⇨ New Location: THE MOON

[ringleaders]

PREPARATION↴ On Day 6 of Winter Break (aka B6) the carnival will be... well, mostly staying where it is. Technically speaking, at least. While other times they've left the Ringmaster's realm for vacations, this time they are going to do something a bit differently. They don't have the best personal safety record when it comes to travelling for outside entertainment, so this time the carnival is staying home! Or, at least, it's staying in the same realm. The actual location they are going to is one of the carnival's two moons. As it turns out, the moon is not actually moon sized. Instead of being a moon sized orb very far away, it is actually a much smaller orb unreasonably close to the surface of the earth - surely this would wreak absolutely havoc on the environment if magic wasn't responsible for it. According to Ringmaster, it's actually possible to fly to the moon by wing, if you're prepared to fly straight upwards for over an hour. Weird. Lucky for you, she'll be creating a portal for everyone to go through instead. Workers will be allowed to visit the carnival grounds at any point during the vacation, but are asked to try to spend most of their time on the moon, in order to better encourage the spirit of celebration. What are they celebrating, exactly? Well, it's a bit hard to define, since everyone in the carnival comes from completely different seasons and universes, but according to the Ringmaster they are approximately celebrating the Fae holiday called the Lunar Solstice. However, you're also welcome to see it as Christmas or Hanukkah or New Years or whatever you prefer. It's the Lunar Solstice, though, so they're doing it on the moon. Get it? Like, there are other reasons, but that's the best one. SETTING↴ The Moon apparently has some kind of ski resort built on it now, so that's neat. Apparently it is a relatively new addition, made entirely for the occasion - practically speaking, it is frosty mountains with various cozy looking cabins scattered across them. Towards the center, there is a more densely populated area, with a number of larger buildings and living spaces built together like a little vacation town. The temperatures are just low enough to keep snow on the ground, and never get oppressively cold. Day or night, it always feels like a perfect winter afternoon, good for a stroll as long as you have a coat or heavy sweater on. The small size of the moon is apparent from the horizon by its heavy curve, but thankfully the area the cabins are built in is facing up towards the sky, and not facing the carnival grounds down below, which would probably cause most a fair bit of vertigo. Of course, you can take a hike to the other side of the moon if that's your jam. For most of this vacation, no work will be necessary, besides any voluntary training or practice. Food and cleaning are being temporarily handled by a commissioned group of allies called the World Walker Caravan, a merchant group whom the Ringmaster has helped out on a few different occasions. For once, the party is coming to the carnival, and not vice versa. PATRONS↴ ► THE WORLD WALKERS: A group similar to the carnival, except for the part where they don't have a faerie patron. Instead, it is a group of individuals who travel the multiverse, crossing between worlds for the sake of trade and exploration. They visit new universe, trade goods, and carry on, similar to the carnival's performance patterns. However, as most of them are only mortal, this has sometimes become a dangerous affair without protection. As such, the Ringmaster has stepped in to aid them on a few occasions, which has resulted in stable partnership and plenty of World Walker veterans who are very friendly with her. There are various sellers in the caravan, each of which specialize in particular items, such as armor, or weapons, or magical items. These sellers will be set up in store fronts around the winter village, where the caravan will be staying until the holiday is over. There are about thirty World Walkers, and their demographics are similar to that of the carnival: mostly humanoid, abundantly human, with a few exceptions. Notable exceptions include two escaped Winter Court changelings, one escaped Summer Court changeling, a family of dwarves, a golem, and a couple others that will be mentioned later. Overall, the World Walkers are a gregarious and forthright group. They'll be happy to celebrate along with the carnival members when they aren't on duty, but will also keep to themselves if their patrons prefer it. They've been known to take on lost souls similar to the way that the Ringmaster does, though they notably have never done it by trickery. Of course, the caravan always comes first. DANGERS↴ ► WINTER FUN: Nothing too notable! This holiday is designed to be safe family fun, so most of the danger lies in your own stupid decisions, such as drinking too much or attempting that totally rad snowboard trick you are ill equipped to pull off. The Ringmaster is putting a considerable amount of effort into making this a pleasant experience, and she isn't leaving things up to the chaos of the multiverse. Enjoy yourselves damnit! ► THIEVERY: The Ringmaster will state very explicitly that there is to be no theft or misconduct when it comes to trading with the caravan. Any crimes committed against them she will consider a personal insult, and will punish accordingly. Don't do it! REWARDS↴ Along with catering and other activity, the Caravan brings with it a full fledged market - they're merchants first and foremost, after all! The Ringmaster has traded them a bunch of goods in advance for a significant quantity of credits towards purchases, which she will be giving out to members of the carnival to go shopping with. Each workers will start out with 1250 credits (500 of which must be spent on gifts!) and there will be a couple opportunities to gain more through games or gambling. The market itself will have a diverse inventory, and a more specific shop list will be posted along with the opening log. It's the holiday season, of course, so buying gifts for others is encouraged above simply buying items for yourself, though you can do a mixture of both! Items that are being bought as gifts will receive a discount of 10%, but don't try to game the system. The merchants will see your deception! CHANGES↴ There are no basic changes associated with the plot, though there may be some things available in the market. Only time will tell. 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! The holidays will be starting sometime next week!

