply run away again, no matter how easy that would be in comparison. Being one of the Miracles puts her in a unique position of power, and this time, she wants to do right by it. Her and Ignatius have some ideas, but it will probably be a while before they come to fruition. However, she will rebuilding her realm in a new shape, and everyone is welcome to stay there as long as they want. Alternatively, she will help them travel to wherever in the multiverse they'd like to go instead, and they will retain easy passage back to her realm whenever they wish to travel there. In the future they can probably even learn to world travel on their own! Thirdly - she is going to be inviting back people who still had open contracts so that everyone can catch up and make decisions about going home. Not all of them will show up in this time, but she wanted to give them the opportunity. So, if friends or family went home but haven't been reset, they may possibly be arriving at the new Ringmaster realm to catch up. Otherwise, their contracts will be considered paid and they can stay at home. This mean, previously dropped characters can reappear in the realm to visit and get some closure. As a final helpful gift, those who became Miracles will be able to edit the reality of the realm to their liking while she works on it. So, if you want to hang out and build some things, you are free to design and magically construct your own spaces like high-res Minecraft. And that's only the beginning. |
no subject
"That's... a surprise," 9S begins slowly, gaze on Rita's smile.
Not that death doesn't mean the same thing for fae; it's different for androids, too. Or at least, YoRHa who were still connected to the Bunker. If anything, it had been weird to realise that while he was searching for Rita's world, if his black box were destroyed, that would be the end of him.
It just made it all the more amazing how incautious humans were with their lives.
No, it was just strange that... Well. "I thought you hated him." Did Ignatius only help them because of the situation? "But I guess it was that sort of desperate situation, huh?"
9S isn't sure how he feels about all this. A part of him wishes he'd been there, maybe he could have done something...
Reaching for Rita's hand, he continues, "Is his power why your resting body temperature is higher?"
no subject
"...We were prisoners of the Mother of Invention. She treated us like lab rats, and had her underlings experiment on us." She takes the hand he reached out to her with, threading her fingers between his as she considers how to continue. Then, she guides his hand to her chest, pressing it over her heart. There's no heartbeat. Only a constant heat emanating from a core burning deep within.
"They cut out my heart... then replaced it with an artificial one, one made from part of his heart."
It feels strange to say it, and even stranger that she can feel so calm while looking back on those horrific memories. Maybe it's because it's simply a fact that she's had plenty of time to deal with until now... It's hard to say for certain.
no subject
"Uh," he starts artlessly before he gathers his wits and continues. "...I'm sorry I wasn't there with you. It sounds like you had a rough time." It's hard to express how he feels about all this, when... well, it's already over. It's already happened. "But even if you have an artificial heart," made of part of Ignatius', apparently!? "you're still you."
But the memory of that resistance member on his first descent to Earth floats to the forefront of his mind. The android who had all his parts replaced... except his leg. Wondering if he replaced the last part of him that was still orginal, if he would still be him.
He pushes that thought aside. But maybe Rita feels a little like that android? She'd seemed worried, earlier, about being 'less human'. And this isn't the first time.
"Would you be alright if I looked at it?"
no subject
"You want to look at it...?" Rita's cheeks redden, a look of uncertainty on her face. Right... with his ability to "hack" life forms, he could probably analyze the way this heart interacts with her body. It's something she vaguely wished for, back when the heart was new and painful and she didn't know if her body could withstand it. If 9S had been around then, he could have assuaged those fears...
But really, that's the first thing he thinks of doing? Sheesh, this guy...
"I-I mean, I guess it's fine if it's you..." Her voice trails off into a mumble. "I wish I knew more about how it works, myself."
Especially after her ascension... which she hasn't quite gotten around to mentioning yet.
no subject
Mostly.
"I'll be careful," he promises sincerely. And because he hasn't changed that much, he grins and adds, "I'm still the best Scanner around."
With his free hand, he holds her other hand - the one that isn't holding his hand to her chest - and squeezes it. Giving Rita time to relax - or at least settle into mild discomfort - he closes his eyes and...
"I'm hacking in."
He's not looking to take control, only to observe, and only to observe Rita's mechanical heart. Though the Ringmaster gave him the power to poke into biological beings' minds, rifling through Rita's head would be wrong. So he focuses his attention on the heart, examining its properties and how it connects to the rest of her.
no subject
What sits in Rita's chest seems to operate more like a small fusion reactor than an actual heart, and the fluid that flows from it is a substance of pure magic, a manifestation of the elements of fire and water. The strange core works in perfect harmony with Rita's body, as if it was always meant to be there.
That's not all that's different, though. In some bizarre way, Rita's genetic makeup has been largely rewritten into something more fae-like. Rita doesn't know how much he can discern about that from this scan, but... at least she already gave him a heads-up about how different she's become.
no subject
Magic isn't his realm of expertise, but spend enough time with the fae and one picks up a thing or two. The first time they'd met seems so long ago. Him examining Juana and seeing the intricate weaving of biology and technology. And now he's seeing Rita's new heart, biology, technology, and fae magic interlocking seamlessly, like they were always meant to be.
"You know..." he begins once he's pulled out of hacking space, a thoughtful tone to his voice. "Your heart. It reminds me of a blastia," he lifts his hand away from Rita's chest, "and my black box. Your heart has a core that's kinda like a fusion reactor, just like mine. And it's a mix of magic, technology, and biology too, like a blastia." He can't help but let slip an excited grin. "The core converts energy perfectly, so it won't need maintenance and I think it might effectively last forever. It's a really elegant piece of work!"
no subject
After all, blastia and 9S are Rita's two favorite things. There's no comparison that could make her happier than those.
"...Maybe it really will last forever," she goes on to add, almost dreamily. "Maybe we both will." 9S said before that he didn't want to live forever. But what if he didn't have to do it alone? Right now... Rita feels weirdly hopeful.
no subject
"Will we?" he begins, uncertain.
The last time they had talked about the brevity of her life in comparison to his potential lifespan... Well, it had been awkward, scary, even. To think about what life would be like without Rita. If he didn't shut down, that is. Though Rita had been upset at him when he'd said as much...
"Just because your heart might last forever doesn't mean the rest of you will."
no subject
“It will,” she says with certainty. But he probably won’t be satisfied with that. He should know why she can say that with such certainty. She sucks in a deep breath, and prepares herself to try and explain.
“It’s... a long story, but after we rescued the Ringmaster, we had all three fae artifacts gathered in one spot... and we were given a choice. To go on living as mortals, and maybe go back to a peaceful life someday, or to use the artifacts’ power to ascend into something more akin to fae. Something with immense magic power, and a seemingly endless lifespan.”
It’s okay. He said there’s nothing to worry about. That she’ll always be Rita to him.
“I’d like to say it was a hard choice, but... it wasn’t. I never really stopped thinking, you know, about that conversation we had... about what happens after I die. I thought... if you can't stand being alone, and I can't stand letting you shorten your life, then I'd have to find a way to lengthen mine.”
no subject
And when she finishes, all that comes from his mouth is a dumbstruck, "Oh, Rita..."
He doesn't know what else to say; the enormity of what she's done renders him speechless. It's so incredible... Rita went to all this trouble for him? She's accomplished a seemingly impossible feat... all for him? His throat feels tight with emotion, his face feels hot, but overall he feels...
Happy.
In one sudden motion, he wraps his arms around her in a tight hug.