livinglot | TEST DRIVE MEME #7

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, but will be CLOSING ON MAY 31ST! There is an upcoming game event that is going to make new arrivals during that period impractical.
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, the players agree to it, and it makes any sense contextually.
If you are interested in additional IC and OOC plot responsibilities, consider applying for a Supervisor position. Head Cook, Aquisitioner, and Wardrobe Manager are currently open. Otherwise, we're pretty much down for anything, roles wise.

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Peridot gives him the stinkeye right back, and also. Hisses. She takes half a step behind Amethyst as she does so, and peers over the purple gem's shoulder.]

I think we should interrogate him. That way we can find out for sure.

Geez, seriously? [She glances back at Peridot.] This little guy really gave you some trouble, huh?

[And to Zim, nudging him with her foot:] Hey. What's your deal, dude?

[Zim looks like he's about ready to keep hissing at them (especially Peridot. Green alien catfight).]

I'm not telling either of you hideous monsters anything! [Just ignore all that yelling before.]

[DON'T TEST HER ZIM. DON'T DO IT! SHE'S REAL GOOD AT INTERROGATING!

~~Just ask Lapis~~

Anyway, just like that she springs forward again, baring her teeth.]

You said something about an Empire, but who sent you!? WHERE ARE YOUR LEADERS!?

Hey, Per – [Amethyst tugs her back a little by the arm.] It probably doesn't matter if he's here, right? I mean... doesn't sound like he knows what the deal with the Carnival is.

[It totally counts as a victory that they don't have the answers to Peridot's questions, right? In Zim's mind it does anyways, so he just gives her a loud laugh.]

You'll never find out until it's too late, you smelly -

[Hold on the purple one said something interesting.]

- Eh? 'Deal?' What are you talking about?

[...Amethyst reeled her in, and now Peridot lunges right back out again, hackles up.]

You are in no position to be asking questions, alien SCUM!!!

Geez, Peridot. [Amethyst tugs on her arm, surprised.] You see? He doesn't even know what's going on. There's no way someone sent him here or whatever.

Edited 2017-05-17 03:38 (UTC)

You're the scum, you repulsive mutant! [He's struggling again, and this time even his antennae are wiggling.]

You! Ugly purple one! Tell me what's going on!

[Peridot scowls, first at Zim, then at Amethyst. She can at least recognize that she's probably just too worked up to handle this rationally right now, though.]

Fine. If you want to try to get some sense out of him, be my guest! I certainly won't stop you.

[And as she's talking, she takes a few steps back and hovers behind Amethyst, lurking ominously]

Edited 2017-05-17 13:43 (UTC)

[Sheesh, Peridot. Amethyst glances back over her shoulder at her, eyebrows raised, but lets go her arm before she turns back to Zim.]

You really got no idea, huh? D'you just shoot the place up with lasers wherever you go, or what? 'Cause, like, it's not like I disapprove exactly, but... stoppin' people from doing that kind of thing is kinda supposed to be my job.

[The answer to that is yes, yes he does. There are sometimes explosions.]

If those garbage drones hadn't attacked I wouldn't have!

[Yes he would.]

MY DRONES ARE NOT GARBAGE!!!!

[Someone's having trouble keeping her mouth shut.]

[Amethyst looks at Peridot again-] You attacked him with your drones–? Geez, Per, what happened??

[Zim LAUGHS. Take that, Peridot.]

Junk! No better than the garbage you'd find in a human-city cesspool!

[Before she can answer, Zim's comment just nettles her and she loses her train of thought once more. Peridot's tail swishes like an angry cat's, and she's just standing back there seething and growling. Like, if looks could kill...]

Edited 2017-05-18 05:03 (UTC)

[Oh my god. Amethyst put her hand on Peridot's arm again?] Peridot, what's your deal – [And she looks back at Zim, bristling a little,] What's your deal?? Why are you both so – [FRUSTRATED NOISE??]

[Zim is going to be too busy cackling madly to answer. Like, evil villain laughter over here. It is not pleasant. It is, however, impressive. In an evil way.]

RRRRRrrrgh--

[Peridot's eyes flash, and she scowls at Amethyst, desperate to make her understand.]

I don't like him! [She starts ticking off offenses on her claws:] First he insulted me, so I tried to scare him with my drones! Then he assaulted me-- TWICE! He assaulted me TWICE! So I hit him in the face with a metal box! AND NOW HE'S BEING OBNOXIOUS!!!

Edited 2017-05-19 03:16 (UTC)

[Amethyst gently steps on Zim's face. Like, just a little. She's getting kind of agitated. She is starting to see where Peridot is coming from here.] Hey, quit your cackling, you weirdo.

[To Peridot, a little awkwardly, because she Hates having to be in this position??] Okay, yeah, he's pretty obnoxious, but, dude, we're not gonna... sort this out if you keep blowing up on me. [She like... nudges her with her arm, in an overly familiar way.] C'mon.

[Getting stepped on to stop his evil laughter is a new one! And he isn't too keen on it, so rude.]

Hey! Hey, stop that. I wasn't done laughing!

[Peridot takes a deep breath, and shakes herself out, deliberately tuning out Zim.]

Okay. Okay. Fine. I'll be quiet.

TEST DRIVE MEME #7

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1/2

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If you two want to banter and skip Peridot for a few rounds while she sulks, go for it

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