livinglot | ⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

WELCOME TO THE SHOW!↴

Or, more specifically, Lost Carnival's first 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 open October 5th at 12:01AM EST.
Applications open October 7th at 12:01AM EST.
You can apply as a newcomer or as a "veteran" character who has been in the carnival for up to three years.
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.
Supervisor applications will start being processed a few days after apps open, and will be selected on a competitive basis. If you want a supervisor position, it is best to submit your application as close to the beginning of the application cycle as possible. If you don't get chosen for your desired supervisor position, you will be given time to rework your application to be a regular veteran, or to apply for a supervisor position that is not yet taken.
Lost Carnival could use some additional moderation assistance! If you are interested, please let us know here.

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.

► 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.

► 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?

► 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?

► 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!

Threaded | Flat

Trying to Leaf (for newbies)

[So you're trying to leave- whether this being your first attempt or maybe you're starting your first dozen. Frustrating. While you stare at the dark forest stretching out around the carnival, a thick British voice suddenly drawls off from the side.]

Oi, ya seem a tad bit confused over there. Need a hand?

[Joker would be eye catching on his own, being a redhead and dressed in a flashy circus appropriate suit where the right sleeve is flapping empty, but he's been in the carnival for a couple years now. The wooden antlers, wooden and mildly clawed left hand, and large magpie wings folded along his back draw attention themselves. Still, his smile is amiable enough.]

Will O' Wisps (for Veterans)

[As a supervisor, Joker is taking a personal approach to the whole thing, and is thus approaching the other workers himself with a casual yell.]

Hey! Have ya heard about what the Ringleader needs from us today? The wisps and all that?

Joker's Wild
[That is to say, wildcard. I'm game for whatever.]

Edited 2016-09-30 17:37 (UTC)

Gamer's Circle

Pidge was still a little unsure about just how exactly she'd arrived here, but it seemed like kind of a nice place, really. A little eerie, but it was a nice distraction from, well, everything. She paused, peering at the strange, rickety carnival games. Of all the planets (well, all two of them) she'd been to off of Earth, this one seemed the most familiar somehow. Maybe it was just the ay this reminded her of places she'd been back home.

She paused at one of the booths with the water guns and smiled a little to herself before stepping up to give it a try. Squinting down the barrel, she squeezed the button that activated the water gun and doggedly tried to keep the stream on target.

"C'monnnn--! Darn it!" She'd just failed to earn a prize on her first try. Digging in, she set to it again, entirely focused on trying to earn herself some sort of memento.

Trying to leaf

Okay, the carnival had been fun and all, but it was time to get back to the lion and try to figure out where the rest of the paladins had been scattered to. Pidge had hiked gamely back the way she had come, moving between tall, alien trees that glowed with inner light and weaving amongst the underbrush. She had to be close by now, right? She remembered being close. Breaking free of the trees, she came to a stunned stop as the carnival sprawled out in front of her.

"What? But..." She turned around to gaze back at the trees, frowning.

"...I just came from here."

Edited 2016-09-30 17:52 (UTC)

Hard at Work: the Medical Tent

[The medical tent is not what anyone would expect on first entering it. No bandages, sterile instruments, medicines, or scrubs feature in this warm, comfortable environment -- the tent is full of herbs and plants on racks and ropes, shelves of spices and grains and fruits, and multiple cauldrons of various sizes all sitting in a row.]

[The cloak that drifts above the floor looks like it might just be hanging there -- until it turns, revealing those hooves beneath it to be quite attached. Two flat yellow eyes peer out from beneath it, over a muzzle that shines with the same sort of violet iridescence that white appears to glow with beneath black light.]

[The voice, however, is solid and warm.]

Come closer and let me see
The ailment that brings you to me.

Break time!

[A heavily bejeweled zebra sits, or rather, lies on a bench not far from the main drag, licking her lips as she appraises the funnel cake in front of her.]

[Should zebras eat funnel cakes? Moreover, is this okay in general? Maybe this zebra is an escapee from the circus and needs to be hurriedly put back in her pen.]

[On the other hand, where DID she get that funnel cake anyway?]

admission fee
[ "Anything of value" is very ambiguous and doesn't sound like what you usually get asked to pay, he's pretty sure. ]

Isn't the fee usually a set amount of money...? Uh--I do have some money though if you accept yen...?

[ Apparently they do, so he has to fish out his wallet from one of his pockets--whichever pocket it now was in--and in the process of looking for it in the pockets of his doctor's coat he makes some other items spill out as well, like a couple pieces of dagashi, a flat black card with a display, a calculator, a penlight, batteries, plastic-wrapped bandages, and a box of various childish but cute bandaids. At least he found his wallet though? It's decorated with Pac-Mans and Ghosts. It has flipped open on the ground to show a business card in the front flap, reading Doctor Igarashi Kanata, Gokurakuen, 0090-5064-5555. ]

Shi--sorry, just a moment--

[ So he has to crouch down to pick those things up. He didn't mean to hold up the line... ]

mirror maze

I know the ship blew up, how do you even know that!?

