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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Of course I am!

[Papyrus grins even more brightly, seeing that he does too have an audience. An appreciative one, but almost... doubting him? Thinking that he would give up so soon? That can't be allowed to stand.]

The Great Papyrus never leaves a challenge un-challenged!

I wasn't planning on eating...

[It was one thing with a proper meal, or improper as some food establishments tended to be. But, well, cookies...]

But I would love to try them! Thank you for offering.

[What an awkward introduction. Papyrus had been about to shout out a greeting, finally seeing someone in this mirror maze besides his own reflection... Only to overhear them talking about scarves and the grossness of red?

He'd left behind his kingly trappings, replacing cape with his tattered old red scarf... Could it be?]

There's no need to be jealous of my old scarf! I'm sure, with enough shopping, you can find one in a similar red.

Oh, I used to live in a forest. Trees as far as you could see! Unless you looked at the snow, or the rocks. [The rocks were a lot more of the view than the trees, honestly. But that's not the important thing here.] And they all had needles!

[He's happy to help!]

[The Carnival is full of sights and sounds and smells unfamiliar, a truly heartening amount of laughter and cheers from people playing games, riding rides, and watching the show. It's another world here, and Papyrus hardly knows what to look at.

So he's walking around, peering in some other direction, when he walks by the other skeletons. It's the dog that initiates their meeting, sniffing at his leg. And Papyrus knows too many dogs to miss that sound, or the feeling of breath against his leg.]

Hey, don't chew on--

[That dog is a skeleton dog.

That dog is a skeleton dog and it's sniffing up at him and it's adorable.]

Oh! Hello there! I guess you won't be wanting to steal my bones, you have plenty of your own!

[He reaches down to scritch at the dog's head.]

[ Being the hero sucks, anything. Being a secondary character is much better. ]

And your skill with introductions is lacking.

[ Still deadpan. He doesn't care that you're not!offended, either. ]

Yeah, she's right here! [He pulls the bulk of his cloak aside from his neck, revealing a tiny fluffy owl tucked up next to him.]

She's sleeping right now, though.

Now, if that ain't a baseless accusation! I'm puttin' myself on the table for embarrassment too, ain't I?

[That is to say, Joker can absolutely be that cruel, or at least a bit of a shit, and anyone who's dealt with him long enough knows it.]

[Fortunately, his energy is a bit too low for more than verbal trolling, so he just clasps his hand against Lancer's shoulder and laughs]

Don't they have that one fish scoopin' game or some such?

[Only the fish in their ponds tend to nibble through their nets which, he's been told, is not how things are supposed to happen in... Japan? He thinks it's a Japanese thing.]

Sir, I’m only tellin’ the truth as I see it, on my honor~.

[Joker is probably going to hell for this, but what else is new]

I’d be glad ta show a little of how things work! Ha, then it’s like I’m bein’ paid ta play around, isn’t it?

[When he winks this time, however, it’s not to Gottlieb but after he’s turned around with his back to him and he’s grinning at the game attendant. This is something he used to do a fair bit, back before he got the station he has now, and he still does it now and again… like right now. It helps that Joker has a naturally good aim for these kind of things. The dart sails through the air nice and true, and pierces through the balloon with a sharp pop!]

Ta da~. Just have ta pop a few more balloons, and yer prize is all yers.

[Of course, he has to pay for the opportunity too, but… Joker will see if he remembers that little fact for himself.]

[Idol…. Ah, right. Thank god he remembers what that is, with all the traveling they’ve done. He could offer an easy route, but just one look says that the person he’s talking to is proud of how much genuine hard work he’s accomplished on the way to his goal. He’ll have to go a different way.]

Well, there’s definitely a bit of magic ta learn, if ya like! [Joker laughs, wondering if this kid knows how much more serious it is.] But our boss knows all sorts of people- entertainers, musicians, dancers, name it and she knows it. Could help ya find people ta teach ya moves ya wouldn’t normally find back home. Or she could make it so ya have a little more time in the day… Or so that the paparazzi don’t bother ya.

Then I’ll gladly escort ya ta our cookhouse~. Right this way, sir.

[Childermass’ plan of action is a solid one. There’s a lot of strangeness to pass by as Joker escorts him through the carnival, after all, and the brilliant glittering lights of the place only add to the surreal nature of it. Gems covering skin, shining scales, too bright fangs in too wide smiles…. And, of course, those like Joker with his antlers and sleek wings, the ones who’ve been around the longest and paid the bigger prices.]

[But he’s one of the rare ones that are like that. The carnival isn’t like it used to be, even Joker can tell that.]

[The area around the cookhouse is as lively as ever, but Joker still manages to find an empty table and gestures for Childermass to take a seat.]

Any preferences? Our cooks can whip up just about anythin’, should I ask 'em.

[Especially as a supervisor with a guest for the Ringleader. That’s certainly some incentive.]

