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

We're on the same page, Blue. [said with a little smile.] That is the exact reason why I refrained from shattering the Perido. She still seems able to do her job, even if she needed some encouragement.

[and more trauma. yellow's brows draw together and she pops a squat next to blue, suddenly gently pushing them face to face.]

You said you were here by choice. Blue, how did you do that? How are we in the same place for different reasons?

[Sometimes gems needed to be terrified into doing their duty, it can't be helped. Most of them were prompt and obedient, but laziness did happen..]

Good.

[At least so far corrupted or not the Peridot was functional. They were useful, even if she didn't have many in her own entourage.

She tilts her head back a little to study the other diamond, frowning.]

I was approached about a bargain, a bit of service playing Pearl to this place in trade for something I desired. It seems that just as often individuals are tricked into 'debt' in various ways and then prevented from leaving.

Blue...

[Uh Oh Spaghettio There's That Tone Again.

what else does blue want more than anything than pink back? THIS IS A BAD IDEA. REGRET.PNG.]

[She knows that tone. She's heard it long enough, hasn't she? Yellow was capable of moving on but she ... wasn't. And maybe now she didn't have to. Ever.

She raises one hand as if to try to stop the argument she can feel is coming.]

No, I thought it out this time. It's not just ... just wanting her back. Not just for me.

[But of course it is her. How can it be anyone else but her?]

I have reason to believe the diamond of this ... 'carnival' can do exactly what she says she can. And if she can mend a shattered gem then our entire society will be mended as well. We were never meant to try to do this as three. We can be four again, Yellow. We can all finally be what we're supposed to be again.

[And of course in full outright honesty Blue's doing it for emotional reasons. But emotional reasons don't work on Yellow, and she's been preparing for that.]

And then we can all watch the cluster emerge together. Wouldn't that be nice?

[Nice for Yellow!]

[she knew it would be to restore pink, but yellow doesn't think it's possible. sure, blue has been promised, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. to her, this entire situation just shows how far blue has fallen into her grief. yellow had been hopeful that maybe blue was beginning to move on... this seems cruel, almost. to dangle that possibility in front of such a grief stricken being when it's impossible. it honestly makes her sad to hear the hope in blue's voice.]

Of course it would, I'd like nothing more. [said more the cushion her next statement, really.] But there's no way to know she'd come back the same! What makes you so sure this Diamond can fulfill what she's promised you?

[it's unheard of for someone to willingly lie to a diamond, but then so was rebelling.]

No.. I imagine after so long broken, she will need time to recover and may need help doing so. The damage may even be significant. But it's not something we can't overcome with all of us working together.

[There was little they COULDN'T do when coordinated with the same goal, after all. It was simply so rare that such a thing was required, never mind giving them the motivation to bother.]

And we'll have all the time in the universe to make it right again. As for the Ringmaster.. I think .. you'll need to meet her yourself to understand. There's something about her I can't put into words, but I believe she is capable of more than repairing a shattered gem.

[She has no evidence of that presently, but she was also sure Yellow would understand once she encountered the woman.]

.. In fact, if she proves to be capable of restoring Pink, I may suggest that we extend an offer of alliance.

[Possibly the Diamond Authority's first. But if the Ringmaster could heal a broken diamond, what else could she do? Being her enemy would be disastrous.]

[that isn't what she meant, and yellow isn't sure if blue went the optimistic way on purpose. after the experiments with the fragments, yellow knows what happens when a shattered gem tries to reform. the idea of pink coming back as a twisted monster would be so damaging to blue she's certain her fellow diamond might just give up entirely.]

I... can see the benefits of what you suggest, but you know what happens to shattered gems, Blue. If even one thing goes wrong in whatever this resurrection process is, she won't be the same gem we knew.

I know. There's a chance it could ... be worse than it is now.

[The lake is regarded instead of Yellow. She knew that. She knew that there was a chance even if the fragments were put together right, Pink would stay fragmented and broken, only ever little pieces of a brilliant intellect and perfect form mis-connected and trying and failing to resemble anything but a monster.]

But there's also a chance it could fix everything. The contract's already been signed. I gave my word. If ... it does go badly, and Pink..

[She can't give up. It could go horrifically awful, but she can't let go of even the chance that it might work. If the Ringmaster couldn't heal her right, if care and even fusion via the other diamonds couldn't mend instability and deformation, then..]

... I'll take care of her myself. You don't have to worry. One way or another in a year and a day ... it ends.

[One more pink gem amongst the sea of other bubbled pink gems, safe and in stasis.]

[it takes yellow by surprise that blue is seemingly prepared to go to such lengths. she crouches down, putting her other hand on blue's shoulder. as much as the topic grates her, she still doesn't like seeing blue like this.]

We will have to see, but if the worst case scenario comes to light, I won't let you face it alone.

.. Thank you, Yellow. You've ... never failed to be there for me, even though I know it annoys you sometimes.

[Of course talking about it now and actually doing it then could be WILDLY DIFFERENT THINGS but she's certain she can do it, right now.

But right now she felt confident and reassured that her fellow diamond at least would be there to see it through to the end. Possibly only to see it actually end finally, one way or another. Poor Yellow just didn't.. deal with things the way Blue did..]

You know I miss her too, Blue.

[even if yellow has convinced herself she's moved on. even if yellow has convinced herself that she puts up with blue because she needs to help her fellow diamond move on the way she has.]

TEST DRIVE MEME #7

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