[ How very productive, to shout at his own distorted reflection. He has not even registered that it's not a digital rendering or something like that. ]

trying to leaf
[ For some reason he didn't even realize it when he first came through. Maybe because his attention was entirely caught by the sight of the carnival lights, when the door he opened should have lead to the room he was staying temporarily in until Gokurakuen could get a new base, ship or otherwise.

But now that he's at the forest again, he's not trying to go through. Not yet. Because he stares in amazement at the trees, as if he's never seen trees before. ]

Amazing! Are they real? [ He carefully touches one, as if he's expecting it to attack him the moment he touches it, or something. ] Amazing!

wildcard
[ Open for anything you might have. ]

Admission Fees

[The Pandaren's face is scrunched up in thought. It isn't as if her species doesn't love a good haggling session anyway--it's almost like food to them, although food will always, always come first.

She's come down to a firm decision; either a cask of brew, or her dumpling recipe, but it's the former that Jou Shan seems more willing to give up. After all, both are from a long, prestigious line, full of Pandaren tradition--there's a reason why her family's name is 'Aleflower', after all...]

I promise you, either way you are getting a good deal, here!

Trying to leaf

[Although the Broken Isles are known for their odd fauna, as well--from the gloomy trees of Stormheim, to the crimson-and-black nightmare corruption of Val'sharah, Jou thought she was aware of all the strange permutations of their greenery. Now, she's not so sure...]

I could have sworn I just came from that direction. But that does not look like Suramar...

ADMISSION
"Uh... is this gonna cover two tickets?" Greg fishes out a twenty. "Iiiiii guess you guys do a lot of travel, gotta keep it broad for that exchange rate, huh?" He shoots the clerk a grin, even though this place is already starting to give him the spooks. The look of the place goes way past aesthetic, he can tell that much, but it seems like a fun time. So long as he survives the deadeyed stare of the clerk.

Clearing his throat, he digs into his pockets again. "Oh, we'll need game tickets too, huh. You accept pocket lint? ...B-bad joke, sorry, no, I'm good for it, seriously. Keep the change. If there's change. Does the whole place run on this system?"

GAMER'S CIRCLE

"Allllright, I got a mouth full of corndog and a pocket full of tickets!"

Everything feels a little less scary after eating a bunch of fried food. Well, until later. For now, Greg's feeling revitalized in the face of spookiness, and sizing up the balloon dart throw. He's spent enough time around Funland to know he's about to lose more than he'll win, but that's half the fun, right?

Admission fees

Standing at the gate and possibly holding the line up is a confused looking woman in a simple red dress. The clerk is somewhere between amusement and annoyance as they try to explain to her that she needs to pay before she can enter.

C'mon, lady, don't you have any money?

"Money...?" The woman tilts her head ever so slightly, trying the word out on her tongue. "Oh, dear... I'm afraid I don't know what that is."

A mischievous grin flickers on the clerk's face. Someone help this poor lady before she gets taken advantage of?

Mirror maze

This is supposed to be fun? This isn't fun.

Hinawa has been stumbling around in the dark for... well, she's not certain how long it's been anymore. She's taken to walking with her hands out in front of her lest she run into a mirrored wall. She swears she's heard voices from just around the next corner, but when she finally gets there, no one's there. What's worse, is that she's starting to think she's seeing things, too. Is it her imagination, or did her reflection just wink at her?

She's almost glad the boys aren't here. Claus would have run off and gotten lost on his own by now, and poor Lucas would be frightened out of his mind!

Something seems to dash by her, just out of sight,, and she wheels around to see, yet again, that there's no one there.

"Hello?" She calls out in her best stern mom voice. "If you're trying to play a trick on me, I'm afraid to say it's not very funny!"

Well, that settles it. She's had enough of this place! Once she finds her way out, she's going home!... If she can find her way out.

Option A: The Cookhouse

[The first thing Tamaki does upon wandering into a mysterious carnival (and dropping some yen at the entrance) is follow his nose toward the food. He likes food, after all, and he hasn't eaten since he unceremoniously stormed out after rehearsal and ended up here.

The menu is huge and strange, with lots of options Tamaki has never heard of, but his eyes are instantly drawn to the desserts. There's something called a "funnel cake" mentioned, and while he doesn't know about funnels, he does know about cake, so he decides to order that.

The actual funnel cake looks nothing like a cake he's ever seen before, and he pokes it curiously with a fork. When the cake does nothing threatening, he decides to take a bite.]

...AH! Sho good!!

