logsinthenight | EVENT LOG: COTTON CANDY HEARTS

characters: everyone.
location: amusement park.
date/time: august 17 - 31.
content: time to enjoy a little time at the carnival!
warnings: n/a. please use cw tags as needed.

oh come, take my hand, and run through playland...

It's clear in the past two days of fevered work, the spirits are up to something. Collecting rainbow wigs and pinstriped jackets, gathering food and preparing decorations. There's no getting them to reveal the secret, though — any attempt to ask only results in an ominous gesture of silence. However, characters won't have to worry about what the spirits are up to for too long, as on the start of the 17th each and every resident of Beacon will be delivered a note, inviting them to come out and enjoy themselves at the Amusement Park.

ALL FUN AND GAMES.

Over the last few days, some of the food tucked away in the General Store, The Invincible's stock room, and the kitchens of The Landmark may have gone missing - but not to worry, because here it is, all stocked at little booths within the amusement park, ready for sampling! The enticing aromas of fried batter and sugar wafts through the air, no matter where you are in the park. Find old favorites, from funnel cakes to fried pickles, popcorn to whole turkey legs - or try something new! Ever had a corn dog wrapped in curly fries? How about a deep fried peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a stick? One spirit, currently chewing on a crispy battered pine cone, even offers a unique suggestion - bring it anything you like and it will deep fry it for you. You do have to eat it, though, that's the catch, or the spirit will be very irate and might take something of yours later to deep-fry and leave on your pillow. Don't waste good food!

At the end of the row, tables have been covered in classy checkered red-and-white tablecloths, and piled with ingredients, and it looks like ovens formerly belonging to some ruined village housing have been dragged all the way out here and plugged in, and are now waiting and ready. There's flour (all purpose, pastry, chickpea, and others, and - no, that's just a pile of sand on that plate), plenty of butter and sugar and spices, all sorts of summer fruits, and more. It's a pie making contest! The judge is the Lunch Lady spirit, who hmms and ahhs and ohhhhs wisely as they pace back and forth along the tables, observing the pies being made and occasionally taking tiny little samples with tiny little forks when the pies are baked. How will they decide the winner? That's their secret, for now!

But their delicate little tasting session has left the pies mostly unscathed, which means it's time for the pie eating contest! A rowdy quartet of squirrel-like spirits cheers everyone on who wishes to participate, and they squeak and chatter at participants, bringing pie after pie after pie directly to whoever walks over. How many can you get down?

If food isn't your style, though, carnie spirits host a number of games scattered throughout the park. They whistle and wave you over, jump on your shoulder if small or yell at you with animated limbs from above if quite tall, urging in their musical tones for anyone and everyone to come on down and give the games a try! Toss balls at a set of colorful stacked bottles, and see how many you can knock down in a single throw, with candy and costume jewelry for rewards. Fling a ring into a booth and land it around the head of the stuffed animal you want to win, if your aim is good enough. There's even a duo dunk tank set up - over a large tub, two chairs are suspended, each with an attached bucket of softballs and a target over the head of the chair. You and a friend get to climb in and see who can dunk who first!

MUST BE THIS TALL TO RIDE.

A carnival isn't a carnival without some rides to test your bravery with, is it? Past where the food booths and skill games are set up, there are a selection of them set up, all providing various levels of thrills. There's a roller coaster, of course, that's been constructed of wood and makes a loud rattling noise as it drives you through the loops and hills. There's also a tilt-a-whirl, a gravitron, and a log flume, if you're still feeling the effects of the heat wave.

For those less interested in thrill seeking, there are also slightly tamer rides, like the bumper cars, a ferris wheel, and the tunnel of love. All of these rides have the innate feeling of danger that you'd find at any theme park or carnival, but they operate quite safely, albeit with some creaking.

COTTON CANDY HEARTS.

Away from the fun and excitement, the Fun House has also come back to life. There's something a great deal more ominous about it than the rest of the celebration, however — in fact, spirits will actively attempt to steer residents away. However, those determined to explore can still find their way inside.

To start, it doesn't seem that abnormal. A mirrored maze, flashing lights and creepy music. However, as they travel through the mirrored halls, they'll notice something. Their reflection doesn't necessarily follow their movements. Actually, it seems like it is trying to get closer. Maybe that isn't their reflection at all?

Trapped and lost in the maze, eventually the reflections will become full-fledged matching doppelgängers of any character that entered. It's hard to tell the difference between the fake and the actual thing, though the doppelgängers will not speak, only chase — and chase aggressively. They will grow more and more aggressive in trying to reach their double, willing to go through potential distractions if they have to. Cutting them down seems ineffective at best; as long as there are reflections, the doubles will keep coming, growing more and more bloodied as they "die". Ultimately, they will not stop until characters exit the maze or they reach their exact match.

