Welcome to the Carnival

[ateratmods]

Who; EVERYONE!
What; The Traveling Carnival
Where; The Circus Complex and Green Northwest of the City
When; Mid-March
Warnings; None as of yet!

Welcome to the Carnival

A MULTI-DAY AND MULTI-NIGHT ENTERTAINMENT EXTRAVAGANZA!

That is precisely how the advertising banners draw the curious in to the circus complex outside the city, and they do not disappoint. Visitors will be welcomed and told to enjoy themselves, thanked for their patronage, and even given a welcome gift: a small, folding mirror in a box as a door prize. Along with the mirror is a hand-written note in silver ink, written in elegant script.

If you use me before sleep, you will certainly dream of what might have been!

Visitors to the grounds anytime of the day or night will be drawn in by the colorful lights and whimsical sounds of the carnival that dominates both the park and the Circus itself. There are fair rides on the midway. Yes, that's right. Actual, honest to goodness rides. Some are probably familiar, which others are completely alien. There is a Ferris wheel, a haunted house, a house of mirrors to name a few, as well as whatever you as players may want to dream up. If riding fair rides isn't your style, there is an entire shopping district of craftsman hawking wares, food galor to be found (ranging from exotic meals to typical carnival food) as well as enough alcohol to keep everyone well and truly intoxicated for their stay at the carnival.

There is an entire galley of carnival games as well, if winning that special someone an stuffed animal or new pet (think a brand new goldfish) is more your style. You can show off your skills in the shooting range, try to land rings around moving poles, try to guess the number of marbles in one very large jar, and anything else you're welcome to dream up! It seems the visiting clerks here like to change their games up, so now two trips to the galley of games will ever be the same!

The caller outside the sideshow might try to entice visitors in to his gallery of oddities and here things get very interesting. It seems something like a zoo, or a freak show if you want to call it that (and it may make some players and characters uncomfortable). There are creatures in residence from any number of worlds, be their your own or creatures (or races) pulled from other media. The features of the sideshow also seem to change every time it's visited. You may want to go back several times to see if you can share something you've seen with someone else. You might even be successful!

THE MAIN EVENT

Over the several days of the carnival, there are regularly scheduled showed, either in open-air stages or under Big Tops, and they range from magic shows (that use real magic), or stunt demonstrations (that even use motorcycles, which is odd. Has anyone ever seen a motorcyle around here?) to wild animal acts, acrobats, and even clown shows! The tend to change, any they're repeated regularly so you're sure to see something you came to see! There's no limit to the number of times a show can be seen, either, so bring your friends!

DON'T FORGET THE FOOD

Comments

Open To All

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa had learned to associate events and celebrations with dressing up. She wasn't vain or over concerned with what she wore but she got to try out new designs and see what people enjoyed. If her attire was well received, she could make them at A Cut Above and sell them to anyone who wanted them.

Today she was wearing a light brown pair of shorts with ruffles wrapped around her hips to accent her curves. Her feet were covered with her usual worn pair of knee high leather boots while a pair of gray tights kept the remainder of her legs warm. Her top was a simple white blouse with flared sleeves that matched the ruffles of her skirt. There were embordered white flowers snaking around and down the buttons of her shirt while a simple broach and brown bow fastened at her neck. Matching suspenders looped around her shoulders while a black hat rested on a crown of wavy wheat colored hair. The hat was decorated with a short string of pearls and some white flowers.

She was over dressed but it was worth the free advertising.

The carnival was amazing. Gears echoed through the air along with the cheerful cries of children running from ride to ride. Thick heady scents permeated the air mingling together to form the image of food that could only exist in the imagination.

Inesa was weak to the vendors calls but managed to escape the food gallery with only a bright pink fluff of cotton candy artfully strung around a paper cone. The games looked like fun and the prizes were adorable but Inesa kept her distance, worried that she might be pulled into a situation that she wasn't able to politely dislodge herself from. This was nothing like what she'd experienced before. The carnival hands were pushy and it left the young angel uncertain about what to do.

She had been convinced to walk through the tent of oddities but half way through she had to cover her eyes, standing in the middle of the pathway to clear the unsettling images from her mind. It didn't matter if she got stuck, she'd slowly inch towards the exit or wait for a savior to free her.

The rides also caught her attention but she wasn't sure what to ride. Many of the rides reminded her of flying except that it was a grinding machine holding her up instead of magic.

