By the pricking of my thumbs...

[dark_circus]

Who: Everyone
What: A carnival arrives
When: October 26th-29th
Where: The grounds between the city and the castle
Rating: pg-13 for some dark themes and mild horror

It's the early hours of the morning when everything is still dark that it happens. Heralded by the sound of calliope music and the crunch of dirt as the wagon train crests the hill nearing the castle. Other than this, there is very little sound to be heard as they halt off of the side of the path. A chill wind cuts through the air as a man disembarks the lead wagon, gazes up at the towering walls of the castle, and then directs a silent symphony with the wave of his hand. Wagons scatter and unfold, issuing forth a stream of dark figures and fluttering tents, like great bats in the night. The whole thing takes only minutes, and then is still.

By day, it seems mostly normal. The dark tents are brightly colored in the daylight, if not faded, and the air resounds with music and smells of popcorn and cotton candy. There's plenty to do and see to a casual attendee. The midway bristles with simple fair games ring tosses to balloon popping to a strongman game. There are small attractions everywhere like jugglers and fire-eaters. Those tired of games might brave the mirror maze, though it's an unsettling place even in the day. There is a small zoo to browse. Some of the animals are ordinary - pigs, goats, ponies, and ducks, though there are odd additions such as small blue horses, long-tailed antelopes, and a spotted lion (in a cage).There is a merry-go-round, but a sign out front reads out of order. The large tent at the end of the fairway is shut during these hours, though not necessarily to more adventurous prying eyes.

But the real attraction starts long after the sun has set. Flyers will circulate to patrons advertising the sideshow. Maybe you'll be handed one by a worker, or see it blowing over the leaf-strewn ground, or maybe the owner himself will place it into your hands. Mr. Dark, a tall man in an impeccable black suit, the sleeves rolled back to reveal arms covered in colorful tattoos, prowls the grounds greeting and amazing those he meets.

It's in the dark that the wrongness lurking just out of the corner of one's eye comes out to play. Mr. Dark, stripped to the waist to show off his grotesque menagerie of creatures on his skin, gladly draws in visitors to the freakshow within the dimly lit interior of the tent. See the blind seer, her eyes sewn closed. See the conjoined twins, the bearded lady, the human skeleton. An insect-like humanoid lifts weights over here. A blank-faced bat-winged creature lurks near top of the tent. An elven-featured face, collared with an iron necklace, floats disembodied on another side, invisible hands juggling objects.

And outside, the stationary merry-go-rounds moves, a siren song playing from inside, a ghostly green glow wisping from it's edges like smoke. Why don't you come take a ride? See a show? Step into the shadows...

((NOTE: Log will be divided by days. Please specify day or night in your post header. NPC interaction is most likely during the night, but Mr. Dark is available at all hours. If you'd like interaction with him or any other npc, do no hesitate to pm any mod account or post in the ooc comm.)).

Comments

Oct. 26

[dark_circus]

Day

[lightbranded]

[Will had never spent much time at carnivals. His village had been far too small for such things. And the few times he had seen them in other places? He'd had other things on his mind.

And so when he had heard of the carnival here Will had immediately set out to explore it. He walks around the Midway and the rides and watches everything. He didn't feel any desire to try anything yet. For now he was satisfied just to watch and listen. ]

[freeslider]

[Wade is here as well, drawn easily by the sights and smells. It's late in the year for a carnival like this, but it's just like she'd expect it be, if only a bit on the rustic side. To her, that only makes it more charming.

As she comes upon Will, she holds a small bag of popcorn in both hands, her nose down to inhale the buttery scent with a sigh of satisfaction and not quite watching where she's walking]

[inafadingcrown]

Will.

[Galadriel has even less experience with carnivals than Will. And she has to admit that there's a certain charm about the whole thing. But her motivations for coming have less to do with wanting to enjoy herself and more to do with two years worth of suspicion of castle-events.

Nevertheless, she's smiling as she falls into step beside him.]

Night

[deductiongeek]

[As usual, Conan hadn't bothered to let anyone know his plans.

But if he had learned anything in Paradisa, it was that any change was suspicious. He had come down to the carnival not to enjoy himself, but to investigate every last corner of it. He fully intended to find out if the carnival was a threat before anything happened.

He slips through the shadows between the tents, slowly making his way to the large tent at the end of the fairway.]

