polymods: (Default)
polymods ([personal profile] polymods) wrote in [community profile] polylogs2021-05-01 03:00 pm

Destination: Carcosa

POLYMYTHOS: CARCOSA

Carcosa


Ⅰ. THE TEMPLE
You can read all about your character's arrival in the game lore.
The island's harbour is full of other ships, although not a single one of them seems to actually have a human being aboard. (You could certainly try to steal one, but doing so is an exercise in futility - you will find that even if you set off into the ocean you will wind up right back in the harbour again after spending a few hours lost in the fog.) Beyond the harbour is a glittering city of glass and gold. Curving arches and sharp geometric lines are the hallmarks of the architecture - an art deco paradise that whispers of decadence and hope for the future.

The people who crowd the streets wear suits and hats, drop-waist dresses and furs. Their faces are all blank smiles. It's the roaring twenties, darling, why do you look so concerned?

If it is your first experience of the Endless Isles, you have access to the High Temple. Should you wish, you may also seek out the island's own temple as well, which is located inside the city, in a district mostly forgotten by the residents. Don’t worry - your feet will carry you there.

The building is not large, and it is old and neglected. It has a domed ceiling, with panels of glass crisscrossed with metal painted gold curving upward. Whatever fine pattern may have formed there is lost to time; the glass at the centerpoint of the dome is gone, letting in the smell of the sea.

There are rooms equipped with beds spreading out like a spiderweb from the middle of the building. The temple proper is of course in the exact center, below the broken dome. In the middle of this circular room you will find dead branches gathered together to make a vaguely humanoid shape. This crude figure has been haphazardly painted yellow. A slab of concrete sits in front of it. There is not much to explore here; it is very quiet.

Either temple is a good place to simply rest, or meet some of your fellow Travelers. The High Temple of course has the Temple Chef and its usual Guardians, Flock, and Lantern.

The Island Temple has its own Guardians, which are small, pale humanoids with perfectly blank faces and small antlers like young deer. They will leave you alone unless you try to meddle with the central room. Doing so will result in one of them approaching you, and you will find yourself falling unconscious on the floor.



Ⅱ. THE MASQUERADE
Through happenstance, you find yourself in an enormous ballroom. Low couches are dotted everywhere, and a live band plays somewhere at the end of the massive space. A long bar takes up one side of the room, bottles sparkling under the light cast from the many cut-glass chandeliers hanging overhead. Champagne flows freely, and the scent of gin pervades the air.

All of the attendees are wearing masks.

You're dressed for the occasion, of course - you will find yourself wearing something reminiscent of 1920s America, with a small yellow sigil of some sort pinned to your breast. Ask any of the guests about it and they will tell you, "ah, it's a secret." You too, of course, are wearing a mask. You did not pick this mask, but if you look in the mirror hung over the bar you will find that it nonetheless hints at some aspect of your personality.

Which would be all well and good, except that you can't take the bloody thing off.

Moving around the ballroom, you will discover that a few other people also have the yellow sigil pinned to their clothing. It probably shouldn't surprise you that these people are all other Travelers, equally unable to take their mask off.

No, you can't unmask until you share something with your new-found friend: a secret. A REAL one, the sort you'd never speak aloud.

Of course, you can choose not to share. If you choose that route, however, you'll find that the mask is fusing with your skin. Leave it on past midnight when the cries of "UNMASK! UNMASK!" begin, and it will simply become your new face for the duration of the month.



Ⅲ. THE PLAY
Maybe parties aren't your style. No fear, there's plenty more to do and see in such a wondrous city. There's a theatre - the Meliora Grand as a matter of fact - and perhaps you're just the sort of person who would like to take in the arts.

The theatre has plush seats, and fabulous electric sconces lining the wall. Once you take your seat you'll find yourself looking at the stage, where a blood-red velvet curtain hangs. The theatre doesn't seem to fill up - indeed, it really seems that there's only you and one or two other people there. Curious.


The lights go down and the curtain is drawn open, revealing... well. Not much.

There are two chairs on the stage, a table between them. On the table lays a pallid face: a mask. Just a mask. Why not go on up and take a closer look?

