ringleaders: (firebreather)
Lost Carnival Mods ([personal profile] ringleaders) wrote in [community profile] livinglot2016-09-29 10:38 am

⇨ 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!
spaghettimonster: (OH-HO!)

[personal profile] spaghettimonster 2016-10-01 01:24 am (UTC)(link)
"Hmmm... " If it had been the Sans of a year or two ago punning him, there would have been follow-up puns. But she moves right on to business. It looks like he was right!

"I'm struggling to decide! And on such an easy question, too... Oh! Isn't there a thing, what is it called, Chef's Special?" He elaborates, "Surprise me!"
hoasen: (hmm?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 01:25 am (UTC)(link)
[IT'S TRUE. IT'S SO TRUE, she tries to be cool but it's always a failure. Just bury her and let her die (somehow).

But seriously, Gilgamesh, is that even a problem.]


Oh! [So he's not against going to get something, in any case.] Then let's go get some fine wine. I will treat you. [Somehow?!] To thank you.
leglesspariah: (I am happy to work.)

[personal profile] leglesspariah 2016-10-01 01:26 am (UTC)(link)
[Kadin's eyebrows shoot up. He's brushed elbows with magic before, even fire elemental spells, but nobody in his monastic group could pull a feat like that. This guy is clearly powerful. Unconsciously he makes himself an inch or so shorter. He does not want to wind up on his bad side.

And that starts with nodding respectfully and accepting his half of the goat. He much prefers eating one large thing than eating more smaller things, and he's not super excited about swallowing a bunch of burnt hair with his meat, but he doesn't so much as flinch as he picks up the meal.
]

Thank you very much.

[But then he hesitates. He keeps smiling politely, but his eating habits are...somewhat alarming. He needs to find a reasonable way to excuse himself, preferably back over that fence, before eating this. But he is literally starving and he stretches his jaw a little impatiently.]
Edited 2016-10-01 01:27 (UTC)
wagashiplz: (kanata011)

[personal profile] wagashiplz 2016-10-01 01:28 am (UTC)(link)
[ Tearing his gaze away from the tree - albeit reluctantly - Kanata looks over at the stranger. The odd looking stranger. But there are a fair share of odd looking people in this odd place. And the oddest things is the trees, but far. He shakes his head to confirm that the question is accurate. ]

No, almost all plants are extinct. There's only one kind left since a century back.
wagashiplz: (kanata029)

[personal profile] wagashiplz 2016-10-01 01:34 am (UTC)(link)
[ ...wha? Kanata may never have seen trees in real life but he's seen illustrations and read some old fact books about plants and the statement he hears confuses him. ]

Those are called needles? Not leaves?

[ Did the books get it wrong? Nobody that lived now had ever seen a tree after all, maybe the books had lots of fact faults. ]

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
[Smart move not to mention the burnt hair. Gilgamesh very obviously sees this as an uncharacteristically selfless gesture, and would perceive any complaints as rude—and Gilgamesh deals with rude people the same way he tends to deal with dead goats. Which is to say, neither of them were alive once he was through with them.

At this time he does acknowledge the elephant in the room, or rather the naga, and quips:]


Do you prefer to swallow it all?

[He doesn't seem disgusted. He's actually quite interested, as he always tends to be in the unnecessarily grotesque.]
moodstringer: (I'm just a problem)

[personal profile] moodstringer 2016-10-01 01:35 am (UTC)(link)
Hey, in the end, we're all just tryin' to get by, you know? [She sure does. Really, it's one of the reasons why she ended up here, though Nessa did it by choice.]

One sec. [She leaps up to settle her behind on the counter area of the food cart, trying not to jostle anything too much. Fidgeting just a little, but those whirring drumsticks are on her knees, not the cart, as promised.]

I'll be quiet, or if ya need a distraction, gods know I can chatter with the best of them.

[Mostly, she's letting him set the pace. She knows the barest of minimums about snakes (though she likes them), and she's not entirely sure if he's entirely coherent after 'dinner'. Even if said dinner's not going to last long.]

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:37 am (UTC)(link)
[Bluntly:]

No.

[Not for free, anyway. Sorry, Yuugi, you're going to have to do better than that to cut a deal with a dragon.]
anti_altruisms: (Look how many shits I give.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-10-01 01:40 am (UTC)(link)
There's a variety, from what I've seen.

[ And sure enough, one of the spirits in the charge seems to be rummaging around looking for an appropriate prize. ]

Dart-tossing and archery.

[ Noticing a patter, Vietnam? Hitting targets is his thing. ]

There's apparently a mirror maze of some kind, but I haven't been there.
cuckooed: (you tried star)

[personal profile] cuckooed 2016-10-01 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
"The Chef's Special is food." Smile. "I'll be right back with your drink."

