polymods: (Default)
polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2021-09-01 03:51 pm

🤡🤡🤡

POLYMYTHOS: THE CARNIVAL

âś– THE CARNIVAL


â… . 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!



â…ˇ. 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.



â…˘. 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.



â…Ł. 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

neverwither: (100% interest 100% of the time)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-06 07:55 pm (UTC)(link)
( Finally she finds her usual friendly smile and shakes the woman’s hand. It’s a bit odd for them to share the same name but for her, it’s more that the other with that name isn’t another android who also shares her face. )

It’s quite the coincidence but my name is Chloe too. Although I’m hardly an expert on the precise machinations of these places, I’m happy to help if and where I can.
detectivemiracle: (246)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-06 08:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh! That is interesting. [ She laughs faintly. ] It's funny, I've never actually met another Chloe before now.
neverwither: (It killed the cat)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-07 04:11 pm (UTC)(link)
You're not also from Detroit, are you? ( It's mostly a playful question but there's a degree of curiosity there, too. Who knows the Ancient's exact selection process, other than 'could do better'? )
detectivemiracle: (241)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-09 11:13 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe smiles faintly. ] Nope, never been. I'm from Los Angeles. I have a friend who moved to LA from Detroit, though.
neverwither: (I’m never sure of myself)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-10 11:52 am (UTC)(link)
I should perhaps also mention that my Detroit is a Detroit of 2038. There’s some, well, variety in where and when people are from.

( Chloe’s wary of piling strangeness on top of strangeness but having such information from the start might be more useful to new Travellers than not. )
detectivemiracle: (191)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-11 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
That sounds all futuristic and stuff, but then I actually do the math and I realize it's less than twenty years in the future for me.

Kinda weird, but I've had weirder.

[ She smiles faintly. ]
neverwither: (A happy curious girl)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-12 01:01 pm (UTC)(link)
A very logical way to look at it. Not that I blame anyone for finding it a bit much, especially with all the other bizarre things to get used to.

( And Chloe can certainly appreciate that logic. Though from what she can gather, her not-so-distant future doesn't seem to correlate with what is the present for others. )

Really? What sort of weird? If you don't mind me asking.
detectivemiracle: (084)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-12 03:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, well - just my boyfriend being the Devil. [ In a place like this, what's the sense in keeping it a secret? And yet, she's certainly not used to just saying it, out loud, to a stranger. So she keeps her tone light, flippant - almost as though it's a joke, and the joke is on her. In case this other Chloe wants to laugh it off, dismiss it - so she sounds slightly less crazy. Like yeah I know, trust me, I know. ] After finding out angels and demons, Heaven and Hell actually exist, I guess most things pale in comparison.
neverwither: (You can tell me all your sins)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-12 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
( She admires those who can just say things like that and this is no exception. What throws her is the concept of the Devil being real in whichever universe this Chloe is from. As for the boyfriend part? Chloe has plenty of experience with an... unusual relationship. )

Oh, I can imagine they do. But don't worry, being unconventional often seems to be the convention here. ( There's a tiny pause. ) I mean, I'm an android myself, so... ( She finishes with a half smile and a shrug of one shoulder. Very casual. )
detectivemiracle: (111)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-12 05:18 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe nods slowly, taking that in. ] Right, sure. Mutants, and superheroes, and now an android from the future!

[ As you do. ]

Do you - I don't know, run on batteries then?

[ She is not trying to be offensive - Chloe is nothing if not a puzzle-solver, a question-asker. When presented with something she doesn't understand, she wants to figure it out. And an android is definitely new territory for her. ]
neverwither: (When you stare into the abyss)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-12 05:40 pm (UTC)(link)
It's a lot, I know. I'm sorry if it was too much all at once. ( There remains a fine line between being upfront about the whole being a robot thing and throwing the information out there too willy-nilly. ) If it's any consolation, mutants and superheroes are a new discovery for me too.

( It's still somewhat tricky to talk about, but she's heard far worse things and been asked far worse questions. Besides, she can ask enough of them herself as she also has the drive to figure out the unknown. ) A battery, yes. Needless to say, it's very long-lasting. ( That would be her trying to make light for both their comfort. )
detectivemiracle: (131)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-13 01:58 am (UTC)(link)
No no, honestly, it's fine. You should hear some of the stuff Lucifer dumps on me sometimes.

[ It's w i l d. ]

And, uh, feel free to let me know if I'm overstepping, or getting too personal. There's a lot I don't understand about this place, and when I don't understand something, I - well, I investigate. Guess I was a cop for long enough that it's second nature to me.
neverwither: (It’ll be alright (or I could be sneaky))

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-13 02:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, it would be fascinating to hear. Not that I'm suggesting you'd want to, or should, share that sort of thing with a virtual stranger.