Comments

⇨ QUESTIONS

[ringleaders]

If you've got 'em, let me know.

Re: ⇨ QUESTIONS

[brightspot]

Would there be a place for ice-skating?

[spaghettimonster]

(1) snow sculpture competition?

(2) will gambling fun involve RNG time?

(3) on behalf of another canon's in-jokes, are dogs allowed on the moon?

[disjunct]

Is it possible for there to be like... some kinda snow beast/fauna/etc that's either big or threatening? I have the idea for a thread for a pair of characters bonding by taking something down, just wanna know if they look around enough if it's possible.

It's their idea of fun! Edit: She would trade her Monobear robot wish for this.

[atouts]

Regarding magical fabrics, are the range of magical effects limited to purely looks/smells/how the material feels or would there be stuff like warm/cool to the touch? And would their tailor be willing to make custom items from magical fabric that has been bought?

[pipers_son]

Is there anything else that should be known about the Ruvian besides the fact that it can sense auras?

....Like a diet, maybe, but anything else notable necessary for playing out its time in the carnival.

[wilt]

Flowr plotting:
Does your character have a feeling they could teach Flowey on the moon?:
Canonmates, other CR: Give me three hints towards a gift, and it can be as simple as a word or a real object.

Flowey will be getting his long vines (which in canon he only got when he absorbed the human souls) and experiencing misery beyond belief in the cold. He's still a flower, after all!

Also, Solstice Miracles are welcome.

[criticallyfucked]

Would you be down for. Further CR with Foster. Possibly alongside Reira, who is good at speaking Foster and can probably avert disaster.

[spaghettimonster]

who wants to go sledding and building snowmen with a skeleton???

for real tho papyrus is feeling incredibly down to chill out and play outside with any takers.

[wilt]

he will be cold but Yes, Let's Do This

[disjunct]

Junko is interested in obtaining these things from the market: A wardrobe for all seasons, a gift for one person, lots and lots and lots of fabric, and just glam stuff like makeup. She'll trade and barter for real.

Junko's Ultimate Analysis makes her a fantastic gambler. Please! Gamble with her, especially if you're particularly nonhuman and your tells are harder to read. It makes it more fun for her if there's a risk of losing!

People who might get gifts from here, same as the above: Give me three hints, either items in question or word association. unfortunately you can't teach junko feelings

[criticallyfucked]

I would love to see Foster gamble with Junko, because while he isn't particularly nonhuman, he is......... definitely difficult to read. He's also a lot better at mindgames than he lets on, so if nothing else, he would probably be delighted to lose to her.

USAGI CREW

[soft_focus]

WINTERTIME OH BOY.

Keeping it Short And Sweet but-

CARLY will jump very easily into relaxing-snow! She knows what to do in snow! There'll be nonsense snow angels, nagging to wear a coat, and more importantly gambling with Yuugo and possibly losing all of her credits, Oops. She'll probably MAKE any gifts she gives however. That's how she rolls.

GONGENZAKA is still pretty sick, and he's putting a bit of focus into regrowing an arm from vine. THAT SAID, I imagine RM (his help, there) will be pretty insisting with regard to vacation, which means some long walks in the snow.... ....probably falling on his legs a lot once ice is involved, and also Sinking until he uses his chakra spell to walk on the snow.

Don't be fooled, it's probably actually 10 feet deep.

REIRA is from a wartorn section of the Ukraine, and kinda was only away from it for maybe....a month or two? Before coming to the Carnival? So this? ALL BRAND NEW. Snow that's pure white?? Festivities??? She'll probably do VERY well on games (that's her thing), and once she's informed about ~Present Giving~ be very concerned with giving people presents. Even people mad at her, maybe. Maybe.

But mostly this kid doesn't know Shit about winter fun so please, fill her in. Watch her smile. Let her melt your heart-

[criticallyfucked]

Foster and Reira DEFINITELY need to bond more in the snow. Not that her smile will melt his awful shrivelled heart-what-heart, but now might be a good time to let them like.... chill out together.

