livinglot | ⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: HEARTSTONE MANOR

Entry tags:

test drive meme

⇨ 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

[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.]

[ 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. ]

[Chise startled though only a slight jerk in her stance, the young girl turning to look at the man that had spoken. Her gaze is immediately drawn to the way he seems to shimmer and his eyes..

He's unlike anything she's ever seen before. What sort of Fae was he?]

Why would you cheat? Are the prizes really worth it?

[It's said out of honest curiosity, Chise looking back at the game with a thoughtful look.]

It doesn't seem worth the price.

I already work here, [ Strange explains, with a little shrug. ] The price is different when you're employed than when you're a visitor.

[ After all, the carnival had moments when they weren't performing. There were quiet times here and there when Strange could cheat at carnival games and be a nuisance to the smoke spirits. Though, he realizes he hasn't answered the first part of her question: Strange smiles an ironic little smile as he continues talking. ]

And I cheat to see if I can. To properly cheat at something like this is harder than expected. I want to challenge myself.

You've already paid the price then? The original price?

[She doesn't turn to look at him, still fixated on the game and the players as well as the spirits running the booth.

His next statement does get a glance though, Chise looking faintly amused at the admission.]

I'm not surprised to hear that. Most Fae are always interested in games.

[Because you are a Fae, aren't you, sir? You sure do feel like one.]

[ He simply nods. ] I had a book on my person when I gained entry. I used that for payment.

[ It's a simple explanation but the payment was just 'something of value.' Strange barely had any books of magic in his Venice exile to begin with, giving up one of them certainly counted as valuable in his mind (and apparently also in the carnival's mind).

Though, Captain Oblivious over here just doesn't get the inference that Chise thinks he's a fae. Instead, he just continues talking and yammering on. ] You'd think that, but I've found that there's an odd amount of them who prefer dancing of all things. After all, I've been to two fae balls in the space of a year.

[So they'd take anything..]

And what if you don't have anything that simple?

[It couldn't always be that easy. None of the Fae back home ever made it that easy.]

Dancing..yes, I guess that's not surprising. Oberon seems like he enjoys music quite a bit. Some of the Ariels liked it, too.

[Chise seems to forget about the game for the time being, far more interested in what this man has to say.]

Fae balls?

You know, balls. Dances, drinks, dresses, that sort of thing. But they're run and hosted by a faerie. One was hosted by my greatest enemy, the second was hosted by a lesser enemy.

[ just said oh so casually as Strange tries to deliberately underplay that whole 'enemies' aspect. Going to dances hosted by people you hate, no need to worry, this is just Strange trying to seem like it's all quite normal.

Though Chise's namedropping has gotten Strange's attention. Completely forgetting about the game as well, he puts all his attention on their conversation: he's 100% more interested in this now. ]

Though, I must ask: you've actually met Oberon?

[ All he knew of Oberon was stories about stories. To talk with someone who's met that faerie...well, it certainly would be interesting. ]

Sounds a bit risky.

[Though fun. Elias would probably go crazy if he found out she even toyed with the idea of attending something like a Fae Ball.

Momentary surprise flickers over Chise's face before she's glancing off to the side, her hands clenching tighter behind her back.]

..Just once. And Queen Titania.

[She had already opened up this line of conversation, she may as well continue it. Hopefully he wasn't...she just hoped he wasn't looking to harm any of the Fae she knew.]

The best things in life usually are, [ says the man who rushes through things without thinking and who's decision making attitude of "#yolo" has already fucked himself and his loved ones over a few times.

Still, there's something more important in Strange's mind than talking about his terrible decisions. He mulls it over for a bit before he asks, ]

Titania and Oberon. What were they like?

[ If there's any intent to harm, it's certainly not in Strange's tone. He's asking the question with pure curiosity and unbridled wonder on his face. He legitimately wants to know. ]

[Chise focuses on the man again, studying him before she answers. She can tell he's just genuinely interested, that much is coming across in his tone now..]

...Titania was very kind, in her own way. The air around her was..it was unlike anything I'd ever felt before. [A pause before she gets a rather dry look on her face.] Oberon was very pushy. And a little..annoying.

[Okay more than a little annoying but she's trying to be on her best behavior right now.]

[ Strange is listening intently, as if Chise's going to reveal the secrets of faeriekind to him. What he gets...well, kind and annoying isn't much to go on but alright, he can work with this somehow. It's hard to describe the entirety of a person to someone anyway, it must be harder to describe the entirety of a fae. ]

You must be quite the accomplished magician if they deigned you with an audience in the first place. [ or lucky as shit. Either/or, though Strange is hoping for the former. ] I've a feeling those two won't show up for just anyone.

[Sorry, Strange, she means exactly what she said. Oberon had been extremely obnoxious.]

Not really. My mentor is the accomplished one. I was unconscious at the time.

[Overuse of power and all.

Her being a Sleigh Beggy had everything to do with it, though, she's just not going into details about it.]

They came to see me since they heard he had taken an apprentice finally.

[ She might not be an accomplished magician but if Chise is the apprentice to an accomplished magician then that means she's a magician herself as well. As such, Strange's expression just lights up as she mentions the phrase 'taken an apprentice.'

There's plenty of people in the carnival who are magic, but every time someone new shows up, he can't help but get excited. New forms of magic to talk about with and to explore! How cool is that? ]

Obviously you don't want to play the games. However, if you do not mind, I'd love to learn more about your magic, your mentor, and yourself. Perhaps over a cup of tea?

[No, she really wasn't interested in the games. His suggestion does, however, get a hesitant look from her--one that's definitely mixed with curiosity but she's gotten much better about actually look out for herself these days as well.]

This isn't some sort of trick, is it?

[He was connected to this carnival so it seemed like a fair question to ask.]

If I accept, will I have to stay?

[ Strange...just looks blankly at Chise for a moment. Would she have to stay? For tea, certainly, but he's got a feeling that's not what she's talking about. And as for that first question... ]

Why would you think this is a trick?

[Chise's expression was neutral, blank even as she watched him and his reaction.

Unexpected but a good unexpected.]

I've had Fae try to lure me away before. They tried to take me into their world.

[She shrugs.]

I'd rather not be stuck someplace I didn't want to be, if that's what you're trying to do.

[ There's a pause...and then finally, Strange connects the dots. ]

You think—well it seems there might have been a misunderstanding! I'm not Fae.

[ Says the man that's about a third of the way to being a walking disco ball. He might not be fae but he sure is something. ]

...You aren't human.

[No offense, sir, but look at you. There's no way you're a normal human being. Chise has met some strange individuals before but humans generally always look human.]

If you aren't fae and you aren't human, what are you?

But I am human. Just one who's been changed by the magic of faerie. Some call us changelings.

[ What Strange calls them...well, he's still figuring out that part. ]

[She's not entirely convinced but he does seem nice enough..and he did act more human than most fae.]

Alright.

[She'll take it.

A smile appears as she takes a half step closer to him.]

Tea then?

Tea then, [ Strange repeats, giving Chise a smile of his own. ] If you'll follow me...

[ And then a moment or so later, he starts to walk towards an area further away from the main carnival walkway. There are individual trailers in the distance: Strange's final destination. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME: HEARTSTONE MANOR

Chise Hatori | The Ancient Magus Bride | New Arrival

gamer's circle!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

Please pardon my slow @_@

no worries! <3

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject