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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

[quire]

Precious few of Quentin's relationships could be considered adult affairs either. Not that that would stop him from arguing for the legitimacy of any of them.

The same way Kyle keeps trying to impress upon him jut how horrible his friend Cartman was Quentin wonders if he's adequately explained just how many people— human and human alike— absolutely detest him. "Hey, I'm willing to bet you know him better than I do, but like just prepare yourself for the potential that hate is definitely the right word," he says with his eyebrows raised comically as he fills up a tin cup full of water for Kyle. "I know you guys are friends so I've tried to be like... nice to him. Whatever that means. I'm just saying— I swear I'm not antagonizing him."

"I just like to prioritize being clear," he says in his defence, but by the way he smiles as he stands over Kyle with that water promises just how little he cares about lacking in tact. "Drink up and then snug in," he says, hauling back the blankets to crawl in there once Kyle's set his cup up.

"Thanks," he sighs. "I like that you're... I dunno. Thick skinned. But you're also smart. And know how to have an argument without. You know. Letting it change your whole opinion of someone. That's pretty rare."

[kyley_b]

"I'm sure it's not HATE hate. Just... strong dislike, maybe. Plus you grow on people! I thought I hated you, after all." He smiles. "Aw, really? Dude, that's so sweet of you. Thank you." Because not antagonizing someone is definitely hard work for Quentin.

He drinks his water and puts the cup aside, shifting so Quentin can join him. "I'm the son of a lawyer and a New Jersey housewife," he says dryly. "Of course I know how to argue properly. The aim is never really about the person, it's about the point they're making." He drapes an arm over Quentin's waist.

"You fit good against me. I like that. And NO I'm not calling you short, don't even start."

[quire]

"Yeah, but you're hot for people who piss you off so you throw off the whole system," he smirks and buries himself in close against Kyle when the other man's praise threatens to embarrass him. "Shut uppp, it's not sweet. I'm just not trying to make our lives any harder, ok?"

"Did you know my parents never argued?" he says, "My adoptive parents I mean. They were like... really boring WASPy people who just pretended problems didn't exist." He says like he knows it's a fact that sometimes surprises people.

"Good because I'm not short. You're just tall," he corrects. Grinning against Kyle's chest the whole time. "You're comfy."

[kyley_b]

Kyle's cheeks go pink, but he can't really deny it. "It's sweet to me," he replies. He kisses the top of Quentin's head before he listens.

"Never? Whoa." He thinks for a moment before he goes on. "My folks didn't argue a lot with each other because my mom is... well. My mom is a force. And my dad usually just goes along with what she wants. But that's different than what you're describing. It sounds like they were repressed as fuck. When did they adopt you?" Because Quentin sure isn't repressed.

"I am tall," he agrees. "And comfy. Which is good for us both."

[quire]

"Why do you like to be frustrated so much, babe?" he muses aloud as he plays with Kyle's curls. "Do you like to be sexually frustrated too?"

"Right? That always blows people's minds. Until I tell them I was adopted and then they're like ok that makes sense." Truly he doesn't know what he can chalk up to nature or nurture and active tries to avoid thinking much about it. "When I was still in kindergarten. I was like six and I wasn't in the system very long so they were hoping I wouldn't be irreparably damaged yet."

"Hey," he turns until he can face Kyle without really leaving that comfy spot against his shoulder. "You said this was a first for you, or something. Didn't you?"

[kyley_b]

"I don't really know," he says. "I guess because... It makes me feel present." He laughs softly. "Like, what, chastity devices and shit? Quentin, you kinky thing."

He looks at Quentin solemnly. "Oh, wow. So little," he says. "I wonder like... maybe part of why you're not scared to argue because you saw how damaging it is to fake like shit is fine when it isn't." It's pretty Psych 101 he supposes, but that doesn't make it wrong.

Cheeks pinking, he nods. "Yeah. I've never had a boyfriend or a girlfriend or anything."

[quire]

"Present?" There's a lightness to his voice inspired by unbridled curiosity. It's not an answer he was expecting and as such he needs desperately to know more. "You mean like, just having someone, or something work you up like that? Or present in some other way?"

He snorts against Kyle's shoulder. "I wasn't thinking of toys exactly, but... sort of. Same general realm. Like edging or orgasm denial or whatever. You know. Pretty tame as far as kinks go," he's rolling strands of Kyle's hair through his fingers again to watch them spring back into place. Though his sexual history may be limited his browser history is has seen everything and he'll talk about it shamelessly.

"Could be," he agrees. Here's another curve ball for you. My bio-parents never fucking stoped fighting with each other," he smiles. "So I'm either a total rejection of the faux-family or exactly like the bio-fam. Your pick," he teases.

"I like that," he says decisively. "We get to do that together for the first time. I've had girlfriends, but never a boyfriend. So like. No baggage, you know? We get to figure this out as we go."

[kyley_b]

"Someone," he says. "Usually, anyway. Somethings are either great motivators, or just aggravating. But people... there's no distraction from what you're feeling. Does that make sense?"

