Post by Aine Erotes on Feb 14, 2016 12:22:53 GMT -5
It was Valentine’s Day, and cities and towns all around the world were celebrating with fairs and carnivals. The lines outside the tunnels of love and the Ferris wheels in every fair were always the longest, with couples waiting for their turn to smooch in the dark or above everyone else. Vendors were selling overpriced candy floss in the shape of hearts, and many men tried to woo their woman by paying lots of money to keep trying at a ring toss game, only to win a bear worth maybe two dollars at most.
Ah, love. It makes you do strange things.
In these multiple fairs around the world, many had very similar attractions. But one attraction was found in every single fair, each one identical. The ‘Red String of Fate’ was written in red letters on the purple wood. It was obviously thrown up quickly, as all fair attractions were, with an overly decorated front attached to a barely painted back box. Cheesy hearts hung around it, and a wooden cupid, it’s paint fading, was notching an arrow beside the sign. There was even some red string randomly attached to the front of the building.
The front door was purple, just like the rest of the building. But instead of cheesy butt-shaped hearts, this one had an anatomically correct one, with a red light shining beneath it to give it the very bad illusion of pulsing. The red strings were wrapped around this heart as well. And, if one were to enter, they’d find a short hallway, that lead to a dark room, with curtains hanging over the walls despite the lack of windows.
Only a door, a table, and two chairs could be found in this room, with a woman occupying one of them. Unbeknownst to the curious visitor, in each location in the world, there was the same woman. She was dressed like a cheesy gypsy fortune teller, with lots of deep purple fabric around her body, and even more jewels, which were likely plastic. She was shuffling a deck of Tarot cards, and would invite the intruder to sit.
“The red string of fate is said to link everyone together. Tied on your little finger, it connects to your true love.” She began, flipping over the cards. “It seems your fate is nearby, the string almost at it’s end. Follow it, through the door, and you will find love.”
Post by Lillibeth Capra on Feb 15, 2016 21:43:48 GMT -5
Lilly quietly sighed to herself, wondering what, exactly, she was doing here. She hated carnivals, and she hated the sheer number of people that flooded to them year 'round. All of the happy couples and families, the laughing students and the dismissive carnies, it all made her cringe. And, simultaneously, it reminded her why she was here.
She was starving. The last time she had fed, really properly fed, was days ago. A smirk crept over her lips at the memory, and the fingers of her left hand idly caressing at one of the stubs where her horns used to grow. A side effect of scaring the shit out of a would-be cat-burglar who had decided to break into her raggedy apartment, instead of the more expensive and higher class condominiums the next block over. It had been about time to trim her horns up anyways, and exposing her nature to the poor guy provided a welcome opportunity to use them one last time before they were chopped off of her head.
Since then, though, nothing had come her way. No one had tried breaking in to her new apartment, no one had rented one of the neighboring rooms to share with a lover, no one had even gotten into an argument in her general vicinity. It was nice at first, it had allowed Lilly to study a few languages and catch up on her writing and drawing skills, but then it only became distracting. The strange silence became more and more deafening as her hunger began to grow, until she was forced to find the nearest gathering of people. It was an easy way to sate her cravings, but it never failed to interfere with her life in the most bizarre and inconvenient ways.
This time, it seemed, would be no different. Already Lilly found herself drawn to a curiously obscene doorway, leading into a dark interior doubtlessly full of cash grabbing 'psychic' hands disguising themselves in 'mystery'. Lilly didn't have high hopes when she entered, taking advantage of the opportunity to fix her hair around the stubs of her horns. She took her seat and quietly sighed, thinking that if nothing else, she was able to fix her hair slightly.
The Succubus let the crazy old bat talk at her, standing and walking out when she finished. Lilly's eyes rolled and squinted in the abrupt change in light, thinking 'Yeah, right. If true love means finding someone stoned out of their skull and chowing down on funnel cake then sure, I'm sure that's in plentiful supply around here.' as she wandered. The daemoness had tried doing relationships before, but things tended to go south real fast when people realized that the horns weren't costume props.