Should you choose to touch the mask, you will feel a deep urge to speak to whoever else is in the theatre. You will, in fact, feel the desire to act out some sort of emotional trauma with them. Perhaps they suddenly look like your mother, your father, a lover who left you. Why don't you tell them how you really feel?

Naturally, you can both just sit in awkward silence instead. You'll be waiting until the morning to be let out, if that's the case.



Ⅳ. LOST CARCOSA
CW: the undead.
You find yourself walking along the beach at night. Along the shore the cloud-waves break, and black stars rise above you.

You can't quite pinpoint when you realise you are no longer alone. Maybe there is only one other person on the beach with you, or perhaps a few; you move as one down the expanse of sand until you realise there is something laying up ahead of you.

There is a heap of yellow cloth there, dry and tattered with age. It smells faintly of spices. Nestled among it is a jewel-encrusted human skull. Its empty sockets compel you to sit down in the cool, bone-white sand, to sit and speak to those around you about loss.

Everyone has lost something important to them. A person, a thing, a place, an aspect of the self. Something that's gone and you're never getting back. The skull grins endlessly, endlessly, encouraging you to speak about something you may not have laid to rest.

You can resist this compulsion. Maybe you were never good at sharing. Refuse the skull's silent request and you may continue down along the beach, or perhaps head back the way you came. As you walk, however, you will notice that there is a fog rolling in. It comes in off the sea/sky, obscuring the beach until you can barely see.

It's a terribly handy cover for the corpses that are shambling out of the surf. Wet, bloated, with eyes that glow a dim gold, they head for you silently. They wish to drag you back with them, into the depths. Better hope you can outrun or outfight them.

Bonus: What's that? You want a Carcosa playlist? You've got it, babes!


Network · Logs · OOC · Memes · Plurk

hostile_encounter: hollow-art.com (24)

[personal profile] hostile_encounter 2021-05-03 04:20 am (UTC)(link)
She looks around, annoyed again by the fog that obscures the secrets of the room. "Hard to tell if they're drugged or just part of the setting, isn't it?"

One of the things he said just processed. "...Do you think it's as annoying and simple as that? Like, 'it's a secret' is the riddle?"
Edited 2021-05-03 04:20 (UTC)
catlady: (Default)

[personal profile] catlady 2021-05-03 04:22 am (UTC)(link)
And you were Batman.

[ after the wedding, villa hermosa, the whole thing with bane and everything that came afterward. things were finally starting to change, they were finally starting to find that little bit of happiness meant just for them. she doesn't feel quite so smart or fast these days carrying around that giant target she's painted on her back.

but none of that is of his concern, of course. ]


I don't know, Bat. I've been making an awful lot of mistakes lately. Might not be dead but I've definitely used up a few of those lives.
bookerlesigh: (pensive)

The Play

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-05-03 04:32 am (UTC)(link)

There's only the two of them here, and Booker's more than happy to take a seat far across the row from his. The grandeur of the theatre is undeniable, luscious and splendid in a way that immediately takes his mind to the French Revolution. Decadence such as this was in stark contrast to the horrors he has a feeling exist just under the surface here. Though they may not be they horrors of the common plights he's used to - everything here has an air of strangeness to it, and that's only exemplified by the horns he can see his companion sporting.

His assumption is that they are decorative, a headpiece of some sort but... he's resigned enough to the oddness of this place to not entirely dismiss the idea that they may be real outright.

At her words though, he has no choice but to abandon his efforts to stay as still and nondescript as possible. He straightens up in the seat, glances around to confirm ( needlessly ), that she must be speaking to him. "Trapped?"

There were more ways out of a building than just through the door, if it was locked.

grayshulk: (pic#12883449)

[personal profile] grayshulk 2021-05-03 04:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Looking away seems easier to say than to do until the hand settles on her shoulder. Physical grounding makes it easier to break her eye contact with the empty sockets of the skull and take the bottle. The burn reminds her this is a questionable choice, and she hands it back easily.]

Seems like a heck of a setup. Get pulled into a strange environment. Get told you need to change. Get pushed to open up about loss. Face down literal altars to dangerous things.
motiontostrike: (pic#14407472)

[personal profile] motiontostrike 2021-05-03 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Don't worry about it. If I were keeping a tally of assholes, you wouldn't even make it into my top 100." Matt grins like he can see no other way to take his statement but as a compliment. He twists the little pin once more before giving up on the idea that he might be able to illuminate some meaning behind the sigil that no one else this evening has considered.

