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[polymods]

✖ THE CARNIVAL

Ⅰ. ARRIVAL & THE TEMPLE
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
You can see the lights of the Ferris wheel from the water, and by the time you pull into port you can smell popcorn, cotton candy, grease, sawdust. Music drifts on the air, interspersed with screams from the rides.

The carnival is in town.

Not just any carnival, either - the carnival. The one to end all others. Every circus you ever read about or saw in a movie, with striped tents filled with acrobats and sideshows, midway games complete with carnival barkers in straw boater hats. But it's also every shitty fair that ever rolled through your hometown, with unreliable looking men with greasy mullets smoking as they jockey the Wild Mouse, the Gravitron, the Zipper, the Corkscrew. There's a constant stream of 80s hair metal playing underneath the roar of the rollercoaster tracks, blending somehow with the traditional piping organ of the carousel.

Experienced Travelers will know by now that every island has its own temple, and this one is no exception. It’s not in the carnival proper, though; if you step away from the lights of the midway and tents, you’ll notice dozens of old wooden circus trailers, arranged in a circle, growing tighter together the closer to the center you walk. The trailers are functional living places, with built in beds - sometimes one, sometimes two - and a small table and an old wood burning stove with a cooking top just big enough to boil a kettle on. There’s a toilet, but if you want a shower you’ll have to go outside and find a tent set up at the outskirts of the makeshift trailer park where there are tent showers set up, locker room style.

The clearing in the middle of the parked caravan is completely empty except for a solitary midway game: a towering high striker. It must be at least twenty feet tall, surmounted by a round, red bell. A wooden mallet is leaned against a sign next to the game that reads, predictably, TEST YOUR STRENGTH.

Step right up.

Notes:
1. Please remember to mark threads appropriately with Content Warnings when necessary.

2. These prompts are a jumping off point - how they affect your character and their development is up to you.

3. The island temple is accessible to all. The High Temple is only accessible to new characters this month - it will re-open to all others next month.

4. The Test your Strength game can be played by anyone. How well your character does is entirely up to you, but the game does not necessarily measure physical strength.

5. These residents of the island are normal humans. Killing them is possible and will affect the colour grading of your Scrywatch depending on the situation.

6. Any food found on the midway is safe to eat, and is consumable by non-human entities.

7. Have fun!

---

Ⅱ. HALL OF MIRRORS
When it comes to amusements, the Hall of Mirrors has always been second-fiddle to the Haunted House. But the line for the former was shorter, so here you are. The guy working the door has weasel eyes and is smoking. He gestures for you and whoever is behind you to enter together; "No singles. For safety."

The lights are a dull neon, cycling from deep blue to cyan to purple and back again. You find that your outstretched fingers will bump against smooth, clear glass as often as not. The mirrors reflect the maze back into itself over and over, disorienting and strange.

Some of the mirrors are convex, some concave, and as you pass them your reflection warps and bends alongside that of whoever you're stuck inside the maze with.

At some point you will realise that the reflection looking back at you isn't quite right. It's still you, sure, but it's not how you really look, not on the outside.

Looking back at you from the cold glass is how you perceive yourself. Perhaps that's stronger, perhaps uglier, perhaps as a sniveling child or an ancient hag. And this reflection is going to follow you from mirror to mirror as you desperately try to find your way out.

One of you spots an exit sign, bleeding red light. Only catch is that it's behind a pane of glass. And another. And another. You could break your way through all of them, certainly, but it's not as if there's anything laying around for you to use to do so. Just yourself, which might work in action movies but tends to cause a lot of physical damage in the real world.

Above the glass someone has placed a sticker that reads, “who are you really?” in black sharpie. Answer it, and the glass will swing open. Don't, and well...

Guess you'll have several years worth of bad luck.

Notes:
1. Yes, characters can bash their way out of the maze, but it is real glass and will cut anyone who isn’t invulnerable. There is a first aid station run by extremely unreliable carneys on the premises, so hopefully they can patch themselves up enough there.

---

Ⅲ. THE CAROUSEL
CW: childhood trauma
Old fashioned organ music and a million flashing lights draws you to the carousel. It's a vintage delight: huge, with ornate animals carved out of wood and lovingly hand painted. There are horses, of course, but also lions and leopards and birds and rabbits and wolves... any animal you could want! In fact, you'll see an animal that looks perfectly YOU. You just have to climb up on it for a ride.


Settled on your mount, the ride begins to move. To your surprise, it begins to move backwards. You can't seem to ungrip the pole you're hanging on to, so you're helpless to escape as the ride spins again and again.