Magic felt a bit more reliable...

As the day ended the tents and rides lit up and Inesa found herself stopping to stare at everything. It was like a holiday but she had no idea what was being celebrated.

It was all a bit overwhelming.

The main event was a must see or so the carnivals announcer proclaimed. There were many different performances but Inesa wasn't sure if she could see them all. The clowns made her uncomfortable but the acrobats were amazing and she'd never seen a motorcycle before. The magic wasn't like her own but it was captivating while watching the animals made her a little sad. She couldn't help but wonder how the carnival arrived at the city or how the animals might have been treated by those with whips and fire. Surely it was all for show... right?

At the end of the first day Inesa could be see standing at the entrance of the carnival with the closed mirror resting in the palm of her hand. She felt something from the curious door prize but she didn't think it was wise to play with the futures and fates. It wasn't a feeling she understood but it was like a firm thread tightly strung and rooted at her core.

It bothered her. It was something important that she couldn't remember. A memory of fate.

[ooc: feel free to find her around any ride or side show or food or shop or anything because Inesa is naturally curious and will be staring at everything. Also any time.

I tried to make this post pretty generic so anyone can find her whenever and have an idea of what she'd be doing. Instead of making a mess of little top levels.]

Food?

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis was waiting for his husband to catch up with him and spied the cotton candy. He understood through previous conversations what it was made of and how, so he wanted to try some and bring some back for Nida.

He advanced towards the place and had a grand time talking to the vendor, learning more about the process as to how the magical snack was made. The scholar in the man couldn't be kept at bay if he had an interest in something and learning a new technique or trying to come up with a way to perhaps replicate the treat when the Circus was gone was something he was definitely interested in.

But as a lady came up all dressed up under a black hat and Ignis bowed his head slightly and stepped aside as she approached. "Ladies first."

Food!

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa glanced up at Ignis before taking a small step back. "Oh no. It is alright." She held her palms up to let him know that she hadn't met any hard. "I can wait. I-" She looked past him at the vendor and then at the strange looking machine that he used to wrap the spun sugar around a paper cone. "I was curious. I have not seen anything like this before."

Her smile widened. "It looks like a pink cloud!"

She didn't have a lot of money but she wanted to see what was available at the carnival. If possible she could find gifts for her friends.

[faithfulsupport]

"It's cotton candy." Ignis supplied helpfully after the lady gave him an almost worried glance. Of course she seemed to be one of the new arrivals or at least new in his own eyes as he himself had been here a year already.

Wherever had the time gone?

But he smiled in delight at her reaction to the treat and nodded to the vendor who was already seeing about working a business deal out with Ignis for the lodge. So the man gave Inesa a huge helping of it.

"It's like spun sugar." the man told her with a nod.

[unknownmoirai]

"Cotton but candy?" She asked curiously as the vendor handed over a fluffy sweet pink cloud.

Inesa wasn't sure how to eat it. It appeared to be too large and round to take a bite of it but if it the strands were as thin as thread then it shouldn't hurt her teeth. She leaned forward and took a bite only for the sweet pink fluff to stick to her nose. The sugar around her bite crystalized with moisture while sticky strings attached themselves to her lips and cheeks.

She really didn't know how to eat cotton candy.

"It's really sweet!" She proclaimed before placing her fingers to her lips.

[king_inthenorth]

Jon and Ghost have been exploring the carnival themselves with the intention of meeting up with Inesa after he finishes his shift with the city watch. He has changed out of his watch uniform and back into his Westeros-inspired clothes, and once making it to the carnival, he'd gone about searching for Inesa but taking his time about it, not wanting to miss out on anything before he finds her.

When he finds Inesa, it's to see her carrying around something bright pink and fluffy. He can't quite figure what it's supposed to be for, except that they're surrounded by food vendors and he sees others tearing off bits of the fluff and eating them.

"Is that meant to be eaten?"

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa had been in such a state of wonder that she hadn't noticed Jon walking up to her until he was upon her.

The familiar voice summoned an involuntary smile to her lips. "Yes. That is what I was told. It is thinly spun sugar that is meant to be eaten." She'd already made a mess of herself trying to take a bite. Afterwards she'd cleaned herself up and then began to walk around the carnival with the cotton candy remaining untouched in her hand. "Would you or Ghost like to try some? It is a bit difficult to eat." She hadn't noticed others tearing off pieces to eat.