He giggles, a little embarassed."Uhm. I dunno. I've never tried any of that." For once he finds himself living his hair, because Quentin playing with it is wonderful.

He hums. "Maybe. I mean, realistically you're a product of both of those, and more. Uhm. What happened to your bio folks, if you don't mind me asking? You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Kyle smiles widely, relieved. "Yeah! Yeah, we have no idea what we're doing, so we can do whatever we want."

[quire]

"Yeah, I can wrap my head around that," he nods thoughtfully. He's not sure yet if his own experiences would lead him to the same conclusion but what Kyle describes isn't so far flung.

"It can be fun if frustrating does it for you." Quentin's grin turns a little wicked when he manages to get an undignified giggle like that out of Kyle.

"Or maybe I'm totally self realized. A man of my own design," he smirks in such a way that it's hard to tell if he fully believes that or if he's just being a dork. In the same vein, it's hard to tell if his glibness is a matter of simple apathy or the carefully practiced kind of nonchalance that's supposed to prove how little he cares. "It's cool. They died," he shrugs.

[kyley_b]

"Yeah. I admit I've never given it much thought."

"I mean. I'll try almost anything once, I think." He's trying to sound cool and worldly and failing completely.

"Well, that too. I mean, your upbringing affects your development, but you're an adult and as adults we do choose how we like... react to or change behaviours and stuff." He snorts. "...or if not I guess we wind up on a creepy set of islands."

Kyle hugs Quentin tighter. "I'm sorry," he says. Quentin sounds unbothered, but he can't imagine that's entirely genuine. "Uhm. Ike, my baby brother? He's adopted. But his parents are alive, they just gave him up after the Cola Wars 'cause I guess they couldn't look after him."

[quire]

"Next time you wanna punch me I'm going to look in your brain," he warns playfully.

"It's good to have a lot of excuses," he teases. "People are more apt to accept something they don't like about you if they don't think it's a choice."

"Don't be," he says. Kyle's willingness to be a comfort is a pleasant surprise and he's not above snuggling into that attention. Even if he knows he doesn't deserve it. Truthfully, he's not even certain he regrets it and for that reason he hangs on the circumstances of their death a little bit longer. Just to be safe. "Wait what? The Cola Wars? What the hell are you talking about?"

[kyley_b]

"That's cool." He kisses his head again. "See if I'm thinking 'boner-y thoughts.'"

Kyle rolls his eyes extravagantly. "Manipulative dickhead," he says fondly.

"The Cola Wars," he repeats. His tone is patient, like he knows Quentin KNOWS what he's talking about. "In Canada? It devastated the country pretty badly, I guess. Anyway, my folks adopted him so he has dual citizenship. He's knighted there, which is sort of cool I guess."

[quire]

"If you're anything like me you're always thinking at least one boner-y thought," he snickers.

"Hey, I'm just playing to my strengths," he says.

This explanation offers precious little more than he'd already gleaned and Quentin sits up enough to take Kyle's face in his hands and look him in the eye. "Nope. That's not something. I need you to know that that is not something. At least not anywhere except where you're from. Which is fucking bonkers really, so please explain it to me like I'm five so I can tell you how completely ridiculous your whole dimension is."

[kyley_b]

"Only if I'm around you," he counters with a smile. It's hard to believe he'd nearly died barely an hour ago.

Kyle blinks. "Really? Huh. Well, to be honest I don't know as much about it as I should, because Canadian history is hard to find information on unless you're actually in the country.

"So, uhm, where I'm from Canada is a titular monarchy. When Ike was like, five the Princess of Canada was kidnapped. He opened his, uh, what do they call it... faith box, yeah. Every Canadian has one. And it gave him instructions and so he went to Canada and rescued her. So he got knighted!" Kyle is obviously very proud of his younger brother. "He got to attend the royal wedding. Which was a lot more violent than I expected, but Canadian traditions are odd."

"Ike's a great kid, I think you'd like him."

[quire]

"Aw, you're so romantic," he coos as if being told he inspires boners is the pinnacle of sweet talk.

This alternate history of Canada leaves Quentin blinking a moment before he cracks up and buries his face against Kyle's chest. "Kyle. Babe. I need you to say all of that to Wolverine's stupid fucking face sometime. And I need to be there to watch his brain short circuit," he says wild-eyed and grinning.

"Heh. That's code for you better be nice to him. Don't worry. If he's your brother I'm sure he's pretty cool. Just warning you, I don't go great with kids though. How old is he?"

[kyley_b]

"I know." Snickering.

Kyle watches Quentin laugh with a confused little smile. "Okay," he days, because he's not certain WHY Wolverine would take issue with his country's history. "I bet he has a faith box and you just don't know it."

He snorts. "No, that's code for I think you'd get along. Now my MOTHER, her you better be nice to. Ike is nineteen."

[quire]

"I bet he'll punch you for the mere insinuation that he owns such a thing," he cackles. "So we'll have to get you a helmet before you do this thing. Canada is a very different place where you come from, babe. For the rest of the multiverse it's milque toast and unremarkable. Like if NPR formed a government."

