livinglot | ⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #2

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test drive meme

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #2

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 Acquisitioner are currently open.

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 (NEW): 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? (NEW): 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

[ A look like that nets Strange absolutely nothing. He'll have to deal with it. ]

It's possible.

[ It's a neutral sort of reply. It is, after all, possible that learning the truth from the Ringmaster is what sets him on the warpath. So, yes, possible, but Strange's own bizarre joy at the idea does nothing to alleviate the serious look on his own face.

Anyway, a left, another right, down another long hall of mirrors... ]

And it is assumed you returned to England to pick a fight with Mr. Norrell, but I really doubt that's the truth of the matter.

[ Obediently, Strange follows, as if a child lost in a crowded area, or one who knows the very real possibility of getting lost in a labyrinth. That doesn't stop the talking, though. Not much stops the talking. ]

I doubt that's the truth of the matter either. I've picked plenty of fights with him before, why on Earth would I leave a wonderful exile in order to pick a fight?

[ Because Venice...well, wonderful's putting it a bit nicely, but there are some charms to Venice. It had been ages since he had a conversation as genuine as the ones he had with Flora. That, and the setting was wonderfully conducive to his...ah, 'experiments' with such trivial things as sanity and stability. ]

What I don't understand is why don't you know the truth of the matter? You're close to Norrell. [ not Norrell's man. Strange isn't entirely sure if Childermass is anyone's man. And surely that closeness plus Childermass's....well, Childermassness is reason enough to suspect he knows the truth. ]

Because your exile must have been lacking in a great deal of books, would be my best guess.

[ Think, Strange, what is in England a magician trying to bring his dead wife back might need? Childermass is sure he doesn't need to go as far as to tell him he went to Hurtfew directly. As to the question of why he doesn't know the full truth, it would seem he's hit a sore point.

It brings him and, consequently, Strange to a stop at a crossroads in the maze. He looks around them, at all the reflections surrounding the two, then pushes the other man in the right direction. ]

Down that way. It's the corridor to the exit. [ He'll let Strange go on ahead this time, then follow along after, and there's something oddly bitter in his tone now, even as he works to keep a matching expression off his face. ] And I do not know because I was not there.

Oh books, [ he can't help but scoff, with a little roll of his eyes. ] Norrell's books are useful, but I've found that there's plenty of magic that his books of theory and respectability cannot understand.

[ The sarcasm and disdain is apparent in the tone of his voice. After all, he didn't have Norrell's books for most of when he was in the Peninsula. Norrell's books weren't the things that helped him discover the King's Roads or led him to how he distilled madness. The books were useful, the books were obviously useful, God how he wished he had Norrell's books at certain points, but there was so much magic out there that Norrell's STUPID books couldn't help him with.

There's a brief pause while Strange looks at himself in the mirror, catches his erratic, disheveled, mad countenance, before he trots on after Childermass, following him to the exit. ]

You, not there? [ Now that's something he can't believe. ] Well, I highly doubt that. Norrell's had you in his employ as long as I've known the man.

Had would be the key word. Not anymore. [ Which is a story in itself, there, but he moves on without explaining. ] The library at Hurtfew was hardly full of respectable books, Mr. Strange. There are reasons he balked at letting you anywhere near them.

[ Still, only a guess. Books and help, most like, and not the wild fantasy of magician coming to kill magician that everyone else seemed to have had about it. Stepping outside is a relief, even if the carnival itself is causing a racket. Fresh air and open space is still better than the dead ends and mocking reflections they've left behind.

Though once outside, he doesn't really intend to stick around near the crowds of other, actual visitors. He'll nod in another direction and begin walking again, expecting Strange to keep up. ]

[ Whereas Strange, still in the past, is simultaneously trying to parse out what happened to Childermass in the future, what happened to him in the future, and why he'd seek Norrell's help in the future in the first place (as he's still 100% unaware about the Black Tower and the gentleman with thistle-down hair). It's piecing together a puzzle, but you find yourself missing a few pieces—a maddening sensation, but one that Strange (to his ever growing annoyance) was starting to find familiar.

But oh look, a breeze. Venice is certainly a lovely city but all that water means all that humidity, and it's rather nice to be in a different climate. Strange pause for a moment, taking a breath of the air, relishing the lack of taunts from the mirrors...before realizing that wait, Childermass is going in a different direction, best to follow him. It only takes him a few seconds, but he manages to catch up. ]

I have a feeling the reasons you're thinking of are different from mine. [ which boil down to something along the lines of "Gilbert Norrell is a buttface who's scared of properly exploring English magic and is a jerk about my book." And wait. The book. Strange remembers his last conversation with Childermass. Before he left, before he heard of Norrell trying to halt the publication of his book. There will always be two magicians in England.