[Cue a teenage boy tearing into the funnel cake like he hasn't eaten in weeks. Powdered sugar is flying everywhere. It's a disaster zone.]

Option B: Gamer's Circle

[Now having eaten his fill of funnel cake (and a salty pretzel to offset all the sweetness), he's wandered into the Gamer's Circle. He loves games, and he would really like to try throwing a ball at milk bottles to win a cat plushie, but there's one small problem: he spent all the money he had on him getting in. Doesn't he need to pay for games?

So he approaches your character unceremoniously: a six-foot guy in a hoodie that has cat ears, and who speaks pretty brusquely.]

Oi. If I stand on my hands, will you give me some money?

Option A: Front Entrance

[Rei doesn't remember seeing anything about any sort of carnival coming to town, so he is immediately suspicious when he accidentally stumbles on this one. Does it even have a permit to be here?

Out of curiosity, he wanders up to the admission booth, looking for prices. The clerk informs him he needs "anything of value."]

Something of value? What does that mean? Can't you just give me a price?

["Anything of value," repeats the clerk, and Rei grows frustrated, his voice raising in volume, startling passersby.]

Can you be a little more specific, please?

Option B: Trying to Leaf

[Okay, forget the weird carnival - it's a school night, anyway, and his parents don't know he's here.

He tries walking back into the forest he came from, but as he walks, he finds himself increasingly lost. He's starting to get rather frightened, but then he sees lights ahead.

Running forward in relief to be home, he finds himself... back at the carnival?]

...What!? How!?

[He looks around for someone, anyone, who looks like they can help.]

Uh, excuse me, but... do you know how to get back to Iwatobi from here?

On the Job: Food Deliveries

[No one, NO ONE goes, hungry in this carnival.]

[The man, or rather demon, who sees to that is one Champloo -- who appears out of nowhere when the need is great, drops down an exquisitely-cooked dish that tantalizes the senses, and disappears just as swiftly.]

[...Except when he hangs out to chat, as he often does when a fellow performer is in need. So if he's noticed you have a problem to handle or something weighing on your mind, he sticks around with a patient but expectant look.]

CW: Kadin is a naga, and the following prompts involve animal death and uh...vore I guess. Kadin is mostly snake and he's hungry and he eats things is the point.

Newbie: Petting Zoo

[Kadin is not in a good place, mentally, emotionally or physically when he arrives at the carnival. A month wandering aimlessly through a desert filled to the brim with chaotic magic fallout will do that to a person, (or a half-person anyway). He's used to fasting for long periods of time, but a month, especially a month filled with a lot of physically taxing travel, is pushing it even for him. Not to mention the last time he had more than a mouthful of water at a time was weeks ago. So when the sandstorm gives way to a forest, and he emerges from that forest to find a carnival, he doesn't question it. He just slithers up and over the fencing surround the festivities and makes a beeline for the first source of water he sees.

It happens to be a water trough in a petting zoo. He dunks his head in without a second thought and drinks, coming up a moment later sputtering but relieved this was not just another illusion. It's then that he takes a second look around him, no longer as delirious with thirst, he's actually absorbing some of the sights this time. The place is loud and garish and bright and-

Wait there are goats here. Goats and rabbits and chickens and quite a few things he doesn't recognize. His stomach, (all twenty feet of it) growls. He looks around nervously. There are people nearby but nobody has seemed to have noticed him yet. Maybe if he just....makes this quick...

Nervously keeping an eye on the crowd moving by a few dozen feet away he reaches out to the biggest of the goats, patting it gently, then circling his arms around it in a sort of hug. Then the coils of his tail rush forward as his human half holds the animal in place and wrap around it. The animals are making noise now, bleating and clucking and crying out in alarm, but Kadin ignores them, too hungry to care. His tail squeezes around the goat whose protests are becoming weaker and weaker.]

Veteran: Working/Break Time

[Kadin is not in love with his new job. It's certainly a punishment that fits the crime however so he feels he can't protest. But it's only his third day and he's already something of a nervous wreck thanks to his 'act'. There's nothing he can do about it though, and so reluctantly he follows the cue of the stage manager and enters the big top where a goat is waiting for him in a spotlight.

Again he catches and kills the goat, and then he gets to work on eating it. Watching a snake unhinge its jaw is a spectacle all on its own, but watching a naga effectively unhinge his entire human half to allow him to swallow a goat is on a whole other level of freaky. His chest stretches, his collarbone and ribs drift away from one another, the tight sinew that holds them together loosening incrementally. His abdominal muscles, (human and reptile alike) undulate in strong rippling motions and the goat disappears inch by inch. There's gasps of mixed horror and delight from the audience and honestly Kadin just really wishes he could eat faster.

