⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: HEARTSTONE MANOR

[ringleaders]

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!↴ CHECK OUT THIS MONTH'S FOURTH WALL EVENT! MORE INFORMATION BENEATH THE CUT. In the meantime, 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 (and should) read the full premise here. Reserves and Applications are 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, 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, Treasurer, and Doctor 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. 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 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. ► TUNNEL OF "LOVE": A brand new attraction in the carnival, the Tunnel of Love is mostly what you'd expect from such a ride - two people sit in a boat together which journeys through some glitter filled caves, complete with mood music. Unfortunately, there is also something else in there with you... in the form a moody kraken living in the waters, who has very particular opinions about shipping, and may either stubbornly interfere with any attempted intimacy, or may politely encourage it. Or they may just generally be a dick if they're in no mood for either. The Ringmaster insists it is a romance expert. ► 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. ► 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! ► DUNK TANK: Sometimes acting like a dick will earn you the gentle reprimand of being sent to work in the Dunk Tank for the afternoon - you know that game where people throw balls at a target, and if they hit it you get dropped into the water? It's like that, only sometimes there are daunting (but harmless) critters in the water, or some other strange magical affects to spice things up. Hopefully, the visitors will have bad aim. ► 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!

Comments

I'm sorry, he's useless

[hypsilophodon]

[A small green-and-pink creature on two legs books it, running very fast not far above knee level. It's something like a lizard, something like a bird, and it's screaming with two voices. The one you hear with your ears is just emitting some panicked shrieks and whistles, but it's saving most of its breath for running. The one you don't hear with your ears doesn't have to worry about breathing and sounds like a man wailing in terror.

As he goes past it sounds like this.]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Eventually he's gonna duck into a tent, a building, a stall, anything more enclosed, and while panting look back along his own length with his flexible semi-birdlike neck, only to become distracted with by his own quilled tail. And start turning in place like a dog chasing its tail as he's trying to get a better look, while muttering.]

Ohhh, nononno, oh, no, oh, how is this happening?! What's going on? What am I??

[If he sees you he's yelping something about TOO BIG and trying to bolt but he's made himself dizzy and will probably stumble or outright collide with something. It's not a good day to be a little dinosaur.]

[dressedtothe]

[What the hell is that thing? 9S gives chase when the creature bolts after it yelps about him being TOO BIG. Okay, so it can speak, which means it probably has some kind of sentience.

His pod has something to say about the situation.]

< Analysis: Unknown lifeform is moving too fast to Unit 9S to catch up. Proposal: Use pod long-range capabilities to force the unknown lifeform to stop >

Gotcha. Go ahead.

[With that affirmation, the pod's box-like body splits open, and after a short charge time, fires a laser at an angle that will cut in front of the creature's immediate path in an attempt to force the creature to pull up short to avoid getting struck.]

[hypsilophodon]

[This is not going to work quite as planned, because he's going to shriek, whip around in an about-face so fast the quills of his tail possibly get singed, and book it right back the way he came. Nyoom!

Can you catch him as he goes past, 9S? He's a little big to just pick up, and heavier than he looks - 45 pounds! - but speed and agility are his only defenses.]

Nicole the Holo-Lynx | Archie Sonic the Hedgehog (Reboot) | Trying out a Veteran Here

[sparkoflife]

Do Your Job

"Oh, gosh, I disappear for a little bit and everything goes to pot. I hated to do it, but problems at home needed me a lot more than here..."

In the now-occupied Treasurer office, there's a possible familiar face. "Possible", seeing as it's very certain many people never saw this figure before. About 4 feet tall in height, wearing an interesting purple and black ensemble.

Oh, and she also appears to be an animal. A lynx, in fact. Poking away on a handheld computer that she's holding with her tail. Horns protruding from her forehead and plenty of her clothing hiding away some of the gems and metal that cover her body.

"...ah, someone's here." she quickly turns around in her chair, taking the computer in her hand. "Hello, need something from Nicole? I'm a little busy, but I can certainly take the time to help out."