When it stops and you step off, you will be younger. You will in fact be the same age you were when a formative event happened to you.

You're a kid at a carnival! How fun! Well, maybe you're not that young, and it's probably not very fun at all considering that now your trauma is fresh.

The only way to become your proper age again is to get on the carousel and get it to run forward. Depending on your age, you might not be able to figure any of that out, but surely one of the other Travelers can help you. You'll definitely need someone to man the carousel controls. Oh, and be careful not to knock it into overdrive...

Notes:
1. If your character does not get back on the carousel and ride it in reverse, they will revert to their actual ages at the end of the month.

2. Please be especially mindful of content warnings with underage characters. A reminder that the game does not allow explicit sexual content with minors.

3. You do not have to regress your character to childhood - if a very formative event happened at age 20 for example, you can choose that route instead.

4. Speeding up the carousel while it is moving forward will result in, you guessed it, aging your character UP. Obviously you can ride it backwards again to fix this, or again the aging will be reversed at the end of the month.

---

Ⅳ. COULROPHOBIA
CW: clowns, suffocation
Who can possibly resist the big top? Not you! You're ushered into the tent and you take a seat in the stands, where you have an excellent view of the huge ring before you. The excitement in the air is palpable, and even if you're the grouchy type you'll find yourself a little bit thrilled.

It's a little surprising when the lights go up to the sound of screaming guitars. Mist belches from hidden foggers, and flames shoot from near the center of the ring. The lights stutter red, blue, green. The whole thing is a lot more rock show than it is Ringling Brother's.

At any rate, even if the ringmaster looks like a reject from a trailer park metal band and the music is liable to burst some eardrums, it's still a circus. There are trained horses and riders, contortionists, and a score of talented trapeze artists. It's all sparkling and impressive and terrific fun.

The trapeze artists take their bows, clearly ready for a break. And if a break is needed at the circus? You know what happens next, don't you?

SEND IN THE CLOWNS!

The clowns spill into the ring, all sorts of them! There's Harlequin and Pierrot, Auguste and Tramp. There's Bozos and Ronalds and Clarabelles and Krustys. Hopefully no Gacys, but there's so many of them that it's hard to know for sure.

One of these clowns - the one you hate the most, of course - approaches you in the stands. With comically exaggerated movements, it leans close to you and whispers...

Well. It whispers horrible things to you, really. It recounts to you some instance in your life where you delighted in the suffering of another, a moment where you really and truly were happy that somebody else was hurt. It's not a moment to be proud of, for sure, but as the clown tells your own secret shameful joy to you, you start to laugh. Really laugh - soon you're bent over double, tears running down your face, absolutely howling with laughter.

Your stomach hurts, and you're running out of breath. Very soon you won't be able to breathe at all.

Eventually, one of your fellow travelers won't be able to resist asking you, "What's so funny?"

The only way to stop laughing is to tell them. Otherwise you're going to pass out right where you sit, a creepy clown leering over you the whole time. Maybe your fellow traveler will be nice enough to drag you out of there if that happens, because if you're left alone? Everybody knows clowns get so much scarier alone in the dark.

Notes:
1. What happens if you really do get ditched with the clowns? Great question. Maybe they make you one of them. Maybe they eat you. Maybe you just wake up in the Big Top dressing room and see all the clowns smoking cigars and taking their floppy shoes off to film Clown Foot Erotica.

It wouldn't be a party without some jams.

Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

Comments

[extrasensory_problems]

His eyebrows go up when David shudders and sits up and he lets go of the guitar long enough to put and arm around him comfortingly.

"Okay okay, sorry. I didn't know." He gives him a little squeeze, "Is the Harley you knew different from the one here?"

[helpdesk_hero]

The comfort is nice. And then he has to stare at Carter very seriously there.

"There's a Harley Quinn here?" David asks, looking quite shocked. "Oh god, I don't even know. I hope not. I catered some of their dates. Oh god."

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter looks at David confused, "You...catered some of their dates?? Like got them cheese platters and stuff?"

[helpdesk_hero]

"Joker was paying me VERY well for it," David pointed out. And he'd needed the money for that. "So yeah, multi-course meals that they would take in private at some club one of them was running. And I also made casseroles for the week."

He sighs, rubbing his temples. "I think I'm just going to pretend I don't know her and hope she doesn't recognize me?"

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter knows he shouldn't smile but he can't help it, his mouth twitching up into his slanted grin.

"I bet you make a mean casserole."

