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

suckonthis: (a wingman)

[personal profile] suckonthis 2021-05-17 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
You don't even know me!

[ Technically, Ryo doesn't even know himself, but what teenager really does? It doesn't matter that his hands sting from the slap (it's forgotten) -- they find a home at his sides, anxiously tapping at his thighs. There's a hint of the desperation he's felt this entire time, having to sit and wait for Akira to be okay enough to look him in the eye.

It's hard when you're being blamed for something you haven't accomplished yet, doubly so when it's by someone you love. ]


I'm doing my best, and here you come, strolling in as if you know him better because he unloaded on you. We've been best friends since we were children. Of course it hurts!

[ The confession leaves him with a bad aftertaste. It's still not good enough, and he loathes that this kid's the one that's seen him vulnerable twice, granted he doesn't trust Simon an inch. He's slipping, as far as being emotionally elusive. That will have to be remedied. ]
incelligent: (132)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-17 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
[That's a very familiar sting.

Familiar enough to give even Simon, who isn't the best at situations like these, reason to pause.
]

Look, I don't know him like you do. And I don't know you, either.

[That much is obvious.]

It just... Kinda hurt to see somebody else so strung out like that.

I take it you've tried talking to him? Have you... I dunno, tried givin' him a hug or something?

[#hugsnotdrugs]

You seem like the type who'd be really bad at that kinda stuff.
grayshulk: (pic#12883343)

[personal profile] grayshulk 2021-05-17 03:39 am (UTC)(link)
There are times when it might have been a little bit of a thrill, some minor victory, to startle Deadpool. He is, after all, someone who so often has a surprising amount of say in the storyline and an ability to impact things far beyond his expected scope. The problem is, she's not trying to score points or even pull a trick. This is a strange world, and whatever complications he might bring with him, Jennifer has already decided they're on the same team until he proves otherwise. She doesn't trust him, exactly, but she trusts him to be himself.

So, she regrets, a little, the flash of discomfort that comes with him looking away and even more the lie. A generous interpretation of their surroundings could be that maybe they were here to sort out the important truths and lies.

"This doesn't seem like a place where the answers come with killing." A pause as she looks at a few of the people in masks. "Humiliation, maybe, but not killing. Also, maybe don't try to murder the people who have a connection to the woman behind the curtain yet."

She reaches out to give his shoulder a brief squeeze. Taking a little comfort even as she gives it. "I appreciate that. It seems like it might be important here."
catlady: (Default)

[personal profile] catlady 2021-05-17 03:49 am (UTC)(link)
If the situation were reversed, would you?

[ she doesn't really know how to answer that in a way that makes him feel better, but bruce has always been better at moving on than she ever has, whatever his reason. like, sure, she almost killed vicki vale that one time, but she's never held it against him. selina's list of romantic interests can be sorted neatly: flings and one-night stands, like ted grant who is as good in bed as he is in the ring but is someone who she could never make something serious of; the people who loved her but whose affections she never quite returned, like slam bradley who is a friend that managed to catch her at a bad time in her life; and then there's bruce wayne, the man she's been probably been in love with since she was 19 years old.

maybe it's not the same for his selina, but if it were her, she's not sure she'd find someone else -- she'd find a new distraction or something to give her a sense of purpose. she'd be close to happy. maybe that's enough. ]


She'll be fine, Bat. Cats always land on their feet and Selina Kyle is remarkably resilient. It'll be hard for a time, then the pain in your chest becomes so familiar that it gets easier to live with, but she'll survive.
suckonthis: (dad stahp)

[personal profile] suckonthis 2021-05-17 03:53 am (UTC)(link)
We're not on hugging terms. [ It's such an odd suggestion as far as Ryo's concerned that he's too confused to filter. ] I don't know if we're even able to shake hands.

[ Maybe he pauses long enough to look over his shoulder. Spotting nothing, he shrugs and tries to ignore the tension settling in. ]

Akira is sort of oblivious to certain things.
bookerlesigh: (:})

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-05-17 03:53 am (UTC)(link)

It's a 'hey' he can work with, that moment of pause on her face that he's seen before, where her mind is catching up with a curious reality. But he can work with that, though he's even more relieved to have the second 'hey' to work with, the warmth he's already come to associate with her, extended, once again, to him.

He scans the street, habit more than anything, and eye out for anything telling or alarming. There's nothing though, other than odd faces and countless reminders that this isn't home.

"What're you doing out here?" he goes with, as if there isn't a whole valley of other options he could go with.

bookerlesigh: (considering)

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-05-17 03:58 am (UTC)(link)

That is one of the things that makes them so creepy, the way their smiles are pasted onto their faces. "Anyone who's that happy has to have something wrong with them," he agrees; and aren't they just the jolly-most bunch around the block.

"So how do you get information from people who don't want to share it?"