...oh, and she flickers just a bit, but that one's quite normal, being practically a living AI hologram.

Break Time

Trying to keep the finances of the Carnival is rough work, even for an AI! So much money, so many types of currency, the works! And having to keep an eye on them for so long can take it out on them. Thus, while there's a bit of down time, Nicole is fast at work, taking a nap.

Though, to make sure people still needed her, she opted to stay materialized and just swapped out her normal outfit for a pair of PJs. Don't worry, she won't bite. Maybe.

[fortuneglass]

Well, look who it is-Carly wasn't really expecting a familiar face. Actually she wasn't sure if she was expecting a face at all. The Treasury is an important part of Carnival life, and the lack of a Treasurer was no change from it. All they could really do was work around it, and work with the Ringmaster on it.

That did not change the fact that Treasury had at least a few things which could (perhaps) have to be stored....in Treasury however, so here she is.

A stark contrast from the woman who Nicole would have known. Back in the day, Carly was just into her first contract, a little ways into her changes-wingless, with bird's feet, and velvety black patches along her arms and back. She'd been wearing more typical clothes, back then-and her eyes had been black surrounding blue, as all Dark Signers were.

Now, Carly is Light. Her body more like marble, her fae marks carving through the white feathery skin through to the light her body is primarily comprised of. And, hovering with her light wings behind her, she stammers-

"N...N..... ....NICOLE!?" Well, she recognizes her at least.

[sparkoflife]

Nicole blinked at the person before her. It took her a bit to register who it was there, but she remembered that voice from anywhere.

“Carly!” She cried out, bounding out of her chair and throwing her arms around her. Hologram, yes, but she’s different than most, so she’s certainly solid enough to hug her old friend. “Oh, my goodness, it’s so good to see you again!”

break time

[wilt]

It's kind of a feat of its own to see a monster-- well, a hologram monster from another world, just... process data and still sleep? He doesn't have any empathy for the situation, he barely sleeps himself, if it could be called that. Suspiciously lurking around her sleeping form, he wonders if he can get any... interesting data while she's conked out.

He starts to nose around the treasury just to see if she reacts.

[sparkoflife]

Right now, Nicole doesn’t react at the moment, but it’s hard to tell if she has something else up in her sleeve. Either way, Flowey is free to poke around for the moment.

eleanor shellstrop | the good place (new arrival)

[whatthefork]

[ OOC: eleanor is from early season 2 and so some PRETTY BIG HONKIN SPOILERS will probably come up in threads, if you spoilers for the good place are a thing you care about ]

a. arrival
[ eleanor doesn't remember getting here. at first she thinks it's gotta be some weird afterlife thing, but after she hears herself say what the fuck out loud and janet doesn't answer any of her calls, she starts to seriously consider the possibility that this has nothing to do with michael. and this doesn't seem really...bad place-y to her. honestly, very little is outside the realm of too weird to consider at this point.

she definitely doesn't have any cash, but for some reason the people at the front gate take a sock stuffed in her back pocket that she forgot to sneak into chidi's laundry pile as payment.

she walks into the carnival and just comes to a standstill, looking around with her hands on her hips. she draws in a breath and mutters to herself. ]

And I thought the clown paintings were bad. What the fuck do I do now? Fuck, I missed being able to say fuck.

[ at least she hasn't actually seen any clowns. yet. ]

b. gamer's circle
[ well, if she's here, she might as well attempt to have fun? her parents used to take her to the really shitty two-bit carnivals set up in the high school football field over the summer when she was a kid, and she got pretty good at cheating. which she isn't, yet, but she's clearly considering it, because she's pretty sure these are just as rigged as the ones back home. and oh look, now she's arguing with the spirit manning the water guns. keepin it classy, shellstrop style. ]

I once won a game of beer pong with actual beer goggles on, and I did in one shot. Well, I had two shots before that. My point is, I have great aim, and I'm not even drunk right now. Your game is rigged, Smokey.

c. wildcard

b

[atouts]

[ Well, she was alone — as alone as one can be in a carnival, anyway — arguing with the spirit one second and, the next, not so alone.