Lilly checked the pockets of her shorts for a moment as she approached a stand serving some of the aforementioned funnel cakes, deciding that she might as well indulge herself while she was there. Feed her body as well as her mind and soul.
Post by Diaskedasi on Feb 18, 2016 14:54:03 GMT -5
"Now this looks fun," Diaskedasi said to himself while he stared at a certain purple attraction. It seemed like a regular love store to him, until he got to the pulsing heart on the front door. That type of decoration was not something anyone would expect from a regular love store. Instead, that decor reminded Diaskedasi of vampires. Is there vampires in there? Could i possibly get bitten!? Oh, i haven't been bitten in a long time! The more Diaskedasi looked at that strange love centered attraction, the more he was curious of what could be inside.
Finally, after staring at it for a good hour, Diaskedasi decided to enter. His body was not shaped like a young kid, as he would normally have it be. Diaskedasi figured that this type of situation called for an older image. His form was now of a young adult, 19 in age. He was incredibly handsome and had rather robust muscles, but not enough to where his veins popped out. To make his image even more different, he went with an African- American skin color, but retained his light blue eye color. His hair was rather curly, and extended all the way to his shoulders.
When he found his new form appeasing to his eyes, Dias strolled inside the purple attraction. To his disappointment, it was only a fortune teller that greeted him. No vampire, crazy happening to draw his attention, or anything else Dias considered fun. However, Dias never was the type to decline an invitation, so he allowed the old lady to tell him about his true love (As if there was a true love for a centuries old Demi-god).
The lady spoke nonsense about strings of fate. Diaskedasi didn't understand, so he just nodded at everything she said. Her reading finished when she told Dias to walk through a door, and the Demi-God looked at her with a raised brow. This reeked of seafood, and Dias wondered how stupid this woman thought he was. If she was going to do harm to him, then she had another thing coming.
"Alright, I'll look," Diaskedasi said with a little skepticism. However, he was still not the type to decline an invitation. He slowly walked to the door, and he prepared himself for the worst.
The demi-yod's fingers twisted the knob to reveal what was on the other side.
Post by Bethany Barone on Feb 27, 2016 18:03:48 GMT -5
Beth was at one of the carnival stands. The one where you have to throw a ball and knock down all the bottles to win a prize. She imagined these bottles were a certain someone's face and to her surprise actually won after the second throw. The person handed her a little stuffed bear as a reward and she left the area. Great. Now she has a bear that reminds her of him too. A reminder of the time she was so pissed, she actually won a silly carnival game. Luckily she was able to find a little girl that was walking with her parents to hand the bear off to.. before she ripped the stuffing out of it and dumping it into the trash.
Just like everyone else, Beth noticed the strange purple building with the heart and something drew her to it. She went inside and let the woman talk her nonsense about doors and red string while Beth only partly paid attention. Obviously she was not there for "love" but just out of curiosity. Something seemed just a little out of place. The woman inside then pointed to the other doorway. Beth tried her hardest to look happy and respectful while nodding to the woman and following the string.
Post by Prince Velkan on Mar 1, 2016 2:54:15 GMT -5
Velkan was walking through a carnival in Italy. It was the day of love, that special day when so many people spent so much time trying to impress another to win their affections. Velkan was not ashamed to admit he felt a twinge of jealousy for all the happy couples, strolling hand in hand together through the carnival. He watched several men attempt to win things for their significant others, or perhaps they where hopeful significant others. He, for himself, walked alone through the throngs of people. He spent no money, for he had nobody but himself to spend money upon and he was certainly not going to waste any money trying to win himself a bear or something else. He did stop at one place, a little fake shooting range and spent two dollars to plink away at a target, simply for the fun of it. He struck almost every single one, except one and when told to pick a prize he simply waved his hand and walked away.