She turns to leave.

"If you change your mind about the food, of course, you're welcome to some."
hoasen: (A BARGAIN WHERE?)

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[She hopes it's something cool...or cute, if he's into that kind of thing.]

Ah, so you have tried the dart tossing and archery? I think you'd be good at those...

[Would've been cool to watch.] I wonder what the mirror maze is like. Do you have time?
toogoodtoopure: ([42])

[personal profile] toogoodtoopure 2016-10-01 01:42 am (UTC)(link)
[Luckily he's used to cutting deals with dragons. thanks Kaiba. Putting his hands together, he bows slightly, if only because he's polite, and glances up at the other again.]

Pretty please? I kind of need some help and there's nothing to stand on nearby...
pokepochette: (pic#10618753)

i.

[personal profile] pokepochette 2016-10-01 01:43 am (UTC)(link)
[It doesn't take much to get her attention - being called out to and the promise of a prize is enough. Spinning around on her heels, hands opening to catch the ball that's thrown her way, Bonnie approaches the much older boy, head craned to stare up at him. He's so tall!]

Um...don't games cost money though?
hoasen: (do you need this?)

a!

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 01:44 am (UTC)(link)
[She fidgets, but Vietnam has overheard, so she comes over and whispers.]

Excuse me for intruding! Do you have anything on you that you are not attached to?

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
You may beg on your knees for it, mongrel.

[At first, this doesn't seem like it's going to happen. But then, Gilgamesh adds, somewhat more charitably:]

Or you may offer me something of value in return. Those are the everlasting rules of this world: give and get.
hoasen: (A BARGAIN WHERE?)

a!

[personal profile] hoasen 2016-10-01 01:45 am (UTC)(link)
[Meanwhile, this one here was just around the corner, and having witnessed what has happened prior, she tries to whisper--]

Is there anything on you that you think you can sell?
mistweaver: (I've got the brew!)

[personal profile] mistweaver 2016-10-01 01:47 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, but that's more for sparring! Beer should be enjoyed at a casual pace. [Jou never did like the type to guzzle beer as fast as possible. Like some of the Pandaren elders liked to say, life should be savored.

Beer was like that.]


That's a deal, Dragon Warrior.

[Then, Jou shook her head.] No, I'm sorry, I've never heard of it.
masterballer: (stop calling me gary)

[personal profile] masterballer 2016-10-01 01:48 am (UTC)(link)
[Well he knew where that was. At least THAT made sense.]

But... you got here from Kanto, right?
motivenotfound: (Fuckin' nya)

BUT IT'S ALL SHE HAS GOING FOR HER, LET HER HAVE IT

[personal profile] motivenotfound 2016-10-01 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
.....oh, does this mean you don't want to fight me after all?

[She smiles in a way that is almost knowing. Or maybe it's just generically smug? But this is really troublesome, actually. She doesn't think she can get in TOO much trouble if the fight is fast, right? Sure, she's a supervisor, but.... she's not his supervisor....

She can't just fuck off now, though... and this guy's ego is probably WAY too big for him to find a way to let it go without her doing all the work. So...
]
ohaasshole: (pic#9202495)

(i) like there was another choice for this guy

[personal profile] ohaasshole 2016-10-01 01:49 am (UTC)(link)
[ He doesn't know why Aomine's here and he certainly doesn't know why Aomine's on that side of a basketball game (other than the fact that his formless shot would look even more absurd if done on a midway) but Shintaro also doesn't care. Aomine just challenged him to win a prize if he was good.

The look he gives Aomine as he catches the ball tossed at him is absolutely withering. ]


The second clause was unnecessary. What are the prizes on offer?
anti_altruisms: (They're all fools.)

[personal profile] anti_altruisms 2016-10-01 01:51 am (UTC)(link)
I did.

[ There's always a price of some kind where magic is concerned...and really, most things in life. ]

Have you been here for a while?

this got really stupid really fast and I'm sorry for it, 1/3

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
...
pokepochette: (pic#10618753)

[personal profile] pokepochette 2016-10-01 01:52 am (UTC)(link)
No? I've never been to Kanto.

[The little Pokemon in her pochette squeaks in agreement. He sure hasn't been to Kanto either.]

Ah, but I know someone from Kanto!
Edited 2016-10-01 02:10 (UTC)

2/3

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:53 am (UTC)(link)
...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbcGX9zO1u8 WE'RE DOING THIS (done)

[personal profile] babbylon 2016-10-01 01:54 am (UTC)(link)
[...oh, fuck it. He charges her.]