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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[He wasn't expecting the walking around part, so that's pretty thrilling. He claps his hands a couple times in approval.]

That was great! [He fishes into his pocket for some tickets, and hands them over, grinning.] Do you do a lot of stuff like that? I've been working out a lot lately but I haven't really done much stuff like that by myself.

[As Stevonnie, sure, but he isn't going to burst into that subject quite so immediately. Stevonnie is way more flexible than him.]

"Ahh, well." Greg tucks his hands in his pockets as they're finally admitted entry, and gives the feline a good once-over. "Even if they've got others here, Lion's one of a kind."

He ruffles Steven's hair. "But this is gonna be a first for you too! Funland advanced. Where to first of your firsts, kiddo?"

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)

[Enter one tall Draenei who also happens to be lost! Valamia catches sight of the pandaren and there was instant relief in knowing that she wasn't the only one who had wandered off the face of Azeroth.

She flicks her tail up and wraps it around her hip as she approaches.]

It may be the trickery of a very bored mage.

Do not be so very annoyed!

[The figure that comments this as she steps through is a ~~zevhra~~ zebra, or at least so she would appear from the head. Who knows what she's hiding beneath the cloak she wears? Also, zebras don't normally have their stripes glow like white illuminated by black light.]

It is a trick to be enjoyed.

[Valamia waves a hand dismissively. Of course she would like to think she has it under control. Who likes to admit that they're lost? Stubborn as she may be she seems entirely unfazed by the oddities that come with his appearance. Slowly her tails unwraps from her hips and she lets it fall back to place.]

Depends. Know the nearest portal to [a small shrug.] ...well I guess a lot of places would work.

[And Jou is a little weirded out by a human--since usually they're Alliance, and she's not, a little animosity is a given. Towards her, not from the Pandaren's direction. She's friendly until she gets a good reason not to be...]

As do I! And I did not think we were lost!

Perhaps it wants us to stay? Though I cannot think of why. The Darkmoon Faire never acted like this!

[Weird zebra creature that appears, cloak and slightly glowing. Okay that's ...actually that may be normal around here for all she knows. It may be wrong but she isn't going to question it this time.]

I don't think most people would consider this an enjoyable trick. [Someone's bitter about getting beaten by a mirror maze.]

Pidge will first be warned that there's a very frightened and confused individual coming up behind her from the high-pitched nattering. When he emerged from the brush, he gasped and jumped back at the sight of her, putting his hands up in front of his face with a whine.

"Please! Don't hurt me! I'm very, very lost and --"

He paused from his rambling to open a single eye, actually bothering to look at the person he almost bumped into.

"... ah, you don't seem to be any sort of awful beastie."

Edited (corrected tense, oops) 2016-09-30 20:28 (UTC)

I've never heard of the Darkmoon Faire.

[ Pidge admits that with a little shrug and rests a hand on her hip, glancing around at the bizarre trees. She shades her eyes for a moment. Sighs. ]

No, I have a pretty good sense of direction. I know which direction I'm going, not turning left or right and I'm just ending up here.

[ Her boyish voice raises a little in annoyance, then she shakes her head. ]

There's gotta be a logical explanation for this.

Edited (fixing html) 2016-09-30 20:29 (UTC)

[ Like Valamia, Pidge is doing her best to find her way back to where she's pretty sure she parked the lion. Or at least away from the carnival. The annoying part is when she passes the same fallen log for what must be the fifteenth time and turns only to nearly run smack into the tall alien woman. Pidge takes a hurried step back, frowning. ]

Wolves? I haven't seen any, but usually they stay away from people if I remember right...

[ She doesn't seem too put out by Valamia's appearance. It's a big universe and she's met too many aliens over the last few weeks to be too phased by them. Still, something about this one reminds her vaguely of Allura. Maybe the hair. ]

They never did this at the Darkmoon Faire, though! Aren't they as bored there, would you not think??

[Ah, a Draenei! There's probably going to be no trouble there--the Draenei had always struck Jou as a sensible people, even if she had allied with the Huojin and not the Tushui. She wasn't planning on any trouble. Well, any more than they were already in...]

There are not trees like this in Suramar...or anywhere else on Azeroth, either. I am very confused.

[Tamaki accepts the praise with a smile (though not a "thank you," he's still working on manners).]

I mostly dance. But I know how to do handstands and cartwheels 'cause it's fun.

[He's actually a pretty famous dancer as an idol, but he fails to elaborate on that.]

Pidge squints at the person cowering in front of her, then reaches up to push her glasses back up her nose. He's honestly one of the more normal people she's seen, even with his weird clothes and ashen skin.

