livinglot | TEST DRIVE MEME #7

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test drive meme

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

Why?

[One simple word, tone and expression utterly mild, but it really can be the calm before the storm when it's Blue.]

[shes fucked why couldnt she keep her stupid mouth shut]

I.. don't mind it here, so much. And, um. I actually, er, have been out of your court for at least the past five thousand years, since the war. Not by choice! My form had been destabilized by one of the rebels, and, er, I ended up trapped and I've only recently just managed to be freed.

[Lapis is like six seconds away from flying off and if anything sudden happens you bet your ass she is.]

It was actually one of the organic life forms who freed me from the prison the rebels put me in, and he's here. And... [lapis no] He's... my friend.

[way to go you fucking blue idiot]

[Blue's regard is measured and unwavering, and as moments pass into a minute or two of dead silence, it's probably not at ALL a comfortable regard to be under, without any sign of what she's thinking about this.

It stretches on, and on, and the pleasant evening air might seem a little less pleasant, a little colder, even without any actual changes in it, until finally..]

This is not where you belong.

[Her gaze shifts, to the once more smooth lake's surface, brow furrowing.]

I will allow you to bring this ... organic being with you, if you wish. I have a place very suitable for organic life to live quite happily. It is a reasonable reward for what it has done for you.

[And generous, by gem standards.]

[Honestly its super generous and while Lapis wouldn't normally look a gift horse like this in the mouth, it's... Sort of unfeasible. For many reasons.]

With all due respect, my Diamond. This organic being, is... Also half Gem. [What the hell was that word Peridot used.....] He's a hybrid. And, um- [Lapis straightens a little, because maybe if she can use her words properly she can make sure that Steven is safe???

doubt.jpg]

His father is human, but uh, his mother was a Gem and... [is she even explaining this right??? does it matter Blue Diamond probably doesn't even know what a Mother or a Father is- The Gem who gave up her form to make him was... Rose Quartz.

[please dont fuckin break her]

[There's the silence again as Blue wrestles with the utterly revolting idea of a gem mixing with a human in such a fashion. She understood organic biology, understood how they made more of themselves, it was important to know when considering possibly contaminating Homeworld with their spoor just by bringing soldiers back from Earth.

In retrospect it made sense that a gem as deviant and vile as Rose Quartz would be the one who would try it.

She folds her hands before her, tapping her fingers together slowly. It might be another Rose Quartz but she's fairly sure she has all the others safely tucked away. On one hand... but on the other..]

This ... hybrid organic half-gem friend of yours.

[She remembers a report from a Lapis, now that she thinks about it. It involved Crystal Gems.]

I should like to meet her. Now. Take me to her.

[She rises with smooth liquid grace.]

[Blue Diamond rises, and Lapis breaks her salute, and desperation comes out of her mouth in probably the most unflattering fashion but she has to protect Steven. Even if it is from a Diamond.

She gestures wildly, clearly afraid.]

Please- My Diamond, please don't hurt him! He didn't have any part of it! He's not Rose Quartz! He's not a rebel like she was! He's innocent!

[That's a lot of emotional attachment, to try to bargain for terms with a diamond.

She can sort of understand that. But there are simply times where it is inappropriate.]

If you speak the truth, then she has nothing to fear from me.

[However if Lapis continues to hesitate, didn't that suggest guilt too?]

[Lapis' posture drops in resignation, and her shoulders slump.]

Yes, my Diamond. I'm not certain where he is right now, but I know a few places that he might be.

[Also this way she can hope that Steven is in none of the places??? that Lapis leads Blue Diamond too??]

The first stop is, er, the Big Top, since he's a performer, so he might be there right now.

[Blue is patient, and if it takes weeks to locate this organic, she will follow Lapis around the entire. time.

Barring when she herself is doing some work, of course. She had a goal and it required payment too. But the rest of the time, perhaps she'd be able to get everything she wanted after all..]

Very well. You may explain the other relevant locations of this place as we travel, it seems I will be here for at least one cycle of this planet around its star.

[There are probably scarier diamonds to be followed around by, like Yellow. Who's ... also around here somewhere.]

[fuck

Lapis probably already pissed off yellow diamond SOMEHOW so. yeah, that sounds about right.]

Yes, my Diamond.

[And she does so! Explaining everything from the rides to the food stalls to the rigged carnival games. And then they hit the big top, and Lapis cautiously toes inside.

She's very intimately aware of how much water she has power over here, and she desperately hopes she doesn't need it.]

Steven? Steven, are you in here?

[please dont answer please dont answer]

Edited 2017-05-31 23:01 (UTC)

Hey Lapis! One sec!

[It must be that Lapis Lazuli Luck kicking in, because it's not long before Steven calls back to her. He's in the backstage area at the moment getting ready to do some practicing, but he's always got time for a visit from Lapis.

He comes out of backstage, wearing a sparkly dancing vest and segmented skirt that leaves his belly exposed - as well as the patches of grassy green fur that cover parts of his body, gemstone freckles, and the ears, tail, and feet of a lion. Of course, he's not expecting to see anyone else when he comes out.

