A Reckoning...

[strangerpeople]

[You are dead.

Where you awaken is not of your cabin on the train but rather firm earth, the skies above you being nothing but an inky blackness as for as you can see. And yet throughout the darkness, you are surrounded by soft lighting and peculiar music playing all around you. When your senses become less muddled, you will notice that the music playing is upbeat and joyful almost. But let's face it, you are probably thinking this is some sort of creepy hell that you got yourself into after biting the bullet.

It all depends if you find circuses to be such a place because that is where you find yourself. The setting feels more antique than what you may assume a circus to look like, more Victorian themed than what one can be called. First the sound picks up and then you can smell something delectable in the air, catching popped corn and fried sweets and maybe something to drink? It's more than likely here.

Going down the main way, you can see some classic carnival games such as skee ball, ring toss, balloon popping if you are inclined to try and take your mind of the fact that you didn't have a choice in coming here. But despite the joyous air of the circus, there are not many people here that can help you out...or are there?


Lost souls just like yourself who met with the same horrible fate...perhaps an accord can be struck. After all, it looks like you will be here for awhile.]


((OOC: Map for reference.))

Comments

WEEK 1

[strangerpeople]

[No one other than you are dead...so far.

There is a boat to take you to Little Tent City, mainly meant for sleeping and resting if you wish to do so.]

[silvertongueheir]

[Franciscus is investigating the games with a curious look on his face. Is there anyone actually running those, or can he just snatch a prize and run off with it?]

[strangerpeople]

[He can snatch a prize! Do crimes!]

[icanhearscreams]

[Is there a balloon pop game? If so, are there any darts he can take?]

[strangerpeople]

[There is a balloon pop game yes! Feel free to swipe the darts to your hearts content if that's your thing, Jun.]

[7_0_7]

[707's car is parked just outside the circus. His fingers drum chaotically against the trunk, as he contemplates whether he should return the clown captured within to its natural habitat.]

[bendwiththewind]

Do you think he's still breathing in there?

[Asking the important questions here.]

[bendwiththewind]

Open to All

[So...a circus huh? A circus where there seems to be not many souls in sight...feels creepy in hindsight but Yotsuyu just looks bored. Unlike some of you nerds, she's not gonna swipe any of the prizes all wily nilly; instead, she's going to be looking at several of the games, including balloon popping and skee ball but being better at the first one. What can we say, she's a decent shot.]

Hmmm, quite peculiar that a place full of festivities has very little people...might it involve Noise somehow...? No, that cannot be right...but why a circus....?

[She speaks to herself but do you want to interrupt her thoughts? The answer is yes. You always want to even if you're scared to.]


???-Closed Until Mod Gives The Go


Start explaining yourself!

[The tone in Yotsuyu's voice is low, like a viper ready to strike its prey for the killing move. Her eyes are narrowed at the other person before her and she's very standing rather close to them, mainly because even for the Composer, this is something she is having a hard time trying to figure out.]

I have no idea who the hells you are but I want to know who gave you such an authority!

WEEK 2

[strangerpeople]

[No one is joining you yet again. All is quiet at the circus at the moment.]

???

[strangerpeople]

[Nothing has happened thus far to you. Other than reuniting with a dear friend and being pissy at a semi-retired Judge but that feels old hat to you, doesn't it? It's been calm since arrival and if it wasn't for the fact that you were all dead or that the circus is very much like a ghost town, it would feel like a small vacation.

Unfortunately, luck is not kind to your group today.

The air today is still, eerily so when you look up but upon first glance, you cannot notice something moving across the sky. And then...it moves downward at an alarming pace, towards your location. Every instinct is possibly telling you to run like hell but there is someone already moving towards the...wait, what the hell is it? The thing looks like part crocodile with some dead peacock feathers and some parts of a hippo with eyes. Lots of them.

And the person taunting and yelling at the incoming creature? None other than Eddie Kim. You can see his figure and his movements but his voice is lost to you. And then...the creature comes and opens its large gaping muzzle, swallowing Eddie whole and not giving him a chance to react. The creatures gives one big gulp and then takes notice of a new prey: you.]

WEEK 3

[strangerpeople]

[Welcome The Rose and The Alphabet.

But there seems to be something else that comes along with the new Strangers to this strange deadland: from the dark ocean rises up new islands that definitely not there when you last looked. For our newcomers, they will be very familiar to you: one being a laboratory and the other hosts a rather nice looking mansion in the middle of it.

Explore as you will, Strangers and get to know your new comrades. You may need it.]

[awitchdidit]

[Well.]

[Well well well.]

[Of all the deaths Beatrice has experienced, that was certainly the most...concerning. But she's here now, and Purgatorio in this land appears to be...a circus.]

A dead end two weeks in. Tsk, tsk. It's a good thing Battler wasn't here to see that after all.

But really, a circus? The Witch of this land is making me look downright well-adjusted.

...

You going to come out yet, Victoria Misericordia? I believe I caught a glimpse of you before my eyes boiled, but it's impolite to keep your guests waiting even after you've killed them.