It's safer to keep a clear mind, though the little pleasures of freedom have already proven tempting. He sets the snifter on the tray of a passing waiter with a surprising amount of grace for a man whose eyes are literally covered by the mask in question. "Sure I can," he insists. To think otherwise seems preposterous, even if the straps do seem to be cutting into him. Matt's happy to demonstrate, but the first tug has him yelping in surprise and pain.

"All right, what kind of joke is this?"
neverrefuse: (pic#14504564)

IV

[personal profile] neverrefuse 2021-05-03 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
The Doctor isn't sure how she came to be walking along a beach at night. This place is more than a little unusual, so she doesn't question it too much.

Then a scream pierces the night and she starts running to the source.

She finds a man sitting in the sand, but he's not the source of the wailing. The skull in his hand is. That's...different. And also not the only problem at hand. Through the thick fog, she notices the vague figures shambling from the depths of the ocean.

"Oi, Hamlet, drop the skull and get a shift on. We've got trouble."
darkdetective: (pic#14867980)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-03 04:39 am (UTC)(link)
I guess you'll just have to steal some more, then.

[ she's the one who stays alive, he's the one whose story ends poorly. he wished that maybe it wouldn't, if maybe for her alone, but the chance always remained more in that favor. he takes her hand. ]

Tell me a secret, Cat. Let me see that pretty face of yours.
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

o daddy

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 04:40 am (UTC)(link)
Onstage, Kyle frowns. For a second there it looked like there was an unfamiliar man in the audience there. But, no. Hairy and smoking a cigar - could definitely be his father. When he looks closer it's definitely Gerald Broflovski.

"Dad, what are you doing here? Oh, fuck. Are you in trouble? You are, aren't you?" Kyle sighs and pushes his hands back through his hair. "Jesus Christ, dad, what NOW? Is this another international incident?"
what_fourth_wall: (Say what???)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-05-03 04:42 am (UTC)(link)
"This will absolutely be my new symbol." It won't. That's a lie, and not a secret.

It's worth pausing right here in the narration to note an interesting perception of what secrets are. Deadpool seems to be conflating "secret" with "truth". Ruminate on what that means for a moment. To this man, the truth must be secret. How fucked up is that?

"You know, I've always secretly loved suits." A pause. "WAIT NO, NOT A SECRET. I was quite open about loving my suits." He fidgets with the mask. It's still firmly attached. Good, good. Even if that was a secret, it apparently wasn't juicy enough to cost him his new face.

He pauses in his own self absorption to notice that Jen isn't quite as disgusted with him as she usually is. Normally, this would be his dream come true. He's always had the biggest crush on Jen, even if it's only been referenced once in the very very beginning of Gerry Duggan's run. Why did that never come to fruition as a plot point? He'd never know. But...she seemed not herself. And the crush was definitely not something he'd go near referencing because something told him it was just the kind of secret the mask wanted to come off and leave him with exactly the face someone like Jen would never, ever want.

A secret worth sharing to break the mask's power that he didn't want to break. Ironic.

"You okay, Jolly G? You seem like you've been sipping the kool-aid around here. Did you try to smash a Guardian too? Whatever they hit you with for trying that is good stuff. It made me dance like Zemo." It didn't make him dance like Zemo. He did that all on his own.
darkdetective: (pic#14647620)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-03 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
Hm. Sounds a little like a Tuesday. All except for the opening up part, maybe. I never was very good at that.

[ and now he offers her a hand up. baby steps to get her away from it. ]

Name's Bruce. The alcohol will help. Just enough to take the edge off the nagging of our grinning friend down there.
kyley_b: https://mcnuggyy.tumblr.com/ (wut)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle, meanwhile, had done a header into the sand. He sputtered, choking on wet sand and ocean/sky foam and rolled onto his back. His hands clawed mindlessly and his feet pedaled as fast as they could, scooting him away like a dying crab. Kyle shook his head, clearing his eyes enough for him to see the zombie horde neatly dispatched by--

"Ryan Reynolds?!"
bookerlesigh: (Default)

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-05-03 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
I. The High Temple

Booker's weary of this island and this situation he's found himself in already. When he walks into the High Temple, he can feel a bit of that caution and mistrust ease. There's something worn and welcoming about the walls, the weathered ground that's clean but not perfect. The whole place is old, and that age reminds him achingly of those who have cast him out.