So he stops dead when he does, his eyes widened in shock. He doesn't know who that is, but they look like a gem, and with that stone...]

I... Whuh?

[He's got nothing.]

[It's helpful information, and when Blue has further questions, they're definitely of the seeking further knowledge sort and not planning Steven's demise sort. She'd be here a while, understanding basic things such as its layout was required. Although she didn't remember this Lapis precisely beyond the recent reports, her promptness in taking on a role not expected of a Lazuli was heartening.

Adaptable gems were precious things.

The Big Top is indeed big, she won't even need to duck to enter it. That was nice. She would if she had her proper height..

The voice that answers Lapis doesn't sound like any gem she's ever heard. She was at best reminded of one of her zoo's recent acquisitions, the human who'd understood loss more than she expected a human to.

The appearance is also no gem she'd ever seen before. It didn't even REMOTELY resemble a Rose Quartz, corrupted or otherwise.]

This is your organic friend?

[The gem in his belly suggested so.]

Er, yes. This is Steven. [She swallows and gives Steven an apologetic look.]

Steven, this is my Diamond, Blue Diamond.

Blue Diamond?

[He repeats it dumbly, taking a step back. He sounds obviously startled, and also kind of afraid. He wasn't really ready for a confrontation here. She'll want to kill him, won't she?

Like all of the other homeworld gems.

He self conscious covers his gem with his hands, though he knows it's probably too late for that. He doesn't know why Lapis brought her here, but he isn't really thinking about that right now.]

I-I'm Steven.

[His voice squeaks.]

'Steven.'

[What a peculiar thing to call oneself. It didn't define anything at all. Not a role, not a skillset.. And this small lumpy form didn't look like anything either.

Blue knows the shape of a Rose Quartz's cut though, and even if the rest of him was strange, that was familiar. She watches for a few more moments, looking for any sign of a proper quartz's behavior patterns, movement, anything recognizable beyond a gem.

She raises one hand, sleeve falling back, and beckons.]

Come here.

[It's NOT a request.]

[Lapis worries her lip with sharp teeth as she watches the interaction. She gives a slight but nervous nod to Steven, even as she hopes she's not making a terrible mistake.]

It's okay, Steven...

[She hopes that Steven trusts her enough to know Lapis will fight if things get sketchy.]

[Steven gives Lapis a look that isn't actually distrusting, but is... well, obviously pretty alarmed. Like, what the actual heck? He has no idea how this started but he certainly doesn't have the chance to ask now. Not for the details he really needs anyway.

He nods a little, and then slowly moves forward, creeping along until he's within arm's reach of Blue Diamond. Then, he reaches out a paw, ready to shake hands apparently, which is ridiculous in its own right.]

Wow, um... when did you get here? Hi.

[He's so nervous about this, but so far Blue doesn't seem actively murderous? He can sense her relative calm at the moment, or at least her lack of direct murderous intent.

This is so weird.]

[Everyone knew what Rose Quartz did.

But Blue had waited five thousand years. A little longer would do no further harm than has already been done, and she wanted more than rumor from other people now. She wanted proof, she wanted certainty after millennia of doubt and grief.

She doesn't move quickly, but it is with deliberation that she reaches out when Steven draws close enough to do so, intending to grasp the hand.. paw? that's been offered and pull him a little closer. She's not used to being so small compared to other beings but in this case it is perhaps ... useful.

If she catches him her grip isn't painful but it is strong, even he will have to work to get out of it. And then he's simply turned this way and that, like an interesting item on display and not a living being.]

I arrived today. A bargain was found to my liking, that may undo what had been done. I admit though I do not know any Lazuli that would lie, it is difficult to believe something so small and un-quartzlike could possibly truly be a Rose Quartz.

[There's pain and anger lurking beneath that serenity but she has control for now. Control she wasn't going to let go of easily. MUST not let go of.]

[Lapis remains respectfully quiet, though to anyone looking, it's clear she's on edge. She's not stupid enough to attempt anything while there's no actually fighting or attempt at harm.

She is basically the gem equivalent of sweating bullets. ]

[Good to know this is a pants-shitting experience for everyone involved. Except Blue Diamond, really... in fact, her emotions are surprising to Steven, and something about the mystery of them draws him in beyond his fear. He's guessed by now that fae magic has enhanced any sense of other's emotions that he had beforehand, and with that in mind, he's seeing a level of Blue Diamond that he may have never seen so transparently before.

There's the pain and anger that he expects and understands - he struggles to understand the events he knows she's thinking about, even though anything his mother did was for the good of all humanity. It's nearly impossible for him to fathom intentionally taking a life. Even now, it's hurts to think that his mother is truly responsible for the pain he's sensing now.

But there's a calm control he wasn't expecting, and an inquisitiveness that he might not have anticipated from someone as old and powerful as her. It makes her feel oddly human to him. It shouldn't be a surprise, considering how human all the gems he's met have the capacity to be. Even a diamond, though? It moves him.

