fluxscape | Sunspot Circus: OTA

Entry tags:

prodigal son - malcolm bright

Sunspot Circus: OTA - Gathering Post

Who: Everyone and anyone
What: Come one, Come All! The Sunspot Circus has arrived!
Where: A clearing just outside of Haven
When: 6/20 Evening, to 6/23 Evening

The Sunspot Circus seems to be all anyone has been able to talk about, with growing excitement as they days pass by. And finally, at around 5 PM on the 20th, the Circus has not only arrived, but has set up in a clearing just outside of Haven. While most of the crew have been hard at work setting up the big, red and yellow tent in the middle of the clearing and setting up various vendors and games and stalls for food and any manner of circus attraction and side-show you can think of, a smaller group has been traveling through Haven drumming up excitement.

There are prizes to be one in games of skill, various side show acts to marvel at, a fortune teller who will happily read anyone's fortune. And the food smells amazing. Savory, spicy, smoked, sweet. Whatever you might crave, the Circus seems to have it.

So come one, come all. Come see the ladies riding the backs of tamed skitters, the magician pulling small Kites out of hats. Whatever you think might be at a circus like this will be there. It's vibrant and colorful. The music is enjoyable. There are fireworks at night when the circus closes for the evening. Performers will be roaming the clearing, juggling and singing tunes of questionable decency (cover your ears, children) and making delightful nuisances of themselves. People will be shouting for you to buy hand-made jewelry, scarves, various foods on sticks, and multitudes of foods that probably shouldn't be fried but someone did it and it's amazing.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

And remember what happens the day after they leave.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, it is loud, isn't it? And colorful?

Donna stands just by the entrance to the whole Circus, shoulders drawn tight with anxiety. It's like nothing she's ever seen before, and it's so...much. She feels momentarily thankful that she's wearing the veil - it puts at least some kind of barrier between her and all of this. She really wants to go in, but it's all so...Big. The Village was small, and she finds herself missing it.

Angie, on the other hand, is floating around her, grabbing at her arm, her hand, tugging ineffectually. "ComeoncomeonCOMEON! This looks like FUN, let's GO! What are you so scared of? COME OOOOOOOON."

But the puppeteer is frozen there, visibly trembling despite the desert heat.

"Miss Donna, are you alright?" Evie asks from a few feet away. She'd spotted the pair, Angie's excited voice filling the air and making it easy to find the woman and her friend. Evie'd been delighted to see them, but the way Donna is frozen in place upsets Evie just a bit.

She's quick to consider someone a friend, and once she does, her care for her friends runs deep.

Giving Angie a small smile and a slight bowing of her head in greeting, Evie looks towards the circus and then back to Donna.

"What if we take it a little bit at a time? Just so you have time to adjust?"

"Hiiiiiiiiiiiii Evie! Maybe YOU can talk some SENSE into her."

Angie floats around Evie's head once before coming to rest on her shoulder, crossing her wooden ankles oh-so-daintily. Donna, on the other hand, takes a moment before she turns to look at the princess. She has a hard time speaking out loud, and Evie is a very new presence in her life - but haltingly, softly, her voice can be heard from under the veil.

"...Yes. Please. I'm sorry, it's...it's just very...big."

Evie grins at Angie, reaching up to the doll on her shoulder to give her a gentle, reassuring pat on her wooden shoulder, turning to face Miss Donna and nodding as she listens to what the woman says.

"We can absolutely do things at your pace, Miss Donna. I think it'd be best to adjust a bit at a time," she says, turning to smile at Angie. She's got this, little wooden friend, don't worry. "We'll get to the center of the circus in no time. Maybe we'll play a game or two and win some silly prize we'll treasure forever."

Angie giggles at the pat, clacking her jaw idly as she lets Evie have a word with Donna. Surely the puppeteer would listen to a Princess!

"...All right. That...that sounds nice." Donna tugs at her veil, making sure it is firmly down before she properly faces Evie, summoning a bit of resolve to speak above her usual pale murmur. "And you can...just call me Donna. If you want to."