Once his act is done he slinks backstage again, is handed his usual purging potion, and told his next act goes on in about 4 hours time. Head down, posture reeking of dejection, Kadin nods and then exits the tent, looking for an unused food cart or maybe an out of order game booth to curl up under until the potion does its work.]

Mirror Maze:

[If one was to ask how easily does an Draenei get lost the answer would at the moment be easily. Valamia is amidst the maze and took the challenge figuring it would suffice for a distraction. If she could have figured the layout maybe she could use it as a hide-away.

Too badly she's lost and now she's fairly sure one of her reflections just stuck her tongue out at her. Her nose wrinkles at the reflection and she takes a few steps backwards. Right into another mirror.]

For the love of-. Who possibly enjoys these things?! [Cue one flustered Valamia.]

Trying to leaf:

[Nature. She can do nature. Valamia has spent far too many centuries to be outwitted by trees. Glowing trees? Seen it. There was absolutely no way she was going to get lost this time! She was going to find a hiding spot where she could plan out what to do in peace.

Until she realizes that she's passed a tree that had a rune carved in it for the fifth time. She might have dismissed it except for the fact she remembers putting that rune there in what she thought was a few short minutes ago.]

I should have known better than to trust a carnival. [a sigh] At least there's no wolves.

On the Job: Rehearsal

[No surprise, she's the put-on-a-show kinda girl anyway, but that's not always easy when she's sitting behind a drum set. But you know what they say about drummers--that they're all crazy, right?

Maybe a little. Still, for the moment, Nessa's got her eyes on the 'real' performer--the beast tamer who's trying to get Leo the Lion to perform his proper trick, doing the drum roll just so--and wow the sudden silence makes that whip crack all the more sharp, doesn't it?]

Near Center Stage, not performing

[For the most part, work at the moment is Over, so Nessa is chilling. And maybe doing a little juggling of her drumsticks, because nobody needs her right now. And hey, it makes the kids look this way. Attention-getting is always good, right? On occasion, she'll shoot a glance towards the roaming food sellers, or in the direction of the cookhouse, clearly considering a snack.]

GAMER'S CIRCLE

[Somewhere, in the midst of all the booths, a plump figure in a powdered wig and clothing a few centuries out of date is standing with a look of pure awe on its face.]

"... ooh! This is so very exciting! Which one should I -- ah! Is that a toy banana with a silly wig? How whimsical!"

[He is simply overwhelmed about which way to go, his hands clasped in front of him as his wide eyes take in all the bright lights and crazy sounds. It's quite clear he's never seen anything quite like it, but he is certainly enjoying himself.]

Edited 2016-09-30 20:20 (UTC)

[[OOC - A visual reference can be found here!]]

[DO YOUR...WISP WORK!]

[Carly has been working with the carnival for a long time. A very long time, or at least next to a lot of the others there now. The war with the vampires left quite a mark on everyone to say the least, and while Carly's done her best to go back to being bubbly about it, it's very strange to find the number of older recruits cut like this.

She has plenty of time to fall back on those thoughts too-as a scout, her job involves going ahead of the carnival to check new venues out, so in the early weeks of the current show? There's not much to do.]

AAaaaaAAAHHH-! No!! Get back here-!!

[Which just means she needs to find new ways to distract herself. And in that case, it means helping with those will-o-wisps. She was asked, after all! Strange energy sapping fire seems to be pretty useful in catching these guys, but ever since she received the warning that so much as touching them could leave some kind of...'side effect', the strange bird-like girl has been floundering and falling all over herself just trying to pin so much as one.

And oh-p!] L-Look out..!!

[Now this wisp is heading for you!]

[Take a Break]

[If there's one thing that makes a day of wisp-hunting worthwhile, it's a nice big drink; and despite there not being any orange coloured straws around, somehow it seems Carly is drinking her fountain drink with one right that moment!

...~~Or maybe that's not...~~

Those with a keen eye might notice more, however-specifically, they might notice the shadow at her feet.

Moving.] Hmnnn...i' wath ha-b a fir'fth, buh A' fin' we dib weery weh-uh, Affwah...!

[Especially after that messy attempt at talking with a 'straw' in her mouth.]

More or less... [The shadow mutters.] Better than your drink is going now, certainly.

B-UH! [It's a miracle she doesn't drop the drink right there, really-especially with the yelp that comes as she unintentionally drags her tongue out against the sharp plastic corners of the straw-hole.] OW-!!!

[RIDDLE ME THIS!]

I'm not helping with this.

[Carly is used to arguing with her shadow, these days. Especially over things the shadow considers...'trivial', such as this. The chest is small, and the instructions are right there, but for the moment Carly merely groans.] Awwwwwwww...why not..? We could share what's inside!~

It could be something fun, or cute, or-

I have better things to see the future of!