His expression fades from one of sheer anxiety to a soft frown of contemplation, even as she moves him around like a someone looking over a horse. His gaze lingers on her, transfixed, until he can think of what to say.]

I... don't know how much Lapis told you...

[He starts uncertainly. He doesn't want to contradict something Lapis said, in case it starts a fight. Rose Quartz is already being mentioned, though, so...]

She... she was my mom. I don't remember anything she did, or why she did it, or... or what she wanted. I'm sorry.

[He looks away.]

I just have her gem. The rest of me is human.

She told me who you are, and a little of what you are.

[How attached was Lazuli to this being? Quite a bit it seemed, enough so (Blue suspected) that she might be foolish enough to try violence should she choose to avenge Pink here and now. An ultimately futile act, but ... interesting. A gem's loyalty should only be to her diamond but that's not the case here, is it?

A thing to think about later. She suspected she too would be very grateful to be freed after so long imprisoned.]

It baffles me to think that a gem might choose to pollute herself with organic material in such a fashion. [It's a little odd perhaps how her voice can be so gentle and yet have something so un-nice to say.] Or how such a thing might even be done. To what purpose? Are you a quartz at all still, I wonder?

[Blue can't sense the truth or lies in others' words, she can only make very educated guesses based on behavior. But she's not used to trying to read human body language, or their particular tells for lies.]

I can feel the beat of organic life beneath your skin, and yet I know the gem of a Rose Quartz when I see it, for I have all of your cut carefully preserved. I admit I wish nothing more than to crush you and be done with it..

[It would be so easy for her to break the bones of a mere organic being, but her grip doesn't tighten.]

Why did you free my lazuli?

[Okay, first off: rude. Second off: she has all of his cuts what now? Lastly, she wants to kill him apparently. That doesn't even really shock him at this point, he just sort of accepted that as a given.

Though she may find herself surprised about how hard he is to break.

Steven just lets all of that wash over him for now without individually questioning any of it. There will be time for that later, probably. If Blue Diamond signed a contract already... that means she's going to be here for a while. It also means that she's under the same rules as everyone else. Maybes he doesn't realize it, but if she shatters him she will be in bigger trouble than a diamond might be able to imagine.

If he has to he might warn her of that. For now, though... tentatively trying diplomacy.]

Because... she was trapped, and she needed help. She was scared, and alone, and I asked her what I could do...

Wouldn't you want to do the same?

[Genuine question, Big D.]

It's true! Steven saved me, not only that, when my Gem was cracked he healed it! Even after I stole all of Earth's oceans, even after I tried to kill him! He's not like the rebels, I swear, my Diamond!

[At least everyone else here was one thing or another, not a combination of things before they even arrived. It isn't Steven's fault exactly that he's an abomination, and Blue would probably be more forgiving about the entire nature of his creation and birth had he not been ... her.

If that was a ruby gem standing there wrapped in a fleshy shell the conversation would be very, very different.

Instead she has Rose Quartz, and a lapis that seemed to believe in him. As much as the rebels believed in their leader. Certainly Lapis was passionate about what she believed, but couldn't it all be a lie? Her free hand rises, as if to forestall that vehement argument.]

I don't know that I would, little quartz.

[Her tone never wavers from that gentle, serene pleasantness, though inevitably it creeps again towards sorrow. Didn't she keep an entire cut of gem locked away? At least they were unaware.]

I have no desire to see any gem undeservedly imprisoned remaining so. However, a Diamond does not always have the luxury to do what she wants to. [what] There are other things that must be weighed simply beyond ... mere sympathy. No matter how much it pains me to do.

[After a time, she simply ... lets go, releasing her hold on Steven. No harm's been done yet, and perhaps she doesn't intend to cause any in spite of wishing to. But she has her precious future to hold onto, the only hope she's had in millennia, and if it worked out ... and she hoped it would, then it would be another's hands Steven's fate would be left in. Not Blue's, and not Yellow's.]

[Steven rubs his wrist a little after she lets him go, not because she was hurting him but because it was weird - weird being touched by someone he's only heard about in vague stories before. At least it doesn't seem like she's going to do anything right now... which is fine. He'd rather skip the fight and have her find out that hurting him wouldn't stand on her own terms, instead of him having to point it out like a threat.

He's not exactly comfortable with her attitude, but it's distressingly familiar by now. She has the advantage that she actually isn't trying to hurt him yet, unlike a lot of her subjects. And other rebels. And... well. Lots of people. He exhales slowly, not able to make eye contact at the moment.]

I think I get what you mean.

[It's said with his own sad regret. It's like Garnet had told him... how apparently his mom had had to kill Pink Diamond because there was no other way for the other Crystal Gems to be free. She had to put necessity above her morals, and that sounds like the same concept Blue Diamond is expressing.

Not that he would dare compare the two of them. Not right now, anyway. He sees the connection, regardless.]

It's okay if you don't like me, because of... what I represent, or... or whatever you feel like right now. But we can't fight while we're both here. I'm working for the Ringmaster, too.

TEST DRIVE MEME #7

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