The doll is clearly pleased with the promise of games and prizes, and once Donna shows that little bit of boldness, she cheers in Evie's ear. "YAYYYYYYYY! Ooooh I can't WAIT this is going to be soooooo fun!"

Angie's excitement gets a grin and a small laugh from Evie, understanding completely where the dolls joy is coming from. Evie doesn't much care for Haven. It reminds her too much of the Isle and Evie was fond of the distance she had put between that and her life now. Not that she doesn't visit home. But she's happy in Auradon. She found herself and her worth. The reminder of before isn't exactly appreciated.

Holding a hand out to Donna, she nods at the womans request. "Donna it is, then. Now...where would you like to visit first?"

There were a few games of skill nearby, and a vendor selling hand pies. There was also a small stall boasting handmade jewelry and scarves that Evie herself was curious about. But her focus was on Donna's comfort.

There is a moment where she looks down at the hand, hesitating as if waiting for Evie to change her mind. When she does not, gingerly, she takes it up oh-so-gingerly, skin a bit clammy and a little cold. With contact, the trembling throughout her body is more noticeable. (Angie does a little fistpump. Progress!)

Casting a glance out to what's nearby, she gestures to the accessories stall with a little nod.

"...Maybe...over there? I see some things I could...maybe use for dolls...."

Welcome to life with Evie taking you in, Donna. Evie's patience is endless, as is her love for people. She takes Donna's hand and doesn't even seem to mind how cold it is. She can feel the other woman shaking, and squeezes her hand ever so gently, her way of telling Donna she's not alone.

Turning to look at the small stall, she smiles slightly and nods. "I think I see a small bracelet that can easily be a tiara for a certain lovely doll in a wedding dress."

She might be buying Angie a present.

Donna tenses at the contact - but then relaxes at the little squeeze, the trembling very much still there, but less pronounced. Evie is good for Donna. Friendship is alien but something sorely, deeply needed.

On the other hand, you have Angie, who practically explodes with excitement over the prospect of being treated to a gift. "Me? For MEEEEE? Really? REALLY?"

See, Donna? Evie's pretty good for people. She smiles at her friend, the small twitch of her mouth an attempt at being reassuring. She's got you, Donna. She's going to stick with you whether you stay and have a good time, or need to leave.

"Absolutely really. Only if you like it, though." A careful shrug of the shoulder Angie isn't sitting on. "I design and alter clothing for a living, It's something I've known how to do since I was much smaller."

She's going to leave off that her mother taught her how to cook and clean and sew for reasons that weren't really great.

"With that knowledge comes a fair idea of how to accessorize, too. Seeing the bracelet made me think of the tiaras I've seen women wear on their wedding day and I thought 'why not give it a shot?' What do you ladies think?"

The attempt absolutely lands. Donna actually reaches up to her veil, gently brushing it aside just a tiny, tiny bit. Just enough so that Evie can see the sad, nervous little smile playing across her pale lips. But then she lets it fall again. Baby steps.

Angie is overjoyed with the idea of new accessories - she clacks her jaw, kicking her feet and gleefully shouting.

"YES YES YES!"

The Puppeteer squeezes Evie's hand and gives a little nod. "...I like...to sew, too. Mostly doll clothes, but...maybe...maybe you'd...like to...help me make some...doll clothes, sometime?"

June 20th/21st.

Gwen's at the circus because it's something new and exciting to see. It was a welcome change to Haven, the noise and the smells just bordering on overwhelming for her and her senses, but damnit she'd like to see something more than slap-dash buildings, and angry faces.

The Circus, while pieced together in it's own way, brought a new vibrancy to the small town and Gwen was here for it.

So absolutely find her anywhere in the Circus. Playing some of the games that are surely rigged, watching balancing acts and contortionists and magicians as they roam through the set-up. She's even found someone that sells some damn amazing funnel cake and she's absolutely having some for dinner.

She might even share. Probably.

Nah, get your own funnel cake. Someone should encourage her to try for something a little less sugary. Or encourage her to go worse. There's deep fried cookies somewhere.

