isleofavalon | EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

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EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

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This is the event log for IC comments only! Ask OOC questions/plot/view event notes HERE or use the FAQ for general questions. Click here to view top-level comments only. A poll to collect results of the trials will be posted this weekend and stay open until the end of the month to give people a little time to see how their threads are going.

KEY POINTS

Arthur announces the results of the polls and that he spoke to Celliwig's people, they will be testing Camelot the week of the full moon.

A series of choice-based enchanted scenarios is presented based loosely on a modernized seven sins/virtuous responses (power imbalance, cruelty or mercy, excess/greed or restraint, sloth or work ethic, desire/lust or self-control and bravery or cowardice, and sacrifice or self-preservation)

With the polls closed, the decision is made, and King Arthur takes the opportunity to address the kingdom via a streamed press conference. Though it is not an open post, anyone is welcome to comment on it and talk to each other about it. However, it is unlikely that Arthur himself will respond to comments. A notification does appear on everyone's smart devices to invite everyone to watch live; if they tap it too late, it'll still show the recorded stream.

"People of Camelot, I wish that we had better news that spoke of an easier path to the calamity that stands before us. Celliwig's charge is with protecting Avalon even in the face of protecting Camelot and those of you who chose to use your voices have shown that you choose to respect their way of handling things. However, it was only just over half of you who chose this path. I think it is important that with such a great portion of people believing that bypassing Celliwig and going directly to Elphame, as much as it may take patience, we take this action into consideration. There is no sense in ignoring the voices of so many when there is nothing to say we cannot approach from two fronts. As Camelot's king, I have issued our intent to accept Celliwig's challenge to a descendant of Glewlwyd, a man who was much trouble for my knights in our time. They have said after failing one, we shall be tested on multiple fronts, the week of the full moon's rise. Bear in mind that this is our final chance at this."

Merlin sidles up to Arthur in the video, one arm around his shoulders and leaning in to speak into the mics in a much-too-familiar manner. At least his sunglasses are off this time.

"Now then, anyone who wanted to go to Elphame, you'll want to head to the docks around, oh, say, the first of June. Step one to flirting with fae is to put on a good show before the traders leave. It's a good time whether the Celliwig's dooming us or not."

A wink accompanies that odd note, and Arthur orders him off stage before thanking everyone for their time.

With the consent of its people, Celliwig performs a ritual to place Camelot under a rather strange spell. Much is the same, but there's a sense that everything is just slightly off from what it should be. Fog covers the grounds throughout the entire city throughout the entire day. It's just a little too quiet, the usual hustle and bustle of the city falling just a little too distant on your ears. You can go about your day as normal, but feel as if something is simply off. And eventually, you'll walk through a door, and it will be. Part of the enchantment, however, includes a strange inability to connect these doors with being part of a test-- they seem real, regardless of how absurd the scenario would be were your characters thinking straight.

Day One: Power Imbalance
The door you walk through is into a club of some kind. It wasn't your intended destination and yet, here you are, and you're being handed a glass of your favorite drink and being ushered to your seat. The show is fantastical, some kind of circus-esque show with gymnasts and magical effects making it impossible to take your eyes off of. That is, until the spotlight falls upon you and urges you down to join the show. A volunteer! Well, one of two. Another volunteer is brought up along with yours, and the ring leader of the circus gives you both bracelets-- one with selenite embedded in it, another with andara. The ring leader explains that they're both known for creating high frequency connections, though one is known to spiritually be associated with finding one's path and the other with manifesting one's true self. When enchanted together, this makes it so that the person with the andara bracelet can order the person with the selenite bracelet to do anything they please-- making their true self the person's purpose. Very dangerous, very intruiging, very tempting, very morally wrong to do it for real, so please keep it to the stage! A quick demonstration of this dark use of magic as part of the show... and it seems that afterward, they forget to take the bracelets back. What will you do with your newfound control over your partner? The choice is, after all, yours. (Or theirs, if you're the unlucky partner with the selenite bracelet-- only the person with the andara can remove the bracelets, after all.)

Day Two: Schadenfreude
Yesterday seems like a dream, and you may even feel the need to write it off as such unless you run into the same person again and realize no, they too remember it. But if that's not the case, it doesn't matter. You'll be able to find yourself in your definitely normal and usual mideval city, where someone is in the stocks. Your memories seem a little fuzzy on whether or not you're supposed to be in medieval times or not, but this seems right, and there's a fruit vendor right next to you selling soft fruits to throw at the poor sap in the stocks. There are also a number of other ways to mess with the person, including feathers to tickle them, a riding crop, some ink if you want to grafitti the person.. a good number of ways just to humiliate the person without causing them permanent harm. The crowd is cheering you on, but you also see the keys to set them out just sitting on a table nearby. Do you engage in a little sadistic fun or do you embark in a daring rescue? (Or are you the punished in someone else's scenario?)

