ringleaders: (Default)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2017-02-25 04:52 pm
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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #5

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!

Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's test drive meme! This is an opportunity to try out your characters in the setting before you apply, or to put together samples for characters you've never played before. There are going to be options for both new arrivals and veteran characters. Before we get started, let's lay down some details:
  • You can read the full premise here.
  • Reserves and Applications are both currently OPEN.
  • You can apply as a newcomer or as a "veteran" character who has been in the carnival for up to three years. In the case of veteran characters, you will need to come up with an explanation of why they haven't been around the carnival recently.
  • TDM threads can be used as game canon after the fact if both characters are accepted and the players agree to it.
  • If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position. Treasurer, and Wardrobe Manager are currently open. More roles that currently need filling are listed here!

NEW RECRUITS

You gotta start somewhere, right? These prompts are for characters who are arriving in the carnival for the first time, and who are destined to sign a contract. How they go about that is up to you, but in the meantime they can enjoy the sights and sounds of something truly out of this world. Visitors to the carnival comes from many different worlds today, as the ringmaster casts out her recruitment lures. Will you become her most recent hire?

ADMISSION FEES: After crossing into the carnival's realm and passing through the trees, most visitors will find themselves at the front gate - though not all choose to enter that way. If they enter legitimately, however, they will have to pass by a clerk who will trade admission and tickets for various attractions and rides in exchange for "anything of value." What is of value may seem highly subjective, and so some may struggle to produce payment at first, though in actuality the carnival will take anything from mundane currency to items of purely sentimental value.

MIRROR MAZE: The mirror maze (pictured above) is a big attraction in the carnival, and stretches much further on the inside than it looks like it will on the outside. It's hard to get through, and what's more, after you've been in there for a while your reflections will start gaining a mind of their own - mostly in order to taunt and distract you with personal information. They don't know everything you know, but they know more than they should, and their mind games can be pretty hit or miss.

GAMER'S CIRCLE: Almost all of the game booths are organized in a large ring around the Cookhouse, called Gamer's Circle. Your can play just about any carnival game you can imagine here, for a variety of prizes sometimes traditional, exotic, or outright magical. Dart tossing? Got it. That game with the water guns? Got it. Most of these booths are currently manned by humanoid spirits who look like they are made of smoke. If they can trick you into earning debt, they will.

NOT YOUR WHEELHOUSE: Sometimes, even magical ferris wheels get stuck. The carnival's particular wheel is enchanted to create a particular out of this world experience - as you pass along the top, you feel as if they are so close to the sky that you can interact with the stars like baubles hanging above your head. Of course, the novelty probably wears off when the wheel is broken and you've been stuck enjoying the light show with some stranger for the last half hour. How are you going to pass the time?

TRYING TO LEAF: No matter where you came from, you seemingly emerged from a forest. Obviously, to get back home you should be able to go back in the same direction, right? It turns out you can't. Worse, trying too hard to get through the wood will result in you getting lost, or turned back to the carnival. The trees here are not normal, and are varying levels of alien, including things like trees with glowing fruit or orange flowers that constantly burn like candles.

WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to make a starter with your character experiencing their first theoretical change? Go for it!

VETERAN WORKERS

These prompts are tailored to the carnival's existing employees, the veterans. Odds are they've been here from somewhere between a few months and three years already, and know their way around the block. For them, this is just business as usual - and depending on their attitude towards their job, they may or may not contribute to a few people accidentally getting themselves a contract. Whatever you do, though, don't warn visitors away from the carnival - the ringmaster hates losing business like that.

DO YOUR WORK: This one's pretty simple - just have your character doing whatever you'd like to have their job be! There is a big list of ideas over here, and you could use this to try things out with a character you intend to be a new arrival, as well.

WILL O' WISPS: The ringmaster's will o' wisps have gotten free, and she's asked that everyone keep and eye out and help her reclaim them regardless of their official jobs. Wisps are small creatures that burn both hot and cold and comes in a few different variations of the same basic theme. Handling them physically (or psionically, or magically, for that matter) is difficult due to their near intangible nature. Touching and being around them can result in confusion and a sensation similar to being comfortably drunk.

BREAK TIME: Whatever you were doing, it's break time! It's time for you to relax however you see fit. Do you enjoy some of the carnival attractions yourself, or is that old by now? Do you hang out in the Cookhouse to get a snack? Do you take a nap? Yolo, baby!