June 23rd - For Hawk

Gwen was pretty determined to win the giant stuffed bear for Nacho. The dog seemed pretty fascinated by it, staring at it as it hung above them at the ring toss. But, like all games at the circus, it was just a bit rigged. She wasn't quite there just yet and, once she was out of rings and was handed a smaller bear, she looked over at Hawk with a smile.

"Okay. It's your turn." Nacho, meanwhile, was sniffing the bear Gwen was holding, looking from the bear to Gwen and back again. "What? You want this bear?"

A faint huff from Nacho and a tail-wag. Yes, he wants that small bear, please and thanks. Looking up at Hawk, Gwen shrugs a bit.

"Or we could give him the smaller bear. Your dog, your call."

Edited 2021-06-21 13:15 (UTC)

Curiosity is strong motivator and that more than anything is the reason that Peter ends up at the circus despite that he knows deep down that something bad is sure to happen. It's nice immediate distraction from the current situation and some of the unpleasant thoughts swirling in his head.

He is enjoying the funnel cake though-that's points in favor of the circus. Still, it'd be a lot more fun wit Ned or MJ or May. he shakes the thought out of his head and instead moves off to the cotton candy vendor. More candy. That'll keep him happy.

Malcolm is absolutely sure that something bad is about to happen. Maybe at the circus, maybe in the rest of the city while they're all distracted. Thus, he's on his guard but still cautiously trying to enjoy himself. This is clearly the most exciting thing that's happened in Haven in a long time.

Sweets are basically a food group for Malcolm, but he never eats big meals. Too much food at once makes him sick. He considers the funnel cakes, but they're too greasy. Cotton candy is more his speed. While standing in line, he watches the young man finish his funnel cake and then get in line behind him for cotton candy. Malcolm gives him a wry smile.

"Is this your lunch?" he asks.

a. June 20th, evening

He'd originally shown up earlier in the day but had spent a few hours trying to get acclimated to his new surroundings. It wasn't going so well. If he didn't know better, if he wasn't pretty sure that Chase was dead and gone, Reid would blame him for this mess. But everything was real, it wasn't a hallucination or a trick, and he had a whole handful of informational papers in his apartment to prove it. Having an apartment wasn't much different than living at the dorms at Spenser Academy, but he lacked a certain roommate; Tyler. Without his best friend around he felt more lost than usual.

That didn't stop him from showing up at the circus in the evening, though. He'd never been to one before, so there was a novelty in it and also maybe he'd see a familiar face there while he was at it. He wasn't going to hold his breath, though. If he hadn't found Caleb, Pogue, or Tyler in the first few hours he'd been in Haven, he doubted they were going to just show up. That wasn't the only reason he went to the circus though; he went because it was the closest this place had to a party right now and maybe it would be fun.

He played a few games, subtly cheated at one of the bottle games to knock them all down and won himself a teddy bear, which he tucked under one arm, and went on his way. He bought some funnel cake, struggling not to get white powder on everything, and surveyed some of the hand-made jewelry, scarves, and other things, though he had no intention of buying any.

Backing away from the rows of jewelry, he bumped into someone and accidentally dropped what was left of his funnel cake, nearly dropping his teddy bear, too. "Well, shit," he said instead of apologizing. "There goes that."

b. Throughout the Circus time

After the first day, he came back to the Circus again and again, getting the most out of them being there while they were there. He could be found doing various things around the Circus. For instance, at one point he was browsing the jewelry again, picking out a pair of subdued earrings and a necklace with a small, sparkling pendant on it. He was only going to wear one of the earrings at a time, but that just meant he had an extra if he lost one.

Another time, he could be found playing one of the strength games, which he didn't plan on cheating at--unless there was someone to impress. His first swing was decent, not bad, above average, but if someone caught his eye, of either gender, he said, "I can do better than that."

Sometime else, he was admiring the fireworks that went off after the Circus closed, leaning back against...whatever there was to lean on without him getting in anyone's way while he still had a good view. "Well, they know how to put on a show, I'll give them that," he said to no one in particular.

c. Wildcard

[Come at me with some other scenario!]

