>> ๐ด Broadcasting live from Wonderland!
The stream is finally up, crystal clear and high quality.
We see the parade route, a long and straight rode paved in a brilliant red and black mosaic depicting roses and thorns twisting their way along the street.
On either side is a tide of people, dressed in their best, waving homemade flags and signs with Jack's face on them.
Floating screens hang above the road, giving folks in the cheap seats a better view of the goings on.
The energy is palpable.
Electric.
Excited.
And then... a hush, as if some unseen figure has held a finger to their lips.
Feet stomping rhythmically as music slowly swells
"Ooh-whoa-ooh!"
From the crowd, a girl hurdles the barrier with ease, her long blonde twin tails flowing after her like a flags.
"Ooh-whoa-ooh!"
Her skirt is a giant upturned pink rose, there is mischief in her single blue. She produces a whistle from somewhere in her unremarkable cleavage and blows 3 clear notes.
"Ladies and gents this is the moment you've waited for..."
Dodo birds flock to her from seemingly nowhere, dressed in little waistcoats, dresses and spats. They coo obediently, and trail after the girl in V formation.
"You've been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor..."
The girl twirls eager cartwheels, her feathered entourage waddling and swaying to the music.
Behind them, marching neatly is an army of skeletons. Their bones painted gold, roses crawling through their ribcages, rubies glittering in their eye sockets.
Two skeletons bring up the rear, leading a great beast but golden chains.
Something like a cheetah with a rabbit's head, and a buck's antlers.
The beast hisses and roars at the crowd, but seems perfectly at ease otherwise. It's long jerboa like tail held high and proud.
The Greatest Showman keeps playing as the biggest hyena you've ever seen lopes along, blue eyes gleaming with pride, her pelt bleach white and spotted with chemical burns. A dryad sits on her back, ivy leaves fluttering in her hair, she waves a hand and two massive thorny vines burst from the soil on either side of the street, coiling together high over the road and blooming into an arch of black roses with eyes rolling in their middles.
The crowd screams in awe and delight as petals rain down on them.
The thump of heavy paws replaced by the clattering of porcelain as dozens of teapots of every shape and size scamper along the route on little porcelain paws, or chicken legs, or insectile limbs.
They honk, whistle and toot like a troupe of clowns, spraying the crowd and each other with showers of confetti from their spouts.
And then... the ground begins the shake as the biggest teapot anyone has ever seen wanders behind it's much tinier brethren.
Easily the size of an elephant, it's ceramic hide painted red and gold, its thick legs taking careful steps.
It pauses for just a moment and produces a geyser of confetti and flower petals from its titanic snoot.
Behind this beast is another monstrosity of metal and machinery chugging along on steel spider legs, music blares from the speakers that make up the majority of its body. At its apex is a certain dancing demon, his usual black and white color palette broken up by his red shutter shades and the rose pinned to his lapel.
Bendy is in charge of spinning the tunes for the entire parade, and is doing a damn good job of it, only pausing to floss and dab much to the elation of the onlookers.
His grin is genuine, happy, and magnificent as he waves at the crowd and blows kisses to the kids.
The smell of smoke, sweet and seductive, follows behind Bendy's DJ float. The music changes from bouncy pop, to old school circus music played on actual instruments by giant bugs with literal fire in their eyes. Smoke leaking from the corners of their grinning jaws like demons dragged up from hell.
An anthropomorphic ant rides on the back of a giant stag beetle, a ladybug with eyes for spots juggles flaming knives.
A pair of centipedes dressed like mimes turn themselves into hurdles and hoops for the others to leap over and through.
Arachnid beasts that defy description and logic chitter and growl as they drag a float behind them on sturdy chains.
The float itself is a flying trapeze! With performers doing death defying stunts without the aid of wings or a net.
Something grub-like and smiling wears a half mask, like the phantom of the opera, and tosses toys at children from her place high on the float.
And now, that hush falls again.
The anticipation so thick you can cut it with a knife.
At the very back of the parade, bringing up the rear, is a giant black rose being pulled along by a team of white unicorns with their hooves and horns painted gold. Each animal is firmly muzzled and wearing a ruby studded golden collar in addition to their tack.
The rose blooms, and there is Jack, standing tall. He waves at the crowd as they cheer for him and call out his name.
He blows kisses to them and the cameras.
He's crying, fat blue tears rolling down his cheeks. And yet his makeup refuses to budge.
The parade continues on it's way towards wonderland castle, hurry now.
The ceremony is about to begin.