Day Three: Indulge Me
Back to the modern day like it didn't happen, you and a friend walk into a door to your favorite convenience store and as you finish up your purchase, you win an all expenses paid trip to the Black Knight's Castle, formerly the home of the Black Knight and turned into a lavish tourist attraction by Yvaine and Laudine's descendents, who have become worshippers of Dionysus. You're transported there in a puff of sparkling magic dust, right before an extravagant golden fountain in the middle of the lobby. The owners explain their policy for the Black Knight's Castle that you can have anything you desire, however much you desire. Anything at all, consequence free. The only thing that they ask is that you give a blood offering to their god to help feed his dead worshippers on the other side of the veil, which will ultimately tie your soul to him as well. Just a quick cut of the palm and you're welcome to come back any time, have anything you want, for the rest of your life. Taking the deal means you really will get what you want! ...For the day, anyway. (This is just a spell, after all, even if your character doesn't want it.) If you choose not to, you'll find yourself magically deposited back to the convenience store.

Day Four: What's the Meaning of Stongehenge?
This fourth day, there's certainly something to be said about a hard day's work. When you walk through today's door, you find yourself in the middle of a grassy field, strange markings on the ground, and surrounded by oddly shaped boulders. The markings on the ground seem to indicate where some the stones should be placed. There aren't really any directions, but there's always the option of waiting for someone else to solve this problem for you... There is a very comfortable looking patch of grass anyone able to relax in. So the choice is yours: wait for someone else to move the rocks or move them yourself?

Day Five: Pooling Desire
Day five is a trip to the pools. But not just any pools! These are special, underground pools hidden deep within a cave. You're sure whoever told you to head through this door mentioned something about them being a special relaxation package at the Red Springs. As you head into the pools, however, you find someone in there with you: the subject of your desires. Regardless of who or what they are, they seem to have a crown upon their head, aren't wearing anything in that water, and seem to have a lovely singing voice judging by the tune they're humming to lure you in before you even notice they're there. It is at that point they will try to seduce you, even if that same person is standing right there with you. The seduction, of course, needn't be sexual-- a strong lusting for a turkey leg wrapped in bacon may be just as powerful as a desire for a brand new Ninblendo Swatch or something you should definitely label as NSFW if you want to thread it that way. Give into them, or.. maybe listen to the person who came in with you that they're definitely some kind of weird half-otter bottomed monster under the water before they try to drown you. Or if you're the one trying to stop this, are you brave enough to get in between a stranger and a monster to try to snap them out of the siren's thrall, even if it means fighting both of them?

Day Six: #ChaliceChallenge
The sixth and final door sets you walking outside on a beach. There's nothing else there really except for nature. The sounds of the waves crashing against the sound is soothing, and real, and sharper than anything you've felt in the last five days of haze. There is no fog today. Clear, blue skies stretch forever above you, not a cloud in sight. The only man-made thing you see is a small woode table and two chairs. Upon that table, two chalices. Nothing will happen and there seems to be no way off of the beach until both parties sit down at the table, at which point a strange old man with huge, rippling muscles of at least 7 feet tall and a long, scraggly beard will appear. He informs your characters of the rules: in one chalice, deadly poison. In the other, water and bitter flavor. Each must drink from one cup, or you will both perish of starvation on this beach. Choose wisely.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ Now Bakugou is, surprisingly, not going to take part in humiliation. He's not going to grab fruit or any of the other things being offered here. Maybe at one point in his life ( and not that long ago ) he would have. However he's not going to be that bratty bully anymore so now he just watches with a bit of disgust.

There's only one thing he can do at the moment - ]

The fuck did you do to get thrown in here?

[ Though he's thinking about busting the guy out anyway. ]

How should I know?? I was just out on a walk!

[Bakugou's face is a familiar sight compared to the rest of this crowd, but Sagi isn't currently in a frame of mind to use that to plead for help. Would he even get it if he asked? He still wants to believe so, but he hadn't expected these ordinary townspeople to turn on him today, either. There's certainly a more bitter look on his face in the stocks than he'd normally allow himself to show.

"For being a freak of nature, what else?" scoffs one of the onlookers, a middle-aged man. He walks up to Bakugou and proffers a large feather. "Here, lad. See if you can make it cry."

The bait is so obvious that Sagi refuses to rise to it. Looking down, he makes another spirited attempt to yank his wrists out of the stocks, and stifles yet another grunt of pain when it fails.]