( She smiles, reassuring and understanding. ) Thank you, I will. And likewise. I can be rather keen with the questions myself. With all there is to potentially unpick here, it's very easy to get swept up in the what, why and how.

Though if you're looking for another like-minded soul, my friend Connor is a detective.
detectivemiracle: (142)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-13 10:34 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, don't worry. I'm no stranger to setting boundaries. I just - there are certain parts of my life that I'm not used to talking about with people who aren't already... in the know. For obvious reasons. But I guess some of those things aren't... really a big deal, here.

What sort of detective is Connor? I was homicide.
neverwither: (Default)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-14 02:11 pm (UTC)(link)
I can understand that. Though if it helps, I think you're right about things not being such a big deal here. In my experience so far, people have been very accepting and open-minded.

He was assigned to assist with crimes involving androids. The specifics might be better coming from him. It's not really my area, I'm afraid. ( And she doesn't want to say too much. If she hasn't already. )
detectivemiracle: (064)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-14 07:54 pm (UTC)(link)
I can’t say I know anything about android-related crimes. Your world seems pretty different from mine. Nothing like you exists, for sure. Human crimes can be difficult enough to figure out.
neverwither: (You can tell me all your sins)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-14 08:10 pm (UTC)(link)
Those sorts of crimes are actually very new in my world. But they’re not so dissimilar from human crimes, really. It’s… rather complicated.

( There’s a tightness to her smile because human-like objects developing emotion and awareness and turning on or escaping their owners is definitely a whole thing to explain. )

Is Lucifer in law enforcement too?
detectivemiracle: (128)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-14 08:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Mm.

[ Clearly there’s more to it, but just as clearly she’s uncomfortable going into the details. Chloe can respect that. ]

Uh, not exactly. He was a civilian consultant for five years. So, not a cop, but my partner. Helping me solve crimes.
neverwither: (100% interest 100% of the time)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-14 08:38 pm (UTC)(link)
And the two of you fell for each other solving crimes and righting wrongs?

( Is Chloe romanticising this a little? Maybe. But she reins in her sappy tendencies for the more serious questions. )

Without wishing to sound horribly ignorant, may I ask how he came to be involved in such a line of work?
detectivemiracle: (017)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-14 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
That’s pretty much what happened, yeah.

[ She shrugs. Obviously she has no problem telling this story. ]

There was a murder. A singer was killed, right outside his nightclub. He knew her, he was a witness to it. I caught the case. He was… [ She smiles fondly. ] Obnoxious, egotistical, sounded absolutely crazy. But also charming and funny, and he actually cared about finding the real killer. Well, long story short, we figured it out, confronted the guy, and he shot me. Lucifer saved my life - not for the first time. After that, he just started tagging along on cases, and the rest is sort of history.
neverwither: (Default)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-15 02:40 pm (UTC)(link)
( Chloe can't help but smile herself when she sees the way the other woman smiles. ) It's surprising where we can find the people who end up caring about us most.

Though... I hope talking about him isn't rubbing salt in the wound? Due to being here and not there with him, I mean. You're welcome to talk about it all as much as you like but... don't let some silly questions make anything harder.
detectivemiracle: (215)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-15 02:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Chloe shakes her head slightly. ]

Talking about him doesn’t make it harder. We’ve been apart before, when I thought I would never see him again. That was hard. This - well. I’m definitely going to see him again, one way or another. This isn’t by choice, and it’s not permanent.

I’m more worried about my daughter at the moment.
neverwither: (Default)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-15 06:35 pm (UTC)(link)
( The thought is distant, but Chloe doesn't hold that same passion for the person in her life she should hold it for. Which can't be right. She's just a little off on this island, that's all. Perhaps an undetected system error. )

With that sort of resolve, I'm sure you'll be back where you're meant to be soon. ( Her smile is gentle. ) If it helps at all, I'm not sure if time here is the same as time where we're from. Though of course you're going to be worried.
detectivemiracle: (215)

[personal profile] detectivemiracle 2021-09-15 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
I’ve had several people tell me that - about the time thing, and I don’t think any of them are parents.

[ She glances up briefly, thoughtful. ]

You just don’t know fear until you’re a parent, and you don’t know exactly where your child is or if she’s safe. I got her her first phone when she was six, when - doesn’t matter. I’ve always told her, if she ever needs me for anything, ever, all she has to do is call me. Day or night, no matter what. Now all I can think is, what if she’s trying to call me right now, and I’m not answering? I’ve never not answered.
neverwither: (You can tell me all your sins)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-09-15 07:39 pm (UTC)(link)
( There's no easy answer for that. The android puts a hand on her shoulder, giving it a little rub to try and offer a little comfort. )

There was an Oracle on the last island who answered questions we posed. I can't say for certain that there would be something similar here but it does suggest there are entities that can be communicated with. Perhaps we could try to find another such entity and see if you might be able to discover something?

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