Also, Foster's first meeting with Flowey was a tire fire so maybe she can... prevent that from getting worse before Foster possibly gains literal horse legs to menace this flower with?

[brightspot]

Five has very few memories of winter and what she does have aren't even technically her own (it's complicated, she spent some time re-living someone else's memories basically) SO SHE'LL be very excited for the snow and want to do all of the fun things in it, okay. Whatever you can think of for winter fun, she'll be game. Ice-skating is one of the few things she does have experience with though so it would be fun for her to get to do that too!

She doesn't have much CR yet pls be friends with her????? Like if she were to buy presents she'd probably still be tempted to get things for her friends back home because she's still so new and also misses them like crazy. (Though also doesn't even know if they're still alive so Making New Friends would be good here for her.) HOWEVER SHE'S pretty grateful to the Ringmaster and honestly anyone who helped fight and stuff in the Prince plot because technically they helped save her. Y'all might get little gifts who knows.

OTHER FUN THINGS: hiking to the other side of the moon sounds fun, maybe someone wants to do that with her and they can discuss how friggin' weird it looks? lmao.

as of right now she has no one to bunk with so suggestions on whose cabin she can go in would be good too so she's not completely alone fff NVM SHE'S IN PARTY CABIN, I'm so glad.

RINGMASTER PARTY CABIN

[lordofthering]

The Ringmaster is actually going to be staying in the one of the 6 man cabins and will welcome up to 5 other people to share it with her. As long as she doesn't hate you, she's down to room with you over the holidays!

She doesn't sleep and will probably be in your grill to the point of being a bit annoying, but she will basically just announce where she's staying and say that its first come first serve to room with her and you can come if you want.

Obviously she wants the attention.

[insidescoop]

D-DEAR RINGMASTER THIS DOESN'T MAKE THE DAY OUT CONTRACT ANY LESS AMAZING RIGHT-

which is to say -cue carly running face first into the snow on the way there-

MIKO AND GINKO

[dontpokethat]

words cannot express how hype i am oh man

so GINKO is mostly planning to just... hang out and look at the snow-covered landscape and have the option of going inside and being warm if he feels like it. basically he just wants to chill (ha) but will probably also end up having to handle some relationship drama?? whoops. that said though he is still v much available to like... worry over the kids, etc, he's had some bad experiences with kids and snow ok

he'll also be shopping around some, mostly for gifts for some of his friends, but frankly i would absolutely love for someone to push him into like. obtaining some clothes that aren't a single solid desaturated color. or otherwise getting him to get something dumb for himself because he basically never does that

atm housing isn't really nailed down for him, he will LIKELY be rooming with psi but i need aki to confirm on that, so if anyone wants to offer to like. chaperone, feel free lmao

MIKO will, on the other end of the spectrum as always, be a goddamn terror in the snow. EVERYONE is getting snowballs thrown at them, and she is going to build The Biggest Snowman and nobody can stop her. basically as always she is super available for DUMB HIJINKS of various kinds, so if anyone has some bad ideas they could use a nightmare teen getting involved in, hit me up

housing-wise everything is totally up in the air, so come at me if you need somewhere for your character to stay or they specifically want to live with this disaster for some reason!

[brightspot]

dumb hijinks you say??? :3c

i may need miko and five playing in the snow and tO ANSWER YOUR OTHER CR PLOTTING COMMENT TOO, five is in for dangerous fun okay that's like every day of her life for her already. IT'S TOTALLY FINE.

shit what if five engineered some sort of snowball auto-launcher THEY COULD BE SUPER TERRORS FOR EVERYONE

YUYA & SYRLYA

[hippocarnival]

YUYA is going all out in this because he super needs the positive feelings and also snow is fun. He'll definitely be playing in the snow, ice skating, hot cocoa, etc, and looking for people to drag into having fun with him. BASICALLY if u need incessant cheer and an excuse to get involved in the festivity, Yuya is your guy.

He'll definitely get into gift-giving for his friends when he realizes everyone else is doing it and not just couples.

He'll prolly be rooming with his canon besties but I'll update if that changes, it's only 3 of them anyway.

SYRLYA Is gonna be in party cabin, trying not to lament the cold too much. Wintersday is a big tradition so he's familiar with a lot of the holiday tropes but it's probably been a few years since he's been able to... properly celebrate without also MOURNING or trying to save the world, so he's going to mostly chill but obviously he needs to be pulled into complete snow stupidity.

Someone go sledding with him so they can crash and I can maintain my character's inability to steer.

He'll be in the market mostly for interesting magic stuff, maybe a couple gifts but the magic nerding is still gonna be a thing although he is not bringing the dangerous bloodstone to the moon with him.

