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Entry tags:
- ! event log,
- a discovery of witches: kit marlowe,
- dc: harley quinn,
- detroit: become human: chloe,
- detroit: become human: connor,
- dragon age: anders,
- final fantasy: sephiroth,
- locked tomb: harrowhark nonagesimus,
- marvel: carter ghazikhanian,
- marvel: jennifer walters,
- marvel: loki odinson,
- marvel: wade wilson,
- my hero academia: takami keigo,
- oc: elenore evans,
- oc: saxsice king,
- penny dreadful: victor frankenstein,
- south park: kyle broflovski,
- uncharted: elena fisher,
- uncharted: nathan drake,
- uncharted: rafe adler,
- uncharted: samuel drake
Destination: 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!
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.
Masquerade
"Apples?" There's no reason to assume he'll put the slight brunette in a delicate costume together with the hulking giantess who he had a pleasant meal with on another island, but maybe. There are only so many Travelers in their group so far.
no subject
"Apples...?" He asks and then his lips curve into a slanted smile as he finally clues in.
"Oh!! Apples! Jen, hi!"
He takes a step back, looking her up and down in a curious way.
"Wow." He says and then blushes at how rude that sounds. "I mean...sorry. You look different, I mean nice. You look nice."
no subject
But then he recognizes her and she gets to be vaguely glad that her face is still covered in a whole new way. Dealing with people seeing her in both forms was always weird when she was comfortable with her body. Now it's a whole new set of potential weirdness. At lease he seesm kind about it? She doesn't even think about him being complimentary.
"Thanks. So do you? Pink suits you. I'm a little jealous of your mask?"
no subject
"Yours is neat, although sadly both of our masks are going to make it hard to have drinks."
no subject
"That is a downside. The champagne looks good." Gin, too, but it's less visually appealing. "It will make things awkward if we can't figure out how to get them off."
no subject
"I've seen a few people without masks in here." He mentions, pointing towards the swirling crowd. "And some of those have the same weird watches we do so there has to be some sort of trick to getting them to come off."
"Maybe it's a magic word or something to do with this yellow mark?"
no subject
She focuses back on the suggestion on what to do about the mask and the possible connection. "I tried asking one of the guests about it. They got real winky about it being a secret. Which definitely makes it seem like we're either being set up for something or it's annoyingly obvious."
no subject
"Winky about...a secret." He says and then looks back at Jen, "Maybe we have to tell each other a secret? Is that too dumb and obvious?"
no subject
"No, that's exactly the right level of obvious." She looks around. "It probably can't just be a little one, right? Or, I guess we could try?"
content warning for mention of spousal abuse
"I'll go first, and then if it doesn't work I'll be the only one horribly embarrassed." He offers and then takes a moment to think. Finally he selects a secret that he rarely likes to talk about, or tell people outright but he's pretty sure Jen will be okay with it considering the first time they met she was much taller and much greener.
"I'm a mutant." He admits and then in case that isn't enough he adds, "I manifested my powers when I was eight years old and it scared the hell out of my mother. She was human and my Dad had been a mutant...and he had been abusive."
He pauses again, stupidly waiting for some kind of magical music sting or light to flash, but nothing happens. However when he pulls at the strings of his mask it comes off, allowing him to fully breathe.
content warning for mention of abuse
It certainly helps to explain why Carter handled meeting her in another form and state of being with grace. There's an unfamiliar ache of empathy when she connects with why he might want to keep those powers secret and the ways they would connect with loss and pain. She isn't used to thinking of her own abilities in that framework.
"Thank you for trusting me with this. None of that experience sounds like an easy thing to go through." She pauses. "It's not a secret that I'm one of the Hulks, but maybe there's a little comfort to being sure, given the context?"
But that leaves her trying to find her own secret. Something real that can be given to a stranger. "My own abilities are...broken. When I came out of the coma, it was already bad because of whatever weird missile they were trying out, but then I found out that one of my good friends killed my cousin because they thought he might lose control. And that he had been found innocent and justified in court. Everything just broke all at once."
