let me know if y’all would read this!
not-very-outlined plot (copied and pasted from Google docs lol)
The plot is more like that a carnival comes to town
So she goes into the carnival w her friend and others
In the carnival there’s like a sorta hidden hunger games where people disappear (give into the Puppet Master who is the antagonist/over the carnival) she doesn’t rly notice until her friend group gets down to her and two others (the two others are together and the girl is a book nerd (“what the lotus casino is this?” because ofc there has to be a pjo ref) and the guy is just average) and they get suspicious that they can’t find anyone else and try to get out but they can’t
The next day, the guy gives in.
Soon after, the girl joins. She doesn’t want to be the last one alone.
But it leaves the MC alone.
The carnies are like ‘give in. You can’t escape. There’s nothing else left for you here.’ All of them but the blue-eyed one. He says nothing.
One day, she asks him his name.
“I have no name.”
“You must. What do…they…call you?”
He shrugged. “Nothing much. If they have to, I’m Puppet #2. That is my name.”
(mc) shook her head. “That’s not a name.”
He frowned. “Then what is a name?”
“It’s what others call you—and no, Puppet #2 doesn’t count. What were you called before you came to be…here?”
And he gets mad and pushes her away but eventually he comes up behind her and whispers in her ear “Ace. That was my name. Ace.”
But he is still very very dark grey character
and she tries to leave but they do NOT let her and she is stuck in the carnival and she realizes that the whole carnival is a trap. The carnies are people who were let into the carnival and were stuck forever, and instead of be killed, they gave into the Puppet Master and became carnies and served the puppet master. Theyre basically brainwashed. And that’s what all her friends went. She sees them as carnies and tries to talk to them but they don’t know her.
Close to the end:
He shrugged. ‘The Master wants to see me now.”
“But what’s going to happen?” i pressed.
“I don’t know. But…i–never mind.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
“PUPPET #2?!” the voice called again.
“Coming!” Ace called back. He turned to leave, but i stopped him.
“Please don’t leave,” i whispered. His eyes softened. I added, “We can find a way to escape–together.”
That was the wrong thing to say.
His ice blue eyes hardened again, a glacier in a stormy sea. “No.” he said firmly. “How many times do i have to tell you? There is no escape. I serve the Puppet Master, and the Puppet Master only.”
I could tell he was done with the conversation, but I wasn’t. “But–”
“No buts. Now, i have to go.” He turned sharply on his heel and left.
I couldn’t help but wonder what his meeting with the elusive Puppet Master was about.
“I have a bad feeling about this…” I muttered, then turned and left throught the opposite door from Ace had left.
Two hours later
“Ace! Oh, i thought i would never see you again!”
He smiled, but…it seemed off. His eyes didn’t light up as they had so recently come to. In fact, they looked like they first had when I came first to the carnival. Still. Robotic, even.
“Nice to see you too. Now, I have duties to attend to.” He turned and walked off, leaving me stunned behind him.
And in the end soon after this scene…the girl gives in. she becomes a carny. The ending is kinda like that of 1984 where they capture her and basically starve her and then at the end they dress her up as a carny (its not revealed that she gave in yet) and the carny that she fell in love with is like ‘-.’ he smiled. ‘Who do you serve?’ she bowed her head. ‘The puppet master, and the puppet master only.’ and its like the end
so yeah!
)