RIDDLE GAME: For a bit of fun, the ringmaster has left a variety of locked chests around the worker areas of the carnival, each with instructions and a riddle written on their lids. The chest will accept three guesses from each worker before refusing to respond to them any further. If you guess the right answer, the chest will open and you will be rewarded with some manner of fun magical knick knack. If you've run out of guesses, maybe you can conspire with someone else and promise to split the prize?

CAPTURE THE... EGG?: The Ringmaster likes to keep things exciting for her employees, and this time she's devices a game that mixes an Easter egg hunt with capture the flag. She's hidden various metallic "eggs" around the carnival that chime like bells when people get near, and divided participants into three teams (red, blue, yellow of course.) The carnival has been divided into three zones, and the objective is to gather as many eggs as possible for your team (three points for gold, two for silver, one for copper.) However, when you are in a zone that doesn't belong to your team, if they can snatch off your team flag they can take you to "jail" and confiscate any eggs you may be holding for their team. When in doubt, bullshit the rules! This is a prompt, after all.

WILD CARD: Anything else you can imagine in this setting! There are a lot of possibilities and you're free to explore them. Check out the rest of the game info or the locations page for additional inspiration. Want to do a performance? Hang out in the Backyard? Choose whatever appeals!
kingsroads: (GIVE IT UP FOR MAGIC)

[personal profile] kingsroads 2017-03-04 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Strange makes a noise of approval, as he shakes his head slightly. ] Truth be told, I've no idea something like that could even exist in the first place.
stillwinningthehardway: (☁Swift and free)

[personal profile] stillwinningthehardway 2017-03-04 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
A pretty common thought in a place like this! The Carnival's a real education.
beautyinthebeast: (Default)

[personal profile] beautyinthebeast 2017-03-06 02:57 am (UTC)(link)
Johan is no expert at animal behaviour--well, unless by 'animal' you mean 'human,' and by 'behaviour' you mean... oh, nevermind.



He doesn't argue with Ginko, although he raises his eyesbrows a little apologetically as he steps forward--slowly, watching the rat king with a very specific sort of awareness. A kind that is not afraid, but which certainly does not imply trust.

This is for the better, because he has to duck--quickly--when one head of the rat king's jaws snap shut inches from his head.

Johan retreats back to the fence fairly quickly.

"Perhaps it doesn't like cats...?"

dontpokethat: and i dont have time for answers either (i dont have time for these questions)

[personal profile] dontpokethat 2017-03-06 03:10 am (UTC)(link)
"--Rex! What the hell!" Ginko attempts to pull the hissing animal back, which isn't terribly effective given its size. At least it doesn't seem interested in pursuing Johan any further.

"I-- I guess not. Shit, sorry about this." He sighs and steps off to the side, looking from Johan to Rex with a frown. "Maybe we should switch places... actually, that might be a bad idea."
beautyinthebeast: (Default)

[personal profile] beautyinthebeast 2017-03-06 04:23 am (UTC)(link)


Johan is much less surprised by the rat king's animosity towards him than he's letting Ginko believed. Animals--magical or otherwise--do not like him very much. This was not always the case; it predated his time as a vampire, but especially since then...

His feigning ignorance (and innocence) is about much more than just Ginko's gullibility, though.

"No... you may be right. If I approach slowly enough from behind, it might move away from me." He shrugs a little, almost carelessly. "It couldn't hurt to try it."
dontpokethat: and make long hissing noises at anyone who stands in your way (do whatever you want to do)

[personal profile] dontpokethat 2017-03-06 04:44 am (UTC)(link)
"Alright, let's go for it, then... and hope neither of us gets bitten." He sighs. Look, Rex may not be the biting type normally, but he's also not usually the 'hissing and shying away from people' type.

Ginko steps around the rat king and goes to take the bag of rice cakes from Johan.
livingreceiver: (Default)

Donnie Darko / Donnie Darko / Newbie

[personal profile] livingreceiver 2017-03-08 04:41 am (UTC)(link)
Admission Fees //

[Donnie didn't have much money left and good sense told him he ought to keep it. Thinking he might be able to pawn something else he reaches into the pocket of his hoodie and pulls out a small book - The Philosophy of Time Travel.