Reid wasn't the only one to lose their food. Charlie'd found deep-fried cookies and all but one of them had hit the ground. It was a pretty amazing pile of Far Too Much Sugar, too. There'd been the deep fried chocolate chips, whipped cream, cherries, sprinkles, chocolate sauce.

Charlie went big. And now the food is on the ground. She didn't mean to walk into the guy. The sights and sounds had been, admittedly, pretty damn distracting. She hadn't been to a circus in over a decade and was actually kind of enjoying herself.

So when she and Reid collided, Charlie was quick to apologize.

"I'm sorry. That's probably my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going," she says, crouching to clean up the mess. "I'll buy you another one."

He shook his head. "Nah, it was my bad." He was pretty sure, at least. And he didn't usually admit to blame, but, well. He'd bend over backwards to be nice to a cute girl.

Crouching down too, he plucked what was left of his funnel cake out of the dirt and slid it back onto the plate. "Yours looks like it cost more than mine. I'll pay for 'em." Back home, money would've been no issue whatsoever. Here it wasn't either, he'd discovered--for now. Eventually, he'd have to be careful, but for now, he could definitely afford to replace a funnel cake and some cookies.

Charlie glances up as Reid speaks, watching him carefully for a moment. Like being around people is still new and she's not sure what to make of him just yet.

Other than he's actually kind of cute.

Okay. Yeah. Cute. Not just kind of. Looking down at the mess they'd made, she smiles just briefly. The smile isn't one she uses often, so it looks a bit lopsided, like she's not entirely used to smiling at all.

"Oh, that's...I mean, you don't have to unless you want. It was a lot more sugar than I'm used to."

He wouldn't have made the offer if he didn't want to do it. Reid tried to do very few things that he didn't want to do. Besides, Caleb probably would have offered to replace her cookies, and Caleb seemed to have better luck than Reid, so...

Laughing, he smiled. "All the more reason to get you more of them, right?" They were at a circus, which probably wasn't a normal event for anyone, so why not live a little and indulge on food? "And I don't mind. It's the least I can do."

Charlie's not used to people being nice for the sake of being nice. She's sort of hesitant to let him, but those cookies were good, and she isn't sensing any sort of danger from this guy. So she smiles and nods just a bit.

"Okay. Uh...sure. Thank you. We can share it because like I said, it really is a lot."

It's a start. She thinks so, anyway.

"I'm Charlie."

"Cool. I haven't tried those cookies yet." So this was the perfect reason/excuse to do so. They did look really good, after all. And it wasn't like he'd never had funnel cake before; they served it at like, every event back home, more or less.

"That's a cool name," he added without batting an eye, though he was curious if it was short for something, "I'm Reid. Have you been in this weird place for long?"

"It's short for Charlene. And it's to meet you," Charlie says with a half smile. That's not something she gets to say often, let alone say and mean. She's never really met anyone she was okay with. Nor was she prone to ignoring her reservations. But this place had, so far, been good to her.

No one was out to get her. No one was actively trying to use her abilities.

Tilting her head a bit towards the vendor that she bought the cookie creation from, she starts walking.

"Uh...around a month? I haven't...I'm really not the best at keeping track of that kind of thing."

"Charlie's cooler," he said seriously, with a nod. Not that Charlene was a bad name, because it wasn't, but Charlie was a cool nickname.

He fell into step next to her, pitching his paper plate into the first trash can they came across. "That long, huh? I just got here. I was hoping someone would know how to get home."

But if people had been here for a month already...he was assuming no one actually knew a way out, then. Which sucked, but at least he had the comfort of knowing things were alright back home, that no one was in danger anymore. The only thing he'd be missing was his friends and school.

Normally going to a Circus wouldn't be Jessica's thing but finally, on the second night, she decided to check it out. She doesn't go into the tent but she wanders around between the stalls, checking out the different vendors, games, and even food. Like the little mini donuts that she can't get enough of or the burgers that almost remind her of home.