There's no sound or indication of someone having walked up, not with Childermass. He just appears where the was no one before, right out of the shadow the game's booth is throwing across the ground, severe old-fashioned clothing, raven feather sideburns, and all. Upside, he's definitely one of the more human-looking workers here and also definitely not a spirit, feathers aside. ]

They aren't actually smart enough to rig a game, ma'am, so you may want to rethink just how great that aim of yours is.

[ He says in an even, generally unimpressed way. Technically, dealing with trouble-making patrons isn't his job, but he was in the area and bored, so here we are. ]

[whatthefork]

Jesus, guy, wear a bell!

[ it is a purely kneejerk exclamation of surprise, because what the fuck, dude, who sneaks up on people like that? but after that moment passes, eleanor's immediately squinting at him, because...feathers? feathers. alright, she's dead, so whatever. ]

What do you mean they're not smart enough? Your average carnie barely has a GED. All carnival games are rigged.

[ which is why she's totally gonna cheat just to prove it. ]

a!

[kingsroads]

[ Have a different looking old-fashioned person, Eleanor. Though this one is brimming with manic energy and has a mirrored coating over his eyeballs. The effect is bizarre, like one isn't entirely sure where Strange is looking.

But at her question, Strange gives Eleanor a confused frown. ]

You have fun, [ he says in a tone of pure 'well duh'. ] After all, it is a carnival.

[whatthefork]

[ uuuuugh. eleanor starts to look at him with a roll of her eyes. ]

I know it's a carni--whoa, what is with the crazy eyes, dude?

[ WHY IS EVERYONE HERE SO FLIPPIN WEIRD. ]

drift | transformers idw (new arrival)

[auramatic]

a. admission/front gates
[ at first, drift is alarmed at how big the humans he's seeing are, until he realizes it's not that they're big, it's that he's small -- shrunk down to a height of only about 6', though everything else seems to be the same. he's even still got his swords, all three of them.

he finds it pretty odd that they're willing to take shanix for his admission fee, but he decides not to question it too hard.

he'll just be wandering around, questioning everything else, like: is he here for a reason? he has to be. it's true he's been feeling a little lost and desperate lately in his exile, drifting in both the physical and spiritual void of space in search of...something. not this. definitely not this. but maybe this is all part of a bigger picture, and he's just not standing far back enough to see it.

so have a very confused robot man with way too many swords looking lost and a little confused. he's spent some time on earth, but this is...decidedly not the same. ]

b. mirror maze
[ the mirror maze was definitely a mistake.

drift thought he'd try out some of the entertainment here, and he really should have just gone with the tunnel of love. that sounds...fun. this is just disorienting, and as he gets further into the maze, increasingly unnerving. he catches a glimpse of himself in one of the mirrors and his reflection shimmers -- still his old face, but not the one he wears now. deadlock. he blinks and it's gone, but then he starts hearing the voices, his own voice, sneering and cruel: you know, i thought i'd hit my lowest in rodion, but i never thought i'd be this pathetic... ]

Who's there? Show yourself!

[ drift's hands go to his swords and he spins around, looking for the source of the voice, but this...doesn't feel right. his old face appears in every mirror face around him -- some deadlock, some the face of the street junkie he'd been millions of years ago, all giving voice to an internal monologue he's done his best to smother: you hung yourself out to dry for your buddy rodimus, and now you don't have a home or a purpose. how many more lives do you think you have to save to make up for overlord? ]

That's enough!