We travel from place ta place, entertainin’ folk who need a bit of brightness ta their lives~! Ya could be a performer, an engineer, run one of the game booths or cook… Whatever talents ya got, I’m sure we could fit ‘em inta the carnival.

Of course, that’s up ta our Ringleader, and not me, ha ha, but we’re lookin’ for workers in just about anythin’, so she wouldn’t turn ya away.

Well, of course not! This isn't my recipe and who know how old this oil is.

[ Mitsuki does take a precautionary glance behind himself to check if the actual operator of the booth is there but seeing as they're not he just preens a little. ]

I don't know how long I have to stay in here, but I think I'll just get this batch out of the fryer and then we can go on! That should be more than enough considering I don't work here, right?

[ Plus Tamaki's enthusiasm is charming and infectious, and Mitsuki's aniki instincts are kicking in. He wants to make sure Tamaki gets a chance to do as much here as possible! ]

Yeah! Hurry Mikki!

[He's going to cram the rest of his funnel cake down his throat before they leave, though (so much for not eating fast! Mitsuki probably shouldn't take him on anything that spins, just in case). He's excited to get to have fun at the carnival, and Mitsuki isn't someone he gets to hang out with as often.

Plus, it will be a nice distraction from his fight with Sougo, and will hopefully cheer Mitsuki up!]

I'm almost out of Ousama Pudding stickers though... Mikki, pay for me, okay?

[ His eyebrows arch upward, and an amused smile tugs into place. ]

You wouldn't even make me flip for them?

[Content warning/permissions!]

a. gamer's circle (for newbies)

Oh, you look a good shot. [Alois coos this at practically every customer he sees, but it still somehow seems tailored to the person he's speaking to now. He's leaning against the game's stall in an indulgent way, looking comfortable with himself, ankles crossed, wrist limp, fingers beckoning. He has a way, too, of looking impressed with the person he sees now, but it's so subtle that it seems natural.

It's also completely a lie!!! No hard feelings, folks, this is just how things go around here. So he's very sweet and encouraging, the picture of a pleasant boy, when he says,] Try just one more round, oh, do! I was certain you'd make it that last time; there's no way you won't do it, if you try again.

b. break time (for veterans)

[Now Alois had grown accustomed to a very particular lifestyle—that is, he was spoiled, back in Waddesdon Manor. As he'll tell anyone: he's an Earl back home, you know! He's used to getting whatever he wants. So for some time after his arrival at the carnival, he'd been a giant baby, even prone to tears of frustration or yearning. Don't you know that it's hard, he'd snivel. And, yes, it was hard.

But it's not so bad here. He's known worse.

These past few months have taken him back to what childhood was like (as if he's an adult now!), and Alois has receded, some, returning to a younger, hardier self. He still tries very hard to keep clean at all times, but he complains less about having no one to bathe him, no one to tuck him in at night and rouse him gently. When he does complain, it's not because of those creature comforts, but because he misses Claude so much...

Anyway, he's more or less mellowed out a little, too, after being here for a while. He whines less (though he still does whine). One might call him more subdued, overall, though honestly that might just be depression. But he knows how contracts work.

Right now he's lying on a bench, taking up almost the whole thing—his knees are bent, feet flat on the bench, so there's just enough room for one person to squeeze in at the end. And he's snatched a bottle of nail polish from makeup, and is painting his nails, slowly, lazily. It's idle, but in that way, it's soothing. Be thankful he's occupying his time like this, instead of being a brat somewhere. It's always a toss-up, which one he'll do.]

You're in my light, [he says softly, not quite snappish. He doesn't even look up.]

c. will o' wisps (for veterans)

[He'd thought this would be fun. You know, like catching butterflies. Butterfly hunting was always a great time in the gardens of Waddesdon Manor—the excitement... the glory... and all the fun he had with Claude. Then Claude turned to shit. Butterfly hunting stopped being fun.

Catching these little buggers would, Alois hoped, bring back the joy he'd felt in the gardens. This time, he'd be doing it alone, but maybe that was part of... oh, what is it all those unknowing idiots say... maybe it was part of the healing process. (Gross.) So Alois had set out on a hunt, jar and net and burlap sack all fumbling in hand. And he's been trying to catch them.]

Bloody hell!

[—Trying. It's not going so well. Unfortunately, the wisps don't care for the confines of a net or a sack. They keep phasing through material like it's nothing, and Alois is growling in frustration as he tries to catch this one in particular. His mouth keeps getting worse and worse, too:] Jesus fucking Christ!

[Despite his language, he looks like a child about to throw a fit, even growing a little red in the face.] You're a hardy little bastard, [he says to the wisp,] but just get into this bag, won't you? It's not so bad! I know it's sad, but come now...

[His voice oscillates between wheedling and angry—and he's so invested in his plight that he doesn't notice whether anyone else is nearby.]