She was happy to see him and excited to explore the carnival together.

[king_inthenorth]

"Just sugar? Why would anyone eat that?" He hadn't experienced sugary treats until his arrival in the Sphere, with desserts in Westeros mostly be sweetened by honey, and he found most of the sugary treats to be too sweet. He doesn't understand why someone would want to eat a ball of nothing but sugar. "I don't think Ghost would want any, but I'll try some."

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa laughed. "You should try it. Then I think you will have your answer." She knew why people ate sugar, it was sweet and could be combined with a wonderful combination of flavors to create various desserts.

"Here." Knowing that it would make his fingers sticky, Inesa tore off a small piece of the sugary pink fluff and held it in front of Jon's lips to taste. She didn't make a habit of feeding others but she didn't want Jon to get his fingers sticky.

OTA

[neurotoxicity]

Ivy had never been the type to open up to friends about her struggles. Even when it came to her closest childhood friend, someone she'd shared everything (including a bed) with, she hadn't really opened up to him. That was probably one of the many reasons their relationship had failed. Really, it was probably the reason all of her relationships failed.

But that was neither here nor there. The end of the train of thought always led to the same place: Ivy alone trying to handle her problem by herself. A carnival wasn't the best place to go when one's already struggling with certain vampiric needs and yet it was exactly where she found herself every night lately. It was also where others could find her.

Anyone that noticed her might also notice a strange fluidity to her movements. Sometimes it almost seemed like she was able to move faster than the eye could blink. Usually she wouldn't let herself be so openly other but there was something about a carnival that made it feel more natural. Especially a carnival with a magic of it's own. Something about it appealed to her more predatory instincts and she kind of enjoyed it. She kept mostly to the shadows as she watched people trying their hand at the various types of games. Sometimes she strikes up a conversation with people if they seem particularly driven by the adrenaline rush of the game with a simple:

"Having fun?" Sometimes she follows them when they wander off after having their fill of the fun.

And sometimes she can be found with her arms folded glaring at the strange Freakshow that popped up during one of her visits.

"What a disgusting place. Humans." The word was obviously meant as an insult and it's accompanied by her shaking her head in disgust.

[ ooc: feel free to notice her walking off with people, or run into her herself. This is for the entire time the Carnival is up and is kind of a catchall! Vampires don't like freakshows =( ]

Freakshow

[unknownmoirai]

Inesa had been wandering aimlessly around the carnival since she'd first heard of its arrival and while a majority of the attractions were enjoyable, others were upsetting. The most upsetting was the self proclaimed Freakshow where one of the vendors called out to anyone walking by to entice them to step inside. Inesa had been caught in such a trap and had felt cold by the time she'd escaped from the dark tent.

She was looking back at the signage when she heard the woman next to her speak. She hadn't noticed that she wasn't alone but Inesa wasn't startled. She hadn't been paying attention when she'd sped from the tent.

"I agree." Her voice was sweet, innocent and soft. Inesa was lovely but her features were pale and her usual bright blue-gray eyes were dulled by the sights that had been cemented into her memories. "I do not understand it. How can humans do such things..." She moved her palms to her chest, interlacing her fingers together as if to keep her feet on the ground.

Inesa looked human but that was only on the surface. She was another kind of creature, one entirely formed from magic.

[neurotoxicity]

There was a scent to this woman that definitely wasn't human but Ivy couldn't quite place what exactly she was. Ceri. The scent reminded her quite a bit of Ceridwen, the eternally young familiar of the demon that seemed determine to plague her partner. It'd been awhile since she'd even though of Ceri and for some reason it stirred up a weird bittersweet feeling. Maybe she missed home more than she realized or maybe it was just the affects of this place.

"They're afraid of the creatures that go bump in the night," Ivy replied with a nonchalant shrug. "Deep down they know that if they all came forward their entire world would be changed." The tone she used was careful, deliberate, and said that she'd experienced just that. It was exactly what had happened in her own world. "I guess whenever they get the chance to act like they dominate over us, they take it. That's why they make these places. It lets them feel like they're still in control."

[unknownmoirai]

"But those creatures are innocent..." Even if the creatures in the Freakshow had committed a crime, the punishment and mistreatment they suffered wasn't earned. No one deserved to be treated like an object. "Would they take us too? If they knew..." Inesa swallowed, tasting the unpleasant combination of fried foods and dirt. She had enjoyed the carnival up until now but each sight had changed once she'd seen this cruelty.