And oh, that is like being dunked in cold water. His pace slows and his demeanor calms as he asks, ]

Your leaving Norrell around the time of our supposed fight seems purposefully convenient. Tell me—whatever it is, whatever we are doing, do you believe that one of us shall not survive? [ a small pause, before ] Does Norrell?

Edited 2016-12-04 05:43 (UTC)

[ Almost as frustrating as trying to decide what one can and cannot say.

His own stride slows to a stop once he notices how Strange lags behind upon asking that, only offering a curious look back over his shoulder at him. It's funny, that the potential death of Gilbert Norrell would be the one thought that takes the wind out of a madman's sails. ]

Would you care?

[ If Norrell didn't? There's no real feeling put into the question, no heat, no chilliness, to reveal anything about what Childermass might think the correct answer to that is. ]

[ There's a pause while Strange mulls this over. Emotions suck. Navigating emotions suck. ]

Gilbert Norrell is a pompous overstuffed toadie, more convinced with proper decorum and respectability than exploring the true potential of English magic. However...

[ And that however lingers there for a bit. There's so much weight behind the however. Strange and Norrell have parted their ways. That doesn't change the fact that a part of him still respects the man, that a part of him wishes things could have gone differently. ]

However, I believe I would be saddened to hear of the man's death. We were friends, once. Petty fights cannot erase that.

[ That must have been an acceptable answer, because Childermass considers it quietly, then nods and moves on again. ]

Then you'll be glad to hear you both survive. [ In some fashion, just not one he has much explanation for. ] My departure had more to do with a disagreement than anything else. When it came down to having to choose between myself or that damn Lascelles, I am sad to say he made the wrong choice.

[ Yet again. ]

[ Strange's disgruntled little 'hmmph' as Childermass mentions Lascelles tells the other man exactly what he needs to know: he still reeeeeeally doesn't like Lascelles. The man was a poisonous influence, more than either of them initially gave him credit for. ]

That seems to be a running problem with that man's life. A wrong choice in friends, a wrong choice in apprentices... [ Strange trails off, with a little shrug. He's no idiot, he knows that Norrell would have PROBABLY LIKED IT A LOT MORE if he didn't have to deal with someone as impulsive and reckless as Strange himself is. (Also Strange, you deliberately drove yourself mad, you cannot talk about choices.) ]

I'm glad we're both still around, though. Say what you will about Norrell, but English society and English magic would be even duller if the man were to die.

[ la la la NOT GONNA MENTION HIMSELF AND HIS CURRENT STATE OF THINGS EITHER ]

[ The regret of not taking Lascelles as a threat from the very start is one Childermass knows all too well. ]

Wrong choice in friends I'll grant you, but I never found much fault in his apprentices. [ And as there's only one of those, well, that's as close as a compliment as Strange is bound to get from him. ] Even if they have been troublesome from time to time.

[ Okay, maybe only half a compliment. ]

[ Strange can't help but laugh at that, eyes widening in a way that's more than a little but unnerving. ]

Troublesome! Well, I suppose I have been. Upsetting his delicate order of things, barging into his preconceived notions of English magic with my beliefs and my...eccentricities.

[ Maybe a little worrisome, but he'll have to try harder to unnerve Childermass. ]

I was thinking more along the lines of breaking into houses and vanishing to hole up in Venice on a whim.

[ In any case, they've finally arrived at where he's been leading the way to this whole time. Generally referred to as the 'backyard' of the carnival, apart from everything else due to it being where the crew lives. There's no need for guests to be wandering back here, leaving it, thankfully, quieter for the time being. ]

Though speaking of Venice, [ Now that they're well away from the crowds, he'll stop and turn back towards Strange. ] What in the world have you done to yourself, man? We'd all heard rumors of madness, but I didn't care to believe it.

[ And yet it's difficult to ignore when confronted with him right here, up close. ]

[ Let's be real here, it's gonna take a lot to unnerve Childermass.

As they reach the backyard, Strange can't help but look around, eyes drawn to all the different aspects of the scenery, partly to look around and partly because ah. Childermass wishes to talk about madness. The elephant in the room, the fact that, try as he may (though he's certainly not trying) he can't really hide that glint of madness that sticks to his expression. ]

An old woman gave me the gift of madness after I turned her into a cat. [ Just said very matter-of-factly, and with a small hint of pride in his voice. But, Childermass deserves more of an explanation than that, and Strange isn't the sort to keep secrets. After a pause, he continues. ] When I visited the King of England, the man saw and spoke to a fairy in the room. While the fairy never showed himself to me, he verified his presence by spiriting away the King to God knows where—I brought him back, by the way. Obviously.

[ Strange continues talking, gesturing slightly with his hands as he does so. ] The King obviously has no magic and yet he talked to the fairy as if he was right in the room. He's not the only one, of course. There have been tales of other madmen seeing fairies. So I decided that if I were to summon one and make a bargain with it, I must turn myself mad.

