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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Hinawa's cheeks blush bright red at the gesture. "Oh, no, no, not at all! I'm sorry for causing an inconvenience for you, sir."

She looked down at the bill he was offering. Was 'money' really just paper?

"Oh, hold on, I think I have something like that...!" She mused as she reached into her pockets and produced a piece of nut bread wrapped in some wax paper. She unwrapped the snack and handed the clerk her trash with a smile on her face. "Will this do?"

[If Gilgamesh notices Kadin's nervousness—so apparent it would be hard not to, frankly—he shows no sign of it, acting to neither reassure nor condemn him. Notably, he also does not try to hide what they're up to, fearless in the face of potential consequences. Once the goat has been handed over, he dumps it on the ground, sucks in a generous gulp of air, and...

Proceeds to cook it to charbroiled perfection with fire breath. A swift chop of his tail follows, splitting the meal cleanly in two, after which Gilgamesh gestures to Kadin.]

Take your half.

[...oh. That didn't turn out so badly after all.]

AH! [Interrupted from their argument, both Shadow and 'Bird' end up turning to the Psiionic with a jump. Carly, in the end, is quicker to speak.] I would, if Aslla would help! [She protests, the shadow seemingly rolling whatever eyes it has.]

Hmn! It's likely just another knickknack to waste time with, after all.

Aaaahhh- Or it could be something FUN to waste time on~! [She quickly cuts in, looking to Psii for some support.]

► ADMISSION FEES

[ He walked through the portal without a second thought.

As Archer considers his surroundings, as well as the strange magic that is surely at work here, he is curious more than anything else. The existence of a guardian is colorless at best so upon being presented with the opportunity to willingly leave the desolate space he occupies when he isn't doing the bidding of the world, he took it without hesitation.

Perhaps you've recently arrived just like him. Perhaps you've been here for quite a while. Either way, he appears to be deep in thought as he considers the fee for admission.

He hasn't decided yet what to offer. ]

► GAMER'S CIRCLE

[ As one might expect of a carnival, of course, there are games. Archer spends most of his time wandering around, taking in the sights as he watches other people play. He's actually more interested in the spirits manning the booths than anything else so, after a while, he finally decides to participate.

It's juvenile, but the water gun game passes the time, and if you happen to be standing next to him, he remarks on your aim: ]

You should try again, a little to the left.

[ His own success, thus far, has been pretty damn good. ]

► TRYING TO LEAF

[ When Archer finally tires of the noise, he leaves the carnival for the woods outside. Of course, he isn't really trying to leave -- not after going through all the trouble of negotiating a contract with the Ringmaster.

The quiet is welcome, however, and having perched himself in a tree, he's perfectly fine with watching the colors light up the sky from afar.

If you're trying to leave or explore nearby, he'll eventually call you out. ]

If it's an escape you're looking for, you won't find it here.

► WILDCARD

[ Hit me with whatever! c: ]

Edited 2016-10-01 00:40 (UTC)

[Well now! The woman skids to a stop and blinks, quickly gaining her senses enough to answer. With a rapid nod at the now captured wisp, she shouts.] Y-yes!! All of them running loose means things won't get done and...

[Ah, but now that she thinks about it...] You caught it though!~ [Lucky Day!] Good job!!

[ Ah, great; a blue Midorima, complete with glasses and a high strung attitude to match. And here he thought he was Free! ]

Yeah, yeah, whatever. [ It's a miracle he can hold his snide remarks in, but he supposed to be attracting unsuspecting prey to his business, so it's best not to warn him of who exactly he's going up against. At least not until Aomine has made a good dime off his back, anyway. ] You gotta make a basket three times in a row to win. If you can even see the hoop, I mean.

[ Nobody said he had to hold back on being a snarky asshole, though. ]

[That's right, don't mess with grandma. She pauses, to gauge how Amethyst responds.]

I have heard whispers that our next stop will be in 'a world where everyone dies yet no one stays it'.

Edited 2016-10-01 00:41 (UTC)

"So I see." ~~F A I L U R E.~~ "Skim? Whole? Or something in between?"

[She's not one to say no to a game involving guns either. While an excellent shot, it's not her main way of fighting, so when Archer says "a little to the left", she does just that and fires.

Target, get!]

Oh! Thank you! You saved me one try.

[Snorting:]

Only if you are particularly uninspired. Watch and learn, woman.

[Gilgamesh takes the bracelet... and without warning, snaps it in two. Summoning magic to his fingertips, he waves his hand over the two pieces, and begins to reform them; within seconds, they curl into the shape of matching rings. Gilgamesh manages to seal the rings back together in such a way it is impossible to tell they were ever apart.

Gilgamesh hands back one of the rings to her, and slips the other onto his pinky.]

There. Now you have witnessed the power of a true craftsman.

[Gilgamesh stands back and really, truly, honestly seems to expect applause for his efforts.]

[What--

Oh, God. Well, that's... not what she meant to happen. But...

No. Nope. Mari Makinami Illustrious doesn't run.

Gilgamesh may stalk, but Mari rises to stand atop the stopped car, her own stubby wings spreading unimpressively as she stretches all four arms and clenches and unclenches her claws, challenge and predatory excitement in her tooth-baring grin.]

Sorry, I can't get down from here fast enough! You'll just have to come up here to me!!

i. GAME ON!

Who doesn't love a good game or two? Natsu patrols the fairgrounds, totally lost in the swirls of color and the sounds of game bells and carnival music - to the point that he's managed to wander off on his own. He's been past several stalls, pondering what some of these contraptions are even supposed to do, and feeling just a little down that none of his buddies are around to challenge in those strength-based games, and eventually the dragonslayer settles on a simple ball toss.