[ but his protests do nothing. this must be some kind of test. primus must be testing him. but drift has no idea what he's supposed to do here. he looks like he expects his reflections to jump out at him, his usual cool starting to fall away. ]

c. wildcard

front gates

[anti_nonsense]

[So if all of this isn't already weird enough, here's a mostly human girl with large, feathery wings and goggles walking right up to Drift out of nowhere and looking him over, occasionally stepping around just to get a good look at a different angle. She doesn't say anything or make eye contact with him -- just starts examining him like he's a new appliance on display, or something.]

[auramatic]

[ it is really, really weird being roughly the same size of a human. he's also pretty sure he's never seen a human with wings before today. bemused, he watches her as she circles around him until it's clear she's not actually going to say anything, and honestly, it feels kind of weird being gawked at. he resets his vocalizer with something that sounds like a clearing of the throat. ]

Uh...can I help you?

Solas | Dragon Age | New Arrival

[lonesomewanderer]

[Gamer’s Circle/Around]

[ He felt as if he was walking in a dream. Not that the action in and of itself was unusual for him. He may appear as if he’s walked out of a dream himself with his already pointed ears and wolf pelt attached to gilded armor. Normally he would have preferred to travel more inconspicuously, but stumbling upon this place had not afforded him such luxury.

The smoke-like appearance of the booth runners didn’t seem to bother him. In fact, he appears used to it in a strange way as he observes them. Spirits of the Fade of some sort? Though he’s never seen a gathering such as this if that was what he had stumbled upon.

The question he had was did this look the same for everyone around him. The Fade often shifted to suit those that were standing in it, meeting perceptions and expectations with ease. When someone who appears to be more ‘solid’ like him is near, he watches them out of the corner of his eyes and asks, ] What do you see, when you gaze at our surroundings?

[Mirror maze]

[ Curiosity led him here. He stepped through into the maze to see where it might lead in his attempt to learn more about this place and finds himself having more difficulty leaving it than he would care to admit.

It doesn’t help that there’s something amiss. Spirits, magic, some combination of the two were at play here. There’s a distant howl of a wolf and he can see the flickering movements of one in the mirrors, just out sight as if they were stalking him. It has been a long time since he’s been made to feel like prey and his jaw sets tight and firm as he glares at the mirror before him. ]

I am not here to play your games, spirit. [ Because it must be a spirit of some kind. He’s still trying to fit this strange carnival into his view of the world, of what he knows. Something was here that needed to be dealt with, for whatever reason it had chosen to hold this place under its power. ]

gamer's circle!

[hurtcomfort]

A fair, [ Cole answers, as if it's obvious. Don't mind him, just appearing right out of nowhere, in his normal Cole fashion. But there's just a trace of hope in his voice as he looks over at Solas.

This is him. He's here, he feels real, he thinks real, he is real. And Cole is just so happy. ]

It's not right, though. Fairs are supposed to be fun.

[ Cole's only been with the carnival less than a week. But man, he has quickly figured out that one of the mechanics of dwrp is to break the shit out of your characters. ]

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Fortunately for Cole, Solas is used to spirits suddenly appearing beside him. Particularly when he thinks he is wandering the Fade. It's been far too long since he's seen the spirit and his expression softens slightly as he glances over at him, making sure the voice matches who he expects. ]

No, nothing appears as it seems, [ he muses carefully and turns his attention back to the games being played. ]

Have you been here before, Cole?

gamer's circle

[anti_nonsense]

Hm? [Rita, a mostly human-looking girl save for the feathery wings behind her, stops and glances at the man who just spoke.] What do I see...? [Weird question. She gives him a doubtful look, like she's trying to figure out if he's a complete weirdo or not.]

I don't know, a bunch of tacky lights and signs? People and spirits wasting their time with a bunch of crappy games?

[It's a good thing most of Rita's work at the carnival is backstage, because she really doesn't do a good job of selling the experience to visitors.]

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Solas appreciates honesty in a time of confusion. There's a twitch in his expression, one hinting at amusement, as he glances over at her. Wings? Possibly another spirit then though he has met very few that wanted to alter themselves from how mortals appear. ]

It is the first I have seen a gathering such as this. I do not feel a tear in the Veil, [ or any other indication that so many people would be wandering around in the Fade, leaving so many spirits unchanged.