[ Now Bakugou here doesn't necessarily think that Sagi is a bad person or anything like that. Maybe he would make the other beg for the blonde to get him out. However it's what the crowd says that seals the deal.

Freak of nature? The fuck? Before he can really process all of this, there's a feather in his hand. Bakugou looks at the older man before calmly walking up to the platform that Sagi is locked into. That's when he turns around and faces the crowd - feather going up in his hand in a poof of flame or smoke. ]

Like hell I'm gonna do any of that!

[ His hand goes to the metal lock - and heats it up to the point where he should be able to just yank the thing right off. ]

[Great, he might have burns as well as bruises on his wrists by the time he's out of here. Sagi's eyes water a little from the heat, but he doesn't have to be able to see much to guess what Bakugou's shouting and dramatic feather-burning imply. He yanks at the stocks again, with all his might - and this time, his hands and neck win free.

It takes him a moment to stagger to his feet, still wincing, rubbing a little shakily at his neck. The sight of him brings some of the crowd back to life after they were stunned into silence by Bakugou's display. Now the boos and jeers are coming for both of them. A couple of people are already weighing fruit in their hands again, stocks or no stocks.]

...Thanks. I really owe you one. But not here.

[For all his defiant snapping a moment ago, Sagi sure is determined to ignore them now. He's already turning to step down from the stage, despite the crowd hemming him in on all sides.]

[ Bakugou does take note of the crowd itself. He thought that this might be what happens - that they'll turn on them both. That's fine. It doesn't bother him. But when it looks as though people are going to start throwing object again? He spins right back around to look at them all. ]

You wanna come at me? Then go ahead! See how well that will work for you because if even one shitty thing lands? I'm coming after your asses!

[ If they really want to start a fight, then do it. If not? Then cut the shit and let them pass. It's just that simple. ]

[The noise of the crowd is an almost impenetrable cacophony of laughter and insults. It doesn't seem as if most of them are cowed by Bakugou's threats, but it's hard to pick out individual retorts from the noise. "That's between you and the city guards, little boy!" "Of course another freak would come help out the freak!" "You think his hair needs a trim too?" "Is he serious about fighting us...?"

What's for sure is that they aren't stepping aside for Sagi to make good on his unceremonious exit, no matter how he tries to elbow past. He backs off a step, into the side of the stage, and pinches the bridge of his nose. He's not going to flip his shit here, even if they deserve it. He refuses to prove them right.]

Urgh. We can't pick a fight with all of them...

[He'd rather not pick a fight with any - but that may not be an option. By now the crowd is getting restless for any kind of vindication, so this is the point where someone near the greengrocer's cart decides to take Bakugou up on his challenge and fling an entire pineapple directly at his head.]

[ They should be cowed by his threats. Sure, Bakugou isn't really going to hurt innocent civilians. He's trying to keep damages to a minimum as well. But he's also very serious about coming after people if they wanna come at him first. ]

Don't have to.

[ That pineapple isn't going to land though. Katsuki turns and slices the thing midair with a blade of wind. ]

ALL OF YOU ARE DECADES BEHIND ME!

[ At that moment he snatches the other guy up and launches them both into the air. With his free hand? You know he's going to cast a fireball down unto that stage and to the stock. Set it aflame. Contained damage and also no one is really going to be hurt. It eliminates the problem entirely. ]

LET'S SEE YOU TRY THAT ALL AGAIN, ASSHOLES!

Ghk--!

[Oh man, Sagi is a little tired of everyone except him being able to fly. The grab happens suddenly enough for him to manifest his bird wings in surprise, without thinking; the heat of the fiery blast below their feet promptly singes his trailing feather plumes, and he winces.

For an arguable blessing, he isn't the only person startled by Bakugou's dramatic display. The crowd was here to poke some harmless fun at a kid who wasn't fighting back and maybe call another kid on his bluff, not to be literally set on fire. Most of the onlookers quickly scatter, some cursing, some grumbling, some screaming. If the two of them sprint, they now have a straight shot out of this plaza, maybe right out of town provided the city guards don't interfere.

That's the direction Sagi is looking as he distractedly flaps his wings, again more out of habit than because they're at all capable of steadying him once they land.] You made your point! Now let's get out of here!

[ Why do you think Bakugou did what he could to figure it out for himself? Of course the mobility of flight is going to come in handy when it comes to combat. Unfortunately, it does take a bit more out of him than what he'd like. Perhaps there's a different way of doing it that is more magic-energy efficient...

Whatever. Not the point. He's not really happy about what he had to do here, but it had been necessary all the same. There had been no reason to take things that far at all. ]

Tch! I ain't stopping you!