He takes a look at the book and mulls it over before deciding to hand over the money after all. All things considered, the book might be more useful here.]


Mirror Maze //

[Instead of actually trying to solve the maze, Donnie is strolling leisurely through, taking a deep look into each and every mirror. He's not entirely sure he wants to make contact with Frank here, but his ghastly rabbit guide seemed to know a lot more about multiverses than he did.

Catching a glimpse of a dark figure out of the corner of his eye, he turns to face them - only to find nothing but empty hallway and more mirrors.]


Anyone there?

Trying to Leaf //

[Donnie feels more at home in this forest than he should. It reminded him of his sleepwalking dreams, although this time he was fairly sure he was awake. He half-expected to wake up passed out on somebody's front lawn again, but this was too vivid to be a dream.

He stopped to admire some of the glowing flowers. The scenery was nice, at least, and however frightening it might be it was at least somewhat less frightening than being stuck in a doomed timeline.]
dogdaughter: (i hate kinkshaming the moon)

Trying to Leaf

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-08 09:36 pm (UTC)(link)
Hey, um. Is there some trick to getting out of here? Do you know what it is?

[ An oddly dressed teenager with vividly green eyes and ...dog ears...? steps out from behind a nearby small clump of trees.

Jade, for her part, is growing mildly concerned by the greenery. It's very pretty, yes, but the forest feels like it loops back in on itself somehow. That can't be right! Trees don't normally warp space-time.
]
Edited 2017-03-08 21:45 (UTC)
dogdaughter: (i hate kinkshaming the moon)

Jade Harley // Homestuck // Newbie

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-08 10:48 pm (UTC)(link)
A
[ Jade is exploring the carnival that seemed to appear from nowhere (in the middle of the Furthest Ring, no less??). So far things are noisy and bright and colorful, and the place seems fun enough, but... she's got things on her mind. She still wants to help her friends! But maybe she's not supposed to? She's just-- ]

No no, it's ok, really! I'm having plenty of fun just watching!

[ These strange half-insubstantial people are awful pushy about trying to get her to play a game. She doesn't even recognize half the things these booths have set up! ]

B
[ The game booths are suddenly less important. Jade smells food!

Meat. Really, really tasty-smelling meat. Her mouth is starting to water already. When was the last time she ate? She can't remember. There'd been so much going on, and then she was asleep, and then...

She follows her nose through the ring of booths to the cookhouse at their center. There are people, and tables, and food... She doesn't have any money, but maybe she can convince someone to share.

She shakes her head clear abruptly. Oops, letting her inner canine get carried away there. She's not going to beg strangers for scraps. That would be ridiculous! She's going to steal that juicy steak right ther--oh no, she's doing it again. Maybe she should leave before her stomach and instincts get the better of her.

She gives the steak in question a mournful look.
]

C
[ She's reluctantly turning to leave when something catches her eye--is that steak over there green? It's not glowing, but it reminds her so strongly of the steaks she used to irradiate for Bec.

...Oh no. She's not really sure what just happened. It was like a switch tripped somewhere in her brain. And now she's standing in the middle of the cookhouse, keenly aware that she has somebody else's dinner in her teeth. Nobody's happy about this development.

But now that she's gone and slobbered on it, they probably don't want the steak back, right...?
]
Edited 2017-03-09 01:55 (UTC)

admission fees

[personal profile] friendshiprocks 2017-03-09 03:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ Well Hime straight up doesn't have any money. And also straight up hasn't realized that anything of value can really mean anything of value. So as she sees Donnie hand over the money, Donnie is almost instantly marked as 'person with money' and 'potential person who can use their money so she can go in the carnival and ride the rides and eat all the food in the world.' ]

Heeeeeey there, buddy! [ said with a grin as Hime just saunters up to Donnie, talking like they're really best friends. ] You wouldn't mind spotting me for admission, would you? I promise I'll pay you back later!

[ don't ask how she'll pay him back later, she hasn't yet thought that far ahead. ]
livingreceiver: (pic#11112764)

[personal profile] livingreceiver 2017-03-09 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
[It was Halloween in Donnie's timeline (although his own costume was a fairly low-effort shirt with a picture of some bones on it), so he doesn't think Jade's outfit is too odd, although the dog ears seem kind of mismatched.]