It's not really a question. He knows a few ways to help loosen people's tongues, but he both doesn't care enough, and also doesn't think he'll much like any answers there are to have.

queenking: ([neutral] internal screaming)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-17 03:59 am (UTC)(link)
That gets a shrug, and an understanding sort of nod. "San Francisco does fuckin' suck, can't argue with you there."

Then Saxsice breaks into a relieved smile, waving a hand in greeting. "Hey, welcome back. And no worries, ain't the first time someone's said that to me, won't be the last." This is...not factual, but she hopes it's reassuring, at least?
queenking: ([neutral] i mean u said it not me)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-17 04:01 am (UTC)(link)
Nah, just kinda...not one you hear a lot. Oldschool, manly name. Like Steve. [Saxsice obligingly trots along after him, seemingly perfectly content just to wander along the beach.]

S'matter, you can't swim? [She teases it lightly, snickering and glancing towards the surf, just in time to see something moving. She freezes suddenly, on alert.] Woah. What was that?
incelligent: (71)

[personal profile] incelligent 2021-05-17 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
You're tellin' me.

[He sighs because... Simon has been able to pick up that much, even if it's only been a few days.]

I know he likes books, but with the way he talks sometimes it's like his skull's just as thick as one.

[ASDLKF AJSKDJKF ROASTED...]

Don't tell him I said that.
queenking: ([neutral] :|||||)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-17 04:02 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice bites back a snippy comment about whether that tiny temper tantrum made him feel any better, crossing her arms and rocking back on her heels.]

Who am I gonna tell, exactly? The creepy little dudes in the temples? [Flatly:] I care about as much about your past as you do about mine, mister.
queenking: ([up] girl next door)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-17 04:04 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice snickers in delight, flopping back onto the sand, still sun-warmed. A moment of rummaging around in a bag that sits beside her and she produces a somewhat tepid bottle of champagne.]

Glad to hear it. Feel like bein' even more rebellious? Stole this from that dumb party. [She rolls her eyes, then proceeds to uncork the bottle with her teeth.] Only thing there that wasn't gin.
queenking: ([neutral] ew no why)

[personal profile] queenking 2021-05-17 04:10 am (UTC)(link)
[Saxsice raises both eyebrows, an effect completely wasted due to the mask and everything. She sips at her gin, elbows resting on the bar between them.] Do I look like I'm kiddin'?

[Then again, she'll be the first to acknowledge that her entire...everything (the dress, the hair, the heels) are working towards making it seem like she is, in fact, kidding. She's about to offer to display her abilities firsthand when the bartender returns and sternly orders her to get back on the other side of the bar.

She barely acknowledges him.
] Piss off, I'm talkin'.
bookerlesigh: (pensive)

[personal profile] bookerlesigh 2021-05-17 04:11 am (UTC)(link)

Any quick-wit that Booker has is overshadowed by his exhaustion with the world at large - and he's even moreso exhausted here, the age and history that is evident in the walls of this place urging the thought that perhaps he might be able to finally rest here, for a moment.

Though that moment doesn't appear to be now, and his eyes flit over the man in front of him, the matching robes, the hair in disarray, the expression on his face likely closely resembling the one on Booker's face.

"No," Booker confirms, and he glances around the room quickly to see if there are any of those things about. None immediately about, though that didn't mean they wouldn't appear at the drop of a hat.

"I don't quite know what they are either. Or what this place is, really."

darkdetective: (pic#14647621)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-17 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Nothing, you're drunk. It's probably just crabs.

[ it's not crabs. the tips of bony fingertips begin to poke at her feet as bruce ushers her onward faster. ]

Let's keep moving. I'll buy you a hot dog or something when we get to the street.
darkdetective: (pic#14860946)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-17 05:23 am (UTC)(link)
Does it get easier?

[ he passes her a wry smile, not finding the courage to meet her eyes. talking to bruce wayne about getting used to pain, getting used to loss, and living with it... well, he's never been very good at that. when he finally looks up again, he barely takes her fingertips in his hand and squeezes gently. ]

If I can't tell her, then I'll tell you. If it ever happens... you know... then be happy. Whatever it takes. Steal it if you have to. That's all he really wants.
darkdetective: (pic#14860939)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-17 05:26 am (UTC)(link)
Must be one hell of a knife you've got.

[ he raises an eyebrow and finishes his bread, just the ends of the crust now. ]

If it is a god and it hasn't killed us already, this is probably some sort of game. Maybe even a test. If that's true, the first thing we have to figure out is what the rules are. The first one seems clear enough: we can't leave.
darkdetective: (pic#14867967)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-17 05:28 am (UTC)(link)
First legally, now literally.

