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

[Crazy powerful space goddess? What]

I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt anyone. [But she glances back to the mirrors and still looks extremely uncomfortable.]

I need to get them out. The other Lapis Lazuli, they're trapped, please you have to help me.

[listen, Lars's gist on the gems is........ very loose]

Trapped? [Lars looks like a cross between disgusted and confused, and snorts.] You're trippin'.

Look.

[Lars steps forward, crunching some mirror shards beneath his feet, and he stares at his own distorted reflection. It sneers back at him, its teeth pointed and jagged, and sticks out an ultraviolet, forked tongue at him. Neither of those traits being ones that Lars actually has... In his own voice, it sneers.]

Who's that? Your girlfriend? [It guffaws, leaning back as it clutches its stomach.] Ain't she a little bony for you??

[Lars's eyebrows lift, and his complexion goes hot for a second—the reflections have been teasing him about stuff he's insecure—and very private about. But whatever, this gem doesn't... have any context...for the dumb stuff it's saying.]

See?? There's only one me. Ain't no mass produced Lars.

[..........thank god.

Lars gestures towards the reflection, which mimics his movement, wearing a smug expression to counter Lars's real expression.]

They're just talkin' crap. They ain't real. It's dumb carnival magic. You guys are familiar with magic stuff, right?

[The specific reflection Lars was gesturing at leers at the Lapis on its end, since Lapis and Lars are in close enough quarters.]

[Well, Lapis has no idea about half the things that Lars is saying (she doesn't have any 'bones'), but at least it's fairly clear that he... might just have a point about it being some weird magic.

Lapis really, really doesn't appreciate this kind of magic. But the Mirror Lapis', seeming to sense that the jig is now up, quickly go from pleading and looking distressed to outright laughing at Lapis. Complete with pointing and a resounding echo of 'She fell for it!'.]

I was tricked? Why would anyone make a place like this?

[Lars rolls his eyes at Lapis while their reflections high-five and elbow each other.]

I dunno, because the person who made this place is deranged?

[Lars crosses his arms, huffing. He catches a glimpse of his reflection in a shard, which is. just a slice of his own hand giving him the bird. okay]

This place just seems to exist to be a pain in the collective ass of the people who get stuck here.

[He pauses, looking a little uncharacteristically sheepish as he glances back up at Lapis from his brattishly folded arms.]

—Hey, uh. So, we should probably try'n put our heads together t'like—get outta here... if you're done goin' completely ape all over the funhouse.

[The word 'stuck' is really all he needs to say to get Lapis to help him.]

I don't know what that means, but i'm done smashing the mirrors here? [... Actually, she still wants to smash them just because, but she probably shouldn't do that while there's a squishy and soft human around. Especially one that's already pretty severely injured.

Look. She doesn't know how to gauge human injuries.]

[if Lars were severely injured he would make sure everyone in a mile radius would be damn well aware, probably.]

Okay, yeah.

Then... let's go, [Lars urges, gesturing for Lapis to follow him with a tilt of his head.

though Lars has a pretty fuckin notoriously terrible sense of direction; he's probably been more at a disadvantage than most people, come to think of it, being lost in this dumb magic maze.]

[Well, since he seems to know where he's going more than she does, Lapis absolutely isn't going to question following him. It's not like she'd take control of this situation when someone is already doing so.

She will speak up after a few minutes of, uh, not getting out.]

How big is this place?

I don't know, [comes Lars's completely unreassuring response. Occasionally, while his reflections are largely behaving besides the standard distortion from the shapes of the mirrors, they jump-scare him—and effectively so. He's walking with tense, irritated posture, clearly kind of frazzled.]

It's hard to tell. Not like there's exactly—landmarks or anything, [he grouses, gesturing with frustration to the mirrors, who imitate his movement sarcastically.] You'd think if the "patrons" in question already get the illusion, and one of 'em works for this stupid place, the exit would make itself a little more magically obvious or somethin'!

[Oh. So he doesn't know where he's going? That's... unfortunate. Also he works here, which makes it even worse somehow.]