She reaches up to test the mask, then lets her hands fall down, not sure if she wants to know if that was enough.
no subject
"Fuck Jen, I am so sorry." He says, "That's... a lot to wake up to."
He pauses and then offers her his hand, "You don't have to take that off but if you feel up to it I'd like to go and find us the fucking fanciest and strongest drink they have. Because we earned it."
no subject
"It was. It still is." Her voice is soft. She keeps waiting for perspective and for time to kick in, but everything stays raw.
"The drink sounds good, but it'll be hard to manage with my mask." She tries the edges of the mask, and it comes off this time with only a hint of resistance. "We definitely earned the drink."
no subject
And that doesn't seem fair.
What makes you think this is a fair place? A cold voice whispers in his mind and he turns away from it.
Instead he offers her a soft smile, "What would you prefer? Gin or champagne? Both maybe? I think they call that a French 75..."
no subject
Honestly, any booze at all is a terrible idea, but Jennifer intends to sleep in the main temple again tonight. The place has a tranquilizing effect on her other half, and she's fairly confident in her ability to return. Besides, they both deserve something after ripping open the old scabs. Probably something better than fizz and gin, but that's what's on hand.
no subject
He offers her his arm as they drift towards the bar, people swirling past them like a galaxy of stars, winking on and off in a pattern that flows along with the music.
"I think I know this song." He remarks, glancing towards the band who seem to have an endless supply of energy since they've been playing all night with no breaks. Carter vaguely hopes that someone is bringing them drinks, he knows how exhausting it can be to play music for hours on end.
no subject
She tilts her head, listening to the music. It sounds familiar but she couldn't place it if she tried. "I like it? But I can't place it." Still, she catches herself moving gently with it as they work towards the bar.
no subject
"....I'm all alone at midnight and my lamp is burnin' low, ain't never had so much...." He sings softly under his breath and then grins. "Ah! It's Trouble in Mind!"
The tune finally placed he smiles at Jen, "Sorry I love old music, before I came here I was doing a deep dive into blues and swing guitar music."
When they reach the bar the grinning masked bartender bids them a good evening, Carter is slightly unnerved by his smile but orders them each a French 75 which is prepared with a flourish and handed off to them. He holds up his glass at offers Jen the same slanted smile.
"Should we toast to something?"
no subject
Her tone is so light and teasing it surprises her a little. Of course, there's the trauma and weirdness of their abduction, but Jennifer can hardly remember the last time she let herself breathe like this. It makes her less concerned about the risk of the drink, even if the bartender gives her the creeps.
She accepts the glass with a silent thanks. "Probably. Maybe to our host?"
no subject
He takes a long sip, savoring the taste.
"That's actually quite nice."
no subject
Her first quick sip of the cocktail is surprisingly pleasant and she takes a second longer one. "I'm actually amazed. Apparently we can add good taste in liquor to the list."
no subject
As they stand together, enjoying their drinks and the swirling atmosphere around them, Carter sneaks a few glances at Jen. Noting both the differences and similarities between what she looks like now and when he first met her. Her eyes are definitely the same, her smile is too.
"Can I ask you a dumb question?" He says, blushing a little bit when he realizes he may have been staring at her a little too obviously.
no subject
She catches the glances and there's always that weird moment of wondering if he's checking her out or comparing her different appearance. There is always the chance that it's both, and it's entirely not uncommon in her experience. Jennifer definitely finds herself sipping the drink a little more.
"Sure?" This is either going to be terrible or interesting.
no subject
"You're just so....tall in your other form it made me think about skeletal structures and physiology." His cheeks go even pinker.
"I sound really dorky and dumb right now don't I?"
no subject
"Actually, that's one of the better questions people have asked me about it lately." She still has to break eye contact as she answers, but there's space to be honest. "Most of the time there's no pain or not enough that it actually matters. Pain is relative, and the endorphin rush is pretty intense. Lately, it hasn't been that easy."
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awww that's a cute icon
thanks! I almost never get to use it
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