He finally noticed a stand, something that was slightly different then all the others. Instead of cheesy pink and red apple shaped hearts, this one seemed to have a true heart upon it. He moved closer towards the small booth, his hands behind his back as he began to examine the exterior of the booth. There was nothing overtly flamboyant about the building, and that is what caught his attention more then anything else. This booth didn't seem to be trying to stand out, to catch the attention of the passerby to sell a ware or earn money. It seemed almost forgotten over here, a relic of something else thrown aside from a by gone age. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, then reached up and pulled his wide brimmed hat down before grasping the door handle and opening the door.
Walking in, he seated himself with upon the invitation across from the single person inside. He knew exactly who she was just by looking at her, or at least what she was suppose to represent. A gypsy of old, who dabbled in psychic powers, mind reading, and fortune telling. Velkan had never experience any of these, tending to shy away from them. He knew magic was real, after all he hunted supernatural beings. However he wasn't entirely convinced of true fortune telling or even Fate itself. There was just that vague... PULLING though, as if right behind his heart that told him he needed to be here. So he sat down and wanted for the gypsy (or not) woman to speak.
After she spoke, the male eyed her with a slightly confused look, but sighed softly to himself and decided to play along with the game. He gently tied the red string about the little finger of his left hand, then stood up and moved towards the second door. Funny, he did not think this small place would have a back door out of it and especially one that the owner/occupant would advise him to exit from. He glanced back once more at the gypsy lady, then slowly twisted and opened the second door and walked through it.
Jack is an average, unassuming guy. He stands bashfully, avoiding eye contact as he looks around at everything except the person he's speaking with. A closer look. however, will reveal more.
Beneath this carefully neutral appearance, Jack's body is lean and efficient. He's slow to anger and behind his bashful demeanor is an assertive individual observing his environment with an almost predatory nature.
Post by Jacksoπ Flεtchεr on Mar 1, 2016 4:29:17 GMT -5
Jack wasn't a big fan of carnivals. He found the crowds annoying and oppressive, with the slightly paranoid feeling that at any moment the large group of people could turn on him and rip him to shreds or that an assailant, hidden amongst the crowd, might try to murder him. But he was bored and in town with nothing to do, having decided to take a break from whatever it was that he spent most of his time doing, so the young man had decided to see what all the fuss was about. Having arrived, he immediately regretted his decision. Not only was the fair everything the young man hated, but it was also apparently Valentine's day!
Since he was already there, Jack resolved to make the most of it. He grabbed himself some cotton candy and walked around, attempting to take in the sights while simultaneously ignoring all the happy couples. After trying a couple of games, the young man was beginning to tire of the pitiful looks he was receiving for being alone on Valentine's day. It wasn't his fault. Jack hadn't even known what day it was before he'd arrived, losing track when was when, wrapped up in his own little world like he usually was.
The young man was getting ready to go home and spend the rest of the day playing video games when he noticed the odd purple shop. Particularly eye catching was beating heart above it. Like, an actual heart. Well, not an ACTUAL heart, but it looked kind of like a real heart rather than the usual one. Curious, he entered and eventually took a seat in front of the strange woman, when invited. She was awfully purple and proceeded to ramble on about lover or whatever. Typical Valentine's stuff. Inwardly, Jack sighed. He might've expected as much.
Frowning down at the little red string, Jack opened his mouth as if to ask a question, but thought better of it. Whatever. He'd follow the silly string. Wasn't like he had anything better to do today. The young man tied it around his little finger and walked through the door. Maybe he'd grab some more food before going home.
Post by Aine Erotes on Mar 10, 2016 19:19:25 GMT -5
No one could escape their fate. Although most embraced it, some refused and went back outside. To any who did so, and they were numerous, as Aine had attracted a great number of people, they would find themselves seeing little red strings on the ground. And, if they did not follow willingly, by the time night fell, no matter where they were, the strings would come to life, kidnapping them, although none would seem to notice.
Eventually, they all ended up in the same place, whether they were brought by string, or willingly went through the door. Each would find themselves alone in yet another hallway, although the door would vanish upon entering.
