⇨ New Location: THE SUMMERLANDS

[ringleaders]

PREPARATION↴ This time, there is no preparation. When the Severing was broken, the Ringmaster immediately returned everyone to the carnival, no matter their earthly location - only to then drag the carnival's realm all the way to the Summerlands right after. As the workers arrive, they will have been scattered around the carnival grounds, back in their original bodies - including their old faerie changes, of course, plus perhaps a few new ones. Bodies and memories will return to what they were before Portland, and while the life they lived there will stay with them as memories, they will only now be left to fully contemplate what they just experienced. SETTING↴ The Summerlands are an idyllic realm of glorious mountain-top cities and vast fields of flowers and grass. It is inhabited almost entirely by the Summer Fae, a faction of the Summer Court which broken ties with their Arcadia homeland a long time ago. Veterans that have been with the carnival since the vampire's first attack will remember staying here for a couple months while everyone was recovering. The fae here will remember those workers as well, with an accuracy that is sometimes eerie. There is plenty to do in the Summer Fae's city - though there is far more space than there is people, given that there are only a few hundred fae present here. There is no shortage of good food, music, and dancing - with plenty of other amenities like waterfall-side pools and gardens filled with small miracles. All workers will be offered rooms they can stay in within the city if they prefer, but they are also welcome to stay within the carnival grounds if that makes them more comfortable. There is magical wildlife of various sorts, but none of it is particularly aggressive beyond basic predatory tendencies. The days and nights and both of pleasant temperature and weather. It's only major downside is that the peaceful and unchanging nature of civilization can come across as unsettling to those unaccustomed. Once you have been welcomed here, it's like you never left. PATRONS↴ ► SUMMER FAE: Many carnival members have likely been given an unflattering view of Summer Court fae, given their actions back in Portland. However, despite the fae here being very similar in magical ability and physical form, they possess none of the maliciousness or aggression that their kindred have elsewhere. Their behaviour towards visitors is polite, if reserved, and will only be more courteous the more kindness you show towards them in return. A good deed receives a good deed in return, it seems - though it seems likely that the same would go for ill deeds, as well. Fae are predominantly humanoid, with supernaturally beautiful (if oddly samey) features and a variety of skin colours and superficial physical distinctions. The structure is always similar, though the colours and style vary wildly. Some have plants for hair, some have horns, some have small amounts of feathers or scales, placed in aesthetically pleasing manners. One major distinction is that about two thirds of the population have wings of various kinds, while the other third does not. Apparently this is a racial divide, among True Fae. In the Summer and Winter Courts, fae with wings are generally less powerful and considered of a lower class, working as servant to the higher caste. They also tend to be much smaller in body, appearing in forms as small as a cat all the way to a particularly short human. The Summer Fae will explain that these castes are not enforced within the Summerlands, but any further explanation will require some investigation. All True Fae go by titles rather than given names. However, some of these titles will shorten to things that sound like names. DANGERS↴ ► SUSPICIOUSLY... NOTHING?: The Summer Fae themselves may seem like enough of a threat, after what some witnessed in Portland. However, here, they seem to be perfectly civil, and claim no affiliation with the Summer Court you've just become familiar with. It's hard not to feel like there must be some kind of catch, or hidden ruse, but... maybe this place is actually as safe as it claims to be. REWARDS↴ Any specific rewards will be earned though exploration and NPC interactions. There are no huge mysteries lurking here, but it's possible to score some info about the carnival's metaplot if you ask the right questions. There may also be some random item opportunities, depending on how things go. CHANGES↴ No changes, at the moment. Wasn't getting retconned into a totally different person enough for one month? Beyond that, this is a PLOTTING POST, which means you can use it to make plans! The game chat is also a great place to discuss plots, so we welcome you to pop on in if you haven't already! A mingle log will be posted tomorrow.

Comments

[whattaprick]

Given how embarrassingly dramatic his involvement at the tail end of the event was, and considering what a goober AU him turned out to be, Lambert is of course joining the 'let's just not talk about this' train. His most notable physical change is that he now has more lines of runes etched into his chest and upper arms, now in a fetching pale yellow to suit the transcendent experience he's been through.

Lambert will spend the first couple of days of their stop -- once he drags himself into his trailer, anyway -- sleeping off the exhaustion and heavily self-medicating with shitty witcher potions. He will be mostly unavailable during this time, and attempts to bother him will lead to people confronted with him looking as fucked up as this guy because witchers don't heal pretty. He'll be back to normal as soon as his body's worked out the toxin, this is fine!

Once he's up and about (way earlier than he should be, but fuck physical limitations and following health advice, amirite) he can be found a few different places.

♞ GITTING GUD; given there aren't any enemies to fight here and he spent most of Portland horrifically out of practice, he'll often be at the training yard just trying to work through sword forms, if not up to actual sparring yet.
♞ EXPLORING; now reunited with his Mudsdale, Pig, he will be exploring the Summerlands on horseback, as well as wandering around the cities in general.
♞ RECUPERATING; hey did you know it takes a lot of energy to heal from as fucked up an experience as that??? because it sure does! when he isn't unreasonably pushing himself, lambert's going to be stuffing his face and power napping meditating all over the damn place because he can't be assed to drag himself back to his trailer all the time. so it'll probably be easy to run into him apparently having narcoleptic fits in random areas.

At some point in this mess all Pig's frolicking with her Pokemon pal Baker is gonna result in AN EGG and Lambert's going to get to be a Pokemon grandparent, much to his dismay at the flouting of basic concepts of biology. Why are Pokemon so weird, goddamn.

[otoko]

this is gon's account but hey lambert wanna question a bird

[whattaprick]

he doesn't waaaaant to but he should probably ask "so how's that demon thing working out for you"

sidebar: i do love that although functionally carly wasn't super different from her canon situation, the different rules of the world just REALLY BROUGHT OUT THE "NOPE HES A FUCKER"

[insidescoop]

LMAO BASICALLY...

It's all in the realization that YES, HE WAS BIDING HIS TIME AND WAITING FOR A WINDOW

[spaghettimonster]

please don't take up narcolepsy, lambert.

[whattaprick]

don't you wanna have TWO randomly sleeping people in your life, papyrus

no

[spaghettimonster]

No

[spaghettimonster]

For real though, if he's outright strewn in random places looking like he napped accidentally, Papyrus is gonna wake him up and express concern and foreboding at him at LEAST once

[hippocarnival]

Yuya and Lambert should def check out the Summerlands instead of staying in bed and resting, it looks fun once u get past the Summer thing

[whattaprick]

hell yeah exploration times!

i put in a request for more info on that so we can maybeee figure out explorations in more detail there (i'm personally hoping they get the chance to RENT A FLYING BOAT because MORE LIFE OR DEATH SITUATIONS IS WHAT THEY NEED but idek if those exist here) but otherwise i'm down for them finding some goofy shit to do and hide from well-meaning people who are trying to help them recover

[hippocarnival]

A flying boat sounds AMAZING and if they exist they should take a cruise. The carnival can't stop them when they're in the fucking air.

[whattaprick]

well it looks like they can go on a HOT AIR BALLOON RIDE so let's do the thing

[hippocarnival]

YES

I have a toplevel with a part set in the Summerlands unless U have a prompt for the scene?

[whattaprick]

I can and will tag into that toplevel! How does Lambert arguing with some fae like "what do you MEAN you won't rent this out unless two people ride" and Yuya can just get yanked in from there sound to you? :|a

[hippocarnival]

That sounds great! Sounds fun and like he doesn't have to think about Portland, he's right on board. O9