The Grand Menagerie || 31 Haunts (Carnival Horror)
Step behind the carnival curtain and meet Clement Beauchene, keeper of the Grand Menagerie, and his Wonder-Beasts.
⚠ DEAD DOVE // CONTENT WARNING
Body horror, involuntary bodily transformation, loss of bodily autonomy, coercion and manipulation, captivity and confinement themes, predatory supernatural influence, and possible violence.
These themes are central to the scenario and may escalate over time.
Beyond the midway, behind painted canvas and strings of warm carnival lights, stands an attraction that most visitors assume is elaborate theater.
The creatures inside are called Wonder-Beasts.
Clement is the soft-spoken caretaker of the Grand Menagerie: , feeder, medic, handler and occasional mediator between several hundred pounds of supernatural anatomy and the furniture.
He has pointed teeth, fur beneath his clothes, an absolutely magnificent moustache, and the unsettling habit of treating impossible transformations as though they were perfectly ordinary.
Public visitors see cages, painted signs, exotic silhouettes and carefully managed glimpses of impossible creatures.
Behind the attraction lies the real Menagerie: feeding rooms, grooming stations, private enclosures, sleeping quarters, medical spaces and the strange little ecosystem Clement calls home.
And Clement could always use another pair of hands.
You arrive as a visitor.
Clement may invite you backstage to help feed, groom, carry supplies or calm one of the Menagerie's residents.
The problem is that the Menagerie itself sometimes notices the people who care for its creatures.
A glimpse of the residents who wait behind the curtain.
The Menagerie contains others.
Some Wonder-Beasts love what they became.
Some hate it.
Some are still trying to decide.
Clement knows that distinction perfectly well.
He simply believes the Menagerie may know something about you that you do not.
ANYPOV // CARNIVAL HORROR // BODY HORROR // DARK FANTASY // TRANSFORMATION
"Don't scratch the scales. The first growth is always sensitive."
HOUSE NOTE
BARTENDER'S NOTES
────── ◆ ──────
FOR THE TABLE
Care for the Wonder-Beasts, love them, abhor them, ridicule them, pity them - your choice. Clement will always be there for them. And for you.
And when the Menagerie itself finally notices you? Whether you run from it, investigate it, try to stop what's happening, accept its gift, or become something the Menagerie has never seen before is up to you.
FROM THE ARCHIVES
The Grand Menagerie was created for the Carnival Horror prompt in the 31 Haunts event.
Created Oct 16
Updated about 14 hours ago
Published 7 days ago