[She sighs, pats herself down to see if she can find her pipe, then starts wandering. Maybe there's cotton candy.]

[notthebreakman]

[Proto Man didn't really expect to wake up again after... well. Looks like his father was right after all--Robot Masters really do have souls.

Too bad he probably won't be able to share that scientific discovery anytime soon. Oh well.

Once Proto takes stock of his surroundings, there's one thought that runs through his head:]

Please tell me The Devil's Carnival wasn't really an accurate depiction of the afterlife.

EXPLORING

[strangerpeople]

[You got those new islands that popped up this week and a boat to go along with it. Wanna do some exploring?

However, it would be wise to bring the people who might be familiar with those landmarks with you.]

WEEK 4

[strangerpeople]

[Welcome The Rushlight and The Engineer.

Just like before, new islands rise from the sea upon their arrival; one being what appears to be only a section of a building and will need to be explored to see what it holds and the other appears to be...an office building?

New arrivals, you may be able to shed some light on those.]

[whitemoontiger]

[ It's in waking with a start that Atsushi stopped short, not entirely realizing what happened for a moment before it comes back to him. ]

...I really hope she was able to save her brother...

[ He then gets up and looks around, instantly seeming to deflate even as he placed a hand against his chest. Grimacing just a little since the memory of his death is still fresh on his mind. ]

I die and end up at a circus...? Not... really what I pictured when it comes to the afterlife...

[telecosmetic]

[Eliza has to just...lie on the ground for a while, after all that. She notices vaguely that the surroundings are not at all like the train, or even any of the places they've stopped at.]

...so, not like Town A, huh?

[She eventually gets up and starts walking around, though she'll look very confused if she sees anyone who wasn't from the train.]

Hey, um, who are you?

[awitchdidit]

[Aside from the new departures arriving, and eventually investigating further islands cropping up, Beatrice is interested in investigating something else while she's got apparently infinite amounts of free time.]

[Namely, the power she remembers being told about when she awoke on the Train. Apparently those are common among the people who wound up here, so she has no reason to think it's a hoax. Only...that it sounds really unpleasant to her.]

[Hence, she's standing outside an alleged Hall of Mirrors on the dimly-lit midway, grimacing at the building and attempting to motivate herself to enter. It's...not going well, as far as self-actualization goes. She might be here a while unless someone interrupts her.]

GHOST CAT HERDING

[icanhearscreams]

[After a bit of speaking to the living - but what does time matter in this place? - Jun goes around and gathers everyone together.]

We need to discuss what we’ve found on - and pass along messages.

[telecosmetic]

[Later in the week, Eliza can be seen by one of the carnival games, absentmindedly throwing darts at balloons and watching as none of them pop.]

Ugh...what's wrong with them? [She frowns as she taps lightly at one of the dart ends.] ...blunt. [She sighs, sprawling out on the counter.]

Why couldn't I bring my knives...

WEEK 5

[strangerpeople]

[Welcome The Watchful and The Deidre.

Along with new people to this place, two more islands come out of the dark waters: one appears to be a shop of some kind and the other is...a nice looking beach? Well, those are different.]

[zackthekiller]

Urgh...

[Zack clutches his head in his hands as he pulls himself off the ground, slowly getting his bearings... Hey. Is that... Carnival music?

He glances around. Yep. That sure looks like a carnival surrounded by islands in the middle of literal nothing...]

... GOD! DAMNIT! [He's dead. Again.] I knew I shouldn't have listened to that sword carrying bitch... [Grrr...]

[dragonmouth]

[ ...so this is really it, isn't it? A carnival isn't what Tali expected when she realized just who she was again and why all this had happened and what the hell was up about her wounds no longer bleeding out, but she's neither pleased nor disappointed with what she's found. The carnival simply is.

She reaches for her sword, subconsciously, but finds no scabbard to her side. It feels naked, the same sort of unease one would expect in those dreams where you have to take a test you didn't study for.

Without much else to expect, she starts walking toward the horizon. ]

[icanhearscreams]

[After the new people are greeted, Jun goes off and sits on the edge of the beach, staring into the water. It's hard to tell, since he's trying to be quiet, but his body is shaking slightly. Get very close and you might hear very quiet sobbing.]

[That is, if he doesn't snap at you first.]

Later that week...

[zackthekiller]

[Zack is getting restless.

At least the last time he was dead he might have probably haunted the living. Here? No clue what the hell the others are doing or anything.

Surely, there must be some way to figure out what the hell is going on without waiting for anyone else to die...

So he figures he may as well check out the nearby pointed structure (the obelisk, not that he'd know the name) first.

But it turns out, the black stuff surrounding the carnival is a dark ocean of some kind. He only took one step, true, but he had to pull his foot out as soon as he realized it's not solid ground.]

DAMNIT! [He groans, stepping back towards dry land for a moment... Guess he needs help again. So off he goes, back to the carnival with a wet leg.]

Hey! Anyone got a boat or something? I wanted to check out the pointed thing over there!