But yes, she keeps going back to the little donuts, carrying a bag of them around as she watches people play some of the games. Not that she has any interest in playing them herself but then one set up catches her attention.

It's the High Striker or whatever. The one where people had to use a hammer to hit the base to send a puck flying up to hit the bell. Not that anyone could usually hit the bell but that was half the fun. It was a test and a show of strength, usually reserved for young men trying to show off for one another and whoever might be watching.

She tries to wave it off but then the guy challenges her, taunting her in his own way and in the way of getting her to relent since that's his job. And damn him, it works as she finally makes her way over and thrusts her bag of donuts out to the person standing closest to where she is. Then she grabs the hammer, moving into place while eyeing the bell. She could be nice and use just a fraction of her strength but that isn't who Jess is. Not by a long shot.

So she swings the hammer, hits the base, and straightens with a smirk when the puck hits the bell with a loud, satisfying ring. Glancing over at the worker, her smirk grows as she sets the hammer down and moves to take her donuts back. Except then she was being handed a large stuffed toy in the form of a purple Octopus which leaves her blinking.

"I don't want this..."

Johnny happens to be standing nearby, eyeing the attraction with no small amount of skepticism. He's already tried it once and decided the damn thing's rigged, resorted to watching and mocking the guy at the booth, but then Jessica approaches, and the more the guy riles her up the wider he grins until shes shoving the bag at him blindly. He eyes the contents and snags one, munching his way through it while he watches, and when the bell rings he's honestly impressed, letting out a low whistle. He sneaks a second as the stuffed critter is shoved at her, reaching over to accept it on her behalf when she doesn't seem inclined to actually take it.

"She's kidding. She loves it, really."

And yeah, he's still staring at her around his mouthful of donut, dumbfounded and impressed.

It was nothing against Johnny by any means but Jess hadn't noticed the fact that it was him she had handed her donuts off to while she did her thing. The whistle catches her attention briefly though as she glances towards him in time to see him snagging another donut for himself. Not that she knows that it is his second one and she doesn't get a chance to ask as she finds a stuffed toy being shoved at her.

At least until Johnny grabs it with some kind of comment about her loving the toy. She considers arguing with him but decides to let it go as she takes advantage of his hands being full to grab her bag of donuts back.

Then she catches the look and makes a bit of a face. "Got to hit the right spot."

As if that actually explains what he had just seen as she begins to shoo him away from the game.

"Pretty sure the game's rigged, and knowing where to hit it's not the entire secret," he counters with a smirk, but it's fine. Let her keep her secrets, she'll explain eventually or she won't, and he's never been much of an investigator. But he lets her take the donuts back amd guide him away anyway, works his way through the rest of the one he's got while hanging onto the octopus for now.

"So where are you headed next now you got the guy to bait you into beating his game? Got your eye on another game to kick ass at?"

"Maybe back home but we're not in Kansas anymore," She knows he isn't buying it but she can appreciate the fact that he isn't pushing either. She pops one of the small donuts into her mouth while they walk again, glancing at him again and snorting at the sight of him holding onto the large stuffed toy.

"Are you asking because you want me to win you more toys?"

Miles isn't normally big on the circus, but this is probably the most exciting thing that's happened in Haven, so of course he has to check it out. Gotta make sure everything's on the up and up, right? It's totally a stakeout, and he's totally keeping an eye out for anything suspicious.

Which of course means he has to check out all of the shows, and food stalls, and games that are there. Because who knows if there's something fishy in any of them? Yup, he's only checking them all out to make sure everything is normal.

Totally.

Bruce doesn't have the best track record with circuses. They allowed him to meet Dick Grayson - but that was really about it. A murder later and an adopted son. Still, he goes to visit the circus if nothing else for something to do. The new BatCave is coming along nicely, and it's been the one thing to help distract him from everything else going on.

As he walks the stalls it isn't hard to notice a familiar face.

"Miles. Looking for some new ideas for your next painting project?"

Glancing up, Miles grins a little. "Hey, Mr. Wayne. Yeah, I'm always on the look-out for some inspiration for art."