[dark_circus]

[Don't be scared, Conan. There's an inviting glow coming from inside that tent, and brave townsfolk are making their way inside just ahead of him, though they don't notice him skulking.]

Night

[wizard_redfive]

[Dairine had the same idea. While not all changes were dangerous, it was October. The castle's idea of a good Halloween celebration could vary wildly from cute and harmless to imminent peril.

She had stopped by earlier in the day, and noticing nothing out of the ordinary decided to take a risk by staying out late. That's when she notices another person investigating... and upon seeing who it was Dairine rolls her eyes.

Walking over, she reaches out and grabs the fabric at the back of Conan's shirt to stop him.]

You never learn.

Night

[schrodingersghost]

[ It doesn't take Danny long to decide that coming to the freakshow had been a terrible idea. He was getting way too much deja vu of his time in Circus Gothika.

It seemed like everywhere he looked in the tent there was something that reminded him of that time. His gaze flicks nervously around the tent as he backed up. Which way was the exit again?
]

[fearbringer]

[Exit? It's certainly not over here, where Pitch is standing. And he's not acting like he came to see the sights, either-- he's just hanging out, paying more attention to the residents walking through than he is to the people in exhibit.

When he sees Danny, he gives a theatrical wave.]

Not really enjoying yourself?

[dark_circus]

[A tattooed arm suddenly blocks Danny's path, disguised as an inviting gesture by the man it's attached to. A lean torso covered in a colorful menagerie from beasts to men, as if the freakshow is really all on his body instead of inside this tent. His smile is an amiable one, however, as he looks down at the boy]

Don't go so soon, boy. You'll miss the acts.

Day

[aprettyred]

[ Anna has eyes for the games, and the prizes. This was distinctly not the sort of festival that comes with the summer star festival, she thinks its a little more of a western thing.

But some of those prizes are very red, and as the only color she has left, she is drawn to them. But these games aren't fish scooping, or shoot-it-and-red-comes-out.

So she mostly stands back and admires the prizes, debating how she ought to go about getting one. ]

[therealrisette]

[Oh... hello, that sure is a small girl over there. Rise's not any more familiar with this sort of western carnival thing, but she does know how the castle and this world seems to work. Leaving younger children unattended is probably a bad idea... just in case something bad does happen!

Not that she wants to alarm her, so she just approaches with a gentle smile.]

Which one are you looking at? You could probably try and win it...

[A bit sudden for an icebreaker, but she didn't want to just jump out and introduce herself out of nowhere, either.]

Day

[sugarwaffo]

[The smell of food and bright colors attract Sugar to the carnival fairly quickly. She's not quite sure what is going on since this is her first carnival, but it looks like fun! It seems a lot like a festival.

Sugar flies all over the carnival, bouncing on the top of tents, watching jugglers, trying to get a closer look at games... Most of the day though, she can be found near the food stands, hoping someone might share more delicious carnival treats with her.]

Night

[inafadingcrown]

[A sideshow is not ordinarily the sort of place that you would find a Lady of Galadriel's stature. Ordinarily, she'd find it rather beneath her. But there were certain attractions in this particular show that provided sufficient motivation for her to make an exception.

While Galadriel certainly remembers those insect-like humanoids and spares the weight lifting individual more than one glance, it's the elven featured face that truly draws her attention. She finds herself staring in a mix of horror and pity, wondering if any attempt at communication would be futile.]

[dark_circus]

[All the performers have a slightly dead-eyed expression, it's true. They barely acknowledge those come to gawk and put on their shows with little emotion. But maybe not none at all. There's a spark of interest in those bright green eyes of his, and he seems to lean closer to examine her as she approaches]

Oct. 27

[dark_circus]

Day

[lord_wizard]

[Since nobody has died yet, Felix cautiously makes his way down to the carnival to have a look around. The games and food don't really attract his attention, but they do remind him of festivals in the Lower City, which brings on memories long buried. He gives the mirror maze a wide berth and finds himself near the petting zoo, immediately recognizing some of the animals from the Dead Zone. He leans on the edge of the pen, staring.]

Powers. Where did this carnival come from?

Day

[schrodingersghost]

Hey, who wants to try out the ring toss! Prizes for every winner!

[Halfway down the midway, an oddly familiar carnival barker is staffing the ringtoss booth. The man is tall, with blue eyes and dark hair. Almost like you might expect a certain Danny Fenton to look after ten years and a few growth spurts.]

