⇨ 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

[anti_nonsense]

Wow, uh. You guys have your own theology and everything, huh. [Not exactly Rita's area of interest. But at least it tells her that there's probably no point in trying to figure out their true origins... If it's being treated as the domain of faith and tradition, there's probably no one who knows the gritty technical details -- the kind that Rita likes best.]

What I'm really interested in, though, is how you work. You know, like... what kind of metal are you made of? What powers you? That sort of thing.

[auramatic]

Well, yes. We're a people, just like humans -- or any race in the galaxy.

[ drift is pretty used to humans not being a huge fan of cybertronians so he's being chiller about this exchange than maybe some of his friends would. he puts a hand to his chestplate. ]

We're made of living metal, and we drink energon for fuel -- but we're really powered by our sparks. [ he taps his chestplate. it looks like there used to be something affixed to it, but it's not there anymore. ] They're sort of like...humans have hearts, right? Sort of like that. They're what truly powers us -- if your spark goes out, you die. But it's more than just an organ. It's like...our soul, too.

[ in case it was not already obvious this dude is a Huge Hippie ]

[anti_nonsense]

Sparks... never heard of that before. [Nor is she familiar with living metal, or energon. She cups a hand over her chin, considering it. While she might not be able to apply this knowledge in her current research, it's still very interesting. But rather than dive right into more questions...]

Right... I guess I should introduce myself.

Rita Mordio. I'm a researcher. You got a name?

[auramatic]

I'm pretty sure they're unique to Cybertronians.

[ he's got a little cybertronian pride in there, and he gives her a bright smile. ]

I'm Drift. Rita, huh? What do you research?

[anti_nonsense]

[Drift? Weird name. But then again, she probably shouldn't have expected anything normal-sounding from an alien robot.]

Magic, primarily, but technology is a big part of that. I came here to learn about the magical and technological systems of other worlds.

[Looking at their present surroundings, though... the carnival doesn't exactly look like a place of learning.]

[auramatic]

Magic? [ drift's optics brighten in immediate curiosity. magic isn't really a thing cybertronians believe in, but there is a hell of a lot of mysticism encircling certain aspects of their history and culture, and drift is Into It. ] What do you mean by magic? I mean -- what is it like?

[anti_nonsense]

Well... the nature of magic depends on the system. But generally speaking... magic allows the user to manipulate the elements, to interact with and control powers beyond what our bodies are physically capable of.

As for what it's like, well... [It's easier to show someone than try to explain, so Rita holds up a palm and conjures a ball of fire in the air just above it. It's almost effortless, like it's something she does all the time.] It's kinda like this.

[auramatic]

[ WHOA, HEY. drift looks suitably impressed and fascinated as the little ball of fire just appears in her palm, leaning in to get a closer look almost automatically. ]

That's incredible -- how did you do that?

[anti_nonsense]

This is nothing. [Said proudly. She's actually pretty happy to see someone so impressed by her magic, and she gladly lets him take a closer look.]

This particular spell uses fae magic... [Which might not mean a thing to him, so more specifically..] Magic that comes from faeries, like the one running this place.

[auramatic]

Fairies. Right.

[ a pause. ]

We don't have those on Cybertron. What are they, exactly?

[anti_nonsense]

We don't really have them where I'm from either, but...

[Well... she might as well try to describe them, based on what she's observed here.]

They're magical beings with extraordinary power. They take a lot of forms, most of them humanoid. The majority are cruel and deceptive, but they never lie.

[auramatic]

Deceptive, but they never lie?

[ drift raises a not-eyebrow at that, mostly in bemusement. ]

And...those are the creatures running this place?

[anti_nonsense]

Exactly. You always have to read between the lines, consider what they're not saying... it's annoying.

[Rita scoffs. She's not exactly fond of fae.]

The one running this place isn't malicious like most, but I wouldn't exactly trust her, either.