[ And then Strange smiiiiiiles, that wide toothy smile of his that's varying shades of unhinged. ] It worked. I made myself mad and summoned a fairy, a gentleman with silvery hair. We had a lovely conversation about potential bargains.

[ But just one time. Because the going canon point is after he drunk some more crazy juice but before he talked to the gentleman the second time when EVERYTHING WENT TO SHIT. ]

It was when I attempted to summon him again that the Ringmaster showed herself and we made our bargain.

[ And Childermass is simply going to listen quietly and nod in the right places as he does, idly folding his hands behind his back as Strange goes on about cats, fairies, and kings. While it is somewhat refreshing that at least one magician isn't so prone to keeping secrets, he's not so sure this is a story he'd ever repeat to anyone else. It is, after all, quite mad.

Which was clearly the intent here, but still.

The mention of the gentleman with silvery hair does garner a uncertain look, though that's short-lived, though he won't say anything until he's brought his explanation to an end. ]

I... [ He what? How does one react to a friend going crazy on purpose? Mostly with a raise of his eyebrows and leaning back away some, as if taking a look at Strange in some new light. ] Can see why you'd think to do that, then. It certainly did work. [ More importantly, ] Is it permanent?

[ It is quite mad, well no shit Childermass. Perhaps an equally mad thing is how Strange is perfectly content with watching Childermass as he leans away, looking at him in a new light. After all, the closest person to a friend he had in Venice was Flora, who had the benefit of not knowing him in England. How...confused? Disappointed? Resigned? Strange doesn't know, how something must English society be to see him like this.

As for the question, however, he shrugs. ] I doubt it. I've had to drink some of the tonic before each time I summoned a fairy. [ He just continues talking. Childermass'll get that the tonic is madness, right? Maybe? Who cares, he's smart, he'll catch on! ] Obviously I have no idea if these brief periods will have any long-term effect on my stability—after all, this is new territory, one that I doubt English magicians or the men at Bedlam would know how to navigate in the first place.

[ Childermass wouldn't be the best reference for how English society may or may not think, although he could make a few educated guesses if asked. For only himself, he's not sure how to feel. Resigned would be a good word, though not one solely meant for Strange. Confused, not so much, as he can at least follow what's being said. Disappointed? Not so much, especially when, for him, it's months after all of this.

That it may not be permanent is, for now, a good enough answer for him, so he'll endure. If anything else had been expected, it may be disappointing, as he'll give one last nod and gesture for them to continue onward, through the trailers. ]

Well, unless you've brought your tonic along, [ Yes, he did catch that and he really, really hopes the answer is no. ] I'd say we're about to find out. Now, how in the world did you manage to turn someone into a cat?

I asked nicely. [ Did you expect an actual answer, Childermass? Because canon is vague and so is Strange. He can't help but give him a wry little smile, a sort of 'I am being a shit and I know it' kind of a smile. ] We had a trade. Her desire for mine. Her desire was to become a cat, mine was to become mad.

[ There's no answer on the tonic. It isn't here, but a small little petty part of Strange wants to make Childermass worry. After all, it is a bit fun. And besides, madness (or eventually the appearance of madness) might have it's uses. Best to keep this one close to the chest. ]

[ He had hoped. In vain, apparently. Usually his long-suffering looks were saved for Norrell, but Strange has just earned himself one. See, see, it's that kind of bullshit that disappoints him, not the madness part! ]

You asked. [ If this is how every answer to every question is going to be... ] How quaint.

[ The lack of answer regarding the tonic is noted, too, though he won't press about it. Habit will have him keeping an eye out instead, because it's not like it'd be the first time he's kept an eye on Strange. And thankfully they've finally reached where he was going, which gives him something else to think about over possibly shaking the other magician until he makes more sense.

It's his own trailer, although once he's opened the door it's clear it's not only his. There's a clear contrast between what must be his side (the small space that actually has order to it, mostly books, notebooks, and things to write with) and... the rest (seriously, he's stuck with The Doctor, just imagine how that is). ]

If you can find somewhere to sit, feel free to.

[ Might have to move whatever weird gadgets there are sprawled about for it, but there are places to sit, somewhere. ]

I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't ask.

[ Look at that smile, that is 100% "I am giving Childermass nothing but bullshit and enjoying it so much." Fun fact: Strange is a bit of an asshole!

And well hello there, Strange is instantly drawn over to the more erratic side of the trailer because madness is great for many things but not keeping your damn room clean. He is decidedly not sitting down. Instead, Strange is just fiddling with nearly everything as he flits around the Doctor's half. He can't help but meddle around, picking up various of the Doctor's gadgets and doodads as he tries to figure out just what the hell some of them are. ]

I didn't know we were given housemates. [ Because look at all of this. Childermass is totally living with somebody, and Strange has a sneaking suspicion it's not a lady friend. ] Yours seems...rather like someone who'd drive you as mad as I.