He gives David another squeeze, "It may not be the same one. Maybe she's from a different universe or whatever?"

[helpdesk_hero]

Dude, don't be an ass about the Joker trauma.

"I make the best casseroles you'll ever have. My dad was a professional chef," he explained. So yeah, his skills included cooking.

"Yeah, probably from a different universe. Which I would prefer. I haven't... I haven't run into anyone from there yet."

And he hoped he didn't.

[extrasensory_problems]

"Oooh professional casserole! All right, if I can find you all the ingredients to make one will you make me a casserole? I'll do all the dishes."

Carter rubs David's shoulder, trying to ease some of the worry that is on David's face. "So I've got a dumb question for you."

Well that intrigued me enough to come tag.

[helpdesk_hero]

To the casserole question he nods. Of course he would. What else are friends for? Plus then he gets to eat it as well.

"No questions asked with a reasonable desire to learn are dumb. Go ahead and ask."

Hahaha

[extrasensory_problems]

He gives David that loveable slanted smile of his, "You say that now before hearing my question."

"Do you ever associate people you meet with like...certain things? Like a song, a smell, or a food?"

this Carter icon really maxes the energy in some of Roxy's smiling icons

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh, he really didn't think it was a stupid question now.

"Josh Foley is day old popcorn."

haha I guess I just like smiley characters :)

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter laughs, he wasn't expecting such a great example but it delights him that David knows exactly what he's talking about and doesn't think it's a weird question.

"Day old popcorn, that's awesome. Is there a reason behind it or just because?"

It was more the smile itself had the SAME DAMN ENERGY

[helpdesk_hero]

Of course he's full of good examples. But David has to think a moment for how to put it into words.

"Popcorn is good and amazing, right? But best when it's hot. Little do most people know that there is a point when it's like, just about a day old, that it's good again. It's passed the point of stale and disgusting and it's moved into tasty again. But everyone would judge you for taking a piece."

hehehee

[extrasensory_problems]

"So Josh Foley is amazing when he's hot but also tasty a day or two later?"

Re: hehehee

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh god Carter don't say it like that. David groans. He's mentioned how he's hot for Josh, right? You're making it worse.

"No, I'm saying he's a fucking mess and you SHOULD stay away from him, but sometimes it's hard."

[extrasensory_problems]

He's trying not to grin but isn't very successful, "Ahhhh okay gotcha. Yeah, I've known people like that."

[helpdesk_hero]

Don't. Grin. At. His. Romantic. Failure. Ass.

"Oh? But not you know who, right?"

Because he's not saying her name where she might appear.

[extrasensory_problems]

He's not grinning at his failure, he's grinning at seeing David get a little flustered.

Carter blinks, confused. "Who in the what now?"

[helpdesk_hero]

David spends a lot of time flustered actually. Which is fair. He's always shocked when people begin to display interest in him, so he was happy to try and ignore it. Ignore it as often as he could.

"I'm asking whether she is a fucking mess one should stay away from. I imagine not. Please say not because I think I'd prefer to think that you've got better taste than I do."

[extrasensory_problems]

Now it's time for Carter to get flustered, his cheeks go a bright shade of red and he runs a hand through his hair.

"Oh! oh...uh no. No. Urm. The person I was thinking of when I said that I've known people like that is uhm.... a guy."

Now excuse him while he looks down at his shoes.

[helpdesk_hero]

"A friend?"

Oh yes, he is poking for knowledge. Don't let him be he only wreck man.

[extrasensory_problems]

Carter nods, the blush not going down.

"Yeah a friend back home he...I mean. He's older than me and he's a borderline alcoholic but there's something about him that always makes me want to hang out with him."

[helpdesk_hero]

"And you feel awkward over the fact that you're attracted to him," David observed, raising an eyebrow. That's the only way he could take it all.

[extrasensory_problems]

He nods again, the blush getting even darker.

"I...I've never really had a crush on a guy before. Hell I didn't even really realize it was a crush till I started really thinking about it, but like you said the whole situation is that he's a fucking mess and I should stay away from him."

[helpdesk_hero]

Oh Carter. David reaches out and touches his arm. It's okay.

"It's not easy, when you first realize it. At least you know it's not weird to be bi, right? That's a thing you can be and it's okay. Even if your taste in men, like mine, apparently trends toward disasters."

[extrasensory_problems]

"Thank you, and yeah I know it's not weird. It just feels...really sudden, like I went most my life liking girls and then suddenly one particular guy makes me all giddy and stupid."

He sighs and puts a hand over David's, giving him a small smile.