[Oof. To that, the girl merely snorts, chuckling teasingly.] You just say that because it might be something you don't like..~

Th- That's hardly the reason at all!! [Nail on the head, and anyone interested in the chest themselves is going to be treated to a snickering bird-girl and an irritated shadow.

Maybe they should claim that chest for themselves, instead.]

ADMISSION FEES

[She really had no where else to go to be honest, it was either deal with the outside world beyond the lab. (In which some clearly wanted to kill her, despite the the risk of being poisoned by some of the metals used to create her.) Or go through that portal that appeared just in time as soon as she escaped from the lab.

She went through the portal, not even caring who it came from. Secretly NONA1 wished and hoped that one of her family has out there. After passing through the forest full of plant life she had never seen before in any book, be it human or faerie, she was near the gate of what looked like a human carnival.

She's young but her senses are acute. This place is crawling with fae magic. But the magic is not of her own kind. Still she walks up to the gate while the the gatekeeper scrutinizes her.]

I am the Subject NONA1 of Project Silvergaze, what do you require from me?

[The Gatekeeper points at her necklace, a gift of a glowing gem magic gem given to her by her creators. She holds it in shock once the Gatekeeper asks for it. It's a shock to her.]

The subject does not understand your request, please inquire for something else.

[She couldn't bear the thought of losing this. She however has plenty of precious metal on her person, golden jewelry used to decorate her body from hoops and studs that adorn her ears, the delicate rings and bangles on her fingers and wrists and arms, to the septum piercing with adorns her nose. The gatekeeper requests this.]

That is acceptable.

TRYING TO LEAF

[There's a small, lithe woman wandering about the woods. As for the reason, it's both out of pure curiosity for the plant-life. Plants whose fruit that glow like the lightberries that grew outside the lab her creators would give her. Flowers the color of the setting sun that glow like human candles. Out of the pure curiousity, she may try to reach out for one of them, wishing to hold these plants in her hands, feel their magic and try to understand their origin.]

WILDCARD

[OOC: Have another thing for NONA1 to get into? Tell me and perhaps we can plot something together.]

ADMISSION FEES

_{[Bonnie was, without a doubt, lost. Maybe she shouldn't have wandered off so far chasing Dedenne, who had decided he had smelled something tasty and the urge to stuff his face overpowered any restraint the little mouse-like creature might've had. Thankfully Bonnie had managed to find him, pocketing him back into her little side bag, but one solved problem had lead to another, much bigger one - her brother was nowhere to be found. Yelling for him did nothing and trying to retrace her steps meant becoming even more disorientated. After a bit of crying and wiping her eyes, she'd hushed herself to hear the faint sounds of music and lights peeking through the foliage of the forest. Curious, she drew toward the spectacle until finally, emerging out of the woods, she was face to face with a carnival.

Any fears she'd had were put on hold for a moment, the task of finding her brother set aside. A carnival! Sure this was no Pokemon Center (which would've been admittedly more helpful) this was definitely a far more fun discovery.]}

Dedenne, Dedenne look! Wow! It's amazing!

_{[The little creature squeaked its name in reply, equally ecstatic, albeit a bit more reserved than her. It doesn't take long for Bonnie to saunter up to the admission entrance, only to be stopped and asked for payment. ]}

Huh? But I don't have anything...! My brother's the one who has all the money...

_{[Brother. Right. She had been looking for him, hadn't she? What if she never found him again? Tears start to prick at the edges of her eyes once more...no! She can't start crying now! Not again!]}

BIG TOP TENT

_{[Curiosity killed the cat, or at the very least has gotten many children in trouble. Bonnie's one of those kids. As soon as she spots the giant tent she's fixated on getting inside. When she does she can't help but let out a gasp, eyes bulging at just how big it is inside. For now it's empty and so is the stage, which calls to her. Eagerly she makes her way down toward it, clambering up until she's standing front and center, Dedenne in her hair as she spins around for a whole 360 degree view. In fact she spins so much she finds herself toppling over, landing on her backside with a laugh.]}

Ahh...! This is how Serena must feel, huh Dedenne? When she's up here performing. It's amazing! I wonder if we could perform too? What do you think?

WILD CARD

_{[Any ideas throw them my way! Bonnie's a curious kid and so she's easily drawn to interesting things, or if you want Dedenne to try and steal something yummy your character's eating then there's that option too.]}

Edited 2016-09-30 22:36 (UTC)

do your work.

[Gilgamesh, going about business as usual, has run into a problem: they're drastically low on inventory. Treasure, to be more precise, and as someone laboring directly beneath the treasurer, this was a problem he was meant to fix. Now, being a bit of a trickster, Gilgamesh does not take the standard route of remedying said problem.

Instead, he calls out to the nearest passerby, gesturing them over and instructing them point blank:]

You. Play a game with me. Ante up your finest possessions.