He gives her a more appraising look before asking, ] Spirit or human?

[ Because while young, maybe she knows enough to give herself wings while dreaming. ]

mirror maze

[atouts]

It would seem they disagree with you, sir.

[ Because 'spirits' are just as good a way to describe the independent illusions haunting the mirrors as anything else, so Childermass won't correct or argue on that point. He, himself, isn't exactly all that visible in here, either, having appeared in place between mirrors that hadn't really been there before, leaning oh so casually against the side of one, arms idly folded across his chest.

He's definitely one of the more normal-looking workers, the only real visible change the black feather sideburns drawn down his jawline. With those and how pale he is, at least he matches how black and white his clothing is, but it sure doesn't help much with standing out in a place like this.

Anyway, assuming he gets Solas' attention, he'll tilt his head a little to one side and raise his eyebrows, a curious look. ]

Having trouble finding the exit?

[lonesomewanderer]

[ Sir. That is a form of address he hasn't heard in a long time. At the sound of something other than howling, his eyes narrow and he scowls as he scans the surrounding mirrors and--

Another human with strange features like he's met earlier. More and more this place makes little sense. A realm of fae magic instead of spirit, he would have his work cut out learning the intricacies of it all. ]

I was, [ he admits and gestures toward Childermass. ] Though I have the impression you are standing before it. I did not anticipate this much enchantment in a maze.

[ And for it to be labeled an 'attraction' of 'entertainment.' ]

Chise Hatori | The Ancient Magus Bride | New Arrival

[unwantedgirl]

[Front Gates]

[Chise frowned gently as she stood before the gates, staring at the clerk that had just informed her what admission was like. To enter one had to give something of value. If that wasn't the most Fae thing that Chise had heard before, she wasn't sure what was.

She had half a mind to turn around and leave, unable to shake the feeling that this just wasn't going to end well but a much larger part of her was curious.

What was this place? Did Elias know about it's existence? Was anyone that she knew here?

A soft sigh escaped her as she came to her design and she reached into the pocket of her jacket to pull out the crystal rose she had created when she first met Angelica. She smooth a thumb over one of the leaves before holding it out, focusing on the clerk again.]

Will this be enough?

[This was such a bad idea.]


[Gamer's Circle]

[This place was definitely a haven for Fae creatures. Chise could feel it in the air when she first approached the gates but now that she was inside? Seeing all of the odd creatures and changed individuals wandering about was definitely all the proof she needed.

The young girl ended up wandering through all the stalls of games, pausing here and there to watch some other patrons try their luck and politely declining whenever one of the attendants tried to get her to play.

She may have willingly come into this circus but she wasn't going to play a game with a Fae creature.

Her wandering brought Chise to a booth that had close to a fifty bottles set out and a basket of rings for people to try their luck at. It was amusing to watch others try and she lingered close, hands tucked behind her back as she watched people try over and over again.

What prize were they even trying to get?]


[Wildcard.]

gamer's circle!

[kingsroads]

[ One of those changed individuals is watching Chise. Out of boredom more than anything else, Strange had been watching Chise go from game to game, not playing anything, but simply looking. How interesting. Most came to the carnival to have fun and actually play the games. But this young woman was just...looking.

So, he's going to bother her because Jonathan Strange can't leave well enough alone. As she looks over the toss the ring over a bottle game, Strange walks up, stopping behind Chise and clearing his throat slightly to announce that he's here. ]

You toss the ring and try to land it around the neck of the bottle. I could show you how it's done, but they've banned me from this one as I'm a terrible cheat.

[ Strange still looks mostly human: a pale Englishman in his thirties. But he's oddly shimmery. His mirrored eyes, wrists, and the gray in his hair reflect the light in a way that's kind of beautiful but also kind of obnoxious: it's fairly sunny out today. ]