YUGO

[bananaspeedrider]

Oh boy, so much snow!

Yugo's gonna be more than open to lots of winter fun, like getting into snowball fights and attempting to make an awesome snow fort. His tiny cat-sized dragon partner will let out from their card to join in on this stuff as well. The cold's not totally his thing though so more often he'll do more indoor stuff when not burying himself with blankets.

But he also has a weakness for dice games, so Yugo may or may not have better luck than bird mom (hi Carly) while gambling for more credits. Might have the foresight for buying some new dice to add to his collection and gifts for friends?

But seriously, come supervise join this dumb biker child.

HERBERT

[scientificist]

Uh, ok so this guy is kind of a stick in the mud. He'll come along because like. It seems to be gently mandatory but he's going to bring his basic chemistry supplies and keep going back and forth for cure purposes. The marketplace will very much interest him but he doesn't do games? Or gambling? Or snow things? He is bad at fun. Someone please make him have fun.

Also who wants the worst roommate I guess.

[whattaprick]

Lambert won't be too present for at least the first week or so of this snow vacation, because he's not fond of cold (he's had worse, but he didn't have a choice then, so why not avoid it when he can?) and because it seems like it wouldn't be a good time when you've barely figured out how to walk on stupid stone legs. He'll most likely be spending his time bouncing back between the Carnival and the moon to keep working at ways to cure being, y'know, petrified. To that end, he will be mainly be investigating the World Walker's market and spend most of his time on the moon sleeping under a bunch of blankets and enjoying not being in the cold. He'll bug Childermass about splitting a cabin, but if that doesn't pan out, he can be pulled into just about anything.

Once he's more mobile, though -- whether that's because progress on a cure is made or it's lifted entirely -- Lambert will be in a much better mood and can even be talked into (gasp) fun snow activities. He has a wicked good aim with a snowball and he throws hard, but he also has fire breath and will absolutely cheat by melting snowballs out of the air. Other than that, the concept of 'winter for holidays' will be fairly new to him. Someone might want to explain the concept of giving gifts, because he sure as hell hasn't experienced that.

In his experience, seasonal celebrations tend towards more the feasting and merrymaking. Meaning once he's in the mood for it, if someone hasn't already beaten him to the punch, he's absolutely willing to pull together a big 'get everyone who wants to participate roaringly drunk' type deal. Lambert can provide booze, if you're into alcoholic quantity and not quality, but he's a shit cook, so if people want to do something a little more festive than 'get wasted' they'll probably have to come up with their own eating arrangements there.

[soft_focus]

Depending on how obstacle thread goes I'll have two possible muses to try and drag him into the snow, Wow

I have no idea what the smaller one would try to do it with but, whatever-

CARLY THOUGH WOULD DEFINITELY BE WISE ENOUGH TO BE LIKE

'lambert they have warm fireplaces and also cider'

'alcoholic cider'

'please come'

[fusionactuallysuitsher]

Yuzu will probably still be a steamed, but loosen up a whole lot once she realizes there's nothing to worry about here. She'll certainly find her way trying to have fun and enjoying herself through this.

...though, she'll be in a bit of a sour mood once she finds out her first changes has taken shape :P

[sunflowerfields]

HINAWA is still pretty mad at the Ringmaster but is going to channel her frustrations into something creative, aka she's going to KNIT UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS FOR EVERYONE. Think the Weasley sweaters from Harry Potter.

ALPHYS is a lizard and therefore coldblooded and therefore will probably be hiding indoors under piles of blankets. If you see her outdoors at all it'll be bundled up to the point where she can barely move.

I don't have any housing plans for either of them ATM!

[soft_focus]

HINAWA YOU NEED TO MEET REIRA IN PERSON

Also on that note if Alphys needs like. A way to get from point A to B I feel like a ride on Gongenzaka would be a hilariously plausible option since he probably basically Radiates Heat, just look at him-

[kingsroads]

Strange will be dividing his time between the carnival & the moon at first because snow day's fun, but his goals are 100% on finding that petrification cure now. When he's up on the moon, he'll be staying at party cabin where I imagine he'll be dragged into some nonsense as party cabin is literally 75% young women. On the moon, he's gonna be more interested in the World Walker stuff than 'fun adventures in the snow' type stuff, but he can easily be dragged into nonsense.

He's also gonna try to ski. It will go terribly. Strange is also a jerk who'll enchant some mistletoe in various doorways and then be promptly disappointed when he realizes half the carnival doesn't have that tradition in the first place.

ALSO ALSO, sometime early/mid December, when the petrification nonsense is sorted out, I'm gonna get the ball rolling on mage club! So be prepared for moon magic, I guess.