Unlike the cheesy wooden box that the fortune teller was in, this hallway was made of stone. It was dark, although noise could be heard, and light peeked through curiously from the cracks of a wooden door. Through this rustic entryway, they would find themselves thrust into a party.
It was truly splendid. Hundreds danced in elegant attire, each one covered by masks. The strings that had lead them there were draped around the ceiling, from crystal chandeliers. Rich, velvet red curtains hung on the walls, although behind them there were no windows, only stone. The room was lit by candlelight, and there was a glorious buffet, with drinks of all kinds, and servants ready to serve any weary dancer. A stage was raised on the far side of the room, where the orchestra played for all to see.
Perhaps even stranger to some, would be the fact that someone had changed their clothing. Spectacular suits and elegant gowns draped over their bodies, and servants approached to offer each of them a mask.
Diaskedasi was never the type to decline an invitation. Most times, he hated that side of him, as it forced him to go along with the most unstimulating activities. There was one time, when he was younger, he was invited to a party featured by his future wife. This was when he was 5 years old, of course. He married right around the time he was 13, and she died when he turned 50. This was back when the Greeks were still a thing. He tried very hard to keep her alive for long, and she actually was saved due to his healings, but soon it became her time to go. Any ways, the parents of his wife were having a party to celebrate Dias and her's future marriage. It was such a dull party, and half the time kid-Diaskedasi was banging his head against a table. The only great thing about that party was that he got to meet the only woman he had ever loved.
It had been so long since Diaskedasi actually enjoyed the touch of another woman. When his wife died, he grew cold towards the feelings of love. Which was probably a sad sight for his mother to see, due to the fact that her main purpose in life was to see love blossom. Dias wondered if she wanted to cry. It was a shame that he never got the chance to see, as he disappeared after his wife's death. Well... He didn't completely disappear. Diaskedasi still kept in touch with other people, and made quite a name for himself. He did eventually marry another woman again, but it wasn't for love, more like lust.
Right now, he probably has little Dias' running around somewhere; although, he never really checked. He was like his mother when it came to children, the process to make them was wonderful, but the process to deal with them was a pain in the butt.
"Where am I?" The demi-god finally began to wonder. He was thinking so much about his past that he forgot to check his surroundings. He didn't realize that the walls were changed, and that his clothing were not what he previously wore. He was dressed presentably, like a very rich man with a very rich way of living. He knew a little of these new type of suites, and he hated them. What he was more used to were toga outfits. It was so simple to move around in, and made him more available for venereal events.
Inside his pocket was a mask. This one was beautifully decorated to represent a rose, and colored white and red, which were now the colors of purity and love. Dias enjoyed it's decor, but he still questioned why, and how, he was wearing fancy clothing and had a fancy mask. He also questioned why the heck the walls were made of stone, and not wood like that former vendor's shop. Was he teleported, or was this just the building's architecture? It was strange... And Dias did not like this at all.
Eventually, Diaskedasi came across a party. People were dancing, wearing masks, and having as much fun as they possibly could. Diaskedasi wanted to question this as well, but the music engrossed him so much that he became lost in the crowd. Diaskedasi danced with everyone who were willing, and the party soon became about him more than anyone else. Instantly, an aura of happiness was released from the demigod, and everyone started to have a good time.
Somehow, after he released that aura, Diaskedasi ended up on stage, singing love songs that everyone could dance to.
Post by Bethany Barone on Apr 3, 2016 1:21:51 GMT -5
After Bethany exited the first room with the fortune teller, the string led her to a hallway. She didn't look back to notice that the door behind her had vanished but she did notice it was much darker and slightly colder due to the hallway being made of stone. She hadn't noticed a hallway attached to the little wooden structure she first entered. Even the sounds were different than the typical carnival noises she had just came from.