It reminded her of her own interactions and the doctors who had tried to use her to gain power.

"Will they really just leave when the carnival is over?" She wondered if those trapped within the show would be okay. She wanted to help but she didn't know if there was a way.

[neurotoxicity]

"They're guilty when it comes to not being human," she said with a voice that lacked any sort of emotion at all. It wasn't that she didn't care, just that she was used to humans thinking like that. You'd have thought they'd be more cautious with their casual disdain of non-humans now that they equaled in numbers. Somehow that just wasn't the case. "I imagine they would if they had the chance. There's a reason I keep a lot of what I am to myself."

She shrugged. "I suppose they will. That's how most things here seem to work." They show up and then just go away.

[harrythelizard]

He remembered coming here once, getting some sort of door prize, but when he'd left that day, things had gotten better. Damn if it didn't feel good to shed that self-righteous facade and just embrace the power that coursed through his veins. The man walking tall through the crowd, enjoying the energy around him, was well-dressed in dark slacks and nice shoes with a fine black overcoat that swayed around his calves as he walked. The button down he wore underneath was black as well, and some shimmery cloth, very tasteful but also very slick.

He's shaved recently, his hair is cut well, and he walks as though he owns the place. A wicked grin stretches his lips when the vampire strikes up a conversation. He'd thought this night might have been boring.

"Not yet. Any suggestions?"

[neurotoxicity]

Something about him pricked her senses in an unusual way, a way she couldn't quite place. Strangely it seemed to stir her predatory instincts buried deep inside. That wasn't a good thing. She knew that wasn't a good thing, but she didn't flinch away from it. Instead she allowed herself to lean into it.

"I'm surprised to find you here, Harry," her lips quirked up in a smile. There should be a bit of awkwardness regarding him finding her in the way he had, but she doesn't let that come through. Instead she stretches her arms up as if she felt the need to loosen growing tension. The blouse she was wearing rode up for a second revealing that she had a ruby piercing in her belly-button that wasn't visible.

"All out of suggestions for the night. It's too bad you haven't found any fun."

[harrythelizard]

"You're surprised to see me at a carnival? Among a lot of other things, there's a lot of food here. Fair food, to be exact." That was far from the only thing to be found at this particular fair, but it was a place to start. A smirk flitted across his lips as he moved his arm around her waist. She wanted it, they'd both discussed it, and it was time to stop pretending it wasn't a perfectly valid way to pass an evening.

"You mean to tell me you're not prowling?"

OTA

[areasontohope]

Yuki wasn't sure what to make of this place. He'd been at work when someone had come in and announced the arrival of rides and mechanical 'beasts' such as they'd never seen before. So he was let out early that day to go see what was going on.

Gray eyes blinked disbelievingly as he walked around, trying to take in the sights of well, everything. He'd never seen anything like this so he tried to make it look as if none of it fazed him though he struggled inwardly. He happened to wander around near one of the food vendors, who handed him a slice of pizza. And as he walked a little further munching on that, someone handed him a piece of fried dough with powdered sugar dusted on it. Yuki turned the plate around, trying to examine it from every angle, unfamiliar with this type of food. "I've..never tried fried dough before."

After the food came the games, and Yuki managed to get a plush moogle and a plush chocobo knight after seeing how many balls he could toss into a hoop. He really wasn't sure what to make of the moogle and held it out as if it could speak to him. "Is this supposed to be a cat?"

He didn't have fond memories of cats.

And of course there were the rides, so he went around to the different ones, and finally came to stand in front of the Ferris Wheel. A hand came up over his eyes as he glanced skyward. It looked pretty tame compared to the other rides and he shook his head. "That's pretty high up."

Ferris Wheel

[brotherofagod]

Jacob silently walked up behind Yuki and whispered in his ear. "Do you want to try it out?"

He hadn't been planning to check out the carnival. Carnival's were creepy and reminded him of the dark twists and turns of his past but he had heard that Yuki was here and had headed over after work. The sun was beginning its decent towards the horizon, casting an eerie orange glow on the festival. Jacob didn't like it but liked spending time with Yuki, so he was going to put up with his discomfort.

He wasn't wearing anything special. His shirt was a dark blue, loose but clean, he had changed it before leaving the workshop. Jacob's pants on the other hand were smeared with sawdust and smelled like wood.