"Oh, so he's not like a baby. That helps." It's not lost on him that they're talking about Kyle's family like there's an honest to God chance he might meet them, despite where they are and how far away these people might be. "Based on what you've told me I'm not sure anyone has the balls to not be nice to your mom."

[kyley_b]

"He will not," Kyle says, shoving Quentin before reeling him right back in with a hug.

"Heh, no, sorry. To me he'll always be my baby brother, even if I can't punt him through a window anymore." Kyle, no. "Mm, yeah." He himself knows logically that the chances of Quentin ever meeting them are slim to none, but he can't help but imagine just a little. It's the optimist in him. Still, dwelling too long will only hurt.

"So. You wanna show me this rowing game? Or try to make out before Roxy shows up and totally cockblocks me?"

[quire]

"Try it! At the very least he'll think you're mocking him and hurl some yokel insult at you. Trust me I know this guy better than he knows himself," he says wrestling uselessly when Kyle squeezes him in a bear hug. Not that he actually seems to be aiming on getting out of that hold. Just that he seems to like being combative. Especially when it forces Kyle to try and hold him tighter.

"Oh yeah the— no wait. I almost forgot about this girl with the UGGs. Who the hell is she? What year is she from that she still wears UGGs and why is she crashing here. I probably don't care I just wanna know how this happened. And like what's going to happen if she comes home while we're mid-blow job? What's the sock-on-door-knob equivalent in caravan life?"

[kyley_b]

"I will, and then we'll both laugh at you."

Kyle cackles. "Don't judge her too hard for the UGGs - they're from this like, pumpkin spice island. Although I think she does like them. She's sort of basic like that, it's cute. Uhm, yeah, we're friends. She's like you, all superpowered and shit, although not form your reality it sounds like. I dunno, she's fucking hilarious."

Kyle considers this. "...maybe just actually a sock on the doorknob? That seems universal. I can put one on there, if you're frisky. Or we can like, do it later."

[quire]

"It'll be worth it just to see how upset and confused he is about your fucked up take on his precious wintery homeland."

"Pumpkin spice island? I think it's pronounced Vermont," he blathers, but soon enough his whole apathetic, flippant shtick evaporates. "Fucking hilarious and like me, huh? Lucky you. Sounds like you've got a solid back up plan," he mutters.

"Later," he says. "The guy at the rowing machine game said if I won he'd give me my weight in Redvines. I intend to hold him to that."

[kyley_b]

"Nuh uh, I bet he totally knows what I'm talking about. Aside from the Cola Wars and uh... the other bombings and stuff. But other than that!"

Kyle rolls his eyes, but then he scrutinizes Quentin very carefully. Suddenly his eyebrows shoot up. "Oh my god, are you jealous?!" he asks.

"Okay, we'll make out later. I'll do filthy things to you when you're too full of fucking redvines to move."

[quire]

"Wanna bet? I'll bet you anything he has no idea what you're talking about AND that he's a little offended by it. If I'm right I get to cut your hair. Something high and tight. Maybe a nice fade with a good amount of pomp on top. If you win... I dunno what do you want from me?"

Rolling himself over to get up and find his shoes again he gives Kyle some mad side-eye on the way. "Yes," he said plainly, "but not in the way I suspect you're using that word." Because everything has a technicality with this guy. "I don't care if you think she's hot, or wanna date her, or sleep with her. But there's nobody like me. I'm literally a statistical anomaly."

"How high do you think my blood sugar has to be before your skinny, diabetic butt needs to be careful about swallowing?" he teases.

[kyley_b]

Kyle hums thoughtfully, like maybe he can come up with something truly devious. "Okay, and if he's NOT offended and not all that confused - obviously he will be a bit, since YOU don't know any of this and you're from the same dimension - you have to answer, 'yes, Kyle, you're right' to everything I ask you to for twenty-four hours."

Kyle sits up and then snortlaughs. "Oh my god... No, she's not LIKE like you, I meant she was a superhero! Oh my god, Q." He gets up and puts on his shoes, pausing to lean down and kiss Quentin's head. "I know you're the only you, don't worry. And for the record, I don't wanna date her or sleep with her, either. Not that you were worried."

Kyle nearly trips exiting the caravan at that. "Quentin! Jesus. ...I don't know. And there's only one way to find out."

[quire]

"I feel like that has considerable potential to backfire on you, but yes. Sure, fine. You got it. Look this is me practicing right now," he says flippantly and with very little concern that he's going to lose this one.

He scowls when Kyle laughs at him and waits with his arms folded for the other man to catch up. There's a difference though between his grumpy face and his angry face. This falls well towards the more innocuous of the two.

"I'm not a super hero," he has to point out even if most of his sulking as subsided. "I'm a mutant. A lot of mutants are superheroes, but most of us aren't. More than not, superheroes are actually aliens, or science experiments, or bored rich guys, or just a cosmic mistake. Is she a mutant?"