Day

[yay_heiress]

[London had decided that rather than wait around for someone to go with, she'd really rather just go to the carnival on her own. There couldn't possibly be no one else who wanted to go. She'd find someone there.]

Ooo, cotton candy and funnel cake!

[You'll find her where her sweet tooth leads her, at a concession stand.]

Oct. 28

[dark_circus]

Day

[radiantwingedone]

[ The place is a bit.. overwhelming. The people manning the game stalls are noisy and loud, the food manages to be noisy and particularly fragrant, and he... still isn't used to it.

So he stops and stays near the small zoo, inspecting the conditions and the creatures within. Duke occasionally takes a knee and tries small conversation with the creatures - mostly he's asking whether they're happy with this. ]

Night

[therealrisette]

[For the first couple of days, like most of the things that happen in this world, the carnival was an interesting way to break the monotony of castle life! Admittedly, most of the fun came from hanging out with others, and the daytime attracts the most visitors. So Rise usually ended up going back to the castle by nightfall.

Not today, though. She'd found herself increasingly curious about this place, and some of the areas which didn't seem to be open to visitors during the day. It couldn't hurt to come visit a little later for once...

Tonight, she can be found exploring the grounds near that curious tent. But the darker it gets, the more uncertain she is about this. Isn't the lighting way too dim for a place like this at night? Is the broken merry-go-round actually moving, or is it her eyes playing tricks on her? ... Maybe she should just go back already... but which way is it she came, again?]

[yay_heiress]

[If you see London at the carnival today, she might appear less chipper than usual. And... a whole lot taller. We're talking four feet taller. Her normal shoes are now anything but. Stilts replace what were once shoes. But not just any stilts; these appear to be an extension of a pair of cork sole wedges. The heels, in spite of their height, appear effortless to walk in, particularly if you've had the pleasure of seeing her walk in regular heels. The white leather straps are doing more than just holding them on, they appear to be fused into the skin on her ankles. If you happen to catch a glimpse of her eyes at her new 9'2'' stature, you may notice that her dark brown irises have turned a shiny black, and have encompassed her entire eye.]

Have you seen my new shoes?

[It's a question she'll be asking whomever she meets.]

Oct. 29

[dark_circus]

Day

[therealrisette]

[A - On the grounds]

[If anyone should run into Rise at the carnival today, they might have a hard time recognizing her. Her trademark twintails are gone, replaced by an elaborate braided updo. Instead of her usual fresh-faced, youthful look, she sports dark lipstick and smoky eyes. Unnaturally long and full eyelashes combined with flawlessly smooth complexion almost makes her look like a doll or mannequin, from the neck up.

During the day, she wanders the carnival wearing a dark outfit that looks opaque from a distance. However, up close, one can see that the various colors and patterns aren't part of the clothes... they're a part of her. From the neck down, every inch of her skin is tattooed in colorful, feminine patterns... mainly floral designs and representations of nymphs, fairies and mermaids. Each and every figure illustrated on her skin is just as scantily clad as she is, under the mesh. Though the skimpy outfit is designed to resemble pretty lingerie, it's fairly modest by comparison. It has to stay on during her performance, after all.

She won't particularly pay attention to any patrons who don't capture her interest, and to do that, they must notice her first. It's what she comes out for... to grace their guests with her presence, and her daytime show.]

[B - Afternoon Show]

[Late in the afternoon, approaching but not quite twilight, a mysterious stage that may not have even been on the grounds before today lights up. Announcers introduce the 'fabulous Risette', to which Rise steps out from behind the curtain, her smile plastic and hard to believe as genuine.

Wordlessly, with her expression shifting between that smile and much more believable sly, seductive looks at her precious audience, she launches into her contortion and dance routine. The mesh suit is discarded as part of the act, leaving her both as nude as she could possibly get without dipping into impropriety, but also covered by the various images drawn into her skin. Immodesty covered by the illusion of modesty.

At the end of her show, as she retreats into the curtains, she gives one last longing, tempting gaze into the gathered audience. Simultaneously begging for their attention and promising more to come. Her evening show in the tent would be even more scandalous and sensational... this was just a tease for the main event. Still, she doesn't like to retreat away from attention, so she'll still wander the grounds until then, the mesh suit she'd stripped out of discarded and forgotten on the stage. Feeling all those eyes on her is what she lives for, after all...]