livinglot | ⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: HEARTSTONE MANOR

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!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Servants? [ Definitely not spirits then and while he has seen some take on elemental affinities, he would not label them as constructs. That begs the question though-- ]

Is that why they have brought us here? Made their realm approachable?

[Is it...? The truth is that Rita doesn't understand at all why the Ringmaster runs this whole stupid carnival in the first place.]

Well... partly, I guess. The Ringmaster -- that's the fae in charge here -- opens this place up to visitors on a pretty regular basis. It's possible to come here, take in the entertainment, and leave... but that's not how it goes for everyone.

Some people end up employed by the Ringmaster instead, either because they came into debt while visiting, or because they made an agreement with her.

[ Ringmaster, what an appropriate alias given the setting. He seems to be focusing on a point in the distance as if studying it while he listens before nodding. ]

I feel as if I was brought here for a purpose. I suppose I will not learn it until I meet this Ringmaster then. [ With any luck, fae were similar to the spirits he knew. Meeting the Ringmaster would come later when he had a chance to wander more of this place and learn of it. ] Thank you for stopping to aid a hapless wanderer.

[A purpose? All right, weirdo. Rita's not going to stop him... actually no wait, she might stop him briefly.]

Wait. What's your deal? You sure seem familiar with spirits.

[It's rare to see someone talk about them in such a concrete way, like he's seen and interacted with them plenty of times before.]

[ Weirdo doesn't even begin to describe this egg-shaped disaster. ]

I am an expert in the Fade, a realm of spirits and magic. [ Though it may do him absolutely no good here. He shakes his head. ] Fae and their magic, however, are new for me.

An expert? So you’re a researcher? [He doesn’t exactly look the part... though some would say the same of Rita, for her age alone.]

Spirits and spirit magic happen to be a field of interest to me. If you end up staying here a while, I... want to hear about what you know. [There’s a slight hint of hesitation, like she’s not used to politely asking favors. Normally, Rita just bosses people into doing what she wants, but this topic is a particularly important one to her.]

Researcher and practitioner, [ he answers. He's no stranger to magic or spirits, having interacted greatly with both.

Her request has him paying more attention to her. He can't place her accent or choice of attire with any kingdom or country he knows of. How much does she know already? ] Are both common where you are from?

[So it's true. Looks like this weirdo really does have the sort of knowledge that could be valuable to Rita's research...]

No. But they will be. That's why I need to know more about them.

[ That was an answer he wasn't expecting. ]

Will be? May I ask how you know this? [ Not that his tone implies he actually wants permission for such a thing. This sounded oddly similar to what he was seeking to do in his own way. ]

Because I intend to bring a massive number of spirits into the world.

[Rita doesn't see any need to be evasive about her answer. She's talking about dramatically changing the world, but she says it with an almost casual bluntness, both because she's confident that she can do it, and because she believes it's the best thing to do.]

[ Rita may have found the one person who finds this #relatable. He has his own dramatic changes he was to enact back home which heavily involve spirits.

Which has him wondering. Was she from some country he never heard of before or another reality entirely? The fact that this Carnival exists, that he's walking among a strange type of magic opens up far more possibilities than he cares for. ]

A goal many may fight against, [ he says evenly. ] Do you hail from Thedas?

[From his tone, it's hard to tell what he thinks of that plan. But it probably doesn't matter... It's happening, no matter what anyone thinks.]

No. Never heard of it, actually. I'm from a world called Terca Lumireis.

[ No, nowhere he's heard of. They were starting off on equal footing in that regard, at least. ]

If you are willing to share more of your world's magic and spirits then I would be willing to do the same. [ Since hers seemed to have both in a similar way to Thedas. It could yield possibilities he had not yet imagined for his own plans. ]

Sounds like a fair exchange. [In fact, Rita would love to ramble on for hours about how magic in her world works and everything she's learned about spirits.]

Name's Rita Mordio, by the way. You can find me working backstage during performances, usually.

Solas, [ he says in turn. A simple traveling elf. ]

I am unsure yet as to where I will be in this carnival, but I will seek you out once I am settled.

[ Because he's already made his decision. It was simply a matter of signing the contact. ]

[There's a flicker of surprise, and perhaps recognition, when he gives his name. Solas... an expert on spirits. It checks out.]

[Rita considers saying something, but... nah. All this means is that he's got a glowing recommendation from Cole, who can vouch that he knows what he's talking about.]

Right... I'll see you around, Solas.

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: HEARTSTONE MANOR

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