Haven't anything better at all, actually, [says Alois, smiling like the sun—pleasant intent, sure, but there's something scalding about him. Basically, it's his habit to hang around being a brat. It's hard for most anyone to know what he's thinking, even if they've known him for the entire eight months he's been here... He's just too two-faced. So, right now, he's either beaming at Jasper, or mocking her.

Let's make it a little more apparent:]

I've been waiting my entire life to stand here, in this singular moment, and watch you cough our your Martian lungs. [He's convinced she's from Mars.]

[Please, Joker, take a moment to appreciate the form of the muscle under your hand there. Lancer's shoulders are a work of art.]

Hm. Is it here again?

[Jests aside, his expression falls into one of genuinely thoughtful innocence as he considers when he last actually played that one. It must have been a while ago, too, since he goes so far as to catch his chin with the hand that...had been holding Gáe Dearg.

Vanishing polearms. Great parlour trick, until you have to explain that you're a ghost and it only works because the weapon is quite literally a part of you.]

Very well. [The smile he breaks into when he looks to Joker again suggests his next words aren't born of inexperience.] We can see if they haven't filled the pond with fighting fish this time.

[ Mitsuki makes a little sound of protest but by the time he's ready to say anything, the funnel cake is already gone. Tamaki...

Instead of scolding him since it's too late to do any good, Mitsuki turns and hauls the last batch of funnel cakes out of the fryer. They look perfect, gold and gleaming, and whenever the actual proprietor of this booth comes back, they should be satisfied. That means Mitsuki's taking the apron off to get out of here. ]

You've been paying with stickers? I'll see what I can do, I've got some money left still but we can't go overboard. Where do you want to go first?

[Unfortunately, a delirious cloud of both thrill and enchantment is clogging up Gottlieb's brain. He was never especially great with money to begin with, and for the past couple centuries all he's had to remember is how much his favorite drink is at the tavern. It's a recipe for one heaping disaster cake.]

Oooh! Here we go!

[As is his aim. That poor dart goes right to the ground in the booth.]

-- oopsie! Have to put more pepper in the next one, yes?

Yeah, because they're "of value."

[The funnel cakes that Mitsuki takes out look and smell delicious, and Tamaki almost wants another one. But the prospect of going and having fun in other parts of the carnival distracts him from the cakes (and he'll probably want something salty eventually, anyway).]

Let's go see the show!

[ He has a point.. Junko picks at her ear with her pinky, looking off with disinterest. ]

I 'unno! Don't they like, pick stuff out for you or somethin'? [ She kicks the dirt, eyes positively sparkling. ] I mean......don't get me wrooooong, I totally do wanna see the stuff aaaaallll these places have to offer! Who wouldn't right?

Buuuuuut..... [ There definitely is a level of power to it all, but frankly, if she wants to do anything Nefariously Despairful (she needs to find a new writer), there needs to be some sort of element of surprise! Right? ] The me right now wouldn't suit that. [ It's said with such a dramatic shift in tone, so blankly, it might catch any normal person off guard.

And then she's back to giggling, that little high-pitched tune of hers, before moving to wiggle her finger at Byakuran. ]

That's why I can count on you though, right! You'll be my eyes, AND ears (sorta)!

[ As far as minds go, Mitsuki wouldn't think his is that bad for sharing! Apart from whatever's going on with the stars, that is. ]

Oh, no way. I don't know how to do anything like that and even if I did, I wouldn't do it without telling you.

[ He waits to see if she can bring the star in--though even just being able to grip the thing is amazing enough!--then tries to scoot closer when it seems like she can't. ]

Let me see if I can reach...

[ Spoiler alert: he can't. Two of the smallest people around, both in safety restraints, are simply not going to find a lot of middle ground. ]

[ He's not saying a word about the relative value of Ousama Pudding stickers. He knows better than that. It just seems almost mean, that people would rather take Tamaki's stickers than his money because he cares about those more. What kind of place is this? ]

Oooh, good idea! I wonder what kind of music they'll have! And costumes, too.

[ If he didn't, Mitsuki would be glad to enlighten him, but it'd be a lot more glowing than most people are willing to endure. He just really likes idols, ok?

And he's definitely thinking about cards up sleeves, maybe sawing people in half. Mitsuki hasn't forgotten about the star and he certainly can't forget about the mystical looking person sitting talking to him, but these are just illusions.

Right? ]

Something like that would make me stand out, I don't know anybody else who does magic. And for the rest of it, it never hurts to have more things you can do. Stuff to fall back on.

How do you know she'd do all that, though? She's never even met me.

[ He's skeptical of just signing up with another person. It feels profoundly disloyal and these promises sound way too good to be true. ]

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⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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Almost certainly not game canon, I just want Pap to pet the pup

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alois trancy | kuroshitsuji ii | veteran

break time

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