Of course, with Natsu, it's never simple. He's making a huge production of it, complete with excited shouting and a generous helping of magical pyrotechnics.

"All right, here comes my next one! You might want to back up, pal, this shot's gonna knock your wispy socks off!!"

Like everything else, he overdoes the throw, sending the ball ricocheting off the back of the stall and right back out, narrowly missing Natsu's face. Whoever was standing behind him may not have been so lucky...

ii. FIRE IN THE HOLE!!

Carnivals are known for their bright, colorful lights, of all colors and shapes and sizes, but most carnival attractions aren't meant to be on fire. The blazing attraction certainly catches attention, as the flames climb higher up the sides of the small tent. Silhouetted against the almost comical pyre stands a very flustered and baffled Natsu.

"Oh man, this isn't what I had planned at all, umm, uh -- YOU!"

He jabs a finger at the first person - or at least someone person-looking - he spots. "I need water! Uh, probably a lot of it!" He waves his hands absurdly around himself, trying to get his urgency across. The last thing he needs on his track record is another festival burned to the ground.

iii. GET WILD!

Wildcard!! Without his friends to keep his mayhem in check, Natsu's bound to be wreaking havoc all over the place. Feel free to plot with me on plurk @

asraith!

[.......Interesting. Is it hesitation? Confusion? He seems unsure. Perhaps she can help. There's a look in his eyes. The kind that doesn't mark him as a fool to be tricked.

So she comes forward, crossing her arms.]

Do you need help, young man?

[Hinawa had been here for a month, and while she still wasn't quite used to all the strange sights and sounds, she was comfortable enough to speak with the magical talking striped horse. And it was a good thing she could, because she was worried that she really needed a doctor. Even a doctor with hooves.]

Hello, Miss Zecora. I hope everything finds you well today. Heaven knows it's not finding me.

[She laughs, but it's nervous.]

Hmm...?

[LOOK, such magic does not really exist where she came from, and if it did, it was up and over in Europe. She never gets to witness anything like this, and so her eyes grow wide at what happens in front of her. Not to mention, it's all rather beautiful, isn't it? How he does it all, and the end result.

She takes the ring and stares at it for a while, before slipping it onto her own finger.

And really, he does get a clap for it, as right after she does.] That was incredible! And it's very beautiful...I will treasure it. [She holds her hand to her chest.] Thank you very much--ah?

What should I call you?

[He is man, he totally is.]

Dammit, they told you. It's just for one time ok? I promise to keep to my schedule.

[After all, he did want to prove he has what it takes to be an acrobat. He's about to fall into despair until Miss Babic shows him the 'protein bar'. And his eyes light up.]

I promise I will Miss Babic.

[It's sad, but thank god for her. Lookit that smile.]

[.......oh.

Hmm.

Well... when you think about it, why not?

Waste not, want not, right?]

Good one, grandma!

['Grandma?']

[The stare deepens, just a little.]

Now, now, dear, who said I was joking?

Edited 2016-10-01 00:51 (UTC)

[She may not run, but maybe it was in her best interest to do so. Regardless, she has his attention now, so when she postures he postures right back, tall and slender and billowing. If she squints, she may even see a bit of fire leaking out from between his fangs, ready to ignite and explode at a moment's notice.

This opponent certainly seemed dangerous. And aggravated on top of that.]

As if I'd ever place myself on your level.

[Gilgamesh laughs bitterly as if to say no thanks.]

You shall come down to meet me, and I shall stand among the heavens, where I belong. Do it promptly and I may even forgive this insult.

[ Bows and arrows are more his thing, but his marksmanship is still second to none.

He quirks a brow at her success and before turning his attention back to his own game. ]

It's better to win these games, I think, than lose.

[At least one of them isn't upset over the turn of events. Valamia happens to enjoy Azeroth. As much as anyone who thinks it's an insane world can.]

Finding a spot to drink oneself into a stupor may not be a bad start.

[I'm now totally imagining that he's playing a shooting game with sunglasses on thanks to that icon.

And it's time to witness his amazing shot.]

I agree, it would be preferable to minimise the chances of losing too, so I am grateful.

[She remains quiet after, just so he can get a shot in without disturbance.]

Gilgamesh.

[Wait, no, this wasn't how this interaction was supposed to go. She was supposed to embarrass herself, or get fed up with his attitude and storm off, or something. Instead she's thanking him and saying she'll treasure it like a gift, except it wasn't a gift, he barely lifted a finger at all! She's gotten the wrong idea completely!

He huffs in embarrassment when he realizes he's been cornered into an emotion vaguely resembling generosity and immediately backtracks.]

But do not address me casually! I am in charge here, so you shall do as I say! Understand?!

[...but he wants to ask for her name, too... dammit.]

[Call her a doubter because the arched eyebrow is her subtle sign of disbelief.]

The problem being to me "done" implies that I can go back home. Not to whatever attraction this place offers.

[Don't worry, Aramat will never tell anyone. After all, she isn't the most 'polite' woman to know. She is kindly, however and reassures Elizabeth with a slow smile and a soothing voice.]

It's a lovely and cute looking rabbit. I won't judge you.

[A beautiful little girl with surprising reflexes. A girl after her own heart.]

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Page 9 of 98

⇨ TEST DRIVE MEME #1

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High Five for the Straw Tongue Clubbb

Archer | Fate/Stay Night | Newbie

OH SNAP a dark link!!

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Oh my god Mari no he's so OP

Natsu Dragneel | Fairy Tail | Newb (OTA; both styles!)

Admission

Medical tent

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WELP

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implying common sense enters the equation for mari

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