[areasontohope]

He hadn't heard Jacob come up behind him but the moment that whisper went into his ear, it went right through him. "Yes." he replied immediately before he could even think to say no. He wasn't one for heights, and being caged in wasn't ideal. But if Jacob was going to be there with him, he wasn't going to start worrying about claustrophobia.

Finally he turned around and saw the man who'd asked the question and he smiled. "Did you want to go with me?" Yuki wasn't going to chicken out here or say anything adverse because he wasn't going to miss out on this chance to get close to the other and be in close proximity.

[brotherofagod]

Jacob's fingers lightly trailed along the inside of Yuki's wrist before taking his hand in a loose grip. He was smiling at Yuki though his attention briefly looked over towards the Ferris Wheel. "Yeah. I'm not really into carnivals." They were super creepy. "But it'd be fun and I'd like to do it with you." It would also be a nice memory and maybe he'd dislike carnivals a little less after spending the evening walking around with Yuki.

"But afterwards you need to let me win you a prize." Jacob leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Yuki's temple while guiding his cute boy friend over to the line that would inevitably lead them to getting a seat on the ride.

Jagger Crowe | OTA

[asthecroweflies]

On the Midway
It was like any fair he'd ever attended, which was troubling for a lot of reasons. Many of the rides here relied upon technology he hadn't seen elsewhere in the city before now, there were animals and the like that hadn't been seen inside or outside the city, and no one seemed the least bit put off by the fact that these people had just shown up here. He did his best not to watch the rides as the spun and shifted, as they made him feel nauseous just watching them. Still, he was having a look around, keeping his hands in his pockets and keeping to small gaps that appeared in the crowd as it moved.

That was until he found the games alley. He'd never had much opportunity to attend fairs as a child. His father never offered to take him, and he never kept friends long enough to be invited. He'd been to a few, though, enough to recognize the games, and he'd seen enough popular films to know most of them were run by swindlers. They call out to him as he passes stall after stall, but something sitting pegged near the top of one, a dart game, stating its status as a top prize, gets his attention. It's a very large, heinously adorable, black and hot pink stuffed teddy bear. He can think of just the right person for this stuffed animal, and he'd be lying if he tried to say he never wanted to find a girl to give a carnival prize to.

He's thinking he might have found one, but now there's the challenge of actually winning the prize in a rigged game.

"You feeling lucky, friend?"

The attendant sees him looking and tries to get his attention. He chuckles in response.

"I never feel lucky, mate." But that doesn't send him away from the stall.

{ooc; feel free to give him a hand, question him, or run into him anywhere else at the carnival!}

[faithfulsupport]

Ignis has temporarily lost sight of his husband and isn't worried at least for the moment. He's busy enjoying the festival and is currently munching on some fried dough drenched as it is in powdered sugar. There was another offer of the treat with pizza sauce and cheese on it and he's definitely going back for one of those as well, but one treat at a time.

Of course he was planning on making this a treat for the Lodge.

So he slows down as he sees Jagger at one of the tents he happens to be passing by. And his glasses lower as Ignis spots the huge teddy bear prize. Now he doesn't want it for himself, but that must be why this man is participating.

Darts reminded him of Noct and Prompto when they played, and the time Noct lost. The man was a sore loser though he supposed losing in front of Gladio's sister and the Amicitia's family's servant grandson didn't help matters any.

Pausing, he finishes the fried dough and wipes his mouth completely clean before piping up. "Do tell me you're after the teddy bear."

[asthecroweflies]

Normally, Jagger did a better job of paying attention to others approaching him, but the crowd milling around the carnival made it difficult to track people. That and he was distracted by a bear he was sure Illyana would love and possibly pretend to hate, but that was neither here nor there.

He looked over as Ignis spoke, rolling his shoulder in a slight shrug as he looked back to the stall and the bear hanging so temptingly at the highest point on the prize wall.

"I am, yeah. You don't see many black and pink teddies."

[faithfulsupport]

"I can't recall ever seeing one coloured like the one that you're after." Ignis remarked. He wasn't going to pry, but he knew guys played games and things like that with prizes such as this with others in mind. It was none of his business and he wasn't going to ask, but he did find himself visually scouting about for a stuffed something or other for his own other half.

Someone came up to play the game Jagger was playing and so the advisor stepped back, not wishing to get in the new gentleman's way. And after a moment, he made his decision.

"Do you mind terribly if I stand back and observe?"