Because the funnel cake he's currently holding is totally inspiration.

Bruce glances down at that funnel cake. Sugar must be a hell of an inspiration. He smirks at the thought of that. If anything, it might just make Miles a bit more excited to do some art.

"Unless you have something else you're looking to get into here at a circus." He raises his eyebrows.

Like... trouble.

Miles makes a mock-offended sound, placing a hand over his heart. "Am I really so suspicious that you'd think I'm up to something? That I'm not just here to have a good time? That hurts, Mr. Wayne."

He tries to hold it, but he can't help the grin that breaks out.

A smirk forms on his face. "I wonder what else a teenager would be up to at a circus. Trouble, or trying to run away and join it. Not that I recommend either."

Bruce turns his head to look at the scene around them. It seems odd there's be a circus in a place like this. Then again, nomadic tribes might be more common in the reality they find themselves in. It's the least... settled out of the settlements they've visited.

"Find anything that's caught your eye?"

"Maybe some teenagers are just bored and looking for something to do." Which, honestly, is really the case for Miles, because there really isn't all that much to do around Haven, and he's nearly tagged almost every place left to spray paint.

"There's some water acrobatics show that's gonna start in a few minutes. I just kinda wanna see if they can perform without the water evaporating immediately."

Yes, he's exaggerating about the heat here, but not by much.

"I'm sure they are." Bruce lifts his eyebrows. "I presume you already have company to these water acrobatics."

He is currently wondering why there is a group of circus nomads to begin with. Then again, he hasn't been paying attention to much of what is going on in Haven. His mind has been in other places and, frankly, not dealing with things that he probably should have been dealing with.

"I don't, actually." He grins a little. "You free?"

Come watch the show with him, Bruce, he's boooooooored.

He raises a hand as if to gesture around them. "Well, I don't see anyone else asking for my time."

The pair of them can do a bit of undercover superhero work.

Yes, undercover hero work. Totally what he's going for, yup.

With another grin, he nods towards one of the tents. "Awesome. Well, we better go find some seats, then."

“Oh, you have GOT to be fucking kidding me.”

Zoey hadn’t missed the talk of the Sunspot Circus, and she was immediately suspicious. Nothing good comes of carnivals or circuses, she’s learned. So while the Sunspot Circus ISN’T the Carnival of Rust, she is immediately doubtful of their… veracity. Of their being ONLY a circus. Bread and circuses.

She’s been around the multiverse too much for that.

But she goes, anyway. How better to gather information that going and exploring? And as she’s pretty sure this one isn’t going to end up with her in indentured servitude to a genius loci of a Carnival, so it’s all right. She thinks.

She hopes.

So she wanders through the brightly coloured circus, taking it all in. The games, the performers, all of it. She half expects the Carnie to come out from around some corner, even though she knows better. This isn't their Carnival. She ends up nibbling on a funnel cake, licking powdered sugar and honey off her fingers as she goes. Tries her hand at various games of skill. Particularly the ones requiring aim. She ends up winning an overlarge stuffed octopus that she immediately dubs Dorian, after the vampire she’d called friend through multiple worlds. One of the people she misses the most. Hauling the giant thing around is an amusing pain in the ass, but worth it. (He’s joined by a very squishy unicorn, an adorable looking Cthulhu, and a wolf.)

When she’s NOT hauling around a giant colourful stuffed octopus and his friends, she’s occasionally sneaking around. Slipping into places she shouldn’t be, to try and see what she can learn about the travelling circus and the people running it.

[OOC: Feel free to find her anywhere!]

Edited 2021-07-01 08:09 (UTC)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sunspot Circus: OTA - Gathering Post

For Evie

oh hi friend

h-hello

evie already adores them both so much.

And I adore this CR so much omg this is precious

they really are

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OTA - One semi-closed prompt for Hawk.

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Reid Garwin | OTA

Re: Reid Garwin | OTA

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Jessica - OTA

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Miles Morales - OTA

meeting sons at a circus ... uh oh

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Zoey Westen | OTA