We could go through the roof? [She points up helpfully, and in response her reflections suddenly have wings and make mocking flapping motions helpfully.]

... Could we? [Lars asks, gazing upwards; he catches the wingflaps of the mirrors, which brings him back to their present situation. He points dumbly at the mirrors, blinking at Lapis.]

Uhhh... can you do that?

[And what, if she could? Would she ... blast a hole in the roof, or something? With some other gem nonsense?]

Yes, I can. [Case in point, Lapis now matches her reflection. There's a great pun about water wings to be made here.]

I can carry you. [She really just wants to get out of here, okay. If Gems could get gooseflesh it'd be all over her. As it is she's just extremely Uncomfortable because all this.]

...Okay, [Lars tentatively—and dubiously agrees, leaning back somewhat with suspicion.]

How we gettin' through that roof, though?

[And without even missing a beat,] I break it.

You know what, I don't even care. Go for it.

[RESIGNED]

[Her wings disappear momentarily but that's only because she needs to use that water to punch a hole in the roof. Literally.

Once she has that path clear though, they come back, and Lapis awkwardly holds out her arms for him. They're about the same height, after all.]

Here, I'll carry you.

Carry me? [Lars asks shrilly, seeming mortified; he recoils.......daintily]

Can you even do that? You look like you'd be 2 pounds soaking wet!

[Lars, aren't you of the opinion that all gems are hyper destructive menaces.... where'd that go alla sudden, huh]

[Is that soaking wet comment a joke about how she controls water...

Lapis is ever so slightly confused.]

I'm lighter than that, but I can carry you despite how much I weigh?

[Look, she's a solid manifestation of light with a shiny rock as a core. She probably isn't more than two pounds soaking wet.]

[Lars makes a face. Lighter than 2 pounds? ????

The mirrors all light up with their reflections, and the room suddenly erupts with laughter—and it loops kind of unnaturally. Lars visibly stiffens.]

Nnngah okay whatever fine just get me the hell outta here!

[That is. Really unsettling. Even for Lapis.

She's very quick to scoop up Lars bridal style and take off. Very fast, because the longer she's here the worse she feels quite honestly and she just wants to leave.

Once they're out of the stupid mirror house she feels significantly better.]

Where should I put you down?

[Lars makes a very flattering high pitched yelp when he's scooped up suddenly, but doesn't complain given their circumstance. But he's pretty startled by how fast she is, so he immediately hooks his arms around the back of her neck, eyes wide and staring at the ground as they leave.

When they're out, and... just... fucking... flying? Lars feels his heart racing; it's kind of scary and weird to be seeing everything go by so quickly, and being so up high. He swallows, then gazes up at Lapis, feeling extremely vulnerable. If she dropped him, he would mcfuckin die.]

The ...trailers, I guess?

I don't know what a trailer is. [Sounds almost like a tractor? Unfortunately for Lars, Lapis isn't all that great with knowing when someone is uncomfortable. He probably wont get any reassurance that she wont drop him.]

Do you know which way from here?

What?

[why doesn't this one know anything. she must be fresh off the ship.

He squints against the wind.]

Uhh, yeah—North, I think. Trailers are like—small, ugly houses?

[listen, Lars has an F in English. He's not a poet.]

Small ugly houses... [... Alright then, she can roll with that explanation? Sort of.] Just point them out to me when I go over them. [Just in case. Wouldn't want to miss them, after all. Also she can definitely follow North as a direction, so theres that.

Hopefully it wont take them an hour to get there between Lapis not knowing where to go and Lars keen sense of direction.]

[Directing Lapis while hanging onto her and also FLYING AROUND is a little challenging—but they manage to get to where Lars was aiming in about 25 minutes. Which is still way too long, but. hey.]

Oh, here! This is the place. This is where all the kidnapped carnies live, as far as I know.

[Well that's a slightly alarming thing to say? But whatever, he wants to be here, Lapis won't stop him. Thankfully for Lars, Lapis is very good at landing, and it's extremely gentle.

She also doesn't just drop him when she lands either, so that's probably a plus. Maybe.]

You live here?

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