It resonates with him, the ancient weight of the air here, reminding him of those closest to him, the years that they carry on their shoulders as well.

Booker might be getting some food, hunting through some stores, or could even happen into a room that he hadn't realized was occupied.


II. The Masquerade

The mask doesn't impede his ability to drink which, honestly, is the most important part for him. The eerie sideways 8 covers the majority of the mask, his eyes sitting inside each closed loop ( though truthfully, it reminds him more of a lemniscate - the endlessness that implies is something he'd rather not dwell on ). You can find him at the bar, or sweeping up drinks from a tray.

For someone who's been drinking heavily all night, he holds the liquor well. And as well as he holds the liquor, he holds his tongue even better. He'll tell you his name, but that's probably all you're going to get out of him unless he already knows you.

III. WILDCARD


Do whatever you want or hit me up on PM / [plurk.com profile] sharperrp / discord: sharperrp#2231 !
kyley_b: (RL_KB_1)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle goggles at her for a moment, and then his shoulders slump.

"That would be so obvious it would be stupid," he says. "So. Yes. Yes, that's probably is EXACTLY it. So we need a secret?"
neverrefuse: (pic#14504570)

2

[personal profile] neverrefuse 2021-05-03 04:53 am (UTC)(link)
The Doctor and black tie usually spells disaster. The mask is just a nice additional touch of menace to the event. She had hoped the attendees of this party would have answers. About anything. Unfortunately, they don't and the Doctor is left as confused as she was when she first arrived.

The mask may conceal much of the other woman's face, but the Doctor knows that hair anywhere. There's a hint of a smile at the corner of the Doctor's mouth as she approaches River.

"Hello, sweetie."
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
Kyle blinks. That was suave. Like, James Bond suave, just plunk! There goes the glass on the tray. Kyle had barely even noticed the waiter coming.

His musings on how the hell the guy managed to pull that trick are cut short when he tries to remove his mask and fails. Kyle sighs.

"I kinda had a feeling that might be the case," he says glumly. "Yeah, I tried yanking mine off earlier and it wouldn't go. I tried again like, ten minutes ago and it actually kinda hurt. So I'm worried."
pilferings: (he goes so fast so quickly!)

[personal profile] pilferings 2021-05-03 05:01 am (UTC)(link)
right????

god, so glad he found someone who Understands
catlady: (Default)

[personal profile] catlady 2021-05-03 05:08 am (UTC)(link)
Blending in is just the first step to settling in.

[ he reminds her of the older kids in alleytown and the kids she grew up with when she was one of them, all of them just trying to survive. strays recognize their own and selina recognizes that little, missing spark within him. it's a detail to file away for later, maybe. something to put in the mental bank until it's useful or relevant.

she maintains that blasé, couldn't-care-less demeanor, still playing with the necklaces laid out in front of her. she combs her fingers through them, straightening them. ]


I don't know, this is a little low on the scale of weird shit I've experienced? I'm certainly not thrilled about being here, but I can only pout about going home for so long.
what_fourth_wall: (Arms crossed)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-05-03 05:09 am (UTC)(link)
"What? No, that's just the guy that plays mmmYES, absolutely, I am Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Reynolds is me." Well, that very last bit was technically true some of the time.

He fired his gun again at one last zombie creeping up behind Kyle. Would there be more? Who knew? He glanced back to see what Death thought, but...she was gone. It was as if she'd never been there at all. His window to go to her had come and gone, and now he didn't even have her big beautiful face to flirt with. If he'd just let the zombos have this guy, he'd still get to be with her but...no. He couldn't do that.

"You really kill the mood, kid, you know that?" Bitterness crept into his voice as he spoke. Of course, why he felt the need to call the guy a kid was beyond him. (Actually it wasn't, but he was playing nice with the meta stuff. On the inside, he was screaming that he got to hang out with the kid from Southpark.)
dothelokimotion: (A life of pain is the pain of life)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-03 05:27 am (UTC)(link)
[ while logan may recognize loki, the god certainly does not so he merely shrugs, careless. ]

You never know who may be listening. And gods often can't resist showing off.
dothelokimotion: (You will never go)

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-03 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
It does feel rather . . . tame.