Beth followed through to discover that she was somehow attending a masquerade. Not only that, but her entire outfit had been changed into a gorgeous gown to match the elaborate setting. She was now wearing a gorgeous floor length emerald green gown, simple in design but decorated with sparkling gemstones. Surely she had come in contact with drugs and this was all a weird dream.
Everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time, and all Beth could do was stand in place and gaze around. So much beauty and elegance in one place. Her thoughts were broken as someone walked up to her and held out a masquerade mask that somehow matched her dress perfectly, as if it was made just for her. Bethany seemed to forget the strangeness of the place and began to enjoy herself.
Post by Prince Velkan on Apr 3, 2016 5:37:58 GMT -5
Velkan stepped through the doorway, and blinked as he stepped in to a completely and absolutely different area. His eyes roamed around, taking in the sights of hundreds of people dancing around gayily and enjoying an amazing masquerade ball. Velkan looked down at himself, finding himself dressed up in an amazing oldern style suit. The kind that was black, with silver highlights, lapels, shoulder straps, and with large ornate buttons . Beneath that was a white frilled shirt, and his feet where clad in high black boots while his hands where hidden beneath white gloves. Velkan was extremely pleased with his outfit, but watched as somebody approached him with yet a further piece of his attire. A silver mask rested upon a silver tray, with an ornate design upon it laid in thin raised gold. Other then the designs, it was featureless and would cover his entire face except for his eyes, and had two black ribbons that seemed to come from each side of the masking.
Picking the mask up, Velkan slowly raised it and placed it over his face and as he did so the person who had brought him the mask turned and disappeared in to the swirling crowds of people. Reaching behind his head, he slowly tied the black ribbons to hold the mask upon his face. For such an intricate piece of artwork it weighed next to nothing, despite it's clear metal composition. With the mask upon his face, he moved in to the crowd to enjoy himself. He sound was dancing with a female, a swirling elaborate dance that lead them both about the dance floor, though nothing as apparently wild as the male who seemed to be occupying all the eyes in the room. Velkan however did not mind that, he was thoroughly enjoying himself and the dance around him when he noticed a female standing by herself wearing a magnificent dress of emerald dotted with gems. Approaching the female, Velkan extended his hand and bowed low before straightening, and speaking to her warmly.
Jack is an average, unassuming guy. He stands bashfully, avoiding eye contact as he looks around at everything except the person he's speaking with. A closer look. however, will reveal more.
Beneath this carefully neutral appearance, Jack's body is lean and efficient. He's slow to anger and behind his bashful demeanor is an assertive individual observing his environment with an almost predatory nature.
Post by Jacksoπ Flεtchεr on Apr 3, 2016 16:58:26 GMT -5
Jack had somehow ended up in a stone hallway and, when he glanced behind himself, the door was, like, totally gone. That was pretty weird. He squirmed a little bit, suddenly uncomfortable for some reason. That was about when he realized that someone had, like, totally changed his clothes for some reason.
What the hell? Jack thought, frowning as he tugged at the unfamiliar garments. This was so not cool. He wanted his regular jeans and tshirt back. Jack continued walking through the hallway, figuring he'd just change when he got home. Then he found himself in some sort of party full of a bunch of weirdos, all dressed like he was and wearing masks, too.
The young man blinked in surprise when he took in his new surroundings. The place certainly hadn't looked this big from the outside. What was going on? Someone offered him a mask and the young man gladly accepted. He looked it over and was surprised by how much it resembled the one he normally wore. Oh well. It was the closest thing to normal for him in this entire weird place, so he put it on. Almost everyone seemed to be having a good time except for him. Jack's idea of a good time was food with friends and maybe some video games. So he just sort of wandered around, bored.
Ilya had been present through this all -- amidst the festival she clung to the back horde of the crowd with each performance and antic, fascination piqued enough to occupy the focus of her eyes, but not in a way that made her feel compelled to tread through the flood like a rodent in a maze. She had no issue with crowds themselves; she simply and sincerely preferred shadowing behind rather than being trampled. She was slight in size, after all.