[ Because seriously, there is a very clear line of my space vs. your space ]

[ Yeah, if it had been a lady friend, no force in Heaven nor on Earth would have moved him to bring Strange over... But as that isn't the case, he's not going to go out of his way to stop Strange from sifting through the Doctor's stuff. ]

Oh? Really? You don't strike me as particularly gentleman-like right now. [ Fun fact number two: so is Childermass. If Strange wants to play that game, he'll soon find just how much salt this man can throw around. ] And try not to pick up anything with a trigger, if you would. I don't remember which of those contraptions explode on a whim.

[ No comment on whether or not his housemate is someone who would drive him mad. The answer is most certainly yes, he just isn't going to say so.

Anyway, while Strange fiddles around with, well, whatever any of that is, Childermass is moving on to the little kitchen space to start up a pot of tea, because of course he would. If there's anything this trailer stereotypically has well-stocked, it'd be tea. ]

[ Strange can't help but bark a laugh at Childermass's comment, giving him a little nod of agreement. Touche, friend. He isn't being gentleman-like in the slightest.

He continues to pick things up and set them down, giving each object a through examination but not really touching any buttons or triggers because hey, if Childermass says that something will explode, then he believes him. Strange's run of "let's pick up everything' is interrupted as he looks over at the lights...and the refrigerator...and various other technical devices that he knows aren't magic. ]

For a place that's as steeped in Faerie as this one, I expected it to be a bit more...magical. Tell me, do you have a mirror on you?

Appearances can be deceiving. [ Something Strange should already know. ] You'll find more than enough magic about as soon as you start looking for it.

[ And in spite of the 'modern' appearance, by future standards if not their own, Childermass has no doubt everything runs on magic all the same. It's the only thing that would make sense for such a place. Not thoughts he will share, however, as he suspects the other man will come to similar conclusions on his own.

Once he's sure the kettle is set to go, he'll turn back and look around the absolute near-disaster of the trailer. Mirror, mirror, he's sure they had a mirror-- ]

Somewhere. You may want to check under the Doctor's things. There's a chance he's attached it to some nonsense or other.

[ Appearances can be deceiving and that is entirely what Strange is about to realize (rerealize? Whatever). Because he starts rummaging through the Doctor's belongings (sorry Doctor), until he finds the mirror, which is attached to some other contraption that Strange hasn't the foggiest idea what it is. Who cares though! He doesn't need the other contraption in the first place!

There's a pause while Strange looks around for a seat. Yeah...what seat. Eventually he spots some free counter space which Childermass was probably using to set out the teacups but nope, now it is reserved for sitting. Strange just plops right on up on the counter as he traces a circle on the mirror, then traces it into thirds, muttering a spell all the while as he does so. If Childermass eavesdrops, it sounds an awful lot like a spell of revelation, but every now and then there's a different word or a different phrase used.

Eventually he's done muttering and hops right off the counter as he looks at the mirror and starts explaining. ]

A reworked spell of revelation: a spell to view something's inner workings. [ He turns the mirror on himself for a second, and it's a bit of a ghastly sight: the inner workings of people are bones and muscles. But, still holding the mirror, Strange scurries off towards various appliances, holding the mirror up over his shoulder and looking at the reflection...which looks quite normal. After all, what are the inner workings of something magical? Just magic.

He can't help but give Childermass a bit of a puffed up smile as he scurries back over to the other man, holding up the mirror so that both of them can peer into it and see the absolutely normal reflection of the refrigerator but the part wirey, part magical, part who the hell knows reflection of some poor abandoned Doctor contraption sitting on top of the refrigerator. ]

Enhancements my own, of course. One must learn how to improvise when they're bereft of books.

[ It's not exactly eavesdropping when he's taken up the spot Childermass was just about to set, yes, teacups down on, which means he's hanging out right there looking mildly irritated by all of Strange's fluttering about. Picking out which spell and noting the differences isn't at all hard for him, though he'd need to write it all down if he ever wanted to copy it.

Of course, then he goes and shows off his own insides with the damn thing. Good job, Strange, that gets him twisting his face in a grimace and retreating a step back. He hadn't expected that. ]

Of course. I imagine you just asked the mirror nicely for that one, as well. [ It's like he's taken his usual deadpan up to eleven at this point. And since Strange has dashed off again, he'll take that opportunity to put the cups down before turning to watch the other magician and his mirror revealing what's running the fridge. It's interesting, but it doesn't garner as much of a reaction as before. ] Do try not to go waving that around at the others. I'm not sure they'll appreciate it.

[ More like 'please don't try and figure out how all your new weirdly transformed coworkers function'. It might be rude. ]

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #2

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