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Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2016-11-20 11:34 pm
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⇨ 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!

[personal profile] tautness 2016-11-28 08:27 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Once they get there, Barry casts his eyes up at the blue turtle Pokemon thing. You will be his, tiny weirdly adorable turtle.

Oh, and the other guy's asking a question, better answer it!
]

Oh! Um, the barker said that just two would work. Ideally he'd prefer more cause, you know, money, but two'll work.
empty_vessel: The Man With The Plan (Default)

[personal profile] empty_vessel 2016-11-30 08:13 am (UTC)(link)
Jimmy nods, handing over his entry fee and selecting one of the water guns. He lifts #4 out of it's resting post and gives it a few 'dry-fire' squeezes (the water hasn't been turned on yet) before nodding. "This one seems pretty good." And the coat gets folded over the seat next to him as he waits for Barry to sit down.

Once the game starts, Jimmy will try to subtly throw the game. Aiming for the edges of the plastic so the sensor doesn't go down all the way and letting Barry's little figure cross the finish line first.

[personal profile] tautness 2016-11-30 02:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ As he hands over the entry fee, Barry casts one last glance at the turtle thing. Soon, my friend. And then, the game starts

Barry...does not notice in the slightest that Jimmy's throwing the game. He's just bound and determined to win that turtle thing that he's only paying attention to making certain that his spray of water sticks as close to the target as possible. So, when he wins, Barry lets out a wild yelp of joy...that he promptly gets embarrassed about.
]

Oh, um, wow, where'd that come from? [ said with an awkward little laugh, please do not judge him and his happiness over a turtle. When the barker asks what he wants, Barry sheepishly responds, ]

Erm, the blue turtle thing, please.
empty_vessel: The Man With The Plan (Default)

[personal profile] empty_vessel 2016-12-02 06:56 am (UTC)(link)
Jimmy laughs too, Barry's elation at winning is contagious. "No, no. It's alright. Don't worry about it." So it was the... Pokemon? That's what those things are called, right? Jimmy couldn't have named whatever it was if his life depended on it, but he was pretty sure it was one of them.

"Congratulations on the win." He smiles again as the stuffed animal is handed over, happy to have helped.

[Oh my god I am so sorry this took so long to get back to you!]

[personal profile] tautness 2016-12-02 02:54 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Barry can't name it either, but tiny squishy turtle thing! You are now his. As the barker hands over the turtle, Barry gives is a tentative squeeze and yep, it is as squishable as he imagined. ]

Thanks, [ said with the smallest smile. There's an awkward pause before, ] Oh, uh, I'm Barry.
empty_vessel: The Man With The Plan (Default)

[personal profile] empty_vessel 2016-12-03 03:06 pm (UTC)(link)
"Good to meet you, Barry. I'm Jimmy." He starts to reach out and shake Barry's hand on reflex, before he realizes Barry's arms are full of blue turtle. It drops back down to his side with another short laugh. "Sorry. Old habit."

Gathering up his coat Jimmy looks up at the barker, then back at Barry. "You seem a bit more.... real? than some of the others here. Are you a new hire too?"

[personal profile] tautness 2016-12-04 10:33 pm (UTC)(link)
[ paaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaause ]

New hire?

[ you know how the Carnival occasionally takes on people accidentally? YEP, THAT'S BARRY. ]
empty_vessel: The Man With The Plan (Default)

[personal profile] empty_vessel 2016-12-05 03:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Ahh. I'm sorry. Thought you were another new face. Just started tonight myself. Haven't gotten an assignment yet, though. That'll probably be in the morning." That's a good way to explain the suit, right? A job interview? It makes more sense than what really happened, so let's go with it.

"I hope you're having a good time, though. And I really am sorry I thought you worked here." The smile turns a bit sheepish as he tries to apologize for his mistake.

[personal profile] tautness 2016-12-05 03:26 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Barry...is still really confused. A little bit of panic flits across his face as he continues talking. ]

Wait, so the carnival's currently hiring? And you're working here? You look... [ there's a pause as he tries to think of a nice way to put this. ] uh, I don't mean to be rude but you look way too nice to be working in a carnival.
empty_vessel: The Man With The Plan (Default)

[personal profile] empty_vessel 2016-12-05 11:24 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah. Just got through the interview process." The smile gets a bit strained as Barry continues, though. The suit is about all he has, these days. But it's not forever, and starting over has to start with *starting*, sadly enough.

"It was a job interview, even if I overdressed." A shrug, and he's trying to brush it off, even if it's not that successful.