Usually, when I'm somewhere like this...I get out by waking up. I don't think that's gonna work here.
livingreceiver: (pic#11112769)

[personal profile] livingreceiver 2017-03-09 03:38 am (UTC)(link)
[Well, the money he'd just given was about all he had as far as bills go. He digs into his pockets and pulls out whatever he has left.]

This is all I've got. You can have it if you want.

[He holds out his hand. It's sixty-seven cents, a used ticket to something called "Sparkle Motion", and an arcade token.]
dogdaughter: (please do not help garlic)

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-09 05:02 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jade considers his reply with a frown. ]

Hmm... I was asleep, and a friend was going to wake me up, but... I think you might be right! This place doesn't feel the same as the one I was in before at all. Or any of the places we were visiting. I think we might really be here!

[ It makes sense, in a way. The landscape doesn't feel as dreamlike or jumbled as the Furthest Ring had. With the exception of the surrounding forest, everything feels very physics-bound. Real.

On the other hand, that means she left the Furthest Ring and she's not sure how she could have done that and not be awaking up back with her other friends. Trying to mentally sort out the logistics only makes her ears droop.
]

[personal profile] friendshiprocks 2017-03-09 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
[ ...yeah, she'll take it. Hime takes the money and the arcade token with one hand and the used ticket with the other. ]

What's 'Sparkle Motion'? It sounds like an idol group.
draconictracksofland: (Cuppa joe)

A

[personal profile] draconictracksofland 2017-03-09 10:42 pm (UTC)(link)
Are you sure? You seem tense, and games are known to take the stress off oneself

[Here's someone who's considerably more...fleshy suggesting her to play]
dogdaughter: (i hate kinkshaming the moon)

sorry this is so late! your reply didn't nest for some reason |D;;

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-10 03:43 am (UTC)(link)
[ Jade looks the nearest booth over, still hesitant but reconsidering. ]

I don't know... I'm trying to figure something out, and I'm not sure trying to figure out a new game at the same time would help!
draconictracksofland: (You're cute)

It's all good

[personal profile] draconictracksofland 2017-03-10 04:36 am (UTC)(link)
[Lucoa really doesn't care one way or the other, but a job is a job and her's is to make sure the games get played...one way or another]

Overthinking won't do you any favors either.

Maybe enjoying yourself can help? Perhaps even help you figure out what perplexes you so.
dogdaughter: (please do not help garlic)

1/2

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-11 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
I guess...

[ She frowns in thought. ]

And she did say I should try to have fun. I wonder if she knew about this place? Maybe she meant for me to pass the time here until the fight's over.

[ Jade droops a bit. There's a Big Important Fight back home, and thinking about how she's not supposed to help is distressing.

But being down isn't going to do anything useful either. Might as well make the most of being here, then. A small sigh escapes as she forces herself to mentally shift gears.
]
dogdaughter: (i'm not the one copyrighting shit)

2/2

[personal profile] dogdaughter 2017-03-11 03:55 am (UTC)(link)
You've got a point. There's an awful lot of games here to pick from though. And I've never been to a carnival before. I'm not sure where to start.
onceadynasty: ([55])

Mulan | Disney's Mulan (NEWB)

[personal profile] onceadynasty 2017-03-16 03:40 am (UTC)(link)
admission

[This was so not China.

She must have passed out from the pain her wound was causing to be dreaming up something like this. So fantastical, like something out of the fairy tales she had heard as a child. Mulan paused, watching the people entering the gateway hand some various commodities to the person behind the stall, before she looked behind her where she had come from.

It was gone. And no sign of Mushu or Cri-Kee either.

Mulan glanced back to the stall, a little wary, before gently tugging on Khan's reins, opening up his saddle bags. There was little she had in the way of trading goods, but after rummaging through what she did have, she found the rations and the medicinal herbs that had been left with her. Medicinal herbs were a necessity, but she could part with a few jiaozi.

They get her a raised eyebrow but nonetheless, she's granted entry. Mulan gives a small sigh of relief and tugs Khan's reins. They weren't expected anywhere, and it would be a long trip home. They could afford a couple of hours at the very least...]



gamer's circle

[It's so...colourful.

It sort of reminds her of when the village would string up the lanterns for New Years, but perhaps not so bright. Khan squints beside her and Mulan pats his neck, running her fingers through his mane soothingly for both his comfort and her own. She still thinks she's hallucinating the whole thing, but that bump into someone's shoulder sure feels real. Mulan turns her body fully and bows.]