"Uh, I'm not gonna hurt you, relax," she does her best to reassure Gottlieb.

"I'm defnitely not a beastie, either. I'm just trying to figure out how I keep getting turned around back to the carnival."

The Darkmoon Faire? It is a carnival somewhat like this, on the world I am from--Azeroth. But clearly, we are no longer there. Though I am not certain you were there in the first place!

[The Pandaren's brow furrows, though her voice remains cheerful and optimistic.] And yes, I understand. You are not alone in that, my new friend.

Though what the logical explanation might be, I do not know. I seem to be displaced in space, not in time, so it cannot be the Bronze Dragonflight. And this does not seem so dangerous as to be a world that the Burning Legion has been to.

Newbies. Honestly.

Peridot's taking her break on the edge of the grounds, which is a decision that she's already kind of regretting. Rowdy crowds of other employees taking their 15 had driven her away from the usual haunts, but it turns out it's not really any quieter out here than it was in there.

And then she has the wanderers to deal with...

The Gem grunts under her breath at the sight of the confused human. They're likely to figure it out on their own eventually, but she's feeling generous today, she supposes.

"Hey!" her shouts out, nasally and shrill, clawed hands cupped at either side of her face for amplification. "Are you lost or something!?" She asks, as if that isn't blatantly obvious.

Her words seemed to mollify him well enough, an expression of relief and even a smile coming to his face.

"Oh, splendid! I am having the same quandary!" he clasped his hands in front of him, "I suppose if one must be lost, being lost in pleasant company is ideal!"

He turned his head to observe their surroundings, biting his bottom lip.

"I knew wandering so far from home was a dreadful idea."

[She should be used to other pandas, but considering this is a new place, and she'd thought she was handling it just fine, well...]

But--

[She pauses a bit, yes, to take a good look at what this gentleman is offering in the stead of her FINE BREW and--well, okay, she IS happy to not have to give up the family dumpling recipe, if Jou Shan were to be perfectly honest.]

These are very good toys! Are you certain you want to part with them? Brew, I can always make more of...

[Dragon Warrior. Huh. Never heard of him. But she won't actually say that...]

Newbie is the best term to describe Pidge, considering that she's been a paladin for all of a couple weeks, if that and now finds herself on yet another bizarre alien planet without her friends OR family now. She's standing with her arms crossed, trying to focus on what to do next when the shout interrupts her thinking.

"Huh? Oh." She looks over at the green (very green) woman who's possibly even shorter than her and gives a resigned sigh and a nod.

"I keep trying to get back to my Lion, but every time I think I have it, I just end up back here!"

Azeroth? No, I haven't been there yet. The Balmorra, that other planet... Uh...

[ She trails off. Maybe better not to babble about everywhere she's been when she's just meeting someone new. Her head spins a little as she tries to digest all the unfamiliar terms being thrown her way. Bronze Dragonflight? Burning Legion? Huh? ]

I... Haven't heard of any of those. Just the Galra Empire. And I guess that makes us new friends? Great! New friends are good.

[ Right? Somehow Pidge doesn't look quite convinced. ]

Really, I'm trying to find my other friends. We got separated.

Steven grins as his hair gets ruffled, and Lion follows in tow looking sort of unimpressed. That's basically the standard, though.

"Oh, man, I dunno...!" he starts, looking around. It's even bigger inside than he'd expected, at the entrance. He pauses, with his arms out to his sides. "Look at this place! Maybe we should walk around a bit before we decide?"

[[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.]

[Steven doesn't even notice. As polite as he is, it doesn't tend to stick out to him when other people are subtly rude.]

Really? I love dancing. But I mostly use it for magic stuff.

[It's said extremely casually. He rubs his hands together.]

You know, I bet I can do a handstand now, too!

"Yeah, I guess? I'd prefer not to be lost then be lost with company, though." In the back of her mind, she wondered what Shiro would do if he were here and wishes not for the first time that one of the others was with her.

"Yeah. I'm pretty far from home right now, too." Her thoughts turn to the castle, then to Earth. Both seem impossibly distant--who even knew where she was now?

"I'm just trying to get back to my Lion, really."

["Magic stuff"? Maybe he's a magician? That'd be pretty cool, actually.

But Steven starts talking about doing his own handstand, and Tamaki temporarily forgets all about it.]

Oh, you want to try? It's just like flipping over.

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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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Gottlieb Albrecht | OC | Newbie

Trying to leaf!

Maaaaze

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Re: Trying to leaf

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Trying to Leaf

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Carly Nagisa | Yu-Gi-Oh! 5Ds | Veteran

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