[Whether or not you do so, he's clearly expecting some wager from you... and it doesn't look like you're wriggling out of a round or two with one of the carnival's slimiest denizens.]

will o' wisps.

[One would think, given that Gilgamesh was more dragon than man, that he enjoyed a particular resistance to ice or flame. Unfortunately for himself and everyone around him, this was not the case. Gilgamesh has spent the past several hours chasing the wisps to no avail, and due to his extended exposure... well...]

Heheheheh...

[He's a little loopy. Or a lot loopy, depending on your perspective. Comfortably drunk meant Gilgamesh was quite comfortable hitting on anyone and everyone in the nearest vicinity, including you. You know, just in case that catty wink and beckoning wag of a finger wasn't indication enough.]

What's the rush, then? Rest your feet for a while, friend.

[The condescending way his lip curls suggests Gilgamesh has not considered anyone a "friend" for a very, very long time.]

I promise you, the wisps can wait. Why not indulge in some fun with me?

[Just what kind of "fun" he's referring to seems to explain itself.]

riddle game.

[Gilgamesh adored riddles. In fact, it wouldn't be unfair to say he was exceptional at them. He's already claimed his own prize for the day, so instead he's lurking around watching others give it a go. Eventually, he's lurking around you, perched just above the chest in question with a grin on his face.]

Are you in need of help, little one?

[Gilgamesh's help often came at a price. Maybe it would be best to ignore him here... if that's even possible.]

wildcard.

[Hit me up with whatever you've got! We'll roll with it together.]

(( Introducing Gilgamesh from Fate/! He's a nasty fellow, so be advised he may do nasty things if you tag him. A rough draft of his carnival history and contract info can be found here, and I've got some reference sketches for his general appearance. Feel free to PM with any questions! ))

1. Admission Fees.

Sam is having a really, really bad day. Not just a normal bad day either, this is a cursed bad day, literally. He'd had the cursed rabbit's foot stolen from him, his previously preternatural good luck from it turned on its head and so far he's spilled hot coffee on himself, accidentally knocked someone unconscious, tripped over his own feet, lost his shoe... Look, it's just been a Bad Day. Getting transported to an unknown world by walking through a door is just another thing to add to that list. And Dean had been right behind him, too. And now he's not.

He's found himself at the front gate of a carnival, being asked for something in exchange for admission. He could turn around maybe and walk through the woods but he's trying to calculate which would be less potentially dangerous with his bad luck, that route or going through the carnival to ask questions and see how he got here and if there's a way back.

In the end, he chooses on asking questions because if this is where he ended up, this is likely the place to get the answers. He pulls his wallet out of his pocket and hands over a five dollar bill. He's probably got more money in there, for anyone lingering around hoping for a way in. Sam's the kind of guy who might pay for them.

2. Gamer's Circle.

If no one stops him, he'll head in on his own, confusion on his features as he looks around and just sees... not people working the booths, but things that are inhuman, shaped like people but barely there, like they're made from smoke. Guess there's only one way to see if they'll be able to tell him anything, though if Sam had thought this was all supernatural before, there's no question about it now. Nothing natural about them.

He heads up to one of the booths, doesn't even really examine which one it is, doesn't think it matters.

"I'm not looking to play, thanks, but I got transported here somehow," wherever here is, "and I really need to get back to where I was. Any way you could tell me how to do that?" He's asking this either to the not-quite-a-person manning the thing or someone else who happens to be there. He'd prefer to talk to someone more solid looking if given the chance.

3. Mirror Maze.

This hadn't been the most brilliant idea, but Sam had been running out of options and still needed answers. The last thing he had expected when walking into this place though was his reflections to be speaking to him, taunting him about a love that died in a fire, about how he shouldn't be alive and he's supposed to be dead, about how his brother sold his soul to bring him back and will go to Hell in less than a year's time and now Sam is stuck here, unable to even spend the remaining time with him. They mention demons and Sam being chosen to lead an army.

Honestly, Sam's getting angry. Not only does he have to listen to this shit, anyone else around him gets to hear it too. Like Sam wants his mess of a life broadcasted to total strangers. He's not going to acknowledge the reflections with words, his jaw set instead as he tries to find a way back out of here.

[ ooc: prose or brackets, either is fine! for those who are canon-familiar, sam's canon point here is 3x03 "bad day at black rock" - though I'm sort of assuming the curse doesn't him here (since the rabbit's foot eventually gets destroyed and people from anytime or anyplace can show up here, I figure that makes sense) so he's no longer prone to accidentally setting himself on fire or anything. ]

DO YOUR WORK

[It's been two years since he agreed to come to the Carnival. He started as a mere janitor at first, but after requesting it for the longest. He's begun his training with the acrobats and contortionists. The training was nearly hellish even with his prior experiences in the ballet, his muscles ached, his bones cracked, and it was just rigorous.