I'm sorry! Forgive me, I wasn't watching where I was going. The...the lights are...

[Blinding? It's a bit difficult to explain. She straightens herself, biting her bottom lip and, looking for a way out of this awkwardness, gestured over to one of the more...strange games.]

What...are these?


trying to leaf

What do you mean I can't return?

[For all that she hated playing the part of Ping and deceiving everyone, Mulan wished she still was, if only to be a little more intimidating. Alas. She rubbed her face, pinching her nose and inhaling deeply as Khan nuzzled the back of her head.]

This is a dream that the medicinal herbs induced. Of course I can "return".

[She winced, hand lowering to her side where her wound was beginning to twitch, hissing slightly through her teeth. Khan gave a worried neigh as she swayed and pressed his nose to her back to help her lower herself down to the ground, kneeling and clutching her side. Peeling her hand away, Mulan flexed her fingers, feeling them sticky with blood. Did she open it up by being too boisterous with those "games" earlier?

She leaned heavily against Khan's leg, fingers tight in his reins as she returned her other hand to her side, grimacing.]


I'm in pain. Why am I not waking?


wildcard

[HIT ME. canon point is before the Huns are spotted, after her gender is revealed]
Edited 2017-03-16 06:49 (UTC)
destiny_key: (Happycry!)

Gamer's Circle | Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay~

[personal profile] destiny_key 2017-03-16 11:35 pm (UTC)(link)
[It's pretty crowded, so it was really no wonder people were getting jostled into one another. It can be overwhelming for someone not used to the lights and the action.

Still, it's a little weird to get such a formal apology. Sora waves his hand at the girl and grins.
]

Oh, no, it's okay! It was my bad.

[She seems a little lost, when she asks about the lights.]

These? These are all the games here! There's lots to try, too, so...

[...Wait. Is that...?]

Mulan?
onceadynasty: ([72])

;3

[personal profile] onceadynasty 2017-03-17 01:15 am (UTC)(link)
[She lets out a small sigh of relief when the boy doesn't seem to take it too personally. After spending so much time in the army, though, it's a little strange that he doesn't, and she can't help but raise an eyebrow when she straightens herself up and looks at him, then at the games.]

Games? They're...ah...very colourful...

[Mulan hesitates when he says her name, flinching a little. Had her name already spread so far that even people she didn't know knew it?]

I'm sorry, do I know you?
otoko: (OnO (MRP-))

TRYIN' TO LEAF...

[personal profile] otoko 2017-03-17 01:31 am (UTC)(link)
[He looks somewhat similar to a Kumi-ho, or even more strongly perhaps, a stone lion, crossed with a man. Easily as large as Khan himself, the canid being comes up from the Carnival grounds-and after a short sniff, stiffens. He hears the word-] ...Pain?

[But it does not take much to smell the scent of blood.] MNGH-

Y-you...

Are you injured, miss..!?
onceadynasty: ([43])

[personal profile] onceadynasty 2017-03-17 01:50 am (UTC)(link)
[...Well if she didn't think she wasn't hallucinating this whole thing, this certainly proves it. Khan whinnies and kicks up a fuss but Mulan is having none of that, holding his reins tightly even as she sways beside him, raising her hand to press the heel between her brows.]

Y-yes. I was injured before the avalanche. Of course a shī is talking to me now.

[That last part is muttered under her breath but likely loud enough for his ears to catch. Khan lowers his hooves, settling and nudging her gently as Mulan turns and grapples for his saddlebags, the movement nearly making her trip over her own feet, barely paying attention to the large canid as she gropes around.]

I have medicinal herbs in here somewhere...
otoko: (HRMMNN =3=)

[personal profile] otoko 2017-03-17 02:00 am (UTC)(link)
Mng?! A 'shi'..? [It...sounds like a word he should know, honestly, and his rather powerful ears catch the mutter easily. All the same, he shakes his head, adamant.] From what I, the man Gongenzaka, have smelled miss, herbs are not at all what you need! What you need is medical attention, such as a nurse!

Are you truly attempting to leave while in such a state?! [Ah.

Actually on that note.
] ....You... ....wouldn't happen to be lost...would you..?

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