[ he died for fakesies and then died for real. both sucked. ]

And I can't exactly tell you what happened after my death, now can I? All I can really say is that I have a pulse, and I'm not Deadman.
catlady: (Default)

[personal profile] catlady 2021-05-17 06:55 am (UTC)(link)
[ isn't that really all he's ever wanted, no matter how misguided some of his efforts have been? it isn't some great revelation, and yet it manages to hit her just as hard. asshole. he should know she hates letting other people see her cry. she squeezes her eyes closed tight to keep the tears at bay, trying to force down all that emotion bubbling away threatening to boil over.

another deep breath, in and out. his hand tightening around hers helps ground her. ]


Yeah. [ she nods, lightly, jaw held taut. ] And if she were here with you, instead of me, she'd tell you she hopes you find peace. Wherever this all takes you. After. You deserve it, Bat. You've been carrying the weight of... so much and often times the whole world. They'll all find a way to continue on without you. They'll do exactly as you taught them, exactly who you've inspired them to be -- your family, your friends, her. It's okay. You can let them carry it now.
darkdetective: (pic#14867991)

[personal profile] darkdetective 2021-05-17 07:10 am (UTC)(link)
I know.

[ he sighs, looking up towards the ceiling. past the ceiling. all the way back to his world, somehow... ]

I've never been a very religious person, you know that. But after everything that I've seen, everything we've been through, I have to believe there's something else out there. I know when I go back, I'll be watching, wherever there is. And if any of you-- any of you-- are ever in real trouble... well, I'll find out how to claw my way back. [ because he's still batman. ]
catlady: (Default)

[personal profile] catlady 2021-05-17 07:50 am (UTC)(link)
[ because he's still batman, he doesn't even have to say that part out loud. she knows it, she believes in it -- in him. her mouth curves ever so slightly, something that could almost be a smile or something bordering on it.

she tugs at his hand, trying to bring his attention back down towards her. ]


In the meantime, though? Do me a favor? Don't-- If it's not too weird, I just don't want you to be a stranger. I don't want you to feel like you have to keep your distance unless you have to.
neverwither: (You can tell me all your sins)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-05-17 12:34 pm (UTC)(link)
[ He suspected as much. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? If he had his suspicions, was he simply waiting for confirmation? Or does he perhaps realise the futility of it all? There’s no CyberLife to turn her in to. There’s no master for her to turn on.

And if she was going to do something like that, wouldn’t she have done so by now?

All these people… She’s no threat to them. Her emotions are most damaging to herself, and she knows how to hide them well enough. It isn’t like she’s going to hurt anyone. Out of all the dark thoughts that she can have, acting out against anyone else doesn’t enter the equation.

And she knows he’s watching her.

Signs of guilt? Signs that the unstable android will pose a danger?

Is that why she’s here? Correction – why they’re both here? So what was resisted on one day can now come to pass?

Was that the design all along?

More red bleeds into the spinning light at her temple. But what comes out of his mouth makes her take pause. Makes her look at him more closely. He shouldn’t be afraid. Unless it’s a polite way of telling her he’s sorry for what he might be about to do.

Not that he would really be sorry either.

Yet his voice, his stance, she doesn’t interpret it as lying. Maybe it’s because she wants it to be, but it seems genuine. Genuine enough for her to step closer and lightly place a hand on his arm. Her own voice is quiet, soft. ]


What are you afraid of?
neverwither: (Time to tread carefully)

[personal profile] neverwither 2021-05-17 12:47 pm (UTC)(link)
[ So they’re both not the biggest sharers. That’s fine, if interesting. Often it seems to be the case that people are quite keen to talk, especially when someone else seems so keen to listen. Chloe is all too happy to provide open forums for others. Meeting someone so guarded – someone who isn’t automatically so purely because of her android status – fuels her ever present curiosity.

Curiosity she will keep to herself in lieu of sticking to the facts. ]


It seems that if you try to talk to anyone here about what’s going on, they’ll just tell you that it’s a secret. Anyone who isn’t wearing the symbol, that is.

[ She gestures to the yellow sigil they’re both wearing. ]
unkindled_madness: (wary)

[personal profile] unkindled_madness 2021-05-17 01:56 pm (UTC)(link)
[It did make him feel better! Marginally. Not much.]

Good.

[It might be true for now, at least. He puts the knife away, eyeing her as he does. She doesn't seem the least bit intimidated, which is... unfamiliar. Stupid if she knew his reputation, but she doesn't. That's sort of the point here.

He's decided he doesn't like being called "mister," though. It sounds so average, ordinary. Wildly inaccurate.]


...it's Sephiroth.
necrosaint: (031)

[personal profile] necrosaint 2021-05-17 03:36 pm (UTC)(link)
However many words there are that rhyme with tomb, Harrow knows all of them. So it may take her a bit to get through it, but she does, eventually, conclude. Or else, she's choosing to conclude, because the hairs on the back of her neck (and the instincts of her Lyctorhood, perhaps) sense another before she properly sees them.

Only after she's ceased speaking does Harrow turn her head over her shoulder to note Bucky, and nod once. It's unlikely he actually wanted her attention specifically, only so much to try to get her to be quiet, or -- the weather does seem to be encroaching, doesn't it?

Harrow reaches a fingertip to the skull's forehead, to thank it for its time, and then is looking to get a better read of the man alongside her. He looks like a cavalier, but can't be, unless he's left his necromancer somewhere far behind.