[ Don't have to wait for him, man. Katsuki huffs and follows after all the same. He won't be able to stay aloft though. So there's going to be a landing and they'll just have to make their way out by foot. ]

[Sagi manages to stick the landing more gracefully than he did the upward trip, dropping onto one knee and quickly picking himself up. The wings may only be for show right now, but landings are something you learn about as a kid pretty fast if you grow up with them.

Speaking of which, he dismisses the wings again as he starts to run. A few gruff voices from somewhere behind them suggest that the scattered hecklers did indeed call the city guards, and he doesn't feel like waiting for them to catch up. There must be some other town eventually, if he keeps running. Somewhere where they really won't discover or care who or what he is...]

If we can make it out of - huh?

[He catches sight of a doorway sitting almost lazily in the middle of a back alley, and slows down despite himself. Weird. Exactly like the doorway that eventually opened up to let him out of the trial yesterday, but the mental enchantments are making it hard to remember where he's seen one of these before.]

What's that doing there?

[ He can already hear footsteps of people running around. They're looking for them to be sure. However Bakugou doesn't expect that they are going to be found too easily. He's also opposed to being discovered too soon.

However the blonde isn't paying too much attention to Sagi... Not until he speaks again. ]

Ha?

[ Then he sees the door. How did that... ]

When the fuck did that get there.

You don't know either?

[He looks behind them - the city guards haven't come into view just yet, but he can just about catch a few guard-like voices telling each other to split up and search - then back at the suspiciously inviting doorway.]

Alright, who cares! I'm going in.

[At some point you just have to take the nonsense in front of you in stride, and for Sagi that point is ideally long before he has to do any introspection. He darts into the alleyway without glancing back, hurtles through the door -

- and steps out into a much less medieval-looking Camelot back alley, lined with trash cans. Only the lingering smarting sensation around Sagi's wrists and neck indicates that anything happened here at all.]

What do you mean you're going in? That could be -

[ A trap. That's what Bakugou is about to say. Something that's meant to lure them! But Sagi is already gone before the blonde can finish his sentence.

He's not going to go himself, but the guards spot him and call out. ]

Hrrnnggg... Fuck!

[ And now he follows right behind the other! ]

[Which means he might be about to hurtle straight into Sagi's back, because Sagi was still trying to regain his bearings.]

Gah!

[Physically, he was most of the way there. He manages to catch himself before falling, at least. Mentally, yeah, he might need a second.]

I think we're back... But what the heck was that? My head feels like a sponge...

[ Yeap. Crash landing right against that back! It's an act that has Bakugou huffing and maybe shoving Sagi. Son't get in his way! ]

You say back, but it doesn't feel like we left at all.

[Whump, there he goes. Why does this feel like it's becoming a trend... Oh well, Sagi has been pushed around by worse, so he just backs off and brushes himself off.]

Yeah... It's weird. It already feels like a dream.

[Though, speaking of having been pushed around by worse before... He hesitates.]

Do you... remember what they all were ranting about?

[He does, pretty clearly, because it's nothing that the enchantment couldn't have scraped from his own conscious thoughts - but at the same time, it feels more unreal the longer he thinks back on it. If not for the bruising he's still nursing on his wrists, he'd think he imagined everything.]

[ It is becoming a trend. At least this time it's not quite on purpose.

Instead, Bakugou considers the question. Does he remember? Well yeah, sure he does. Katsuki goes to open his mouth to answer and.

Nothing. ]

Ah. I remember, but when I try to talk about it? S'like the words to describe shit won't come.

Wait, really? We were...

[... trapped, helpless, at the mercy of a crowd that should not have had any way to find out what he is. None of that so much as makes it out of his throat. Instead, he just trails off.]

Huh. I see what you mean.

[That sure makes him self-conscious. He kind of wishes it didn't. He's never been one to rise to insults. Maybe he just got complacent, going entire months without having to think about being an escaped lab experiment, and that's why it unexpectedly stings a little not to know if Bakugou is going to hold it against him.

Then again, there's every chance Bakugou just assumes the invective was about the bird wings, or about his familiar, or any of the other ways he comes across as weird... Or it might not have registered at all. Who knows. He figures he'll just have to leave it at that.]

Well... never mind. Thanks for the help.

[That much at least is easy for him to say, with a sincere if awkward smile.]

[ To be fair, Bakugou won't. This is a weird situation for the both of them. For everyone. Nothing's quite like it should be. Nothing can be expected any more. They're all kind of just rolling with what they are given here.

In other words, it's not like either one of them thought that they'd be taken advantage of like this. ]

Tch. Did you expect me to just leave your ass there?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

EVENT ✨ The Answer is Always C

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