But he's used to rigor. It creates good work, a good performance. He hangs from a cloth in a glowing light suspended in the air spinning with his partner holding him, they makes it look effortless together.

The crowd is amazed.]

BREAK TIME/RIDDLE GAME

[Oscar can usually be found near his trailer on his own dressed a dark hoodie of some sort with headphones on. Even after two years, the boy is still sort of shy and doesn't really talk to many people during break time unless they need him.

This time however, he's busy running about the carnival, looking for a chest. Will you help him or hinder him?]

WILDCARD

[OOC: Got anything else in mind for him? Hit me up and we could plot something!]

i. Gamer's Circle
[ All right, the game plan was simple enough to follow: stay at the carnival, do his job and wait for the Ringmaster to do good on her word to send him back. Or maybe punch someone until it worked, whichever came first. But for now, he's going with the former, and his job almost seems like it was tailored to him: running a mildly rigged mini basketball booth, where the unsuspecting victim is supposed to make the basket thrice in a row.

The rig? Probably Aomine himself. It's not quite a one-on-one, and he's not really allowed to stand from his seat to get in the way, but given his height and skill, all it takes is a lift of his arm. Not that he's giving out any warnings, of course. ]

Hey, you. [ Comes his bored calling, followed by a ball tossed in the nearest passerby's direction. ] Up for a game? You can win a prize if you're good.

ii. Trying to leaf
[ What does one do when lost in a forest filled to the brim with big, weirdass trees? Clearly the answer is to climb said weirdass trees-- or at least that's how it goes for someone with feline instincts. And unlike an actual cat, Aomine won't be easily distracted by shiny glowing fruits or trapped up there waiting for rescue.

Alas, even from his vantage point, there's nothing but green and carnival lights in sight. And, as someone who gets easily 1. bored and 2. pissed off at about the same rate, he's quick to leap off the branch he had been perching himself on.

And if anyone happens to be wandering around his neck of the woods just as a 192cm tall human cat leaps down from the shadows, well. He can only hope they weren't too... startled. ]

iii. Wild card
[ Choose your own scenario!]

DO YOUR WORK I

[Koel is often busy. When she's not at the cookhouse supervising the meals for the workers, she's out checking on the refreshment booths. Every hour she does a round, making sure everything is up to snuff. That the fryers are the right temperature, there's enough supply, the drinks are full, and so on. If she sees there aren't, the little grandmother walks away and returns a little while later, boxes hoisted on her shoulder like a purse.]

You know, you should tell me next time, before I have to see that you're running low on supplies.

[Her voice is firm, in a tone implying, don't do it again.]

DO YOUR WORK II

[You might be new. You might be old. Either way, you're in the cookhouse, and it looks like you could use some food. Koel makes it a point to come around every table, to serve food, to take orders, to talk, to gossip. To listen. Her grandmotherly smile is sometimes hard to resist, and she knows it. Its an excellent advantage for what she does.

Now, she comes upon your table, a gentle smile on her face.]

Ah, and what would you like, dear?

WILD CARD: SPECIALTY MEAT

[Koel's not hungry. She's not needed to eat for a long time, not really. But she knows someone who does need food. They need it sooner rather than later. And there's a particularly annoying patron causing trouble. Hitting on some of the barkers, arguing with the Warden refusing to stop drinking and threatening violence. He's liable to get thrown out.

Then, Koel steps in.]

Its all right. I'll escort him personally of the premises, once I bring him to the manager's office.

[With that, Koel gets a firm hold on the man and begins to walk him away. Thos who look close enough will find her grip to seem casual, but the man is gasping, eyes wide at his held wrist, as he's dragged off. Veterans generally know what this means; if they want in with helping, be her guest. Newbies who try to follow to see what happens?

Well, they all have to learn some time, she supposes.]

Edited 2016-09-30 22:29 (UTC)

a. admission fees

Oh! Oh! Well, you see, I haven't any money on me, exactly... My maid, she... [Elizabeth is fidgeting, so unlike a lady, and the embarrassment of that makes her fidget even more. Her face has colored because of this, and she pinkens further when she rises on her tiptoes to lean and look past the clerk, into the glamour of the circus. Her hands are clasped at her chest.] Well I can't find her anywhere, I'm afraid, and so I suppose I really can't buy tickets. Oh! Isn't that so sad... Isn't it... [She's still getting every eyeful that she can of the festivities beyond. She isn't asking for charity, of course! But her yearning has the intensity of any young girl's, and she really wants to go inside.

To bargain doesn't occur to her; she's wearing various fineries, of course, could pay for more than one good dinner with just her earrings, but this is only a carnival, which is paltry, and it wouldn't do to give away something silken or jeweled just for an entry fee. It also doesn't occur to her that the loss of her maid is much more concerning than prospective playtime at a carnival. In most other situations she'd be shaken, but there's something downright entrancing about what she sees, and what she wants to see.