Cole doesn't sleep so he won't really ROOM with anyone...buuuut if your place has a free bed, he might just pop in to say hi and talk and then just kind of hang out for the rest of the night. He has zero clue what to do about any of this, someone please find him a scarf, he's gonna be freezing.

[whattaprick]

All right, we've obviously got dumb biffle plans nailed down, but I also want some dumb spirit nonsense! Bother Lambert while he's staying indoors avoiding the cold he can totally deal with, help him with 'actually thoughtful gifts for people that may verge on creepy because Cole why,' and just generally getting reacquainted after the clusterfuck of the ball/hunt would be good!

that one bird guy i guess

[atouts]

CHILDERMASS will officially be playing the role of the Grinch because Portland has ruined winter for him. He used to actually like this shit, but now, nah, bye, leave him alone to sit grouchily on a cabin porch and smoke his way to an early grave or whatever. That said, he also isn't planning on stealing any Christmases, so he's not liable to go out of his way to ruin anyone else's day unless they bother him.

This is all further compounded by there being other (technically more real) Winter Court changelings amongst the World Walkers group. He will probably try to avoid them. He will most definitely fail. Maybe it'll be a good thing, maybe it won't. Beyond that, I have no real solid plans for him. He'll definitely spend some time browsing the market but is unlikely to join in on gambling or games unless someone can really sell it to him.

Anyway, THIEVES AND CONMEN, as there is no stealing — something he will reiterate — he expects everyone to just... not worry about their jobs. Those previously punished are officially in the clear with him, as far as he's concerned. HE WILL, HOWEVER, request the crew keep an eye out for anything on the market that has to do with toxins or manticores. If they do, please report it to him, but, again, no stealing and trickery here.

Cabin-wise, he's probably just taking one over for himself, but again, no solid plans beyond "wow, he's in a bad mood" right now.

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki is A-OK with not doing his job right now. He might eventually ask him, if he notices, why he hates winter so much but then again he might not.

In-The-Doghouse Cabin & Probably banned from cool parties right now

[prazerbutterfly]

Tyki will be taking a vacation away from vacation while on The Moon. He generally loves the snow as it reminds him of very fond times with his family. As a result, since he's a huge family man, he might actually feel a little lonely and thus compelled to come out of that hiding slump he's been in for the last week.

If you find him laying in the snow he might just be sleeping or relaxing. Until the poison clears up he'll be slow going. This won't stop him from making the traditional snow man, sitting out in the cold, finding something warm to drink like cider if he can find it, or smoking. Beware the random snowball pelt to the head (except for those he might consider ill or fragile at the moment) if he's craving attention. He might peruse the markets eventually just to find something to do.

At some point he's going to start making snowmen and if bored enough they might appear outside his cabin, in front of windows and doors, if only to amuse himself. Try not to have a heart attack.

As of now I have no cabin plans for him. He doesn't have that close of a CR with many people and those he does are either in the Party Cabin, loners that grump around by themselves, or invested in other groups that might already be full cabin wise.

If not snagged by anyone before the event starts he might acquire one for himself and welcome anyone to stay that he at least knows or wants company. He'll even stay out of the way and let them be if they simply want company but quiet. He'll be content with just knowing someone is there/house noises of people moving around. People like his trailer mate, anyone in Performance/Acquistions are of course welcomed over others.

[spaghettimonster]

come join the snowman competition that doesn't exist yet but surely will

one of the competitions is making a snow-yourself, but making snow-otherpeople could be good too. (papyrus has too much experience making snow papyruses, he'd have an unfair advantage by far). and that way they can do something cool and friendly and hang out

Zangetsu and Rin!

[flashover]

OK I AM LATE BUT

Zangetsu will be rooming with Tyki Mikk and Ichigo. There might be room for one more, but be honest; do you REALLY want to be in that house? Plus, Tyki and Zan are going to be having snowball wars the… entire time. Including inside the house, at times. IT’LL BE FUN but it’ll be wild. OTHER THAN THAT, Zangetsu has never really experienced snow himself. He will find it cold, but also AMAZING? He will be burrowing in the snow and being a wild child, basically. I also have plans for him to talk to Mari about shapechanging magic. Other than that, I am open for anything.

Rin HAS NO LODGING PLANS YET. You want a Rin in your house? He’s very well behaved and kind! He likes to sleep in! Rin also likes winter and holiday-related festivities. His birthday is around Christmas so it’s always a good time. HE CAN’T WAIT TO GO SHOPPING

[sunflowerfields]

Rin can stay with mom if he wants! Also, BIRFDAY