[ where were the drugs and the synth music? though at least it wasn't like asgardian parties, all mead, meat and carousing. ]
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 05:37 am (UTC)(link)
"What fucking mood? The 'wow, we're in a John Carpenter movie' mood?" You're not the only one who might recognise pop culture shit, Wade.

Kyle stands, brushing wet sand of of the snazzy suit he in no way would have had the fashion sense to pick out. He looks more annoyed than anything else. "Thanks. For the rescue and all."
what_fourth_wall: (yellow boxes)

[personal profile] what_fourth_wall 2021-05-03 06:00 am (UTC)(link)
Oh shiiiiiit, of COURSE the South Park crew knows their pop culture, probably better than any single Deadpool writer!

"Forget about it," he replies, staring at the place where the skull had been. Part of him wondered if this guy could see it even though Wade couldn't. That'd be pretty much par for the course. "It's better than a Deadpool movie at least, right?"

(Ugh. Self deprecating is NOT a good look on us. This is why Death is kinda bad for us, you know that right?)

"YOU shut up." It comes out as a snap, but clearly not at Kyle. But then he does look at Kyle as if he wasn't just talking to his parenthesis and nods. "Yeah. Well. If you are in a John Carpenter movie, you have to help people out, right? Just playing my part here."

He stands and stretches. Being dragged by zombies wasn't very good for the old spine, and it crackles and pops. "Say, you haven't seen a sexy skull hanging out on the beach that is surprisingly good at getting you to bare your soul, have you?"
kyley_b: https://fmdinisio.tumblr.com/ (yup)

cw: tasteless murder jokes i guess

[personal profile] kyley_b 2021-05-03 06:30 am (UTC)(link)
(Neither of you mention Disney, neither of you mention Disney... Kyle, you are not breaking any fourth walls, young man.)

Kyle gives him a look. "O-kay. Uh, yeah, yeah I guess so. So, thanks again."

He gives Wade another look, because there's only one kind of person who describes skulls as 'sexy' and that's serial killers. Which might explain how the guy was so good with weapons. Oh. Oh shit. He's about to get Dahmered by Ryan Reynolds.

"Uhm. No. But it looks like there's something further down the beach if you're really dead set on checking it out. What the hell were you baring to a skull, anyway?"
nanban: (abuh?)

[personal profile] nanban 2021-05-03 07:35 am (UTC)(link)
Maleficent stands out, of course, not just because of her wings but because of her bearing. Even with a mask, he's pretty sure he'd recognise her. Hawks imagines she's not thrilled to be at a party like this, especially with her obvious opinions on humans. As far as he can tell, most of the attendees are human. Or maybe they just look it? He doesn't have any way to tell, and he's not all that bothered by it.

"At least these clothes are nice, right?" he answers. Though he'd like to know how it works. He doesn't really know much about magic, such as it is. A lot of quirks seem like magic. Even his fave, Endeavor, can light himself on fire and all that. He knows it's science and all, but he remembers being a kid and thinking how magical some quirks seemed compared with his own. Though to be fair, he can do some shit with his feathers that people would never expect.

His eyes go wide, visible even with the mask on, at whatever that magic is. Right. That's actual magic she's got, not like a quirk. Maybe it's splitting hairs to think of the difference, but until he knows what the rules and limits are, he can keep thinking of her power as magic and his own as just a quirk.

"Whoa. Guess they really want these symbols to stay put, right?"

He laughs and waves his free hand dismissively. "Hey, now. No one said I'm drinking this. Just seemed prudent to blend in. At least as much as I can. Gotta play the game if we're gonna learn anything about this place, y'know?"
dothelokimotion: (Words are vibrations)

( iv )

[personal profile] dothelokimotion 2021-05-03 08:17 am (UTC)(link)
[ well now. that's quite the strong reaction to a few shambling bodies. perhaps zombies are more dangerous than they seem? but this person's strength doesn't look to be underestimated. and that ethereal glow in his eyes. loki hasn't seen it in centuries, so he can only hazard a few guesses. he spares no thought to the skull, clicking his tongue. ]

Isn't that a little extreme?
Edited 2021-05-03 23:48 (UTC)