+ Somewhere a Grandiose Carnival Was Going on in the Sky +

[vitaelamorte]

Who: Everyone!
Where: The grounds of the Mansion
When: March 9-16
Rating: PG-13 (warn if you go higher)
Summary: The Red Queen has thrown a carnival for everyone!
The Story:


From Friday, March 9, through Friday, March 16, the gardens and grounds of the Mansion will be a sprawling a carnival. The masked, unspeaking vendors will be selling trinkets and running free game booths. Carnival rides, exhibits, and foods represent all of the various cultures of those currently residing in the Mansion.


Of particular note, and perhaps incongruously, everything is decorated with red hearts.

Use this log for any and all of your carnival needs!

Comments

[choosetruth]

Sort of.

[She looks up at one of the rides.]

It's different. You have to sign a lot of wavers, and all the attendants are armed. Only a small amount of people are allowed in at a time, which is fine since only a small amount of people actually dare show up. And you can't undo the restraints on a ride without taking a blood test. Just in case you had a heart attack mid-ride or something, I guess.

[keptnerve]

Well, fuck. Doesn't sound like much fun.

( Maybe that's because she doesn't like the thought of being strapped in, unable to do the restraints even when the ride has stopped. She tenses at the very thought as she eyes the whole carnival suspiciously all over again. Rides seem like an easy way to trap whoever the hell decides to go on it, but she doesn't see the point in that either.

They're all already trapped especially the mirrors. )

So what do you think the point of this whole thing is anyway?

[choosetruth]

What, you don't believe the Red Queen just wants us all to have fun?

[There's a lilt to her voice. Georgia doesn't believe it either. She thinks the Red Queen is mostly benign, especially compared to the Queen of Hearts, but that doesn't mean she's free of ulterior motives. Georgia just doesn't know what it could be.]

[keptnerve]

Sounds like bullshit to me. Why the hell would she want us to have fun?

( It doesn't make any sense. Neither Queen gives a shit about the mirrors. She's not sure either Queen gives a shit about the Reals either, but at least there's color and activity and less fucking assholes who want to murder everyone around. )

They're playing games, and we're in the middle.

[choosetruth]

You're a smart kid.

[Or a paranoid kid, but in times like this, it's about the same either way. A corner of her mouth tilts very slightly.]

Think about it. What does she gain from throwing this fair and the party last winter? How does it benefit a ruler to give her subjects fun?

[keptnerve]

Make people like her and like this place so they don't question shit and become complacent.

( it's what carver leveraged. his community was the only place where there was food, water, medicine, safety. leaving it was taking a big damn risk. )

And to piss off the Queen on the other side.

[choosetruth]

Exactly.

[Like she said, smart kid.]

Pacify the masses. Deceitful in its way but better, perhaps, than say, using lies and intimidation to keep your subjects in place. At least, less likely to provoke rebellion.

[Speaking entirely hypothetically, of course.]

[keptnerve]

( Clementine turns her gaze in Georgia's directions. Her arms are folded across her chest at the mention of that rebellion, and she can't quite keep her jaw from locking. )

Either way, they're keeping people in their place. This one just has a pretty bow on it and no threat of immediately being unmade when you fuck up. I'd prefer the pretty bow version.

( Reals can't be unmade, can they? They can die, but they come back. )

[choosetruth]

[She thought she was talking to the Mirror. Now she's pretty certain.]

I could take or leave the bow, but the lack of constant death threats is certainly nice.

[keptnerve]

I can only imagine.

( Her arms fold across her chest further, and she glances down. )

...do you get why I was pissed when we talked before? ( she's not even trying to pretend like she's not the mirror- like she's not. she's spoken to georgia before in person, through mirrors. )

[choosetruth]

Yes. [She gets it. She even sympathizes, given how this Clementine is even more survival focused than her real. Doesn't mean she's changing her mind about her actions.] Are you still pissed?

[keptnerve]

Not really. It just doesn't change anything. You will always feel the way you do, and I'll always feel the way I do. ( Clementine shrugs a little. She wanted to be a part of it after their conversations prior to their last, but then that all changed. ) You changed my mind about some shit and made me consider something I never thought I would, but it doesn't matter anymore.

[choosetruth]

[She looks at Clementine, tilting her head curiously.]

Why not?

[keptnerve]

( Clementine huffs out a breath with her arms folded across her chest. )

Because it doesn't actually change anything. I'm still stuck over on the other side. There's still no one I can trust, and I'm in the same position I was in before except now I'm disappointed for letting myself think anything else for even a fucking second.

[choosetruth]

[Ouch.]

I'm still going to fight for you.

ouch is how i feel now in my soul

[keptnerve]

Yeah, I know. You want to fight for us. Not with us.

Good luck. ( It's said genuinely enough, and it's all she says before she turns and leaves. )