So, she fidgets.]

b. mirror maze

[Well, one way or another, Elizabeth's made it inside. The Mirror Maze is absolutely beautiful, shining and colored like a dream... and perhaps this is vain, and perhaps she should be ashamed, but like a bird with particularly good plumage, Lizzie cannot help but admire her dress and its silks and its lace as she flounces by each mirror. But horror hits her when she finds a wider mirror and stops in her tracks. She gives a gasp, ladylike in its delicacy but not in the shrill whistle of her throat, and her hand flies to her mouth.]

Oh, what a rotten trick, [she cries, and turns in a flurry of skirts to run away from it. The wide mirror had made her not only ridiculously tall, but quite stout as well. Her face is red like a poppy even as she flees it.

She doesn't notice the interloper among her retreating reflections: one little Elizabeth, curls bouncing with all the rest, has something special glinting in her hand. The gleam is violent, and she hides it in the wide folds of her skirt.]

c. gamer's circle

I do think it's a little uncouth, [she's saying, blushing and demure. She has a dart in her hand, and the dartboard looks awfully far away, pockmarked with failures and only a few wins.] Isn't this... wouldn't you say it's like gambling? Oh, I really can't do it!

[But don't you want this darling rabbit, someone asks her, and the stuffed rabbit really is darling, large and soft. This carnival is doing awfully queer things to her; it's strange she came in in the first place, and it's strange she's acting so improprietous. But the atmosphere here is dazzling, and she feels like she's had a glass of wine at Christmas.]

All right, [she says;] all right! It isn't gambling if I won't lose, right?

[And she throws the first dart. It's almost a direct bulls-eye.]

d. wildcard

[Do you have another scenario in mind? Start something new here, leave a blank comment for me to respond to, or get in touch with me at

sodapoppet! I'm game.]

Option A: Doing your work

Ferlwin isn't so much a performer as she is a caretaker of the grounds, having traded three years and three days of service in advance to have an old wound that prevented her from free access to her magic. A year and a day for every session needed to remove the taint of iron. Yet that's not to say she won't put on a show.

Her appearance is eye-catching, her blond hair shimmers in the sun, but even without that, the small horns on her head and the floppy doe ears are hard to miss. Beyond that, the way her long skirt is split at the sides just above her knees, shows off a pair of legs that much resemble those of a deer, complete with hooves and tawny hair.

She stops by what is clearly a dying tree, pulls out a small, golden colored flute and begins to play a light but pretty tune. To anyone that can see magic, motes of light will start to float around the plant, weaving around it and healing it.

Anyone else will only see the plant as it perks back up and then begins to grow and thrive, seemingly 'dancing' to the tune.

Option B: Break time

The day had been long and Ferlwin was tired, so she had settled under a large tree to get some time to herself and do some thinking. She'd been here six months so far, and while they had indeed given her what they promised, she was still uneasy in this place.

She pulled out an apple from the bag she carried and took a bite while trying to work through her conflicting emotions. Perhaps she was over thinking things...

Option C: Wild Card
((ooc: Go ahead and toss me an idea.))

Edited (Added option C) 2016-10-01 01:13 (UTC)

Gamers Circle

The dart game is an incredibly appealing option! A test of skill, of aim, of precision! All things Papyrus has in abundance!! It's just not the same when his only audience is an unfamiliar smoke monster. Maybe he should have gotten Sans to come with him after all...

No, no, what is he thinking? This is a break! A, well, not a vacation, but something brief and healing and recuperative so he can keep working all the harder! Papyrus aims and tosses, and nearly gets a bulls-eye.

"Yes!! Nyeh heh heh, did you see that?!"

Mirror Maze

If any attraction was going to draw Papyrus in, it was the mirror maze. A maze! A puzzle! Filled with with one of the most handsome of faces: Papyrus' own! There was no way he could say no.

And better yet, it turned out to be as deviously designed a puzzle as he could have hoped! It had been at least thirty minutes now, and he was still hopelessly lost in its confines, moving around far further than it had appeared! Maybe there was an underground level, and he hadn't noticed the ramps in...?

Maybe Undyne found a place like this, and didn't want to go back home.

It was like a thought, voiced by his own voice, but it seemed to come from outside his head.

Papyrus shivers and keeps moving, laughing it off with the same refusal to indulge in sadness that had kept him going all this time.

Wild Card: The Cookhouse

As any king would know, the start of good morale is in your stomach. Whether you have a stomach or not. So what more important place to visit in this convenient getaway than their very own culinary venue?

The problem is, well... Trying any of the food. This was no time to risk grease.

"Could I just have a glass of milk?"

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