As they reach their match, they will reach out and grab their heart. Literally, hand through the chest and everything. It's as excruciatingly painful as it sounds. The doppelgänger will smile a demented, satisfied grin, and disappear immediately after without a trace. Any character that got nabbed by their double will suffer from lantern malfunctions for the rest of the event. You're more than welcome to pick what malfunction and to what extent!

FIND YOUR FORTUNE

Characters that have braved wandering outside the relative warmth and activity of the the celebration will find the rest of the amusement park still a little grim. Dark, worn down, abandoned. Plenty of the rides seem ominous at best and dangerous at worst. In their searching, characters are likely to happen upon a fortune teller lingering in the shadows.

If they are brave enough to approach, they'll find there is no need for a coin. Upon spotting them, the fortune teller will creak into motion, offering a spiel in a slightly monotone robotic voice. It's a little unnerving, though what is the worst a robotic fortune teller can really do?

Well, it turns out, every fortune the fortune teller provides always comes true. Some of them are harmless, like a prediction that they will win their next game of darts or find a cherry in their blueberry pie. Some will get far more grim fortunes, that they will find glass in their next drink or that they will step on a nail. Worst of all are fortunes that essentially force a character to do what they would normally wouldn't, like confessing a dark secret to the next person they see.

While you are welcome to make up your fortune, you are also able to put your character's name here to get a mod-generated fortune. There will be potential clues for future explores in these fortunes, though there is also a chance of receiving something else, such as an injury or a strange happenstance. No one will receive death in their fortune!

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yeah, good points, all of that. It's easy to forget how wary they were at first. I got to know some of them pretty well. And I feel like I've let some of my caution slip here. Easy to do that here when most people are trustworthy."

Though he frowns at himself for having said that. Not the sort of thing he'd normally choose to admit out loud. A year here really has been an easier life in so many ways than his life at home had been, though.

"We'll figure out something, if we can. There must be a way to get the signal to go farther. It reaches out into the forest pretty far. I don't know anything about all that, but Will might. Or maybe, if it's been done before, it's in their computer system somewhere."

"The radio tower picks up her Morse easy. So some signal reaches, just not that one." Soldat shakes their head a little, not watching Rosinante except out of the corner of their eye. They heard that admission, saw that frown.

So after a beat they say, "When I came here. I was terrified of everyone. Everything. But no one's actually hurt me except green-eyes, and now I'm. Less afraid. I've let my caution slip, too. But I think that's. Better. Everyone tells me to get better. I think that's what getting better means. Not being afraid all the time." So maybe it's better that Rosinante isn't afraid all the time, too? Is what they're trying to get at, here.

He understands plainly enough. "Sounds nice," he comments. "Glad you're less afraid. You're- right, I guess, that if we have the green-eyed spirits to be afraid of, it makes it easier for us all to get along and work together instead of fearing each other. Even when we've had people here who are hard to get along with, I've never felt like they really wanted to hurt any of us."

He works quietly at his cigarette a moment, then adds, "I know the stuff I'm afraid of isn't rational." And then forces himself to stop there. Even now, with this strange compulsion, he knows to stop there. It's ingrained deeply and has been since childhood. If what the fortune teller did to him makes him start to say any of it through his act of resistance, he'll just silence himself.

Aw, that's an important admission, Rosi. Acknowledging that it's not rational is the first step to dealing with it, right? (I thought that was getting annoyed with it and stubborning through it. Well, that's part of it.)

"Neither is mine," Soldat agrees. "Most of it. Misty says it makes sense, but it's still not. Proportional. And it's not all gone." They shake their head a little. "I still can't hear that name. D-doctors still freak me out. I can't hug people when they need it. But it's getting better. I'm glad yours is, too."

"Didn't say it had changed any for me. But you're getting better, I've noticed that myself. Glad for you," he says with a nod.

Then, "Rather talk about you than me," he adds abruptly before shaking his head. "Sorry, that's not - I should just go. Maybe I can sleep this off. There's nothing good that's gonna come from me saying everything I'm thinking all the time."

But you just did, Rosinante. Your caution is slipping. That means being less afraid. That means getting better. Soldat debates pointing this out, but Rosinante's clearly wanting out of this conversation, so they decide maybe not to push. They're not great at pushing, and it's been nice having a chat with Rosi that didn't result in either of them getting annoyed.

Instead, they just smile a little, warm, and say, "I don't know. I thought this was a pretty good conversation. But I understand it's uncomfortable, too. I'll see you later, Rosinante."

EVENT LOG: COTTON CANDY HEARTS

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oh geez how did I not reply to this

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