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!

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[Out of all the responses you could get from such a statement, laughter is probably the one you'd least expect. The Ψiioniic laughs anyway.]

Are you serious? What happened to the rest of them?

Edited 2016-10-01 01:54 (UTC)

Going on my second year.

[She looks bemused.]

...So shall I let you hang yourself with the noose, or let you find a way to take a hold of it for yourself?

[ He's not entirely sure how he ended up on this side of the counter but there Mitsuki is, stirring the next batch of dough for the fryer. It feels wonderfully familiar, even if he'd rather be finding out where the performers are, but then he's distracted from both his longing for a stage and his stirring.

He knows that hoodie anywhere, but even more than that, he knows that foodnado happening anywhere. ]

Oi, Tamaki! Slow down, you'll get a bad stomach eating so fast!!

[Ψiioniic laughs amused by the attempt.]

Cool, you did it. Are you a gymnast or something?

[It says a lot about how well the two know eachother that Tanyuu simply lets out a sigh and lowers back down to a reasonable height rather than get any more annoyed about Mari's attitude. After a certain point, one simply accepts the girl's mercurial nature.]

[Besides, there are worse things than being hit in the face with an eyeball.]

Not at the moment, no. What do you need?

I do not like you and shall never.

[So he says now. This is defeat, he realizes.]

But... I will allow it. If you are that insistent.

[Oh shi--

He doesn't give her a CHANCE, does he?

Mari doesn't even blink. She launches forward, all four arms spreading wide, jaw gaping in a silent roar. Her decidedly human teeth flash white as her eyes light up--

Not literally, mind--

And plows directly into him if he doesn't get the fuck out of the way. Her plan is to grab his arms with hers--or rather, her upper set. The lower pair is going for his torso. Nothing says 'I win' like completely immobilising someone, right?

A girl can dream.]

You didn't say you weren't...

[Mari actually mumbles her response, looking sideways--but not out of shame. There's a mischievous crook to the corner of her mouth.

Koel made much too big a show of eating that eye for it not to have been deliberate. And if she hadn't been joking...

Well, she could at least take a joke, and that was what really mattered. She glances back at Koel, smile widening.]

...but if you weren't, I could always serve up seconds.

[Now, both combatants likely pictured this going differently in their minds. Both combatants likely pictured themselves as gaining the upper hand, or hands in Mari's case, grappling with the other party and generally looking pretty cool in the process. Both combatants likely pictured this, but what really happens...]

@#$%!

[...is that they just sort of smack together, instead, limbs slipping all over the place, wings tangling, foreheads colliding, roughly equal strength canceling itself out and thus fizzling into nothingness. Gilgamesh crumples into a heap on his side and groans. He's vulnerable, definitely, and he doesn't even spare a single look to how Mari fared.

He's just dizzy and in pain possibly whimpering a little, how embarrassing. That was not pretty cool. That was like the definition of all things uncool happening at once.]

[She just looks at him in mild confusion, unsure where that even came from. Because, if he doesn't like her...why is he...coming with her.

There are so many mixed messages, man.]

I do not know how that came about, but if I offended you somehow, I do apologise. [She taps her chin, with the hand that will remind him that now they wear matching rings?!] So yes, I insist. I will thank you and make it up to you somehow. Let's go to the cookhouse. But we must be sneaky, for I do not want others knowing that we will be claiming a nice bottle of wine.

Er, well, I think it may be easier just to show you.

[Gingerly, she rolls up one of her sleeves, revealing that her forearm was covered in small, yellow feathers.]

I wasn't like this when I went to sleep last night, should I be worried?

[Hey, she'd done her job! And she'd go back to it. Eventually. When she was supposed to--for all her stubborn independent streak, Nessa knew better than to try to put one over on the Ringmaster and her ilk. It wasn't just good business sense. Self-preservation was a part of it, too.

Still, it's a flash of gratitude that Nessa shoots Koel, followed by a quick smile.]

You're not far off the mark. Even my drumsticks were startin' to look good, hey? Thanks!

[and it'd almost be rude to not dig in ASAP, so Nessa wastes no time in poking her nose into that bag, either.]

Parents..? Oh, your human lusii.

[He must be a young human then, how old was young for them again? He pushes his bangs aside, looking Rei up and down with all four of his eyes.]

There's no train here. It might be really fun to add one though. I'll have to talk to Rini about it. Good idea.

[Well, the main objective was certainly accomplished. And maybe, if Tanyuu was a bit faster on the draw, she could have used that opportunity to catch the wisp.]

[But the crack of pots breaking over her tail is more than enough to startle and distract her, the long coils of her tail crinkling together in fright and shock as she yelps in surprise and pain.]

Ow!! Oh, wait, no no no no--!