Lead by her curiosity and that alone, Ilya did follow these ambiguous red strings like a moth to a flame -- and the conclusion? She was bewildered and elated, enough so to the point where she paid no single thought to the seemingly only door's disappearance. She trailed a hand daintily against the cold stone of the hall and continued onward with no reluctance, her other hand caressing the fabrics of her peculiarly tasteful change of garb. This must be a dream, Ilya, she thought as she appreciatively accepted her masquerade mask and placed it over her eyes. This was surreal -- so, so surreal.
She had no aversion nor hesitance to entering the crowd of masked dancers, weaving nimbly with each turn of the promenade in mind to not disrupt this trance of an event. She found herself standing in the middle, alone, twirling languidly as to take in the sights.
Last Edit: Apr 6, 2016 0:13:39 GMT -5 by Ilyα Cяσw
"I do not want to be human - I want to be myself. They think I am a lion, that I will chase them. I will not deny I have lions in me. I am the monster in the wood. I have wonders in my house of sugar. I have parts of myself I do not yet understand."
It seems like everyone was having a good time, which Diaskedasi thought was wonderful! Unfortunately, Dias did receive a sense that someone was not having a fun time, as he was the Demi-God of fun and knew when someone wasn't having fun. He quickly pinpointed the location of this person who was "bored" in this crowd of happiness, then teleported to him. Soon enough, Dias was walking in front of some mysterious guy in a mask who was just walking around.
"Not having fun?" Would be Dias' first words. The other guy probably found it strange that some weird teenaged African-American kid was trying to talk to him, so the Demi-God tried his best to not spook the guy too much. He kept a friendly appearance, as he wanted the guy to loosen up and start enjoying the party. If this guy wasn't having fun, then Dias definitely wasn't having fun.
Post by Bethany Barone on Apr 11, 2016 2:13:12 GMT -5
With the mask now placed to cover her face, her outfit was complete. She was happy and felt just like a queen. She was the queen and this ball was just for her. Beth knew it wasn't but it was a nice thought.
Her daydream was ended when a gentleman approached her. So polite and handsome from what she could tell. He bowed to her and asked to dance. "I'd love to dance." Bethany nodded and gave Velkan a sweet smile before offering her hand. She followed his lead to dance. Beth was actually a good dancer, and followed Velkan's steps with grace. He was just as good if not better. No awkward movement or stepping on toes, not even backing into other couples dancing.
What's your name? I'm Bethany." She smiled again. What she was about to say would probably seem like she should be on some kind of medication, but she also felt like it had to be said. Maybe she was really going crazy after all. "This is going to sound strange, but I can't remember exactly how I got here." Bethany admitted to the charming stranger.
Post by Prince Velkan on Apr 11, 2016 17:41:10 GMT -5
Velkan happily took Bethany's (though he did not know that was her name just yet), and his other hand slipped behind her resting upon the small of her back and pulling her close. He then proceeded to dance with her happily, leading around the ballroom with ease and grace. He did so with out any signs of trouble, weaving his way between other dancing couples and even single people just enjoying themselves. He held her close, but not indecently so. Mostly to keep them from taking up to much room about themselves, but also because he seemed to enjoy her presence. Nothing inappropriately, it just seemed that they where getting along well among a room full of strangers. Of course they where complete strangers as well, and the fact that he would probably never see this woman again after this evening crossed his mind once but he was not going to let that ruin his mood.
"Bethany, what a beautiful name. My name is Velkan, Lady Bethany."
As the song ended, he gently disengaged from her. The hand holding her own gently brought her hand to his mask and he pressed the back of them softly to where his lips should be having forgotten that his mask covered his face. He listened her her words, and smiled though she would not be able to see that behind his mask.
"Have no fears, Lady Bethany. It appears that you and I might have had the same experience. I remember entering a small building in a carnival, and speaking to a gypsy. Then, I was here in this outfit and given this mask though I have to say, this is much better then the carnival I was at previous and the company...." He paused, looking her up and down slowly "much better and more beautiful."