[Too late she makes her lunge, but her only reward is to land face first in the dirt and watch the tiny flame zip away between the trailers.]

I'm afraid eyeballs aren't my thing, generally.

[Blinking three times.]

Still, I'd rather not waste food like that.

Edited 2016-10-01 02:16 (UTC)

[ Appearances truly are deceiving, aren't they?

A faint smirk turns the corner of his mouth. ]

If I did, it wouldn't be the first time.

[ At this point, he doesn't really have anything to lose. He gestures at the forest behind them. ]

There's nothing back there, anyway.

[ And nothing he'd want to go back to, even if he could. ]

Oh, I see.

[Zecora makes a negating gesture with one hoof.]

Do not worry.
This kind of change
Though very strange
Happens when you stay
Far more than a day
In this place so fae.
In much the same way
My stripes now glow.
That's strange, you know.

[Thankfully, Archer manages to make it through the gate without much incident. But after that...

After that, Archer will likely notice a presence stalking him. The carnival could and would take much from him, but it could not dull the superior senses of a Servant. A presence stalks him, haunts his every step, and he will know. It waits for him, it calls to him, it whispers things, until it finally makes itself apparent.

A pair of glowing red eyes watches Archer from a stray tree, dead and withered save for a few leaves. There are wings. There are scales. There claws and teeth. It looks distorted, a great mass of blackness that stands out from its surroundings, but undeniably this is the creature responsible for tailing him since the beginning of his stay.

It need not act at all. It only waits for Archer to inevitably approach, calling out to him without ever doing so at all.]

I managed.

[ Actually, he did really well, but he's modest...sort of.

The spirit comes over, finally, and offers him a lion plushie. Nonplussed, Archer takes it and suppresses a sigh. ]

I have an abundance.

[ There's nothing else to do besides wander around and play games, right? ]

You want to see it?

EAS-

This isn't even my job..!! [she sputters, feathers ruffling as she huffs.] For all I know, you could be some kind of super-magical wizard, or elf, anyway! I didn't have magic before!!

[...Her defense isn't really working, is it? Well. Feathers still fluffed, if they can even be called feathers, she continues.] I'm just human-I work here, so some of this place rubbed off, that's all!

It's a rare chance to try something new! [she adds, beaming for a brief moment.] ...That thing's a will-o-wisp though! ...If you touch it, something might...happen.

[She, uh. Kind of missed the 'what' in panic when she found out there was a 'what' at all, admittedly.]

Even if it just does something dumb, it's magic. That makes it cool!

[She can totally imagine that he kicked a lot of game-ass. Also that lion plush is rather adorable...so it seems he got what is cute.]

How many lion plush toys so far?

[He can have a family, if he has an abundance of them.]

I am curious of the other attractions, so I would not mind seeing it. But I know carnivals like such is usually best experienced with another. You do not have to come with if you do not want to.

[Jou Shan has not noticed the large tail, no. Her eyes are bright and her rounded ears are perked, that ringed tail twitching just a little as she watches the acrobats go through their paces. The monk even bounces in her seat, just a little. Sure, she's seen circus acts before, but this is new!

Those green eyes turn on the lady sitting nearby with a start of surprise at her comment, however.]

Three months? Were they that bad at practicing? Or are they not friendly towards each other, so there is no harmony between them?

[As for the impressive amount of food, Jou just gives a nod. Pandaren had tons of respect for champion eaters, no matter what race or species they were.]

I will say, you do seem like a smart kid. So, I'll let you in on something I learned when I first arrived.

[Her pose relaxes, just a little bit.]

Whether you come with us willingly or not, you'll be here for some time either way. But, if you come willingly, you can at least negotiate the why of your staying on.

[She motions her head to the carnival.]

Find her. Find the Ringmaster, and tell her the favor you wish for her to grant you in return for your year of service. Whatever it may be, it will be honored. And don't play any of the games, or take any of the food offered to you, until you do. You don't want to earn any unwitting debt before you present yourself to her.

...And don't worry about the admission. Just go in and seek her out.

Edited 2016-10-01 02:28 (UTC)

Exactly!!

Tch. You can enjoy doing that yourselves then, [the shadow scoffs, Carly's feathers ruffling in turn.] Ahhh!! We just proved you wrong though! Get back here, get back-! [she shouts at the shadow, its eyes going dull as it returns to mimicking the owner normally.

Well isn't this just a pain.] Mhmnn...I don't even know how to answer this riddle...

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Page 12 of 98

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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LIZARD FIGHT? LIZARD FIGHT. (I regret nothing.)

ICONS not found, goddang

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idk I just kind of did stuff

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fffft I know what I meant cries (I wonder if I can enable my buddy's Blue Link for you hmmnnn)

Re: High Five for the Straw Tongue Clubbb

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Break time!

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